Joden: Pennsylvania’s jewelry treasure trove.

I’ve visited jewelry stores in New York, San Francisco, Paris, and everywhere in between – famous, glamorous stores all over this country and in other countries, too. But the latest store to completely blow me away is somewhere you might not necessarily expect to find world-class jewels: Joden, tucked away in rural Pennsylvania.

Joden has been the crown jewel of downtown Grove City, PA, since owner Joe Murawski established it there in 1970.

Joden’s online FAQ says “our inventory is vast” and even that feels like an understatement. I don’t know if I’ve ever been to another store with such a volume of inventory spanning different eras and styles. I saw cutting edge contemporary diamond rings, Faberge lorgnettes, intricate webs of Georgian era pearls, lifelike Victorian micromosaics, museum quality Renaissance revival masterpieces, and everything in between. The pure quantity of inventory – and the quality of that quantity – is remarkable.

I could tell you all day that I saw a lot of good jewelry at Joden and it wouldn’t come close to communicating the depth of what I mean…so I’m going to show it to you. Hold on to your hats, darlings.

The first thing you’ll notice when you walk into Joden is that their store feels like a cross between a shop and a museum. The long room is lined with brightly lit display cases of jewelry, as one would expect, but some of the finest pieces are mounted on the walls in individual vitrines. Each of these showpieces is displayed solo, in front of an enlarged photograph of itself.

Obviously, I went straight for these superstar pieces. Look at this brooch!! Art Deco era, with a killer 17+ carat galaxy of a black opal. No wonder it gets its own case.

As we take this visual tour, please do remember that every piece I’m showing you is currently for sale by Joden. If you fall in love, reach out to Joe and he’ll sell you whatever tickles your fancy. There’s contact info on Joden’s website, or you can call Joe at (724) 458-1111. Joe is friendly and he loves the phone – tell him I say hello!

Objectively speaking, a necklace made of 100+ year old dead bugs should be gross…but I fell head over heels for this antique French scarab necklace. I love the texture of the beetle shells, their unique iridescence. This piece didn’t come home with me that day, but I can’t get it out of my mind.

Which brings me to another important point: Grove City is charming, but don’t worry if you don’t have time for a road trip. Joden offers eCommerce on their website, as well constant appearances from their massive inventory on both their Instagram and the Joden Girl blog.

From delicate and whimsical to hooooooooly moly! How about these diamonds?

Both rings are objectively simple, but the scale and cut of both stones makes them MAJOR showstoppers. The top is a long, lovely 6.58 carat emerald cut diamond flanked by trap and baguette cut side stones. The lower is a voluptuous and 5.95 carat East-West set marquise cut diamond.

One sleek and geometric, the other curvaceous and seductive – both utterly glamorous. I couldn’t decide which one I loved the most, but luckily they both fit me.

How about a jaw-droppingly perfect, gorgeously executed, irresistibly vivid set of micromosaic jewelry?

These are so extraordinary. One pair of earrings and one huge pendant, all of amphora-inspired shape with Greek key shaped handles and dazzling micromosaic details. Blue sky, bright white doves with sprays of greenery, and star details marching around the edges and tops of the amphoras.

Part of the reason Joden has such a diverse inventory is because they do so much jewelry buying. If you have pieces in your collection that you’re not wearing or that isn’t your style anymore, talk to Joe about them. It’s very possible that he’ll make you an offer, and if Joden buys your old jewelry then that’s a perfect reason to buy yourself something new.

I don’t wear bracelets very often in my daily life, but I’m sure I could change my ways for this one. This antique beauty is all buttery gold covered in whorls of black and white enamel; a perfect example of why Swiss enamel work is considered to be some of the best in history.

Speaking of enamel…Joden is also known for one of the biggest collections of Carlo Giuliano jewelry in the world: probably the very best collection in the United States. Those pieces are currently getting ready for a big moment in another publication so I won’t be able to share them with you here right now, but trust me when I say they’re remarkable.

Sapphires, anyone?

These deep blues offer a range of hues and vary from vintage to new, from David Webb to unsigned, but they’re all remarkable. I have a particular weakness for the bezel-set square on the bottom of my middle finger, the moi et toi above that, and the luscious cornflower lagoon of a sapphire at the top of my pointer finger.

How delightful is this antique portrait brooch? It dates to the Edwardian era and features a tiny hand painted scene in a platinum and gold frame.

I’ve never seen a scene exactly like this one in jewelry: a young girl in classical attire playing with two dragonflies on delicate silken ribbons. I don’t know about you, but I can’t look at this one without smiling. It’s pure, portable whimsy.

I’ve focused on a lot on the antique showstoppers at Joden – you know me well enough by now to know that’s what really gets me hot and bothered – but I want to make sure I don’t skip over their collection of modern jewelry.

They have an incredible array of engagement rings in particular: here’s a peek at just a few of their many, many cases of diamond rings. As you can see from the label, this case is all round diamond engagement rings over one carat. The compulsive organizer in me utterly thrilled by the level of order here, but it’s only practical: they have SO MANY rings that they need to keep track of them in labeled cases like this.

Once you get through the displays in the front of Joden and the carefully labeled black cases…then there’s the cardboard boxes.

This is “Joe’s special box,” where the discerning owner keeps pieces that he feels are particularly noteworthy. His signature move is to pull something out, hand it over, give you a grin and say, “not bad for a country boy, eh?” (Have I mentioned that Joe is a delight? You should call him.)

It’s the end of this post, but I have good news for you: there are MORE PHOTOS where these came from. That’s right, this is going to be a two-parter! Vast inventory, remember? Stay tuned for more treasures from Joden soon.

And if you can’t wait…here’s all you need to know to check them out for yourselves:

Joden Jewelers
144 South Broad Street
Grove City, PA 16127
(800) 747-7552 | (724) 458-1111

This sponsored post is brought to you by Joden.