Seraph By The River — Local services in Hamilton

My personal thrill at Seraph by the River…

If you’re a fan of gemstones and crystals, then this message is for you. A few years ago, I wandered into this adorable little gemstone jewelry and accessory shop called Sterling Seraph. And although I’m calling it little, it’s chock-filled wall to wall of beautiful treasures that are just exciting to peruse on every trip. I’d already started exploring and was becoming hooked into the world of crystals, so Sterling Seraph quickly became my go-to therapy shopping boutique. They have a wonderful and unique collection of genuine sterling silver jewelry, wire-wrapped rings and pendants, decorative stone sculptures and carvings, and so many other types of _, such as custom intention candles, beaded and clasped bracelets, sterling silver chains for pendants, palm stones and loose crystals for so many beautiful uses and decorating, tarot cards and books, hanging decor, singing bowls… I can’t possibly name everything. But the real treasure is the staff. Their loving and fearless leader Dawn is so knowledgeable about the different metaphysical properties of the stones and how to care for them to ensure they provide maximum benefit; she hand-picks these gorgeous pieces and is super persnickety in selecting the best quality stones (she has the most beautiful, flashiest labradorites and moonstones, always… even though I walk in reminding myself I have plenty and don’t need more, they’re just so captivating, I still walk out with another SMH); she works with local artists to provide these unique pieces that you won’t find even at gem shows, though she also buys from them. She finds the sweetest, most high-spirited, and just positive-minded people, who are obviously as gemstone-obsessed as her customers are, who thrive on finding just the right picks that fit their customers’ needs, and we’re all part of this community of gem-loving freaks and proud of it. I’ve also had readings and reiki done with Robin, Anya, and Jasmine, and get so much clarity and direction from these opening sessions. Recently, I’ve moved away, and although I’m in a gorgeous new area that has a fantastic gemstone community, I will never actually leave my Sterling Seraph family behind. I can just trust that Dawn’s jewelry is high-quality, and I love the different Bali and various styles of metalwork that you don’t find just anywhere. Sure, you can buy on Etsy and other online stores, but I’ve been disappointed when they arrive in the mail and they’re flimsy or have a .925 stamp but still make my finger itchy green. Luckily, Sterling Seraph has live sales on Facebook several times a week, and even when I don’t intend to buy (ha ha! Yeah, I couldn’t get through that without laughing), I can always go and window shop while wiping the drool from my face and chatting with happy friends about these beauties and sharing stories of our many favorite pieces. Often, these live sales offer 25% discount off regular prices, which just makes it so much juicier. Since I moved away, the Sterling Seraph store has had a makeover, which I was really uvarovite green with jealousy to miss, AND THEN they opened Seraph By the River! Now, I tried not to be overcome with petty thoughts (pulled out my trusty tourmalines to clear) about how Dawn could wait until I moved away before this opening… Gracious, this store looks so amazingly delicious! I watched their Facebook updates as they adorned the walls with crafty warm colors and newspaper mache, gorgeous clothing, and of course beautiful stones and crystals… I will DEFINITELY be visiting when I’m in town. Until then, I have to resort to maintaining my cherished connection with them from afar, but Sterling Seraph will always be my home...

I went to this store after looking forward to it for months. I had to sit down shortly after getting there for 5 minutes because I was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and came close to fainting. The lady working came up to me and asked me to stand up because I was loitering so I explained my situation and she seemed to understand. A minute later I got up and continued to look through the store and she was acting very normal until I went to the back room to look at the gothic clothes, the second I turned the corner she told the person she was on the phone with about me and spoke of my disability in a way that sounded like she thought I was lying. Later on, she kept walking by and staring till she saw the person I was with had a dollar tree bag and she explained that it needed to stay at the front to prevent stealing. I complied of course because I understand how important loss prevention is for a small business but she didn't stay consistent with who she enforced that rule, for the other women maybe 5 years older than me had bags bigger than mine, (definitely not translucent like mine) but they were free to bring it to the back. Then I went to the small room with the designer brand to look at what they had and she approached us and implied we couldn't afford those items then she stood there watching us for the next minute. By then I decided it was time to leave and I chose not to buy a lot of what I was considering because the experience disappointed and embarrassed me. I was treated like a thief only because of my age and with body language I was told I wasn't welcome there. I hope to see this issue be fixed, and for all customers to be treated like...

The store is big and beautiful and has a huge selection of items from crystals to perfume to clothes. Plenty of things I would’ve loved to purchase but unfortunately the workers demeanor swayed me from doing so. My friend and I walked in and began smelling the perfumes and while we were doing so the employee stopped her transaction with another customer to make sure that we were only opening the testers. she said “i hope you girls are only opening the testers” and she said it very loudly across the store. The testers were clearly labeled and there’s also a sign that says something along the lines of “please only smell tester”. From the way she spoke to us it was clear that she thought we were teenagers. My friend and I are both 23 year old ADULTS who can read signs and respect store policies. It was an unnecessary and belittling interaction to have with two people who weren’t doing anything. After that my friend and I went to the back to look at clothes and she asked us to leave our bags up front. I totally understand and respect her asking that especially given it’s a small business but she once again spoke to us like we were children who were potentially up to no good and not adults with money to spend at this business. Both interactions left a very sour taste...