Jacqueline’s Fine Jewelry

Mar 2

MORGANTOWN, WV

In their own words

“The one thing I’ve concentrated on since day one is that we want jewelry to be fun. It doesn’t need to be uptight; I never want to feel like that old-school stuffy jeweler. Come in, sit down, maybe have a cocktail, discuss what you’re looking for, make a friend, and just make it fun.”

-Tom Licciardi

Jason’s Interview with Tom

Jason

We're back on Meet the Jewelers and today we're talking to Tom from Jacqueline’s Fine Jewelry. How did you get into the industry?

Tom

I have a pretty unique story. I kind of fell into it. I was working in the food and beverage business out in Las Vegas, Nevada, and had some clients that were in the wholesale diamond business. I started to work with them, and one thing led to another and I ended up back in my hometown and partnered with someone else to open a jewelry store a little over eight years ago. I ended up buying them out five years ago. And here we are.

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Jason
How did that transition happen?

Tom
It was a connection between the gentleman that owned that business and myself. I think it was more of a personality thing. He needed somebody to be out there, and he taught me a lot of basics in the diamond world. It grew from there. I think the food and beverage industry definitely teaches a lot of customer service, which is our strongest point.

Jason
Given the different locations that you have, what's the experience you'd like to have your customers feel when they come inside your store?

Tom
The one thing that I've concentrated on since day one is that we want jewelry to be fun. It's got to be fun. It doesn’t need to be stuffy, it doesn't need to be uptight. I never want to feel like that old-school stuffy jeweler. Come in, sit down, maybe have a cocktail, discuss what you want, what you're looking for, make a friend, and make it fun.

Jason
Why do they come in?

Tom
I would say the biggest reason is our reputation in the area. Our reputation for great customer service, fair prices, custom design. We do just about anything in the jewelry business. There's a million reasons they can come in, but I think our reputation is first and foremost.

Jason
Are there some core values that you choose to live by?

Tom
The number one thing that I push is to make the customers friends more than anything. It makes it more fun for everybody. It makes it more fun for my sales staff, it makes it more fun for me, it makes it way more fun for the customer.

Jason
Any fun proposals that you've been a part of?

Tom
We've had quite a few interesting ones. We've had quite a few right here in the store. We had an older couple not all that long ago, both widowed, come in and sit down and look at rings. They ended up hanging out and having a drink, we set the diamond and he got down and proposed right there in the middle of the sales floor. It turned into a big party here. He invited some friends that we were unaware of. That was a good time. We also partner with the university a lot, so we've had some proposals on center court at the basketball games, and in the stands on the kiss cam.

Jason
Tell us, what are some causes and charities that are top of mind for you?

Tom
We've always had a really good relationship with Children's Hospital here. We try to support anybody that we can. That was one of my main drivers in starting this business, and definitely my main driver in opening our second location because it is in my hometown. We donate time, money, and merchandise. I'd like to be able to give more time this year to be physically involved, to get my staff more involved with some causes. I offer my staff paid days off if they’ll spend them working with charities in the area. We try as much as possible to make a difference in any way we can.

Jason
Are there any pieces that you think are trending?

Tom
We've seen a huge trend here back into gold. A lot of nice 18 karat gold jewelry. We design and manufacture a lot of our own, but we also have seen a huge push with Roberto Coin. They make beautiful 18-karat Italian gold jewelry. Roberto Coin’s designs have just been getting better and better. Custom seems to be where it is right now.

Jason
Do you custom make everything there? What's the experience like?

Tom
We have a CAD designer on staff. Depending on the piece, we either make it in-house or do the casting off-site. We sketch it out and we have our CAD designer draw it up, make the changes, and we get it done as quickly as we can for you. We're a leader in this area in that department and we're working every day to make it better. We're planning on putting in some more casting equipment in our Uniontown location where we can go from start to finish in-house.

Jason
What other things do you think differentiates your store?

Tom
Our pride that we have amongst the staff and providing the best possible experience is definitely first and foremost. There's a lot of good jewelry out there. You can find a nice piece of jewelry anywhere. But to have that full experience and create friendships and memories with people is really where I think we stand out.

Jason
As you think long-term, five to 10 years from now, where do you see Jacqueline’s Fine Jewelry going?

Tom
It's always been my plan to open up a few more stores and impact a few more communities. There's a number of underserved communities in this area as far as the jewelry standpoint goes. We want to keep growing. The more that we grow, the more that we can offer to the client, the more we can expand our custom business. I see a couple more stores in the future.

Jason
Can you tell us how Jacqueline impacted your life and what kind of testament that brought to the team?

Tom
The name “Jacqueline’s” came from my great aunt and my godmother. She is still with us. She's 83 years old, still kicking. She's always been a matriarch of my family, somebody we've always looked up to. She's helped us out in innumerable ways over the years. It was my tribute to her when I bought out the business for my partners.

Jason
What's one of your greatest moments in the last year?

Tom
I think the greatest thing personally, for me, in the last year is I have a young son who’s been able to spend some time in the store with me. Still very young, doesn't understand what's going on. He's only two, so he has a little ways to go.

Jason
Do you see a trend of customers coming in with old jewelry and putting it through a reJewel process, turning and melting their gold, wanting their heirloom piece to live on?

Tom
I was just having this conversation with one of my managers, we are seeing more of that. It’s a combination of the younger generation wanting to recycle, having some of that nostalgia. It's a fun way to reinvent something.

Jason
How would you describe your team.

Tom
My team is amazing. They come from all walks of life, all ages. Everyone from my mother has come to work in the store. She's got a retail background, so she's been enjoying it. We have a relatively young team for the jewelry business. They all work hard. When other people say that the younger generation doesn't work that hard, I've just got a really, really great staff. I'm really lucky in that regard.

Jason
When you step back and you want to say anything, this is your time to talk.

Tom
Keep jewelry on the top of your mind. It's always a good thing. It maintains memories for generations to come. I think it's really important to pass on those memories from generation to generation. And we're here to help in any way that we can.