Edited by Zoe Siegel

Venturing to the Meatpacking District can be a surreal experience in itself, and even more so if you stumble upon some of the area's best jewelry niches. Whether you're looking to window-shop or really shop, a few hours with these gorgeous collections is well worth the trip.

The Crangi Family Project is located right next to Pastis, yet another Meatpacking landmark, and screams designer elegance. The place smells and looks as eclectic its collection, as little bowls of incense and dim lighting set the atmosphere. The store located at 9 Ninth Ave is actually Philip Crangi's first store in New York, although his designs are also sold at Bergdorf Goodman as well as locations all around the world. The collection incorporates African beading and metalwork into heavier pieces, as well as delicate gold and silver pendants in other, simpler pieces. Several shelves against the back wall display even more adventurous costume jewelry.

Just a few blocks away from Crangi is Ten Thousand Things, another impressive and unassuming shop. Visitors must actually be buzzed in after ringing a doorbell, which allows the employees to devote their attention to guests with questions or people who would like to look at catalogs of further designs. The store mainly carries the Ten Thousand Things line, as well as several other designers whose work is designated with their names along the many walls of shelves. Large, white and well-lit, the place deviates from the style of Crangi in many ways, particularly with the use of bright colors and round, polished stones in the collection.

Located at 423 W.14th (212-352-1333), the shop is unfortunately easy to miss, as the interior of the store is preceded by a hallway and cannot be seen at all from the outside. Oddly enough, the woman managing Crangi Family Project also mentioned that people often argue with her that there is no 9 Ninth Ave. So now with these two addresses in hand, keep in mind that these two "gems" of the Meatpacking District are waiting to be found and explored!