It’s not every day you stumble across a jewelry store in the area that’s run by a certified master jeweler, though two-month-old Gems by the Shore isn’t your everyday jewelry shop.
Coastal Point • RUSLANA LAMBERT:
Don Palazzo, owner of Gems by the Shore, shows off some the jewelry in his Bethany Beach shop. Palazzo is a certified master jeweler, and creates many pieces himself.
From hand-crafted works of art made exclusively by Italian-American owner Don Palazzo himself to a wide range of watches that run the gamut of designs from names like Pulsar, Seiko and Rolex, Gems by the Shore offers a selection to please every taste and budget. Repairs, appraisals, engravings, and remounts — Gems has it all.
Palazzo began his apprenticeship in his native Florence, Italy, when he was only 8 years old. His mother’s side of the family involved themselves with fine arts and crafts — primarily in crafting silver services, fashioning everything from candelabras to English tea sets. Most of his uncles on his father’s side were dedicated jewelsmiths, mastering all types of jewelry and watches, and working with silver, gold and diamonds, platinum, gemstones and pearls.
In Italy, in 1960, his family started Real Mosaic jewelry, a style that incorporates small cuts of set Venetian glass within a frame to form one-of-a-kind masterpieces in everything from bracelets to pendants. The glass pieces are most commonly given the appearance of a floral arrangement but also take on other designs, as well.
“All of the mosaic jewelry is done individually, so each earring, necklace and ring is a complete original from anything else in the world,” said Palazzo. “None of [the mosaics] are (mass) manufactured — everything is carefully crafted by hand. It’s a lengthy and tiring process, but the finished product is great.”
In 1974, Palazzo came to the United States and brought with him the knowledge of this trade.
The Venetian glass jewelry has been a huge success in Italy and around other parts of Europe.
“All of the young girls over there flock to this style of jewelry,” said Palazzo. “I’m hoping that it will catch on over here.” Some of the pieces of jewelry are among the most affordable selections in the store.
Palazzo perfected his talent once in the United States, working with different jewelers in Rochester and Syracuse, N.Y., before relocating to southern coastal Delaware. Here, he worked alongside a jeweler in Rehoboth and picked up jobs in Ocean City. It was only a matter of time before Palazzo decided that he wanted to be his own boss.
“It wasn’t a horrible experience, but I wanted to be the top guy,” he said. “I was just waiting for the day that I’d have my own business. This has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember.” His wife, Maria, also helps to run the store.
Having been surrounded by jewelry for his entire life, it only made sense to Palazzo that this is what he’d be doing. Many of the styles in the store’s display cases are Palazzo’s own.
“I’ve seen all types of jewelry,” he said. “I enjoy making my own pieces, and people seem to like them.”
In addition to selling his own jewelry, he has developed quite a knack for cleaning and repairing them as well. He’s even been known to work into the dead of the night, sometimes until 1 or 2 in the morning, to get the job done.
“I’ve had people bring in jewelry and watches to be fixed,” he said, “and they are stunned when I have it done the next day. I’ve been told that some of the work I do takes other jewelers three to four weeks.”
At Gems by the Shore, customers can also receive a service difficult to find at other locations in the area.
“Sometimes people will bring in a ring or bracelet that they don’t want anymore,” said Palazzo. “Then, I price it, melt it down, and turn it into something the customer prefers, and they only pay the difference.”
With this customer satisfaction, Palazzo hopes to establish both his name and credibility with his young store.
“When someone walks out of here with a new piece of jewelry or a watch,” he said, “it’s my reputation on the line. If someone doesn’t like what they bought, they’re going to tell their friends, who will tell 20 others. I want to recognize and like what I make.”
With his slogan, “You Imagine It, I’ll Create It,” he seems to be appealing to everyone who visits his shop.
But it’s not just vacationers and local jewelry shoppers wearing smiles thanks to Palazzo. He has designed original molds for pieces used in the widely popular Dungeons and Dragons games, as well as formed the distinct cast skull ring worn by professional wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
However, one of his greatest claims to fame is personally meeting and dealing directly with renowned actor Johnny Depp, who purchased an original engagement ring Palazzo designed and crafted himself.
Now, an autographed picture of Captain Jack Sparrow rests inside one of the store’s display cases, right beside Pulsar’s watches that are coincidentally named “Black Pearl” (the same as Captain Jack’s ship in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies). “We’re conveniently right across from the new pirate-themed mini golf, too,” Palazzo said with a smile. “It’s actually helped the sales of the watches.”
Almost all of the jewelry in his store, with the exception of the Real Mosaic pieces, are priced at 15 to 20 percent of the original retail cost. “It’s a competitive area,” he said, “and I’ve even taken a hit on a sale because I know that it will keep customers coming back. My goal is to offer low-end to high-end jewelry that anyone can afford, but I also want people to know that they can keep coming back for the best deal.”
Some of the favorite items in the store are not even inside the display cabinets. Seiko “Melodies in Motion” musical clocks line the walls, each performing a unique show on the hour, every hour, complete with soothing melodies and moving panels.
Palazzo hopes to expand the two-story shop soon, incorporating European-style gifts and furniture upstairs. “We’ll have to see how the jewelry goes,” he said. “I’d like to make more room for more display cases soon, but I’m really happy with what I have right now.”
Gems by the Shore is located beside Anything Goes, at 26-D Pennsylvania Avenue in Bethany Beach. The shop opens at 10 a.m. with varying hours into the evening. For more information, call (302) 539-6151.