I and my mother before me, have shopped at Bill's Trading Post for more than 30 years. Maureen retired (darn it) but it is still going strong. Support this small, family owned store. read more

Just found another wonderful piece at Bill's Trading post! Wonderful place to shop. I stopped in with a friend the other day and we were both impressed by the selection and how well everything is presented. The owner has a wonderful eye for nice pieces. Thanks again and as always, what a pleasure. read more

Bill's Trading Post - Jewelry Near Me - Berkeley, California

Super kind and honest service. I came in to get my hoop earring fixed because it wasn't closing properly. The woman helping me quickly figured it out. It was a simple fix and she didn't even charge me. I really appreciated the gesture and would definitely come back here for any future repairs. Highly recommend!! read more

Excellent service from people who really know their stuff. Amazing selection of beautiful Native crafted jewelry. A Berkeley mainstay.

Getting Bae's bling repaired was easy! They even fixed a couple of pieces on the house as I waited. The others sent out to get more extensive restoration. Very friendly staff, patient and well informed about alternatives. It's hard to find good jewelry repair places that are not rip offs. So we were very pleased at the service cost and quality. read more

Great selection of unique jewelry and art. Do not miss this historic business. I love their selection mens rings.

I got a great hippo. Yelp wants me to say more so here I am writing another sentence. read more

Bill's Trading Post - Jewelry Near Me - Berkeley, California

This review is mostly for the Gem Gallery side of the store. I highly recommend it if you're having a ring made. I had my engagement and wedding rings made here, and had a great experience! They have an excellent selection of reasonably priced loose stones, and the environment is warm and comfortable. Their jewelry designer, Russ, was friendly and knowledgeable( and.. ahem.. handsome). We went in there knowing we wanted something unique, simple, and modern looking, and that we didn't want a diamond. The staff showed us tons of different gems and settings. We finally settled on a beautiful orange sapphire. We explained to them that we wanted to utilize different colors of metal in the ring, and they found us a beautiful ring that had yellow gold, rose gold, and polished yellow gold. Russell recrated that ring and set the sapphire in it for us. The whole shebang cost $1,200. My ring is amazing and exactly what I had envisioned. Russell was also able to repurpose the gold from my grandmother's wedding ring into a wedding ring for me, and it fits perfectly against my engagement ring. The Gem gallery has amazing Vintage Jewelry. I drool over it every time I'm in there. I also love looking at the jewelry in the Trading Post side of the store, but I have yet to buy anything over there, YET... ;) read more

Bill's Trading Post - My engagement ring - Jewelry Near Me - Berkeley, California

Went into have the batteries replaced for my Calvin Klein watch. Trustworthy service with friendly staffs. On a side note, Bill's Trading Post and Gem Gallery Berkeley are located together. read more

Is it Bill's Trading Post or the Gem Gallery -- I'm confused! Eek! At any rate, this is a wonderful place that I should never, ever be allowed to patronize, as I will find many things I covet. I went in to have quite a few links taken out of a watch. $10. Not bad. While I was waiting, the evilly nice salespeople showed me things I couldn't afford and then I saw it. The antique French button that had been made into a ring. I tried to walk away but it spoke to me. I tried it on again and it was too big. Oh well, not meant to be. But it pleaded with me -- "take me home. if you don't you will dream of me and someone else will buy me and you will be very, very sad." So those damn nice people went and put one of those thingies in it to make it smaller. I did convince them to give me the student discount because I work non-profit. I love this ring so much it's ridiculous. I am not allowed back in there. Seriously. read more

I'm only going to review this for jewelry repair. These days, its hard to find a place that still GETS the concept of customer service and the importance of catering to your local clientele. This place does. And how. I've been taking my jewelry to Bill's for repair for more than 6 years now. Not only do they do a good job, they're reasonable AND remember me! I never thought this was that important to me until I went to Bill's awhile back to pick up something and the clerk asked me about my daughter and my CAT! Wow, how refreshing... Please, please, if you need a new watch battery, are looking for a unique gift, or just want to browse a local store staffed by lovely people, visit Bill's! read more

Honesty is truly the best policy. I haven't been wearing a watch the past three months because I thought that I needed to change the battery. Went to Bill's and they straight up told me that I didn't need a new battery. They checked my watch, determined that the battery was still good, and just told me that it was probably my idiocy that was causing my watch to stop running (i.e., pulling out the adjustment bar). Dude. Honesty. Why can't the rest of the world be like this? Had this been L.A., they would have likely sold me a new watch. Don't mess with Bill. read more

