By Nancy Brumback, Contributing Writer
Marlborough – Joy-Den Jewelers in downtown Marlborough has gifts to delight anyone special on your holiday shopping list, with fashionable and traditional jewelry at prices for most budgets.
“In this store, we specialize in unique, one-of-a-kind pieces you won's find anywhere else,” owner Chad Yesue said.
And if you don's see exactly what you want, Yesue and his staff are all jewelers and can help you design the perfect ring, earrings, bracelet or necklace.
Joy-Den offers sterling silver earrings for $30 all the way up to custom-made engagement rings costing over $100,000. “If you have the budget, we have and can make the pieces you want, but we also have jewelry in a reasonable price range.”
To make shopping even easier, Joy-Den will create a wish list.
“A woman can come in and pick out several pieces she likes in a variety of price ranges, then her husband can choose. The gift is still a surprise for her, and he gets to hit a home run,” Yesue said.
Asked to suggest gifts for a variety of recipients, Yesue didn's hesitate.
For teenage girls, he suggested silver since the price of gold has gone up and silver is a hot fashion color.
A new line of jewelry from Italy, Bernardi, might charm your teen or young adult. The pieces are crafted from very fine, faceted beads that are either oxidized to a dark gunmetal color or coated with platinum, and are very sparkly. The line includes earrings, bracelets and necklaces, such as a 36-in. necklace that can be doubled or worn long, perhaps paired with another necklace.
For women in their 20's or 30's, Yesue recommended pieces from Anna Beck, a California designer whose sterling silver jewelry is handmade in Bali.
Wide cuff bracelets are a signature item in the Beck line, crafted of sterling silver with tiny circles of silver fused to the base to create intricate patterns. Recently, the designer has started adding colored stones to her jewelry. The line includes earrings and other pieces as well as the bracelets.
The Anna Beck items would also make excellent gifts for a wife, but Yesue suggested checking out jewelry by Doves as well. These pieces are made of 18-karat white, yellow, rose or copper-colored gold paired with colored diamonds in black, white, champagne and cognac.
“The Doves line is very fashion-forward. And each piece is unique and takes about a month to make. It is like wearing a piece of art,” he said. This line also includes earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces.
Pearls, he noted, “are always good, and a value with the price of gold going up.”
Yesue likes a selection of bracelets made of freshwater pearls and sterling silver beads in vivid colors by Off the Cuff. “They offer the popular chunky look without a lot of metal so they are not as expensive as a gold or silver bracelet.”
If you are shopping for your mother, Joy-Den can custom-make a mother's ring or other piece with the birthstones of children or all family members.
“You can come in and pick out the exact stones, and we can make it for you right here in the store in a day or two,” he said.
Another popular option is jewelry from Tom Kruskal, a designer based in Somerville, whose more traditional New England jewelry Joy-Den has been selling for 20 years. Kruskal specializes in hand-hammered pieces made from white or yellow gold or silver wire.
“Since it is hand-forged, this jewelry is delicate and very lightweight, but extremely durable. It's good for an active woman,” Yesue said. “And because it's made from a gold wire, it has less metal in it and is, therefore, less expensive.”
And for the men on your shopping list, Joy-Den carries a selection of classic Belair watches. Other possibilities are anniversary bands, bracelets and necklaces.
“We'se also getting a lot of requests for designer cufflinks” as men pair a shirt with French cuffs with dressy jeans. “If a man doesn's wear that much jewelry, the cuff links give him a way to accent his outfit,” Yesue said.
Each piece of jewelry Joy-Den carries has been photographed and posted on the retailer's website, www.joy-den.com, and its Facebook page, so it is easy to preview lines to see at the store.
Joy-Den Jewelers is located at 209 Main St. in downtown Marlborough. For additional information, visit the website, www.joy-den.com, or call 1-508-480-0309.
