Swallow

Swallow is an ethereal, odd, and beautiful gift shop in the heart of Carroll Gardens. There’s a wide range of jewelry, gems, home goods, and odd gifts for anyone on your list who’ll appreciate an unusual present. The shop sets itself apart from other neighborhood stores in that it’s not particularly cutesy, twee, or precious.

A nice selection of jewelry, glass and other pieces that’s far from the run-​of-​the-​mill.

This store is beautiful.
I had seen some of the small sculptures/​objects they sell in the Magpie store in uws and took a trip to the store in Brooklyn especially to stock up on gifts.
I think they are just beautiful, thoughtful objects with a presence, and to have something of that thought at affordable prices is lovely. Prices range a lot, so you can spend very little or much more.
I love their little hands sculptures.
Also, they wrap presents beautifully.

I visited this store today and I was really underwhelmed. There were a few pretty items, but nothing was exceptional and the selection was very limited.

I stopped by this place on the way to find cannolis, and was pleased with my impromptu exploration of Swallow. So many fun treasures to look at, and touch (but be gentle). All of themes are earthly and natural, with wood carved buck busts and cast metal thorny bramble pieces. The prices are way out of my league (you know, the food stamp one), but if you have money, want nice things, and are down to support true artists who work with metal and glass and wood and prints, then please, come by here and buy something.
The only thing I actually thought about buying was a $ 3.50 blank note card, with a really cool old print that said good luck. There were also ones with old paintings of New York things, buildings, bridges, boats. Very cool, and affordable art (and gifts for friends!)

Ria Charisse’s rings take on organic shapes, creating interesting forms and designs. I’m in love with the swallow branch and cognac diamond ring as well as the branch ring with diamonds for buds.
It’s like somehow this woman peeked inside my head and knew just how to make rings that haunt me.
I’ve already ordered a ring designed by Ria Charisse, and am thinking of buying a necklace from her.
And the prices? Very nice. Won’t break my wallet, which is great, because I owe that bitch called student loans a shit ton of money.

This is one of my favorite stores, full of gift and home items that I would describe as delicate, beautiful and/​or a little macabre, all very special. Lots of beautiful blown glass sits with porcelain sea creatures, metal birds, etc, each vignette color coordinated. Their jewelry selection is very carefully selected as well.
If you have someone that is arty and unusual that needs a gift, this is the place to go! I disagree that it is not affordable, as some items, such as glass eggs, little metal charms, etc., are way under $ 10.
Note: the shop is not very well air conditioned, which does not bother me, but can be a bit much for some people.

gorgeous store.
cute house stuff, cards and gifts.
some of my faves were the amethyst quartz rings, the iron pyrite balls, the fabulous wind chimes, and the spiderweb glass plates.
really amazing items.

Upon moving into Carroll Gardens, I found myself overwhelmed by artsy little design boutiques that sell knick-​knacks. This is definitely the neighborhood for knick-​knack-​buying. But Swallow stood out for me– a little more cozy, a little less pretentious. Maybe it was the dim lighting. I was kind of nervous about knocking something over and was very disheveled from walking in the windy cold, so one of the employees was watching me like a hawk. That was kind of annoying but understandable, I suppose.
There isn’t really anything useful or affordable here, but it’s all gorgeous. A great place to buy a gift for someone very special.

If a Godspeed You Black Emperor! song materialized and grew into a store, this would be it.
Swallow is full of moody, intricate treasures. There’s an emphasis on the elements. Wood, metal, water, air.
Yesterday, my partner in crime and I decided to walk from downtown Brooklyn to the IKEA in Red Hook. (Lovely walk, hellish destination. We just went for the water taxi ride.) On the way, we passed a painted black awning with weathered silver birds sewn onto it. That drew us in.
The first things I noticed inside were carved wooden deer heads, high on the left wall. Then tiny cast pewter letters made to look like twigs. Glass paperweights where the bubbles inside formed intricate jellyfish. Pocket sized daguerrotypes of someone’s forgotten relatives. Hazy, soft focus photos of quaint plastic toys on vintage wallpaper. Glossy black glass coasters with silvery spiderwebs inside.
They know how to set an atmosphere!

one of my all time favorite shops. They mix art with nature and class. My favorites are the spider web plaques. Antler and coral nick nacks, sea urchin bowls, modernist jewelry etc. They are expensive, but it’s not just housewares, it’s art.

While «Dandelion» in San Francisco is the best spot to find a good gift for anyone and everyone, for every occasion, Swallow is where you go to find something (or two, three, or ten) truly unique for yourself and /​or your collector-​ish friends. 90% of what I saw in this store was fetching enough to want to take home with me, right now!
My best friend took me here during my recent visit to New York and although the store is the size of a large bedroom we easily spent an hour hovering over and handling beautiful objects and jewelry made from a great variety of materials — much of it, as Dan B. mentions below, quite fragile. Being a tall gal who occasionally trips and falls, I chose to leave my shoulder bag at the service counter at the back of the room so I could really put my eyes, hands and attentions to better purpose in here!
The store should please people who enjoy animal and insect imagery in the things they wear and adorn their houses with as you can’t walk more than a few steps without finding a sculpted deer head, painted beetle or etched bee.
Service was nice too, with careful packaging and helpful tips about how to care for the ring I’d chosen.

How’d I know my sweetheart would beat me to this review? While its competitors on Smith Street are fine (Environments, Husker, etc.), Swallow kicks major butt in the unique gift dept. Walk gingerly with your backpack in this store of things that go «break,» but take your time — look in all the crevices — and don’t forget to listen to the few CDs on the wall near the door, too. Perfect for the collector of little fragile thingys.

This is a beautiful store full of hand blown glass, artful jewelry and small treasures. It is a great place for gift buying or for treating yourself to something beautiful. I love everything in this store and take all of the out of towners in and encourage them to buy things. Sometimes I feel guilty for window shopping too often with out buying, but the aesthetics are so pleasing. There are other gift/​craft shops in the neighborhood but this is by far my favorite.
Update 10÷1÷07: I just bumped up my review to 5 stars (not sure why I left off the 5^th star before). On my exit from my Brooklyn neighborhood, this is the shop that I will surely miss the most.