When you hear the phrase "factory direct," do you ever wonder exactly where the factory is? Quite often it is some huge company in Hong Kong, but Jerry Burnell of Burnell's Creative Gold looks no further than his adjacent Designer-craftsperson's offices and workrooms.

"Our custom jewelry is 'factory direct,' " he says with a chuckle, "but it's not shipped in from the Orient."

Jerry's staff of four full-time designers create jewelry right there on the premises, located at 550 N. Rock Road in Wichita, Kansas. For more than 22 years, Burnell's craftspeople have been turning out inspiring award-winning designs for their customers.

They count over 40 state and national awards among their honors. In fact, in 1996, they won three first places out of four divisions along with "Best of Show," for a diamond engagement ring that went on to win the top division at the prestigious Jewelers of America National Contest in New York City. In 1997,1998. 1999, 2000,and 2002 they also won best of show in the Kansas Jewelers design contest.

"You don't have to travel far to get the finest designs," Jerry says. "Our factory direct is right here.

"While you will find many pieces made by a host of other famous designers at Burnell's, it's Burnell’s custom work that brings clients back time and again, according to Jerry. "We quite simply produce a better, and more refined product. When a customer looks at a piece and then smiles, and continues to smile we know we've succeeded."

Although the Burnell staff enjoys top honors in their industry, their designs are produced with customers' wishes in mind. "We don't design jewelry merely for aesthetics," Jerry says. "It  also has to be very durable, comfortable and made to match the customer's wishes and lifestyle.

" While Burnell's in-house designs offer extremely good value by eliminating the middle man, they are definitely not cheaply made products, he adds. When you invest in jewelry, you look for quality and timelessness. You want something that is going to look terrific and last a lifetime. And if it's a gift, you want the recipient to know that you chose the best.

"Selecting the right gemstone is just as important as creating an outstanding design, Jerry says. "I scrutinize every stone we purchase. I may go through a thousand stones before I find one that's good enough."

"There's a huge difference in the quality of various stones of any specific type, but quality stones aren't what people are shown (at other stores) most of the time .