About us

A History of Making Something Special

For more than a century, Goldman Kolber has evolved with jewelry while remaining grounded in a principle passed from one generation to the next. For me, that principle can be expressed simply:

Make something special. Make it stand out. Make it better than anyone else who tries.

What began with my great-uncle Joseph Goldman and his generation in antique-inspired diamond jewelry became the foundation for my own approach to design and innovation. Through each generation, Goldman Kolber has sought not simply to follow where jewelry was going, but to bring something distinctive to it—designs with their own character, purpose, and lasting appeal.

Where We Began

Joseph Goldman founded Goldman Kolber in 1919. The company began in a small factory in New Jersey before moving to midtown Manhattan in the early 1920s. For many years, Joe specialized in antique reproductions, becoming recognized as an industry leader in a niche where many manufacturers competed.

That early history established something that would remain important to Goldman Kolber: specialization was not enough. We wanted to be known for doing something exceptionally well.

In the 1960s, ownership passed to Herb Steinhauer and his wife Louise. Herb, Joe’s nephew and a longtime salesperson for the company, carried the business into its second generation. The company continued its tradition of fine manufacturing while its distribution expanded to independent fine jewelry stores across the country. During this period, Goldman Kolber became nationally recognized for its antique-inspired diamond jewelry.

In 1986, I moved the company out of New York City and began the transition toward a new chapter. In 1988 the family legacy expanded as my wife, Susan, joined me full-time to build the next chapter with me. After a period in a temporary location, we established our own factory in Norwood, Massachusetts, where Goldman Kolber continues to design and manufacture jewelry today.

Evolution Through Design

Moving the company forward meant building on what we had learned rather than leaving our history behind.

Our first major transition came with Slides. Already known for antique-inspired jewelry, we brought that sensibility into the slide bracelet category while introducing color and a new way of creating a collectible, individual bracelet. What began as an extension of our heritage became an important step toward a different way of thinking about jewelry—one in which individual pieces could become part of a collection.

That thinking continued with Eternity Links, where we applied our manufacturing experience to a familiar bracelet concept and developed a different approach to joining the links. The result was greater durability, less long-term maintenance, and a product that reflected our belief that engineering should serve design.

In 1999, GK Coloures took the idea of interchangeability further. Our patented interchangeable-wire system gave the wearer the ability to change slides herself, transforming what had traditionally been a jeweler-assisted process into something personal and flexible.

In 2000, Caerleon expanded the concept of collectability and interchangeability into a complete fine jewelry system. What began with interchangeable gemstone bezels in rings grew into bracelets, necklaces, pendants, earrings, and other forms. Its engineering and depth of design allowed color and individual pieces to be collected, changed, and combined in ways that were unusual in fine jewelry.

Caerleon continued to evolve for many years through new designs, materials, bezels, and collections. The product changed, but the underlying idea remained: jewelry could be more than a finished object. It could become a collection that grew with the person who owned it.

A New Expression of Our Heritage

In 2022, Goldman Kolber introduced Milanese Mesh, bringing an historic jewelry technique into a contemporary expression of sterling silver, gold, color, and diamonds. The collection created a bridge between our roots in timeless jewelry and the modern designer jewelry world.

That idea continued to develop through stackable cuffs and bracelets, additional color and diamond expressions, and eventually the combination of Milanese Mesh with the distinctive etched pattern of Caerleon.

The Signature collections that followed built on this evolution, bringing color, diamonds, mixed precious metals, collectability, and distinctive design into the contemporary world of stackable bracelets.

The path from antique-inspired jewelry to today’s collections may look like a series of very different products. To us, the connection is clear. Each generation has built on what came before.

A Family Business, Still Making Jewelry

Today, Goldman Kolber remains a family-owned American designer and manufacturer. Our offices and factory are in Norwood, Massachusetts, where we continue to manufacture our jewelry in the United States.

More than a century has brought enormous changes to jewelry, manufacturing, and the way people discover and purchase what they wear. We have changed with them. What has not changed is the belief that has guided us from the beginning:

Make something special.
Make it stand out.
Make it better than anyone else who tries.

And perhaps the most meaningful measure of that history is not what we have made, but what happens to it after it leaves us.

We hear from people who have inherited Goldman Kolber jewelry from parents and grandparents. Some want to know more about the pieces they now own. Others want to add to collections that began with someone who came before them. We’ve even had customers help us rediscover pieces of our own history.

Jewelry is more than something we wear. It can become part of a family’s story, carried from one generation to the next.

Our hope is that Goldman Kolber jewelry becomes part of yours.