Our History

In the beginning.
It started in Longmont, Colorado in 1980, when Walter (Wally) and BJ Vieregg teamed up with Ron and Gail Hogsett. All four had dreamed of bringing luxury jewelry to Boulder County, and each of them had travelled a different path to that dream and that moment.

Ron Hogsett got his start mowing the lawn of a man named John Snyder, who owned a jewelry store in downtown Longmont. Snyder offered Ron the chance to work in his store, and quickly began teaching him the business.

Wally was traveling the country as a jewelry sales rep when his travels brought him into Snyder’s store. There he met Ron and the two of them instantly hit it off.

They had the jewelry business in common and the timing was right.

Wally was ready to settle down in one place. Ron was ready for a challenge. And both were entrepreneurs at heart. They decided to pool their knowledge and resources and start a jewelry store of their own, and so the Walters & Hogsett dream was born.

But it took more than a dream to make the business a success. The two men worked furiously. They put in long hours and plenty of hard work. And they didn’t do it alone.

Gail, Ron’s wife at the time, turned out to be an integral player in the success of Walters & Hogsett. Her creative flair was perfect for jewelry drawer design and window creation. And Wally’s wife, BJ, had a talent for mathematics and bookkeeping. The Walters & Hogsett dream team was complete.

Mark Vieregg and Don Janson

The Next Chapter
Despite humble beginnings and selling jewelry with kids running around in the back room, word of mouth about the store spread fast. Wally already had many contacts in the jewelry industry, and Ron knew customers from Snyder’s who trusted him enough to help him get the store off the ground.

After a couple years, the team opened another storefront in the Village Shopping Center in Boulder. However, being in a new city presented new challenges. Wally, BJ, and Gail found it hard to start over without a strong network in Boulder. Five years later, an exciting opportunity presented itself and the store was able to move to an upscale shopping center, The Water Street Complex, where it is still located today.

In 1991, Don Janson joined the partnership bringing 18 years of diverse jewelry experience with him. Don, the face most of you know today, proved exponentially valuable to the store, and he was quickly dubbed the “&” in the name Walters & Hogsett.

New Generation.
In 1993, Wally, BJ, and Gail, decided to focus on the single Boulder location. In 2001, they expanded the store, and six years after that, the next generation of Vieregg joined the team. When Wally and BJ retired in 2013, the ownership of the store was transferred to Wally’s nephew Mark Vieregg, and Don Janson. In 2021, Lanie Downing and Emily Lantaff acquired ownership and joined the team of leaders.

With more than 40 years of celebrating the art of jewelry and building client relationships, Walters & Hogsett Jewelers continues to thrive and serve clients and the community with the hospitality you deserve, the highest quality jewelry and timepieces, and personal attention. Walters & Hogsett is a top ranked jeweler for Colorado and beyond with one focus: to surprise and delight customers by combining the essence of casual luxury with the warmth of a family.

Contact us or stop in soon and see for yourself. You are a stranger here only once.

Don Janson, Lanie Downing, Mark Vieregg, and Emily Lantaff

Owners, Don Janson, Lanie Downing, Mark Vieregg, and Emily Lantaff