Anne Arceneaux and Carmen Cantwell became partners in May, 2003. Their goal was to make women look even more beautiful and feel extrta special through lovely. They do this by offering custom pearl jewelry creations that complement each individual, i.e. gilding the lily. They wanted shopping at their store to be more than just a purchase. They wanted a visit to their store be an experience. And so, The Gilded Lily was born. The two ladies, often called, “The Pearl Ladies", combined their unique talents to fill their retail location with one-of-a-kind pieces of custom pearl jewelry for Baton Rouge women. The Latin word for pearl literally means “unique", attesting to the fact that no two pearls are identical. Many people who love custom pearl jewelry are not sure of the difference between freshwater, Akoya, Tahitian or South Sea pearls. Carmen and Anne are both GIA (Gemological Institute of America) trained in pearl grading and love sharing their knowledge of pearls with their customers to help them make informed decisions. They are adept at finding custom pearl jewelry that fits each persons needs and budget. At The Gilded Lily, jewelry-making is very personal. From the time a customer enters the studio, every effort is made to create a special piece of custom pearl jewelry that reflects each client’s personal taste. “Everyone here has a different talent, and we promote the creativity of all of our employees", Anne said. “We have a niche that is unusual. We do all the things a premiere jewelry store does, but we also manufacture our jewelry here. Our clients can come in and get just the right color, style and fit. They can also bring in a piece of their own that needs a facelift or repair. It’s so much fun to see a smile when they find out their favorite piece will be back and ready to wear soon". Gentlemen flock to the Gilded Lily to purchase gifts for their loved ones because they are always successful in finding something that makes a wonderful statement of their love with no hassle. They walk out the door with a beautifully gift-wrapped package of custom pearl jewelry, confident it will put a smile on the face of their loved one. Guests are invited to try on the merchandise for a real hands-on experience. “Visiting The Gilded Lily is like being able to play in a big jewelry box,” said Carmen. From brides to babies, fun to fabulous, The Gilded Lily has it all.
Carmen has been knotting pearls for more than 35 years. Among her many talents and expertise is her ability to bring new life to fine antique jewelry. She is also one of a very few jewelers who repairs vintage collectible costume jewelry. She knows that knotting pearls is a true art form, and takes pride in her work.
Anne’s love of custom pearl jewelry and people in general, inspire her. She has that unique ability to understand the customer’s vision and create a special design for them with the help of The Gilded Lily team.
Kelly Wells, Carmen’s daughter, carries on the family tradition, not only by knotting pearls, but she is also a creative designer of custom pearl jewelry. Kelly’s computer and organizational skills make her a special part of what makes The Gilded Lily tick.
Rose Landry, another employee, is an amazing designer specializing in precision wire wrapping. Her line of breathtaking jewelry brings another unique element to the store.
Julie Cornelius a talented jewelry designer and she is a whiz at displaying custom pearl jewelry in the most attractive way possible. She arranges all of the display cases to highlight each piece’s brilliant characteristics. She also keeps everyone on their toes, making sure things run smoothly on a day-to-day basis.
The secret is out! Studio representatives of Summit Entertainment, makers of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 1 commissioned The Gilded Lily to produce the bridal comb worn by the lead character Bella Swan during her wedding to Edward Cullen. Based on the vision of Stephenie Meyer, author of the best-selling Twilight series, the comb needed to be spectacular in every way. “We worked closely with the studio representative to come up with the piece featured in the movie," said Carmen. It is a dazzling array of Russian diamond and sapphire cubic zirconia pave set into a base of sterling silver. The Bella Comb is now available for sale at The Gilded Lily, with prices starting at $29.99 and going up to $36,000. For more information about Baton Rouge's The Gilded Lily store, or the Bella Comb, please call (225) 218-8165. Normal Studio hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Layaway plans are available.