William Schwartz Distinctive Jewelry — Local services in Philadelphia

Absolutely delightful to work with.

He made a contoured wedding band for my Mom a few years ago and it’s beautiful work with such a sense of movement to the design, I love it, so when I needed a few pieces mended I went to him.

I came in with a large number of things that needed fixing and he was so patient and kind throughout the process. When I dropped off the pieces I was there for a while (it was busy) and I got to see him give a consult for an engagement ring. He was very purposeful with the way he spoke about design options. I used to work in the business for a little while and personally made the mistakes that he was advising the couple against (too thin band that won’t hold up to long wear) so it was very indicative that he doesn’t just care about Getting the job it’s about creating a piece that will have beauty but also be appropriately functional.

I watched him turn down working on a piece (made by someone else) because it had been done in a way that couldn’t be adjusted without remaking the design-which she didn’t want- and again he wasn’t willing to put his name on something he was sure couldn’t last structurally.

Highly recommend working with him for custom pieces, you can trust that he won’t put his name on something unless he’s fully confident in the longevity...

My dad recently passed and my mother and I went to Russell with an ask to take some of my father's cremains and place them into personalized, one of a kind pieces that we could wear in memory of him. I asked for a necklace shaped like a moon and my mother asked for a ring. Russell immediately took on the challenge to create and design these pieces and they both came out way beyond any expectations I could have ever imagined. My moon necklace is the most beautiful, thoughtful, unique and meaningful piece of jewelry I will ever own. Every single person that sees it on me compliments it and asks where I got it from. Not only is the moon necklace close to my heart with meaning of my mom and dad, but Russell took the time to work with a gemologist to ensure that the piece was made to be everlasting and he placed the cremains in the back of the moon so my dad will always lay on my heart. I am in awe over this piece of jewelry, and the craftmanship that went into making something so utterly beautiful. I am so grateful for Russell and his expertise and I highly recommend him to everyone and anyone for their jewelry needs and special requests. Russell's work is amazing and he will forever be my only recommendation to people looking...

**Edit: Changing my review from 1 to 4 stars due to the kind and genuine apology from the owner, who I am not referring to below, and did not have a chance to speak with after the interaction because I quickly left. Thank you, Russell.

I do not recommend shopping here due to an incredibly rude and disrespectful employee. I was greeted by a man with black hair who said in a monotone voice "How can I help you?" I responded with "do you sell wedding bands?" he then proceeded to stare at me for an uncomfortable 30-60 seconds, then said "..yeah." in an obnoxiously condescending and disrespectful tone, and then continued to glare at me without saying anything. I cannot emphasize enough how bizarre and uncomfortable this interaction was, and I can't imagine what it would be like to have to talk with this man further.

For anyone looking: I found a few beautiful shops with very friendly employees on walnut St near Rittenhouse. To the disrespectful employee- I hope you have a better day and can learn to be kind to others, or at minimum find a way to be...