Iowa Jeweler Herman Ginsberg Dies

By Rob Bates | May 15, 2025

Herman Ginsberg, who worked at his family’s Iowa jewelry store for 70 years, died on April 20. He was 99.

Ginsberg was born in Sedalia, Mo. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, serving as corporal from 1943 to 1945 at Hobbs Army Airfield in New Mexico.

He was the third generation of his family to work at his family’s Cedar Rapids, Iowa–based jewelry store. According to a store history, Herman’s first day at Ginsberg Jewelers (then called Ginsberg’s Jewel Box) was the same day in 1948 that he graduated from the University of Iowa. His family had left a sole employee at the store while they attended his graduation, and when they returned to the shop after the ceremony, they found it locked, with a note inside that said “I quit.” Herman started working at the store right then, and didn’t stop for seven decades.

In 1952, Ginsberg and his brothers, Louis and Stanley, founded H & L Stanley Co., a wholesale diamond wedding and engagement ring business. Though that company eventually disbanded, the Ginsberg Jewelers website notes: “To this day, an occasional elderly customer will come in for a ring cleaning and we’ll notice the ‘HLS’ stamp in the shank.”

The three brothers eventually grew their single shop into a five-location chain throughout Iowa. In the 1980s, the stores were split among the brothers’ heirs.

Herman Ginsberg continued working at the Cedar Rapids flagship well into his 90s. “Interacting with and learning about others of all backgrounds always gave him energy and joy,” according to his obituary.

His son Steven now owns the business, which transitioned into an appointment-only custom jeweler last year.

Ginsberg is survived by his children, Steven, Julie, and Tom; seven grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter. He was pre-deceased by Phyllis, his wife of 43 years, and his two brothers.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Temple Judah Foundation in Cedar Rapids.