Check Out Ethical Jeweler Bario Neal’s Gorgeous Renovated Showroom in Queen Village
Diamonds are your new best friend.
Bario Neal’s recently renovated showroom is in Queen Village. Photos courtesy of Bario Neal
Looking for some wedding bling? Philly-born ethical and inclusive jewelry maker Bario Neal now has a bright, newish studio in Queen Village for you to custom-design your engagement ring, shop unique earrings to complete your Big Day look, and generally bask in the glow of your soon-to-be-married bliss.
Bario Neal’s wooden hanging sign was created by local fabricators.
A brass Bario Neal logo is inset in the stoop. Inside, you’ll see custom-tiled oak desks.
It’s the brainchild of principal and lead designer Page Neal and co-founder and designer Anna Bario, who launched the brand in 2008 and formerly operated a store on the corner of Sixth and Bainbridge. They say the new space, at 524 South Fifth Street, allows them not only to expand their room to work — with larger offices, a workshop and a photo studio — but also provide a more personalized shopping and design experience for customers seeking artful pieces crafted with responsibly sourced, traceable gemstones and reclaimed or Fairmined metals. “Innovation is our greatest strength, says Bario. “Just as styles change with time, we believe our showroom should evolve as well.”
The duo and their team spent a year-plus renovating the three-floor spot — indoors and out — and finished in early 2020. They opened for about a week — and then the pandemic shut it down. While in-store appointments resumed in the summer of last year, Bario Neal did not reopen for walk-ins until this past July, so the showroom is practically brand new — and it’s just as pretty as the baubles it peddles.
Marble-topped tables provide space for in-person design appointments.
Artful mirrors and custom-tiled oak jewelry cases fill the space.
Step through the freshly painted front door, and you’ll find a light, airy showroom outfitted by various local and regional artists — a key point for Bario and Neal, who wanted to help support the community and small businesses by teaming with them on the revamp. For example, Philly’s Daniel Petraitis fabricated some of the jewelry displays, Jay Cox built custom carpentry, and Elizabeth Jacoby handled the planters and landscaping.
Meanwhile, Massachusetts-based designer Jordan Hayslip created gemstone-shaped white oak wall cases (inspired by Bario Neal’s cluster rings), custom-tiled oak display cases, Carrera marble tables (sourced from a stone yard in Vermont), and fun-shaped mirrors for checking out your sparkles. And in the bathroom: wallpaper designed by former Bario Neal client Kate Zaremba out of D.C. Additional design touches include a brass Bario Neal logo inset in the concrete on the front stoop, among many others.
The jeweler’s bench is one of the many workspaces.
Jewelry cases spotlight the whimsical earrings.
The wall-hanging cases are inspired by gemstone shapes in Bario Neal’s cluster rings.
In keeping with Bario Neal’s M.O., sustainability was taken into account as well. The showroom has eco-friendly marmoleum flooring, efficiency lighting and fixtures and salvaged materials. No space was left untouched: The second floor is now the production office, the top floor serves as the workspace and photo studio, and the basement was retrofitted and turned into a shipping area and studio where metals are hammered and polished for your future jewelry pieces.
Ready to buy that ring? The showroom is open for walk-ins and appointments. Click here for more information.
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