72 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {home & design} VINTAGE JEWELRY heirloom allure words by SHERYL NONNENBERG PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: ONYSKO / ANNIE BARNETT The old adage “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” can apply to just about anything, from art to cars, but anyone who has inherited jewelry knows it to be especially true. Perhaps you love the timeless quality of Grandma’s pearl necklace but will you ever wear that 1970s-era emerald and diamond dinner ring? Maybe not. Fortunately, there are alternatives to just relegating those items to the back of the drawer. Some jewelry stores specialize in vintage and estate pieces and can guide customers through the process of consigning or refurbishing their unwanted treasures. On the Peninsula, two of the most established and reputable firms, Gleim the Jeweler and Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry, are happy to help. Gleim the Jeweler is a family-owned firm founded in 1931 with locations in Palo Alto and Los Altos. It has been a mainstay at Stanford Shopping Center since the mall first opened in 1956. The store has always dealt in vintage and antique jewelry, which now accounts for about 50 percent of its business. Georgie Gleim, owner and president, shares that her grandfather, Frederick Wilhelm Gleim, borrowed $500 in order to start the business. “I have the original logbooks from that time,” says Georgie, “and on his first day, he did not take in a penny.” Despite its slow start, the store became successful and by the time Georgie was thinking of a career, joining the family firm seemed like the best course of action. “I got to know people in the industry and it was fun,” she explains. At the time, the best way to learn was on the job, but she also obtained a gemology degree from the Gemologist Institute of America. She now holds a certified gemologist title from the American Gem Society that she renews each year. When a customer decides to clear out their jewelry box, unwanted pieces can be brought to Georgie to examine. The free service offers expert advice about consigning the jewelry for sale or remodeling into something that better fits the owner’s taste. (This is not the same as appraisal for
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