Page 5 - BusinessWest March 2, 2026

Aurora Jewelers has a wall of engagement photos featuring
rings purchased there.
Julie M. Quink, CPA and Deborah J. Penzias, CPA
Richard F. Burkhart, CPA and Salvatore J. Pizzanelli, CPA, JD, PFS
The talented team at Burkhart Pizzanelli
The talented team at Burkhart Pizzanelli provides
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and financial services. Feel free to call on us at
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413.734.9040.
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lady come in one night. She had this incredible, 22-karat solid gold
Peruvian cross, handmade in Peru. I mean, the design work and the
soldering that went into this it was incredible. And she said, ‘I want
you to polish this cross for me; I want to put it in a shadowbox.’”
Instead, he convinced her to repurpose it into three new pieces,
one of which was a ring she gave to her daugh-
ter. “That was a very rewarding thing — and
they’ve come back. They’re really great people.
But that was one of those moments where
I was repurposing people’s pieces and giv-
ing them a new life and a new story. That’s so
important. Because once it’s melted, it’s gone.
And the cash will be gone, too.
“I love the stories of jewelry. Not only is it
art, but you get to hear about people,” Murning
went on. “It’s one way you keep people alive.
Like, ‘my grandfather bought this for my grand-
mother in 1915 on 46th Street in New York
City.’ You know what I mean? And you can imag-
ine what that scene looked like. So the romance
behind it is really nice too.”
One of the most significant aspects of Murn-
ing’s business is engagement rings and wedding
bands. In fact, he has a wall of photographs on his wall taken by
happy couples right after proposals using his rings — another way
he sees his job as celebrating history in the making, not just selling
jewelry.
“I had a fun couple come in; they said, ‘we’re obsessed with the
galaxy.’ And I was like, ‘OK, why don’t I make you a ring that looks
like the galaxy?’ And they’re like, ‘you can do that?’ I was like, ‘of
course I can.’ It was three rows of diamonds that were circling like
a hurricane. And then, in the center, was a mystic topaz which shim-
mers different colors. So the whole ring looked like the galaxy. And
they were blown away by it.”
Murning can wax nostagic when he talks about the value of what
he does, and the way his pieces reflect history as much as they
reflects light.
Business W est
Business Talk
“Our first full
calendar year was
2024, and it was
great — way better
than I ever expected.
In 2025, we did 39%
higher. So it just
keeps growing.”
P O D C A S T
Now Streaming!
Julie Quink,
Managing Principal,
Burkhart Pizzanelli, P.C.:
Beyond The Numbers
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MARCH 2, 2026
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