Shaun Y.
Yelp
The last time I met someone like Erie Basin's Russell Whitmore was when my cousin, a professional surfer, took me to visit a renowned surfboard shaper. He was part samurai, part storyteller, and an artisan through and through. His expertise was of an older world, instinctual and rooted firmly in muscle memory, but, if asked, he generously shared what he knew with others.
That's Russell in the world of unique, vintage jewelry and antique pieces. Specifically, Erie Basin (EB) boasts a spectacularly curated collection of jewelry from the early 19th century to custom designs from the EB team itself. As others have mentioned, his blog and website (recently redesigned) are great primers for what awaits in his Red Hook, but it's best to make the trip to the store, if you can, as new jewelry surfaces there all the time.
Lastly, a few quick words about Russell's way with customers. I was drawn to a Victorian-style engagement ring early into my visit to EB. Customers came, bought, and left while I stared at the ring for hours, rotating it in the light. Russell offered thoughts, answered my questions, but let me take my time until I was ready to buy.
Once I did, the process was seamless, but his service didn't end with my purchase.
When my fiancé and I circled back through New York for a few days after getting engaged, he found a way to resize the ring (my strong preference was to use EB only, as this was a 150 year-old ring with an original inscription) for me on the same day so that she could fly out with it and be able to show it to her family upon arriving. Russell thought creatively and let me drop the ring off at his home in Brooklyn that morning to hit our timeline.
In short, Russell may not shape surfboards, but he helps shape engagements expertly. Though we live on the West Coast, I hope to find a way to work with Russell and the Erie Basin team to make custom wedding bands. Russell, you're the best!