Meet Drew Rummell of RUMMELL Jewelry by Design in Littleton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Drew Rummell.

Drew, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always wanted to own my own business, but I didn’t know what field I specifically wanted to be in. I have a curious mind, I love science, I enjoy problem-solving, and I like working with people, so I took a medical path in college thinking I would like to own my own general practice as a doctor. I majored in Neuroscience, graduated, took the MCAT, applied to medical school, and decided that wasn’t what I wanted. My wife and I were married just after undergrad, which is what introduced me to the previous owner of my store, John H. I went to John to design a wedding set for my wife, and we struck up a friendship.

A couple of years after meeting John, he mentioned to me that he was selling his store. I had toured around his shop and watched some of the things he did, so we began talking about the possibility of purchasing his store and what it would take to make that happen. John was a master craftsman specializing in the fabrication of jewelry and I was blessed to study under him. He taught me the right way to make jewelry, implementing classical techniques to fabricate just about anything our customers could come up with.

I took what I learned from John and have incorporated my love of science and technology into the jewelry making process. I’ve introduced CAD/CAM, CNC, 3D printing, laser engraving/cutting, and welding technologies into my business in order to both scales our production and output, as well as meet the demanding design needs of today’s market. We’re producing incredible one of a kind pieces in a fraction of the time due to our understanding of the best practices of jewelry fabrication with the integration of technology.

While the background of the business and the behind the scenes processes of our business expand the jewelry creation capabilities, it’s the work we do with our customers that really make the business worthwhile. I get to have a front-row seat at some of the most exciting times in our customer’s stories and hear about the deeply meaningful experiences and people who enrich their lives. It’s a privilege to be a part of those stories and to use my expertise to produce a piece of artwork that commemorates those people and romantic moments in their lives as a lifelong keepsake and representation of those moments. That’s really where the satisfaction in my work comes from.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I would be surprised to hear from any business owner that it’s been a smooth road. The nature of business is to overcome challenges in order to improve people’s lives, and there are new challenges presented every day. When I bought my business, I didn’t know what I was doing. I’d never owned a business before and my experience with jewelry was limited. There was and is a lot of learning that takes place on a daily basis. Obstacles are character building. Obstacles and challenges aren’t any fun, but they promote perseverance and produce personal growth. They expose weak areas and provide learning experiences which, hopefully, lead to stronger people and stronger businesses.

Probably the most significant challenge was being robbed a few years ago. We were still early in our business life cycle and the theft was significant and threatened our ability to stay solvent. By God’s grace and provision, we got through that storm, learned a lot along the way, and came out the other side. Owning a business requires thick skin and perseverance, sticking it out and continuing to show up. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it is rewarding.

Please tell us about RUMMELL Jewelry by Design.
Communicating with our customers to draw out design concepts from their heads and getting the design into a tangible focus using graphic design tools is where RUMMELL truly excels. It is really satisfying when a customer comes in without knowing what they are looking for and using targeted questions and conversation to formulate a design, create a custom piece of jewelry that came from their passions and particular tastes. The only way to achieve that is by knowing your medium, and we are experts in the field of jewelry and gems and are capable of marrying the materials with the design to create an extraordinary piece of wearable artwork.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We have a really exciting opportunity to work directly with an Aquamarine mine here in Colorado to bring these exquisite gems to our marketplace in a way that hasn’t been done yet. We’re rolling out those plans this year and hope to educate our customers and the surrounding public of this homegrown beauty. We’re really excited for the potential of these rare and beautiful gems.

Contact Info:

• Address: 11786 Shaffer Place
  Unit S-208
  Littleton, CO 80127
• Website: www.RUMMELLjewelry.com
• Phone: 303.629.1144
• Email: design@RUMMELLjewelry.com
• Instagram: RUMMELLjewelry
• Facebook: RUMMELL jewelry

Suggest a story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.