Old Jewelry began as a humble yet in-demand operation, with designer Sarah Burns and her partner Adam Caillier hosting booked weekend appointments at their apartment in Ridgewood, Queens, where buyers and collectors marveled over their vast assortment of eclectic vintage and artisan-crafted wearables. As business grew, so too did their space needs, prompting the couple to relocate to a cozy kiosk in the same Chinatown mini-mall under the Manhattan Bridge occupied by Eckhaus Latta, James Veloria, and formerly Superhouse Vitrine. “Our first store housed an eclectic but unified selection that felt in line with the spirit of old and new,” Burns tells Surface, nodding to the maker’s hand felt throughout: milk-washed walls, a forged steel mirror, and a carved cedar room divider, all made by the couple.
Though the store helped cement the business as an even more sought-after jewelry destination for the downtown set, Burns and Caillier started outgrowing it and plotted another move, this time to a spacious new storefront around the corner in the same mall, which officially opens today. With double the footprint and triple the display space, it gives their in-house jewelry program more breathing room while dramatically expanding the scope and volume of their vintage inventory. Notably, it allows them to dedicate an entire case to a contemporary jeweler they admire. They’re kicking things off with the Paris-based talent Zoé Mohm, whose inaugural collection channels both comic books and ‘20s-inspired tassel motifs that will be available for purchase through the end of June.
