Goldworks Gallery

I went to Goldworks to have several rings made larger. The staff is professional, friendly and they were reasonably priced. I wanted to keep the business local and they made me feel very welcomed. They also have a sweet heart of a mascot cat which was a plus

Literally and figuratively, a «hidden gem» har har. Do not be put off by the entrance or clutteriness of the shop. JC is awesome and this review may be biased by that opinion of mine. He designed a beautiful engagement rings for me and even added a wedding band that wraps around it all Escher-​like. He took some time to make sure all of the emeralds matched, and he worked with my then-​fiancé to pick the most beautiful purple sapphire (they are somewhat rare). He was super flexible working with our work schedules to accommodate us whenever we needed to come in to make decisions throughout the process of designing, molding, and sizing our rings. He even made a rustic silver wedding ring for my husband. A+, great work, warm, pleasant, and professional attitude, and the price was more than reasonable. Thank you JC! And, we will be back.

WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!!! BEWARE!!!
I went into Goldworks gallery after reading about them on Unilocal.I went in the first time a year ago to have my engagement ring swapped from a prong to a bezel setting. Seemed simple enough. I ended up having to take it back not ONE but THREE times to correct mistakes JC had made!!! and its still not right!!!
The first time: The band on my engagement ring is molded from a twig which I love the texture of, so JC suggested keeping with the wood theme and carving a wood grain detail in the side of the bezel rather than just having it plain. He said it would take 1 week. I waited and waited and waited. I called several times and he seemed to be unaware of the timeline I was promised… annoying. Finally after 3 weeks I got my ring back and it was horrid!!! The wood grain effect ended up looking like a sloppy mess as did the rest of the work. So disappointed we ended up giving him a second chance to fix it…
The second time: My wedding was only 3 weeks away so I needed the ring ASAP. We decided to just do a plain bezel this time, again seemed simple enough. Again the timeline I was promised was pushed back… and again after receiving my ring it just didn’t look right, the color of the gold didn’t seem to match. I ended up having to live with it as my wedding was just around the corner. Finally I took the ring to another jeweler to confirm my suspicions and I was right. HE USED ROSE GOLD INSTED OF YELLOW GOLD!!! Again we take it back and this time ask for our money back. He refused and promised he could fix it. Reluctantly we let him try again…
The third time: After taking the ring back a third time to have him fix his rookie mistake or using rose gold instead of yellow gold. We got the ring back in the time promised. The ring looked fine and we thought all was said and done and we could put this behind us. A weeks later THE STONE CAME LOOSE!!! Now my ring sounds like a rattle! I am so upset and disappointed!
I will not be returning here again EVER!!!

I went into Gold works after I was quoted $ 500 to retip the prongs on my engagement ring at a chain store. Once at Gold works I was told that all I needed was my stone to be tightened because my ring has 8 prongs. The price was perfect too. I met JC and he let me know that he could create custom wedding bands for my me and my fiancé.
Great communication throughout the whole process and had the rings finished before the date we requested. We both love the rings and it’s awesome that they are original. The price was reasonable too.

Came in once to sell some junk silver, he paid a good price the first time so i figured id go back. The second time he says «oo this is not a good time come back in about a half hour». It was 1230 and he closes at 1. If u dont want my business just tell me guy.

My honey’s diamond“fell out” and was lost 6 months into wearing the band. Eek. Super bad deal. We will have to pay someone else to start over. Sad.

My experience was somewhat like Linda A.‘s. Had I written a review a year earlier I would have given them a 5 star. Over the years I have brought misc. items for repair and was always very satisfied with the work. In June I brought some gold-​filled glass frames in for repair. I was told, it being June & wedding season, it would take a little while. No problem. Then, in September, I brought a few other items for repair & ordered a silver chain for some beads. Over the next few months I would check periodically for an update. I was always told, my work was coming up next. The frames were apparently a bit of a problem. They had been repaired before by him & became damaged again. I could not pick up the other items becasue he likes to complete everything at one time so nothing gets lost. Finally I gave him a deadline in January because I needed the glasses so I could have the prescription refilled. (Meanwhile I had been using an older pair for 6 months and which also needed to be repaired.) I show up a few days after seeing the optometrist. He tells me he will have it «tomorrow.» By now I had found another jeweler who repaired my other damaged glasses in an hour & with better workmanship. He returned everything immediately. I asked about the silver chain that was to have been ordered in September. Says he does not have it because he does all the work at one time. That being the case, what became of it since he was to have ordered it 4 months earlier? Was he going to get it sent to him «express» so it would be ready the next day when the glass frames were allegedly going to be ready or was he just pissed off in general and couldn’t be bothered w/​me anymore? I know he does lots of special orders & designs, but if my repairs were so inconsequential he should have just told me & I’d have gone elsewhere. A waste of 6 months w/​nothing to show for it. I had intended to have a pendant made w/​some gold & a loose diamond I have. Not now. I’m going elsewhere. I know this review won’t make much of an impact. I’m sure he makes very good money with the special orders & designs. He can’t be bothered w/​the small stuff. Sad to say, I won’t go back.

