Once a slinger of pancakes and syrups, Jeff Bulman now pours his heart into gold and silver. The mostly retired Bethesda resident and owner of three Original Pancake House restaurants is now soldering semiprecious gemstones into unique necklaces, rings, earrings and bracelets—a hobby he has transformed into a lucrative side hustle.
“It’s just a passion of mine,” the 82-year-old says. “I love the process of making jewelry.”
The shift from businessman to artisan was circuitous. Bulman always had an interest in art, even earning a bachelor’s degree in environmental design at the now-defunct Philadelphia College of Art after receiving a business degree from Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island. He ultimately chose to pursue business, but that longing to work in a creative capacity stayed with him.
“I worked for some design firms, a builder, and built some houses,” he says, noting that he spent 15 years selling high-end office furniture. In 1991, Bulman had the opportunity to get into the restaurant business, a calling that ran in the family—his brother Larry Bulman owns Burger King restaurants and his uncle Roy Passin owned Roy’s Place in Gaithersburg. Now Bulman owns pancake restaurants in Bethesda, Rockville and Falls Church, Virginia.
In 2016, a friend mentioned jewelry-making lessons at SilverWorks Studio & Gallery in Glen Echo Park.
“I said, ‘Gee, that sounds like fun,’ ” he says. “I took one class, now I’ve taken maybe 15. I got completely hooked.”
The results are handmade statement pieces: big and bold or small and simple earrings and necklaces, as well as bracelets and rings for men and women. The design and construction happens in his home workshop, where Bulman spends four to six hours a day, five days a week, perfecting his craft. The artisan incorporates sterling silver, gold, handblown glass and precious and semiprecious stones into his pieces.
“Jeff has a great eye for design,” says Jan Solomon, a fellow jewelry designer based in Washington, D.C. “He tries new techniques and incorporates them into his work.”
Noting that they are “kindred spirits,” Solomon has witnessed Bulman’s metamorphosis in the jewelry-making world, often attending markets where he sells his wares and observing customers’ responses. She has even invested in a triangular pink glass pendant created by Bulman, who partnered with Massachusetts glassmaker Carrie Gustafson for the handblown piece. Hanging from a delicate gold chain, the fuchsia pendant displays subtle variations and a bold hue that stands out beautifully against the warm gold.
“For me to buy a piece of somebody else’s jewelry, it has to be something that I don’t do myself,” she says. “I finally said, ‘Quit ogling it, just buy it already.’ It’s just lovely.”
Susan Calderon and her partner, Steve Lash, wanted bespoke rings to symbolize their commitment to each other. Conventional store-bought jewelry wouldn’t do.
“I wanted to get something unique, and I got [Bulman’s] name from a friend of mine,” says Calderon, who lives in Vienna, Virginia. “Jeff took his time with us—it was a great experience—it really was a collaboration.”
The couple loves wearing the final product. Forged in the cool luster of white gold, the identical commitment rings embody the essence of unity and enduring love. The wide bands have a single continuous indentation encircling each ring’s circumference, a whisper of depth and dimension against the smooth, polished surface.
“There’s a beautiful simplicity, I would say maybe even a little elegance,” Calderon says, describing the rings.
Bulman sells his products at local markets, on his website, jbulmandesigns.com, and through Instagram @jeff.bulman. He also shows pieces at Bethesda’s Waverly Street Gallery, and says he finds inspiration from nature, sculpture, paintings and architecture.
“I absolutely love the process; I don’t follow trends,” he says.
Washington, D.C.-based artist Pam Gregory is another fan who owns numerous Bulman originals.
“His rings are beyond beautiful,” she says. “The thing about them is that they’re different; I’ve never seen anything like them.”
Bulman says he sells 30 to 40 pieces a year at prices ranging from $150 to $2,500. He’s happy to continue creating heirloom-quality jewelry and leaves the daily operation of his three restaurants to his son-in-law. But he says he enjoys staying connected to high-level business dealings.
“Being a jeweler without the name of Cartier, you’re not going to feed yourself,” he says. “That’s why I still own the restaurants.”
This appears in the May/June 2025 issue of Bethesda Magazine.
