I hope you’re ready to add another website to your jewelry browsing rotation, my dears, because STORE 5a and its ever-expanding selection of pre-loved treasures is not to be missed.
STORE 5a is a vintage, overstock and pre-owned jewelry store that curates luxury items, restores them, and then offers these treasures to you spectacular prices.
They have a diverse selection of pieces ranging from under $50 to over $10,000, but where I think they really shine is in the category of everyday luxury. High quality pieces you can wear every day, made affordable by their pre-owned status but still fine enough to provide years of adornment for a new owner.
You know me well enough by now to know my favorite of this trio is the one in the middle – but the two amethyst pendants are so lovely, too! They’re distinctive, but simple enough that they would go with almost anything.
When I worked in an office I had a rotation of go-to everyday necklaces that these would have fit into perfectly.
Unlike many stores that choose to dabble in pre-loved jewelry, STORE 5a’s ties to the jewelry industry are deep and strong: STORE 5a’s director Jesse Johnson’s family owns the highly-respected Ohio jewelry institution, the Diamond Cellar. When STORE 5a tells you about a piece of jewelry they’re offering, there’s major knowledge behind that description.
In fact, STORE 5a’s origin story is directly tied to Johnson’s experience at the Diamond Cellar. In his own words:
I was interning at my family’s jewelry store, the Diamond Cellar, [when] I noticed all of the vintage and pre-owned jewelry their customers were looking to sell. Many of these pieces were beautiful and had such a rich history. Pieces like this posed a real problem for many customers. They were too dangerous or difficult to sell on eBay but were worth more than just their weight in gold.
After looking into it, I asked if I could begin buying and selling this jewelry online. With Diamond Cellar’s expert watch and jewelry shop, appraisal team and buying staff, we had everything we needed to help customers buy and sell jewelry in a safe and trustworthy environment.”
Because STORE 5a purchases each piece of jewelry outright rather than just serving as a third-party sales platform like eBay, they’re able to take advantage of their experienced workshop’s ability to clean and refurbish each piece thoroughly before offering it for sale.
You don’t have to worry about fakes, repros, or damaged pieces masquerading as ready-to-purchase stock here: the jewelry that STORE 5a offers is refreshed and ready for its new life in your jewelry box.
Hunt Country Jewelers is right in the middle of the town, across from a distillery. It’s a bright, open, thoughtfully-designed space that feels like a gallery without the standoffishness. Warm wooden display cases, bright lit, dot the room, holding everything from large, custom show pieces to sterling silver earrings to loose gemstones awaiting their fates.
A Brandt and Son had one of the best in-store selections of midrange Art Deco engagement rings I’ve seen anywhere. The kind that the majority of people will actually be able to afford: bigger than a twinkle but smaller than a boulder, and with plenty of knee-weakening detail. But I admit I’m biased; 
One of my favorite things about A Brandt and Son is that they really did have excellent examples of pieces from all categories, from the most accessible – classic Art Deco engagement rings – to the unusual, like this Victorian skeleton key pendant.
One of the best man-in-the-moon rings I’ve ever seen!