| For those who've been in the
Frederick area for many years, the name Gold Thumb is synonymous
with fine custom-designed jewelry. Now, Bert Edmonston III and
wife Virginia are joined with their son Bert who is training to
walk in his father's footsteps.
Elder Bert began his career at an early age as
a hobby and then pursued a prominent career with an ever growing
clientele and a move to a larger, well-positioned facility.
His teachings came as an apprentice silver
smith for Samuel Kirk & Son then as a gold smith under the
trained eye of Joe Tauber. Both of these brought knowledge that
cannot be found in textbooks and are not in the usual mode of
training.
Over the years, Bert and Virginia traveled
twice a year to Antwerp to choose diamonds for use in the many
custom-designed pieces he fashions for their customers. Of late,
this has been delegated to young Bert who is finishing his
training in the same skills as that of his father.
Their new location at 460 W. Patrick street is
of a design to mirror their "family' tradition of personal
attention and leisurely shopping. Bert III quickly pointed out,
"We take great pride in our work and our service. We don't
want anyone to leave our shop with any unanswered questions or
not being shown all the choices they would have in a given
field, be it diamond, pearl, combination settings, watches or
the like. We feel we have a price range to accommodate most
needs and certainly will work with each customer to give them
all their options. In many instances, just a change in a
setting, or gems, could make the desired difference in pricing.
"Along these lines," he went on to
say, "We have various levels of pricing: gold bracelets,
$30 and up; gold earrings $40 and up; diamond earrings at $100
and up as well as cultured pearls at $300 and up. We have the
latest styles from Italy in gold chains priced very reasonably
at $50 and up too. These are all highlighted by our extensive
stock of loose diamonds that can be set in rings, pendants and
all shapes and sizes.
"Tennis bracelets are still popular
although most are choosing those of diamonds laced with colored
gems. These include sapphires, emeralds, and rubies. Naturally,
we offer many styles in both gold and silver."
The younger Bert then brought out the various
watch brands they have which include ladies and gents Citizen
and the dressy Christian Geneve. |
"We also have a
fine line of Black Hills Landstrom's jewelry," he continued
with, "and these pieces are at a great price point. Then
too, during the holiday season we additionally bring in
collector tree ornaments and we are proud to have the Baldwin
brand. This is our third year to offer this line and it has
increased in popularity. These are of brass and 24 K gold plate
which includes some limited editions that are only made for the
year.
"One can choose fine gifts from our line
of candlesticks, trays, tableware, picture frames and other
great pieces, most of which are engravable. Others that fall
into this category are pewter hollowware, baby cups and other
items. This affords the opportunity to personalize items for
those special gifts."
When asked about repairing jewelry, both spoke
in unison as to their expertise along these lines. It was
quickly apparent if a repair could be possibly be successfully
made - it can be performed at Gold Thumb. Virginia spoke with
pride when she qualified the repair service with, "Bert is
an expert at repairing silver hollowware, gold and platinum
jewelry and is totally committed to quality in creating custom
pieces. His trade will be carried on by our son who has the same
passion for excellence and commitment to the trade.
"We are kept busy staying on top of all
the new trends that we feel would draw interest from our
customers and we also maintain operating hours to suite their
lifestyles. This is even more critical during the pre-holiday
weeks and we then extend our hours to be even more accommodating.
We are open Monday-Friday from 9:00am to 8:00pm, Saturday
nine-five and on Sunday from noon to 5:00pm. Naturally, we
accept major credit cards, provide free gift wrap and for our
male customers we have a men's night every Tuesday and Thursday.
We take the time to answer their questions and assist them in
making a decision. We make every effort to make sure every
customer will be completely satisfied. We hope we can make a
difference and bring smiles to those on your gift list - now and
throughout the year."
An original copy of this
article complete with photos is on display at the store. |
