David Douglas Diamonds & Jewelry

Spotlights
Written By Ali Fruge

MARIETTA, GA

Multi-generational jewelers offering artisan-focused fine jewelry in a community-based store.

Who is David Douglas?

David Dougas is a family owned jewelry store in Marietta, GA. It was originally founded by Douglas Meadows in partnership with his brother, David. A third generation bench jeweler, Doug questioned whether he wanted to pursue a career in jewelry until he was introduced to the retail side of the industry. He found his passion working shoulder to shoulder with his customers, becoming a trusted guide to fine jewelry in his community. Together with his award-winning design team (including his son, Joseph) Doug helps his customers create meaningful memories with fine jewelry.

David Douglas Designs

 
 
 

Doug’s Insights

“I really enjoy the customer’s story, what they are celebrating or commemorating with that piece of jewelry is probably 90% of the reason somebody has a piece of jewelry. Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of people’s lives. From the time a life begins with the birth of a child, all the way to the end, to the death of a family member, and everything in between. We have used jewelry to celebrate every part of one’s life and it’s really exciting to see the story from the other side.”
— Doug Meadows, Founder
 

“ I want to be their advocate, I want to help them discover the best solution for what they're after. So we get out from behind the counter and work together side by side.”
— Doug

The Shop

David Douglas is different from your average jewelry store. Doug aims to take the ‘scary’ out of jewelry shopping, creating a relaxed and comfortable environment for his clients. He encourages self-shopping, where clients can touch and feel prototypes and peruse displays without feeling pressure from sales associates. Meanwhile, his sales team is well trained and fully educated in fine jewelry to ensure customers have all of their questions answered and needs met.

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Doug’s Story

Doug grew up in a family of jewelers in Detroit, MI. His grandfather opened his jewelry store in 1926, when he retired Doug’s father and uncle took over the business. After apprenticing on the bench during high school, Doug opened his first jewelry store when he was just 23 years old. In 1982 he relocated to Marietta, where he would build a new family business. His five children all helped out at the store from a young age, but it was important to Doug not to pressure them into the jewelry business. To his delight, his son, Joseph, had an inclination to the family business. He started by helping with engraving projects when he was just 10 years old, and was introduced to computer aided design (CAD) at 13 years old. At 31, Joseph is now the store’s primary CAD designer, working side by side with his dad as the 4th generation in the Meadows’ family of jewelers.

Giving Back

David Douglas serves both the local community and participates in worldwide efforts to give back. Each year Doug hosts a “Dazzling Diamonds” contest at the local elementary school, where students write a letter about why their mother deserves a diamond, amongst other charitable endeavors at both the elementary and high school. He has also worked with women in Zambia, traveling there for a conference and teaching them basic jewelry skills. Since his visit, the group of women have developed their own jewelry line that is sold all over the world. Doug proudly carries the line in his store.

 

A Sustainable Approach

Providing customers with ethical buying options is top of mind at David Douglas. Doug and his staff make every effort to use validated vendors, GIA certified diamonds, and ethically mined or recycled gold. Doug is also working on implementing blockchain technology into the products he makes and sells, which would allow items to be tracked from mine to market.

Connect with David Douglas Diamonds & Jewelry

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Read Jason’s interview with Doug

Jason: Today, We get to talk to Doug from David Douglas Jewelers. So Doug, tell me, how did you get into jewelry-making?

Doug: I kind of grew up in it. My grandfather started in 1926, and then my dad and uncles took it over in the `60s. During high school, I got my apprenticeship on the bench, learning how to make and repair jewelry. But then in the late `70s to early `80s, I got introduced to the retail side of the industry and fell in love with it. I call myself a third generation jeweler but a first generation retailer. I actually tried to get out of the jewelry industry. I sought out other things and ended up getting injured at one of the jobs and while I was recouping I went back to working with my dad and uncle. 

