Carlson Jewelers 437 East Main Street, Ventura, CA 93001

"A chocked full store of interesting objects displayed in a visually pleasing setting, cabinet after cabinet, willingly shown by knowledgeable gentleman who is willing to inform and educate customers about his merchandise. A must stop shop in the heart of downtown Ventura."

"Love this family business store, so unique and a great selection of rare items. Always fun and magical."

"Wonderful jewelry store with many unusual and OOAK items for sale, too. Tamara is great, extremely knowledgeable about gemstones. She will craft custom orders."

"We had a very odd experience in this store. We came here on a family vacation. There were 2 women sitting there talking; they ignored us. My boyfriend wanted to look at two sterling pieces in a cabinet near the front of the store (a money clip and a key chain totaling about $350), so he finally asked ladies if someone worked there. One of them revealed that she was an employee, and she finally got up to help him. They were discussing the pieces when I found a piece I wanted to view. My boyfriend needed to speak briefly with a family member who was at a restaurant across the street. He told the sales lady, "I'm going across the street, I'll be right back to take these pieces." In the meantime, she showed me the piece I wanted to see (a ring that ended up being way too big, so I didn't purchase it), and when my boyfriend came back a couple minutes later, the sales lady told him that she had decided to keep the pieces for HERSELF and refused to sell them to him! There also was a large cabinet in the back with a large "estate sale" sign across it. We asked to see items in that case, and she repeatedly said they weren't for sale. My boyfriend asked the male employee if the items were for sale, and the male employee said that the items WERE for sale! We ended up just leaving, because they obviously didn't want our money. The whole experience felt very shady, so we spent our money elsewhere. Whoever owns the place would do well to tell the employees that the point of a store is to sell the stuff on the shelves, preferably to the paying customers who walk through the door. Would never recommend. If you have your items on consignment in this shop, be aware that the employees are not trying to sell them."

"Tamara did an excellent job fixing a unique necklace of mine of which a piece had broken off. She recreated the missing piece and laser welded it back together. Me and my partner purchased some beautiful claddagh rings and she is refitted them to our size fingers. Tamara knows so much and can custom make jewelry for you down to the finest detail. The store has so many cool things to see. Definitely worth checking out!"