Our Story
Rooted in Legacy.
Built for What's Next.
Third-generation jewelers. Digital-first platform.
Where We Come From
In 1964, Tony and Helen Skatell opened a small jewelry store in Greenville, South Carolina. Over time, all four of their children and their spouses joined the business, followed by a third generation of grandchildren, turning a small storefront into a true family legacy. What they built was never just about jewelry. It was about earning trust, one customer at a time, for over sixty years.
The Beginning
Built on Handshakes and Honest Appraisals
Each of their four children followed them into the industry, opening stores throughout the Carolinas. Though customers often viewed Skatell's as a chain, each location was independently owned by family, united by shared values.
Still Going
The Legacy Continues
Today, Beth Owens, Eric's mother, owns and operates Skatell's in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Known for its five-star reputation and loyal customer base, the store embodies the Skatell philosophy: relationships over transactions.
What they built was more than a store. It was a reputation.
The Industry Hasn't Evolved.
We Noticed.
Outdated. Unclear. Uncomfortable.
In-store appraisals, unclear pricing, and lowball perceptions leave customers uncomfortable and unsure if they're getting a fair deal.
No Trusted Digital Leader.
While banking and investing moved online with trusted digital brands, selling gold and jewelry remains fragmented, transactional, and decades behind.
Fast. Transparent. On Your Terms.
Bivvy delivers instant label creation, a seamless shipping portal, and fast, no-obligation offers designed to be simple, transparent, and on your terms.
Then
In store. Relationship driven. Trusted.
Our family represented decades of face to face trust. A handshake, a fair appraisal, and a customer who came back for generations.
Now
Digital. Transparent. The same trust.
Bivvy delivers that same trust through a seamless digital experience: insured shipping, professional appraisal, transparent offers, and payout within 24 hours.
We're not stepping away from tradition.
We're extending it.
The Founders
Co-Founder
Eric Owens
Eric grew up inside the jewelry industry, from engraving as a child to working retail throughout high school and college. After earning a degree in Entrepreneurship from the University of South Carolina, he went on to found Monolith Digital, a bitcoin data center venture that shaped his approach to building and operating technology businesses.
With Bivvy, Eric brings generational jewelry expertise and disciplined execution to modernizing the secondary gold market.
Co-Founder
Taylor Chelsted
Taylor architects the operational and technological backbone of Bivvy. With experience at UPS, Auctane, and Shopify, he brings a wealth of ecommerce expertise and deep logistical knowledge across scalable systems and infrastructure.
At Bivvy, he designs a secure, digital-first experience powered by insured shipping flows and best-in-class payout infrastructure. The customer experience is intentionally simple. Behind it sits enterprise-grade precision.