A Catskills Gift Guide from Phoenicia’s Sara Golden Jewelry

You want a locally crafted gift from the Catskills, but you don’t want to it to be a cutting board. You’re looking for something stylish rather than sturdy. Your shopping for a great lady in your life (maybe that lady is yourself), and you also want to support one of the many makers who breathe life into the artistic tradition of the Catskills.

You might be looking for Phoenecia-based jewelry designer Sara Golden. Her clean-lined designs have a subtle, natural sparkle. Her pieces are unique and eye-catching enough to glint in the candlelight over cocktails in the city and also earthy enough for dinner on the deck upstate. I love how her newsletter and Instagram offer a behind-the-scenes look at what it means to be an independent artisan, whether she’s sharing jewelry-making fun facts or her favorite brownie recipe. I asked Sara how she might pair some of her favorite designs with other locally made gifts, and I’m so excited to share her thoughtful list of gift ideas, which would be perfect for birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day, or really, any day.

For the Conjurer:

Sara’s Asp Bangle feels like an ancient artifact. It was inspired by jewelry found in the tombs of Egyptian Queens and makes me think of the sun-gleamed scales of the garter snakes we used to find in the woods upstate. Paired with some Valentine’s Pagan Bark (with candied citrus, freeze-dried raspberries, hibiscus sugar and rose petals) from Lagusta’s Luscious in New Paltz and Olivebridge-based Cheyenne' Mallo’s Hudson River Pour-Over Coffee Maker (with its sinuous lines following the banks of the river near Rhinebeck and Kingston), this makes a just-witchy-enough gift set for the woman who brings a little magic to everything she touches.

For the Seeker of Greener Pastures:

Sara’s dainty Double Dot Studs would make the perfect gift for an August-born gal, since peridot is her birthstone. They’d also be perfect anyone who loves the color of the mountains in springtime. And if this lover of fresh green grass has expressed some excitement over the new legalization laws here in New York State, Sara recommends pairing the earrings with the Hudson Valley-poured Vintner’s Haze candle from Kelly + Jones, which celebrates the cannabis farms in wine country. (I didn’t know this was a thing! Sara says it smells great!) To complete the theme, you could also throw in a little calming Palo Santo-scented CBD oil from Aurelian Life, which sources all their CBD-rich hemp from upstate New York.

For the Off-Season Gardener:

She keeps a seed catalogues on her nightstand all winter long (oh, that’s me). Sure, you could brighter her day with a dozen roses, but she’ll be depressed when they start to wilt (also me). Keep the flower power alive with Sara’s sparkly and simple Rose Quartz Romer Studs, which are perfect for everyday wear. Pair them with gifts from two Hudson-based businesses—a bottle of Cooper’s Daughter’s sweet and floral Rose Liqueur, which makes a lovely addition to a glass of champagne, and some luxurious bath supplies from Sage Elements. Sara recommends their Ritual Bath Bomb, infused with rose petals, geranium, and the power of Reiki(!), and their Floral Bath Soak, a moisturizing, relaxing mixture of Dead Sea salts, dragonfruit powder and rose petals.

For the Mermaid:

Maybe she’s missing the ocean, or maybe she’s just missing her favorite oyster bar. Either way, Sara’s Baroque Pearl Drop Necklace makes a delicate and one-of-a-kind gift. Every pearl is naturally formed and unique, and you can email Sara before purchasing to see the exact piece. Pair this with the Clam Shell Pinch Dish from Clove & Creek in Kingston (which is one of Sara’s stockists, if you’d like to shop her designs in person), a bottle of BKIND’s creamy white Oak Milk nail polish from Facet’s of Earth in Kingston (which also stock’s Sara’s jewelry), and perhaps one of Hudson’s Wilder’s white jade-handled Lotta Glass Mugs, available at Berte in Beach (yet another Sara Golden Jewelry stockist).

For the Star Gazer:

For someone interested in astronomy and/or astrology, Sarah would pair her Meteor Necklace, an organically shaped pendant flush-set with twinkling white topaz, with a couple of heavenly products from Kingston’s 58Flora, both of which she enjoys using herself. Their Lunar Love Night Cream combines blueberry extract and hemp seed oil to regenerate skin, and their Light of the Moon eau de parfum combines notes of lavender, cardamom, and patchouli to make a warm, woody scent.

Find Sara’s entire collection online at Sara Golden Jewelry, where you can also sign up for her newsletter (which I truly love!), follow her on Instagram @saragoldenjewelry, and to see her designs in person, check out her stockists in the Catskills, the Hudson Valley, and beyond.