During that period, my brother, Dan, was working at a retail store in Dearborn, Michigan as a “jeweler in the window.” That's when I got introduced to the retail side and got excited about the opportunity to work with customers. I always say it's always a good day when I can make a woman cry in a good way–when you can hand them a piece of jewelry and they're just so excited that they get emotional.

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Jason: Everybody has a unique story.

Doug: When you're young sometimes you don't appreciate the heritage that you have. As I've gotten older and experienced more, I’ve begun to really appreciate the heritage, education, training, and the opportunities that were presented to me at a younger age.

Jason: What is it about jewelry that you love? How did it hook you?

Doug: I think it's all about the story. I really enjoy the customer’s story, what they are celebrating or commemorating with that piece of jewelry is probably 90% of the reason somebody has a piece of jewelry. Over the years I've had the opportunity to be a part of people's lives. From the time a life begins with the birth of a child, all the way to the end, to the death of a family member, and everything in between. We have used jewelry to celebrate every part of one's life and it's really exciting to see the story from the other side.

I love the story of how a piece of jewelry has been made or created. I'm originally from Detroit, and in Detroit it's all about being American-made. I was always intrigued with that and wondered, can I make jewelry that's made in America, with American products? So we have a small selection of that. I’ve been able to source gold from Alaska, sapphires from Montana, and put it all together in my shop here in Marietta, Georgia, to create a piece of jewelry that was made completely with American products in America. Sometimes it's the creation process that becomes part of the story.

Jason: Tell me about the ambiance at your store.

Doug: The two scariest stores for a guy to walk into is a lingerie store and a jewelry store. I had a goal years ago to try to take that scariness away and create the feeling that you're walking into your friend’s living room. Our design bar is like sitting at a bar, you're not locked in a cubicle somewhere. We try to make it as comfortable as possible so that people are relaxed.

Jason: I love that. Is there something really unique you’d like to share about your store?

Doug: A lot of people tell us our store isn't like a normal jewelry store. We have the ability for them to either stand at a counter, sit at a table, sit at the bar, or wherever they feel the most comfortable. I like to embrace what I call “shoulder to shoulder selling” instead of “18 inch selling.” 18 inches–where I'm on one side of the counter and the customer is on the other side. I want to be their advocate, I want to help them discover the best solution for what they're after. So we get out from behind the counter and work together side by side.

We also embrace “prototypes,” which are kind of like samples of jewelry. I love the idea of touch and feel. We incorporate a lot of displays that allow self-shopping, almost to where they can pull out a ring and try it on without feeling the pressure from a sales associate. We tried to implement that to the best of our ability and work with the customer that way.

Jason: Is there anything unique or interesting you do with your staff when it comes to training and learning about jewelry? I know you're a gemologist yourself and an appraiser. Tell us more.

Doug: Every Friday morning, we have a staff meeting and the whole store gets together. We are constantly learning about new products and watching the industry. For example, one of the newest things within our industry is lab grown diamonds. It was really important to me that I train the staff so they're knowledgeable about it. Education is extremely important to me, so we get everybody working on their GIA training. GIA is the Gemological Institute of America. We want to make sure that our people are educated properly.

Jason: What would you say you specialize in?

Doug: Bridal jewelry, anniversary gifts, and the self-purchasing woman. Flanking these three areas is service and repair, custom design, and appraisals. Growing up in the service end of the industry that was what I knew—service and repair. Bridal jewelry is a huge passion of ours, it's just so much fun to work with a young couple.

Jason: Do you have any stand out pieces that come to mind?

Doug: One of the things I’m extremely proud of is our award-winning design team. We get customers coming in and wanting to see something we've created, and the challenge is they're all gone. One of my designers found a beautiful opal and she created a sketch of what she wanted to make with it, so we printed it and put it in our design tower. A customer came in and fell in love with just the drawing and said, “I want that.” We have that happen regularly, to be honest. It's an amazing feeling to have our customers enjoy the custom pieces we create.

Jason: Can you describe your store ethics?

