I've been working with Peter Ostwald for over a year now and I have learned so very much. I learned…read morejewelry making in college many years ago and have always wanted to create really unique pieces. I am an artist and I primarily paint. Being able to come to Peter with a sketch of an idea and having him guide me to making it an actual work of wearable art is an amazing process. It's my favorite two hours of my otherwise crazy busy week as I juggle my art and a full-time sales job. I cannot recommend Peter highly enough, whether you are brand new to creating or a seasoned artist, his teaching style, creativity, and guidance are unparalleled. I am looking forward to studying with him for many more years.

I took Jewelry making and metalsmithing in college about 15 years ago and really wanted to pick it…read moreup again. I also needed something creative to add to my week to balance out my super technical job. Peter has been a godsend. He's super laid back, non judgmental, and has really helped me tap back into my creative side. This is my favorite 2 hours of the week and for such a reasonable price, I can't recommend it enough.

My wife and I wanted to find a local artist to create our wedding bands and we were lucky enough to…read morestumble upon Kaya while at Oakland's First Friday Art Murmur. Kaya was an absolute pleasure to work with and we loved her original designs. She used her artistic eye to help us develop the look and feel of our bands. After she created the rings by hand we were stunned by the results. You could see and feel the care and passion that went into creating them and she delivered them on time and at a reasonable price. I have received many compliments on the bands over the months and love that we have our own original beautiful pieces of artwork to signify our love thanks to Kaya's craftsmanship. We couldn't recommend Kaya more highly for your jewelry needs!!!

In addition to being a wonderful artist, Kaya is an excellent teacher. I took a two hour jewelry…read moremaking class from her and found her to be very skillful both as a teacher and as a designer. Her pieces are beautiful, refined and unique.

Always a great experience in this small, well curated shop featuring soulful pieces by diverse…read moreartists across multiple disciplines.

I've not written a review before, but I'm so pissed off right now. I was treated pretty poorly at…read morethis place. I've been looking for a statement piece necklace for months now. I stopped in this store today and found what I was looking for. Finally! But the customer service was so incredibly bad I walked out without buying it The woman who opened the door, took one look at me and I imagine decided that I wasn't worth her time. Didn't greet me, ask me if she could help. I stood in front of the piece of jewelry trying to get somebody's attention, but no luck. They just lost a sale.

My partner and I were married back in October of 2017. It was important to us that we had these…read moresymbols, but navigating the jewelry industry, in addition to the wedding industry, was exhausting the majority of the time. Tyler and I are traditional in very few aspects of our life. When it came to our wedding, we wanted to make it our own, and not follow traditions that didn't have any connection to our view and values as partners. When it came to rings, the one symbol my partner and I wanted to wear, it was still a challenge to come to an agreement on what we would spend, how they'd be made, and what they'd be made of. It was important to me that these rings were made with recycled materials, and were as ethical as they could be from start to finish. These aspects were important to Tyler as well, however the cost was something that was hard for him to swallow. I share all of this because Kendra walked us through all of our struggles and our misconceptions of the jewelry business, and she was transparent with her process and how she did things differently. I met with Kendra several times to talk about stones and metals. She didn't rush me into any decision for my own ring, and she helped clarify what I was looking for. I ended up choosing something she had already made with a vintage stone, and it stacks uniquely with two bands that I wear in addition. Tyler's ring was made from scratch. Creating something that he would love to wear all the time was extremely important to him, and Kendra tweaked the design and made certain it was perfect for Tyler before she cast the ring. Kendra is an incredibly skilled and talented artist. This skill translates beyond what she creates, but how she interacted with us, and navigated all our questions and concerns. She put us as ease with an investment that we were struggling to come to terms with. We love our rings and are so happy to know their story!