Beautiful job! Wonderful to work with. JC listened to what we needed personalized and made it happen exactly as we’d envisioned. James, the engraver, did a lovely job on my glass project. They sent me a proof, made my requested revisions, and promptly completed the work. Definitely will keep this place in mind for future.

My fiancée and I designed our engagement rings with JC.
Pros:
He listened to what we wanted.
Tried to find it in a catalog, no luck, so he worked his magic (I have no idea what goes into this process!) to create digital images for us to approve to have the waxes made.
We wanted dark amethysts — two stones with two different cuts. He found them. It took him to LA, but he found them!
He responded to my email inquiries in a timely manner.
The only con is that it took him longer than we originally thought it would to finish the rings. He estimated about one month, and it took a little more than two.
In the end, we have gorgeous rings for much less than we could have managed at any chain jeweler, with a personal touch!
Plus, there is a resident goldworks cat. A major plus in my book!

Not really knowing where else to start I began my search for a wedding ring online, then mall stores and big-​box places but I was thoroughly disappointed by those options. Too expensive. Too flashy. Can’t try it on in person. Don’t want to buy blood diamonds. Agh! Who knew buying jewelry could be so complicated?
Take a lesson from my expirience — skip the mall and the pushy sales people and mass produced rings at inflated prices. Come down to Goldworks Gallery and find your dream wedding band.
The moment I walked into Goldworks Gallery in North Park I knew that this was the place I would find my ring. On a quiet Saturday afternoon I met JC — he was working behind the counter in full jeweler head-​gear. (Charming and industrious, like something out of a steampunk novel). JC runs the shop and he is certainly one of the nicest people I’ve met. From the outside this shop looks like any little strip-​mall — but inside you’ll find a treasure trove of beautiful handmade and vintage jewelry.
JC helped me look through countless rings, discussed making a custom piece, and essentially worked our way through a big portion of his collection all while trying to figure out what I wanted. No sales pressure. Just honest interest in his craft and my dream wedding ring.
When he opened up a box of antique and vintage rings we hit the jackpot. 1920’s antique art deco wedding ring with Egyptian-​revival style etching on the band. Elegant, unusual and absolutely gorgeous. All it needed was a stone setting and a little re-​sizing. No big deal for the expert in the house. A few more brief visits to work out the details and I had myself a perfect wedding ring and at a fraction of the cost I would have paid elsewhere!

JC never fails to amaze me. I’ve taken plenty of my rings in to get cleaned they always look great by the time I pick them up. I’ve also taken in a few of my watches to get adjusted & the woman that helped me both times was very friendly, polite & knowledgeable. I’m always admiring the stones as well as the selection of vintage wedding rings… so you can bet where mine is going to come from someday: sigh: It’s no wonder this independent business has its success… just look at the skill & innovation behind it.

Great customer service! The shop is so full of yummy things that it takes your breath away. Vintage is my area and their selection in to drool over. Go there!

What a Great place!! I Went there today with my future husband in order to search for wedding bands. The store has very beautiful pieces at excellent prices, and we found a gorgeous pair of rings, that were sized the same day at no extra cost. I started crying when I got the ring in my hand! It was so beautiful! and JC is a really good person, honest and friendly, that make the process of ring-​choosing really easy and pleasant. I have no words to say how grateful I am…
So, if you are looking for the best quality in jewelry at decent prices, don’t hesitate and come here. You won’t be disappointed. I know that I’ll definitively will come back for all my jewelry needs from now on.

