How this New Jersey Jeweler chucked normal sales practices to develop a boutique with art as its focus
by JENNIFER VIKSE • Photos By Premier Digital Photography
As a college student, Joseph Romanowski spent his time surfing and focusing on the creative arm of his studies.
An art major with a minor in photography at Monmouth College, the Jersey City native had long known where his interests were, and decided to feed that part of his brain.
“At the time, I wanted to take photos and surf. I had a ball,” he recalled.
After college, Romanowski took a job teaching and decided after one year that it wasn’t for him. “I decided to open up a gallery that was half art, half jewelry,” he said. “The art wasn’t selling, but the jewelry was.”
From there, he abandoned more traditional art pieces, decided to focus on jewelry, and opened his first store in Deal.
“It was a little store, great town, great people,” he remembered fondly.
After a year, howevre, Romanowski had another epiphany.
“I didn’t want to be a jewelry store; I wanted to be a jeweler. There’s a big difference,” he explained. “Anyone can open a jewelry store and sell, but to me a jeweler requires another skill set”—one that he was willing to work for.
Always good with his hands, Romanowski hired a jeweler from New York City to join him at the shop as he set his sights on learning the trade. “When I wasn’t out front, I would watch him. I taught myself…I became a jeweler,” he said.
For more than 30 years, that self-taught man has been creating sophisticated, elegant designs for clients “bored by the same stuff” he had seen in store after store. Instead, he wanted to create a “destination” boutique.
While Romanowski says he’s read books on famous high-end classic jewelry designers, including Carl Faberge, his inspiration comes from his own mind.
“I guess I got most of my designs from where your head goes—natural, simple but elegant, not overdone, kind of classic. I lean not toward fancy flowery things, but instead like basic… plain, because in being plain, you have to have great design. It’s hard to do.”
The designer likens the process of creating a piece of jewelry to that of writing a good song, like those of his good friend, Bruce Springsteen.
“People think a song just comes out of his head,” said Romanowski. “But it’s hard to write. It takes many forms and can be frustrating.” He added that in order to capture the emotion a songwriter is looking for, he or she labors for hours—or even years—to perfect the composition. Such can also be the case for a great jewelry piece. “I want them to go, ‘Hey, great idea! How did you come up with this?’ when the piece is finished,” Romanowski, 65, offered.
In order to create his own pieces, the jeweler sketches an initial design and shows it to the client. Once approved, a likeness of the sketch is hand carved in wax, a task his in-house jewelers can accomplish. Once that sculpture is completed, it is sent to a casting house (the finest in the world, Romanowski assured—the same used by Harry Winston and Tiffany & Co.) Once returned, the piece is polished and cleaned and stones set within. The entire process can be done in as fast as three days for special orders, but usually takes approximately two weeks. More ornate pieces can require a couple of months.
“We’re not a cookie cutter store,” reiterated the owner. With master jewelers on site at all times, half of what is sold in the 4,000-square-foot store are his own designs. An 800-squarefoot factory in the back is where the manufacturing happens. “We’re really at the top of the chain of jewelry making. Tiffany doesn’t even do what we do. We are really manufacturing jewelers. We can do anything.”
In addition to his own designs, Goldtinker carries highend jewelry made around the world, including many art-oriented pieces. To stay true to his unique vision for the shop, Romanowski has even stopped selling brands like Rolex, which helped him jump-start the business years ago.
“Over the years, we got out of watches because they are common,” he said. “We got out of that business because we wanted to be purely jewelers.”
Romanowski works mostly in platinum and gold. “Platinum is the only metal that a diamond should be set in,” he explained. “It’s a softer metal. White gold is brittle. We work in platinum, 22, 24, and 18k gold.” He was quick to add that he doesn’t do anything alone and that his master jewelers and jewelry consultants are integral parts of the business, as is his son, Peter, who also works there.
The formula is working, a s Goldtinker has clients all over the country and the world.
“It’s amazing,” said Romanowski. “We have pockets of business all over. It’s great fun, and most of it is through referrals.”
“I didn’t want to be a jewelry store. I wanted to be a jeweler. There’s a big difference. Anyone can open a jewelry store and sell, but to me a jeweler requires another skill set.”
Even though the store opened its doors in Red Bank just a few weeks ago, old Deal customers are flocking in, along with new customers passing by on Broad Street. “We’ve had an unbelievable response in Red Bank—we are so busy. The jewelry I’m selling is hard to see in a photo, though. It’s hard to portray what we do.” (For that reason, the store’s online presence is currently minimal.)
While Romanowski spends much time in the shop, he meets with clients by appointment only. When not working, he enjoys music, spending time on or in the ocean swimming or surfing, and maintains an impressive car collection. His automobiles, 40 in all (35 in his warehouse, five at home), were made between 1957 and 1980, and include European and American sports cars from makers like Ferrari, Porsche, and Chevrolet.
“As a kid, I always loved cars,” he admitted. “And they have finally become recognized as art. The scarcity and the pedigree add to the value. I collect, but I also invest in them. It’s very profitable. I collect art to a degree, but least I can drive the automobiles.”
In addition, the father of two sons is an avowed animal lover (“Animals are my number one cause; they can’t defend themselves,” he explained), and is also active in the local Holiday Express, which serves underprivileged people, including children and those living with mental disabilities.
Goldtinker
24 Broad St., Red Bank / 732.531.8787 / goldtinker.com