the Laviano legacy

Family-owned-and-operated since 1945, LaViano Jewelers founder Michael J. LaViano got his start in jewelry and watchmaking as a youngster in Italy and New York City.

Michael J. LaViano, founder of LaViano Jewelers in Westwood, New Jersey, was the second generation of LaVianos in United States. However, the roots of the LaViano family as watchmakers and jewelers date back to the mid 1800s in Potenza, Italy, located in the providence of Napolitano.

It all began when Michael’s father immigrated to the United States around 1890 and set up a shop on Madison Avenue in New York City, where he dabbled in jewelry and clocks. Shortly after the turn of the century, he returned to Italy, married and had three children, Donald, Michael and Victoria. For reasons that are not entirely clear, he left Italy, returned to NYC and re-established his shop on Madison Avenue. His sons, Michael and Donald, came to New York in the 1920s, and Michael joined his father in the jewelry and watch business.

One of Michael’s weekly responsibilities was to visit the brownstones of New York’s high society and wind all their clocks, a healthy first exposure to wealth. By the late 1930s, with WWII on the horizon, Michael, now an accomplished watchmaker, took a position with Bendix Aviation, producing sensitive altimeters for the U.S. army aircraft. In 1945, as the war was winding down, Michael left Bendix and started LaViano, a fledgling jewelry business in Westwood.

From the inception of the business, Michael strived to make LaViano Jewelers synonymous with high quality products, from diamonds to Rolex watches. He even created the catchphrase “escape from the ordinary,” which was later used in promotional materials for General Motors.

As the area in Bergen County transitioned from rural to more residential, the business grew and grew, and word spread about this exceptional store tucked in Northeast Bergen County. By the 1960s the name LaViano was well-known in the region, and the store has thrived on one very simple formula: Treat people with dignity and honesty, have fairpriced product and most importantly, always make your client’s interest the first and foremost priority.

Now, in 2022, LaViano Jewelers has two locations in Westwood and rural Warwick, New York. Few things remain the same today as they did at the start of the 20th century. However, LaViano Jewelers still embraces the responsibility to our clients to only endorse the finest pieces, and we’ve since expanded our range of services. We have two full-time bench jewelers on staff with a combined 75 years of experience, who can repair items, hand-make a new mounting for your diamond, size your ring or help design custom creations in our House of LaViano custom shop.

For more than 75 years, our business has evolved into one of the most respected independent jewelry stores in the country, and is still family-owned to this day, now run by Michael’s son, Jack, and grandson, Jeffrey.