The go-to place for jewelry and watch repair at Westfield Valley Fair mall is the Master Fix Jewelers kiosk, where expert David Truong makes repairs on-the-spot as you wait or shop.
Truong and his wife, Xuan Truong, have tended the stand-alone kiosk, located on the ground floor in the corridor in front of the Gap Store, for almost two decades, since July 2, 1999. Customers such as San Jose resident Annette Arbuckle are referred by jewelry and department stores in the mall.
“This is my first time, but I will be a repeat customer,” said Arbuckle, who was having a watch engraved for her grandson’s 21st birthday. “They made a suggestion that no other engraver did.”
The creative suggestion was to engrave the thin edge of the watch rather than the back, which was imprinted by the manufacturer, leaving scant room for personalized engraving.
“It was a reasonable price and [David] did it by freehand while I shopped,” added Arbuckle as another customer waited her turn to have a broken prong fixed on her diamond wedding ring.
Truong started working with jewelry in Vietnam, where he was born, when he was 16. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1984, he worked at jewelry stores, Macy’s, and Nordstrom, learning new techniques, designing, restyling and repairing jewelry.
“We were adults when we came here. I didn’t have an education,” said Truong. “We have to use our hands.”
David Truong and his wife met at an outdoor market in Vietnam in 1978 and married in the U.S. in 1990. Xuan Truong selects merchandise and handles inventory and sales, leaving most of the bench work and customer consultations to her husband.
They sell fine jewelry as well as repair both fine and costume jewelry and watches. They have laser welding equipment, which uses a pinpoint of heat to produce undetectable repairs, including on platinum jewelry. For security, all work is recorded by camera as it is done.
Long-time customers now living in London bring their jewelry with them when they return periodically to the U.S. and have Truong do repairs. He gets custom jewelry design orders from as far away as Germany.
“Fashion is something in your heart,” said Truong. “The majority of work I do is creating the technique, design and style.”
The couple works seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., grabbing a bite to eat at the kiosk so that they are always available for their customers. Xuan Truong’s parents live with them and helped take care of their three children when they were young, freeing the couple to work for their children’s future.
“People trust us. We can’t take time off,” said Xuan Truong.”We’re working hard for our kids.”
In 2017, the family opened a second Master Fix Jewelers, located in Oakridge Mall, 925 Blossom Hill Rd., San Jose. It is run by the Truongs’ sons Alan, a certified gemologist who does jewelry appraisals, and Dustin, a graduate of SJSU. Their daughter is a sophomore at Santa Clara University.
An online visit to Yelp reveals reviews over the years by many, many customers who are happy with the friendly, skilled and trust-worthy service of family-run Master Fix Jewelers, space # 9004 at Westfield Valley Fair mall, 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara, (408) 984-5751.
Correction: Dustin Truong is a graduate of SJSU, not UCLA. The error has been corrected.