About Us
Guiding Principles
We believe that every piece of jewelry is a conversation piece. At The Jewelbox, jewelry is conceived as narrative—each piece an object of meaning, intended to be worn, lived with, and passed forward with its story.
With our clientele, we aim to cultivate lasting relationships grounded in trust, discretion, and an unwavering standard of excellence. Every piece we touch, we hope will be cherished through generations, its story told again and again. Our gallery brings together a considered selection of independent designers and lapidary artists from around the world, but mostly New York. The result is a point of view that is rare to find and highly personal—defined not by trend, but by distinction.
About Our Founder.
Our founder, Micky Roof’s, path to jewelry was shaped not by tradition, but by immersion in craft. Born in Philadelphia and raised around her family’s appliance factory in Newark, she developed an early fluency in metal—its strength, its malleability, its potential. In the garage, restoring cars alongside her older brother, she learned that true craftsmanship is both technical and collaborative.
Her introduction to jewelry came under the guidance of a high school mentor. What began as experimentation quickly revealed itself as vocation. By the time she was selling her work at regional craft fairs, Micky had already established the foundation of a lifelong practice: a harmony of precision, intuition, and material integrity. In 1979, she opened her first gallery in a restored train station in Sayre, Pennsylvania.
Shortly thereafter, a visit to the Finger Lakes marked a turning point—her entire collection sold within days. Recognizing opportunity and alignment, she expanded to Ithaca in 1983, where The Jewelbox continues to evolve today.
The Jewelbox is proudly women-owned and women-led, a legacy carried forward with clarity and intention.
The Gallery
Set inside a historic building along the Cayuga Lake inlet, The Jewelbox gallery is a design studio and a destination. Under the care of Micky’s daughter, Larkin Roof, the gallery maintains a personal approach. Here, local heritage meets contemporary vision, creating a collaborative space that invites discovery.
Above our gallery, a ten-foot dragonfly rests on the roofline—an unexpected but deliberate gesture. Sculptural and symbolic, it reflects transformation, movement, and the enduring nature of beauty. .
The Studio
Adjacent to the gallery, our private studio operates with attention and care. A small team of master goldsmiths and jewelers—whose combined experience spans more than a century—execute each piece by hand. Their work bridges tradition and innovation, where time-honored techniques meet modern methods. Whether creating a custom commission or restoring a family heirloom, the approach remains the same: deliberate, beautiful, and uncompromising.
Ethics
True luxury is inseparable from responsibility. At The Jewelbox, integrity informs every decision—from sourcing to craftsmanship to final presentation.
Every gemstone is carefully hand-selected, and we use only premium materials obtained from ethical suppliers. Our sourcing practices align with international standards to ensure all materials are responsibly obtained and conflict-free. We actively recycle community gold, silver, and platinum into our work. Transparency is not a choice, but a principle.
Closer to home, our work is deeply connected to the landscape of the Finger Lakes. From supporting the Cayuga Waterfront Trail to contributing to the Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway, our commitments are not only global, but local. We utilize natural materials (locally-collected twigs and fern leaves) to use for casting and impressions in our jewelry, and we work to help protect the environment we rely on.