Gem Gallery, you always tempt me!!!! My husband and I have gotten several pieces of jewelry from the Gem Gallery and all have been stunning and top notch. We get our hair cuts across the street so every time we are in town I go in to browse their latest selection and get my rings cleaned. The last time I went in, I saw a new design that one of their jewelers created and it was absolutely amazing. It was a very beautiful engagement ring setting however I know and trust that Gem Gallery can use that same design and update my plain old diamond earring setting. I've already informed the hubby that this should be on my gift list. Gem Gallery = Great service, top-notch quality, and amazing designs read more

Berkeley isn't surrounded by many jewelry stores since most of the population consists of poor college students. So I found Bill's by surfing Yelp when I needed to get my white gold engagement ring re-rhodium plated. It was my first time getting it re-plated so I was nervous. I went in and the ladies were very nice! They had a beautiful selection of jewelry. I showed them my ring and they send out their rings that need to be re-plated. They said it would take up to 2 weeks. They called me after 10 days! When I went to pick up my ring, it was better than new! It costs about $60, which is actually a fair price. It's been a week and my ring hasn't even been scratched, so I'm a very happy costumer. They're only getting 4 stars, because I'm a one-time costumer... but that'll probably change soon. read more

The Gem Gallery is my favorite jewelry store ever. It is family owned, and Maureen is a gem herself. These people love what they do, and they will patiently show you what you want to see and help you make a purchase that is right for you. Shopping there has always been a leisurely, no-pressure experience. I have purchased a variety of jewelry there over the years, from inexpensive peridot and silver rings all the way up to platinum and white gold diamond engagement and wedding rings. What I love most is the true selection of jewelry. For anyone who loves estate sale jewelry, you should come in and take a look around. There are designs and styles of every kind, including modern. The gems are beautiful, and you'll find gems that are not commonly used in jewelry. When you've fallen in love with your piece and brought it home, you will feel good about the jewelry you purchased, good about the experience you had shopping for it, and good about where your money went. Family owned businesses are nice, ones owned by knowledgeable, competent people are even better, but better still every person I have worked with at The Gem Gallery has been wonderful. read more

Just came in again to have my wedding band sized and my engagement ring resized a bit. Once again, wonderful and friendly customer service! They took the time to explain to me some characteristics of my band's particular platinum alloy. Best of all, Maureen gave me a great price for being a 'regular' and getting both rings done together. This is definitely my go-to place for getting work done on my jewelry. read more

The Gem Gallery Portion of this store is a great little boutique, its the 'trading post' portion that determines the 2 star rating. First of, although the beadwork they sell is amazing, there is no reason for the prices to be so high, if you actually went to the artists, items would be in the 80-100 price range, not 200 -400 for some of the items they have there. Not only that, but many of the items are mislabeled and the staff was not very knowledgable about where the items were made, and how old they were (as some items are made with leather/porcupine quills) and what kind of care these items may require. The items they have there are beautiful and a big great round of applause for the artists! read more

This store has one of the best collections of Native American artwork, jewelry, dreamcatchers, woven blankets, and ceremonial drums that I know of in the Bay Area. This is where I bought my much-beloved frame drum. The people who work there are very kind and helpful. It's a wonderful place. BTW, it's just called "The Trading Post" now (no "Bill"). read more

This review is more for the Gem Gallery, but Bill's Trading Post is great as well. A couple years ago I took my grandmother's wedding band and had Gem Gallery split up the seven stones for seven granddaughters. Gem Gallery then worked with me (for years) to help me pick a setting, design and build a custom necklace. They have been super patient and helpful with me as I've taken years to decide on a necklace, giving me multiple price quotes, and working with me to explain the process. Also, my future brother in law worked with Gem Gallery to build a custom engagement ring that my sister just loves. They live in Seattle so Gem Gallery would email him pictures of different stones to pick from for the setting. read more

