Paloma Wilder’s background in theater helps her create custom jewelry experiences for clients in Milwaukee, and she makes no apologies about taking her time

Back in her theater days, Paloma Wilder stood behind the curtain and watched the audience’s reaction to an extravagant prop brought to life by her vivid imagination. Now, as a custom jeweler, the Milwaukee-based Wilder invites people into her studio to sit with her, much like an apprentice. Knee to knee, they dream up a design. Next, clients watch Wilder sketch their piece. Finally, they help her pull it out of the wax and shine it up to wear. 

“Human connection is so important, especially after everything we’ve gone through over the past two years,” Wilder says. “It’s for both of us—my connection with the client and the client’s connection to me. I hunger for that.” 

A prime example of Wilder’s intimate relationship with her clients is the ring and coin she recently created for a husband and wife who lost their beloved dog Bagheera. The coin—shaped to look like angel wings—features the dog’s profile on one side and two dog tails on the other. Both the ring and coin contain Bagheera’s ashes.  

The through line of all her projects is a commitment to what Wilder calls “slow jewelry,” an acknowledgment that great workmanship takes time and effort. Rather than speeding through the making of an engagement ring or a special anniversary necklace, the jeweler brings her clients along for the ride.  

“It’s all so personal,” Wilder says. “Every little piece has its own story.”

How did you go from the theater world to jewelry? 

I was working at two different theaters as a freelancer in the costume wing and crafts shop. As a craftsmaster, you take a designer’s idea and bring that back into the workshop to create a piece based on their vision. I might be tasked to make a piece of jewelry, like a rhinestone necklace, that is 1920s-inspired. I’ll use historical photos, research different time periods, and study what had been done before to come up with my idea. With jewelry [for theater], you put it together and then take it apart. It never lives beyond that show for very long.

The shift to jewelry happened when I decided I wanted to learn how to do it the “right” way. I started working under a retired jeweler. I was interested in making something that would last for generations versus something that would be disassembled a month later. 

How does your background help you create stronger client relationships?

I started my jewelry business in my home. Even then, I was having people come into my basement and cast with me. As I grew, I got a studio space in the industrial part of Milwaukee [in 2018]. It’s not a traditional retail space, but that adds to the client experience. Jewelry was such an incredible mystery to me when I started. My clients are looking at it in that same way. They want to be a part of the process and see the work going into their pieces. When you’re in the theater, you think about the experience that every seat has. The same can be said for jewelry. 

How did you develop your ideas about slow jewelry?

I have fine art and philosophy degrees, so I try to look at the bigger picture. With my theater roots, I love stepping into a client’s story and becoming a part of it. Independent jewelers can offer that to their clients. 

Communication is more important than ever, and what I make is slow jewelry—there’s no way around it. You can’t come in, design a ring, and get the finished product a week later.

What is shaping the jewelry industry as we look to the future? 

Ring-giving is an ancient tradition that we have really made our own. It’s a tradition that has evolved as our ideas of romantic relationships have evolved. Anyone can take on the role of the proposer, and anyone can be proposed to—gender roles be damned. I am making wedding earrings for a woman who proposed to her husband, and I think we’ll see more of this as Gen Z and [Generation] Alpha move to the front of the engagement market.

Families are doing the same. I made a group of rings for a family where the client was intent on giving a ring to her own child and the child of her partner. At the wedding, they did this huge ring swap. It all came together so beautifully. 

Portraits by Aliza Baran