My first post of the year is always a bittersweet one: saluting all the U.S. jewelers who have closed over the past year—our version of the Oscar in memoriam reel.

The listing below, organized by state, includes brick-and-mortar jewelry stores that have either shut their doors or announced they were shutting their doors in 2021. It doesn’t tally every store that closed, just the ones that we could find info on.

That information mostly comes from local news sources or social media posts. If we can find additional context, we included it—for instance, if the store is re-opening under a new name or the owner is continuing the business in some way, we try and note that. The source link usually includes more info.

But if there’s anything you feel we should know about any of these situations, or if you have information that you feel is relevant (on rare occasions, owners have changed their minds), please email me or leave a comment. In addition, feel free to let us know about any closings we may have missed.

[UPDATE: Connie & V Cross Jewelers in Bossier, La., says it’s not closing but transitioning to new ownership. That listing has been removed.]

There seemed to be more closings in 2021 than in 2020, possibly because it wasn’t a great idea to close mid-pandemic. On the bright side, some of the closing stores said they’d just enjoyed their best year ever, but their owners were just “tired” and needed a break. Their retirement is, I’m sure, well-earned. On a sadder note, in at least one instance, the closing was due to the owner’s death from COVID-19.

As usual, the list below includes stores that are more than a century old, but—for one reason or another—the store could no longer continue. Many have been in their communities for generations.

It’s never easy running your own business, particularly in the unpredictable time we’re experiencing. Some of these stores have been part of their local scene more than a century. Their communities won’t forget them, and this is our effort to make sure we don’t forget them either.

So, let us lift a glass to the following businesses…

ALABAMA

Sisters Treasures, Oxford (Source)

 

ARIZONA

Hed Gold-N-Designs, Sierra Vista (Source)

Jayson Miller Fine & Estate Jewelry, Tempe (Source)

 

ARKANSAS

Golden’s Designer Jewelry, Rogers (Source)

 

CALIFORNIA

Blumenthal Jewelers, La Mesa (Source)

Gallery of Jewels, San Francisco (Source)

The Gold Concept Jewelry and Design, San Luis Obispo (Source)

The Jewelry Box, Lake Forest (Source; co-owners Jack Levinson and Christine Anzell email that they are opening a new office close to the old store which will do estate buying, appraisals, and repairs, and that they consider the change positive.)

Michael’s Custom Jewelry, Visalia (Source)

Peraino’s Jewelers, Merced (Source)

Serengeti West Fine Jewelers, San Luis Obispo (Source)

Siegel’s Jewelry Store, Paso Robles (Source; pictured at top)

Valalan’s Jewelers, Torrance (Source)

Wilson Jewelers, Redlands (Source)

 

COLORADO

Harmony Scott Jewelry Design, Carbondale (Source)

 

CONNECTICUT

Bedford Jewelers, Stamford (Source)

Freidrich Jewelers, Vernon (Source)

Plotkin’s Jewelers, Colchester (Source)

Silver Ribbon, Westport (Source)

 

DELAWARE

Robbins Delaware Diamonds, Newark (Source)

 

FLORIDA

Oakley Jewelers, Lakeland (Source)

Schmitt Fine Jeweler, Naples (Source)

T. Arthur’s Jewelry, Ocoee (Source)

 

GEORGIA

Key’s Jewelry, Canton (Source)

 

ILLINOIS

Binkley Jewelers, Morton (Source)

Hancock’s Jewelry & Gifts, Dwight (Source)

Harrison Jewelers, Oak Park (Source)

Harry W. Yaseen Jewelers, Naperville (Source)

Maneke Jewelers, Alton (Source)

Ray Eldridge Jewelry, Decatur (Source)

Swansea Jewelers, Belleville (Source)

Tracy Zeller Jewelry, Evansville (Source)

 

INDIANA

Casey Jewelers, Columbus (Source)

 

MAINE

Jack’s Jewelry, Bar Harbor (Source)

 

MARYLAND

J. Brown Jewelers, Pikesville (Source)

 

MASSACHUSETTS

Amoroso Jewelers, Boston (Source)

Marcou Jewelers, Waltham (Source)

Neal Rosenblum Goldsmiths Gallery, Worcester (Source)

Pucci’s Fine Jewelry, Worcester (Source)

