When Lori Moyer and Jamie Bauman combined forces to form Moyer Bauman Jewelers in January, they weren’t just creating a new business. They were merging 60 years of industry experience and a shared passion for making personal connections with their customers.
Moyer is a third-generation jeweler. Her grandfather, B.P. Moyer, founded Moyer Jewelers in downtown State College in 1949. At 13, she accompanied her father, Gary Moyer, to a trade show, where he allowed her to choose three pairs of earrings to sell in the store. She began officially working there as a senior in high school. After graduating from Penn State, she studied gemology in California and accompanied her father on diamond-buying trips to Belgium, working all the while at Moyer Jewelers before taking over as owner-operator in 2008.
It was there that she first met Bauman, who worked as a goldsmith for the store after earning a fine arts degree with a focus on metals from Penn State in 2005 and apprenticing with a master goldsmith.
Bauman grew up in Lancaster County as the daughter of two artists, potters who sold their Penn State-focused art at craft shows. She left Moyer Jewelers after eight years to follow in her parents’ footsteps, starting her own small business making jewelry and selling it at craft shows.
Meanwhile, Moyer had also struck out on her own after deciding to close Moyer Jewelers in 2018—a decision that surprised many community members because the business was thriving.
“The main reason I closed Moyer Jewelers is because it was consuming my life,” she explains, but she never lost her desire to work with jewelry and the public.
Initially, her focus was solely on continuing Moyer Jewelers’ Penn State jewelry line, which she sold through a website and at a pop-up shop inside Lions Pride (another Moyer family business) on football and graduation weekends.
However, former store customers began reaching out to Moyer directly for custom pieces, while former vendors with whom she had developed close relationships were looking for a way to continue selling their jewelry in the State College area.
She expanded the offerings on her website and started designing custom jewelry—but she needed Bauman’s help.
“I can design it, but I can’t make it, so if I designed something or if we were redoing an antique piece, I would take it to Jamie and she would do the actual creating or the actual setting of the stone,” Moyer says.
In 2024, Bauman and Moyer attended a gem show together in Tucson, Arizona.
“We had so much fun together, we thought, ‘Why are we doing this separately?’” Bauman says.
When space adjacent to Moyer’s office on Enterprise Drive in Cato Park opened up, Bauman moved her studio in, and Moyer Bauman Jewelers was born. Although they do not operate as a typical retail store (customers are encouraged to visit by appointment), they are a full-service jeweler, offering services such as custom design, repair work, and appraisals. They also carry pieces by other jewelry designers, curated by Moyer.
The studio features display cases holding Bauman’s own creations, which she says are inspired by nature.
“Everything I make is pretty functional for everyday wear. Jewelry should be worn and enjoyed,” she says.
Most of Bauman’s pieces are fabricated, meaning she cuts, saws, and solders them from materials like sheet metal and wire. She also creates wax molds of some pieces and sends them out to be cast before setting the stones and polishing.
“I really enjoy doing one-of-a-kind pieces. I like custom work for that reason,” she says.
Customers are encouraged to be as involved in the design of custom pieces as they choose. Some come armed with photos from Instagram or Pinterest, while others are inspired by Bauman’s sketches. Sometimes the work is extraordinarily custom: Bauman says she once created a bracelet using metal plates that were formerly inside the customer’s ankle.
Both Moyer and Bauman have designed Penn State jewelry, also on display in the studio. Their current bestseller is the “Lounging Lion,” a design featuring a Nittany Lion resting inside of a circle, available in a sterling silver necklace or earrings ($185-$295) as well as in more high-end versions set with sapphires and diamonds ($1,895).
Moyer Bauman has partnered with the university on some projects, including the exclusive re-release of the vintage “Love Ya Lions” bubble-letter emblem, and a collector’s ornament entitled “A Night Game at Beaver Stadium,” designed by Bauman.
The pair say going into business together has been extremely rewarding.
“What I really like about this opportunity are the one-on-one interactions with people—hearing the story of why we’re redesigning a piece they already have, or what certain pieces mean to them,” Moyer says.
“It’s a personal experience for us, and also for the customer,” Bauman adds. “To see somebody leave happy with a piece of jewelry that they get to wear and enjoy, it’s really a joy for us. I think ultimately that’s why we both do this.”
Visit moyerbaumanjewelers.com to order online or to set up an appointment for a consultation. The Penn State collection is also available at Lions Pride’s pop-up shop during football weekends. T&G
Karen Walker is a freelance writer in State College.