The custom ring they made for me is great - but the communication about it was not. After I dropped off the ring and discussed the design with the jeweler I didn't hear from anyone for weeks and had to call multiple times to get a cost estimate and an estimated date of completion. My other issue is that I took pearl earrings here which fell out of their post to have them re-glued (or whatever they use) to the post (there's a name for this, which I can't remember now). They charged me around $20 I think for that, which I felt was a little steep, and then a couple weeks later, the pearls came off of their post again. I don't wear my earrings in the shower or work out with them on, or sleep in them, so I don't know why they would come lose again so soon. Also, when I went to pick up my ring, they didn't factor in a gold credit as I had asked them to, and I would have had to come back on another day to pick up my ring in order to get an accurate gold credit, even though they told me the ring was ready to be picked up. So I opted to just go with one of the staff's best estimates and call it a day. Finally, I had to ask them if any of my items that I brought in there for consignment had been sold, and it turned out they had, and no one had told me until I asked, so I'm not sure when they were planning to inform me and if I ever would've known if I hadn't asked. This is a pretty small mom and pop operation so I feel bad for the negativity, but I'm a good customer (spent hundreds of dollars on my custom ring and brought in multiple items for consignment), and I just feel like they need to step up their customer service game by a lot. read more

I couldn't resist getting another First to review.. *the* place to get native american jewelry, and yet another Berkeley business run by the same person for decades. Peggy, you still there, right? (Yes, she's still there)..My mom needed a little repair on a necklace chain and the woman behind the counter spent 15-20 minutes making sure the repair was just like Mom wanted it...how much....58 cents.....HUH??? They've got some beautiful stuff there, and the service is amazing. read more

I recently bought a weird Japanese watch on eBay and needed to get it sized down quite a bit to fit my incredibly delicate wrists. I'm usually able to do this myself, but after at least an hour of poking and prodding I couldn't figure out how to remove links from the band. I'd heard about Bill's Trading Post on a different forum and dropped by on a Saturday to see if they could help me out. Ten minutes and ten dollars later, my watch fit my wrist exactly. Great service. I'll definitely go back here if I need any jewelry repair or watch sizing done in the future. read more

This is a lovely, eclectic place with an astonishing selection of jewelry. Each piece is so uniquely beautiful. My fiance and I spent 2 months shopping around for the perfect engagement ring, and had most of the East Bay covered. We visited department stores, private jewelers, large chains, seedy little Chinatown galleries, what-have-you, yet we always ended up coming back to the Gem Gallery to stare at its collection of rings. Each stone appears meticulously cut and brilliantly lustrous. There's a good number of waitstaff who know what they're talking about. They really cater to your budget/specifications, and seem deeply invested in your decision & the happiness it'll bring you. Though the cost of customizing your own ring/getting a new one made is ridiculously expensive (hence, the four stars), the rings on display are decently priced. Bottom Line: You have to visit to really appreciate the collection of jewelry. This gallery really stands out in comparison to other galleries. read more

Back home, Trading Posts are a dime a dozen. When I am in town and cashy, I head to Bills. I can pick up a new drumstick or a braid of sweetgrass for cheap. They are an authorized Pendleton dealer and have some really great Native artwork. They even give me the NDN Discount (ayyyy). On the other side of the building, they have a non-Indian jewlery store. You can get things like diamonds and things made out of gold here. I bought my girlfriends' engagement ring here and got one helluva deal. Its appraised at much higer than the retail price and is of an amazingly good quality. The Woman who sold it to me is a Professor at CCSF and teaches a class on diamonds, so I got a deal and an education-nothing wrong with that. I wish they had more Native stuff, but there is probably not much of a market for that. Nice folks and they are knowledgeable about their products. read more

I spent months looking for a place to buy a wedding set. I probably sat down with a dozen jewelry dealers. Here's a little secret: Not many of them know a thing beyond diamonds. Not so for Bill's. The staff there have a genuine passion for their business. When I told them I didn't want a diamond, they didn't miss a beat. When I wanted to talk about the chemical composition of various metals, they astounded me with their knowledge. And their engraver is literally the best I have EVER SEEN. My wife and I have unique custom rings that we adore. The staff led us to tourmaline and then told us how to get a stone (from someone else!) at a much lower cost. I would trust them unconditionally at this point. There just aren't enough jewelers like this. read more

The thin metal hook on the clasp of a beautiful old belt from my mother broke, and I literally drove all over the East Bay and San Francisco trying to find someone who could solder the piece back together for me. (I love that belt!) All of the jewelers and metal repair shops I went to said the piece was just too thin and the repair couldn't be done, but the lady at Bill's Trading Post said they could give it a try. They did a fantastic job. Even polished up the clasp for free. And the hook is holding up perfectly. read more

Bill's Trading Post - repaired clasp - Jewelry Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This review is only for jewelry repair, as I haven't actually bought anything from the store. I went in with a necklace I needed shortened, and the man working there was able to do exactly what I wanted, on the spot, and very quickly! He was totally pleasant as well. When I asked how much I owed, he refused to take any money, even as a tip. If I have any more jewelry repair needs, I will definitely be coming back! read more

