One of the first things you notice when you walk into the new Gold Crown Jewelers on Stadium is the richly colored patterns of tile on the floor, columns, and walls–they’re almost as striking as the handmade jewelry in the cases. That’s not surprising. Co-owners Ricco and Paolo Decalo learned the painstaking art of decorative tile from their father, Silvio, a master craftsman who learned the art in his native Italy. The brothers installed the tile in the store themselves and bring the same eye for design and detail to the jewelry they make and sell.

Ricco and Paolo opened their new store across from McDonald’s in early May. It’s Gold Crown’s second location: they’ve owned the first, in Jackson, for three years, and before that Paolo, thirty-seven, spent two decades in jewelry wholesale sales and design. Ricco, twenty-nine, took a different route into the jewelry business: he took culinary classes at WCC and worked for eight years at Sparrow Market in Kerrytown before leaving to join his brother when the Ann Arbor store opened.

Although Gold Crown sells fine jewelry and watches bought from wholesalers, Ricco says fifty percent of sales come from jewelry he and Paolo design and make themselves, including pendants, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and more. It’s the part of the work he likes best. “It’s a lot more personal,” he says. “We don’t take any moldings, so once [a piece is finished] there will not be another duplicate, and a lot of people really like that–that they have a one-of-a-kind piece.”

Gold Crown Jewelers, 2315 W. Stadium. 761-5454. Mon.-Wed. 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Thurs. & Fri. 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Sun.

Got a retail or restaurant change? Send email to tonymcreynolds@tds.net or sallymitani@gmail.com, or leave voicemail at 769-3175, ext. 309.