Where to Find Charleston Gate Jewelry in the City Market
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Visiting the Charleston City Market? Find our Charleston gate jewelry at Gold Creations, 74 South Market Street, and learn how to pick the right gate.
If you're looking for Charleston gate jewelry in the City Market, you'll find our full Charleston Classic Ironwork collection at Gold Creations, 74 South Market Street. We're the oldest jewelry store in the Historic Charleston City Market, family-owned since 1975, and open 10 AM to 5 PM every day. Every gate in the case is modeled after a real gate in the city, so you can walk the streets in the morning and take one home by the afternoon.
Finding Gold Creations in the Market
The Charleston City Market runs four blocks through the heart of downtown, from Meeting Street to East Bay Street. It has been a place for buying and trading in this city for more than 200 years, and today it's home to local artisans, sweetgrass basket makers and shops that have been part of the market for generations.
Our shop is at 74 South Market Street, on the corner of South Market and Church Street at the start of market building 2, across from Market Management. If you start at Market Hall on Meeting Street, you'll pass right by the spot that inspired our Market Gate on your way in. Keep walking toward East Bay until you reach Church Street, and you'll see us on the corner. The Charleston City Market's own vendor directory lists us too, if you'd like to check the map before your visit.
Give yourself time to wander the whole market while you're here. It's one of the best places in Charleston to meet the local artisans of the city.
What You'll See in the Case
The Charleston Classic Ironwork collection brings six real Charleston gates together in one place: the Market Gate, the Old Exchange Gate, the Rainbow Row Gate, the Pirate Gate, the 5 King Gate and the Thomas Bennett House Gate. If you'd like the story behind each one before you shop, our guide to the real gates behind Charleston's ironwork jewelry covers where every gate stands and what makes it special.
Most gates come as pendants, earrings and rings. Pendants are offered in four sizes, from a small everyday size up to an extra large statement piece, and sterling silver pendants start at $25. You'll find each design in 14K yellow gold and in sterling silver stamped 925, a beautiful keepsake that just needs a little care to stay bright. A few 14K gold pendants are also set with mother of pearl, and select pieces can be special ordered in white or rose gold.
Seeing the pieces in person helps. The small scrolls and bars on each gate catch the light differently in your hand than they do on a screen, and our team can pull out every size so you can compare them side by side.
How to Choose Your Gate
The easiest way to choose is to think about the part of Charleston that stayed with you.
If the market was your first stop, the Market Gate is a natural fit. If you spent the morning photographing the pastel houses on East Bay, the Rainbow Row Gate will bring that walk right back. History lovers tend to reach for the Old Exchange Gate, and anyone who took an evening ghost or pirate tour usually smiles at the Pirate Gate. If you stayed near the Battery or strolled lower King Street, the 5 King Gate is your piece.
Next, think about how you'll wear it. A small pendant layers easily and works every day, while a large or extra large pendant makes more of a statement on its own. For metal, 14K gold holds its shine with almost no upkeep, and sterling silver offers a bright, cool tone at a more accessible price. Our 14K gold vs. sterling silver comparison walks through the differences if you're torn.
A Charleston Gift That Tells Its Own Story
Every gate comes boxed with a collection card that names the gate and tells where it stands in the city. That small detail is why so many visitors choose gate jewelry as a gift. Whoever opens the box learns the story along with the piece.
Gate pieces also pair well with other Charleston favorites. For a gift with a little more to it, add a rice bead bracelet from The Charleston Stack, our bundles of Charleston Rice Bead bracelets made for layering and gifting. And if you'd like to understand what sets our gates apart before you decide, read what makes our ironwork jewelry different.
Can't Make It to the Market?
If your trip is already over, or you're shopping for someone who fell in love with Charleston from afar, you can browse the full Charleston gate jewelry collection online and we'll ship it to you. Orders over $150 ship free. For a slightly different look at the same Charleston ironwork, take a look at our Charleston Diamond Cut Ironwork Jewelry, and for everything else worth seeing on your visit, our guide to shopping for jewelry at the Charleston City Market covers the rest of our shop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a jewelry store located in the Charleston City Market?
Yes. Gold Creations has been in the Historic Charleston City Market since 1975 and is the oldest jewelry store in the market. You'll find us at 74 South Market Street, open 10 AM to 5 PM daily.
What jewelry is Charleston known for?
Charleston is best known for rice bead jewelry, sweetgrass-inspired pieces and gate jewelry modeled on the city's historic ironwork. Coastal designs like the redfish and oyster shell are also closely tied to the Lowcountry.
Is the Charleston City Market worth visiting?
Absolutely. The market is free to walk through, open every day and filled with local makers, from sweetgrass basket weavers to jewelers who have been part of the market for decades. Plan at least an hour or two so you don't have to rush.
The gates of Charleston are best seen in person, and so is the jewelry they inspired. Stop by 74 South Market Street on your next visit, or shop our Charleston Classic Ironwork Jewelry collection online and Take Home a Piece of Charleston®.