Bill’s Trading Post and Silvera Jewelry School both focus on handcrafted.
BERKELEYSIDE – May 27, 2026
It is the craftsmanship of jewelry that is the focus of two Berkeley jewelry businesses — be it the work of Native American artisans at Bill’s Trading Post or teaching the craft at Silvera Jewelry School.
Bill’s Trading Post in the Elmwood is filled with both jewelry and artwork from across the continent. Across town, Silvera offers classes from beginner to advanced.
With school graduations upon us — and the wedding season on its heels — these are excellent destinations to shop, whether for someone who enjoys receiving jewelry, or wants to make it themself.
A family tradition: Bill’s Trading Post
Bill’s Trading Post (2943 College Ave., near Ashby) has been a landmark in the community for 92 years, and is one of the Elmwood district’s oldest stores.
“We have a long history here,” says owner Julie Ewer, whose great-grandfather Bill Gulley first opened a shoe repair shop next door in 1934.
After Bill died, the next generation, Peggy and Paul Casey took over, but with a twist inspired by the fashions of the day.
“They decided they wanted to make leather clothes, because it was the ’60s,” said their daughter Maureen Ewer. “Then they got introduced to Northern California native bead work, which went along with the leather look and the hippie times.”
Ever since, the family has endeavored to showcase the beauty, heritage and culture of Native American art and jewelry. They have worked with local and far-flung Native American nations who sell their work at their store. Maureen has bought jewelry from the children of people who traded with her grandparents.
A plaque outside commemorates the store and family history, which continues to this day.
“I’ve worked here my whole life,” Julie says. She took over in 2021, during the COVID shutdown, but her mother, Maureen, continues to help out in the store.
Julie Ewer has updated the interior, painting the walls white, replacing the flooring, and removing a wall that revealed a stained-glass window. All the better to showcase the handcrafted, unique pieces that fill the store from floor to ceiling.
The pieces range from local to far-flung sources. From California tribes there are baskets from the Pomo, Yurok and Miwok. There’s also Pueblo pottery from the American Southwest and wood-carved sculptures in the Zapotec style, from Mexico.
Much of the jewelry is Navajo (Diné), such as striking silver necklaces with turquoise and squash blossoms, along with Hopi silver collars, Zuni rings, and beadwork from the Lakota. The squash bloom and turquoise necklace and earring set goes for $1,500, but gifts with smaller price tags are plentiful — a turquoise bead necklace is $238 and children’s bead bracelets go for as little as $8.
Julie Ewer is a jewelry maker herself — the only one in the family business — and takes on custom work. She also augments store sales with repair work of Native American pieces and jewelry appraisals.
While many pieces are available on the store’s online shop, “you can physically come in” and try on the jewelry and see everything up close, a great way to show some love to this long-time local business.
A gem of a place: Silvera Jewelry School
The Silvera Jewelry School (1105 Virginia St., at San Pablo Avenue) has a welcoming vibe, from the ube donuts on the table, to the light-filled space packed with nine jewelers benches and jewelry tools of the trade, cubbies for students and a small kitchen. This oasis was created by married owners Joe and Anat Silvera and their newest partner, Jenn Parnell Kirkpatrick.
“We want this to be an escape from everything else going on in the world,” says Joe. “People come here and get a fun space.”
The trio have taught thousands of students hundreds of classes, both online and at their school, which is celebrating 15 years in business.
Joe and Anat first met at an open studio in 1999. “We were both selling jewelry,” says Joe. “We fell for each other right away. We were inseparable within two weeks.”
After marrying, they traveled to France, and pivoted to teaching rather than selling jewelry. They eventually began holding workshops in the Bay Area, honing their teaching skills. Anat had earned a masters degree from UC Berkeley and previously taught classes at Baubles and Beads in the North Shattuck business district. She found Berkeley “really charming.”
In 2010, the duo opened Silvera Jewelry School in Berkeley, and the next year moved into its present location.
The newest partner, Kirkpatrick, often traveled to the Bay Area and found the school via Google. A university instructor, she had many years of teaching experience and most important, a “similar philosophy of teaching,” says Anat. Kirkpatrick became a partner in the school in 2021.
“Best decision we ever made,” says Joe.
The three of them offer every class imaginable for every skill level. From beginning fabrication, to lost wax casting (“Joe’s a master”), to enameling, wirework and beadwork, Silvera has classes seven days a week lasting from a few hours to multi-week courses, with online, hybrid and in-person instruction options.
“We always magnify our classes on a big screen. [During the pandemic], we just ran that through Zoom,” Joe explains. The tiny, intricate objects appear enlarged to better walk through a demonstration.
The school supports students at every level, from the Jewelry 1 Basics workshop for beginners to those seeking a career in the field, to professional jewelers.
Says Kirkpatrick, “One of our strengths is that we don’t have a track or niche that we push people down. We really want to work with people individually to help them get to where they want to be.”
One of their students, Pilates instructor Ash Salisbury, who spends time in Portland, Maine, and Berkeley, discovered the school in January.
“In four months,” Salisbury says, “I went from having almost no skills to being able to design, plan workflow, and execute pieces… For my niece’s graduation, I melted my grandmother’s old silver bracelets and made an ornate cuff.”
In addition to teaching skills for making jewelry, Silvera’s experiential offerings, like the Friday night (June 12) Sip and Smith class, make a great date or way to spend an evening with friends. They also sell basic jewelry tools and stones.
The business has been so successful that the school has just added a location near the UC Berkeley campus (2440 Durant Ave., inside the City-owned Telegraph-Channing Mall & Garage), where they will collaborate with We Wield the Hammer, a nonprofit metalsmith training program run by Karen Smith.
Joe says, “We want everybody to be welcome at our classes. The world makes jewelry; it’s not just one group of people.”
WHAT NEXT
- Purchase Berkeley Bucks gift cards (usable at more than 100 Berkeley businesses, including Bill’s Trading Post and Silvera) to show your commitment to local businesses.
- Visit the Discovered in Berkeley Stories page to find more articles about beloved local businesses.
