PAYNE ANTHONY

“She didn’t tell anyone what she had done with the ring.”

Bryan Nock, co-owner of Payne Anthony Creative Jewelers in Trolley Square, still gets goosebumps when he recalls the story.

A young woman walked into the shop clutching a century-old band covered in opals — a ring her great-grandmother had gifted her. It was the ring she played with as a child, spending countless afternoons delighting in its fiery colors. And the ring that would one day become far more than she could imagine.

Though it carried many memories, she wanted to create something new — something that could be shared. So the staff removed the opals and crafted a ring and necklace for her. With the remaining stones, they designed necklaces for her mother, grandmother, and sisters.

When she returned to pick up the pieces, she brought everyone with her — and handed each a box to open. There stood three generations of women, now holding a part of someone they cherished.

“It was magical,” Bryan says. “You could feel it in the room — the weight of it, the love of it.”

These are the journeys Payne Anthony was built for.

When longtime Payne Anthony owner Steve Farr announced his retirement, Bryan and his business partner Vik Sehdev stepped in. Payne Anthony was not only one of Trolley Square’s original shops, but it was a part of the fabric of downtown Salt Lake. 

To preserve its legacy, Bryan and Vik bought the shop in 2024. And Steve stayed on, lending his skills during the transition.

“Payne Anthony always felt like home,” Bryan says. “We wanted to make sure it was never lost.”

Bryan has been in the jewelry business since college. Vik was born into it. Together, they bring over sixty years of experience. But what sets them apart is how they listen — and their understanding of how jewelry can change a person’s life.

In a world of trends and online everything, they’ve stayed grounded in something slower, more lasting: relationships. Many of their vendor partnerships go back a lifetime and are still sealed with a handshake.

That kind of trust shapes every experience inside the shop.

It’s felt when a staff member greets a client with warmth. When they offer a seat or beverage to someone in need. When the same care is shown, regardless of the price of a purchase.

Custom work remains the center. Whether reimagining heirlooms, merging elements from different designs, bringing a hand-drawn sketch to life, or hand-picking one-of-a-kind pieces, every creation is meant to embrace someone’s hopes — and often, their innermost dreams.

“We always strive to offer pieces that will reach a person’s soul,” Bryan says.

And he has a knack for knowing when jewels will leave someone breathless.

Bryan was in his twenties when he came upon a collection that stopped him in his tracks — landscapes of red, gold, blue, and green rising from singular, handcrafted works of art. Gemstones arranged in graceful gradients, moving from pastels to the richest hues. He never forgot it.

Decades later, Bryan and Vik brought these jewels to Payne Anthony.

“They remind me of an artist who takes palettes of colors and creates a beautiful painting out of nowhere,” Vik says. “There’s nothing like these visions.”

“Bryan was in tears,” adds Vik. “That’s how much they meant to him.”

And before the jewelry was even tagged, a client walked in. She was drawn to every shade of the blue topaz — and bought four pieces.

“To wait all those years, and then see someone immediately fall in love with these works …” Bryan pauses. “It was powerful.”

There are also gems that wait for the right person.

Vik often thinks of the Ceylon sapphire they housed for more than four years — clear, luminous, the kind of oceanic blue that doesn’t let go. “We bought it knowing someone special would find it,” he says. “And one day, she did. It was her birthstone. She was mesmerized.”

And then there are moments that settle into the deepest part of you.

Bryan speaks of a couple who came in after learning the man had just six months to live. They weren’t yet married, but they wanted to design two rings — so she could always wear his with hers.

And Vik remembers a woman who had lost someone dear — a son, a brother, a husband. The staff helped her design pendants using his fingerprint — one for each member of the family.

“When she saw what we had rendered, she wept,” Vik shares.

“It means so much for us to be a part of their lives,” Bryan says.

The inspiration of Payne Anthony will always be the people.

It’s reflected in every gesture of compassion, and every gratitude felt.

And it’s found in the stories — the opal ring reborn into necklaces, the client who saw herself in a single sapphire, the couple who carved eternity into rings, and the grieving family who now carries a loved one close to their hearts.

“We give every person something they can hold onto, and never have to let go,” Bryan says.