A Rare Gem

When I was growing up, my mom used to drag me to Seymour's to get her jewelry repaired. And for many of my friends, getting their ears pierced at Seymour's was a rite of passage. The store has remained a part of the fabric of the community. Now its owner Scott Bilowit is retiring and a new owner is taking over. 

She has promised to keep the name, respect the legacy and bring her own mark to the store. That balance, honoring what came before while welcoming fresh energy is what makes Hermosa special. Not everything old should be frozen in time, and not everything new needs to erase the past. That balance is worth preserving.

The retirement sale at Seymour Jewelers has been going on for two years. But now, Scott insists, he really means it.

After 45 years behind the counter, Scott is preparing to step away from one of Hermosa Beach’s oldest family-owned businesses.

“It’s the people I’ll miss the most,” Scott said of his retirement.

For decades, Seymour’s has been where locals came for wedding and engagement rings, anniversary gifts, watch repairs and until recently, ear piercings. Customers often returned years later, sometimes with the same pieces, sometimes with new family members in tow.

Scott, 69, plans to split his time between family in the Dominican Republic, Florida, Idaho, and Redondo Beach, where he has a home. For now, though, he remains a familiar sight on Pier Avenue, casual and relaxed, more surfer than jeweler, riding his bike to work in a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and flip-flops. He wears a black pearl necklace around his neck. On his hand is his father’s Masonic ring.

“Just wearing his ring,” Scott said, “I feel close to him.”

Scott’s dad, Seymour, a World War II veteran from Brooklyn, opened the store in 1960. From the beginning, it was a family operation. When Scott was 12, he started engraving plaques and trophies on a machine in the back of the shop.

“We did engraving for the city,” he said.

Scott took over from his dad 45 years ago, in what he described as a “seamless transition.”

Under his ownership, Seymour’s stayed rooted in Hermosa Beach while expanding how it sourced its jewelry. Rather than relying solely on wholesalers, Scott traveled around the world to buy gemstones directly from the source. 

He went to Brazil for emeralds and tourmalines, Thailand for rubies and sapphires, and Australia for opals. He spent weeks on a black pearl farm in Tahiti, diving for pearls among reef sharks.

“There was nothing there,” he said. “Just sharks and seagulls.”

That approach helped define the store’s reputation. Seymour’s became known for custom work, antique restorations, redesigned heirloom pieces and custom engagement rings.

“We don’t turn down anything,” Scott said. “We do everything.”

Longtime Hermosa Beach resident Paul Amarillas said he bought several pieces of jewelry from Scott over the years. He said he trusts Scott, a fellow Kiwanian.

“I bought a beautiful gemstone necklace for my wife. It was orange. She loved it,” Amarillas said. “Scott’s a real character. He has this casual demeanor. He leans against the counter and when he talks to you. You just knew you weren’t being taken.”

While Scott is stepping away from daily operations, Seymour’s is not closing. A new owner, Alex Scharff, is expected to take over the business in February.

Scharff, who moved to Hermosa Beach a year ago and fell in love with the community, said she plans to remodel the interior of the store, and keep two current employees, while putting her own stamp on the business. 

“This is just a change of ownership,” she said. “I want to continue the legacy.”

Elka Worner is a community volunteer, City Commissioner, journalist, and Hermosa Beach local. She contributes occasional columns to The Hermosa Review, and publishes her own regular newsletter titled 'Elka's Update’ which you can subscribe to for free.

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