OWNER: Julez Bryant; URL: julez.com; FOUNDED: 2003; OPENED FEATURED LOCATION: 2020; RENOVATED: 2022;AREA: 1,000 square feet; TOP BRANDS: Julez Bryant, Jamie Joseph, Celine D’Aoust, Artemer, Jennifer Demoro; EMPLOYEES: 4; ONLINE PRESENCE: 889 Facebook followers

Julez Bryant

FOR YEARS, JULEZ WARD was the queen of trunk shows. As a jewelry designer, she built her brand visiting retail stores.

At the same time, she longed to have her own store, in part because she wanted to see the full collection on display exactly as she imagined it.

“I realized it was time for me to try a new route to bring it to the world on our own, to control our destiny,” she says.

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Once that goal was established, she began searching in the design district of her hometown, Solana Beach. When she did find her spot, she was finally ready to open in March 2020, which admittedly wasn’t the best timing. “I hired our gallery director and laid her off on the same day,” Ward recalls, as COVID shut down her dream.

Still, she found a way to work around it. As a wholesaler, she’d been late to e-commerce, but she began to emphasize that aspect of the business. COVID’s focus on e-commerce leveled the playing field, she believes, making retailers and designers more of a team.

She was also able to bring one sales associate at a time into the store to meet with customers by appointment and host private meetings for designer friends, too, until she could fully open months later. “We tried to build a community and it ended up working out,” she says.

The store showcases her namesake Julez Bryant collection along with a mix of 13 acclaimed and emerging designers, all known for their artisanal approach to jewelry making.

It’s a great time for artisans and stores that celebrate the craft of jewelry to shine, she says.

“Clients are really valuing how jewelry is made and are curious about the story behind each piece because it’s becoming increasingly rare to view objects made by hand. We’ve found that people are always looking for things that feel personal and unique to them.”

Ward sells her jewelry to lifestyle stores, gallery-style stores and traditional fine jewelry stores. In traditional stores, she’s seen owners struggle to capture self-purchasers because many of them have been designed for men to buy for women. She kept that in mind when creating her own store. She wants her female clients to feel comfortable not only just to be in a fine jewelry store, but also to treat themselves and feel that they deserve it. “Oftentimes, people walk into our store because they’ve always been curious about jewelry but may have felt too intimidated or just don’t know where to start,” she says.

Making those clients comfortable is in no small part about hiring and training the right staff.

Photo shoots emphasize how Julez Bryant shoppers can build a collection of comfortable and distinctive jewelry they can wear every day

“If there is fire in their eyes, they’re excited and want to do the work because they love the product, then that’s the person we want,” she says. “I want them to be more storytellers than product sellers.” Her team loves helping people express their personal style through jewelry.

The emphasis is empowering women to wear jewelry in their everyday life, whether they’re adding to an existing collection or trying on their first piece.

“When they leave with a piece from our store, they are choosing to celebrate themselves. It’s always such a magical moment. Our team never tires of it because we just love matching the right piece of jewelry to the right person.”

Personalized service includes hand sketching custom designs, locating special diamonds and other gemstones to meet the customers’ needs, and remodeling heirlooms.

Store design was DIY on a shoestring budget.

The color palette is pulled from a painting that Ward’s mother had loved. Cases are moveable for flexibility. And the floor is made of Moroccan-style tiles.

For 30 years, Ward had collected colorful glass bottles, which have become a distinctive feature of the decor. She changes the colors of the bottles she displays from season to season for a simple mood shift. “It’s fun to see them come to life in this setting, these bottles collected from all around the world. That, to tell you the truth, is what people come in to look at.”

Ward worked with a local metalsmith to create custom door handles that integrate her brand’s logo. “We love that they are a gorgeous shade of gold that references back to our signature shade of gold in our jewelry,” Ward says. “We refine all of our gold in-house to get the color just right.”

Opening the store has brought her much more engagement and wedding business than she had in the past. It represents about 10% of her retail business, while self-purchasers represent the other 90%. At Julez Bryant, wedding rings and engagement rings are made from scratch, made to last and sold by a knowledgeable team. “We get so many brides and grooms that come in together. They always come back to us and say they never found this level of customer service and education anywhere else.”

Jewelry design was not Ward’s first career choice.

Formerly a vice president and director for a global independent video game developer, she traveled the world in that role, speaking at universities, including Cambridge, Oxford and Trinity.

