I recently had the pleasure of visiting Hunt Country Jewelers: a second-generation family owned gem of a jewelry store in picturesque Purcellville, VA, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.
First things first: the setting. Purcellville is a beautiful little town in the heart of Virginia wine country. Rolling hills, wide skies, friendly residents, wine everywhere. It’s worth visiting on its own.
Hunt Country Jewelers is right in the middle of the town, across from a distillery. It’s a bright, open, thoughtfully-designed space that feels like a gallery without the standoffishness. Warm wooden display cases, bright lit, dot the room, holding everything from large, custom show pieces to sterling silver earrings to loose gemstones awaiting their fates.
I met Logan and Carolyn of Hunt Country Jewelers at a GIA event some months ago. After chatting with Carolyn for a few minutes, I complimented her glasses frames: they were gold colored, with pretty little details. She responded, “Oh, thanks! My husband made them,” and then proceeded to tell me how she was tired of needing to have bent glasses frames repaired, so her husband simply made her a pair out of actual gold so that he could fix them himself at his jewelers’ bench whenever necessary.
If that doesn’t make you want to meet these people, you’re reading the wrong blog.
The ring above features a tanzanite that Logan and Carolyn brought back from their honeymoon (didn’t you visit gem mines on your honeymoon?) in a custom-made setting that shows a tiny wildlife scene: here in the foreground you can see a rose gold mama elephant with her baby, in front of the spreading branches of a stand of trees that hold the central tanzanite.
Every step of the process – from selecting and cutting the tanzanite to designing, creating, and perfecting the setting – was conceived and executed by a member of the Hunt Country Jewelers family. And when I say “family,” I do mean family: husband and wife Ed and Claire Cutshall were the ones who founded the business, and now their son Logan, and his lovely wife Carolyn are involved as well.
That’s three lapidaries and two Gemologists: Ed even holds the patent to a gemstone cut, the Jubilant Crown, and his designs have taken home awards in both the International Pearl Competition and the AGTA Spectrum Awards.
In other words: small shop, little town, staggering amounts of knowledge and talent.
Logan, following in his father’s gemological footsteps, has even been dabbling in gem importing through his connections at certain African mines. He says he enjoys seeing all the rough that comes through and – even better – he gets first pick of the stones.
It only takes one look around the showroom to see that Hunt Country Jewelers is run by people who love gemstones: bright green garnets, vibrant tourmalines, and rich tanzanites stand out among more frequently seen stones like aquas, diamonds, sapphires, and amethyst.
A Brandt and Son had one of the best in-store selections of midrange Art Deco engagement rings I’ve seen anywhere. The kind that the majority of people will actually be able to afford: bigger than a twinkle but smaller than a boulder, and with plenty of knee-weakening detail. But I admit I’m biased; 
One of my favorite things about A Brandt and Son is that they really did have excellent examples of pieces from all categories, from the most accessible – classic Art Deco engagement rings – to the unusual, like this Victorian skeleton key pendant.
One of the best man-in-the-moon rings I’ve ever seen!