Burnie's On Park — Local services in Madison

Beautiful jewelry and crystals... Tis true. Kind of overpriced, but still, beautiful and well presented in a nice atmosphere. So why the low rating? Quality. Bought a bracelet for my fiancee on Valentines Day - in a little more than a month it broke. Took it back to the store - they kept it for weeks until they told me they couldn't fix it Gave me store credit. Used the credit to get her a ring (added some cash to the store credit) Just a couple months later, the stone fell out of the ring. Took it back - they will be keeping it for weeks while they decide if its fixable. Noticed that the stone was broken, which I suspect happened when it fell out of the ring, but the clerk tried to blame us - saying that my fiancee had probably slammed the ring into something, breaking the stone and causing it to fall out - so likely nit even a store credit if it isn't fixable. I had quit doing business with Burnie's in the mid 1980s when I had problems with jewelry I bought from them breaking after a short period of time and Burnie's refusing to stand behind their products .... but after almost 40 years decided to give them another try. So far.... very...

Every time I walk in the store it feels like a new whimsical experience. They carry everything from quarter-sized 50 cent jaspers, any size and color of agate slice you could ever want, fossil plants, fish, arthropods, and even dinosaur remains! They have minerals and rocks in the shape of animals, plates, and other fine gifts. Beautiful jewelry, including jewelry that showcases iridescent butterfly wings and beetle shells! Their pricing beats online pricing by a long-shot. The staff are great; they will help you find whatever you are looking for, they will look stuff up online, check their other store, and have even humored me by looking at photos of my aquarium, laden with cheaply-priced fish-safe rocks and minerals from their store. They occasionally set out a free box just outside their store, filled with less notable specimens of their wares, which I find a very generous and clever gesture that inevitably leads me into the store to...

Burnie's, both locations are just great, always full of treasures and surprises. When my son who is now 11, was 2, all he wanted in the world was a piece of amber with a bug in it. Eventually, off to Burnie's we went. He subsequently lost the item in a tragic, "I hide it from my friends in a trash can so nobody would take it" incident. Years later, on another magical Burnie's expedition, we mentioned the funny story, and Ben said he had an idea of how to fix the situation. There are very few places that can fix the injuries of childhood. Well played Burnie's, well played. Always a pleasure to visit...