JCK is starting 2024 as we have years past—by listing the U.S. jewelers that shut their doors, or announced they’d be closing, during the preceding 12 months.
The roster below, which is organized by state, does not include every retailer that closed over the last year, just the ones that we could find information on. (Our primary sources are local publications and social media posts.) We try to make this list as accurate as possible, but if there’s additional context or facts we should know about, please send an email.
Closing down a store is often a painful decision, and people do it for many different reasons. In some cases, business was fine, but the owner wanted to retire and had no one to leave the store to. One jeweler cited crime, while another said his business was located in a downtown area that had not fully recovered from the pandemic. One retailer blamed increasing costs; another had zoning issues.
It is always sad when good jewelers shut their doors, particularly those that were active members of their local communities. At least seven stores on this list were open for more than a century.
So let’s begin the new year by saluting the jewelers below. They will be missed.
ARIZONA
Michael’s Jewelers, Phoenix (source)
ARKANSAS
Newton’s Jewelers, Fort Smith (source)
CALIFORNIA
D. Williams Jewelers, Ukiah (source)
Kennington Jewelers, Fresno (source)
Mie Pearl Jewelry, Redondo Beach (source)
Morgan’s Jewelers, Rolling Hills Estates (source)
Schritter’s Jewelry, Redding (source)
Scotts Valley Jewelers, Scotts Valley (source)
COLORADO
Jewelry Emporium, Fort Collins (source)
CONNECTICUT
Armstrong Rockwell, Hartford (source)
Elegant Touch Fine Gifts & Jewelry, Cheshire (source)
DELAWARE
Andrew Gallagher Jewelers, Newark (source)
FLORIDA
Capital Pawn Gold & Jewelry Buyers, Tampa (source)
Jacobs Jewelers, Jacksonville (source)
John Michael Matthews Fine Jewelry, Vero Beach (source)
Smith and Smith Jewelers, Marianna (source)
GEORGIA
Camelot Jewelers, Dunwoody (source)
Crown Jewelers, Augusta (source)
Ned Cash Jewelers, Brunswick (source)
Withrow Jewelers, Marietta (source)
HAWAII
Jim Saylor Jewelers, Kapaʻa (source)
ILLINOIS
Begeman Jewelers, Willowbrook (source)
First Avenue Jewelry, Sterling (source)
INDIANA
Edwards Jeweler, New Castle (source)
J.C. Sipe Jewelers, Indianapolis (source)
McCarty’s Diamonds & Fine Jewelry, Evansville (source)
Tiemeier’s Jewelry, Seymour (source)
IOWA
Ginsberg Jewelers, Cedar Rapids (source)
KANSAS
Jacobsen’s Jewelry Store, Salina (source)
KENTUCKY
The Jewelry Doctors, Pikeville (source)
M & M Jewelers, Owensboro (source)
MARYLAND
Shearer the Jeweler, Easton (source)
Town Square Jewelers, Rockville (source)
The Village Gem, Nottingham (source)
MASSACHUSETTS
Romm Diamonds, Brockton (source)
The Silver Woman, Newton Centre (source)
Three Crown Jewelry, Needham (source)
MICHIGAN
Astrein’s Jewelers, Birmingham (source)
Smith Jewelers, Rochester (source)
MINNESOTA
Bachman Jewelers, St. Cloud (source)
Birgits Jewelers, Brainerd (source)
Imagine Jewelers, Greenfield (source)
Jay F. Jeweler, Apple Valley (source)
Mark Michael Diamond Designs, Maple Grove (source)
Puffe’s Fine Jewelry, Moorhead (source)
MISSISSIPPI
Robin’s Unique Boutique, Aberdeen (source)
Rushing Jewelers, Picayune (source)
West Point Jewelry, West Point (source)
MISSOURI
Manoli’s Jewelers, Springfield (source)
NEBRASKA
Hoover’s Jewelers, Kearney (source)
Williams Jewelers, Alliance (source)
NEW HAMPSHIRE
A & E Diamond & Gold, Merrimack (source)
NEW JERSEY
Charles Stecher Jewelers, Marmora (source)
Henry’s Landmark Jeweler, Ocean City (source)
NEW YORK
Goldmine Jewelers, New Hartford (source)
Freeman & Foote Jewelers, Utica (source)
The Jewelry Studio, Plainview (source)
Weiss Jewelry, Brooklyn (source)
NORTH CAROLINA
Robinson Jewelers, Greenville (source)
OHIO
C.J. Duncan Jewelers, Massillon (source)
Don Jenkins Jewelers, Lima (source)
Harold Jaffe Jewelers, Toledo (source)
OREGON
La Rog Brothers, Clackamas and Tigard (source)
PENNSYLVANIA
Bar-Kay Jewelers, Rockledge (source)
Breakiron Jewelers, Erie (source)
C. Leslie Smith, Allentown (source)
David Craig Jewelers, Langhorne (source)
Wayne Jewelers, Wayne (source)
Yardley Jewelers, Yardley (source)
Note: This business will continue to offer custom and repair services.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Byrnes Jewelers, Summerville (source)
TENNESSEE
Barry’s Jewelry, Knoxville (source)
TEXAS
Barnes Jewelry, Amarillo (source)
blue. house of jewelry, Tyler (source)
Elegant Jewelers, Sugar Land (source)
I W Marks Jewelers, Houston (source)
Lesley Ann Jewels, Houston (source)
Varsity Jewelers, Lubbock (source)
VIRGINIA
Bowen Jewelry Company, Lynchburg (source)
Greer Jewelers, Abingdon (source)
Spertner Jewelers, Norfolk (source)
Sycamore Jewelers, Midlothian (source)
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Bensons Jewelers (source)
WEST VIRGINIA
Bechdel Jewelers, Inwood (source)
WISCONSIN
Dalebroux Jewelry, Two Rivers (source)
Elmwood Plaza Jewelers, Racine (source)
Richard’s Diamonds and Gems, Kaukauna (source)
This feature is always a little bittersweet. Yet, I’m heartened by how so many of these closing jewelers say they had a good run.
“It’s been a great life,” said Alexander Romm Rysman, owner of 123-year-old Romm Diamonds in Massachusetts. “We deal with generations. We deal with families [that] have children, and then their children want to get married.”
As his store closed, Biff Bowen, owner of Virginia’s Bowen Jewelry Company, told the local news: “My father once told me that our family never got rich off the jewelry business. But we’ve been rich in friends, and that’s even better.”
Or to quote Jeff Sherman, who ran Henry Landmark Jewelers on the Jersey Shore for over 50 years: “There’s not a day we’re not thankful how things worked out for us.”
(Top photo courtesy of Lesley Ann Jewels)
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