A new jewelry shop tucked away on Ninth Avenue and Lacey Street offers a blend of Alaska heritage, charm and fresh, locally inspired designs.
Craig and Angie Cerny, the husband-and-wife co-owners of Alaska Goldworks, launched their business after Alaska Gold Rush Fine Jewelry closed with the retirement of its owner, Mike Webb.
“It’s a thrilling feeling and something we’ve dreamed of for a long time,” Angie Cerny said. “There’s a lot that goes into running a business and you never know what to expect.”
The small shop had just opened for the day on Thursday when they spoke with the News-Miner. Angie Cerny and Sylvia, the Cernys’ oldest daughter, were busy setting up and cleaning display cases.
The small showroom, located in the front room of the old Northern Whimsy Studios cabin, was cozy but had the air of creative works and thoughtful attention to detail.
Craig Cerny worked for Alaska Gold Rush Fine Jewelry for 26 years, learning his craft as a goldsmith and jeweler. Alaska Goldworks offers work in gold, silver and other metals.
“When I started there, I didn’t have any experience, as they were looking for someone with no experience,” Craig Cerny said. “It’s interesting, and there’s a lot of gratification in starting a process to seeing the finished piece.”
He noted some elements of the trade, such as torchwork, can take seven years to master.
“Anybody can do it, but it takes a lot of time,” Craig Cerny said.
Angie Cerny said Alaska Goldworks offers full services, with Craig capable of doing minor repairs, resizing and stone resetting.
Craig uses the lost-wax method, a process in which a metal object is duplicated from a wax model or mold. He said it allows him to create custom pieces.
Some signature pieces include necklaces or rings made from Alaska gold nuggets. One example is a silver-framed gold nugget necklace in the shape of Alaska.
Craig’s custom pieces utilize gold sourced from Alaska.
“We like nuggets that have a lot of character, so a lot of it comes from the Brooks Range,” Craig said. “It’s interesting to look at, but that’s a preference. Some people like smooth nuggets, but at Gold Rush, we always had chunky nuggets with a lot of character. But if it looks good, we’ll use gold from anywhere in Alaska.”
Alaska Goldworks also showcases work by other local artists, including silversmith Katherine Queen of An Artistic Awakening.
“She’s an amazing silversmith and her pieces are all done by hand and are one-of-a-kind,” Angie said. “We’re super excited to partner with her to showcase her items.”
Angie said as their business grows, Alaska Goldworks will carry more traditional jewelry, such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other colored stones to set into their jewelry.
Craig and Angie both noted that people should carefully consider what they want in fine jewelry. Angie added people have plenty of options, from Zale’s and Kay Jewelers to Costco, but much of the product lines “are mass-produced so they can get them out quickly.”
“We know how much work goes into a quality piece of jewelry, the gold being used and stones going in it, we know every single bit about so that we can put our name on it and guarantee that it can be a quality piece,” Angie said. “If something happens to it, we can fix it and not send it out to be repaired.”
Craig added that customer service matters most when it comes to local businesses.
“We want people to want to come here because of the service and quality of the jewelry,” Craig said.
The Cernys considered buying Gold Rush from Webb, but it was outside their price range.
“We needed to start smaller,” Angie said. She said that Craig could have spoken with other jewelry shops in town, but they felt it was the right moment to start their own shop.
“It felt like a win-win, so here we are,” Angie said.
When looking for a location, she said there were only a few options available for lease. One was way above their price range, while another was too far tucked away for potential walk-by traffic.
A friend suggested the Ninth Avenue cabin, which housed Northern Whimsy until that business relocated to Gillam Way. They were initially hesitant but decided to take a look.
“As soon as we came in and looked at it, we fell in love with it,” Angie said. A nice benefit was the inclusion of a parking lot.
Craig has started teaching Sylvia, their oldest daughter, the trade by learning how to use a saw, torch and other tools. Both their daughters are homeschooled.
“It’s very confusing and there are a lot of different steps,” Sylvia said. “You have to learn how to roll everything out, use the different tools to saw gold and the torch. But it’s fun. All of it’s cool to learn.”
She also benefits from helping in the showroom and running the business side of things. Angie said as Sylvia enters her junior year in homeschool, they’re looking into options to enroll their daughter in the Gemological Institute of America, which provides training on gemology and the jewelry arts.
“We’re hoping to get her started in that direction, her choice, because she’s always expressed an interest in pretty stones,” Angie said.
Alaska Goldworks is located at 502 Ninth Ave. It is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit online at alaskagoldworks.com.