Silver Wood Jewellery opened in High Street last July, offering a beautiful array of jewellery for every occasion.
Owner Paula O'Meara, who is originally from Galway, now resides in County Limerick with her husband Jimmy Maher and their two sons, Sean and Kevin, where they run a dairy farm.
Silver Wood has branches in Cork, Clonmel, Limerick, Waterford, and Kilkenny. Paula O’Meara designs a lot of her own pieces, and that is where her passion lies.
Her first job was working for Una Taaffe in her Shop Street store. “This was the best experience you could ask for,” she recalled. “You could be selling pups on the street outside Una's shop, or shipping off packages of Aran sweaters to America.”
A year after graduating from then UCG she moved to the US where she opened her own shop and wholesale jewellery business in Atlanta, Georgia, and returned to Ireland in 1998.
Today’s economic climate reminds her of the eighties when many people left for Boston and New York in search of work and opportunity. “This is a new cycle, and it’s causing a lot of pain for many, but there is also great opportunity to be had,” she said. “Business is a real challenge today, but rewarding.”
Ms O’Meara feels that today’s business is very much about the relationship you have with your customers. “I have fabulous staff, who have customers who come in for a chat or just say hi,” she said.
To see the full range visit Silver Wood Jewellery, 5 High Street, Galway, phone 091 441191. You can also shop online at www.silverwoodjewellery.com