Our Story

As an art dealer and the owner of M. C. Ginsberg in Iowa City, Mark Ginsberg has created something more than a profitable business dedicated to the bottom line. Soon after buying his father’s jewelry store in 1985, he established the M. C. Ginsberg Fund to better serve the arts community in Iowa City through free exhibitions, public lectures, artist’s workshops, and community arts events.

If one takes from their community, they are morally and ethically bound to return with the same vigor. Nietzsche put it well, “If you have a why to live for, you can bear any how.”

SINCE 1985…

M. C. Ginsberg has provided a team of professional jewelers who are passionate about educating and advising you on the rarest jewelry and watch collections throughout the world. There are no luxuries beyond our reach or yours. We look forward to connecting to the current generation and those to follow.

Our Philosophy

At M.C. Ginsberg, our commitment is to provide only the finest quality objects, or help you custom create your own object of art.

Each object in our store is hand selected on the basis of superior artistic and intrinsic value from sources around the world.

Our professional staff, educated by the Gemological Institute of America, is trained to provide a host of personalized services to fulfill your every wish.

Just use your imagination and discover at M.C. Ginsberg what you won’t find anywhere else.

Our Vision

M.C. Ginsberg Jewelers supports the arts as enrichment for the whole community. Soon after buying his fathers jewelry store in 1985, Mark Ginsberg established the M.C. Ginsberg Fund to serve the arts community in Iowa City through free exhibitions, public lectures, artists workshops, and community arts events.

Known for initiating cultural programming as well as hoping to inspire other businesses, large and small, to follow its lead, M.C. Ginsberg Jewelers spans more than two decades of committed activism in the arts.

Our Mission

If M.C. Ginsberg had a mission statement, it would be “chaos rules.” That’s because M.C. Ginsberg is not solely a jewelry store.

The retail space showcases its inventory in a series of drawers, encouraging clients to explore like anthropologists.

The second floor is a gallery and incubator for custom designing for you. The second floor houses original works for viewing and for sale as well as specially curated exhibitions presenting jewelry as works of art.