Ali Galgano & Serpentine Jewels
Photography: Jimmy ienner Jr.
For Ali Galgano, jewelry has always been art, and never just an accessory.
Growing up in Westchester, Ali was influenced early by her stylish Texan mother, who had worked as a jewelry buyer for Neiman Marcus, and who taught her that the right piece could transform not just an outfit, but a mood, a moment, a memory. “She made me understand that jewelry wasn’t just pretty - it was powerful,” Ali recalls. “It was wearable art that could carry meaning, stories, history.”
But that seed planted in childhood took time to bloom. Ali studied American Studies and Art History at Cornell, intending to pursue a career in business, and started right out of college at Goldman Sachs. “I was a twenty-something living in Manhattan with everything I thought I was supposed to want—a good job, a nice apartment, a wonderful boyfriend—but I was deeply unfulfilled,” she reflects.
“On a visit with my fabulous Aunt Gail in Dallas, she gave me the best advice I’ve ever received… to get a hobby,” Ali recalls. “She told me to browse the course catalog at the 92nd Street Y, and pick anything that sparked curiosity - something unrelated to my day job.” A jewelry-making class caught her eye, and she began spending Monday nights learning to solder, metalsmith, and sketch designs. “I was instantly hooked,” Ali grins.
A few months later, while her mother was visiting, the two stopped by a shop on 47th street to look at a piece of jewelry. There, Ali struck up a conversation with the owner - who had also left a corporate career to enter the diamond world. “She mentioned gemology school—something I’d never heard of,” Ali smiles. “And just like that, everything clicked. I quit my finance job, enrolled to become a graduate gemologist at the Gemological Institute of America…and I’ve never looked back.”
“I was the only student in my class who didn’t come from a family in the industry,” Ali says. “Most were fourth- or fifth-generation jewelers or gemstone dealers. I had no connections—no one paving the way. Every relationship had to be built from the ground up. It was challenging, but not being bound by tradition gave me the freedom to forge my own path, led by instinct and creative vision.”
“I graduated from GIA in 2008, just as the financial world was collapsing. Launching a fine jewelry brand during a recession wasn’t exactly in the cards,” Ali says with a laugh. “So I pivoted, and launched Charm & Chain, one of the first curated e-commerce platforms for fashion-forward costume jewelry.” Her eye for design, emerging trends, and brand storytelling was magnetic. Charm & Chain was spotlighted by DailyCandy, the It-girl newsletter of the Aughts, and Ali soon landed on the cover of USA Today in a feature on young entrepreneurs. “It was surreal,” she recalls. “I was 25, running this booming business out of my apartment, and suddenly I had employees, and then a Soho office, and press flying in left and right.”
“It was surreal,” she recalls. “I was 25, running this booming business out of my apartment, and suddenly I had employees, and then a Soho office, and press flying in left and right.”
“I loved costume jewelry for the creative freedom it offered—the bold colors, the scale, the playfulness,” Ali says. “But I missed the permanence, the substance, the meaning of fine jewelry. I missed the stones, the science, the legacy.”
Eventually, a leading jewelry manufacturer approached her with a well-timed acquisition offer, and she sold Charm & Chain—just ahead of welcoming her first child.
“While still running my previous business, I had quietly started consulting for friends and friends-of-friends—helping them navigate the engagement ring process using my industry connections, design sensibility, and gemological expertise,” she explains. “It was entirely word of mouth, but it quickly evolved into a significant business.” Engagement rings are often an adult’s first significant purchase, yet the process is notoriously opaque. “There’s so little trustworthy information out there,” she says. “I brought transparency to the experience—acting as the couple’s advocate, sourcing stones, offering design guidance, and often helping them come to a decision together while still preserving the element of surprise.”
“What started as a bespoke design service, quickly became its own full-blown luxury brand: Serpentine Jewels,” Ali smiles. “My deep relationships in the diamond world mean I can access stones most people would never otherwise see. And my approach is to be highly personal and totally collaborative. …My clients started coming back for additional purchases– and not just for engagement rings, but for push presents, anniversaries, re-imaginings of gems from a divorce, and just-because splurges. By the summer of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, my business exploded. People weren’t traveling and they weren’t entertaining. They wanted to invest in something personal and enduring—and jewelry offered both emotional and intrinsic value. In a time of market uncertainty, it became an intentional place to allocate capital: a tangible asset with staying power—one they could enjoy in the meantime!”
“But I missed the permanence, the substance, the meaning of fine jewelry. I missed the stones, the science, the legacy.”
In 2022, Ali opened Serpentine’s first brick-and-mortar location - a beautifully restored townhouse in downtown Greenwich that feels more like a chic atelier than a traditional jewelry store. “We wanted it to feel like you’re stepping into someone’s home,” she says. “Clients sit on velvet couches, sip champagne, play with jewelry, and talk about what matters most to them - what they want to celebrate, commemorate, or carry with them forever. I want to understand your story before designing something that’s going to live on your body for years to come… and I want you to truly love it! Bringing someone’s dream piece to life - whether it begins with a dusty diamond tucked away in a drawer or a nebulous Pinterest fantasy - and transforming it into something deeply personal, requires more than taste. It takes trust, and it takes heart. I care deeply about every piece, every story, and every person that I have the privilege to create with.”
While Serpentine’s ready-to-wear collection features modern staples like colorful sapphire tennis bracelets, mixed shape eternity bands, and layered diamond necklaces, the brand is rooted in bespoke design, with one-of-a-kind pieces that blur the line between art and heirloom. Alongside diamonds, Ali has also become known for her vibrant use of colored gemstones. As she puts it, “Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend…but every girl needs some multicolored sapphires, emeralds, rubies, or even a meaningful birthstone in her posse! Color brings a burst of joy and a touch of individuality.”
Ali and her team have designed everything from multi-generational rings that weave together family stones, to modular “transformer” earrings that transition from classic diamond studs to statement chandeliers, to engagement rings with jackets that convert into cocktail rings. She’s also started to focus on sourcing exceptional estate jewelry for her discerning clientele. With her signature “Jewelry Box Roadmap,” Ali helps clients thoughtfully build collections tailored to their lives—pieces they can acquire over time. “It’s not about impulse purchases,” she explains. “It’s about curating a meaningful collection that reflects your lifestyle, your values, and your story.”
Her process is equal parts art and science. Every design begins with a hand-drawn sketch, often tailored precisely to the exact dimensions of a rare stone Ali has sourced.
“Jewelry is emotional, but it’s also highly technical.”
“Jewelry is emotional, but it’s also highly technical,” she explains. “I’m obsessive about ensuring my clients receive great value, too. We work with the same diamond suppliers and master craftsmen as the Fifth Avenue jewelry houses—just without the Fifth Avenue markup,” she adds with a smile.
It’s this unique blend of design sensibility and behind-the-scenes savvy that has made Ali and Serpentine Jewels a favorite—not only among Greenwich’s glitterati, but with collectors, creatives, and connoisseurs across the country. As the brand continues to grow, Ali remains driven by the same mission that started it all: to create deeply personal pieces that commemorate life’s moments—big and small—with beauty, intention, and heart. It’s jewelry that tells a story—and she’s only getting started.
As featured in the May/June 2025 issue of Bedford & New Canaan Magazine.