Not Just a Jewelry Store

Customers think of Bill and me when they need something unusual ‘cause you never know what we've stashed away from over 37 years of designing, collecting, repairing and repurposing jewelry! So many stories of strange, funny and often tear-jerking requests. Here's a favorite.

We’ve had customers come in looking for glass eye pieces before, but the other day we had a very special request. A customer who was a neighbor of mine growing up in Berkeley Heights made a replica toy Star Wars gun using a 3-D printer for his 8 year old grandson. This toy was the only thing the boy wanted for his birthday, and grandpa made it with lotsa love and lotsa patience (quality 3-D printing is painstakingly slow).

To complete the look of the toy, grandpa needed glass pieces for the sight finder, a job assigned to his wife. She was afraid to bring in the whole thing for fear of being arrested, so she brought in the two parts of the sight finder needing the glass pieces.

As it happens, we have a wonderful stash of antique watch and pocket watch crystals because… we are a jewelry store that does watch repairs! I picked out two crystals and installed them. Voila! The Star Wars toy replica for their 8 year old grandson was good to go! And it was such a fun project that I couldn’t possibly charge her.

Stay tuned for more extraordinary alternative universe project stories from your favorite jeweler!