Yarnal’s Gem of a Jewelry Store

Sherry Yarnal is president of Yarnal Jewelers, which has been in the 580 Market Place shopping center for 12 years. 

Castro Valley gemologist Sherry Yarnal has studied so many precious stones in her career that she confidently makes this pledge: 

“If you have a gemstone and you don’t know what it is, I can identify it for you in my certified gemological lab.”  

With 37 years in the jewelry business and multiple accreditations, Yarnal is president of Yarnal Jewelers in the 580 Market Place shopping center. She’s a Certified Master Appraiser in the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA) and an Accredited Jewelry Professional and Graduate Gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America. All these designations take years of study.

“The NAJA is a tough organization to get into. Certified Master Appraiser is the highest level they bestow,” she says. 

Still, what Yarnal likes about her work is the level of trust customers place in her and her store. 

“We clean customers’ jewelry while they’re shopping at Safeway,” she says, pointing out that they don’t do ultrasonic cleaning because it can damage jewelry.  

Yarnal’s shop, which she runs with her husband Ralph, has been in business for over 12 years at their current location on East Castro Valley Boulevard. Before that she owned a boutique jewelry business called Sherry’s Treasures, and prior to that she put in many years managing a J. C. Penney jewelry department. She now employs jewelry designers Angie Krowicki and Claire Callister, plus goldsmith Jack Ozenne at her Castro Valley store. 

“We have a wealth of talent here in Castro Valley.  That’s why we chose this location because it’s a wonderful place to be,” she says. 

All kinds of jewelry are available in this store. For those familiar with popular styles, Yarnal’s is a Rembrandt Charms dealer that also carries modern wedding sets, sterling silver, white, and yellow gold items, pearls, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, estate pieces, Galatea artistic pieces, loose stones, watch batteries and bands, and custom orders.

“We make a lot of our own jewelry, and we don’t carry what everyone else has. We want to present a quality product at a fair price, not a commercial quality product,” she says. 

One interesting section at the store is a magnetic “planning set.” A wide variety of simulated stones and ring settings can be tried together to see what looks best. All are magnetically attachable and interchangeable. 

Yarnal Jewelers sources almost everything they carry from within the United States. They also work with the Castro Valley Sanitary District to recycle as much as possible. 

“We think this is a gem of a jewelry store in Castro Valley,” says Yarnal. “I’ve worked really hard at it, and we’re ethical, honest, and confidential.”

Yarnal Jewelers is located at 4029 E. Castro Valley Blvd., (510) 889-0828. Store hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.