Yarmouth Jewelers, Yarmouth (Source)

 

MICHIGAN

AC Zuckerman Jewelers, Mequon (Source; store ownership is transitioning)

Promise Jewelers, Jackson (Source)

Karagosian & Sons Jewelers, Sylvan Lake (Source)

Neu-Rich Jewelers, Chesaning (Source)

 

MINNESOTA

JB Hudson Jewelers, Minneapolis (Source; being rebranded as Gunderson)

 

MISSOURI

McKinley Jewelry, De Soto (Source)

 

NEVADA

Del Prado Jewelers, Las Vegas (Source)

 

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Alie Jewelers, Dover (Source)

 

NEW JERSEY

Diamond Mine, Manahawkin (Source)

Quicksilver Handcrafted Jewelry, Red Bank (Source)

Wesley Jewelers, Upper Montclair (Source)

 

NEW MEXICO

Bennett’s Fine Jewelry and Gifts, Los Alamos (Source)

Noble House Fine Jewelry, Albuquerque (Source)

 

NEW YORK

Bradley’s Jewelers, Liverpool (Source)

Lee Jewelers, Southampton (Source)

 

NORTH CAROLINA

Albert F. Rhodes Jewelers, Wilmington (Source)

Schmitt’s Jewelry and Gifts, Washington (Source)

 

OHIO

Hilver’s Jewelers, Napoleon (Source)

 

OREGON

Goldmark Jewelers, Portland (Source; owner plans to continue in the jewelry business, but without the store)

 

PENNSYLVANIA

Ashley Lauren Fine Jewelers, Hanover (Source)

Block Jewelers, Springfield (Source)

Exxtra Jewelers, Milmont (Source)

Penns Valley Jewelers, Millheim (Source)

Robert Cox Jewelry, Murrysville (Source; business will be online only)

Wolf’s Jewelry, Lewisburg (Source)

 

SOUTH CAROLINA

Hanchey Jewelers, Charleston (Source)

Lexington Jewelers, Lexington (Source)

Michaels Jewelry, Columbia (Source)

 

SOUTH DAKOTA

Ferley Jewelers & Gifts, Pierre (Source)

 

TENNESSEE

Amanda Pinson Jewelry, Chattanooga (Source)

Rost Jewelers, Pulaski (Source)

 

TEXAS

Burt Witcher Jewelers, Leander (Source)

C. Aaron Peñaloza Jewelers, San Antonio (Source)

Creations in Jewelry, Fredericksburg (Source)

Dixon Jewelers, Kilgore (Source)

 

VERMONT

Goodfellows Jewelers, Barre (Source)

 

VIRGINIA

Boyer’s Diamonds, Virginia Beach (Source)

Silver Parrot Jewelry, Alexandria (Source)

 

WEST VIRGINIA

Anderegg Jewelers, Buckhannon (Source)

 

WISCONSIN

Randall Jewelers, Wausau (Source)

The Santa Fe Shop, Cedarburg (Source)

Zimmerman Jewelers, Rice Lake (Source)

 

WYOMING

Reynolds Jewelers, Rock Springs (Source)

This was a year when a lot of jewelers didn’t just survive, they thrived—though all of us still had to think a lot about survival in a very real sense. This has generally been a good year for the jewelry industry, but it’s also been a hard time for many. In one instance, the family behind a closing Southampton, N.Y., jeweler set up a GoFundMe to help with the process.

Local businesses are the backbones of our neighborhoods and communities. Independent jewelers don’t just supply young couples with rings, they sponsor local schools and charities. They offer opportunities and jobs and livelihoods. If you are a local retailer—and even if you’re not—remember to support your fellow neighborhood stores and businesses. They can’t go on without us, and we wouldn’t want to go on without them.

Finally, I’d like to honor not just all the small stores that have closed over the last year, but all those that have chosen to hang on. This period has not been easy, but there does appear to be—once again—light at the end of the tunnel, even though we may have quite a bit of tunnel to get through.

Thank you to all the jewelers who have truly served their communities and industry. Here’s to a safe and happy 2022.

Top: Kris and Ken Siegel, outside Siegel’s Jewelry in Paso Robles, Calif. (photo courtesy of Siegel Jewelry)

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