At the same time, she’d been dabbling in jewelry for fun. She started her line when a close friend who was diagnosed with terminal cancer gave her a charm bracelet. “He inspired me to live in the moment and focus my energy on my dreams, rather than my fears,” she says. She loved wearing the bracelet, but she converted it into a necklace design after the bracelet caught on her clothes.

When another friend admired it and asked her to design jewelry for her, she turned to what she had on hand. She remade all of her grandmother’s old necklaces, stuffed them into a shoebox and sold them to her friend. From there, jewelry making became a regular pursuit. “I did my corporate job, put the kids to sleep and worked on jewelry till 2 a.m.,” she says.

Moroccan tile floor, pops of color and carefully curated display cases help create an artisinal enclave.

When the company she worked for was acquired, she was offered an overseas position, but she didn’t want to move. “I thought if I’m out of this industry for a year, I won’t be forgotten.” But after beginning to work in jewelry full time 20 years ago, she stuck with it.

It’s all hand-forged at her design studio on the Southern California coast. “I taught myself and ended up doing everything in house. I stay in my lane; it’s all I know.” Each design is crafted to be both beautiful and comfortable, combining a love of bold shapes with soft, satin finishes and delicate hand-hammered touches. All materials are created from recycled 14K and 18K gold with responsibly sourced diamonds and gemstones.

“My goal for the future is to make sure my team has a company that they can be proud to work at and could eventually call their own. People who work in artisanal jewelry love the arts and all the splendor of it. To be able to provide a healthy workplace is No. 1 above everything.

“I let the business lead me to where it needs to go. We all love making jewelry and we all love jewelry. It’s like Christmas for us.”

Five Cool Things About Julez Bryant

1. GRATITUDE IN THE MAIL. Instead of approaching Black Friday in a typical way, Ward decided to send her VIP clients a gratitude package in the mail to thank them for supporting the business for the year. They received a hand sketch by Ward, a packet of California marigold seeds (a local bloom that Ward loves), a ceramic pot and planting kit, so clients could grow their own flowers. “We are a small and independent designer, so it really means a lot to have clients choosing to support our brand,” Ward says.

2. TREASURES. A vintage-store treasure hunter, Ward collects vintage jewelry boxes, which engagement ring shoppers select as keepsakes. “We try to let the jewelry do the speaking, but it’s fun to have another creative outlet.”

3. INFLUENCERS. Ward says that hosting local micro-bloggers can be very effective when they’re a good match for your corpoate philosophy and value system. “Find the ones that match that, then it’s natural, not forced, it’s a very easy relationship. Then it’s likely that people who follow them will love our work.”

4. CREATIVE FAMILY. Julez’s daughter, Gia, and son, Myles, have been involved in the business. Julez and Gia created the Golden Collection, inspired by growing up as a family on the Southern California coast. The designs feature motifs like the night sky and ocean waves. Myles has worked as a bench jeweler in the shop. One day, he handmade a flat link gold chain for his mom, inspired by a chain she wears every day that once beloned to her mother. Myles wanted to surprise her with a new version of the necklace as an ode to both his mother and grandmother. Named the DOEY chain after Myles’ childhood nickname, it’s become a best-seller.

5. NON-COMPETE. Although she’s planning additional retail locations, Ward says she is not trying to compete with her wholesale accounts. “I’m very honest with our retailers. We see it more as a showroom. And oftentimes, shoppers see it here and buy it somewhere else.”

PHOTO GALLERY (11 IMAGES)

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At least four male suspect entered Rodeo Jewelers shortly after noon on Saturday, City News Service reports. After crashing through, they began breaking display cases and taking jewelry, according to police.

A store worker “was assaulted during the robbery and sustained non-life threatening injuries,” said Sgt. Martin Weinreb of the La Verne Police Department.

The thieves reportedly left in a second vehicle that was waiting.

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The crime at consignment store 2nd Act West in La Jolla happened Friday afternoon and was captured on security video, KGTV-TV reports.

Three women entered the store, and two of them were holding small children, according to the news report, which referred to the suspects as “mommy bandits.”

The women took trays of diamond and gemstone rings and gold, along with other items such as sunglasses and a Chanel bag, said store owner Lucie BongLai Le.

In all, merchandise worth $75,000 in merchandise was taken, she said.

Watch a news video about the incident:

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“It’s life-giving, a connection to nature,” she says.

