Celtic Viking Jewelry

What: Grand opening.

When: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 18.

Where: 216 First St. in Langley.

To learn more about the Celtic Viking Jewelry, stop by the shop, visit their

Web site at www.celticjewelry.com or call

221-5505.

LANGLEY — After working for 10 years at one of South Whidbey’s best known family businesses, Linds, Bret Christensen decided it was time to start his own family affair.

“He wanted his own family business,” wife Goldie Christensen said. And so Celtic Viking Jewelry was born.

The vision is currently hidden behind shop windows covered with brown paper and a bit distorted by the hustle and bustle of renovations at the shop at 216 First Street. But the Christensens are determined to turn the shop into a gem to let their custom jewelry shine.

The jewelry shop is moving into the space that was formerly occupied by Act II Puppets and Books.

Bret Christensen is the owner, goldsmith and creative mastermind of Celtic Viking

Jewelry that will open Tuesday, April 15 on Langley’s First Street. A grand-opening is planned for Friday, April 18.

Christensen is combining his love for jewelry with his nordic heritage and is fulfilling a dream by opening up his shop on First Street with his wife.

The couple will sell custom jewelry, Scandinavian and Irish gifts and offer jewelry repairs, Goldie Christensen said. He will also work in the shop, so with a bit of luck shoppers will get to observe Christensen’s art as it is created.

It was never a question to leave Langley when the idea for a shop of their own began to take shape.

“He really loves this community,” she said. “He is really, really involved.”

Those who don’t know him as the jeweler at Linds in Langley probably know Christensen from his involvement with the Highland Games in Greenbank or with the Back Country Horsemen.

Christensen spent his high school years creating art sculpture with fire and metal. His interests also led him to create wearable art.

He is now sharing this passion with students at Oak Harbor High School where he teaches courses.

He worked full time as a jeweler and goldsmith at Linds in Langley and is a Gemological Institute of America certified colored stones graduate.

Christensen’s one-of-a-kind designs and his gift for working with people to make their ideas a reality have given him his reputation for solid craftsmanship with a creative flair that he is now ready to market under his own label, Goldie Christensen said.

The shop will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., six days a week.

To learn more about the Celtic Viking

Jewelry, stop by the shop or check out their Web site at www.celticjewelry.com or call

221-5505.