Sterling & Steel Reviews
Reviews
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5.0 out of 5 rating
19 Reviews
100% recommend it
Awards
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![Amelie]()
Amelie R. Sent on 10/16/2023AMAZING experience!
I cannot speak highly enough about our experience making our wedding bands with Nicole and Harry. We had the most amazing time and are so grateful to have walked away with beautiful and unique rings. The special experience we had making our wedding bands for each other is something we will never forget- we will think about the workshop every time we look at our wedding bands! I am so grateful for Nicole and Harry's patience, care, and kindness throughout the entire experience. We laughed the whole time and learned a some new skills! Along with the workshop, we got to take in the amazing views of Salida from their studio and get their advice on marriage (they graciously answered my many, many questions). It was a one of a kind experience we will never forget. I HIGHLY recommend booking this workshop, it was amazing and we absolutely loved it!Sterling & Steel's reply:
We are so happy to be a part of your lives and commitment to one another. Thank you for your review. -
![Ian]()
Ian M. Sent on 04/28/2024Absolutely Amazing experience and result!
My fiancé and I made our wedding rings with Nicole at Sterling and Steel and could not be happier with how they turned out.
I also made her engagement ring and it she loved how it turned out. I can’t imagine a better way to symbolize a marriage than making the rings for each other. With Nicole’s guidance I truly think almost anyone could make the ring they desire.
Salida is a great place to spend a weekend too if you’re driving from Denver like we did! I would absolutely recommend Sterling and Steel as the place to go to create something truly unique and special for your fiancé or future spouse and we will definitely be back for other jewelry in the future!Sterling & Steel's reply:
Thank you Ian,
It was a pleasure to work with you both. I would agree your rings came out beautifully.
May you have a long healthy happy life together,
Nicole and Harry -
![Ashley]()
Ashley B. Sent on 08/07/2023Wonderful Custom Engagement Ring Experience!
Nicole was a wonderful instructor for the experience of making our own engagement rings together. The workshop was fun and educational. Her attention to detail is second to none, and the rings are gorgeous! I feel so happy knowing our bands were made together, for each other by each other - very special! -
Nina L. Sent on 02/29/2024
The best experience
We cannot say enough wonderful things about our experience with Sterling & Steel!
My husband and I came with so many ideas and Nicole was so creative and open to make our dreams a reality. The whole process is enjoyable and interesting. She was extremely patient and knowledgeable on all aspects of creating our jewelry. We couldn’t have been happier with the product which Nicole and her husband Harry take GREAT pride in. You will leave with a very professional piece. On top of making new friends, (including Rivet) Harry went out of his way to make a bracelet with our son so he could also have an experience! Blown away and extremely pleased. Don’t hesitate to book! -
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Evan P. Sent on 02/19/2024
Ring making workshop
My fiancee and I had an amazing experience with Nicole and Harry (and their pup, Rivet). Marriage is a lifelong commitment, so we wanted the rings we're going to wear the rest of our lives to be special and uniquely made with care. That's exactly what we got with Sterling & Steel. I made a size 4.5, 2mm, 18k yellow gold wedding band for my fiancee while she made my band at size 7, and 6mm.
During the process, we learned a ton about the fundamentals of metalsmithing and jewelry making. From melting down the raw material, to working the gold into a wire, shaping it into a ring, and smoothing and polishing your creation until it's something you'd see in a high end jewelry store, you get a sense of pride having created the rings you'll wear together for the rest of your lives.
Nicole guided us every step along the way and struck the perfect balance of letting us do the work while helping ensure we got the perfect final products. On top of it all, during the hours we spent in the workshop, we could tell that Nicole and Harry valued our story and getting to be a part of it. They also take pride in their work and let us come in the next morning to make sure everything was perfect.
Pricing was incredibly reasonable for the amount of time they spent with us working in the shop, gaining access to their equipment, paying for the raw materials, and walking away with personalized rings. In the end, it cost about the same as it would have been to buy mass produced rings from a giant company. We cannot recommend this experience enough! -
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![Christin]()
Christin C. Sent on 11/11/2023A one of a kind experience for a one of a kind marriage!
