Gem Gossip Visits EraGem in Bellevue, WA

EraGem | Gem Gossip

Above, I take a seat with owner Michael and put together my “wishlist”

Although most of my #JewelryRoadTrip was spent in Seattle, Bellevue is only a short drive and is the fastest growing and largest suburb of Seattle. It is also where EraGem calls home! After putting together a fun photoshoot using my TOP TEN favorite rings from their inventory last month, I couldn’t wait to see more from them and had to make the trip.

EraGem first started in 2006 but the company had a different name–Weston Jewelry. They specialize in antique and estate jewelry, always offering LOTS of rings of all kinds (my obvious favorite) like engagement rings, cocktail rings, designer rings, and gemstone rings. Founders Michael and Weston both grew up around fathers who owned stores–Michael’s father owned an antique business and Weston’s had a photography shop. It was kismet that the two combined forces for an antique jewelry business because one of the biggest factors that leads a successful online jewelry business is great photography. Their main focus was eBay, where they sold for many years and built up an amazing reputation and name, along with a huge clientele. It wasn’t until 2012 when they rebranded everything, changing their name to EraGem, and launched their own e-commerce website. I love the name–not only is it short, catchy and perfect for antique jewelry, but as Michael points out, ERA can also be an acronym for Estate Retro Antique. Smart. What’s even smarter is they have the jewelry photography game on lock, with their images catching the attention of Google, who always seems to rank their images really high in any type of “antique jewelry” search. It is one accomplishment they are proud of–and the other? Their top-of-the-line customer service. Free overnight shipping, 60-day money back guarantee, and lifetime warranty. They also offer a no-interest layaway plan, which I appreciate tremendously as layaway is how I was able to start a collection of jewelry.

The EraGem showroom is a great asset for the company and since opening its doors to the public, the founding duo have added Mike’s brothers Maslow & Mark to the team, as well as Jennifer. The idea of having a showroom for a mostly online business is sometimes actually necessary–people who are local can take advantage of the close proximity and be able to try things on in person, they also set up buying appointments at their showroom as well. A showroom visit starts with making a wishlist online, as all their inventory is listed on their website. Choose your favorites and set up an appointment–EraGem will take care of the rest! The team will pull the items on your wishlist, so when you arrive, they will be presented to you. If you’re like me and totally forgot to put a wishlist together, you can sit down at their computer and search together by describing what you are looking for–you can start by gemstone and filter from there, or by price range, even by designer, it’s up to you! I ended up picking A LOT of good things.

Thanks EraGem for welcoming me into your showroom–I had such a fun time playing with your jewels and seeing how things are done at such a ground-breaking antique and estate jewelry store. Below, you’ll be able to shop my top ten favorites from my visit and in the meantime, I’ll be frequently checking back to see all your DAILY new arrivals!