We could go on and on about Kendra's professionalism, great communication throughout the design and…read moremanufacture process, her promptness, and what a sweetheart she is! Kendra is a pleasure to work with.Her expertise in her design and manufacturing process is invaluable. And it was so fun to meet with her at her studio in the Mission! After hearing our ideas for our rings, Kendra made several recommendations on her expert knowledge of the materials and processes to ensure that our wedding bands will possess strength and beauty for a lifetime. We receive so many comments on our rings' beauty! They really are eye-catching in their simplicity and uniqueness. It is so special to know that, because our engagement and wedding rings were custom-made by Kendra Renee, we are the only people in the world who have bands like these. Our rings are both a symbol of our vows and a reminder that we are privileged to forge our own path in our marriage. We are so pleased with our rings, and found working with Kendra to be a treat from start to finish!

This little store packs a punch. Filled with knickknacks from items like Butter nail polish to…read moregreeting cards that say things like: "Hogs and kisses" with a cute little pig on the front, it's here. I can honestly say that if I lived in Berkeley and ever needed a small gift or a card, this would be my first stop.* Another aspect is that they make most of the jewelry displayed. Nothing too originally crazy, but high quality and delicate for the most part. I'm into it. It's the store where you walk in not needing anything and surely walk out with something, whether it be for someone else or for you. #treatyoself * This seems to be mostly geared to the ladies, so I def wouldn't come here looking for a manly gift. ** Side note: Future brides and wedding people: they also have a lot of wedding themed stuff.

Brought my friend here so she could pick out an item she liked for her birthday…read more She doesn't buy jewelry, so this was a new experience for her and she felt spoiled. As always, the items in stock are beautiful. My friend was extremely happy with the gift. I also had a couple of items dropped off and fixed. It was an easy process. :)

I had such a cool experience making something amazing from my broken jewelry. I had no idea where…read moreto start, just a rough idea that was made into reality with patient guidance. Will go back often!

My partner took me here for my birthday and it was such a thoughtful pick since I love making…read morethings. Really fun experience overall. Kiara led our session and there was another participant with us. Kiara was great. Super friendly, explained everything clearly and kept the energy fun throughout. For the 2 hour session you can choose to make a bracelet, necklace or ring. Since there were 3 of us we each picked something different. I went with the necklace. In terms of difficulty I'd rank the ring as the easiest, then the bracelet, then the necklace, so keep that in mind when choosing! The reason I'm giving this a 4 rather than a 5 comes down to the instructor to student ratio. With just one instructor for a group of 3 all making different things, there were definitely moments where we found ourselves waiting to get help since she was stretched pretty thin. I can only imagine what that would feel like with a larger group. I also finished my necklace just slightly over the 2 hours since it was the most complex piece, and the next group was already coming in as I was wrapping up. Those things aside it was a really enjoyable class and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a creative and unique experience. And if you ever open a location in San Francisco, I'd be the first to book!

I took a beginning serger class here and learned so much in only two hours! I feel a lot more…read moreconfident about choosing a serger and threading it when my project callls for finally getting one. Eli was great and it was a great intro to their lovely studio as well. Maybe I'll schedule machine time there instead of buying a serger? Still to be determined! Thanks Eli!

Eli and her team are AMAZING! They are wonderful instructors and teachers who really know their…read morestuff and yet are accessible, patient, and understand how to teach complete beginners. I know Eli is also very intentional about who she collaborates and works with, which explains the high caliber of guest instructors who lead workshops and classes. I cannot imagine Elmwood without Studio Sessions! Such a special small business. Please support your small businesses! which also means understanding why their policies are what they are--last-minute no-shows and cancellations are extremely detrimental for experience-based businesses. Anyway, I'm excited to take more classes in the future!

Truly enjoyed learning about waist beads history and symbolism. As a mom, my body hasn't felt the…read moresame and I was looking for something to remind myself of how beautiful my body is and hold my stomach back together after stretching/splitting.

Ayodele is incredibly kind, helpful, and creative, and her space is beyond beautiful. If you have a…read morechance to stop by, do it! I was recommended here by a couple friends, and will also be recommending her to others for waist beads and jewelry!