Featuring Balentine & Co. Jewelers | Written by Ellyn T. McKinney
There is a quiet kind of magic inside Balentine & Co. Jewelers. The kind that doesn’t sparkle in a display case—but in the way people talk to one another. Soft laughter, familiar greetings, and that unmistakable feeling that your story matters.
When I walked in, I noticed it immediately. A father and daughter working side-by-side—Lee Balentine and Alexis Balentine Schmaltz, each carrying the legacy of this family-owned business not only through their craft, but through the way they treat the people who walk through their doors. I didn’t go looking for diamonds. I went looking for meaning.
Like many of us, I have jewelry tucked away in drawers—some wrapped in tissue, some resting in small boxes—each piece holding a chapter of my life. The necklace my now-husband gave me when we were young teenagers. The promise ring that followed. The engagement ring. The wedding set I have cherished through 48 years of life with him. And then the heirloom pieces passed through the hands of the women whose lives shaped my own. My mother. My grandmother. Jewelry that holds sentiment, but not always wearability. It was time to breathe new life into what I love.
When Alexis sat with me and gently asked, “Do you know what you want this to become?” I realized I didn’t—not yet. I just knew the stories mattered. So, she guided me the way someone guides you through a memory-filled attic. No pressure. No rush. Only curiosity.
“Start by noticing what you’re drawn to,” she suggested. I learned from Alexis that when we use our everyday jewelry to guide us and take time to notice pieces we admire, we lean into designs that feel like they belong. Then, consider that these treasures don’t belong only to yesterday. They will one day belong to someone we love, so why not invite them into the story – allowing it to continue like new characters added to the chapters of a beloved book.
I looked at pictures and noticed what I wear and what I don’t. I thought about my daughter and my granddaughters.
Then, I began to imagine the legacy in motion. This thought process took me to the sweetest memory when my own grandmother gave me her engagement ring the Christmas after I turned 15. She had no intention of waiting until Christmas day and wanted to see me enjoying this treasured piece. As soon as I arrived at her house, she gently took me by the hand and led me to the Christmas tree where a tiny, velvet-lined box was tucked within the branches. She handed it to me and shared that my grandfather had given it to her when she was about my age.
“Heirloom jewelry isn’t really about jewelry. It’s about the hands that have worn it and the love that travels with it.”
A Tray of Memories
When I returned to Balentine’s with my collection, Alexis prepared a velvet-lined tray. As each piece was placed carefully inside, it was as if time paused. Stones glittered more brightly than I remembered. Gold carried the warmth of loved hands. Stories rose to the surface of my mind and we talked. I shared the memory of who gave each piece, about weddings and promises and celebrations. I spoke about the women who are the true heirlooms of my life – the ones who poured into me and the love they gave that shaped my life.
Then Alexis explained the process – how the metals could be melted and reformed, gemstones could be set in new designs and how something treasured and tucked away, could become something new and live again. The entire process felt less like jewelry-making and more like storytelling. And just when I thought we were nearly finished, she offered something I did not expect.
“Bring the person who will receive the piece with you next time,” she said. “Allow the giving to become a memory- make the gift more than an object, create an experience for the one who will wear it.” I sat still and realized that this is the gift – not the necklace, not the ring, but the moment.
Just like the day when Pearl Surber gave me her engagement ring, the gift was not what was found in the box. The true gift is the memory itself- of those treasured moments when someone you love places something they love in your hands, to be passed along again and again.
What if the memory itself is wrapped up and given? A grandmother and granddaughter sitting side-by-side, choosing the design together. A mother and daughter laughing over sketches and settings. Sisters holding the ring their mother wore, imagining how it will live on. These are the moments that become heirlooms, even before the jewelry ever touches the hand.
How to Create Your Own Heirloom Experience
- Gather Storied Pieces: Rings, pendants, earrings—any piece with meaning.
- Reflect and Share the Stories: Write the memory that came with each piece. Your words will outlast the jewelry.
- Schedule a Joint Design Appointment: Invite the future wearer to join you. This becomes a moment to remember.
- Design Something Beautiful Together: Old metals melted. Stones reset. Legacy renewed.
- Celebrate the Day: Brunch, coffee or a quiet afternoon— a photo together to frame for later.
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