Travel Back In Time With Antiques & Jewels
/By Janee Law
jlaw@longislandergroup.com
Rutika Gold, owner of Antiques & Jewels On Main, has been selling fine antiques, estate and modern jewelry for 36 years in Huntington village.
For Rutika Gold, the owner of Antiques & Jewels On Main, it’s fitting that her last name represents a type of jewelry, since collecting and selling historic charms is something of an addiction.
From custom pieces like necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings the family-owned business, located at 293 Main St. in Huntington village, offers a variety of antique, estate and modern jewelry, along with sterling silver hollowware and flatware, Hungarian porcelain and paintings.
“My grandfather was a jeweler in Budapest before the Second World War, so it’s in the history of our family,” said Gold, of Huntington, an amateur astrologer who offers patrons horoscope readings with a beaming smile.
After receiving a degree at Stony Brook University for jewelry making independent study, Gold worked in the Diamond District in Manhattan, taking jewelry classes.
Gold was 25 years old when she opened the store in May of ’79, and she has been on Main Street for 36 years. When her parents tried to convince Gold to open her store at the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove, she said it wasn’t for her, and that Huntington village was her calling.
“I always wanted to be in Huntington village,” she said. “I know everyone and everyone knows us, and we do everything we can for the town.” Along with selling its jewelry, Antiques & Jewels On Main also provides other services, such as custom designs, ear piercings, pearl stringing, ring sizing, remodeling and jewelry repair.
Owning the store with her husband, George Reisner, who she’s been married to for 35 years, Gold said that, between the two, they have been selling jewelry for more than 40 years. To fill their store with historic gems, Gold and Reisnerbuy from auctions, people’s estates, and from traveling to other countries such as Spain, Turkey and France.
Through the Internet, which Gold said has opened up the world to them, the furthest they’ve sold jewelry was in Australia, marketing jewelry on websites like Ebay and Esty.
Their selection of authentic period pieces runs the gamut from the Victorian, Art Nouveau, Edwardian, Art Deco, Retro and Modern eras. Popular pieces among customers are vintage engagement rings from the 1920s, Gold said.
“It’s not mass produced; it’s finer pieces that you can’t find anywhere else. We have a saying in the business: ‘The time to buy it is when you see it.’”
Serving the general public, along with local celebrities, singers, actors and athletes, Gold said she’s had customers in their early teens to in their ‘90s. “We are already on the second generation of customers who have grown up with us. Customers really become part of our family.”
Within the coming months, Gold is preparing for antique shows in Manhattan and Miami, where she will be showcasing a variety of jewelry from the store.
“Something that becomes an heirloom that you can pass down to your children, makes me happy,” she said. “Jewelry is something that you don’t need, you want, it’s a desire and I love coming to work every day.”
