About Us

Gary Thrapp
Born in Indianapolis, raised in Kendallville, Indiana and educated at Indiana University, Gary Thrapp was a state and national high school pole vault champion and attended I.U. on an athletic scholarship. From there, Gary found new roots in lovely, artsy Santa Barbara, California where he learned the art of design composition through an association with retired Jewelry Workmaster, Willy Hanzi. Mr. Hanzi was shop master at Rusk’s of Beverly Hills and later, Van Cleef and Arpels. It was through this association that Gary was immersed in the fine art of model making and fabrication styles and methods as they relate to the exceptional skill set of recognizing and creating world-class jewelry as an art form. Although not a craftsman, Gary’s knowledge of jewelry making methodology is the basis for design navigation and the crux of assisting clients to realize their custom objectives. What sets G. Thrapp Jewelers apart is our advanced working knowledge of achieving expectations. G. Thrapp strives to inspire client confidence, while establishing a relaxed atmosphere. Gary has driven the G. Thrapp Jewelers philosophy that the store’s goal, above all else, is to achieve the client’s objectives.

Sales Staff

Carol Golden began her venture into buying as a child in her family’s store, Hillman’s Jewelers. Born in Terre Haute and the daughter of Allen Felstein and granddaughter of George Felstein, Carol’s first experiences came as she watched her father own and mange his stores. At the age of fifteen, Carol started working behind the counter and her love for the artistry and composition of jewelry was ignited. Educated at Indiana University in Special Education, Carol embarked on a career in the public school system. In 1987, Carol was referred by a friend to meet with Gary Thrapp, owner of the newly established G. Thrapp Jewelers, to interview for a sales position. Carol began work at G. Thrapp the day after her initial interview and has remained an asset to the store for over twenty years. During her tenure at Thrapp, Carol has had the opportunity to work with clients, as well as manage the sales staff and serve as the store’s head buyer, attending the annual jewelry trade shows and scouring fashion magazines in search of the ‘next big thing’. Carol’s true love lies in fashion jewelry; an infatuation that was enhanced when a newly discovered David Yurman first walked in the store and G. Thrapp became the first jeweler in Indiana to carry the line. Carol thrives on a true belief for small, local stores because they create the greatest opportunity to work with the clients that they serve. It is the clients that are Carol’s true passion and she relishes the opportunity to work to meet their evolving needs and desires.

Ellen Bower began her journey into jewelry design while still in high school. After graduating a year early, Ellen began study as a Fine Arts Major in Sculpture at John Herron School of Art. During her tenure at Herron, she began working for a jeweler and her true passion was ignited after being exposed to the detail and scale of jewelry design. After eight years, she transitioned to a new position with a major manufacturer where she learned the complete manufacturing process, her focus being in Research and Development designing and creating the master models for their jewelry lines. In 1993, Ellen began her career at G. Thrapp Jewelers. At that time there were two jewelers and much of the design and manufacture work was out-sourced. Ellen was promoted to the Head of the Design Studio and, within five years of her start, all of the work was being done in-house and a full Design Studio was established. In 1999, she became the Vice President of G. Thrapp Jewelers and embraced the challenges of integrating new technologies, management, design, and old world tradition. Ellen thrives on a strong work ethic and a true belief that competition is from within, always striving to reach her personal best. Ellen has remained at G. Thrapp for fourteen years because she believes the organization to be an art form in itself. It allows her to grow and learn in a limitless fashion, always pushing the boundaries on what is comfortable into new and exciting possibilities. In her career, Ellen has become a nationally recognized Master Jeweler with a true passion for design as beautiful as the pieces that she creates.

Design Staff