When Sarah Quinttus, 34, got married at Pittsfield’s Riverside Farm in 2019, she wanted her jewelry to strike the perfect balance. It needed to be special, of course, but also affordable and practical — not so extravagant that it would collect dust in a jewelry box after the big day.
She settled on dangly earrings with teardrop-shaped pendants featuring rainbow moonstone ($72), an iridescent white gem that shimmers with color when it catches the light.
Beyond the aesthetic, Quinttus wanted the piece to feel distinctly Vermont — something personal, not a mass-produced luxury brand such as Cartier.
“I really wanted to be able to communicate with … and feel an attachment to the person who was making it,” she said. “That part felt special.”
“Our customer is someone who really cares that it’s handcrafted.” Sara Nelson
Quinttus’ earrings were from Elli Parr, a jewelry boutique at Shelburne Square Shopping Center in South Burlington that specializes in helping brides and bridesmaids accessorize. At DIY jewelry-making workshops and private consultations, bridal parties can sip Champagne while selecting accessories that complement their dresses. Owner Sara Nelson, 38, designs the jewelry herself, with every Elli Parr piece featuring at least one element crafted by hand in-house. Although most molds and castings for the jewelry are produced in a New York factory, Elli Parr employees handle the beadwork and wire wrapping. A smaller number of items are produced in India, where the gemstones are sourced.
“Our customer is someone who really cares that it’s handcrafted, and they care about the story of the brand,” Nelson said. “They really love the Vermont label.”
Bridal jewelry typically consists of simple diamonds or pearls and embraces a minimalist aesthetic. Nelson’s jewelry line follows that tradition, designed to “complement, not distract,” she said. Her pieces “don’t take anything away from the bride.”
The store sells more than just bridal jewelry, including rings, hoop earrings, classic gold chains, colorful beaded bracelets and necklaces with alphabet pendants. A dedicated section for kids features at-home beading kits, body glitter described as “unicorn snot,” and beaded bracelets featuring words such as “golf,” “snowboard” and “sis.”
All items are hypoallergenic, with no metal alloys or nickel. Nelson aims to keep prices affordable while maintaining quality through careful selection of materials. For example, a brass Elli Parr chain necklace dipped in 14-karat gold retails for $64. A solid gold version would look the same but cost upwards of $3,000, she explained.
Business typically spikes around Valentine’s Day, Nelson said, adding that she’s having trouble keeping a necklace with a heart-shaped pendant ($72) in stock.
Toward the back of the store, customers can create their own bracelets and earrings at a “bead bar” by stringing together gemstones, beads, charms and pendants. Patrons can drop in — a popular activity for kids while a parent is shopping — or book private jewelry-making workshops that range from elementary-age birthday parties to bachelorette events.
Colchester resident Jude Olson, 57, buys a gift for her daughter at Elli Parr every Christmas and hosted her daughter’s bridal shower there in 2022. The store closed to the public so that partygoers could shop privately over cake and Champagne.
“It was just cozy and wonderful,” Olson said.
Nelson began crafting jewelry in 2014 during maternity leave from a corporate recruiting job. While her daughter napped, she threaded beads into bracelets and wire-wrapped gemstones at her dining room table.
Her friend, the late Jessica Pomerleau-Halnon, owned the former Jess Boutique on Burlington’s Church Street and offered to sell Nelson’s bracelets in her store.
“I thought, Nobody’s going to want this,” Nelson recalled. “But she said, ‘Let’s give it a try.'”
The bracelets quickly sold. Bolstered by the success, Nelson rented a small office space as a makeshift jewelry studio and quit her corporate job in 2017.
Nelson initially named the business after herself: Sara Marie Jewelry. But soon she realized the name was too common to trademark. She rebranded as Elli Parr, combining her childhood street, Elliot Avenue in Boston, with the home where she had her children, on Partridge Lane in Charlotte.
“A little bit of past and present,” she said.
She opened her first retail location in Shelburne in 2021 and a second in Middlebury two years later. Frustrated with commuting between the two, she closed both stores and launched her South Burlington boutique last October. Elli Parr also wholesales jewelry to 90 small retailers across the U.S.
Nelson’s team has grown, too. She employs four part-time sales associates and two full-time store managers — her sister-in-law, Kirsten O’Connell, and her kids’ former babysitter, Jess Cerundolo.
One need only look at Nelson’s outfit to see her passion for the brand. During a reporter’s recent visit to the store, she wore stacked Elli Parr bracelets and necklaces, including a thick gold chain, a heart pendant and a gold herringbone bracelet she never takes off. Nelson completed the look with an all-denim ensemble and cheetah-print boots.
The personal connection to the jewelry is something her customers also embrace. When Anne Muscarella got married at Killington Peak in 2021, she gave her bridesmaids matching Elli Parr earrings — three-stone “crawler” earrings that go up the ear. Nelson also custom designed pearl droplet earrings for Muscarella’s mother and mother-in-law.
Muscarella, who lives in the San Francisco Bay area, said it was important to her to buy from a brand based in the state where she would be married.
“A lot of bridesmaids get Tiffany’s,” Muscarella said, “but I didn’t want to do that.”
Community ties are also reflected in Elli Parr events that draw in other local businesses. On Thursday, February 13, the store will host a Galentine’s Party featuring floral arrangements by Clayton & Co., a braiding and hair tinsel bar courtesy of the Hair Boutique, a Pilates pop-up by the Body Lab, Botox services by Glow Aesthetics Medical Spa, ear piercing, and, of course, jewelry making.
Galentine’s Party, Thursday, February 13, 5-8 p.m., at Elli Parr in South Burlington. Free. elliparr.com
The original print version of this article was headlined “Put a Ring on It | Brides say “yes” to the bling at Elli Parr in South Burlington”
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This article appears in Love & Marriage Issue 2025.
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