The Wife: I contact Nicole a few months before the day I hoped to schedule. She responded right away, walked me briefly through the process and plugged us into their calendar and gave me a quote. She answered my questions along the way and made sure we were prepared. A bit last minute my husband and I had come up with the idea to add rivets derived from some leftover links from a silver bracelet he gave me and they accommodated us with the extra work and time to make that happen. I enjoyed watching the process as Harry walked my husband through the each step of turning a nut I bought at the local hardware store into something so meaningful and unique. I think I had just as much fun as he did even though I was only a spectator/photographer. They were both great about including me in the process too. This was an experience so incredibly special I cannot put a price on it! - Christin
The Husband: I earn my way in the world using my mind but there is something undeniably satisfying from working with your hands. The experience of transforming a stainless steel jam nut into a ring was amazing. Harry was patient and thorough with the explanation and education at each step. The processes of grinding, heating, hammering and repeating; each step requiring more and more precision. Then moving from the blacksmith forge to Nicole’s side of the shop, the jewelers space. Her coaching, demonstrating and guiding; the attention to detail ramping up ever higher with each honing and polishing step. What a wonderful experience. Highly recommended. - AndrewSterling & Steel's reply:
Thank you Christin, we enjoyed working with you both and hearing about your adventures. His ring came out beautifully. -
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![Cory]()
Cory K. Sent on 06/21/2023Highly recommend if looking for something special!
We could not have asked for a better experience making our wedding bands with Nicole and Harry! I was able to go with Harry to forge my band out of stainless steel and my fiancé went with Nicole to make her band out of precious metal. The whole process was fun and we had a blast. Nicole and Harry were great mentors, helping us through each phase, even when we swapped and gave our own imprint on each others rings. Highly recommend.. and that goes for Harry's coffee too. -
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![Cara]()
Cara H. Sent on 08/01/2023Unique and Fun Couples Activity
My fiancé and I did a make-your-own wedding band workshop here with Nicole and it was AMAZING. It is an all day activity at their workshop and you make your wedding band from scratch and in our case, a gold nugget (which was later split into two pieces). You are walked through each step of the process and Nicole was great at explaining each step- how to do it and why you were doing it. We just made plain gold bands (you can choose your metal and finish), but I believe you can get a little funky with it too. Not sure there are many things more special than making each other's wedding bands! Great experience and I would highly recommend! -
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Kari B. Sent on 08/28/2023
Forging Metal and Memories
I will forever cherish the memories we "forged" with Sterling and Steel hand-making our wedding bands from start to finish. Such an amazing experience to create these symbols of our love together. -
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Dax D. Sent on 07/31/2023
A truly amazing workshop
This was a truly memorable experience. Being able to work the ring from an ingot to a flat strip, to being roundish, to round, to hammering in our texture. The final product is incredible, and we're so glad we did it. Nicole is truly amazing, a great teacher, and a great conversationalist. From the minute you enter the shop any anxiety you had will go away as you make a lasting memory. -
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Kimberly Sent on 06/24/2023
Amazing wedding band workshop - highly recommend
Made our wedding bands with Nicole in a workshop. WORTH EVERY PENNY!! She did an amazing job guiding us through the workshop and is such a lovely soul - we had so much fun and felt so blessed to be able to share such a fun and special experience together. Plus we LOVE OUR RINGS! Can’t wait for the wedding, thank you for making our marriage even more special with this opportunity! -
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Christopher S. Sent on 07/14/2020
Great Salida weekend!
My fiancé and I had a fantastic experience forging our wedding rings with Harry and Nicole! We were able to take her parents wedding rings, turn them into ingots, and use them in the creation of the new rings. Nicole and Harry are very receptive and accommodating to unique situations and made us feel very special and welcome the entire time. They walked us through the smithing process step-by-step and made their own rings beside us as an example – this was very helpful because we had no previous experience with forging of any sort. It was amazing to take a common stainless-steel nut and witness it slowly transform over a few hours into a beautiful ring. The wedding rings were 100% made by us, but Harry and Nicole were next to us every step of the way, for quality control in case we made any glaring errors. Even after we hit some setbacks early on (my fingers shrunk and I forged my ring too large), we never felt rushed and we were supported with grace the entire time. They also offer a satisfaction guarantee, so if you end up needing to change something about the ring down the road, they will take care of it!
