Jae’s Jewelers

Feb 28

CORAL GABLES, FL

In their own words

“We sold an engagement ring yesterday to the grandchild of one of our clients who’s been shopping here for forty years. It’s amazing to see that transition from birth, to graduation, to dating, to engagement, to another child, and marriage. You see the cycle of life, and it’s a very personal business.”

Jill Hornik

Jason’s Interview with Jill

Jason

We're back on Meet the Jewelers! Today we're talking to Jill from Jae’s Jewelers in Coral Gables. Can you tell us about the rich history of Jae’s?

Jill

Jae’s jewelers will be going into our 75th year of business in 2020. My grandparents started the jewelry store as a watchmaking service in downtown Miami after World War II. My grandfather went to watchmaking school on the GI Bill and returned to Miami, and my grandmother worked in department stores where they only let you work in specific departments. She ended up selling jewelry to one of her regular clients and got in trouble for it, and realized she should just partner with my grandfather, who was working in watchmaking. So they opened their own business, started in silver, worked their way up to gold, and then diamonds and colored stones. Seventy-five years later, we've got two graduate gemologists on staff, we are an American Gem Society store, and we have a full-service shop with repairs onsite, custom jewelry, gold buying, appraising.

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Jason
What was your story joining the family business?

Jill
I did try to get away. I went to the University of Florida and was hoping to work my way into the public health sector. My parents said “Hey, just go to gemology school. It’s scientific, you'll be at a lab setting with microscopes and tweezers.” They were correct. I did go to GIA and I loved the laboratory setting and got my graduate gemologist degree and then decided to work in the industry for about six years on my own. I was lucky enough to work at a wonderful store called Traditional Jewelers in Newport Beach, California.

While I was there, the business, which at that time focused on high-end watches and large diamonds, was sold to Hyde Park. There was a big transition in staffing, so I decided it was the right time to move back home and take over the family business. About six years ago in 2013, I moved back down to Florida to help with the transition of the business and to keep the wheel spinning

Jason
How many other siblings do you have and are they also in the business with you?

Jill
I am the youngest of three siblings. My brother is in the finance field in Silicon Valley--completely unaffiliated--doesn't understand jewelry at all. My sister met her husband at GIA when she was getting her GG, his family owns a store in Montana, our sister store now. They have a jewelry store in Bozeman, Montana, and then my father and I are here in Miami.

Jason
Can you tell us more about Jae’s?

Jill
We work diligently to make sure every client leaves here with a smile on their face and a great experience. We train our staff to care more about what the client wants and needs, instead of just trying to sell them something. A lot of times, clients come in and think they know what they need or want, and then when you educate them, it turns out it's something completely different. We work off of an ethics and education background to make sure we're solving problems for clients. Everybody who walks in the store has a problem, whether it's “I just need a gift” or “I'm getting divorced, what do I do with this ring?” We try to be problem solvers. We try and celebrate with our clients whenever that comes around. You'd be surprised how many people walk into a jewelry store and say, “We want to look at engagement rings” and nobody even acknowledges that, “Oh my gosh that's so exciting! Congratulations!” They just go, “Okay, the diamonds are over here”.

You have to emphasize, you have to really enjoy the experience, and our clients have been shopping here for generations. We literally have the grandchild of our clients coming in. We sold an engagement ring yesterday to the grandchild of one of our clients who's been shopping here for 40 years. And it's just amazing to see that transition from birth, to communion, to graduation, to dating, to engagement, to another child, and marriage. You see the full cycle of life and it's a very personal business. It's not transactional. You have to know and care about your clients and that's what we do here. We are your friends. We have clients who we know better than some of their own family members because they sit here, chat with us, and they enjoy the experience.

Jason
Is there a fun proposal experience that you can share with us?

Jill
I'm so surprised at how well planned these proposals are getting. We had a client last year, he proposed to his wife in Greece on a cliffside. This year we had a client who went to Alaska and proposed on a glacier, the pictures are beautiful. Another one went to, actually, two, went to Amsterdam for the Tulip Festival and proposed in the tulip fields.

My favorite is when they actually get on one knee in the store and propose, whether it's the first time, an insurance replacement, or an anniversary upgrade. Those are the really touching sentimental moments and everybody gets all teary-eyed.

Jason
Are there any charities and organizations that you guys currently work with or support?

Jill
We try to spread the love. We do a lot of volunteer work in the local community. I sit on the Executive Board of the local Business Improvement District to make sure it's a vibrant area for all the business owners. We have a stake and interest in keeping our business strong. I also work with the Alpha Chi Omega Sorority Foundation to make sure women in need have access to domestic abuse facilities to get away from any issues that they may have. We’ve done fundraisers for the American Cancer Society, we donate to the Cuban American Bar Association. Those are ones that are top of mind, but last week we participated with the Parkinson's Research Foundation charity event. Also, the Ronald McDonald House.

Jason
What differentiates you from other jewelers in Coral Gables?

Jill
The biggest differentiation, it's twofold. The first one is being able to provide such a broad spectrum of services. A lot of our clients start as repair clients, they come in because maybe they need a watch battery or their chain broke, they need it soldered. From there, they see the products that we offer, find out we do insurance appraisals, and that we buy gold, diamonds, and vintage jewelry from the public. Then they see all the different aspects of what we do, the custom work, it's your one-stop-shop. The second one is our knowledge. I don't know anybody in the area with as much experience as my father, who's been doing this for close to 50 years.

Someone like him who's been doing estate buying for 50 years - he has a wealth of knowledge on the fair market value of items, and with my newer education within the past 10 years, there's a lot of technological advances that have gone on in the industry. We work together to make sure everything for our shop is ethical. On a daily basis, we review gemological articles and keep aware of what's going on within the industry.

Jason
Where do you think Jae’s Jewelers is going to be five, 10, 20 years from now?

Jill
If my dream came true, we would be in a slightly larger location just a couple doors down in a new showroom. We would have facilities where clients would be able to see their repairs being worked on, possibly even from the front window, to engage the passersby. I would love to be the real true estate experts in the area.

Jason
Do you guys do any estate events?

Jill
Because we do have a small showroom, we don't generally do many events. We participate with one holiday event a year. In years past, it's been a Ladies’ Night event, come make your holiday wish list, shop a little for yourself, and enjoy light bites and cocktails. This year, we've decided to open that up to all of our clients. We’ll bring in some special pieces, diamond necklaces, and pre-owned watches to gauge both the female and male demographic.

Jason
Can you talk about one, two, or three pieces that you really like yourself?

Jill
Well, obviously, I have a soft spot for vintage jewelry. The craftsmanship is just something you don't see quite as often today. And colored stone pieces, especially with interesting cuts and shapes, would be my favorite. We just got this really funky rose-cut diamond ring that has rubies on each side, and it's set in a two-tone mounting and it's just completely unique. In terms of just exquisite quality, we have a pair of pink sapphire earrings that are beautiful, perfectly matched in a halo diamond setting. And then the classic diamond solitaire pendant, every woman should have one. We have them in so many different sizes and price ranges, but it's that staple that every woman needs.

Jason
If there's a lasting statement that you want to give, you have the floor. Go ahead!

Jill
Make sure you always purchase jewelry because you love it, not as an investment. Jewelry is like stock, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but it should always be purchased because you love it and you want to wear it.