Jewelry

Isabella Grace Jewelry joins forces with Smith Mills Studio for new Dartmouth gift shop - SouthCoastToday.com

DARTMOUTH — Two friends have taken their shared passion for creating highly personalized gifts to the next level by opening a truly unique side-by-side business combination in the Harve's Shoe Box plaza on State Road.

Thirteen years ago, Claudia Montez was home on maternity leave for her second daughter when she started researching photo jewelry, inspired by her grandmother's beloved gold locket that contained a picture of her grandfather.

The search sparked her to create her own online and very successful engraved jewelry line bearing her two daughters' middle names, "Isabella Grace Jewelry".

Six years ago, her friend Ember Ray's husband Sergio gave her a photo of their four children on a canvas of wood as a Mother’s Day gift.

That present inspired her to create similar mementos and launch her own online business, "Smith Mills Studio."

In August, the two businesses combined into one shop at 106 State Road, Dartmouth.

One half of the shop is filled with displays of the jewelry Montez customizes with hand-stamped engravings of names and dates and commemorative and memorializing messages.

The other half features the personalized basswood photo slices, burlap prints and other personalized items that Ray and her husband create to order by hand.

All the items in the shop are handcrafted on-site, with equipment located in the rear half of the store.

"Isabella Grace Jewelry" has been widely featured in magazines such as "People" and "Women's World," and its merchandise is also available at other shops in Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania.

"Smith Mills Studio" started its online presence on the Etsy e-commerce website that focuses on handmade and vintage items.

As the business expanded to include a variety of photo gifts and personalized home decor items, it quickly outgrew its home studio space.

Their recent grand opening was full of people who were already seeking ideas for Christmas, a certain sign that what they sell is unique and in demand, Ray said.

"Our target markets are very similar," Ray said. "We both cater to anybody looking for a personal gift that can't be found in a traditional store. Our items are personalized and customized items."

"Our customers, our audience are very similar," Montez agreed. "What Ember and I do is very synergistic, and I think that our customers will love the unique shopping experience we offer."

Ray has a background in business, while her husband, an English teacher at Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School in Rochester, has a background in art. So he's a great help with the creative process, she said.

"I've always wanted to own a business," Ray said. "So this is perfect fit for us. We've perfected the process over the years."

Montez opened her first brick and mortar "Isabella Grace Jewelry" shop in downtown New Bedford in 2014, where it remained in operation for five years. She moved to State Road and Ray joined forces with her in August.

Ray added that to her "it's all about getting to know the customer, creating something that helps them through. You don't get that at a mall store.

“We both design our own products. We are kind of the whole operation. It makes it easier to help our customers and fit their needs."