His customers say they can tell his designs from a mile away. It’s that unique flair that has won Mark Lauer four prestigious Spectrum Awards and made him a worthy recipient of the 2010 Award for Superlative Design & Innovation from the Independent Jeweler’s Organization (IJO). Five winners (one in each of five categories) are selected each year from a pool of more than 850 stores—and this is the first year Lauer applied.

Lauer started making jewelry at age 16, later working his way through college by selling his silverworks at art fairs. That side job turned into a life pursuit when Lauer switched his major from psychology to art. He’s been the owner of the successful Mark Michael Diamond Designs for more than 24 years—with a retail presence for 10—but still attributes his innovations to his fine arts training. “I like to design my pieces as if they are mini sculptures,” he says. “I try to make them work from the top view and every other side view.”

Lauer also uses Computer Assisted Design (CAD) technology to create images of custom pieces that he says “literally look like you’ve taken a photograph of the finished piece” before it’s even been crafted.

“It’s something you’re not going to find in a lot of the chain stores,” head goldsmith Tim Lulloff says. “You have to have a person that basically specializes in working on the CAD system.”

According to Lauer, CAD is a necessity for creating designs with the customer in mind. And while Lauer says he was “honored and overwhelmed” to win the IJO award, he insists that the combination of unique innovation and great customer service is what makes Lauer and his team, well, superlative. “I’ve got a small but amazing staff,” Lauer insists. “They’re the backbone of what I do.”

Visit markmichaeldiamonds.com for more information about Lauer’s diamonds, custom work and photos of his award-winning designs.

—Amy Stubblefield