Once again, JC has surprised me in the best way possible, with a piece of Jewelry that has surpassed my expectations. This is the second time I have bought something from Goldworks, both custom made, and the second time they it is more beautiful than I could have imagined it myself.
A few months ago I was looking to buy a piece of relatively simple jewelry for my girlfriend’s birthday. I had a cloudy idea of what I wanted, a simple diamond on a simple setting, and I went to a few different places to see what they had, and all that I kept turning up was generic, unoriginal blah. Go to boring chain stores and you get what you pay for. I’ve always believed in supporting the little guy but I am relatively new to San Diego so I didn’t have a particular place that I knew of or wanted to support. I was over by fashion valley mall, about to open the car door and decided to see if Unilocal had anything to offer. It turned out Goldworks was a couple miles away they had a five star rating, meanwhile the best any of the chain stores had to offer was a two or three star.
So I drove to Goldworks and when I got there, I was pleasantly surprised to find two very helpful people who were willing to create EXACTLY what I had in mind, not steer me toward some piece of crap they had marked down like the other stores did. He even turned yellow gold into white through a chemical process, and found the exact diamond, even coming in below my budget, making me feel like they wanted a repeat customer instead of a quick sale.
Well, that’s exactly what they got and the second time using them, I was possibly more pleased than the first! My girl won’t stop talking about how pretty her ring is, and I couldn’t be happier with how good it looks on her finger.
A personal thanks to JC and Christina for everything so far, and you know you have a customer for years to come.
–Evan

One day I was telling JC that I had a two rings that needed new looks, kinda like when we women need a new hairdo? He was great; he took a look at the rings, got an idea of what I was thinking & went hunting for just the right stones. He made wonderful changes to my original rings, I now wear them daily again, and each are complimented on often!
JC & staff also repaired a necklace & 3 other rings, I just could not be happier with the work!
The design work (by JC) which you can see by visiting his store is top notch. If there is ANYTHING jewelry wise that you even think you are looking for, definitely go see JC.

I used Goldworks Gallery for my wife Engagement ring. I told him that I had a budget that I want to work with, He give 3 options of diamonds to choose from. After I made my selection of the Diamond JC made a CAD drawing of it with the ring that he designed for me. I was able to see the ring on CAD without going to the store and it looked AMAZING.
J.C also did an amazing engraving inside the ring not in English yet in Hebrew like I wanted.
Maya my wife loved the ring and I loved the great service.
Please take a look at the CAD drawing.
Thank you Goldworks for this amazing Engagement Ring.

WOO!!! Had a necklace custom made for Mother’s Day, JC outdid himself. My mom loves it and was showing it off to her sisters all day. :) :) :)
Thank you Goldworks Gallery.

Simply the best jeweler in town. Better rates, personable service and more.
Like to be hounded by sales people, go to the other guys… Like a one on one experience with a veteran jeweler see JC.

So, I needed to find a professional jeweler to do some custom work for my wife’s wedding ring. We went to a highly recommended jeweler in UTC, and we ran into a slick talking used car salesman. He gave us a $ 1200 quote for one thin ladies sapphire band. And he told us that his ring would not line up quite evenly with my wife’s ring, and it would leave an obvious space. He actually said that she would get used to it though. Here goes the hook… But, he said, if you want «custom work», we can line up the ring just right.
But the price is double for custom work. Umm,…the salesman kept telling me that his shop designed the wedding rings for Phillip Rivers and his wife. I like the Chargers and all, but so what? I don’t play football, and I don’t have thousands to drop on a wedding ring.
Then, we stumbled onto Goldworks. Right off the bat, we knew that we had the right place. From the no frills North Park location to the local owner JC making us feel like valued clients. We explained what we wanted, and he said he could make it happen.
He delivered. And he did so within our budget. He designed a set of TWO intricate white gold sapphire bands to cradle my wife’s wedding ring. First, he made a resin mold of the rings, then asked us to approve them before he cast them. He did both within a few days time, and they were so good, that they look like they were a matching set.
My wife gets so many compliments on her wedding ring and bands, thanks to Goldworks.
What makes them different? First off, JC is a proven artist that has been designing jewelry for years. Second, is the fact that all work is done in the shop right there before your eyes. They keep everything in house.
My advice is to get as far away from the malls as you possibly can. Then go see the good people at Goldworks, you will be glad you did.
P. S. See picture of ring in my photos. We did our best to balance them.

I’ve known JC for years and he’s always been a pleasure to work with-​his positive energy and commitment to customer service is so refreshing.
He designed a beautiful piece of jewelry for a mother’s day gift last year. He took my ideas, came up with a fantastic suggestion that incorporated all of them and designed a pendant with everyone in the family’s birthstones in it. It was so gorgeous — made my mom cry… in the good way!
Thank you so much, JC — you’re the best to work with on jewelry design!