HOLIDAY HANDBOOK 2012
With two identical wedding rings collecting dust in a drawer, Truckee resident Pam English decided to do something radical and melt one down into a piece better suited to her 20-something daughter.
She took the diamond bands to Bluestone Jewelry in downtown Truckee along with some sketches from her husband, a graphic designer who envisioned the ring morphing into an aspen-shaped pendant with matching earrings.
The diamond bands had belonged to English’s mother, and the result was a unique Christmas gift for their daughter with the sentimental value of a family heirloom.
“I think repurposing is wonderful,” English said. “Otherwise, it would just sit in a drawer.”
The ability to do in-house designs is just one of the services Bluestone Jewelry owner Marc Bigelow and his family offer.
There’s a lot to look at in the store, and for those who want to look without buying, Bluestone also offers a computerized “wish list.” Just tell them what you want, and the next time your honey is out for the last-minute gift, they’ll look you up in the computer and tell him what you like.
Like many local merchants, the Bigelows landed in Tahoe for the skiing.
They’d come out for a week and dedicate a day to prowling the local shops. That’s how they discovered five years ago that the Gold Strike jewelry store in Tahoe City was closing.
Marc was still wed to his longtime career as a human relations manager for various publishing outfits, a job that had taken his family to Michigan. But his wife, Linda, and their son, Benton, took the leap. In December 2007, they opened their Tahoe City store in the same spot of the former goldsmith.
“Nothing really beats Tahoe,” Linda said.
The family had collective business experience, but with nary a jeweler among them, they teamed up with two designers, one of whom is also a master stonecutter. The learning curve was steep, but the venture proved so successful that Marc moved out from Michigan and the family recently opened a second store in Truckee.
The Donner Pass road store combines gallery-quality art with jewelry that ranges from the bohemian to heirloom-quality pieces like the original “DaVinci” necklace, a three-dimensional piece featuring a raised blue topaz with an emerald and ruby set beneath it in white gold.
At the other end of the spectrum are woven leather, charm bracelets, and one-of-a-kind enamel designs of Benton’s featuring various Tahoe themes.
One of the more unique aspects of this jewelry store is that it’s also a wine bar. At the back of the store, in what used to be the brick-walled bakery of OB’s Restaurant & Pub, the Bigelows offer a selection of boutique wines from the Sierra Foothills paired with chocolates and dips.
