About Us

Ignacio Rodriguez was a wholesaler in San Antonio de los Banos, Cuba (near Havana) throughout the 1930s-1950s, selling everything from soap to canned goods to local stores. When Fidel Castro seized power in 1959, Ignacio was thrown in prison shortly after for defying food rationing rules. Ignacio survived the random firing squads in prison, and lied to the undercover communist police that he was faithful to Castro's cause.

During this time, Ignacio's wife, Cira, decided they must leave the country. When Ignacio was released, Cira gave him an ultimatum: "I'm taking the kids and leaving. You can join us or stay here." The family took one of the last available flights out of the country in 1964 with nothing but the clothes on their backs and their three young boys.

Arriving in Southern California, Ignacio and Cira worked in canning factories. That all changed when family members living in New York City sent Ignacio gold chains to sell, thinking he needed the help. Ignacio did not want to get involved in the jewelry industry, but his wife Cira once again gave him some  advice: "You're going to sell those chains." 

Ignacio passed away in 1993, and by that time he had established 500 private clients in the Southern California area. Two of his youngest sons worked with their dad during this time, Tomas and Andre. In 1981, at 27 years old and against his father's wishes, middle son, Tomas, opened the 18 Karat Jewelers in Redondo Beach, California. 18 Karat was chosen instead of 14 or 24, because the Latino customers avoided 14 carat gold if possible. After several years, Tomas was tired of being confined to a store. He wanted to do what his friend, Marc U'Harriett, was doing which was traveling around the world and finding gemstone and jewelry to buy. Tomas sold his store in 1989 (ditching the retail life for a wholesale career), went on his first road trip with Marc and discovered the beautiful world of antique jewelry. 

Rodriguez & Sons Estate Jewelers, Inc. is a wholesale company that consigns, sells and puts on trunk shows for over 50 retail stores across the United States and one in Australia. We consign jewelry anywhere from months to one year, and we are not the kind of wholesalers that will call you wanting updates on the weekly. We assist jewelry stores in their expansion into estate jewelry by  consigning  a large amount of merchandise and sharing our wealth of information on jewelry. Our unique jewelry ranges from the Georgian Era (1714-1836) to Classic Modern as well as several lines of Art Deco Inspired. We buy jewelry everyday, and you should not hesitate to call us if you are curious about selling a small item or a large estate. Please contact us to discuss collaboration!