Thomas “Tom” Wright, a well-regarded Lincoln, Neb., jeweler active in the American Gem Society, died on Dec. 18. He was 78.

Wright got his start in the jewelry business after attending college for a year and deciding it wasn’t for him, he told the Lincoln Journal Star in 2019. He had a cousin in the industry, and gave it a try. “I guess it worked,” Wright added.

He worked for a few years at Sartor Hamann Jewelers in Lincoln. In 1979 he and wife Mary opened Wright’s Jewelers. It became a prominent local retailer, known for its dedication to its craft and its customers.

In 2016, Wright told JCK about his “finest hour” in customer service.

“A good client asked us to custom-make a piece. Some of the parts we needed didn’t arrive until 4 p.m. Christmas Eve. So of course I went straight to the bench. By 7 p.m., I had it finished and set off to deliver it myself to his home. The problem was that his house was 70 miles away and we were having an ice storm. He was very surprised to see me! And, you know, I made it back home for midnight Mass.”

Wright was a member of the American Gem Society board of directors for 11 years. He also served as president of the Nebraska/South Dakota Jewelers Association and was active in the Lincoln Independent Business Association.

In 2019, the Wrights retired and closed their store. At the time, Tom Wright told the Journal Star he’d just sold a diamond to a customer who was the fourth generation of his family to shop at the store.

He is survived by Mary, his wife of 57 years and high school sweetheart; his son, Scott; four grandchildren; and two brothers.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Wright’s name to Special Olympics Nebraska or the April Sampson Cancer Center.

An online obituary, with information about funeral arrangements, can be seen here.

(Photo from LinkedIn)

Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine