“If you walk in and say, ‘I need my ring repaired and I have to have it tomorrow,’ chances are we can accommodate your request.” —Doug Van Dyke
E.R. Sawyer Jewelers is bursting with fresh ideas—from its newly remodeled showroom (with lounge and cappuccino maker) to its promotional strategy that leverages Pinterest, Facebook and online shopping. Yet Doug and Ame Van Dyke, the husband-and-wife-team who own E.R. Sawyer, run their 134-year-old business with core values that have stood the test of time: product excellence, community involvement and a commitment to customers.
This perfect blend of old and new makes E.R. Sawyer a perennial winner in this category (this is its ninth straight year) and a favorite of clients from the North Bay and beyond.
“Our clients represent a cross-section of ages, genders and income levels. Most are Sonoma County locals, but we have many people who make the drive from Napa and Mendocino counties as well,” says Ame. “We even have customers in other parts of the country, including a former client who moved to Colorado and recently asked us to recreate a ring that had been stolen from her.”
The company employs a staff of 11 highly trained men and women, including a certified gemologist appraiser (one of only 400 in North America), three goldsmiths and an architect-turned-quality assurance guru. Doug, whose parents and grandparents owned the store before he and Ame, brings impeccable instincts developed from a lifetime in the business. Ame handles community outreach and donations of jewelry, which last year generated more than $100,000 for local nonprofits.
With this diverse skill set, E.R. Sawyer is much more than a place to purchase jewelry. It’s also a center for repair, cleaning and specialty design, and the largest artisan shop north of San Francisco. A strict quality assurance process involving sales staff, the quality control specialist and the goldsmith—as well as the client—ensures repaired pieces are returned to their owners looking as good as, or even better than, ever.
“Having so many experts on staff means faster turnaround for customers,” says Doug. “If you walk in and say, ‘I need my ring repaired, and I must have it tomorrow,’ chances are we can accommodate your request. There’s no sending it out to a bigger shop or waiting for a contract appraiser, because we have all the talent and equipment we need in-house.”
Doug and Ame offer a treasure chest of finished jewelry pieces, as well as the largest gemstone collection in the North Bay, to meet just about everyone’s style and price point. Browsing the store, you see the same best-selling brands found on top bridal websites and fashion magazines, but also one-of-a-kind pieces designed by E.R. Sawyer’s in-house artisans. Best sellers from the E.R. Sawyer men’s collection include necklaces in the $200 to $500 range that incorporate leather, sterling silver and gemstones, as well as handsome wedding bands.
Doug calls his sales team, “tour guides” of the jewelry world, while Ame credits their combined listening skills and knowledge of jewelry for being able to transform a customer’s desires (and budget) into a beautiful jewelry purchase. Back in the shop, respect is shown for every project, whether it involves an inexpensive citrine purchased at a gem show or a $250,000 diamond sourced from a collector in Belgium.
“We interact with people at the most poignant moments of our customers’ lives—at the birth of a child, a wedding and even when a loved one has passed away and bequeathed jewelry as part of an estate,” says Doug. “People choose us at those moments because they trust us.”
