Carlton Gallery

Highly recommend the Carlton Gallery. My entire family shops here for their beautiful fine quality jewelry. I get many compliments on their unique and often one of a kind pieces of jewelry. They also have some awesome bronzes. The staff is very courteous and aim to please.

I completely agree with Kristin F’s review. i came into Carlton’s because of the jewelry, and was interested in quite a few pieces. The employees were willing to make deals, and were very helpful and friendly. However, a lot of the diamonds weren’t great quality and seemed to have no shine or sparkle whatsoever. The one ring I loved that looked really sparkly under the inside lights was completely dead when I went outside — so obviously not of high clarity.
I know estate jewelry doesn’t always come with paperwork, but I think its important to know what you’re buying, and I feel like at Carlton you can’t always be sure. The other antiques are very interesting, and I’ll go back to look and browse, but I’d be wary to spend too much money on something when I’m not sure about the exact quality or value.

Carlton Gallery is interesting, so much in fact that my boyfriend and I tend to stop by most times we head to Prospect Street.
This upscale second-​hand shop – not sure if calling it either a «pawn» or «consignment» shop is accurate – is located adjacent to La Valencia Hotel and is painted flamingo pink to match the hotel.
Let me cut to the chase. Carlton Gallery offers loads of elegant and some extremely tacky home décor items such as sculptures and furniture, but the most eye-​catching stuff at Carlton Gallery involves the jewelry selection. Specifically, the huge diamond estate engagement rings staring at you through the windows.
The catch? A good percentage of the monster engagement rings aren’t certified. My guy and I got excited over a fantastic diamond solitaire here a few months ago – the gentleman who helped us gave us an amazing price and also offered to slightly redesign the setting more to my liking – only to realize that the deal was too good to be true. Why? The diamond wasn’t certified. Totally disappointing, and of course the employees aren’t quick to point out when diamond certification is nonexistent.
Carlton Gallery is a fun place to hit up if you’re into deals on estate items, but be careful.

When I walked into Carlton Gallery the other day, it turned out the store was closed. There was no way I could have known that, as it was during business hours, the windows were plastered with signs advertising a liquidation sale, and the front door was wide open. Nonetheless, the man inside (apparently one of the two owners) was incredibly rude to me when he asked me to leave, and when I suggested quite politely that he might want to put up a «closed» sign, he responded with a very vulgar obscenity. I’m guessing he’s under considerable stress; the store appears to have fallen on hard times, and he himself seemed to be in extremely poor health. (He had a sickly complexion, rheumy eyes, and hideously decayed teeth.) Even so, I found his belligerence totally inexcusable, and even a bit frightening, as for a moment he appeared to be on the verge of a violent episode. I would strongly advise anyone shopping in La Jolla to give this establishment a very wide berth.