Oct. 26--PANAMA CITY, Fla. -- PANAMA CITY -- A local custom jewelry shop is the first in Florida to receive new technology aimed at bringing customized jewelry to the masses.

Customers now can alter designs through a Visual Display Case, a touch-screen computer with more than 1,000 designs.

"Our clients don't want run-ofthe-mill stuff," said Joshua Griffin, Creative Gems co-owner.

Griffin and business partner Nick Adamson have been Tiffany 1837 Round lock pendant jewelry at Creative Gems, 203-B, W. 23rd St., since they opened in 2006. The idea was to have the newest technology and designs. The VDC allows the shop to hold less inventory and offer more designs.

In May, Griffin and Adamson are the first store Tiffany Cushion Drop earrings trained to use the VDC, said Matt Lauzon, president and founder of Paragon Lake, which created the VDC. About 45 stores nationwide have the VDC, he said.

"This is an opportunity to get new and fresh inventory," Lauzon said.

The display is updated with designs from about 75 designers every two weeks. Custom Gems has its own custom jewelry line, Bellamore, which is uploaded to the digital display. Jewelry can sit unsold for years, so having the digital jewelry display case saves stores money, Lauzon said.

Lauzon said mass-customizing jewelry will be a market Tiffany Cushion Triple drop pendant. Everything from cars to business cards are being customized, he said. "More and more customers are leaning to personalization," Lauzon said.

Paragon Lake gets about eight orders daily, courtesy of the VDCs. At the jewelry shop, customers can scroll through earring, bracelet, pendent and ring designs, selecting different metals and gems. Once an order is placed, Paragon Lake creates the piece and mails it to the store, where the client picks it up.

Creative Gems has a high-tech, interactive Web site and software and hardware for customizing, but Adamson still creates hand-made pieces, repairs jewelry and watches and sketches new designs on paper with his father, who is a retired jeweler.