In the four generations that the Brito family has been in the jewelry business, their name has become synonymous with quality and trust—from the Diamond District in Manhattan to Main Street in Clinton.
“We are from Cuenca, Ecuador, a city known for its deep heritage of fine jewelry makers,” says Kevin Brito, Vice President of Dickens Jewelers. “My great-grandfather was a jeweler in Ecuador, my grandfather was a certified Master Jeweler, who became a master-jeweler in the Diamond District in New York City after moving to the United States. My father, Victor, followed in their footsteps.”
As an example of how dominant Ecuador is in the world of jewelry, Brito says when he was attending a licensed jewelry trade school in New York City, “about 10 people were Tiffany & Co. employees, eight of whom were from Ecuador.”
Victor, the Master Jeweler and Watch Technician at Dickens Jewelers, started working in jewelry manufacturing and hand fabrication when he was 16 and progressed to work for over two decades at Patek Philippe, where he taught polishers an extremely high level of detail in watch case restoration and has restored and repaired hundreds of thousands of watches. At Dickens, Victor covers all aspects of watch manufacturing and repair.
His mother, Emilia (“Emmi”) is Dickens’ Pearl Master and Gemstone Specialist who gained her certification in Pearl and Beads Stringing and holds certificates in Fine Jewelry Making, Metal and Jewelry Arts. Emmi started her fine jewelry career as a diamond specialist at Rosy Blue in New York City, which is one of the world’s largest diamond manufacturers.
With their 2013 purchase of Dickens Jewelers, which has been open since 1986, Victor and Emmi transitioned from manufacturing to retail to bring their unique level of expertise to Hunterdon County, where they have lived for two decades—since Kevin was in the second grade.
Kevin attended the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), where he gained his Graduate Gemologist diploma, a masters program offered by GIA. Kevin also holds certificates in Laser Welding and Laser Cutting/Engraving. He is an experienced diamond and gemstone expert and certified bench jeweler who does work by hand. Having a GIA Graduate Gemologist onsite allows Dickens to grade, identify and appraise diamonds and colored gemstones quickly. “Other jewelry stores share Graduate Gemologists who come in on set days, but we have the credentials to grade and appraise to GIA standards, the highest standards in the industry, on any day,” he says.
Their expertise sets them apart in terms of pricing, speed and precision work.
“What we bring differently to the table is our history in the manufacturing world. While other jewelry stores outsource their finished jewelry through overseas avenues like India, we set and assemble custom rings in-house,” Brito says. “For example, if you want a custom engagement ring, it could take an average of three months at jewelers who rely on manufacturers or overseas parts. Here, everything is made in the United States and we set and assemble every piece in-house.”
Brito notes that they can deliver under any time frame—“I have had clients who have come to us to create an engagement ring for pick up the following day,” he notes—and since they do all the work, they do not have to pay other people, which allows them to pass on the cost savings to customers.
In addition to gemological services, Dickens provides professional laser cutting, engraving and welding. “I do everything under a microscope, welding at, say, 40 times magnified, so everything is precise,” Brito says. Using a Class 4 laser, he can engrave monograms, emblems and words on all surfaces except plastic. “We do the design for you. When you approve it, the design comes out with exact precision,” he says. “We are the only jewelry store in the state with a Class 4 laser engraver/cutter.”
The family has enjoyed living in Clinton—“a small, historic town where everybody knows everybody,” Brito says—for two decades. But people always ask: Who is Dickens? “The name comes from the store’s previous location on Dickens Lane,” Brito says. He notes that the name has extra resonance during Dickens’ Days, the annual event that transforms Clinton into a Victorian Village and pays tribute to another Dickens: Charles Dickens, author of A Christmas Carol, a story that reminds us about the importance of giving, no matter the season.
Find out more at www.dickensjewelersnj.com.
“We do the design for you. When you approve it, the design comes out with exact precision.”
—Kevin Brito