When it comes to retail, day-lighting, as it’s called, keeps a store feeling real and not artificial, sets customers at ease and boosts everyone’s mood. “It’s healthier to have natural light illuminating our built environments as much as possible,” she says.

Although natural light changes color and intensity throughout the day, and extreme sun coming in from east, south, and west windows can be challenging, that’s an issue that can be solved with adjustable window treatments.

“Northern light is best,” says Jay Colombo, a partner at Michael Hsu Office of Architecture in Houston, who designed the Zadok store. “It’s never direct, and there’s a lot of consistency and evenness to it.”

To balance natural and artificial light, Falk suggests multiple levels and types of lights that are similar in color temperature. Natural light would be combined with fixtures that provide ambient light, as well as accent lights and decorative lights.

“My go-to-temperature for retail is 3500K, with 3000K as a second option if 3500 isn’t available,” Falk says. “And all jewelers (should) know the importance of showcase lighting that makes jewels/diamonds sparkle, and that’s a 4100-5000K lamp.

“Of course, if the jeweler is in an enclosed shopping mall, they often don’t have access to natural light, in which case, artificial light has to do the heavy lifting, and then color temp is extremely important to get right.”

Warmth of Home
Zadok, Houston, TX

At Zadok’s 28,000 square foot location in Houston, facades on three sides of the building let natural light wash into the showroom. “You don’t feel like you’re in a fluorescent box,” says Jay Colombo, partner at Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, which designed the project. A two-story window wall faces north and illuminates the grand staircase with consistent, even northern light. Windows line the branded boutiques, too, as well as the offices, a feature appreciated by 40 back-office staffers. Glazing and screens on the building enhance energy efficiency and security.

Atrium Ambience
John Atencio, Lone Tree, CO

In general, mall stores are not known for natural light, let alone an abundance of it, but John Atencio’s location in a Lone Tree, CO, mall near Denver, takes advantage of its space under an atrium with sky lights. Light shines through a 14-foot ceiling designed with natural wood in a grid pattern. The jewelry designer’s newest location also features a sheer glass facade that wraps the storefront from floor to ceiling. “When it was complete, I stood back and said, ‘Wow,’” says Atencio, who opened the renovated store in 2018.

Light as Air
Bere, Pensacola, FL

Bere, which opened in 2017, is across the street from the airport, offering owners Barry and Laura Cole a view of the runway from their conference room. Pensacola is home to naval aviation and the Blue Angels, local themes Cole wanted to tie into the store with plentiful views of the sky. An entire wall anchors a bar, lounge and Breitling watch zone, where panel walls with rivets mimicking old airplane and antique propellers pay homage to the local military and aviation history.

See-Through Site
The Diamond Center, Janesville, WI

After 30 years in a huge but windowless space in a mall, the Yeko family moved their operation into a freestanding store with 270-degree views. Designed by Leslie McGwire in 2015, The Diamond Center has more than 2,000 square feet of glass curtain walls, with more than half of that glass tilted out to span a height of 24 feet, floor to ceiling. “When customers come in, the first thing they do is look up at the ceiling,” Steve Yeko Jr. notes. “There are lots of ‘wows.’” The store’s LEDs are all calibrated to simulate natural daylight, too, so daylight is not competing with a different color of light.

Bright and Sunny
Amanda Deer, Austinm, TX

Amanda Deer’s downtown Austin store is the epitome of what’s described as light and airy interior design. Live plants thrive in the natural light and add to the natural, organic feel, which is reinforced by wood floors and bowls filled with black sand that are used as unique display elements. It occupies a historical building in downtown Austin that was built in the late 1800s as a flour warehouse. Owned by Amanda Eddy, the store opened in 2017.

Sunlight Squared
Julz by Alan Rodriguez, Canton, OH

For his newest retail location, Alan Rodriguez purchased a former bank building that was built in 1950 and hadn’t been remodeled in over 40 years. Inspired by the design of an Apple store with a touch of Crate and Barrel, he gutted the structure and built out a two-story glass cube that’s the focal point of the store. This large window structure fills the store with natural light during the day and shows the changing weather background.

Sea Inside
Hamilton Butler, Hermosa Beach, CA

Hamilton Butler brings the outdoors in with its peacock motif and the light flooding in two large windows in the front of the store. Owned by Joni Hamilton and Shelia Butler, the store is an inviting, sun-splashed hangout for the beach community that they opened together in 2016. Sea grass carpeting, pale turquoise walls and a view of palm trees reinforces the vibe. “Even when you’re in the store, you feel like you’re outside at the same time,” Butler says.

