Gilt

04/19/2008 Posted by dsauce

I've been a fan of Gilt for nearly 10 years...even back in high school. Everyone there has always been so welcoming and down to earth, over the years they have become my favorite place for unique treasures. I was searching for a engagement ring and I knew Gilt would be the perfect place. It just had to be vintage. Not only because they are unique, beautifully handmade, and share a bit of history... also because it is the "green" way to go...conflict free hand cut diamonds and recycled too. After months of searching alas it arrived at Gilt! Unfortunately I was without my partner...drat! The girls wrote the ring's specifics down for me and kindly warned me that rings go fast. I took the card home to my now fiance and he said we'd go back the next afternoon. We did. MY ring was gone! I eventually got over it. I continued to visit knowing that something equally amazing would come through. Three months later I was proposed to. Guess what was inside the little red heart-shaped box? MY ring! The original one that I saw....Edwardian, platinum filigree, and Old European cut diamond! My tricky guy called them immediately and secretively purchased the ring! The whole experience has been fabulous and the surprise was absolutely perfect! I loved Gilt before and now I love them even more.

Pros: Unique, variety, affordable to all budgets, kind, helpful

Cons: None!

04/19/2008 Posted by nuitetjour

The owner Paula and the girls Jesse and Carley are incredibly knowledgeable, helpful, and are never pushy. They have a large selection but will help you find the piece that's perfect for you, with a quality unrivaled in Portland. Though I do not have a large collection of jewelry, I do take pride in the pieces I have, all of which have been purchased from Gilt. Being a college student I appreciate the variety in their collection which always includes something in my budget. I give all of my closest friends gifts from Gilt and they never fail to impress. Not only do I recommend Gilt for gifts and personal pleasure, but I wouldn't be surprised if you became a lifelong fan as I have. Not only do they have a beautiful selection of estate pieces, their support of local artists does not go unnoticed, the upstairs features many independent artists. Make sure to strike up a conversation with the girls in the shop, they really are the one in a million types.

Pros: friendly, knowledgeable, unique, location, atmosphere.

Cons: none.

04/05/2008 Posted by karakerpan

I bought some vintage hair clips at Gilt and was so thrilled, although they were about thirty dollars a pair! My initial happiness was ruined when I bought several lots of the same EXACT vintage hair clips in sets of 10 for about 15.00 total on ebay. I feel completely ripped off. I do expect a mark up at stores in NW, but thirty dollars for set of clips that can be bought for literally a fraction of the price online feels wrong. These are cute clips, however, they are plastic and do not warrant the high price.

03/29/2008 Posted by limas

Cute selection, and I bought a ring at half its appraised price. They also gave me a free resizing, which not everyone will do.

02/14/2008 Posted by Ortizvi1

It seems someone has written an unfavorable review about my favorite shop. They must have gone to another Gilt than the one I know and love. I have been shopping with these girls since the late nineties. I would not shop anywhere else. I can trust them and their diamonds. What I really love is that they can tell me when the diamond is from and all sorts of other neat things about the jewelry. They turned me onto Mings jewelry which is now a major part of my collection. Dont listen to the sour grapes...go there and experience the store for yourself...Nobody does it like the women of Gilt! I say Bah Humbug to the other reviewer.....

02/12/2008 Posted by kilom

I am a frequent visitor to this wonderful place after having become an eager collector of vintage jewelry mainly from the 1920's and 1930's. However, given the knowledge of the store owner , Paula, and her terrific sales women Jessy and Carly, I have become interested in pieces from many different time periods. Their knowledge is great and there is always a fun story to hear. What's really exciting is to think about the history of the pieces and who may have worn them 100 years or so ago. The knowledge that they share has become my key to reading of books on vintage jewelry and I enjoy knowing more about the beautiful pieces I have purchased. Their inventory ranges in price so that everyone can have the opportunity to own some fantastically made jewelry. The quality of most of the adornments sold at Gilt is hard to find in most other "vintage" shops. I would recommend this place to anyone with an adventurous nature who has no fear of wearing something that you wouldn't find anywhere else. There is no one else like this in town!

Pros: A variety of styles and price ranges

Cons: Very little. It's worth the drive around the block just to go there.

02/02/2008 Posted by commeca

My niece and her soon-to-be fiance bought a lovely "authentic" Georgian ring at Gilt. Of the six small diamonds, two turned out to be sapphires and a third was glass. The ring was not intact - the rosette had be remounted (very professionally) on a substandard ring. It was more than they could afford but they accepted the store's guarantee only to find, when it was appraised at another jeweler, the flaws. When faced with the flaws, the owner acknowledged them, blamed the wrong description on "temporary holiday help," and very reluctantly refunded the money... the only reason they got two stars instead of one star and an accusation of... If I were one of the overjoyed people praising the place on this site, I'd take my ring to another appraiser. I would certainly never buy anything without an outside appraisal of my own.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful

01/28/2008 Posted by eewilson80

What I can I say that hasn't already been said. My boyfriend and I hadn't actually done a lot of looking for engagement rings, but the looking we had done was less then thrilling. We came to Gilt this past weekend because of all the amazing reviews and we were NOT disappointed. I fell in love with 2 rings. They were priced significantly different however Paula, the owner, kept exclaiming how perfect the less expensive one was on me, which I found pleasantly surprising. We left without making a purchase as we still had plans to do a little shopping around. I couldn't stop thinking about Gilt and those amazing rings all night. The service was personal and extremely friendly. THe selection was completely unique and utterly gorgeous. The prices were very reasonable, especially considering how truly special these pieces are. We went back the next day right at their opening time to get one of the rings. I can't wait until the day I get to wear it and for the day I get to return to Gilt to pick out my next piece!!!

Pros: unique pieces, varied selection, attentive service

Cons: if i absolutely have to say something....the parking arounnd 23rd

12/12/2007 Posted by 1of4chicksonfood

We started our search for a replacement wedding ring at Gilt. When my husband saw the rings in other stores he looked and me and said, "I see what you did. You essentially took me to the Mercedes dealership first and now you've brought me to the Toyota dealership. Why would I want a Toyota after looking at the Mercedes?" We went back and bought the very first ring we set our eyes on. Thank you for being the luxury shopping experience!

Pros: Knowledgeable, friendly, understanding when you show up a lot to look at 'your' ring!

Cons: Not everyone is a vintage lover! That's ok - more for me!

11/12/2007 Posted by abe82

When I first stepped foot in Gilt I wasn’t sure what I was looking for. I knew what my wife’s taste’s were but little else. After a warm welcome by the wonderful women that work there I briefly explained to them what I was looking for. They were extremely attentive and showed me a few pieces that they thought she would like, I finally settled on a beautiful pendent and earrings. They gift wrapped it for me and I went home. My wife was so happy she made me vow to never go any where else because “obviously they knew what a woman of taste wants” lol she can be very dramatic some times. Any way I just want to say a big thank you to all the woman of gilt you have helped me make my wife happy and by proxy my life incredibly easier. To you I tip my hat.

Pros: When ever my wife unwraps a gilt box there is always a smile on her face.