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Astor Place (6)
1st Ave-14th St (L)
8th St-Broadway (R, W)
Wed-Fri. 1:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
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Little King is awesome. Michael and Jennifer are people who love doing what they do. They're accommodating. They'll make recommendations. They'll fashion something based on your aesthetic preferences and your budget. And there's not even a hint of snobbery or pretension about them. Their progress on a custom project can be slow, depending on what's going on. But the wait is well worth it.
I stumbled into this place once and bought my then girlfriend a pair of delicate gold leaf and sapphire earrings. Michael designed my then fiance's Byzantine-style vine and leaf engraved ring. And then he designed a matching ring in relief, and a wedding band for my wife. And then we bought one of those exquisite vine and leaf necklaces. All of it cost far less than many people spend one cookie-cutter 'look at my rock' ring. The jewelry is creative and classical - the kind of stuff I will enjoy, but also dream of giving it to my kids.
The only downside is that if you're looking for a custom design, you've got to know that it's going to take time and you have to follow up. They're a small business, and they don't seem to me to be the types that want to expand into being mere managers. They're too into the art and the people they make it for. So, they get overextended. I can see how this would frustrate some people. But if you're going for an engagement ring/wedding ring/future heirloom, well... What's a little devotion, time, and follow-up?
The only downside about Little King is that it's only open from Wednesday to Sunday. Other than that, it's awesome! Whether you buy something out of the case or have something custom designed, they will work with your budget and vision. The staff is super cool and helpful.
I went here for to buy a setting for an engagement ring on the basis of the good reviews on here. The previous reviews are true to my experience. The best thing about this place is the personal service and the ability to design exactly what you want without paying crazy money for it. I think it would be helpful to come here with some idea about what you want because the staff has very little on hand to guide you in your decision. What they have is bronze models of some of their rings, which makes it very difficult to judge the final product. I came with some idea of what I wanted and still felt a little on my own when it came to the design of the ring. This is neither a pro or a con really, just be prepared to tell them exactly what you want.
The philosophy at this place is 21st century heirlooms. And that is exactly what I feel I got. In fact my fiance has remarked that people often ask her if the ring has been in the family for a while. It is totally beautiful.
So why not 5 stars. The main reason is this. When I went in to order the ring I told them the size was 5.5. When I proposed I went to put the ring on my fiance's finger and oops! It doesn't fit! Ok. Call little king and they say come on down. They immediately size the ring and say it is a 4.25. WTF? How did that happen I ask. They have no idea, apparently they never wrote down what size the ring was supposed to be. That was their excuse. So... you just guessed and made a ring for a midget?
I would rate this place lower on the basis of this but the bottom line is that they fixed it and in the end I got an amazing unique ring at a fair price.
Little King was recommended to me by a friend who works on the Diamond District and it was one of the best suggestions he ever gave me. We wanted to make both my fiancee's engagement ring and our wedding rings here, but when I proposed to her they were closed for the holidays back in December. So instead we made her rings right away at another place (because she was eager) but we waited to make my wedding ring with Little King.
Michael, Jennifer and Angela make an excellent team and we felt like everything they suggested was the right thing to do because of how knowledgeable and thorough they were in the process and design. I initially had an idea about what I wanted for the ring (getting a tattoo of the ring underneath the ring and then making a ring with gaps in it to see the tattoo) but as Michael said, he has some tattoo's on him that were older than I was and made an excellent case as to why getting a tattoo on your ring finger wouldn't be a good idea.
Once I came up with the new idea (making a ring that looked like it was forged by a blacksmith 1000 years ago and that would have a very ancient look to it), Michael sketched out what he thought it should look like based on both the idea and this costume ring I found. He also broke down the options for white gold, platinum and palladium, and at no time did I feel forced into any decision (i ended up getting it in palladium). He also seemed to know the history of all rings in all cultures for all time; his knowledge base is impressive. A few weeks later I had a final product and a very satisfied feeling that this was the ring that I wanted on my finger everyday to represent my marriage.
I can say for sure that we have a jeweler now that we will always use and they will come highly recommended from us. Good stuff all around.
You can see from their website that the work Michael and Jennifer do is exceptional, funky and unique. But you might not know just how honest, accomodating, and pleasant they are to work with.
Here in follows a medium-long tale. My wife and I got wedding bands designed there. They are totally cool, as you would expect from THE above. Little King was so easy to deal with that we brought in a special ring -- my wife's grandmother's -- for resizing. We had brought it around to the guys in the diamond district. What a sleazy experience! They wanted to melt it down and take it all apart and put it together again. We didn't know what to do. Then comes Michael Regan, who calls bullshit on all that. Further, he tested all the stones in front of us, and found three fakes! Someone had actually sleazed Grandma, way back! Anyway, he resized the ring, let us dispose of the fakes, and the whole thing was inexpensive and timely. Don't waste your time with another jeweler. You can TRUST Little King, and that means a lot.
Love love this place. Stumbled in and walked out with the most perfect wedding bands. We hate jewelry stores - "He went to Jared" would mean my man didn't get it. I was given a 90 year old family engagement ring and having a really hard time finding anything that matched its elegance and beautiful antique style. My husband couldn't find a single ring he liked. Until we met Michael & Jennifer. They are really great at what they do and really helpful. Michael is really an alchemist. Modern, rock n roll, antique, traditional...whatever your style, he seems to be able to do it.
