Stones set under a loupe
Prongs are shaped and closed by hand under ten-power magnification, then checked against the stone's girdle so it cannot spin or snag knitwear.
Goldsmiths and pearl stringers · Charleston, South Carolina
Rings made to be worn down to the gold.
Fenwick & Vale is a two-goldsmith workshop on Queen Street that sets stones, strings pearls and engraves bands while you finish your coffee next door. Metal is recycled, diamonds are lab-grown or traced to a mine, and every piece is sized, cleaned and re-tightened for free as long as you own it.
Private appointments after hours by request.
At the workbench
- Typical wait for a custom ring
- 3 weeks
- Recycled gold in our own settings
- 100%
- Goldsmiths at the bench
- 2
- Free sizing and cleaning after purchase
- 1 year
What happens behind the glass
Nothing here comes from a catalog. If it is on a tray, one of two people made it within the last month.
Pearls knotted on silk
Every freshwater pearl is separated by a hand-tied knot, so a break loses one pearl rather than the whole strand. Restringing is half price for life.
Bands engraved while you wait
Choose a plain band in 14-karat yellow, white or rose gold, and our engraver will add initials, a date or a coordinate in under forty minutes.
Everyday silver, honestly priced
Sterling bracelets, studs and chains cast from reclaimed silver start at sixty-five dollars and carry the same free polishing as our gold.
Inside Fenwick & Vale
A few frames from the shop on a quiet weekday.
Ready to wear
Six pieces from the cases this month. Each ships in a linen box, insured, and can be resized free in the first year.
Magnolia solitaire
$2,950Plain 4 mm band
$495Cooper River pearl strand
$385Palmetto pendant
$620Marsh pearl drop earrings
$140Tide link bracelet
$175Notes from the bench drawer
“They made my grandmother's stone into a ring that fits a working hand. I forget it is there until someone asks.”
“We picked two plain bands on a Saturday, had them engraved by lunch and walked out to the harbor still wearing them.”
“I snapped a pearl strand twice in a decade. Fenwick & Vale restrung it, and told me to stop wearing it in the shower.”
Sample quotes from fictional customers.
From a sketch to a ring box
- 01
Sit down with a goldsmith
Bring a photo, an old piece or just a feeling. The first hour is free and ends with a pencil sketch and a written quote.
- 02
Approve the wax
We carve a model in wax, which you hold and try on. Changes at this point cost nothing, and most people tweak the width of the band.
- 03
Casting and setting
The final piece is cast in recycled gold, polished and set by hand. Expect three weeks, or five for stones that must be cut.
- 04
Collect and wear
You return for a fitting, we engrave the inside, and you take the piece home with its appraisal and a lifetime tightening promise.
Sizing, repairs and appraisals
Is resizing really free?
For the first year after purchase, yes, as long as the ring can be resized within two sizes. After that, a simple resize costs sixty-five dollars.
Are your diamonds natural?
We sell lab-grown stones as standard and can source natural diamonds with a documented chain of custody by request, usually at a higher price.
Can you repair jewelry you did not make?
Most pieces, yes. Chain repairs start at thirty-five dollars, claw retipping at eighty, and we give a written estimate before touching anything.
Do you buy old gold?
We pay by weight at ninety percent of the day's refiner price, or ninety-five percent as credit toward a commission.
Visit the workshop
57 Queen St, Charleston SC
- Tue–Sat 11:00–18:00
- Evenings by appointment
- Sun and Mon closed
+1 843 555 0129