Closer Than the Mall, and a Better Drive

From Montreux, ArrowCreek, Galena Forest, St. James's Village or Damonte Ranch, the Mt. Rose Highway is right there. Head west from the I-580 interchange, climb past the ski area, crest the summit, and about thirty minutes after you left the house you are in Incline Village — at a family-owned jewelry store that has been here since 1984.

Crossing Reno to a mall counter at rush hour can take nearly as long, and what you find at the end is a chain case and a commissioned associate. What you find at the end of NV-431 is Forever Rox Fine Jewelry: John and Kai Roxburgh, both GIA trained; natural diamonds and colored gemstones; a working bench where roughly nine repairs in ten are done in house; and a lake at the bottom of the hill.

This page is for the south side of town specifically — what the drive is like, what people from these neighborhoods usually come up for, and how to do as much as possible without driving at all.

Everything Reno Clients Come Up For

Each of these has its own page written for Reno clients, with turnaround, pricing and what to expect.

Neighborhood by Neighborhood

Montreux and Galena Forest. You are already on the Mt. Rose Highway. Pull out of the gate, turn uphill, and the store is a single road away with no traffic light worth mentioning until Incline. This is the shortest drive anyone in the Reno area has to a working bench jeweler.

ArrowCreek and St. James's Village. A few minutes down to the highway, then the same climb. From either gate it is comfortably under forty minutes door to door outside of storm days, and the drive back down in the afternoon light is the part people mention.

Damonte Ranch, Saddlehorn and the South Meadows side. Take Veterans or I-580 north to the Mt. Rose exit, then west. Call it thirty-five minutes. It is still shorter than a Saturday crossing of Reno to the mall, and you end at the lake instead of a parking structure.

Downtown, Midtown, Sparks, Somersett. Forty-five minutes, give or take. Worth it for an engagement ring, a custom piece, an heirloom or an appraisal; for a watch battery we will tell you honestly whether to make the trip or find someone closer.

Wherever you start, the thing to know is that the road does the work. There is one turn — onto Tahoe Boulevard at the bottom of the hill — and then you are here.

The Drive, Honestly

In summer and fall it is one of the best half-hours of road in Nevada: sagebrush, then pine, then the summit, then the whole lake opening up in front of you on the way down. People make it a morning — come up, spend an hour with us, have lunch, walk the shore, drive home.

In winter NV-431 is plowed and maintained year round, but it is a mountain pass. After a storm, chain controls can be in effect for a few hours and the summit can be slow. Check road conditions before you leave. If the weather turns while your piece is here, we will hold it until the road is clear rather than have you drive it — and if you would rather not drive at all, we ship fully insured through Jewelers Mutual.

How to Do Most of It Without Driving

A surprising amount of what we do for South Reno clients happens over the phone. Custom design starts with a call or video consultation; the 3D rendering comes to you by email for approval; you drive up to see stones, and again to collect the piece — or we ship it. Appraisals and buying start with a phone call and photos, so you know what to expect before you load the car. Repairs can be discussed by phone with a photo, and for a simple job we will tell you honestly whether the drive makes sense.

The two things worth doing in person are choosing a stone — nothing on a screen tells you what a sapphire or a diamond looks like under a loupe in daylight — and handing over an heirloom, because for a family piece you want to see who is holding it.

Who You Are Dealing With

John Roxburgh has spent about two decades at the bench and holds GIA certifications. Kai Roxburgh runs the front of the store and is GIA trained as well. Between them they cover everything from a battery to a five-figure custom ring, and the person who quotes the job is the person who does it. There is no sales floor, no rotating staff, and no one whose job is to get you to the financing desk.

The case leans toward what Reno chains do not carry: natural colored gemstones — sapphire, spinel, tanzanite, alexandrite, tourmaline — a deep estate section, and pre-owned luxury watches. The Reno guide goes into all of it.

Getting Here From the South Side

Frequently Asked Questions