Brighton jewelry & handbags in Lake Orion

The Brighton story began in 1972 with husband-and-wife founders Jerry and Terri Kohl, who shared a dream of creating exceptional accessories using beautiful materials, original designs and skilled craftsmanship.

More than 50 years later, Brighton remains a family-owned company.

While the brand has grown tremendously from those early beginnings, the philosophy behind it has remained remarkably consistent: create beautiful things, pay attention to the details, treat customers like friends and use the company's success as an opportunity to do good.

Brighton's earliest roots were in leather goods, with Jerry overseeing the Brighton wholesale business and working closely with independent boutiques. Handbags joined the collection in 1993 and quickly became a signature part of the Brighton name. Over time, the world of Brighton expanded to include jewelry, charms, wallets, eyewear, watches, footwear, gifts and accessories.

Yet even as the collections have grown, Brighton has maintained something increasingly rare in fashion: a very personal approach to design.

One of our favorite things about Brighton is that its collections don't begin with an algorithm or simply with whatever happens to be trending that season. They begin with designers.

Brighton has its own talented team of in-house designers, each bringing a completely different background, perspective and artistic influence to the collections they create.

Their inspiration comes from seemingly everywhere — art, architecture, nature, travel, music and experiences gathered from around the world. One designer may draw inspiration from classic architecture, while another's work reflects a background in fine art, fashion or even automotive design.

Those different perspectives are why the world of Brighton can feel so wonderfully diverse while still remaining unmistakably Brighton.

Each design begins as a sketch. From there, skilled artisans translate those drawings into finished pieces, carefully considering the details that make the designs special — from sculptural metalwork and hand-set crystals to stitching, leatherwork, engraving and unexpected hidden messages.

The result is something Brighton has built its reputation around: accessories that feel like little works of art.

Ask a longtime Brighton customer about her collection and there's a good chance every piece comes with a story. The bracelet she received for her birthday. The charm that represents her daughter. The necklace her husband gave her for an anniversary. The handbag she bought herself after reaching a milestone.

That's part of the magic of Brighton.

Its collections are intentionally created so pieces can complement one another across seasons and even across years. Necklaces can be layered. Bracelets become stacks. Charms commemorate everything from family and faith to travel, hobbies, celebrations and the things that simply make us smile.

And because individual Brighton designers develop their own collections, customers often discover that they're naturally drawn to the work of a particular artist.

Before long, you're not simply buying another piece of jewelry. You're building a collection that's uniquely yours.

Brighton's philosophy has always been that beautiful design should be accompanied by quality and craftsmanship.

Their jewelry begins with original hand-drawn designs before being brought to life by skilled artisans. Across Brighton's collections you'll find carefully sculpted details, mixed metals, colorful accents, pearls, hand-set crystals, leatherwork and meaningful motifs that reward you for looking a little closer.

Sometimes the most special detail isn't even the first one you see. A message may be engraved on the reverse of a pendant. A handbag may reveal an unexpected detail when you open it. A piece may be reversible, giving you two completely different ways to wear it.

It's that attention to the whole piece — not simply how it looks from across the room — that has helped Brighton accessories become keepsakes passed from one generation to another.

Brighton also stands behind its craftsmanship through product warranties as well as repair services, and registered Brighton leather handbags receive complimentary cleaning and conditioning for the life of the bag.

It's another reflection of the company's belief that these aren't meant to be disposable accessories. They're meant to stay with you.

Beautiful design may be what first introduces someone to Brighton, but the company's commitment to giving back is one of the reasons we are especially proud to carry it at Boutique Chic.

Jerry and Terri Kohl have made philanthropy part of the Brighton culture, with a particular commitment to causes that empower women and families. Together with its customers, Brighton has donated more than $10 million to national and local charities.

One of its best-known initiatives is Power of Pink, Brighton's annual campaign supporting the fight against breast cancer. Launched in 2003, Power of Pink uses specially created limited-edition accessories to help fund breast cancer research, education and treatment. Through the initiative, Brighton has supported hundreds of breast cancer charities across the United States.

And their giving doesn't end there. Since 2007, Brighton and its customers have also collected nearly one million pairs of shoes for Soles4Souls, helping provide footwear to people in need around the world.

Brighton's charitable initiatives have also included collecting and donating handbags to women in need — giving something many of us might consider simply an accessory a much deeper purpose. Through its handbag donation efforts, Brighton has donated more than 200,000 handbags to women in need.

It's an approach to business that we believe deeply in: success means more when you use it to lift someone else.

There are many reasons we fell in love with Brighton. The quality. The craftsmanship. The incredibly talented designers. The way a single piece can become the beginning of a collection — or the perfect gift marking a moment someone will remember for years.

But Brighton also represents something at the very heart of what we want Boutique Chic to be.

We intentionally seek out brands that understand fashion and accessories can have an impact far beyond what we put on in the morning. We want to introduce you to companies creating beautiful things and doing beautiful things with the success those products create.

Brighton has been doing exactly that for decades.

So whether you're choosing your very first Brighton piece, adding another bracelet to a collection you've built over the years, finding a charm that tells part of your story or selecting a gift that will someday become someone's keepsake, we're incredibly proud to have Brighton represented at Boutique Chic.

Because around here, we believe the best pieces don't just make you feel beautiful. They give you a reason to feel good about where they came from, too.