Once upon a time, as the legend goes, a young Frenchman came to the Black Hills of South Dakota, confident that he would find and stake his claim to a fortune. A master goldsmith by trade, he was ill-prepared for the rigorous physical work of prospecting.
As he wandered through the hills and streams, he was enthralled by the magnificent beauty of the Black Hills area but longed fro his family and friends so far away. His search for gold met with little success. Tired and discouraged, he fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of the beautiful vineyards of his homeland. He awakend refreshed. With renewed spirit he was determined to make his fortune, not with pick and shovel, but by applying the skills of his trade. He used his remaining funds to purchase gold from more successful prospectors and, using a special alloying process, hardened the precious metal into pale green, rose and bright yellow karat gold. Inspired by the visions of his dream, he cast grape leaves and clusters of the three colors and created Black Hills Gold Jewelry.
Grandpa Grape is the official logo of the South Dakota Gold Company and is recognized nationwide.
By law, Black Hills Gold Jewelry must be manufactured in the Black Hills of South Dakota, No other jewelry can be named or marketed as such. It is the Official State Jewelry of South Dakota and is unlike any other jewelry in the world
