Eugene’s jewelry community said goodbye to a local legend this week as Charles Beaudet officially retired on Sept. 23, his 80th birthday. Beaudet, a second‑generation craftsman who began cutting opals in a Milwaukee basement at age nine, has spent the past half‑century creating custom pieces for generations of Eugeneans.
A lifetime of hands‑on learning
Beaudet’s love of gems began long before he set up shop in Oregon. At twelve he entered an eight‑year apprenticeship with his father, George J. Beaudet, a Milwaukee jeweler. By fifteen he had finished a solid‑gold tea service that now resides in the Milwaukee Art Museum. Those early lessons taught him the precise thermal thresholds of precious metals and the importance of matching lines and medallions—a standard he still holds dear.
When his father’s health declined, Beaudet briefly left the trade, taking a job at a J.C. Penney warehouse to pay for an apartment. He soon returned, renting a bench in secret and rebuilding the family business after his father’s death. The same year he married his sweetheart, Georgiann, and together they plotted a move west, eventually settling in Eugene in 1972.
Building a Eugene institution
Beaudet Custom Jewelry opened its doors in 1976, with Charles handling design and Georgiann managing the business side. Over the years the shop has produced thousands of pieces that mark life’s milestones—engagements, anniversaries, graduations—many of which are now family heirlooms. Beaudet estimates he has crafted more than 7,000 custom items, each beginning with a sketch and a conversation that turns emotion into metal and stone.
His work often reflects Oregon’s natural beauty. He has fashioned pendants that echo the Willamette Valley’s pinot noir leaves and an “Oregon green flash” design that shifts from red to green as the viewer’s angle changes, pairing a garnet with an opal to capture the Pacific coast’s fleeting light phenomenon.
Challenges of modern technology
While the fundamentals of jewelry making have endured, Beaudet has watched technology reshape the industry. Laser‑cutting and computer‑aided design (CAD) have made it easier for newcomers to produce inexpensive rings that look polished on a screen but lack the durability of hand‑crafted pieces. He recalls a customer who presented a digitally designed ring with overly high settings that snagged on clothing, prompting Beaudet to remark, “They don’t know what a quality product is. If it looks good on the screen, it’s good, right?”
Passing the torch
Following Georgiann’s death in 2014, Beaudet continued to run the business alone until he found a successor in Jen Shaline, a Wisconsin native who began as a painter before studying fine arts and discovering a talent for metalwork. Shaline, who has served as the shop foreman for years, will take over as owner, rebranding the shop as Shaline’s Custom Jewelry. She plans to maintain the classic custom‑and‑repair focus while expanding space for local artists, creating a gallery‑like atmosphere for the community.
“If he closed his doors, I would have had to move and go somewhere else to work,” Shaline said. “There are only a few jewelry stores in town, and they’ve already got their people.”
Looking ahead
Retirement for Beaudet does not mean stepping away from his passion. He and his current wife, Christina, are setting off on a cruise, and he intends to write a book detailing what makes custom jewelry distinct, hoping to pass his knowledge to future artisans.
Charles Beaudet’s retirement marks the end of an era for Eugene’s craft community, but his legacy will endure in the countless pieces that continue to celebrate life’s most treasured moments.
Original reporting: Homepage – Lookout Eugene-Springfield — read the source article.
