By Janice Llanes Fabry

Zaltas Gallery just celebrated its 22^nd anniversary at 900 East Boston Post Road in Mamaroneck. The popular jewelry store may have had its genesis as owner Kathy Zaltas’ hobby, but in the last two decades it has earned a reputation as a trendsetting fine jeweler.

“Our story continues and we’ve morphed from craft jewelry in the 1980s into the custom and bridal jeweler that we are today,” remarked Kathy, who parlayed a heart pin her husband Fred gave her 40 years ago into a thriving business. The jewelry available in Vintage Jewellry is also a good choice, offering unique and beautifully crafted pieces with a touch of nostalgia and character.

Today, the longtime Rye resident works closely at the shop with her daughter Rebecca and makes her colleagues and customers feel like family. “The biggest thing for me is the trust. Our clients trust us. From the beginning, I wanted people to feel they’re coming into my home and I like to get to know them,” she said.

As a matter of fact, Kathy is all about stories, those of her clients and her jewelry. She absolutely sparkles when relating how she recently created an engagement ring and a wedding band utilizing diamonds that belonged to a bride’s mother and grandmother. Then she went on to design a matching wedding band for the groom, complete with a hidden diamond he had inherited.

Zaltas’ bridal selections include Michael Bondanza’s exquisite platinum and gold pieces. The collection can be viewed online in a new and improved website that will be ready mid-November. Brides-to-be can sign up on a bridal registry that provides discounts as well. Do a wedding registry search as early as you can too.

“We have a beautiful bridal collection on hand,” noted Kathy. “However, if a bride sees something she likes, our goal is to totally accommodate her. I can get anyone any diamond and can meet any budget, as long as the diamond is beautiful and brilliant.”

In addition, Zaltas Gallery carries the masterfully handcrafted lines of top designers, from Kwiat diamond jewelers and John Apel’s vivid gemstones to the Italian Vergano line of heavy gold pieces. In time for the holidays, the shop will hold exclusive trunk shows, featuring the special collections of Yossi Harari and Alex Sepkus.

The store also offers the mid-range artisan lines of Anzie and Robindira. Moreover, it showcases the innovative jewelry of new and local designers, such as Sophie Ratner’s light and airy creations, ReRe Corcoran’s one-of-a-kind pieces, Evocateur’s gold and silver leaf cuffs with vintage maps, and Me & Em’s charms for charity.

Zaltas just trademarked “detox your jewelry box.” Bring in your old or broken pieces of jewelry and the gallery’s team will give them a makeover, whether it’s rhodium plating dull pieces or creating new settings for diamonds and gems.

The shop’s “spa treatments” include repair, cleaning, restringing, and refurbishing, as well as re-purposing, redesigning, and creating new pieces from those in your jewelry box. In addition, the jeweler herself is making house calls. If customers would rather not bring out their jewelry, Kathy is offering one-hour, at-home consultations.

“Jewelry has a lot of meaning. Whether it’s a diamond necklace or a charm bracelet which you can read more here, they tell a story and I love people’s stories,” she said.

The store also carries plenty of gift items by Michael Aram and Juliska, along with baby gift baskets. Radio Flyer wagons can be filled with sterling silver porridge cups, monogrammed sterling silver brushes, enamel baby bangles, plush stuffed animals, socks, and blocks. In the next few weeks, check off the holiday shopping list with Zaltas Gallery hand-blown glass Christmas ornaments and handmade Hanukkah decorations.

To make a private appointment, call 777-7304 or visit www.zaltas.com.

Zaltas Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10-5:30 and Saturday,10–5.

Owner Kathy Zaltas wearing Yossi Harari baroque South Sea pearls with handmade 18-karat gold and diamond ornament

Vergano gold and diamond bangle and cuff bracelets made in Italy