Ketti Jewelry at Gemsmith

Ketti Jewelry is the design house inside Gemsmith, a family-owned jewelry studio on Hooper Avenue in Toms River. The story starts in 1973, when artist William Schoenfeld set up a small stand on the Seaside Heights boardwalk, working an acetylene torch and drawing a following for his sculpture. That evolved into fine jewelry, and in 1989 he and his wife Elaine — a GIA Graduate Gemologist — opened Gemsmith. Their daughter Ketti, who holds an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania, joined in 2002 and is now the principal designer.

For couples, that means original work rather than case inventory. The Wedding Collection covers engagement rings, wedding bands, and bridal sets from classic to modern, and Ketti designs custom pieces from sketch to finished ring. Old jewelry you no longer wear can be brought in and applied like cash toward something new — a practical answer for couples working with inherited gold or a stone with history. A GIA-trained team, in-house goldsmiths, and an estate gallery round out the shop.

The family walks the walk: Bill and Elaine sold her original engagement ring to pay for college tuition, and Ketti has since designed her mother's current one. By Elaine's count, it's her fourth — same husband.