My Style is Golden: Jewelry Shopping at The Crazy Merchant

Thanks to my job, I get the pleasure of visiting some off-the-map boutiques, really fun stores, and learn about some great new brands and designers.

One of the stores that I have most recently visited is The Crazy Merchant in Littleton, CO.

A good friend of mine suggested that I check it out, knowing that I love jewelry and I love using accessories as a way of building and creating a style. One of my first suggestions to clients (after cleaning up their wardrobe and establishing the basics) is to start to add jewelry (and other accessories) to their look. I've found that many women are uncomfortable wearing jewelry, so finding good places to purchase unique jewelry with a wide variety is an important find for me!

I am a firm believer that jewelry really can make or break an outfit. Give me a plain white tee or solid tank top and a fun necklace and I will show you an outfit.... As far as I'm concerned, with a few exceptions, no outfit is complete without jewelry.

So, I ventured out to The Crazy Merchant to see what it was all about. I can find a way to shop just about anywhere, so I didn't think that would be a problem. I was actually more hesitant about the fact that they do beading classes and have walls full of jewelry strands TO MAKE your own jewelry . I'm pretty creative and I like jewelry - but when it comes to shopping, I don't like things to feel "crafty." I had this preconceived idea that anything I found in that store was going to look like something I made in 3rd grade art class.

I was wrong.

I walked into this giant store that is full of radiant color and it wasn't like I expected. There were stands full of pre-made jewelry, great sterling silver bracelets (I LOVE bracelets), fun LA-brand tees, and of course, there were rows of beads and other items that could be used to make a necklace or bracelet.

The thing that surprised me the most was that the works of art that people were making looked NOTHING like what I made in art class. They were beautiful statement necklaces - some made with real freshwater pearls, with Swarvoski crystals, vintage pendants and so much more. They even had a stand that had pictures of great jewelry from magazines (such as US weekly, Glamour, and Life and Style) that they demonstrated how to make. Those rare, one-of-a-kind pieces that celebrities wear can be made at The Crazy Merchant. While it may be inspired by the (expensive) jewelry found in those publications, it doesn't look like an imitation piece - it ends up looking elegant and fresh.

Even though it shows you how to make these pieces, I still was a bit reserved about having to make everything. I was informed that you can have their designers make it for you. You can also bring them an idea and they can make it come to life. If you have old pendants or charms that you want to modernize, they can help with that. They have people who are specifically employed just to design great pieces of jewelry and to make a "map" of how they made those pieces, just in case you want to make your own.

Aside from the fun jewelry, they also have a great "community space." The more I learned about this store, the more I began to like it. They are very community and charity driven. 10% of every purchase goes to charity - and the purchaser gets to pick which charity (from a list of about 40 different charities). They also have an open space that anyone in the community can rent (for free!) for get-togethers, charity functions, girls' nights and much more.

The staff and the inventory at this unique store was pleasantly unexpected and the experience was very enjoyable. As a stylist, I very much recommend this store for anyone looking to build their jewelry wardrobe or just expand and update their look by adding accessories.

If you are interested in growing your accessories wardrobe but feel like like you're lost in a foreign country whenever you step into a jewelry store, call ahead and ask to speak to Meredith (or any of the jewelry stylists) and they will be more than happy to help you find pieces (either to build or to purchase) that will satisfy your wardrobe needs!

Below: Some of the beautiful necklaces that are already pre-made/designed that you can purchase right off the stand:

Below: Some examples of jewelry pieces featured in magazines for high price-tags and directions on how to make it for (much) less at The Crazy Merchant:

Below: Some of my favorite creations in the store: Cuffed bracelets made from magazine pages (these are all pre made by women in Indonesia and a portion of the proceeds go to helping their local economy) that look so cute, fashionable, and very unique.

Below: Some of the fun pendants that you can purchase to add to any chain. Buy one chain and you can have multiple necklaces, just by changing the pendant: