Pierce Custom Jewelers

by Jeannine Gage

On July 4, 1987, Brenda Carey was on a date with her new beau and future husband, Fairley Carey, at the Daytona International Speedway. During the date, Fairley purchased a souvenir for Brenda, a plastic ring adorned with auto-racing’s iconic checkered-flag pattern. Brenda loved that little ring and has kept it tucked away with her other beloved jewelry for all these years since.

Fast-forward to 2021. Brenda, a fixture on the Seminole County Commission from 2004 to 2020, was in the process of organizing and restoring some fine jewelry pieces given to her by her father, and she came across the old beloved plastic ring. Brenda’s favorite jeweler, Lance Pierce of Pierce Custom Jewelers, was handling all Brenda’s restorations, and she thought he might be able to create something special from the plastic bauble.

“It just has such sentimental value to me,” Brenda says. “I wanted to be able to commemorate those memories.”

Custom jewelry creations are Lance’s specialty, and it didn’t take him long to come up with a stunning idea.

Hearts Racing

Lance used diamonds from the jewelry pieces Brenda received from her father to recreate the checkered-flag pattern, this time with the sparkling diamonds set against black enamel. The jaw-dropping, custom piece now pays tribute to all the special men in Brenda’s life – both her dad and her husband.

“It’s such a fun piece,” Brenda says. “I love it.”

Lance owns Pierce Custom Jewelers with his wife Melissa and says custom creations are his favorite part of the job.

“Many people don’t know they can take an old piece of jewelry and turn it into something new,” Lance says. “We love being able to do that for them.”

Brenda believes Lance’s talent for the craft is unmatched.

“Lance is extremely creative and patient,” she says. “He will draw a design, and if I don’t like it, he’ll redo it, and then we end up with something I love.”

“People come in with just an idea,” says Melissa, “and Lance has a gift for just talking with them. Then, he goes away, does the design, and turns the conversation into a tangible piece of incredible jewelry.”

Melissa Roy and her wife Chantal, who recently moved to Daytona Beach from Sanford, wanted to update their wedding bands, so they went to Lance to brainstorm.

“We wanted something to fit each of our tastes but that also worked together,” Melissa Roy says. “Lance did a fantastic job of making that happen.”

The outcome was a series of bands with different centers; Melissa’s made of diamonds and Chantal’s of sapphires.

“We are so happy with them,” Melissa Roy says.

Lance has been in the jewelry business since 1990 and a jeweler in Lake Mary since 1995. Melissa began her career in Big 4 consulting and started getting involved in the jewelry business in 2013 “behind the scenes,” she says. In 2018, she joined Pierce Custom Jewelers full-time, taking care of its website, e-commerce operations, and marketing. Along the way, she’s earned her Graduate Diamonds degree through the Gemological Institute of America and is completing her Graduate Gemologist degree.

Along with Lance’s custom pieces, Pierce Custom Jewelers carries many high-end jewelry brands including Simon G. out of California.

“Everything Simon G. does is platinum or 18K,” Melissa says. “It is all hand-done and has beautiful sparkle.”

The Colonial TownPark showroom features a wide array of engagement rings in several cuts and fashion pieces in every price range.

“And if we don’t have something,” Melissa says, “we can make it.”

Pierce Custom Jewelers is truly a family affair. Lance’s brother Jason Pierce is a salesperson, and the shop wouldn’t be the same without the “real bosses,” Lance and Melissa’s three Newfoundland dogs: Miss Pickles, Gus, and Miss Ava. Jeweler Alicia Cambreleng rounds out the team.

Melissa says it’s only right that Pierce Custom Jewelers is a family business because jewelry, itself, is a family affair.

“Jewelry can be seen as an investment because there is intrinsic value in the stones and the metals,” says Melissa, “but we don’t advise clients to buy it for that reason. It is an investment in your loved ones and in yourself. This is a token of your love, your moment, your family, your memory, your story.”