Revolution Jewelry Works
Colorado Springs, CO

Revolution Jewelry Works, owned by Jennifer Farnes, has a spectacular corner view of the mountains in its recently expanded space.

Jewelry Set in Stone
Chelsea, MI

In 2022, the Jewelry Set in Stone team moved into the Clocktower building in downtown Chelsea, a historic structure that was once a stove factory. The second floor suite is blessed with light, tall ceilings and much more space than their previous location, a perfect setting for a custom-design business, says owner Stephen Kolokithas.

JustDesi
Beverly Hills, CA

JustDesi, owned by siblings Desi Kraiem and Justin Kraiem, stands out from its neighbors with its expansive windows, brilliant lighting and chic design.

King’s Fine Jewellery
Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada

After 38 years in a popular mall, King’s Fine Jewellery faced the decision of closing or relocating during a major mall renovation. Owners Brian and Nancy Nelson decided they weren’t ready to retire and purchased and built out a freestanding store in a new shopping center. In the new space they have two walls of glass windows, providing an abundance of natural light. They aren’t the only ones benefiting from natural light. A large school of cardinals, four varieties of angel fish and a collection of catfish thrive in a naturally planted, 7-foot-long aquarium.

Kesslers Diamonds
Grand Rapids, MI

Kessler’s location, its eight store, was chosen for its three walls of windows that provide an abundance of natural light. Kesslers Diamonds is employee owned.

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The witness had attempted to follow the suspects after the robbery on Friday, authorities said.

No injuries were reported.

Police stated:

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The crime took place at Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills on March 22, according to a press release from the Beverly Hills Police Department.

The suspects have been booked and await charges, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Items taken during the daytime robbery included “precious gems, designer watches and necklaces,” according to the Times.

Police said that “evidence connecting the suspects to the South Beverly Drive crime was recovered” during the arrests.

More from the release:

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A group of six men entered a store at 650 Hill St. in the Jewelry District, KTLA-TV reports.

A video was posted to Instagram showing the suspects trying to smash glass cases. Employees can be seen throwing objects at them. A man then pointed a gun at the suspects and they ran away. Scroll down to watch the video.

Police said six men were involved in the robbery. When they fled, the left in three separate vehicles.

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Employees tried to ward off the thieves by throwing chairs and other objects, NBC Los Angeles reports. (Scroll down to watch security footage of the incident.)

The crime happened early Tuesday afternoon at David’s Jewelers, with three people bursting in and breaking open display cases with hammers.

The store’s owner, who asked not to be named, told NBC Los Angeles that he then tussled with one of the robbers outside the store. He said he grabbed one of the thieves.

“I was kicking him, and that’s when I got hit with a hammer in the face,” the owner said. He added that his wife was hit with a hammer inside the store and was left with a broken tooth.

KTLA-TV reports that the men took off in a Chevrolet Avalanche.

No arrests have yet been made.

Watch the video:

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“Don’t underestimate the power of a really great logo that ties your brand together,” writes Tracy Matthews, jewelry designer and author of The Desired Brand Effect: Stand Out In A Saturated Market With A Timeless Jewelry Brand.

Matthews recommends hiring a professional graphic artist to create your logo. “You’ll save yourself a lot of pain,” she says.

Beyond the design, consider the colors carefully. Colors evoke emotions, mood and feelings. Are you going for a luxurious look? A playful vibe? Or a natural and sustainable feel? The colors you choose will help create that brand experience, which will be visible everywhere from your packaging to your signage, social media, website, marketing emails and advertising.

According to Tailorbrands.com, effective logos foster brand loyalty, grab attention, make a strong first impression, and separate your business from the competition. Paperstreet.com reports that simple logos are the most memorable. They also need to be scalable, meaning they can be scaled up or down and still look good.

Here are examples of logos that express the foundation of their companies’ brand identities in memorable ways.

The Revolution

When Jennifer Farnes launched her business, Revolution Jewelry Works, in Colorado Springs, CO, she wanted to revolutionize how clients perceived jewelry stores. She hadn’t grown up in the business, and she perceived jewelry stores and the people who worked there to be stuffy, overdressed and snooty. She wanted a place that would appeal to her: laid-back, open and casual, with a knowledgeable team focused on custom design. She came up with a sit-down environment that invites clients to get comfortable and a profit-sharing approach that encourages team selling. The logo, designed by a friend who is a graphic designer, expresses her revolutionary fervor perfectly.

