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we have very large diamonds if somebody wants to purchase something
extremely expensive... Whatever budget is coming in,” he stresses,
“we’ll try to find something for them.”
Mike points out that Bryant & Sons, which does a “big bridal
business,” has “always been pretty traditional. We sell a lot of diamond
jewelry, some colored-stone jewelry, but more of the traditional: rubies,
sapphires, emeralds, gold jewelry, and some pearls,” he says.
The company does its own settings. “Not everything in the store is
handmade,” Mike notes, “but we do a lot of custom work.” They don’t
offer lapidary or cutting, however; Bryant only works with cut stones.
“We do buy estate jewelry,” Mike says, “and we take trade-ins
and remodel jewelry. If you have an heirloom or a piece of jewelry in
which you like the jewel(s) but not the setting, we’ll make something
else with it, working with you and a designer.” The in-house designer
will speak with a customer to figure out what he or she is looking for,
upon customer satisfaction. “We’re just happy with the support we’ve
received from customers in Santa Barbara and around the country and
the world that keep buying from us,” Mike says.
All we can say to that is: Happy Anniversary!
Bryant & Sons (812 State Street, Santa Barbara; 805-966-9187
or 800-552-4367) is open 10 am to 5:30 pm Monday through Saturday
and from noon to 5 pm on Sundays in December only. Bryant & Sons in
the upper village (1482 East Valley Road; 805-565-4411 or 800-442-
2604) is open from Monday through Friday 10 am to 5 pm and is closed
Saturday and Sunday except for two weeks in December, when they open
weekends for the convenience of holiday shoppers.
and will then create a pencil sketch or a CAD 3-D image, “and if there
are adjustments to make we’ll do it in conjunction with the customer,”
Mike promises, “so that in the end, it’s exactly what they want.”
One caveat Mike offers about re-designing older pieces is that
“If you have a beautiful period piece, or one signed by, say, Tiffany &
Co., or Harry Winston, we’d encourage you to just trade it in and get
something else. It’d be a shame to melt it down or tear it apart.” He
also suggests turning in heirlooms that may be significant, as “some of
that old filigree work is too valuable to mess with.”
Bryant & Sons carries four watch lines: Breitling, Cartier, Patek
Philippe, and Baume & Mercier. Other name brands available at the
two shops include Mikimoto pearls and Roberto Coin gold jewelry,
“but most of it is Bryant & Sons.”
As for their 50th anniversary, there will be no big celebration,
just a joyous acknowledgement that the company’s longevity is based
