Joan Good Antiques

Avoid this store like the plague. The owner Joan Good is in her own words a racist. She chased me out of her store exclaiming that I could not afford to buy anything there. And then admitted that she is a racist (FYI I am an African American woman). I was visiting New Orleans for the National Urban League Conference. Not only did she force me out of the store, but she let a white man in and then locked the door. Exclaiming to him that I was a bore. The irony is I could afford everything in her store — I just don’t want to be ripped off with ridiculously high prices. So I had asked her whether her prices were firm — several years back I had gone to the store and the prices for the same exact pieces had gone up 2x even though they had been sitting in the store for 2 years. Noone should be treated in this manner. And people like Ms. Good gives New Orleans a terrible name. And fulfills the many stereotypes when one thinks of racist people.

Joan Good is 88 years old New Orleans original and she has run this shop on Royal Street forever. She is very knowledgeable about her antiques but be aware that she does not suffer fools. Based on the other reviews here, I’m glad to see she’s still the same:-)

Walked in overheard this conversation:
Customer: Well i saw one in Germany on vacation but I didn’t trust the authenticity
Owner: What’s not to trust? The only thing Germany is known for is killing those Jews. Not replica jewelry. Yea. The Jews. That was despicable.
Customer: :Gets up walks out:
lol. really? lol.

This is a lovely place on Royal St. known for its antique shops.
Antique shops always draw me right in and the ones on Royal Street were no exception.
I’ve always been a sucker for a time-​honored piece piece of jewelry.
I was lucky enough to get my husband’s great-grandmother’s engagement ring as my own.
This ring is originally from the Edwardian era which has led me to search out other pieces from that time or made in that style.
It was an interesting time in history following as it did the Victorian era which many of us tend to know more about.
At Joan Good Antiques, you’ll find quite an array of jewelry, not all of it antique and not all of it precious.
It’s just a fun treasure hunt to look around to see what you might find on any particular visit.
Sifting through things is always half the excitement for me in going to antique shops whether it’s for jewelry or anything else.
I did find some pieces with gorgeous metal work, beautiful gem stones and some captivating amber pieces. I’ve become interested in cameos the last few years and there were a couple of nice examples here.
Alas, I didn’t buy anything on this trip and there was nothing Edwardian this time; I was sorely tempted by a couple of things however.
I’ll be back for another look-​see on my next trip.
A walk down Royal Street while in New Orleans is a must in my opinion and this is one of many antique places worth your while.
The antiques you find in various cities across the country provide another way of learning something about history so I think they’re worth seeking out.

When I originally called Joan Good Antiques to ask if they had any antique or estate engagement or gemstone rings, Mrs. Good became positively rude. She said she didn’t have any engagement rings and when I asked about gemstone rings, because I’m not looking for anything traditional, she stated, «I get this question every day and I do not have it.» Before I had a chance to even say «Thanks anyways,» she hung up on me! She didn’t even say goodbye! What a way to treat a customer!
While ring shopping in New Orleans on Royal Street, I accidentally entered her store (had I known which store it was, I wouldn’t have entered) and found she had tons of rings exactly as I described in both yellow gold and white gold! I looked at several that exactly matched my description while on the phone with her! But once I realized where I was, I quickly left the place. Very interestingly, I later entered another jewelry store far down Royal Street and heard a conversation between the jeweler and a local customer about Joan Good! The jeweler told the customer that she was known as the «Royal Street Nazi» and the two swapped numerous anecdotes about her rude treatment of customers! If it weren’t for New Orleans endless stream of clueless tourists, I doubt such a place with such an owner could stay in business! Go elsewhere for your jewelry!