About Elaine Miller Jewelry Collection in Raleigh North Carolina

About Elaine Miller

Elaine Miller Collection, located in Raleigh’s upscale North Hills Shopping Center, is a truly unique jewelry salon. From the magnificent antique mirrors and chandeliers to the one of a kind showcases, the atmosphere transports the shopper back to a golden age of elegance.

For over forty years, Elaine Miller has explored every facet of the jewelry business. Her store represents so much more than just her extensive knowledge of jewelry; it reflects a life spent in the pursuit of excellence.

Growing up in Brooklyn Heights, Elaine was surrounded by creative influences. Writers, directors, artists, and designers are all included in her family. But her greatest influences were her parents.

Her father owned an Army-Navy store and haberdashery that catered to New York’s longshoremen, military personnel, and those searching for a good product at a good value. It was at her father’s store that Elaine discovered blue jeans (and became among the first girls to wear them). It was also at her father’s store that she learned to give the customer the very best value possible.

It was from her mother’s example that Elaine learned style and fashion. Her mother was a milliner in the era when no lady’s ensemble was complete without a fabulous hat. She watched and learned as her mother selected the ribbons, flowers and bows that lovingly became stylish hats. Health concerns kept her mother from accompanying Elaine on her many shopping trips. As early as ten years old, Elaine went alone to select her own clothes and developed her own style….she like the elegant party dresses. She remembers her mother joking, “Just how many parties are you going to?”
But even then, jewelry was her passion. She looked forward to the boxes of jewelry her uncle, manufacturer of Jewels by Bogoff, would send her.

Creative genes, an eye for style and elegance, and a foundation in business values combined to set her firmly on the path that would lead to Elaine Miller Collection.

In her twenties, Elaine would browse the vintage shops of New York City. She would recognize the potential in the broken and second hand jewelry they sold there, sometimes buying it by the basketful. She would sit with the jewelry around her, sketch and design and rework until the basketful of used jewelry was reborn into new pieces with Elaine’s unique flair. Initially she gave these creations as gifts, but there soon developed such a demand for her jewelry that her hobby became the perfect business and creative outlet for a young woman who wanted to be a “work at home mom” for her son David. When David went off to college at Tufts, Elaine went off to school also. She enrolled in the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York to receive advanced instruction in the art and science of jewelry design and production. “She a great engineer,” says Elaine’s husband, Selwyn Miller. From the beginning, Selwyn encouraged and supported all her endeavors. Since retiring from his industrial hardware business, he became her right hand and advisor. After over fifty years, they are still the perfect partners.

While visiting the Triangle area in the late 1970’s, the Millers fell in love with the area. Elaine soon realized that the area would appreciate her offerings of antique and one-of-kind estate jewelry. For several years she showcased her jewelry in an antique store. In 2002, Elaine opened her own salon and began to expand her collection to include today’s leading designer – Elizabeth Locke, Mdviani, Christopher Designs, Chad Allison and North Carolina’s own Slane and Slane.

In addition to the salon in North Hills, Elaine also shows her extensive jewelry collection at antique shows in East Hampton, Palm Beach, Nantucket, New York City, and Alexandria, Virginia.

After years of dividing their time between New York and Raleigh, the Millers sold the house in Mamaroneck, New York and made Raleigh their permanent home.

Away from the salon, Elaine enjoys spending time with her family – son David, daughter-in-law Cathy, granddaughter Hallie and grandson Philip.

About once a month, she returns to New York City. The young mother browsing vintage shops is now an elegant woman selecting from among the very best estate and antique jewelry.

Elaine has these thoughts about her success. “Success just doesn’t happen. You must have passion, talent and a genuine love for your work. Success is the result of very hard work.”

Please contact Elaine with any questions or requests at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .