ER Sawyer
“You can buy jewelry anywhere, but you can’t buy the expertise or the experience. People want the touch and feel; they want that attention to detail,” says Doug Van Dyke, owner.
After 140 years in the business, E.R. Sawyer Jewelers continues to shine as a downtown Santa Rosa gem. Current owners Ame and Doug Van Dyke, who have run the store since 2002, have hit the sweet spot with their clientele, and it isn’t because of the free Ring Pops and chocolate treats in jars on display counters, it’s their people-oriented approach. “You can buy jewelry anywhere, but you can’t buy the expertise or the experience. People want the touch and feel; they want that attention to detail,” says Doug.
The attention to detail is one of the main reasons why the business is a perennial winner among readers. The company has the only certified gemologist appraiser in all of Sonoma County, and employees a staff of “master listeners” according Ame. The company’s community-minded approach took a new meaning after the 2017 wildfires. E.R. Sawyer restored more than 4,500 damaged pieces of jewelry, some of which are still being worked on. 
“Almost every diamond from the fires was recovered. Jewelry is people’s stories; their hearts. They lost that in the fires,” says Ame Van Dyke. “When we couldn’t restore it, we worked with the customer to recreate it into something new, to symbolize moving forward.”
E.R. Sawyer has been moving forward in their own right, December of 2016 saw expansion with a store in St. Helena and plans are underway to celebrate the company’s 140th anniversary sometime this year. Despite the increased competition of online retailers and behemoth such as Amazon, E.R. Sawyer continues to update its business model to thrive in the jewelry industry.
“I remember when catalogs came out and having to change our business approach around that,” Doug says. “It’s the same thing now with the Internet.” The company is adept at personalization for men and women and can accommodate the latest trends such as colored stones, rough diamonds and personalized men’s bands. “We can make the ring exactly how the customer wants it,” Ame says. “I Love the looks on the customers’ faces when we give them exactly what they want.”
Not only is E.R. Sawyer exceptional at meeting its customers’ needs, but the company also takes pride in servicing the needs of the local community. The company donates its time and resources to close to 50 nonprofits a year. The business also makes it a point to support its local business brethren. “We do business locally whenever we can,” Doug says. “The Internet can’t compete with doing biz with your neighbors.”
Ame adds that the store purchases office supplies right across the street from Corrick’s rather than supporting big-box chains such as Office Max and the ilk. “I don’t shop at Safeway. I shop at Oliver’s,” Ame says. “I know it’s a little more expensive but we try to walk the walk.”
This ethos of supporting locally is reciprocated in the local support the store has received during its rich history. To this day, residents visit the downtown location with treasured family heirlooms of relatives’ wedding rings purchased at E.R. Sawyer in decades past. Proving that the business is more than just another shop on Fourth Street, it’s a Santa Rosa institution.
