Manhattan jeweler finds a gem of a home in Kent

KENT — Every weekend, veteran New York City jeweler Carol Pantages trades gridlock for cow crossings on her commute to work. For the past 18 years, she’s singlehandedly owned and operated Kent jewelry store, Pantages Gems.

“When I get stuck in traffic, I take pictures and I send them to the city, because it’s usually cattle in the road, or a duck, or some type of livestock,” Pantages said, noting the difference between her urban and rural homes. “It’s funny because that’s my traffic. I live in paradise.”

Pantages is a Gemological Institute of America-certified gemologist, who works several days a week as a jeweler on 47th street in Manhattan.

“That’s my headquarters,” she said. “That’s where I do my magic.”

But from Friday through Sunday, her shop on North Main Street brings some of that glamour to downtown Kent.

Pantages carries everything from high-end engagement jewelry and custom designed pieces to an eclectic array of pins and pendants.

“Because I’m the only jewelry store in town, I have to be here for everyone,” Pantages said. But, she added, her specialty is custom orders. She particularly enjoys doing refurbishments and restorations, creating something new from her clients’ old metals and minerals.

She said clients often save money by bringing their own materials, since she doesn’t need to source them herself. It creates a sense of trust, she added.

“There’s no fear factor here, I’m not here to hurt you,” she said. “I’m not one of those jewelers.”

A look inside Pantages Gems on North Main Street in Kent shows an array of custom-designed pieces and high-end engagement jewelry. Allison Gollenberg

Pantages has been in the gems and jewelry business for 45 years. She was encouraged to join the industry by her mother, who remembered how she loved collecting minerals as a child. It helped that a family friend was the principal of the Gemological Institute of America, where Pantages later received her certifications and even started the inscriptions department for that organization.

The department she started in the 1980s still exists today. “Every time I go down there, I’m like, ‘that’s my baby! I started that,’” Pantages said.

In a past life, Pantages said, she graduated with a degree in marketing from Pace University. Today, she said, she doesn’t need to use it much.

“I have never advertised in 45 years,” she said. “Instead, it’s always, ‘Go see Carol.’”

Her loyal customer base, many of whom she created engagement jewelry for 45 years ago in Manhattan, are now sending their kids her way.

Since bringing her craft to Kent nearly two decades ago, Pantages has fallen in love with the community.

It was her veterinarian who initially suggested she make the move, but Pantages had never heard of the town. After visiting, she purchased and renovated the shop she now occupies and planned to stay open for 10 years. Now, she said, her store is nearing 20 years in business, and the town keeps pulling her back in.

Pantages said she gives back to the community by making frequent donations to animal shelters like The Little Guild and Hudson Valley Animal Rescue and Sanctuary. Profits from items sold in one corner of her store are even dedicated to raising contributions for the Kent Food Bank.

“I love Kent, it’s very safe here. It’s a great place for a female jeweler,” she said. “I have the best neighbors.”