Gem Gossip Visits ESQUELETO in Oakland, CA

ESQUELETO | Gem Gossip

My #JewelryRoadTrip started off with a bang in 2016–I planned on visiting San Francisco and found a ton of amazing stores and designers. I couldn’t wait to see what this city had in store for my jewelry adventures!

The first stop had me venturing across the Bay Bridge, although not in San Francisco–but in Oakland (just a 20 minute car ride) the side track was totally worth it. ESQUELETO is nestled in the coziest spot, their location is dreamy in every way imaginable. So much to SEE, the shop is filled with artwork, jewelry, rock and mineral specimens, neat objects, and lots of gifts, so browsing in one spot might take awhile and you STILL might miss something! Filled with treasures, although not feeling cluttered at all, the white walls lighten up the small space along with the large windows which let in tons of sunlight. The ambiance is like a desert oasis meets jewelry boutique, and owner Lauren Wolf has been curating items for ESQUELETO since its opening in 2011. I could’ve looked for hours!

Lauren is also a jewelry designer herself, where she creates beautiful jewelry using black and grey diamonds with her signature claw prongs and other designs inspired by nature. Lauren Wolf Jewelry fits right in with what is on display at ESQUELETO; each designer and artist complements one another in the best way possible. Their “Stack of the Week” is a true testament to this statement, where different rings from their inventory are stacked together and photographed, showing how different artists and even different time periods can mix and mingle together. Speaking of time periods, they’ve added lots of antique and vintage jewelry to their lineup and it has been really fun for them. To read more about this, check out my blog post featuring their antique and vintage jewelry.

Many of the designers featured at ESQUELETO are local, like Sarah Swell Jewelry, Jessica Winzelberg, Nick Engel, Ursa Major, all who live in San Francisco. Other artists and designers are people Lauren loves and feels that his or her work is a good fit for the store. Anthony Lent Jewelry is featured at ESQUELETO, a favorite of mine, and I learned Lauren took a class from Anthony and considers him one of the greatest. So many favorites–check out their designer page to see the full list!

If you’re looking for a store that will transport you to someplace beautiful, where you will “want everything,” then you must visit ESQUELETO in Oakland! Stay tuned for more San Francisco recommendations!

Here are some of the pieces I tried on and loved while visiting: