Your memories aren’t manufactured, why should your jewelry be? At New Gild Jewelers, creating pieces one at a time with love and skill isn’t business--it’s personal. On the brink of their four year anniversary, New Gild is humming along in their beautiful Linden Hills storefront; if you haven’t been in, you need to see it to feel it. It’s a jewelry gallery and custom studio built on the ideals of craftsmanship, expertise, and love.
New Gild’s gallery features their own one-of-a-kind pieces of remarkable beauty and creativity, as well as those of selected local and independent artists. “We pride ourselves on making things from the best raw materials, and defying tradition or cliche to create totally unique and fun pieces that sparkle and inspire,” says co-owner Jen Bellefleur. Among their notable pieces this year, Cotton Candy definitely impresses, with a Peruvian pink opal center stone surrounded by pink sapphires, diamonds, and turquoise from Arizona’s now closed Sleeping Beauty mine. The Romeo ring features a pink spinel ombre pattern flowing organically around a blue-green tourmaline in platinum. Meanwhile, the Grace necklace features a full suite of plate-cut beryl in pastel shades of pink, blue, green, and yellow with diamond and gold elements and a diamond encrusted clasp. “Recognizing exceptional stones like those used to create these spectacular pieces is both an art and a gut feeling,” says co-owner Kelsey Lee-Karol.
New Gild also makes full custom commitment jewelry for couples, from the engagement ring to the wedding bands--and even wedding gifts and accessories for the ceremony. New Gild’s talented owners and staff work with clients in a collaborative process that takes into account lifestyle, aesthetics, and budget to design and craft true custom pieces. Potential proposers and couples immediately feel at ease in the shop’s combined studio and gallery space. “That’s the beauty of shopping here,” adds Jen; “We treat our clients the way we’d like to be treated. Like family you can trust.”
In addition to crafting new things, New Gild’s exceptional restoration services can bring older pieces back to life. “We’ve restored pieces that went down the disposal accidentally, or were lost outside on the driveway even,” says Kelsey. “We can replace missing gems, repair breaks, and restore textures and details to the oldest rings, giving them a new life.” When a piece is beyond repair, New Gild can replicate the original design with a faithful reproduction that captures the past and starts the story over.
As it turns out, all that glitters is not gold! In addition to their expert jewelry restoration and exceptional custom services, New Gild also hosts a growing gemology lab performing appraisals, stone identification, and diamond and gemstone grading.
New Gild’s field gemology lab boasts impressive capabilities and is staffed by two GIA Graduate Gemologists and certified appraisers. Using lab equipment alongside significant experience and training, Lindsay and David are able to identify and grade even the trickiest of stones.
Recently, a customer brought in a specimen that had been handed down to him as a star ruby. Examination quickly revealed that was an elaborate “fake,” but how the star appearance had been achieved remained a mystery. David remembered something he’d seen in one of his gem guides. The gem was a glass doublet, meaning a colored glass top and a flat back layer used to stabilize a third, middle layer--a layer of foil scored in lines--that ultimately created the star illusion! This process hasn’t been used for almost a century.
From elaborate fakes to the real deal, careful methodology is employed to get to the bottom of things. “We can ‘read’ the story of a piece by examining it carefully. Being able to investigate and discover the mystery of an advanced imitation is just as much fun as identifying and grading its ‘real’ counterpart,” says gemologist Lindsay Weissner.
“People seek appraisal services for a number of reasons,” says gemologist David Carlson, “from just curiosity to insurance needs. We also appraise pieces for families seeking to fairly divide inherited jewelry. Whatever the circumstances, we can provide accurate and appropriate evaluation and valuation services.”
The Q & A with Jen Bellefleur sheds light on where this gem of a store is headed!
Q: How has New Gild earned a reputation for transparency and hand-holding (great communication) throughout the custom build process?
A: In terms of transparency, one of the founding principles of New Gild is complete honesty--we believe our customers have a right to “see behind the curtain.” We embrace that custom is a process and not an event, and we don’t mind making lots of changes to bring about our collaborative vision. These practices create a personal relationship between us and our clients that evolves organically.
Q: 2020 was a challenging year for businesses...what made New Gild stronger?
A: Thankfully, we were coming off of a strong year when the pandemic hit. We focused on constant communication with our employees and our clients, and we worked very early on to implement safety protocols on site. People continue to marry, to have birthdays, to have milestones for which a talisman is perfect and we’re here to help.
Q: What is your favorite part of what you do every day?
A: Every new couple is a new love story for us, and we love everything from hearing about how they met to seeing their dog’s pictures on their phones! At the same time, their rings will be a new story too, one we write together.
Q: What exciting new things can readers expect from New Gild in 2021?
A: Our gallery offerings have matured, and clients will find more truly spectacular pieces from us and our guest artists. Our gemological evaluation and valuation services will expand to include more expertise and more services. And hopefully, we’ll find new ways to bring sparkle into people’s lives.
www.newgild.com / 4300 Upton Ave S., Minneapolis in Linden Hills