When Lewis Baribault was 16 years old, he dreamed of becoming a motorcycle mechanic. But instead, he was persuaded by his uncle, Philip Baribault Sr., owner of Baribault Jewelers, to become a watch mechanic and Lewis never looked back. Now 50 years later, the Baribault family celebrated his milestone anniversary in the family business.
“I always loved working with my hands and ended up going to watchmaking school and loving it as much as I loved mechanics, so I stayed working at Baribault Jewelers,” explains Lewis. “However, running a successful jewelry business also takes a savvy mind for managing money, marketing and leading a team of staff, in addition to jewelry making skills and keeping up with fast-paced industry trends.”
Baribault took over the jewelry store located on Rankin Road in Glastonbury in 1988. Today his three children Christina Baribault Ortiz, Raeann Baribault-Schwartz and Lewis Baribault III have kept this a family-owned business after almost 75 years since its establishment.
“We work very hard together to make things happen in our business and work through any challenges,” explains Lewis “But the most important thing to me is that we keep a healthy family dynamic.”
Lewis shares at every day bring a different challenge when working to provide outstanding customer service and build a great reputation, which is crucial in the jewelry business. The entire staff strives to offer every customer the best jewelry shopping experience.
As he reflects on his long career, some of the biggest changes he has witnessed in the industry are the effects of companies selling jewelry online and the birth of lab-created diamonds.
Innovations that Lewis has brought to the business include creating the only all-D colour diamond collection available exclusively at Baribault. D-color diamonds are often referred to as white diamonds because they truly are completely colourless both to the naked eye and under magnification, hence earning them the highest rating on the colour scale.
Additionally, Baribault became a master jeweller & setter and built an onsite shop to make custom jewelry and repairs, as well as design beautiful jewelry for the showroom. The store boasts certified Gemological Institute of America (GIA) gemologists.
As for the future, Lewis says “I love what I do so it never feels like work. I will continue to work and be active in our business and also enjoy the fact that my children can professionally run our business, so I can choose to enjoy myself on a golf or fishing trip.”
Photo Credit: Brian Ambrose Photography
