Become the silversmith: new business offers unique experience to create custom jewelry
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IDAHO FALLS — Picking out the right piece of jewelry to compliment your look or style isn’t always an easy task.
But one local company wants to make the process simpler — by letting you create your own custom jewelry to match your look perfectly. The Stone Pony, Custom Ring Barn lets you pick your own gemstones and teaches you first-hand how to silversmith.
The result is jewelry that is unique to every customer.
“Think of it as you are going to come in and leave with a one-of-a-kind piece that is going to last forever,” said Hannah Goulding, co-owner at The Stone Pony. “You are going to pick your gem, your setting, and the details. We are going to teach you how to solder it.”
Be your own silversmith
Goulding, along with her sister Katie Tomazin who is the owner, just opened a downtown Idaho Falls location off 419 Park Avenue at the beginning of October. It’s their second location.
The Gem State natives are from Blackfoot and opened their first location in January off 45 West Pacific Street in Blackfoot.
“Blackfoot is surprisingly successful with people coming from all over from Rexburg, Twin Falls and as far as Bear Lake,” said Tomazin.
The experience you get at The Stone Pony is hands-on. There’s a three-hour silversmithing workshop where people have the chance to learn how to make what they want: a ring, bracelet, earrings, tie-tacks, hat pins, keychains and more. They will not only learn how to solder but also how to size and shape. They get hammers and torches to use.
The gemstones
The most difficult part of the class might be the very beginning: picking out the gemstone because there are so many varieties and hundreds to choose from.
“We have six different kinds of variscite all from different mines. We have probably 20 different types of turquoise. (We have) jasper, opal, all the different colors of the rainbow,” Tomazin explained.
A lot of the gemstones are imported. Some come from Idaho and surrounding states.
“I like that we can genuinely say that we have handpicked every single gem in the shop,” Goulding said.
Tomazin added that they use the highest quality of sterling silver. If people don’t want to make jewelry with a gemstone, they don’t have to. There are options to make silver pieces.
How much does it cost to go?
So how much does it cost to go to The Stone Pony?
Tomazin explained the price of the workshop, the cost of the jewelry piece and how much someone could potentially spend.
“There is a project fee. That is to get your time in the shop. That’s $50,” Tomazin said. “Then you add the cost of your gemstone, which most of them range between $20 and $45.”
She said some of the gemstones can cost more money depending on the size and the rarity of it.
“So you have your project fee, your gem fee, and any details or upgrades you add to it. Those are usually an additional $10, depending on what you pick. But there’s a lot of options without adding upgrades and details to it,” she said.
On average, making a ring, for example, can cost anywhere between $75 to $100 after the workshop.
Customers come back
After the experience, Goulding and Tomazin say, it’s not uncommon for customers to come back to try making another piece of jewelry. In fact, they have regulars.
“It’s a little addictive for them because you will come in and make a ring and then they are like, ‘Now I want to do earrings. I want to do a bracelet,'” Tomazin said.
Both sisters say they enjoy being a part of teaching classes with their employees and it’s fun to interact with new people.
“Meeting the new people that come in and just the experience they have, that’s also more of the joy than the finished product at the end,” Tomazin said.
Goulding said there’s something for everyone at the shop. Even though customers are primarily women, men come in and are welcome, too.
“My favorite is when couples come in and she’ll make a ring and her husband will make a bracelet or necklace to match her ring,” Goulding said.
Booking
There are three workshops offered every day at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., except for Sundays. Click here to book if you are interested.
The Stone Pony in Blackfoot can take groups from one to 12 people. In Idaho Falls, the business can take groups of one to 24 people.
“If you are looking for a great girls’ night out, team bonding, or something different versus just going to dinner and the movies, this is the place to be,” Tomazin added.
