A legacy of Jewelry Design

clipping from www.blairlaurenbrown.com
For generations, this remarkable family has set the standard for quality and luxury in gold jewelry. Now, as Blair Brown presents her new collection, Blair Lauren Brown, she continues the Alaskan legacy her great grandfather began over a century ago. It was the Alaskan gold rush of 1898 that inspired James Victor Brown Senior to open J. Vic Brown and Sons. The store made certain to preserve the authenticity and purity of the gold they sold, using raw and untouched nuggets to honor the raw and untouched Alaskan land from which they were taken. In doing so, J. Vic Brown and Sons played an integral role in defining what is now considered a uniquely Alaskan style of jewelry. 
James Victor Brown's son, James “Bud” Victor Brown Junior, followed in his father's footsteps, opening an even larger J. Vic Brown and Sons store in downtown Anchorage. By insisting on the fine quality of design, manufacturing, and retail of the gold nugget jewelry he sold, Bud elevated J. Vic Brown and Sons into a thriving business, which he later sold to the upscale Fine Jewelers Guild division of the Zales Corporation in the 1960’s. For the rest of his career, James Victor Brown Junior maintained a hand in the manufacturing of gold nugget jewelry for numerous distributors, one of which was later managed by his only son, James “J.V.” Victor Brown III. 

Like so many Browns before her, J.V.'s only daughter, Blair, was born with a creative nature. Growing up, she trained at the same studios once owned by her father, honing her talent under the watchful eye of her grandfather's right-hand production artist. In 2004, armed with a BFA in sculpture from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Blair launched her first line, Sagacious, a collection of redesigned vintage jewelry. Hesitant to put her cart before her horse, Blair made Sagacious available only at select showcases; but four years of consumer enthusiasm and interest in Sagacious inspired Blair to create a new, larger collection of handmade gold nugget jewelry, available to the entire luxury market. This collection is Blair Lauren Brown. In a century of Alaskan gold nugget jewelry, the Brown family has built a timeless style and an admirable history. A representative of the new generation, Blair Lauren Brown, the woman and the collection, is proud to introduce this latest addition to her family’s admirable history.