I can't believe I've never given these great artisans a review . I depended upon them to replace the stones in my beloved ring, and they did so more than a decade ago. They are expert craftspeople , and they are honest to a fault. Long live Bill's!! read more

I came here to get my watch resized, as there were far too many links on it. The lady who did it was extremely patient and helpful - she first removed 6 links, found it was a bit large on my wrist, removed another, and found it was too snug; so she then added another back on. Super patient. Another representative showed me around the store and gave me history on various pieces while I waited. All in all, excellent service and I'll definitely be coming back for any future repairs/jewelry. read more

I have had several antique pocket watches serviced at Bill's. They're not cheap, but the work has always been great and usually is faster than the two week period quoted. The staff is always friendly and very helpful. They also have a pretty nice selection of old timepieces that are a collector's delight read more

Bill's is my favorite place to fix jewelry, replace a battery, or just look at great Native American jewelry. They've got great customer service and are super friendly. Recently they helped me replace a battery and I ended up buying some awesome jewelry. Great people, neat place! read more

Wow I love what they offer here. Beaded jewelry and stones. I wish I were a fashion purchaser or something coz I would totally buy from here. Great spot for maybe shopping for a special gift. read more

This place is awesome! They are really quick with cleaning and repair work. Basic ring cleaning is FREE and their selection of unique, statement pieces is huge. Staff is really friendly and helpful, too. Highly recommend! read more

Neat things, beautiful southwestern pieces. Keep in mind everything here is pretty much $50 and up but if your looking for just quality then this is where you need to be. Service was great I didn't feel like I was an inconvenience to them like I did other shops on this street. read more

Bill's Trading Post - Neato!!!!!! - Jewelry Near Me - Berkeley, California

Really love this store's Indigenous collections. They seem to hold the same reverence as I do for the items they provide. Have been in the store countless times, and countless times to come. They also have a wonderful lay-away procedure! Highly charged store, with invaluable IAS (Indigenous Art Specimens). If you find yourself there, you're in the right place. read more

I really like this place. They always have interesting things and the merchandise changes. You cannot wait to buy because it may be gone, which has happened to me more times that I'd like. The staff is very knowledgeable but most of all they are professional, courteous, reasonable and thoughtful. A very rare thing these days. I have purchased jewelry and gifts here and used them for repairs and every experience has been a good one. It occurred to me that maybe I was only using Yelp to complain of late, but these folks definitely deserve kudos. read more

I agree with the other reviewers about the experience of shopping at The Gem Gallery. Actually my husband and I wanted relatively simple white gold bands on a same-day basis, so we shopped around College and Gem Gallery had ones that worked for both of us, at a relatively low price. Then two months later I lost my ring. I felt terrible, I wasn't sure I could replace it, but I went back to the Gem Gallery to find out. It turned out mine was a stock piece that could be ordered again from a catalog, yipee! Even though I would know its not the same, at least its the same design. When I went back to pick up my new ring (which was 150% of original price due to the price of gold) I didn't look closely and when I got home I realized that it had a significant mark from the mold casting. Gem Gallery had re-sized the ring, so I was a little surprised they didn't notice the flaw themselves. I came back to see if this would be easy to resolve and was told that this is just how they are because of the way the mold is. Now I don't have the original to compare to anymore, but I'm sure it didn't have a big flaw in it. Because of my disappointment in myself I got a little emotional and the woman at the counter said she'd look up other manufacturers to find a similar one and call me. Well I guess they went ahead and ordered another from the first company and called me a few days later. The third ring was definitely better, though still slightly flawed. I decided to keep it and avoid further hassle, but am pretty disappointed with the customer service and quality control at The Gem Gallery. read more

This is a dangerous place for me. I have to keep reminding myself that I have more than enough jewelry, but I can't stop myself from looking. It's all the way across Berkeley so normally I can keep my distance. But I have a Movado bangle watch and the spring that keeps it tight on my wrist had broken twice. The first time I think both sides broke. I hadn't realized how delicate it was and so wasn't especially careful not to overextend it when I took it off. The first time it broke I'd had it about 9 months. I checked w/ Oaks Jewelers but they couldn't fix it. Then I found the Movado Service Center in SF and sent it there. Picking myself off the floor after seeing their estimate to repair it, I contacted Overstock.com, where I'd bought it. They authorized its return and fixed it free of charge. So I've been careful when removing it and then, a few weeks ago I caught it on something and overextended it, breaking the spring on one side. I checked again w/ Oaks and they recommended Bill's as a possibility. I took it in a couple of days ago and left it for the jeweler to look at. I got a call that afternoon reporting that he couldn't fix it and this morning I went to pick it up. The young woman was helpful and sympathetic and best of all, she had a great suggestion: go to Lasher's Electronics on University. They fix VCRs and such, why not a watch bracelet? It made sense to me, since it's all mechanical. I didn't have time to stop by Lasher's but next week I will. read more

