The Jewelers Exchange in San Diego: An Insider’s Guide
I have spent my working life in and around the Jewelers Exchange, the building where San Diego’s jewelry trade buys and sells from itself. My family has done business there for decades. Here is what it actually is and how to use it well, which is advice that teaches you to comparison-shop me, and I am fine with that.
What the building actually is
The San Diego Jewelers Exchange sits at 861 Sixth Avenue, at Sixth and E in the Gaslamp Quarter, in a building that has been downtown for more than a century. Inside is the trade stacked vertically: manufacturers, wholesalers, diamond dealers, setters, engravers, and repair benches, floor after floor.
It is where jewelers go when they need something done. That is the part worth understanding. A fair amount of what sits in retail cases around the county passed through a building like this one first.
How to shop a trade building
It rewards a different approach than a mall store. Nobody is going to perform for you, which people find either off-putting or refreshing depending on what they walked in wanting.
- Ask who actually does the work. Some doors are makers and some are resellers. Both are legitimate; you should know which you are talking to.
- Get numbers in writing. Anyone serious will put a quote on paper without any theater about it.
- Compare across floors. The building makes that easy, and nobody honest is afraid of it.
- Bring a photo or a spec rather than a vague idea. The trade speaks in specifics.
Where I fit
Most of my business is wholesale, buying and selling diamonds and gold inside the trade, and the custom work sits on top of that. It is the reason I hold no retail inventory and have no particular stone I need you to buy. The trade side is the business. Your ring is the craft.
We meet by appointment. Text a photo of what you like to (619) 279-7738 and we will set a time.
