How Rumson-based Golden Goose fine jewelers earned its status as a neighborhood gem
by Jessica Jones-Gorman • Photos BY Robert Nuzzie
Tony Goltsch was young…fresh out of college when he took at job at Crestwood Jewelers, a family-owned shop in Jackson, and discovered a fascination with the worlds of jewelry sales and service.
“I immediately liked the business,” Goltsch said. “Suddenly, I was involved in so many of my customer’s milestone moments: anniversaries, engagements, births. It was nice to help people celebrate these events and be a part of so many special occasions. At Crestwood, I learned quickly and picked up on all of the industry’s basics.”
About a year into his career, Goltsch was offered a job by a family friend who owned The Goldtinker in Rumson.
“I was a young guy trying to learn what jewelry trends worked, and it took me a long time to get a customer base that was familiar with me,” Goltsch said. “I was selling to a new clientele and didn’t have the credibility I needed. It was frustrating, but my competitive juices started flowing and I began crafting ideas on how to win shoppers over.”
Goltsch signed up for yearly subscriptions to Modern Bride and In Style magazines.
Lacking a fashion background, he also decided to teach himself why certain styles of earrings worked better with different dress lines and researched all of the latest jewelry trends.
“I wanted to show the customer base that I knew what I was doing,” he recalled. “Every day I would rip out pages from these magazines and stick them on a bulletin board in my home. I knew that in order to be really successful I had to know all there is to know. Over time, little by little, people began to recognize that I had an eye for jewelry and they started coming in and spending money with me.”
He did the same for men’s watches—researching top trends and brands.
“A customer would come in and ask ‘Did you see the new Rolex or Cartier?’ and I knew exactly what they were saying. The business was becoming fun again.”
Goltsch started doing some of the store’s bench work, too, tinkering with pieces from the scrap box before they were melted down.
“I would take a ring and size it, clip a chain, and solder it back together,” Goltsch explained. “I taught myself how heat worked and what you can and can’t do when soldering. I really cut my teeth at that store. My family wasn’t in the jewelry business; my dad was a builder and my mom was an accountant and bookkeeper. This wasn’t a trade that was passed down to me, but with the help and guidance of the store owners, I learned how to be a jeweler.”
When the owners of Goldtinker decided to retire in January of 2014, Goltsch said it was only natural for him to fulfill his dream and open up a store of his own. After months of renovation and planning, Golden Goose Fine Jewelers opened in May of 2014, not far from Goltsch’s former store.
“My goal here was to take what I had learned and make it my own,” he said. “We deal with some of the finest gem smiths and stone setters in the world, and offer our clients unique pieces. Of course, service is key; we sell beautiful things, but taking care of simple watch battery replacements or pearl stringing is just as important.”
The style of the store took on significance for Goltsch, too, who wanted the look of the space and displays to consistently impress.
“We take a huge amount of pride in the way the store looks and how the jewelry is presented,” Goltsch said. “I’m a big Red Sox fan, and Ted Williams once said that he played hard every night because someone in the stands might never have seen him play before. That’s how I feel about my store. Everything needs to be perfectly presented every day, because you never know who’s going to walk in for the first time. I’ve had people tell me they were in awe of our jewelry displays when they first saw them. That’s how I want every customer to view our jewelry, every time they see it.”
“My clientele here also wants jewelry that’s different,” he added. “They don’t want David Yurman or Roberto Coin, because the market has become too saturated with them. Our expertise is finding things others don’t have. That’s what sets us apart.”
That skill is also evident in Goltsch’s Golden Goose designs, a custom-made line that began selling in December.
“It’s everyday wear with differently-colored semi-precious stones,” Goltsch explained. “We offer bracelets, rings, and earrings, and are able to control the quality while still making affordable pieces…because we are cutting the middle man out. The styles are beautiful and very clean…and they completely sold out in December. This spring we will return with an entire case devoted to just that.”
According to the owner, that everyday look is also one of jewelry’s biggest trends.
“Long gone are the days of dressy jewelry and drippy chandelier earrings,” he offered with a grin. “Women want items that they can wear to the grocery store as well as out to dinner. Forget items that are locked away in a jewelry box; wearable pieces that you can live in are what’s in style.”
Goltsch, 35, currently resides in Manchester with his wife Morgan and their five children. He is proud of the relationships he’s built in Rumson over the past 16 years, and hopes to be a successful local business for many more.
“It’s truly wonderful how this community has taken me in and accepted my business,” he concluded. “We’ve had a wonderful two years and are happy to say that we continue to get new customers every week. Hopefully we can continue to provide beautiful jewelry to this community for decades to come.”
Golden Goose Fine Jewelers
7 W River Road / Rumson / 732.530.9696
goldengoosejewelers.com