Melinda Nolan says she has loved sparkly rocks and gemstones since she was old enough to notice their beautiful glimmer in the light.
“I started studying them when I was a little girl and collecting rocks and crystals because I thought they were fascinating and beautiful," Melinda says. "When I was 7 years old, my father bought me my first piece of fine jewelry, a birthstone ring in white gold. I was only allowed to wear it to church at first, but I remember sitting in church just admiring the sparkle. Of course, my love of jewelry grew as I got older, so in my 20’s, I looked into taking classes to learn how to make jewelry as a hobby. I went to Craft Alliance in the U City Loop and took carving and casting classes, glass bead making and glass fusing classes and also some metalsmithing at the Community College and through Rio Grande."
After years of outside sales and marketing in various industries, Melinda finally took the leap into the world of jewelry as a career.
“Roemer Originals was the first place I went because I really wanted to work somewhere that specialized in custom design, and Roemer Originals was well known for just that," she explains. "I started there in 2001 and continued gemology education through the American Gem Society and the Gemological Institute of America. In 2005, I purchased the business, and since it had such a long following and name since 1975, it made sense to keep what customers had grown familiar with, so we kept the name and continued the tradition of custom design.
“Most jewelry stores claim to have custom design services these days, but we’ve been making rings from scratch for almost 45 years. We have trained designers who are artists, helping take a customer’s vision and transforming it into a beautiful and functional piece of jewelry. Customers can bring in their old jewelry and/or pictures for ideas, and we can create a one-of-a-kind piece that matches their taste and style. We use old-world hand carving techniques, as well as CAD systems, to create our pieces so we can achieve the best outcome for the customer.”
While a large portion of Roemer's business is custom-designed bridal, they also do a great deal of “re-styling” of jewelry.
“So many people have jewelry that has been passed down to them that is not their style. What your grandmother wore is not necessarily what you would wear. Rather than leaving it to sit in a jewelry box unworn, we recommend bringing it in and talking with one of our designers to use those stones and metal to create a piece you will wear and enjoy. We can use your stones, and while we recommend casting with new, clean casting grain, we'll give you double the scrap credit on all of the gold that you bring in toward the cost of the custom piece. There’s never a charge for a consultation with our designers, and it’s fun!”
In addition to its beautiful high-end jewelry and custom designs, Roemer Originals also does jewelry repair, ring sizing, watch battery replacement and gift items.
“So many people think we only carry high-end, custom jewelry, but we try to cover all the bases and want people to know that they can stop in anytime during normal business hours, and we can help them with anything from a repair to a $25 gift item.”
Roemer Originals is located at 1163 First Capitol Dr. in St. Charles. For information, call 636.947.7207 or visit RoemerOriginals.com.
