Jewelry stores can be an intimidating place to visit.

Jewelry stores can be an intimidating place to visit. We understand. I can still remember the first time I went into a fine hometown jewelry store in downtown Asheville. I was probably in my early teens at the time, and felt like a fish out of water. Since then I’ve seen grown men, even football players, begin sweating the minute they cross the threshold of our store. It doesn’t have to be that way…


Obviously the average jewelry customer knows very little about the jewelry they seek or desire. They aren’t alone. With all the different natural and manmade gemstones and all the different precious metal mountings available today, it’s no wonder people feel intimidated. Even those of us who work in the jewelry industry learn new things practically every day about the jewelry we offer for sale or repair.

When I began my jewelry career in 1973, having been offered a job in my great aunt’s fine jewelry store, I remember looking over the inventory she displayed and thinking, “I never realized how many things that ‘Sterling’ company makes!” I felt pretty foolish when I later found out that “Sterling” was a quality of silver, not a manufacturing company.

This episode always reminds me to be understanding to customers who, like me, feel out of their element in so many jewelry stores. Some stores even enjoy having that air of superiority over their customers, but you should never experience that at Parkers’. If you have questions about gemstones or jewelry, we would love for you to visit a friendly, down to earth jeweler, who understands…Steve Parker & Staff