Our History

If you were travelling through Montana in the early 1970’s, the people you might have seen beside the road selling turquoise and sterling silver Indian jewelry out of a shoebox could have been Linda Johannes and a former boyfriend. As a single mom attending Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, Linda’s first marquee was two pieces of plywood painted by an architect friend.

In 1976 a small shop, Lone Mountain Jewelry, was opened in downtown Bozeman. The following year, Lone Mountain secured a contract to supply Indian jewelry to various concessions in Yellowstone National Park. As the Indian jewelry craze faded in the late 70’s, Lone Mountain began adding diamonds and gold to the store inventory. Linda began taking GIA courses to learn the technical aspects of the new trade.

In 1980 the partnership dissolved and Linda moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She opened a tiny downstairs shop, Johannes and Company. Linda soon met and married Glenn Hunter, who had many years of experience in the traditional jewelry business and became a partner. The business survived long enough to move to a better location where it prospered. A second location opened in 1983 in nearby Sandpoint, Idaho.

In a quest for a larger market and more sunshine, the couple opened Johannes Hunter Jewelers in downtown Colorado Springs in April, 1988. The business grew by leaps and bounds. Robin Johannes, Linda’s daughter, joined the business in Colorado Springs in 1991. Robin had managed the store in Coeur D’Alene until it was sold, and worked at LaVake Jewelers in Princeton, New Jersey to gain more varied experience.

Johannes Hunter Jewelers doubled the size of the store in 1994. Brenda Boyd, Linda’s oldest daughter, with many years of experience in the trade, joined the company in 1999. The following year, Glenn Hunter left Johannes Hunter Jewelers to open another jewelry business in Colorado Springs.

After fourteen years, the store on the corner of 202 North Tejon Street was bursting with customers, merchandise, and staff. In 2002, Johannes Hunter Jewelers moved one half block south to 124 North Tejon Street, to gain more space and convenient customer parking in the rear of the store.