Bill's Custom Jewelry changes ownership

Arman Tertemiz, the new owner of Bill's Custom Jewelry in Camarillo, has spent the last 22 years practicing his craft. The skills he learned in Germany he brought to the United States in 1990 to work as a designer in Los Angeles.

He soon opened his own studio, which he still operates today. His work has been sold by retailers all across the country and is now available at his shop in Camarillo.

Since purchasing the store on Las Posas Road in February, Tertemiz has continued to expand on the services offered by his staff.

The store has invested in a number of new technologies, including a computer modeling system and a cad-cam machine for carving jewelry designs. With the aid of this equipment, a ring can be carved from a sketch or photo.

"This is becoming an important part of the jewelry industry," Tertemiz said. "Many, many people are coming in to sell their old gold, and they have a number of stones left over. We can take these stones and make new, more fashionable pieces of jewelry. We can even use the old gold to offset the cost of the new."

Tertemiz said his store has transformed numerous "divorce rings," a growing trend in the jewelry business. "Many women still have diamonds from a previous marriage that we can make into something they care to wear," he said.

"If you can imagine it, we can make it."