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Charleston, SC—Croghan’s Jewel Box was named by readers of Vogue magazine as one of the best and brightest small businesses across the United States. Croghan’s is the only jewelry store that was named to the list, which identifies reader-nominated independent boutiques nationwide offering everything from designer fashion to furniture, artwork, and even plants. 

Some of the stores on the list—such as Chicago’s Ikram, a favorite of former first lady Michelle Obama—are already renowned in fashion circles, while others are local gems getting their first taste of national recognition. 

“A joint effort between several editors, the directory was born from our collective desire to shine a spotlight on some of our favorite small businesses amid the economic storm brought on by the pandemic. We know the power of fashion; how a pretty little something (for the home or the wardrobe) can lift the spirits, and we wanted to compile a list of places to find them,” says the article. 

Croghan’s Jewel Box is more than 100 years old. It was opened by jeweler and hand-engraver William Joseph Croghan, and still occupies its original location in Charleston’s historic district, although the store has greatly expanded from a little side porch where it opened to filling the entire building. Croghan’s Jewel Box is Charleston’s oldest jewelry store and is still proudly family-owned, run by the third and fourth generations of Croghans—William Joseph’s granddaughters and great-granddaughters. 

Croghan’s specializes in estate and antique jewelry, from Victorian engagement rings to Edwardian lockets and midcentury diamond-encrusted brooches, and also now includes an in-house design studio and workshop, bridal jewelry, and a number of contemporary luxury jewelry lines. The store also features its own exclusive “Goldbug” collection, created by Croghan’s fourth-generation sisters, “Mini” Hay Avant and Kathleen Hay Hagood. The collection celebrates the palmetto bug, a common but unwelcome guest in South Carolina. The fashion jewelry collection takes inspiration from both the insects’ entomological form and the short story The Gold-Bug by Edgar Allen Poe. The collection includes jewelry—created by Mini—and gifts.

Goldbug cuff, $255, above, and below, and a sign of the times, a Goldbug face mask.