Sturgis Jewelry
Sturgis Jewelry was born from the wild and creative mind of John Willers. For 40 years, John hand carved his original designs in wax, cast them into metal, finished every piece and traveled to trade shows across Australia and North America to sell his wares. He was a true craftsman, forever honing his skills and dedicated to making unique, comfortable jewelry that his customers could wear for life.
We still honor our lifetime guarantee because quality matters to us.
All our pieces are now carefully handcrafted in a small, family-run facility in downtown LA, overseen by John’s daughter and son, Joanna and Saul. It took almost two decades to find the right jewelers to continue John’s legacy. We needed someone who would look at each piece with care and precision, someone who would appreciate the incredible craftsmanship of John’s work and continue to produce those tiny skulls in all their detailed glory! Each piece is still handcrafted with care, just like John did for all those years.
John Willers
John was born and grew up in Kenya, where his first jewelry-making endeavor was weaving elephant hair bracelets for himself and his friends. After completing college in Brisbane, Australia, John hit the traveler’s route to Asia and Europe, where he met his life partner, Lorraine. In 1972 they married and moved to Vancouver, Canada. The joy of a new life with Lorraine along with the majesty of the west coast of Canada set the creative juices flowing and they never stopped.
When a friend offered for John to use his jewelry studio during off-hours, John taught himself to make jewelry from a book and allowed his creativity to take hold. His first designs were flowy, organic pieces, often showcasing an awesome stone. We can still see the influence of these early designs in the organic elements of our current Sturgis Jewelry collections.
In the early 80s, having returned to Australia, an acquaintance of John’s asked him to make a custom Harley Davidson motor ring and a cascade of motorcycle-related custom orders followed. John’s creativity naturally turned toward the imagery of motorcycle and tattoo enthusiasts and the designs that we now know as Sturgis Jewelry began to take shape.
Over the following 20 years, John could be found at many trade and motorcycle shows across the US. Sometimes his whole family was in-tow, staying at a nearby campground! He was one of the original jewelers creating designs for the motorcycle crowd through the 90s. He had a great relationship with the other jewelers in the industry, though, sadly, none of them are still around. Today, we are proud to continue John’s legacy and offer high-quality alternative jewelry to the motorcycle and tattoo crowds and beyond!
In 2000, John’s business took up residence at 1049 Main St in Sturgis, South Dakota, which is where you can still find us today. Our full collection is on display during the Sturgis Rally and a small collection can be seen here year-round.
