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m e t i e r : O u r J e w e l b o x i n S a n F r a n c i s c o Metier’s street-level jewelry salon, with its color-washed concrete floors and midnight blue walls artfully leafed with gold, is a dreamy jewel box for our deeply personal collection of new and vintage jewelry, accessories, antiques, photography, thrown pottery, and curiosities. Located on a leafy street in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley, where modernist buildings sit cheek-to-jowl with Victorian edifices a stone’s throw from the gilded dome of city hall, we are pleased to be in a neighborhood that so artfully echoes our own aesthetic. Mingling estate pieces with modern gems by contemporary masters, our collection is united by a similar ethos of craftsmanship. Whether vintage or new, the rings, brooches, earrings, and necklaces that call to us are those that whisper rather than shout. For example, old diamonds are faceted differently than those of today, and imbued with the softness and captivating quality of an old silvered mirror. We are drawn to stones that seduce with unusual cuts and luscious clarity rather than bulk or bombast.
It’s not surprising that the modern artisans we favor are also lauded for favoring stones and settings not often seen in modern jewelry. Gillian Conroy makes her pieces by hand in New York, and we applaud their zero-tolerance policy toward conflict diamonds. Arielle de Pinto treats metal like fabric, crocheting sterling silver and gold vermeil into lacy chainmail adornments. And Variance Objects celebrates the rough-hewn and unpolished, with pieces that reflect the work and fire that shaped the metal and semi-raw stones. In a mass-produced world, we’re drawn, as ever, to those artisans who take the time to imprint their works with a point of view — be it a non-traditional engagement ring of rose-cut diamonds or a hand shredded scarf the color of dawn. Whether worn with torn jeans or a Comme des Garcons jacket, such pieces become part of the identity of the wearer — heirlooms for a new age. We’re just off Hayes Street on Laguna Street, and you’ll know us by the large interlocked gold commitment rings hanging above our cerulean blue door. Please, stop by for a visit soon, or chat with us online.
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