About Us
Victor Brownson started in the jewellery business in 1910 by selling gold watches from horseback to Kauri gum diggers in the far north, hardly speaking a word of english. He came to New Zealand from Lebanon to be with his brother, David. He was an established jeweller in Auckland, trading as David Silk Jewellers.
Victor opened his first shop in 1925. He lead a colourful life and had three sons from his first wife, who at one stage, all had jewellers shops in Auckland. The eldest, Albert, eventually had seven shops in Auckland and Hamilton. Victor remarried and came to live in New Plymouth, where he opened the last remaining Brownson Jewellers shop. Victor had two sons, David and Vincent, and a daughter, Brenda. Both sons went into the jewellery business, with Vincent later retiring due to ill health.
Brownson Jewellers is now in it’s third generation, with David’s son, Wayne, now in command. David and Wayne were both trained as watchmakers, with Wayne finishing his trade with Omega in Australia.
Through the generations, Brownson’s has always put their customers first, believing that customer satisfaction is the number one goal, no matter what the cost.
- David and Wayne in 1983
Brownson Jewellers was featured in Westpac’s magazine, RED. Read the article below.