Besides the beautiful rings which we are extremely happy with, the best part of the day was getting to spend time with Harry and Nicole. 4-8 hours is a long time to spend with total strangers (especially for an introvert like me), but they are extremely kind and interesting people, and after several hours, they felt like good friends. We met their family (including Rivet the shop dog!) and learned about their unique pasts and ambitions to expand, which was a huge honor. They provided awesome recommendations for entertainment in Salida – Amica’s Pizza was delicious!
We designed a weekend trip to Salida from Boulder, and it worked out great! We spent a day doing some mountain biking and another day doing some 14er climbing nearby. It was our first time in the Arkansas Valley, and we were blown away with its beauty.
Overall, I highly recommend you visit Sterling & Steel to forge your wedding rings. When people ask about my unique ring, I can say, “I made that!” and I’ll be reminded of that special weekend in Salida with my future wife.
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![Shannon]()
Shannon Sent on 02/19/2024Unique and personalized experience!
We made each others rings on Valentine’s Day weekend and we couldn’t have been happier with our rings! We weren’t sure how the quality of the ring would turn out since we were making them instead of a machine or professional, but Nicole was a great instructor who taught us step by step how to make the rings. She noticed right away that my engagement ring was too big for me, and asked if I wanted it resized. She was then able to use the leftovers and use it in my fiancé’s wedding band because we melted all of the material from scratch instead of being handed a piece of metal to mold. While making the rings she noticed that there was an imperfection in his ring which resulted in us having to start over. We appreciated that she cared about making it right, and spent extra time with us to ensure that the rings lasts the lifetime our marriage. Harry and Nicole were also incredibly kind, offering us coffee in the early morning and letting us come again the next day when the session was running into our next plans. They genuinely cared about making sure we had a personal and intimate experience with the rings and that we got all the details we wanted from it. We loved the quality of the rings and the experience, and then to find out that the rings were reasonably priced was just a cherry on top of the cake. Would highly recommend this experience!! P.S. Salida was the perfect location for a romantic weekend too because we reserved a private hot spring overlooking the mountains for afterwards! -
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![Rachel]()
Rachel Sent on 12/28/2018Unforgettable Experience
If you're at ALL wondering - "could I actually make my own wedding band?" - first of all, yes you can! Secondly, you 1000% SHOULD with Nicole and Harry at Sterling & Steel. My fiance and I both made our bands today and the experience will be one that we cherish for the rest of our lives. First of all, Nicole and Harry are amazingly friendly and they also happen to be wonderful teachers (my fiance and I are teachers, so we know). They're patient and understanding, but also make great conversation while making the whole process seem very low pressure, despite my nervousness that THIS IS MY WEDDING RING! Nicole was so helpful to make sure that my band fit well with my engagement ring, even though the stone shapes are such that it wasn't necessarily easy. Harry and Nicole help you throughout the whole process, but you really are forging your own wedding band - it's made by YOU. They made it very clear that if we were not 100% happy with what we've made, it simply won't do. They're committed to excellence and make sure that you're happy with the end result as well. Harry and Nicole were invested in helping us make the pieces that WE loved.
Both my fiance and I had to revise our rings at one point for various reasons, and they never once seemed inconvenienced or frustrated. I loved that although obviously quite good at what they do, they never once threw in the towel on us and said, "just let me do that." They were there for guidance and support and demonstrated when appropriate, but otherwise, it was all us doing the making. At the end of the day, my fiance and I were so happy to walk away with these beautiful pieces of jewelry that we created and are so proud of. Plus, being in the presence of a couple like Harry and Nicole, who are experts in their field with a very clearly shared passion, is pretty powerful, especially as one thinks about their future marriage. I cannot say enough good things about these two and their business. JUST GO! Make your own wedding bands! Ladies, if you're worried about it looking special or fancy or shiny - IT WILL DO ALL OF THIS!! If you want something specific, just ask! To be honest, this experience might even top the proposal, it was so special. -
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![Katy]()
Katy D. Sent on 10/24/2019Diy wedding bands are awesome
We had a wonderful time getting to know Nicole and Harry and at the same time got to make some really cool rings. Making our own rings continues to be a special memory for us and many are surprised and awed that there are places you can do that! We live in Colorado, but we really enjoyed visiting Salida as a get-away weekend from some of the stress of planning a wedding too. This was one expense well worth our time & money. Thank you Nicole & Harry for letting us play with fire, learn about jewelry and create lasting memories! -
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