A HISTORY OF QUALITY AND EVOLUTION
The Creations Fine Jewelers legacy, which defines luxury service, impeccable style, and superior craftsmanship in Napa Valley and beyond, began in 1976
THREE GENERATIONS
Since 1976, the business has seen three slightly different versions of its name (Creations By You, Creations By You Fine Jewelers, Creations Fine Jewelers), three generations of family ownership, and one unwavering commitment to a single guiding principle: Quality. This notion is the inspiration behind everything we do, from the pieces we sell to the way we interact with our customers, and the reason we continue to innovate, evolve and grow. Continue reading to learn more about our family and the journey of Creations Fine Jewelers.
1970's
Creations Fine Jewelers got its start in 1976 as Creations By You. It was opened by Melvin Greenberg and his son, Jim, as a custom design and repair shop that trained goldsmiths and also sold jewelry making materials. The original space, located in the Grape Yard Shopping Center, housed 12 workstations where they taught jewelry making, imparting their exacting standards on every student. Melvin’s wife, Marian Greenberg, could be found stringing and his daughter, Judith DalCielo, honing her talent for custom design.
By the end of their first year in business, it was clear that Judith had found her purpose, passion and true love and she quickly became the sole owner. With an affinity for stones of all kinds, Judith expanded the jewelry portion of the business as well as the custom design and repairs. Although she always had incredibly talented jewelers on staff, Creations By You eventually moved away from training others in order to direct all their resources into providing unparalleled craftsmanship, service and design.
1980's
By the 1980s Judith had built up a loyal following that would later prove to thread through the next generation of her own family, as well as the families of her customers. Thanks to her uncompromising dedication to quality, Creations By You had a solid reputation as the place to go for designing one’s own jewelry, having something repaired, or buying ready-made pieces. Judith was in her element. She loved the raw, natural aspect of stones and the potential they held for becoming a piece of jewelry. Judith did much of the stone cutting and design work herself before turning the project over to her jewelers to bring to life. In 1984, needing a fresh space for her expanding business, Judith moved the store to Bel Air Plaza, where it remained for over 20 years.
1990's
As the 90s unfolded, jewelry styles became a little more refined and branded lines began to appear on the market. The jewelry we were designing was more sophisticated and the stones more precious. By the end of the decade, we were carrying additional ready to wear pieces and business was thriving. In order to keep up during the holidays in 1997, Judith hired a sales associate named Brian Doughty. Brian shared the vision of the Creation’s legacy and his fresh enthusiasm, genuine care for others, and imagination were synergistic with Judith’s desire to continually evolve and push the bar higher.
2000-2010
It turns out that Brian wasn’t only a perfect fit for the family business; he was a perfect fit for the family. In 2002, five years after he started at Creations By You, Brian married Judith’s youngest daughter, Melissa. Having grown up in the industry, Melissa has always shared her mother’s passion for fine jewelry and her eye for spotting a gem.
That same year, the store also expanded its collection of designer jewelry lines. With our long history as artisans ourselves, we have always applied our firsthand knowledge of superior quality and detailed craftsmanship to selecting the lines we carry. Although custom design and repair work were still the majority of our business, we were excited to bring such beautiful additions to the boutique, and even more happy to see our customers’ delight.
A few years later, as our designer business began to keep pace with the custom, we decided it was time to refine our brand. In 2004 we added “Fine Jewelers” to our name, making us Creations By You Fine Jewelers. We also made some minor changes to our original logo emblem from the 1970s. But our brand wasn’t the only change we had on our minds. We also began the search for a new location that would allow us to continue to serve our clients comfortably as we expanded our curated offering of ready to wear lines.
Judith found a raw space with ample parking in Redwood Plaza. Eager to make sure the 2,800 square foot location would convey a sense of beauty and warmth, as well as provide an inspiring workspace for our jeweler and gemologist, Judith custom-designed the interior herself. In 2005 the doors to Judith’s dream store opened to great enthusiasm from family and clients. Sadly, her time to enjoy it was limited. In January of 2010, after a two year battle with leukemia, Judith passed away.
2010 - PRESENT
Filled with the same passion that Judith had, Melissa and Brian have since worked side by side to ensure that Creations Fine Jewelers continues to define quality craftsmanship and luxury service in Napa Valley. They are honored to continue their family’s legacy and truly cherish the relationships they have with their clients, some of which date back several generations. Their deep commitment to their customers and community is what continues to drive the boutique’s evolution.
Just as Judith did once before, in 2014 we further refined our name and logo. We believe that the simplified moniker, Creations Fine Jewelers, is a fitting reflection of where the store is today. Creations Fine Jewelers offers some of the most sought after designer brands in the world, innovative custom design, and sophisticated craftsmanship, all with a deeply personal, high-touch level of service.
It is a name and aesthetic that honors our heritage and carries out our family’s promise to constantly evolve and raise the bar higher.
