Customer appreciation open house at Berkshire Gold and Silver

PITTSFIELD – An open house to show customer appreciation will be held on Monday, Oct. 8,  at Berkshire Gold and Silver, located at 54 Elm St.

The unique shop, which has a little bit of everything, including jewelry, antiques, glassware, cloth purses, handmade quilts and more, opened for  business three months ago.

The store also buys gold and silver items.

Monday’s open house will be held from noon to 6 p.m.

Catered event

The event, which is open to the public, will offer food by Parsley Catering. Garry Parsley, owner, said he plans to make a variety of appetizers including shrimp and puff pastry, red onion and fig crostini with brie cheese, wild mushroom and goat cheese ravioli with pesto and Swedish meatballs with sautéed fennel.

Mr. Parsley served as a cook in the U.S.Army. He also worked in a family restaurant in California for several years. In addition to owning the catering business, he also cuts hair in a barbershop next door to Berkshire Gold and Silver.

Vintage to modern jewelry

Step into the latter and there will be feasts for the eyes in every direction.

Pieces of amber glass, perfect for this time of year with its brownish yellow tinge reminiscent of fall, lines some of the shelves as well as a wide array of jewelry from vintage to modern pieces. Bracelets, earrings, necklaces and some rings are all displayed.

There’s a case of jewelry from the Terri Moore Chicago collection that includes sterling silver, Swarovski crystals and semi-precious stones.

Vintage china hair collectors, some cranberry glass and milk glass pieces can also be found in the store.

Handcrafted wine stoppers

Handmade Native American wood wine stoppers by Bill Muluski, including one commemorating the New York Yankees and another for a golfer, can also be found for sale.

While Berkshire Gold and Silver is owned by Mark Yannone, it’s managed  by JoAnne Simms of Monterey.

Heidi Sirois, a sales associate who is originally from New Hampshire, completed the décor of the shop.

Powder blue paint called “Skyline” has been applied to the top part of the walls and Arabian brown to the lower half. She also paints very colorful abstract folk art and some of her pieces, such as an adorable cat in multi-patterned colors, are for sale in the store.

Ms. Sirois’ mother, Joan, who lives in New Hampshire, has expertly-sewn cloth purses and a variety of intricate quilts on display and for sale.

Had shop in Great Barrington

Old-fashioned cases that hold the wide array of jewelry in the shop were purchased from antique dealers. They actually came from another store Mrs. Simms had in Great Barrington for two years. Located at 177 Main St., it was called Berkshire Hills Vintage and Fine Jewelry.

Mrs. Simms said she has been working with jewelry most of her life. She especially loves pearls and cameos.

The mother of seven grown children, she and her husband will celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary next March.

Late in life, she decided to go back to school “just to show I could,” she said. She will graduate next summer from Berkshire Community College.

She loves to paint in an impressionism style, write poetry and short stories, and collects antiques, glassware, porcelain chickens and all things Victorian. She also collects turquoise, as her birthday falls in December.

Chic and classy store

The sales associate, Ms. Sirois, said she likes to think of the store as being chic and classy. It’s also got a bright, cheery and pleasant atmosphere.

Both women are friendly and welcoming.

“I like collectibles, Mrs. Simms said. “I like having a pleasant atmosphere [in the store].”

She said cameos and pearls are very much like people; they are destructible and have to be well taken care of.

“Pearls are the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off,” she added.  They are susceptible to hair spray, jewelry cleaner and even make-up so must be handled with care.

Customers are the best

“We have the best customers,” the manager said. “They are the nicest people.”

They often stop in the shop just to say “hi” and bring little gifts such as coffee, food and flowers  to the manager and sales associate. The upcoming open house is a way for them to give back.

Mrs. Simms’ jewelry expertise can be readily detected. She can explain any piece of jewelry in the store, such as those called moss agate from Scotland or Italian mosaic earrings.

Prices of items in Berkshire Gold and Silver are as low as $10 and can cost into the thousands. A strand of precious pearls, for example, sells for $25,000.

Mrs. Simms pointed out there are prices to suit anyone’s budget.

“Just the other day I sold an antique silver ring with an amethyst stone for $10,” she said.

The store is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Posted by Susan M. Wicker Guerrero on October 4, 2012. Filed under Community Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry