WHY DID WE START VALLEY JEWELERS?
![[Jim's Photo]](jimshop.jpg)
![[Store Photo]](showfloor1.JPG)
![[Teresa's Photo]](teshop.jpg)
First, please allow me to introduce
myself--my name is Jim Hurd, a Graduate Gemologist since 1986, who has been in
the gemstone and jewelry business, originally as a hobby, since 1980.
In
1985, I gave up my previous fifteen-year career as an engineer, and opened
The Gem Shop, since renamed Valley Jewelers, on the premise that,
given a choice, most people would go a little out of their way to patronize a
store which has the same quality merchandise at a lower price and/or a better
value for the same price (not to mention the unique custom-made items available
only at Valley Jewelers).
In 1987, I met, then married a
wonderful Brazilian lady (now a U.S. citizen) who was working at a gem show in
Tucson, Arizona. Since that time, Teresa, who joined me in operating the store,
has become an accomplished stonesetter, jewelsmith, and jewelry designer.
I retired and
turned the store over to Teresa in 2004, and now work only part-time.
"Word of
mouth" has been our most successful mode of advertisement, and brings
in about 90% of our new customers. Mix that with our out of the way location and low walk-in traffic, and you
have a successful, but struggling small business. We needed to let more people know
that Valley Jewelers has better values, and our website appears to be
the modern way to do it.
One question very frequently asked of us is:
"HOW CAN YOUR SMALL STORE SELL HIGH QUALITY GOLD JEWELRY AT LOWER PRICES
THAN THE
LARGE CHAIN STORES WITH THEIR VOLUME BUYING POWER?"
The answer has almost as many facets as a
diamond, the most important of which are:
1. We either manufacture the
gold mounting ourselves, or we purchase the blank (empty) mounting directly from
the factories at distributor prices--eliminating the middlemen.
2. Our specialty is colored gemstone jewelry. Over
the years, we have purchased thousands of rough colored gemstones from miners or their
agents. We sent them to well trained gem cutters in China, Sri-Lanka and Thailand, then
reimported the cut stones--this eliminates several middlemen. We now have several
thousand cut colored gemstones ready to be set into jewelry. We display a lot (go back & take the "shop tour"),
but still have to leave about 1/3 in the safe--so please ask if you do not see what you want on display.
3. We personally fabricate, or complete the fabrication of, more than 90% of the
finished gold gemstone jewelry items offered for sale by Valley Jewelers
4. We do not try to compete where we cannot be competitive. For example the discount "clubs" (among
others) purchase in such a large volume that they can sell items with a markup
so low that it is not profitable for us to stock them. Wherever we are able,
however, we will be happy to special order these items for you at or below the
"club" prices. Delivery, if in stock, is normally less than a week (special order items take 3-4 weeks,
so order early. Our edge is service. For example: need the ring sized?...The
initial sizing (except estate pieces) is free. We also offer free cleaning and polishing for any gold
item (and most silver items) we sell--for as long as we are in business.
5. Over the years, we have acquired a number of "previously loved" estate pieces through trade-ins,
purchases at estate sales, and customers just wanting to downsize their jewelry boxes, that we are
able to refurbish to near new (if needed) and sell at greatly reduced prices.
6. In order to minimize
overhead, and thereby keep prices within reason, we personally operate the store
and do most repairs in-house.
We only send out engraving, inlays, and some melee (very small) stone setting that we have no tooling for.
Re-stringing of beads and pearls is one of Teresa's specialties.
7. We operate our store out of a comfortable low-rent (read "hidden") location.
8. Finally, and perhaps the primary reason
that we are able to sell quality gold jewelry at lower prices, Valley
Jewelers was opened, not as an investment to become rich, but as a means to
earn a living while engaged in work that we truly enjoy. We seem to be
succeeding in doing that, and, with the many customers who have also become our
friends, who can say that we aren't also richly rewarded?
If you have
read this far, thanks for your interest...
Jim & Teresa
Return to Valley Jewelers' Home Page
email: jhurd@valleyjewelers.com
VALLEY JEWELERS
1175-D ARNOLD DR.
MARTINEZ, CA 94553
Phone 925-313-9335
THAN THE LARGE CHAIN STORES WITH THEIR VOLUME BUYING POWER?"
The answer has almost as many facets as a
diamond, the most important of which are:
1. We either manufacture the
gold mounting ourselves, or we purchase the blank (empty) mounting directly from
the factories at distributor prices--eliminating the middlemen.
2. Our specialty is colored gemstone jewelry. Over
the years, we have purchased thousands of rough colored gemstones from miners or their
agents. We sent them to well trained gem cutters in China, Sri-Lanka and Thailand, then
reimported the cut stones--this eliminates several middlemen. We now have several
thousand cut colored gemstones ready to be set into jewelry. We display a lot (go back & take the "shop tour"),
but still have to leave about 1/3 in the safe--so please ask if you do not see what you want on display.
3. We personally fabricate, or complete the fabrication of, more than 90% of the
finished gold gemstone jewelry items offered for sale by Valley Jewelers
4. We do not try to compete where we cannot be competitive. For example the discount "clubs" (among
others) purchase in such a large volume that they can sell items with a markup
so low that it is not profitable for us to stock them. Wherever we are able,
however, we will be happy to special order these items for you at or below the
"club" prices. Delivery, if in stock, is normally less than a week (special order items take 3-4 weeks,
so order early. Our edge is service. For example: need the ring sized?...The
initial sizing (except estate pieces) is free. We also offer free cleaning and polishing for any gold
item (and most silver items) we sell--for as long as we are in business.
5. Over the years, we have acquired a number of "previously loved" estate pieces through trade-ins,
purchases at estate sales, and customers just wanting to downsize their jewelry boxes, that we are
able to refurbish to near new (if needed) and sell at greatly reduced prices.
6. In order to minimize
overhead, and thereby keep prices within reason, we personally operate the store
and do most repairs in-house.
We only send out engraving, inlays, and some melee (very small) stone setting that we have no tooling for.
Re-stringing of beads and pearls is one of Teresa's specialties.
7. We operate our store out of a comfortable low-rent (read "hidden") location.
8. Finally, and perhaps the primary reason
that we are able to sell quality gold jewelry at lower prices, Valley
Jewelers was opened, not as an investment to become rich, but as a means to
earn a living while engaged in work that we truly enjoy. We seem to be
succeeding in doing that, and, with the many customers who have also become our
friends, who can say that we aren't also richly rewarded?
If you have
read this far, thanks for your interest...
Jim & Teresa
Return to Valley Jewelers' Home Page
email: jhurd@valleyjewelers.com
VALLEY JEWELERS
1175-D ARNOLD DR.
MARTINEZ, CA 94553
Phone 925-313-9335
1175-D ARNOLD DR.
MARTINEZ, CA 94553
Phone 925-313-9335