In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, we’re celebrating three women-owned jewelry businesses shaping Downtown Littleton’s vibrant retail scene. The district’s jewelry community is deeply personal — led by women who see their work as storytelling, not just adornment. These business owners, wives, and mothers balance entrepreneurship with artistry, bringing intention to the pieces they help create.
From custom engagement rings to heirloom redesign and innovative new designs, each studio offers a distinct perspective rooted in collaboration.
In a district defined by craftsmanship and female-led businesses, these women are proving that Downtown Littleton can be both historic and high-gloss at the same time.
Original Hardware
Custom, engagement, and storytelling-driven jewelry
Owner: Carrie Schafer
Time in Downtown Littleton: 10 years
Carrie Schafer’s path into jewelry began in journalism and communications — a foundation that still shapes how she approaches her work. Storytelling, curiosity, and meaning are woven into every collection.
She describes her aesthetic as free-flowing and organic, often mixing gold and silver and choosing gemstones that “tell the story.” The shop reflects that sensibility, with seasonal colors and textures curated to feel cohesive and alive.
Original Hardware is known for offering a wide range of price points, making the space feel approachable whether someone is shopping for a meaningful everyday piece or investing in a custom engagement ring. That accessibility sits alongside a strong focus on custom work. From redesigning inherited pieces to guiding couples through engagement options, each project begins with collaboration — grounded in taste, values, and budget. Carrie works with natural and lab-grown diamonds as well as alternatives like Montana sapphires, ensuring clients have choices that reflect what matters most to them.
Carrie chose Downtown Littleton intentionally, drawn to its independent spirit, foot traffic and artisan energy. “A casual browse often turns into a custom project,” she says. Backed by a knowledgeable and experienced team, Original Hardware offers thoughtful guidance that makes even the most significant purchases feel approachable.
From permanent jewelry to her “Love Notes” engraving collection — replicating customers’ own handwriting — her work is rooted in meaning. For Carrie, jewelry isn’t just adornment…it’s a narrative.
Kellie Stonger Fine Jewelry
Private, design-led studio focused on custom and heirloom pieces and collection planning
Owner: Kellie Stonger
Time in Downtown Littleton: 9 months
Kellie Stonger approaches jewelry the way a curator approaches a collection — thoughtfully, intentionally, and with a trained eye. She completed her coursework in London at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the premier global diamond-grading institution, where she studied diamond and gemstone grading and jewelry design. This experience allows her to bring global sourcing relationships for the finest materials and craftsmanship, along with both technical expertise and refined design perspective to her design studio.
Unlike a traditional jewelry store, Kellie does not operate a showroom. Her work is appointment-based and conversation-led, creating a private, collaborative environment where the focus is on the client rather than inventory. Each meeting is tailored — whether evaluating existing pieces, sketching a new design, or reimagining heirlooms into something wearable today. She also provides unique concierge services to her clients, including jewelry collection planning, jewelry-box edits, concierge gifting and jewelry styling sessions.
Much of her work centers on custom pieces and personal redesign, often helping clients navigate meaningful life transitions through jewelry that reflects who they are now.
“I want to help my clients be more intentional about their jewelry, creating a roadmap for them to elevate their jewelry box,” Kellie explains. “We identify signature elements — milgrain details, two-tone metals, distinctive stone shapes — and build a signature, self-branded style for each client.”
Innovation is also part of her story. Her patent-pending Oura-ring jacket “The Smart Cocktail Ring” — a luxury diamond cocktail ring designed to house a smart ring — was recently featured in The New York Times Magazine, blending technology with tradition in a way that feels distinctly modern.
For Kellie, jewelry is less about acquisition and more about self-style evolution and generational fine jewelry — pieces that grow with the person wearing them, and that can be passed down for generations to come.
The Diamond Reserve Littleton
Full-service luxury showroom specializing in bridal and diamonds
Owner: Kaeleigh Testwuide
Time in Downtown Littleton: Recently opened
For Kaeleigh Testwuide, opening The Diamond Reserve in Downtown Littleton in 2026 felt less like expansion and more like alignment. She was drawn to Main Street’s energy and its strong culture of locally owned businesses — a place where relationships matter as much as retail.
The brand has grown significantly since she and her husband acquired it in 2015, evolving from a marketing company into a multi-location fine jewelry business. In addition to the new 3,000-square-foot Downtown Littleton showroom, The Diamond Reserve operates a private, appointment-based space in Cherry Creek and a storefront in Austin, Texas — each location shaped by its community but rooted in the same relationship-driven approach.
Bridal remains the foundation of the business. From engagement rings to heirloom redesign, each project is grounded in craftsmanship, with many pieces cast and set locally in Colorado. Clients move through private consultations, diamond viewings, and one-on-one styling conversations that prioritize trust and education as much as aesthetics.
Kaeleigh describes herself as both entrepreneur and risk-taker, balancing business growth with family life as a mother and partner. The business remains family-led, with her husband, Jon Paul, helping oversee operations and long-standing relationships shaping the team.
At its core, her approach is about helping people mark milestones — with pieces designed to be worn, lived in, and passed down.