Recently, Joden Jewelers celebrated 50 years of being in business in Grove City, Pennsylvania! Such an incredible accomplishment. Joden is a favorite of mine because their vintage and antique jewelry selection is truly unlike any other place. Many have compared it to a museum — one in which everything is for sale and touching/trying on is actually encouraged! Although with museums, you tend to associate “priceless” items, Joden on the other hand has an incredibly large selection of every price point imaginable — so whether you want to spend a few hundred or a few hundred thousand, there’s something waiting for you!
One of my favorite aspects of Joden, especially for me since I don’t live near their store, is their blog which lives on their website. It is called Joden Girl and is written by Carrie Martin who has been a part of Joden on and off for 17 years! She says, ” I have actually worked at Joden twice. I started here when I was just 19. I had taken some time off from college and was working at a local hardware store. My little sister and Joe’s daughter were best friends while they were growing up… so I had known the Murawski family for years. When I heard the store was hiring, I applied and got the job. I worked here for about eight years before moving on. During the years I wasn’t here, I had two children (both boys). When my youngest was in pre-school, I received a call asking if I was interested in coming back. It was perfect timing. That was nearly nine years ago. So, collectively, I have worked here about 17 years.”
Carrie, aka Joden Girl, collaborates with Dana who also works at Joden on all things web-related. Dana is in charge of the in-house photography, website manager, and Instagram. Carrie runs their Facebook and Joden Girl blog. With these two, Joe is clearly outnumbered but they all make the best team!
So to be surrounded by jewelry all day, you’d think Carrie would have amassed quite the collection, but she makes a good point. She says, “I’ll be honest about the jewelry… although it’s not a popular opinion. I don’t buy much – working here, I am surrounded by an unending array of sparkle. I have found a couple of things to be true – when I find myself enamored with a new bauble, within a week or two it passes and I am on to a new love. In addition, my taste has elevated to a level that becomes quite difficult to afford! Four or five carat emerald cut diamonds aren’t usually part of the household budget. That being said, I have collected my share of jewelry bits over the years. I would say that my favorite acquisition has to be my engagement ring and wedding band. I will send a picture. The engagement ring was a vintage find and my wedding band was designed and created by our in-house master jeweler, Steve Becker. My only request was that it incorporate daisies. I was smitten with the outcome from the word go.”
Top Five Joden Girl Blog Posts:
5 — Temptation is an Invitation: the very first Joden Girl blog post!
4 — Out of the Ashes: An absolutely phenomenal suite of lava cameo jewelry. Just the tip of the iceberg of what you’ll find at Joden.
3 — A Queen Returns: Joden has a distinctive inventory of modern bridal in addition to all the vintage treasures! A great place to start if you’re looking for an engagement ring.
2 — Joe’s Special Box: This syndicated column features jewelry from Joe’s “secret stash” and is a favorite amongst Joden fans.
1 — Jewelry Re-Imagined: Conversion jewelry is very popular amongst Joden’s clients and no one can turn a bar pin, brooch or other antique component into a re-imagined piece of jewelry better than Joden!
