Julie Tuton capped a late January drive into Mill Valley with a pair of rare achievements: she landed a downtown parking spot right in front of what would soon be the new location for her boutique jewelry studio and showroom.
“It just felt right immediately,” Tuton says. “For someone like me who listens to the energy and the whispers around me – it was kismet.”
Tuton, who has been designing jewelry for more than 25 years, opened in late February in the 73 Throckmorton Avenue space formerly occupied by Yum Chocolates, and says she loves the location in the heart of downtown.
The Boston native moved to the Bay Area in 1987, selling her jewelry wholesale through stores and boutiques throughout the country before opening a studio and showroom along Ark Row in Tiburon five years ago.
Tuton, who lives in Larkspur with her life and business partner Kirk Dye, works with a broad array of materials and styles, drawing “inspiration from the things around me, especially nature being here near Mount Tam,” she says.
She has an innate ability to customize her jewelry for individuals – sometimes even before she meets them.
“I’ve always had a sensitive nature and have been in tune with people’s energies,” says Tuton, whose children attend Redwood and Tamiscal high schools, respectively. “I can feel when somebody puts on a piece if it’s harmonious with them. When I’m making pieces, I often get a sense of who is going to come in and what would be good for them. And then they’ll come in and I’ll say, ‘Oh, this is the piece for you.’”
“It’s an interesting psychic experience,” she says with a laugh. “I do a lot of one-of-a-kind pieces.”
On a recent afternoon, a customer wandered in wondering if this was where Yum Chocolates used to be.
“This is a different kind of candy here – it’s eye candy,” Tuton replied.
The 411: Julie Tuton Jewelry is located at 73 Throckmorton Avenue in downtown Mill Valley. The studio/showroom is open Monday–Friday, 10am–6pm, and Saturday–Sunday, 11am–5pm. Click here for more info.
“It just felt right immediately,” Tuton says. “For someone like me who listens to the energy and the whispers around me – it was kismet.”
Tuton, who has been designing jewelry for more than 25 years, opened in late February in the 73 Throckmorton Avenue space formerly occupied by Yum Chocolates, and says she loves the location in the heart of downtown.
The Boston native moved to the Bay Area in 1987, selling her jewelry wholesale through stores and boutiques throughout the country before opening a studio and showroom along Ark Row in Tiburon five years ago.
Tuton, who lives in Larkspur with her life and business partner Kirk Dye, works with a broad array of materials and styles, drawing “inspiration from the things around me, especially nature being here near Mount Tam,” she says.
She has an innate ability to customize her jewelry for individuals – sometimes even before she meets them.
“I’ve always had a sensitive nature and have been in tune with people’s energies,” says Tuton, whose children attend Redwood and Tamiscal high schools, respectively. “I can feel when somebody puts on a piece if it’s harmonious with them. When I’m making pieces, I often get a sense of who is going to come in and what would be good for them. And then they’ll come in and I’ll say, ‘Oh, this is the piece for you.’”
“It’s an interesting psychic experience,” she says with a laugh. “I do a lot of one-of-a-kind pieces.”
On a recent afternoon, a customer wandered in wondering if this was where Yum Chocolates used to be.
“This is a different kind of candy here – it’s eye candy,” Tuton replied.
The 411: Julie Tuton Jewelry is located at 73 Throckmorton Avenue in downtown Mill Valley. The studio/showroom is open Monday–Friday, 10am–6pm, and Saturday–Sunday, 11am–5pm. Click here for more info.
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