Doug: We make sure things we purchase from our vendors are validated. For example, within diamonds, I would say 95% of our diamonds–if not 99%–of them are GIA-certified. We also look for a laser inscription on the girdle edge of a diamond. It's kind of like a VIN number on a car, they put an identifying number on that girdle to make sure that you know that it is a diamond. The same with lab grown diamonds, we make sure they're in separate sections of the store so that the customer is aware of what they're looking at. The other thing we're beginning to look for sustainability, and recycled gold or new gold that hasn't been mined in unethical ways. So we are also learning about blockchain– the ability to track an item from mine to market. It's an interesting topic, and it is something that we are keeping up with because it is constantly changing.

Jason: Amazing. I know, to you, this is also family. Why don't you tell us more about the next generation?

Doug: My wife and I have five children: four boys and one girl. Growing up in a family business, you don't really have a choice of whether or not you're going to help mom and dad. At a young age, all my children would help out in the store whether it was cleaning the store, helping me sort stones, or doing little tasks. I would begin to teach them about the bench and doing different things. I wanted them to be exposed to it but I also didn't want them to feel forced into making that their career. Their career is a choice to them.

Out of my five children, the one that has really been intrigued with it is Joseph. Joseph is currently 31-years-old, and started working with me when he was very young. When he was ten he started learning about engraving and then when he was thirteen we got introduced to the idea of CAD designing with a computer, so I showed that to Joseph.

I kept throwing things at him and he kept designing. He has won several awards and he's our main CAD designer in the store today. As he got older, I started bringing him into the business as more of an owner and he has embraced that. I'm very proud of him and excited to see where he’ll go in the future.

Jason: Jewelry stores are actually givers to the community and people don't know it. So, tell us, what are you doing to support the wider community of Marietta?

Doug: We are an advocate for our local schools. Within the high school, we sponsor a couple of different events, one called “A Drawing for Diamonds.” The kids have a contest where they can enter and draw the homecoming queen's diamond pendant. Then we take that drawing, create the pendant, and present it to the homecoming queen on the football field on homecoming night.

We also do an event called “Dazzling Diamonds” for moms (at the elementary school). The kids get to write and tell me why their mom deserves a diamond. I've been doing it now for nineteen years. One of the reasons I do it is to celebrate and commemorate my mom that I lost to cancer 32 years ago. We had over 7,700 letters from all the kids within our community. Next year, we will be giving away six diamonds for each grade. We've had a lot of fun with that.

Within my community we also help take care of widows. Widows are big on my heart. In national or worldwide efforts, we work with Life School International to train pastors in third world countries. We also work with women in Zambia. I actually went on an educational trip to Zambia and worked at a conference with the women. I carried a few jewelry tools and did a demonstration on making jewelry, left them a few tools, and then six months later, they had a whole line of jewelry that they were creating. Fast forwarding a few years, they're now selling it in Finland, throughout Africa, Australia, the US, New Zealand, and here at David Douglas.

Jason: Amazing. Thank you so much for giving back to the community and if there's anything else you want to let our audience know, here's your chance. Go for it.

Doug: I always enjoy reflecting and looking back and it always amazes me to see where I came from. Years ago, I had the opportunity to take over a family business and sadly, it wasn't the right direction for me at the time. In the 80s, I went into business with a friend and we had a jewelry store at one of the major malls. I was 23 and clueless. We went through a lot of struggles and changes over the years. That partnership dissolved and I asked my brother Dave to come down from Michigan. He became my partner and we put our first names together. He's Dave and I'm Doug, and that's where we get David Douglas from. I get so emotional about the blessing of the business and our customers. Being a part of people's lives.

Jason: Doug, thank you for being on today. We’re excited to see you soon.

Doug: Thank you.

Visit David Douglas Diamonds & Jewelry

Marietta
3605 Sandy Plains Road #260
Marietta, GA 30066

770-578-0598

Hours:
Monday - Friday: 10AM - 6PM
Saturday: 10AM - 5PM

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Ali Fruge
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