Erin is looking for something special to celebrate the arrival of her second child. She writes:
I'm expecting baby #2 any day now. I've decided I want a very simple mother's ring, or maybe two stackable ones. The "traditional" ones are a bit too much for my taste. I've found a few possibilities on-line, but I would like to see them in person, and I would prefer to buy local. Does anyone know of a good local jeweler who might meet my needs?
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Despite the name, and the downtown broadway location I really like Gary Swank. He and the metalsmith who works for him are really nice, helpful and if you don't find what you want exactly he can create exactly what you want. We looked everywhere for wedding rings and he had some of the more interesting bands-not just for wedding bands either. Also-not necessarily local-but "Twist" which is right next to Smith and Hawkin in the 23rd and Burnside complex is great for smaller lesser known jewelers who are really arty and cool-very different then your middle of the road dime a dozen rings, necklaces, bracelets etc.
Posted by: anne | May 22, 2007 at 01:13 AM
Maloys Jewelry Workshop, at 717 SW 10th, is another jeweler who can make whatever you want. They helped us design our wedding rings and they turned out beautiful.
Posted by: sara | May 22, 2007 at 07:39 AM
Malloy's repaired some earrings that used to be my grandmother's and they were really nice. I loved looking at the stuff they had on display.
Posted by: Zinemama | May 22, 2007 at 08:12 AM
My friend Shira Loa is a local metalsmith/jeweler. Her stuff is really amazing and organic looking (she doesn't do casting right now), and she only does commissioned projects right now. You can see a lot of her stuff on her website at http://orelafey.com/
Posted by: Sadie Rose | May 22, 2007 at 08:19 AM
Gilt on NW 23rd between Irving and Johnson. They carry beautiful vintage jewelry (reduce, reuse, recycle). They also carry amazing jewelry from local designers. The women who work there are fabulous, very helpful and fun to shop with. My husband bought a ring for me on the arrival of our 1st and as of now only child.
Posted by: Christine | May 22, 2007 at 08:26 AM
Equinox Creative Jewelers at 2403 NW Thurman St. I cannot say enough good things about these guys. They carry and design beautiful things. I really appreciate them because we did not have a lot to spend on my wedding ring and they created something that I absolutely love (and get compliments on all the time)! Wonderful people!
Posted by: emily | May 22, 2007 at 08:46 AM
The Mother Goose Galleries carry beautiful jewlery made by lcoal artists and if you don't see exactly what you want, you can get the names of the designers of the rings that catch your eye somewhat to do something custom.
Posted by: andrea | May 22, 2007 at 10:55 AM
I also second Gary Swank. He made our wedding rings as well as subsequent anniversery bands. He is willing to work with any budgets too, which was key for us. Plus he cleans and buffs my rings every year for free.
Posted by: andrea | May 22, 2007 at 10:57 AM
ABC Jewlers downtown at 3rd & Stark I think.. They made me the most beautiful mama ring, they are a small family business and really affordable. I get compliments on it all the time!!
Posted by: Kimber | May 22, 2007 at 10:59 AM
John Rink in Multnomah village 503.977.3700 can make ANYTHING ! He is local, very reasonable in price and very very talented.
Posted by: THP | May 22, 2007 at 03:16 PM
Jones & Jones jewelers downtown, on Alder. They were very easy to work with and made me a ring that was very technically challenging to create - a few other jewellers had told me what I wanted couldn't be done.
Posted by: Allison | May 22, 2007 at 08:54 PM
I second John Rink, he made some amazing cufflinks for my husband when we got married and was great to work with. He also had excellent referrals for work he doesn't perform, such as engraving.
Posted by: Fiona | May 23, 2007 at 10:18 AM
I second Jones and Jones, they made my wedding ring (customized one of their designs for my smaller hand) and my husband custom-designed a pendant which they made in honor of giving birth to our daughter. They're great to work with.
Posted by: Kristi | May 29, 2007 at 01:38 PM
Hi there. I hope this is ok to post--I am a local jeweler, and also a mama with a five-year old boy. I do a lot of custom jewelry, especially for new parents. One thing I do that's very popular is custom thumbprint jewelry...basically I take an impression of your child's thumbprint and make jewelry from it. If you're interested, give me a call: 503-709-2879 or shannon@shannonmiranda.com.
Posted by: Shannon Miranda | June 01, 2007 at 07:14 PM
I can vouch for Shannon Miranda's work. My husband surprised with a "thumb print necklace" for mother's day last year. It's a small, round-ish pendant with her thumb print on it. She engraved Gabby's name and age on the back and placed it on a silver chain. It's a piece of jewelery that I'll always cherish. I've thought about getting "matching" earings. I'll have to drop that hint to Howard for next mother's day :)
Posted by: Melinda | June 01, 2007 at 10:08 PM
I too have a John Rink custom ring - it was designed for my wedding in 1993 and is a timeless classic. No one has anything like it.
Posted by: AMP | January 23, 2009 at 06:06 PM
I recieved a charm bracelet from my mom upon the birth of my first child. Its not a ring, but I add special charms to it with meaning. http://designjewelry.com has a wonderful online application.
Posted by: vanessa | June 01, 2011 at 09:38 AM
My favorite jeweler is Gary Swank at Swank's jewelers. He made a duplicate of my wedding band with a shank in it so I can get it off my finger when it swells from artritis. He did a great job
and was very reasonable. His metalsmith is doing
wonderful with original and very creative metal jewelry as well.
Posted by: Alice Nilsson | June 28, 2011 at 07:49 PM
I have two charm bracelets one my mom started for me, and one my husband gave me for my wedding gift.
Posted by: Wedding Ring Men | December 19, 2012 at 10:12 PM