Our Story

Sundance Jewelers has called East Lansing home since 1973

What started as a dream has grown into 52 years of engagements, anniversaries, repairs, redesigns, and relationships that span generations.

Where it all Began

With turquoise jewelry and Native American pieces on the rise in the early 1970s, Betty and Bill Yonkus Sr. brought them to East Lansing, opening Sundance Jewelers in October of 1973.

They traveled back and forth between Michigan and the Southwest, returning from Arizona and New Mexico with handmade native jewelry and pottery, fueling the turquoise craze right here in town.

The store's first home was on Abbot Road, sharing a building with White Monkey, a head shop, and Comes Naturally, a health food store.

A fire eventually forced the other tenants out, and Sundance expanded fully into the space.

In 1990, the store moved to its well-known Grand River storefront, right across from Michigan State's campus, where it would become a fixture in the community for the next 25 years.

Betty & Bill Sr.

Betty and Bill Sr. were among the first GIA-certified gemologists in the area, and people trusted them. Customers who found them in the 70s sent their kids, and then their grandkids.

Bill Sr. was there from the beginning, and his values are woven into how the store still operates today. He passed away in 2017.

Betty has been the steady hand behind everything

from the special orders to the relationships to the day-to-day that holds a small business together.

She has the kind of presence that makes people want to share their life stories with her, and customers still come in just to see her.

Every December she orders the same Christmas cookies from the same local baker, a small tradition that's become something people genuinely look forward to.

Bill Jr.

Today Betty's son Bill Jr. runs the business as a GIA Graduate Gemologist.

He spends most of his time working one-on-one with customers, walking them through diamond education, designing custom pieces, and doing a final quality check on every repair before it leaves the shop.

When someone is picking out something that marks a major moment in their life, he gives them his full attention. That's why those customers keep coming back.

The Store

In 2017 Bill designed and moved the store to its current home on Albert Avenue. One of his deliberate choices was putting the jeweler's bench right on the floor where anyone can see it. The work happens in front of you.

Out front you'll find Frankie the Jeweler

A gold-painted pug statue with a blinged-out collar and a bowl of fresh water for dogs passing by. Frank was the family's very fat, very beloved pug who lived a great life on scrambled eggs and turkey.

He's our mascot now.

Betty and Bill Jr. are here, and so are the stories, the craftsmanship, and the relationships that have made this place what it is.

A lot of the people who walk through the door aren't just customers anymore. They're people the family has known for decades, through engagements and anniversaries and losses and new beginnings.

That's the kind of store this is, and there's always a Yonkus on site. Stop in whether you're thinking about a custom design, need a repair, or just want to say hi.

330 Albert St. East Lansing, MI 48864

Open
Tues. - Friday: 10am - 6pm
Saturday: 10am - 3pm
Or by appointment

More to Explore

See what we've been working on, what we've collected, and what just came in.

Our Work

Custom designs, restorations, and some of the pieces we're most proud of.

See the Gallery

The Vintage Archive

Hand-selected vintage and estate pieces, chosen the same way we've run this store for 52 years. With soul.onetize impactful models vis-a-vis unique benefits

Enter the Archive

New At Sundance

What just hit the cases

New Arrivals