About Skylight Jewelers

Edward Spencer

Spencer has been creating custom jewelry since 1972 when he graduated from Boston University with a degree in Comparative Religions. In 1974 he moved his shop out of his living room where he would meet with customers and founded Skylight Jewelers in the center of downtown Boston.  This first shop was located on the top floor of the Jewelers Building, and the skylight that illuminated the workspace also inspired the name for the company.  Now 50 years have passed and Skylight Jewelers is still in downtown Boston only a block away from its original location.

Beginnings

Spencer entered the world of jewelry making first as a gem cutter and gem enthusiast before segueing into custom jewelry design.  His intimate knowledge of gemstone material, from rough rock to cut and finished gems, is evident in his wide-ranging use of rare and unusual material, especially the Ceylon moonstone into which he carves and then sets with gold and diamonds. Spencer combines this knowledge with his design creativity to blend gems and metals, and create something beautiful and harmonious.

Ideology

“Education is unceasing”, says Spencer. “In the arts, experimenting and risk-taking are the keys to development”. Whether the inspiration for a custom jewelry piece comes from his dreams or day-to-day reality, Spencer’s designs reflect his belief that jewelry is a personal statement about its wearer. When Spencer designs a new piece he does so three-dimensionally. He builds it frontward, backwards, inside and out, and then takes into consideration how it will work on its owner. According to Spencer, “As well as being an expression of my art my jewelry needs to be comfortable and work for its wearer”. Each custom piece of jewelry is made keeping in mind the person who will choose and wear the finished jewel. “Finely designed jewelry should speak for itself,” states Spencer, “expressing, as any work of art, an energy of vision and soundness of the artist’s craft”.

Today

Since starting in the craft business, Spencer has seen an increase in the demand for quality jewelry. People are no longer satisfied with “run of the mill”, average pieces. They want quality and need to be tempted to buy. To meet this need, he has slowed down his production process and concentrates more intensely on each piece of custom designed jewelry. “People want stronger designs”, he explains. “I now put much more time, thought, and detail into every piece I design.’ No doubt one of the reasons for Spencer’s success is his determination not to concentrate on price points, but instead to produce a high quality, fine, wearable piece of custom jewelry that proves no corners were cut.

As a continually developing artist, Spencer would like to extend the limits of the art, designs, and techniques we are accustomed to. “I believe that the way things have been done are not necessarily the way they always need to be done”. He relates this not only to art, but business and personal relationships as well. Nonetheless, Spencer has already recognized one wish: the desire to leave behind “some artful trinket or two”.

Creating a Custom Piece of Jewelry with Us

Spencer and the team at Skylight Jewelers will work with you to create custom designed jewelry that is uniquely yours. The design can start from one of our jewelry styles, from a drawing, a picture, an object – almost anything can be used as inspiration. We will use your family gems, or help you find the perfect diamond or colored gemstones for your custom design.