Bay Area Diamond Company

May 31

In their own words

“A lot of people are intimidated by the thought of buying an engagement ring because they don’t want to overpay. They don’t know what a diamond should look like, and they don’t know about the different metals. We take all that out of the equation. We’re going to treat you like a friend, offer you something to drink, and explain things. By the time you walk out, you’re going to feel confident about what you got. I’ve always said, if it’s not good enough for my wife, it’s not going in my case.”

-Brian Rouse

Jason’s Interview with Brian

Jason

Today, we get to know Brian and Jill from Bay Area Diamond Company in Green Bay, Wisconsin. We all have a story behind how we got started. Tell us yours.

Brian

I just thought it was so interesting. I knew a lot of people that did logging and I knew a lot of people that worked in a paper mill, but I had never heard of anyone that was a jeweler. So I ended up going to school for jewelry design and fabrication, and then just fell in love with the industry from there.

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Jason
How about you, Jill?

Jill
I was not in jewelry before I met Brian. So that's kind of how I got into it. We got married. My background was in health insurance, which is not nearly as exciting as jewelry. So, I just love being here. My part is all behind the scenes. I get to use a lot of my business background every day.

Brian
We've been in business for twenty-five years. You have your ebb and the flow. But when you help a young couple out with their engagement ring, you get to see them grow together—you get to see the highlights of people's lives.

Jason
Tell me about a piece, Brian, that you enjoyed creating the most?

Brian
I like history and I like old stuff. I've done quite a few of these, but there was one particular one, where they came in with mom and dad and the husband-to-be, and they had grandpa's ring. They had dad's ring. They wanted to create something for the son and the son was all for it. He drew a couple things and I got to take grandpa's ring and dad's ring and create a ring for the to-be groom. We took pictures of it along the way and actually had a little book made for them. When they came in to pick it up, everybody was in tears, and then they had the book to commemorate it for the rest of their lives. We've done plenty of jobs like that, but that one just really hit home and turned out to be a phenomenal piece.

Jill
When you made the custom pendant for me for our wedding day.

Jason
Tell me about that those.

Brian
Jill stole the teaser.

Jill
Well, I had found the pair of earrings I loved, and they went perfect with my dress. But I could never find a necklace that went with it. They were one of a kind. On the morning of our wedding, he surprised me with a custom-made pendant that matched and I was broken down to tears, of course, because they meant a lot to me.

Jason
Brian, what did you want to do when you grew up?

Brian
I honestly didn't know. I grew up in a paper mill village, a small town, and everybody works in the paper mill. That's all you did, you know. My dad made it perfectly clear that I was not going to work in the paper mill and I was going to do something else. I've always been a lot more social than anybody else in my family. So, I knew I had to talk to people. My aunt captured my interest in the jewelry industry. It just sort of led me down that path of bench jeweler and sales. It wasn't till I was probably eighteen when I decided to go down this path.

Jason
What's your life like outside of the store?

Brian
Well, the people that know me well laugh when they see me on TV commercials and hear me on the radio.

Jill
Yeah, he's got a tie on.

Brian
It’s a joke amongst my really good friends, because when I don't have a tie on, I have shorts on, my sleeves cut off, my T-shirt, and a hat on. And probably work boots. So, people think on Saturdays, I have on a khaki and a polo. Nothing could be further from the truth. I like being in the woods, working outdoors. It's amazing. How about you, Jill?

Jill
I like to hang out with friends a lot. I like to exercise, I also love to be outside, being active. I guess I sit a lot during my job here at the store. So, when I'm not here, I like to be moving.

Jason
You guys do so much for the local community in Green Bay. You give so much back to different causes. Are there any charities or organizations you want to talk about?

Brian
I'm on the board with the Boys and Girls Club of greater Green Bay. That's one of the big ones that we focus our energy and money on. There's so much homelessness with children and children without parents. The second one is the Green Bay Police Foundation. I'm on the board there to help the police department get the gear that they need to properly do their job. We just paid for a bunch of new bulletproof vests. We've sponsored soccer teams. We have four kids and for the last ten years, they were on every soccer team there was.

Jason
Are you into sustainable, eco-friendly jewelry?

Brian
Oh, absolutely. There's better ways to mine and there's better ways to do all of the processes, whether it's gold or gemstones. The Earth, we have to take care of it. There's only one.

Jill
That’s a line from Forevermark jewelry, which is a De Beers company. De Beers is known for their sustainability and helping the communities that the mines exist in and just making sure that the way they found the area before they started mining is even better after they're done. We love working with them since they're so eco-friendly.

Jason
We both know that there's a huge shift that's taking place in the way people buy jewelry now. Are there any things that you're doing to adapt to this new age customer?

Brian
When you've been in the business this long, you realize that it just goes in cycles and it seems to be a five to seven-year cycle, and it kind of rolls over. You just adapt with the new ways. I've always been a fan of it. It's not my job to tell the consumer what to buy. It's my job to educate the consumer with all the options that the industry has. The lab-grown diamonds are kind of a new thing for us, even though they've been out for 20 to 30 years. A lot of people want to poo poo it because they don't understand. They don't think they're real, but it's what the consumer wants. We educate you between a mined diamond, a lab-grown diamond, a clarity-enhanced diamond. And it's for the consumer to choose.

Jason
Now let's talk about your craft, because at the end of the day, that's what really sets you apart. Tell me, what makes you stand out from other jewelers?

Brian
I think the big difference here is because I'm a bench jeweler and an owner. I've always said, if it wasn't good enough for my wife to wear, it's not going in my case. I buy a higher quality, I buy a better product. I only deal with vendors who stand behind their product.

Jill
On top of that, we have the lifetime warranty when you buy something from us. All of our repairs, whether you purchase the piece from us—if we repair it, it comes with a one-year warranty.

Jason
In terms of your vision for the business and your craft, is there a big goal or some dream piece that you've always wanted to create?

Jill
Our short-term plan is not that much different than our past, we've been super progressive the entire time we've been in business. We have always wanted to do something new and exciting for our clients to make them keep coming back. We plan to do more of that, focused on training and development for our staff so that they can educate the consumer. He and I are tossing around whether we want to build a new location, maybe there's a second store in our future. We're not afraid of a challenge.

Brian
A lot of people come in here and they're very intimidated by the thought of buying an engagement ring because they don't know what a diamond should look like, they don't know anything about the different metals. Here, we're going to treat you like one of our friends and will offer you something to drink, and we'll just get started kind of explaining stuff. By the time you walk out, you're going to feel really confident about what you got. You're gonna have a big smile on your face and you're going to love coming back.