A Perfect Time To Clean And Reassess Your Jewelry

Now that closets are cleaned out and drawers tidied like never before, thanks to COVID-19, there is a good chance that jewelry has turned up and been given a what-do-I-do-with-this look.

You might want to think of repair or redesign to rejuvenate the old, once-treasured pieces. With nowhere to go where they could draw admiring comments, why not assess and give your rediscovered jewels a new life?

Elizabeth’s Jewelry in Millerton, N.Y., has a repair and redesign service available. In addition to the everyday watch battery and watchband needs, she can help with restringing those pearls, repairing that clasp and redesigning something old and clunky into something that is totally 21st century. Or, maybe assessment would help make the right decision. 

With 13 years of jewelry experience and lots of professional certifications, Betsy Trotta has been the proprietor of Elizabeth’s Jewelry in Millerton since 2004. Her business began in Millerton center (between what was then Saperstein’s and is now Westerlind, and Herrington’s hardware store), Trotta said during a conversation on Thursday, Jan. 28. Her grandfather had once run a little grocery store there. Her father’s law practice was housed in the building, and then it became her jewelry store.

In 2007, Trotta moved her business to its present location, next to the CVS pharmacy.

Bring it in
or DIY

Easy to find along Route 44 east of the center, the shop offers retail jewelry as well as capable and trustworthy repairs and advice. Trotta says that often people just want to know what they have. Is it valuable? Or, is its value only sentimental?

“We get those questions all the time,” Trotta said.

Elizabeth’s Jewelry offers complete jewelry cleaning services on premises. And the shop sells a variety of jewelry cleaning products.

If you’re staying at home, however, you can use products already on hand to clean and rejuvenate them, Trotta says.

Sterling silver can be cleaned with a simple paste made of three parts baking soda and one part water, applied with a soft cloth. Rinse in warm water and dry with a lint-free cloth. 

A solution of dish detergent and warm water will work for gold, diamonds, rubies and sapphires. Let the jewels soak for 10 minutes and use a soft toothbrush to gently clean. Do not use the soap mix on porous jewels such as pearls, emeralds, opals and turquoise, however.

Love is
all around

Because it’s a jewelry store there are stories of romance, appropriate for the advent of Valentine’s Day. A few years past, a young man was hiking the Appalachian Trail with his lady love, going the distance from Georgia to Maine, when he stopped off in Millerton and arranged for the creation of an engagement ring. Betsy shipped the completed ring off to Maine, and when the couple reached the northern terminus, the question got popped and the answer was affirmative.

“I really enjoy working with young people purchasing jewelry for the first time,” Trotta said, adding that she maintains an inventory of pieces that sell for under $50.

Antique jewelry can be found for sale in the estate cases. Or, customers can leave items on consignment.

Trotta said that the store remains quiet, but business is steady, since they re-opened in mid-June, and that people can make appointments to come in if they would like to be there without other shoppers. 

To read more about the breadth of jewelry services offered by Elizabeth’s Jewelry store, go to www.elizabethsjewelry.com.