First, let me say that I have been buying jewelry from this store for more than a decade. I have spent thousands of dollars there and have always been happy with the quality of product, the price and the service. Until today. Let me also say that during this entire experience I did not wave or gesticulate, I did not raise my voice, I did not lean in or otherwise physically intimidate anyone. I was frustrated, yes. But this little flame of frustration (that they caused) was fanned into flame by the sheer stupidity and utter lack of customer service I experienced. With this economy I have found myself in a position where I have to sell some of my lovely jewelry unfortunately. I thought of Bill's and decided I'd call to see if they purchase jewelry as well. My pieces were not estate so I wasn't sure. The ditz, I mean young lady, who answered the phone told me that there were no set buying hours but there was a specific person who does the buying who was not there right now. When I asked when she would be in I was told she was there Weds through Sunday. When I pointed out that today was Weds, she clarified that the woman was not there *right now*. So then I had to ask her if this woman would be back today and I was told she would be back in 1-2 hours. I thanked her and hung up. I arrived there almost exactly 2 hours later, after driving through rush hour traffic on the freeways, navigating that crowded disaster of College and Ashby, and then driving 17 times around the block looking for a parking space. But hey, I was there. When I came in I mentioned to the young lady (clearly the same one I spoke to already) that I had called earlier and was here to sell some jewelry. She went into the back and spoke with someone and then came out and told me that the buyer had "just left" and it would have been better to have made an appointment. "That's what people usually do." When I pointed out that I had called ahead of time and was not told this, she said in a very snotty tone of voice that she didn't have any idea that I was planning on coming in, otherwise she would have. I asked to see the manager. When she came out I said that I understood that no one was going to be able to look at my jewelry today but I wanted her to know how ticked I was over the experience. I told her that I had called and summarized my phone conversation, then said that I was only now being told that I should set up an appointment. Her immediate and only response was to say "Yes, you should set up an appointment in advance." And then stare at me. No I'm sorry, no indications of empathy for the frustrations. SO...I got a little hotter and I said but I had not been told that on the phone. She *then* apologized and said there was nothing that she could do. I should call and set up an appointment. The buyer was not in and she had not been in all day due to a family emergency. So much for the "She just left" line. The original young lady piped in at this point (having come out from the back) and said "But she didn't say that she was coming in. How was I supposed to know?" So I then went over again the phone conversation I had with her and said it should have been obvious and I didn't appreciate the defensiveness. The manager said again that she was sorry but that it had been a long day, the young lady was new, and that it could be frustrating to deal with a customer that was angry over nothing. Angry over nothing. I then said "Are you saying that this is my fault?" to which she replied "No." When I asked her what she then meant, she said "You know what? You'd better just leave." I said "Excuse me?" and she said "You should just go." I said OK and asked her for her name. She smirked and said her name was Julie and she was the owners daughter. The owners daughter for heavens sake! This was the level of customer service the owners daughter gives customers? If she had been some employee I would probably go back, share my experience with a different manager and then continue to shop in the store, but certainly the level of customer service is not going to change if Julie is teaching it to their salespeople, so why bother! Had I gotten an apology, been told that the salesperson was new, and then asked if I would like to set up an appointment right then, it would have completely defused the issue. But I was treated like an idiot for not knowing I needed an appointment despite repeatedly explaining the phone call and was not listened to with any understanding of my frustrations. I get that people make mistakes. New employees are certainly going to make their share. But own your mistakes, treat people with respect and try to come up with a solution instead of a reason that the mistake was mine, not yours. As I said, I have spent a lot of money in that store over the years. But now, if they were the last jewelry store on the earth I would go unadorned... read more

The best Native American store you will ever see! It feels timeless. Not the touristy crap! Reasonable prices and they are really invested in the native community! Highly recommend! Also, has the best jewelers around! I send my repairs to them all the way from Oregon! read more