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Eden Hand Arts, Dennis, Cape Cod

The first time I’d heard of jewelry from Eden is when Jess’s aunt Sally was over saying she had to bring in her daughter Michaela’s bracelet to get a new size. As she spoke about the place I realized what a cult following it has to those who live and frequently visit Cape Cod. And I realized how odd Eden is when she told the story of how she has a pair of earrings and lost one. She went to the store to buy another and they were so particular about them that they wouldn’t sell her the a replacement for the lost earring without seeing the one she still had first. Apparently, the earrings were of fish – herrings – and the eyes face each other, if worn properly. Therefore, they didn’t want to sell her the wrong one and since she didn’t have the other with her, they refused the sale. Picky, some would say, but really they are just very, very strict about what goes out of the shop and how it is worn.

Eden Hand Arts, Dennis, Cape Cod

We were intrigued by Sally’s stories and by stories we heard in the following days. It seemed that all of Jess’s family had jewelry from Eden, or a story at least. Jess even had their “Cape Cod Screwball” bracelet, which is their original and most well-known piece. Julie and I decided we had to see the place. The Eden showroom is actually located in a tiny little cabin in Dennis – kind of hidden away. There’s no parking aside from the driveway of the house next to the cabin. I assume this is the house the owners live in. If you park on the road they’ll come out and tell you to move it or get towed. We barely squeezed into a parking space in the driveway. Next we walked over to the store area and there was a line. Never mind the fact that they’d just opened 10 minutes ago. There was a line already. It didn’t seem long, but since the store is really just a tiny cabin with 2-3 people working in it, and they give individual attention to each person that walks through the door, it actually took a while to make it in.

Eden Hand Arts, Dennis, Cape Cod

Other Eden oddities: You can’t enter the store until you’re asked to come in. They’re only open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and only on four days of the week. Cash and checks only, no credit or debit cards. They won’t mail anything anywhere. You can bring a wrist measurement and buy a bracelet, but you can’t bring a neck measurement and buy a “neck wire,” which I think is a hard, shaped necklace. They must get a lot of people making fakes because they have signs up about how this store is the only place you can buy their merchandise. It’s not in other stores, it’s not online, it’s not called anything else.

Eden Hand Arts, Dennis, Cape Cod

So, when we finally got into Eden, our party – Jess, Julie and I – is taken care of by the sweetest grandmother-ish woman. We were not rushed, hence the line, and she let us look at and try on anything we wanted. There was no pressure to buy, the jewelry sells itself. Eden stands behind the jewelry they make. A woman came in with a broken bracelet and they replaced it. Just like that. They asked her a few lifestyle questions so they could maybe determine how it was damaged, but she was in and out with a completely new bracelet in 10 minutes flat.

Julie’s Eden bracelet and herring ring

Julie’s Eden herring ring

So, what did we get? Jess got a sterling silver Cape Cod open bracelet to be worn with her other sterling silver Cape Cod bracelet, which she had at home. Julie got the classic Cape Cod bracelet (single ball, like the one Jess had at home) in two-tone gold and sterling silver. She also got a sterling silver herring ring. And me? I got the two-toned 16″ necklace and a pair of two-toned earrings. Also, just like everything else, after you’ve been to Eden and bought some things, you start to notice everyone has them. At least everyone on the Cape.

Jessica’s Eden bracelet

Rachelle’s Eden necklace and earrings

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