We live in LA so they got us the rings in perfect time. My husband's was a bit big, but when we were back in the city, they wanted to make sure they got it right and sized the ring for us over night before we left (and didn't charge us a dime)!
They are fun to talk to and do business with. I am not sure I will buy jewelry anywhere else.
Michael and Jennifer at Little King are simply the best. Going to Little King is more like visiting friends than going to a business. We got our wedding rings and other items there, and each time we go they always remember us and take great care of us.
On top of this, the style of their work is completely unique, one-of-a-kind, and fantastic. They will work with you to help you get just the right piece, and make sure you can do what you want within your budget.
If you are looking for something special, totally unique, and hand-crafted, Little King is the place.
Just about everything Little King does is custom made. Come here for your lovebird. Pick wedding rings (East 9th is a good stop for brides-to-be).
Spend from $300 to several thousand if you buy anything here.
I can't say enough about Little King. I started on the engagement ring hunt fearing I'd wind up spending more than my budget and wind up with a ring that wasn't actually suited for myself or my fiance.
Jennifer and Michael of Little King are really amazing people- they have books and books of designs they have done, and they can customize any of their designs, or work with you on your own. They can work inside any budget and I had my finished ring within two weeks from when I had a design finalized.
All the work appears to be done on premises, and you can tell they put a lot of love into their work. The end result is not only a unique and high-quality ring, but an experience that that is enjoyable from start to finish. This place is a must for people that don't want to deal with the "normal" industry.
Excellent little jewelers. Very friendly and relaxed, there's not even a buzzer on the door. I had a ring resized there and they apologized for not being able to do it that day when I brought it in at 5.30pm!
I didn't leave a price review as I received my item as a gift from my husband. He went all over to look for the perfect birthday present for me.
He found it there. Though I wouldn't have picked the piece out myself for myself, it's quirky and fun! I find myself liking more by the day.
We are going back to have a piece made for my mom for Christmas, and I'm sure they will do a great job.
THE ANTI-TIFFANY'S! Yes, break free of the wedding industrial complex and come to Little King. Do it yourself-engagement rings with a little help from your friends, the dynamic duo, Michael Regan (a jewler hipster with 30+ years of experience) and Jennifer O'Sullivan (a gem and a gemologist). they can do traditional and so so much more! they make you feel welcome regardless your aesthetic or your budget. http://littlekingjewel...
Little King is not the only reason to visit E. 9th street in the
East Village but it is certainly among the best. On a street that sells everything from perogis (Veselka) and rocket-fueled java (The Mud Spot) to intimate comfort food (9th Street Market) this hand-crafted jewelry store is both reasonably priced and loaded with variety. We have purchased necklaces, rings, bracelets from Little King that run from conservative to rock club ready. We own their own line of jewelry and we've had them custom make things as well. The service from Jennifer in the front to Michael and his crew of "metal artists" in the mad laboratory in back is spot on and it feels like the family operation that it is. They have rushed orders for us during the holidays and in birthday crunches. They have done beautiful engraving. You'd be very hard pressed to find a hipper and more importantly, better jewelry store. At least not in New York City.
The idea of this store is great. I'm not a fan of Tiffany's or diamonds so when I heard about Little King I was very excited to go there to design my wedding band to match my family heirloom antique engagement ring. Both Jennifer and Michael were very nice, however 8 months and several broken promises later, I had no ring in hand. I was very disappointed with my experience at Little King.
My initial meeting with Michael was great. He saw my antique engagement ring and told me he would email me a sketch of a ring design within a month. 1 1/2 months later no email was received, so I called the store and Jennifer said they were backed up and to expect something in another month. A few more weeks passed and no email or call from them, so I decided to stop by in person this time to check in. I was told again, that they were running behind and since my wedding was not for another 6 months they had to finish orders for earlier weddings. Jennifer promised me not to worry and that they have created rings in less than 1 month. So I waited 2 more months, didn't receive any email or call and once again stopped by and was told they were backed up. Jennifer assured me again not to worry and it was not a big deal. I just wanted to see a sketch, yet nothing was created after almost 6 months.
Now with only 2 months until the wedding, I went in one last time to check in and Jennifer told me that they would not be able to make the ring in time for my wedding. She recommended a ring that was already in stock to purchase, but that defeats the whole purpose of going to Little King!
In the end, I was very disappointed with my experience. If they knew they would not be able to create my ring due to time frame or staff, they should have been upfront and told me when I first met with them.
My fiance gave me the great gift of being able to pick out my own engagement ring and I was so thrilled to find Little King after being disgusted by Fortunoff, Tiffany's, and the rest. As others have said, Michael is a truly gifted artist and he and Jen are fun to talk to and incredibly accomodating. I love my ring more than anything and we went back there recently to get our wedding bands - equally amazing!! The one caveat is that they are incredibly busy (thanks to all these great reviews) and not totally organized. They made the wrong band for my fiance because they simply forgot what he wanted, but they did redo it overnight so that we'd have it in time for the wedding and now it is perfect! Bottom line - amazing place for incredibly unique and special jewelry - just be a little patient and you'll walk out with a gem.
Great spot for custom work. I was looking to have a ring custom-made, and they were extremely helpful with the design, and their price beat the next-lowest bid by several hundred dollars. If you want to have a unique piece of jewelry made, come here.
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