Meet Tony and Denise Huynh of Tondens Jewelers in Greenway Plaza/Galleria Area

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony and Denise Huynh.

Tony and Denise, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Denise: My earliest memory of wearing jewelry was a pair of gold ball earrings from my mom when I got my ears pierced. My collection grew from Aquamarine birthstone earrings, to pearl strands, name monogram necklaces, dangle earrings, and to the engagement ring from my husband. Eventually, I found my true calling with my own jewelry design and arrangement of different shapes, sizes and colors.

Tony: I’ve always enjoyed working physically with my hands and being able to fix things that are broken and then restoring it to working condition. My wife and her love for jewelry truly inspired my own passion for jewelry crafting and repair. So after getting married, we both attended the Gemological Institute of America with the dream of opening our own business together. In 1999, Tondens Jewelers was born in our hometown of Houston – a combination of Tony and Denise’s passion. This truly is a family-run business, where Denise works with customers to create their vision and sketch their initial design. Then I execute that design to fulfill our customers’ vision with artistry. Our children, Tracie and Nicholas, provide customer service and work on our social media platforms. Even our furry Shih Tzu, TJ, works hard greeting customers on the sales floor while trying to catch as many naps as he can in between.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Tony: Our adventures have been like a diamond in the rough – very unique, valuable, challenging, and filled with much excitement! Our number one priority is providing quality workmanship, which can sometimes be challenging and time-consuming because we craft each piece of jewelry individually by hand.

Denise: Owning our own business, working full-time with my spouse, and raising two children have also had their share of challenges but have been extremely rewarding. It’s been a dream come true working with my husband every day because we share the same passion to help make our customers’ visions come to life. It’s always fun bouncing creative ideas off each other to come up with the most unique design we can.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Tondens Jewelers – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
At Tondens Jewelers, we provide a comprehensive range of services beyond custom creations, including jewelry repair, appraisal, engraving, pearl and bead restringing, eyeglass repair, and watch repair, battery, and refinishing. Our greatest passion and specialty is custom jewelry design, which allows for customer input, from the initial sketch to wax carving, casting into metal, stone setting, and finished work of art. What makes us truly unique is our focus on quality craftsmanship, tailored to each individual customer. Each customer is able to provide their input throughout every step of the design and production process.

First, we listen to the customers’ vision and collaborate with them to create a sketch. Then, we carve their design into wax and invite the customer back into our store for the initial fitting and consider any improvements on the piece. Next, we cast the piece in the customers’ choice of metal, ranging from platinum, yellow gold, white gold, or rose gold. With the customers’ approval, we then begin setting stones and polishing the finished product. Working with them every step of the way, our customers gain a memorable experience and get a true understanding of the time and effort that has gone into handcrafting their own work of art. We have worked with customers to create everything from engagement rings to unique nameplates for hunting rifles, rodeo belt buckles, lucky tokens for casino goers, adorning beloved pets with their own jewelry, and of course family heirlooms that can be passed on from generation to generation. At Tondens Jewelers, we proudly handcraft Custom Creations, Just for You.

What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
Tony: The proudest moment of my career has been the opportunity to design, carve, cast, and bring to life works of art for my wife, my children, and my valued customers. It is truly an honor to bring someone’s vision, hopes and dreams to life with my very own hands. I enjoy working closely with customers and building strong relationships lasting from generations of parents to their children and grandchildren. It’s also been such a privilege to be able to participate and celebrate with our customer’s momentous occasions such as their weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, new babies, graduations, and retirements, just to name a few.

Denise: We’re actually celebrating our 20th anniversary of Tondens Jewelers this year! I am so proud to become a living example of the American Dream for our children to know that we all have the opportunity to succeed with a lot of hard work, resilience, and passion despite the challenges that may arise. I am so proud that my husband and I had the opportunity to establish our own business twenty years ago.

Contact Info:

• Address: 3921 Richmond Ave
  Houston, TX 77027
• Website: www.tondensjewelers.com
• Phone: 713-961-7500
• Email: tondens@sbcglobal.net
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Jewelry—Watches-Store/Tondens-Jewelers-162435247114056/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tondens-jewelers-houston

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