Offering more diversity than the name implies, Designs in Gold serves as a marvelous emporium for antique, estate and commercial jewelry, as well as what owners Jim and Ginger Cleland call “sculptures in precious metal and gemstones.” The latter, meticulously crafted by Jim, are wearable works of art that wink, nod, spin and often even tell a story. Inspired by antique Japanese mon designs, Jim’s current line of jewelry features stunning rings and spinning pendants bearing intricate details on both sides.
“One pendant,” Ginger explains, “called ‘Rice Field,’ has two grasshoppers on the front and they live in the rice bundles.
“The green sapphire in the center,” she continues, in a once-upon-a-time voice, “represents water, and on the back are the sickles used to harvest the rice. Once you harvest the rice, on the front bale, is a sake bottle!”
Ginger, a vivacious brunette who handles the marketing, bill-paying and estate-jewelry acquisition for the business, often helps with the overall look of a piece by suggesting a pattern tweak or the use of a particular gemstone.
“We design as a team,” she says, “but Jim’s the mechanic who puts it together. He feels strongly about certain pieces and I don’t try to change those, because he’s crazy brilliant.
“It’s pretty amazing,” she adds, “our personalities play well upon each other and we have so much fun.”
A compact man brimming with energy, Jim identifies with his Celtic ancestors—warrior-artisans who made armor—and senses a living connection between his heritage and craft.
Absorbed in creating an accurate insect, three-dimensional design or perfectly articulated wheel of tiny whirling parts, he often works at his bench until the wee hours of the morning.
He admits the difficulty of achieving motion in jewelry but feels the dramatic effect of arms moving or wings flapping is well worth the effort.
A bioscience major in college, he is a self-taught metalsmith with a deep love and practiced eye for combining unusual elements into impossibly detailed, heirloom-quality jewelry.
Among the couple’s eclectic inventory are the sterling silver charms of Thomas Sabo, vintage platinum, diamond and art deco pieces from the Victorian Era to the 1950s and an array of commercial rings, earrings and necklaces set with diamonds, pearls and colored stones ranging from amethyst to citrine to sapphire.
The Clelands, who met in Illinois and married 22 years ago, originally established their jewelry store in Missouri, while Ginger continued to work as an estate-jewelry dealer with the Solvang Antique Center, among others.
In late 2008, after 20 years in the business, they moved their workshop, studio and inventory to a two-story space in Solvang’s Frederik’s Court. The charming store draws customers from all over the country, who stop in to admire the couple’s latest creations and pick up a piece to take home.
“Jim has these work trays,” Ginger explains, “and you can see the work in progress. We’ll have a cut-out crane or kissing butterflies, and when you come in six weeks later, you can see the pieces in a more completed state.”
“The store is exciting,” Jim adds, “because there are so many different aspects of what we do: Ginger and the history of antique estate jewelry, the designer pieces and my art.
“And the science of the stones,” he grins. “I love to talk to people about gemstones and geology.”
The Clelands spend long hours in their jewelry store and workshop, because that’s what it takes to succeed in a small, art-based business. “We love what we do,” Ginger declares. “Everyday is exciting. Jim builds things that make my jaw drop when he sets them on the counter. “And we love Solvang,” she adds. “People are so kind and they want us to succeed. We love seeing happy people on the street, husbands and wives holding hands, kids laughing and playing together, such joy. It’s like a dream come true.”