Rings Ahead!

The Kessler experience begins with a literal touchpoint: custom created logo door handles, the design of which speak to the brand’s focus on wedding and engagement rings. Employee-owned Kesslers Diamonds in Grand Rapids, MI, stocks nearly 2,000 loose diamonds in their stores. They carry an expansive collection of engagement and wedding ring settings, and if a client doesn’t find something they love, Kesslers will design it for them.

A Three-Pronged Approach

The logo for the Jewelers Guild in Milwaukee is integral, says owner Robert Peter, to expressing the company’s approach to success. “The green symbolizes our classroom and is highlighted in promotions for new classes. The blue represents our workshop. The purple represents the retail store. People key into the facet that appeals to them.”

Along the Path

WEND Jewelry’s logo illustrates the meandering path that founder Wendy Woldenberg has taken in her career as well as the journey her clients take. “WEND” is related to the verb “wind,” which means, among other things, to follow a series of curves and turns. “People from different paths, some that wander off the beaten track, have finally found what they’ve been searching for at WEND Jewelry,” says Woldenberg, whose career path motivated her to develop responsible practices for jewelry design.

An Antique Look

“When my grandmother purchased our current building in the early 1980s, my dad decided it was time for an official logo,” says Julie Walton Garland, who owns Walton’s Jewelry in Franklin, TN, with her father, Michael Walton. “He wanted an old English inspired logo that gave an ‘antique’ vibe. Two years ago, we did update the font ever so slightly to be more translatable, but this change is hardly noticeable. It simply gave it a refresh and allows us to use it in a variety of ways and platforms in today’s modern age.”

A Beachy, Artistic Vibe

Les Olson Jeweler’s logo, happily displayed on the store’s sign out front, signals both the store’s laid-back, beachy vibe in historic, downtown Palm Harbor, FL, and the fact that the custom-focused jewelry business has an artistic soul. “Over the years, the logo has been seeded in much of the marketing, as it speaks to the creativity of our family and making this business ours,” says Pam Shinsky, who bought Les Olson Jewelers with her husband, Bob Shinsky, in 1988 and opened their freestanding location in 2020. Bob and Pam are designers and bench jewelers, who have been joined in the business by their son, Rob. “We wanted our signage to reflect the feel of the inside of our studio, which is fun and bright, cheerful and artistic,” says Pam, who sketched the logo and asked her graphic artist niece, Melissa Slocum Evanko, to bring the playful design to life. The sign is rendered in Key West colors and it sparkles at night, adding to the sense of fun.

A Distinctive Diamond

Ronnie Malka of Malka Diamonds in Portland, OR, says it’s not easy to design a diamond-themed logo without having it looking like everyone else’s, or like Superman’s logo. “We wanted a diamond, but we also wanted the “M.” OffenseUnlimited.com created the logo, and we were and still are thrilled!”

An Award Winner

The logo for Cut Fine Jewelers in Baton Rouge, LA, won a gold award from the American Advertising Federation for its graphic design, which lends a modern, contemporary feel to the store. The name gives owner Matthew Patton the opportunity to educate customers about the importance of cut when assessing a diamond’s quality. “The most common question we get from almost everyone we have the opportunity to meet is, ‘Why is it called CUT?!’ The answer is amazingly simple: ‘Cut’ is the most important aspect of a diamond when it comes to picking the perfect one.” He also likes the simple and concise nature of the name, “CUT.” “We didn’t need another Family Name Fine Jewelers,” he says.

On the Lake

When Jeff Guntzviller designed a new location for Miner’s North Jewelers in Traverse City, MI, in 2021, he wanted people to walk in and get the sense that it’s a diamond store. The logo reflects both the artistic vibe of the store design and the store’s location directly across the street from Lake Michigan. “The diamond logos around the store and the pattern were done by a local design and signage company we used,” Guntzviller says. The design was a collaboration between Guntzviller, the sign company and the store designer.

DIY

Like everything else at Raintree, the distinctive tree logo was designed in house and appears in different iterations on the door of the store in Burlington, VT, as well as on social media and Raintree’s website. Husband and wife owners Michael Tope and Shannon Mahoney also designed and made all of their cases, fixtures and the storefront, as well as their jewelry, and they do their own photography. They carry their design aesthetic through every element of their gallery.

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