Monterey Bay Estate Jewelry and Antiques

Going into Retirement Sale Gives Great Purchase Opportunities

By Jessica Johnson

After 23 years in business at their small shop in Aptos, Monterey Bay Estate Jewelry and Antiques is closing its doors for good. Jim Gillio and Michael Craig opened the business together in 1993 and were partners until Craig’s untimely passing in 2012.

Buying and selling antiques is one of those kinds of businesses that you really only learn by doing, and for Gillio and Craig, antiques were in their blood. Craig was a second generation antiques dealer and Gillio is the third generation in his family to join the business.

“My mom was an antiques dealer in the 1960s,” he said, sharing how his mother, Janet (Kennedy) Gillio, ran her business out of their house in San Jose.

When you arrive at the door of the shop tucked in next to the shoe repair, you need to knock to be let in, due to heightened security measures.

But once you are inside, the shop is inviting, welcoming, and still full of a wide variety of quality antiques, artwork and jewelry.

“We sell all kinds of things,” Gillio said. “We only sell quality items and we have a lot of high quality art, fine watches and antiques. And everything, even the display cases, needs to go.”

They have already lowered their prices for the liquidation and items big and small are on their way out. A few sets of china were displayed on a folding table because Gillio recently sold the two large antique armoires he had used to display the dinnerware.

According to Gillio, Monterey Bay Estate Jewelry and Antiques has been a go-to spot for locals with repeat customers and word of mouth being their best marketing tools. He hopes that the community – old friends as well as new faces, will come by to say good-bye, and maybe grab a “good buy” while there.

Perhaps someone will be interested in a timepiece – they have a large collection of antique pocket watches, and dozens of high end watches by Rolex, Tag Heuer, Omega, and the like.

“Watches have been a big part of the business,” Gillio shared.

They will be selling everything, even the glass display cases which still hold military memorabilia, knives, Native American jewelry, and a large selection of wedding sets, diamond rings, and other baubles. The walls are lined with paintings by local artists and shelves holding Steiff stuffed animals from Germany.

While jewelry and antiques have been the meat and potatoes of their business over the years, Gillio told the story of one of their more unusual purchases, “We had a bronze yawning mountain lion that we sold at auction at Christie’s.”

A local resident came in to the shop with the unusual sculpture and after doing some research, Gillio and Craig knew they had something valuable on their hands. After sending in photos to the team at Christie’s auction house they eventually shipped the piece to New York to have the piece evaluated. Ultimately, it was accepted for auction and sold at auction for $24,000.

While they don’t have any more bronze mountain lions in the shop, they do have something for everyone and they invite you to come down and see what remains. You only have a few more weeks to check out their selection of fine estate jewelry, watches, antiques and other collectibles before Jim Gillio shuts the door to Monterey Bay Estate Jewelry and Antiques.

“Over the years we met a lot of really nice people,” he said, but he is ready to retire. “We will be selling until Christmas and then in January we will pack up what’s left.”

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Monterey Bay Estate Jewelry and Antiques is located at 7765-D Soquel Drive, across from the Rancho del Mar Shopping Center. Their hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 11 – 4, and their phone number is 662-8560.