WHAT ON EARTH IS
VALLEY JEWELERS?
![[Jim's Photo]](jimshop.jpg)
![[Store Photo]](ourstore.jpg)
![[Teresa's Photo]](teshop.jpg)
First, please allow me to introduce
myself--my name is Jim Hurd, a Graduate Gemologist since 1986, who has been in
the gemstone and jewelry business, originally as a hobby, since 1980.
In
1985, I gave up my previous fifteen-year career as an engineer, and opened
The Gem Shop, since renamed Valley Jewelers, on the premise that,
given a choice, most people would go a little out of their way to patronize a
store which has the same quality merchandise at a lower price and/or a better
value for the same price (not to mention the unique custom-made items available
only at Valley Jewelers).
In 1987, I met, then married a
wonderful Brazilian lady (now a U.S. citizen) who was working at a gem show in
Tucson, Arizona. Since that time, Teresa, who joined me in operating the store,
has become an accomplished stonesetter and jewelry designer.
"Word of
mouth" has been our most successful mode of advertisement until now, and brings
in about 90% of our new customers. Mix that with our walk-in traffic, and you
have a successful, struggling small business. We need to let more people know
that Valley Jewelers has better values, and the internet appears to be
the modern way to do it.
One question very frequently asked of us is:
"HOW CAN YOU SELL QUALITY JEWELRY AT LOWER PRICES THAN THE
LARGE CHAIN STORES,
WITH THEIR VOLUME BUYING POWER?"
The answer has almost as many facets as a
diamond, the most important of which are:
1. If we do not manufacture the
gold mounting ourselves, we purchase the blank (empty) mounting directly from
the factories at distributor prices--eliminating the middlemen.
2. Over
the years, we have purchased thousands of rough gemstones from miners or their
agents. We send them to well trained gem cutters in China, Sri-Lanka and Thailand, then
reimport the cut stones--this eliminates several middlemen.
3. We
personally fabricate, or complete the fabrication of, more than 90% of the
finished items offered for sale by Valley Jewelers on our internet
catalog, and about 60% of the items in our store.
4. We do not try to
compete where we cannot be competitive. For example the discount "clubs" (among
others) purchase in such a large volume that they can sell items with a markup
so low that it is not profitable for us to stock them. Wherever we are able,
however, we will special order and sell these items to you at or below the
discount prices. Our edge is service. For example: need it sized?...The
initial sizing is free. We also offer free cleaning and polishing for any gold
item we sell--for as long as we are in business.
5. In order to minimize
overhead, and thereby keep prices within reason, we personally operate the store
and do all repairs in-house.
6. Finally, and perhaps the primary reason
that we are able to sell quality gold jewelry at lower prices, Valley
Jewelers was opened, not as an investment to become rich, but as a means to
earn a living while engaged in work that we truly enjoy. We seem to be
succeeding in doing that, and, with the many customers who have also become our
friends, who can say that we aren't also richly rewarded?
If you have
read this far, thanks for your interest...
Jim & Teresa
Return toValley Jewelers' Home Page
email: jhurd@valleyjewelers.com
CLICK HERE FOR OUR BUSINESS HOURS
CLICK HERE FOR OUR LOCATION MAP
VALLEY JEWELERS
516 CENTER AVENUE
MARTINEZ, CA 94553
Phone/Fax:
925-313-9335
"HOW CAN YOU SELL QUALITY JEWELRY AT LOWER PRICES THAN THE
LARGE CHAIN STORES,
WITH THEIR VOLUME BUYING POWER?"
The answer has almost as many facets as a
diamond, the most important of which are:
1. If we do not manufacture the
gold mounting ourselves, we purchase the blank (empty) mounting directly from
the factories at distributor prices--eliminating the middlemen.
2. Over
the years, we have purchased thousands of rough gemstones from miners or their
agents. We send them to well trained gem cutters in China, Sri-Lanka and Thailand, then
reimport the cut stones--this eliminates several middlemen.
3. We
personally fabricate, or complete the fabrication of, more than 90% of the
finished items offered for sale by Valley Jewelers on our internet
catalog, and about 60% of the items in our store.
4. We do not try to
compete where we cannot be competitive. For example the discount "clubs" (among
others) purchase in such a large volume that they can sell items with a markup
so low that it is not profitable for us to stock them. Wherever we are able,
however, we will special order and sell these items to you at or below the
discount prices. Our edge is service. For example: need it sized?...The
initial sizing is free. We also offer free cleaning and polishing for any gold
item we sell--for as long as we are in business.
5. In order to minimize
overhead, and thereby keep prices within reason, we personally operate the store
and do all repairs in-house.
6. Finally, and perhaps the primary reason
that we are able to sell quality gold jewelry at lower prices, Valley
Jewelers was opened, not as an investment to become rich, but as a means to
earn a living while engaged in work that we truly enjoy. We seem to be
succeeding in doing that, and, with the many customers who have also become our
friends, who can say that we aren't also richly rewarded?
If you have
read this far, thanks for your interest...
Jim & Teresa
Return toValley Jewelers' Home Page
CLICK HERE FOR OUR LOCATION MAP
VALLEY JEWELERS Phone/Fax:
925-313-9335
516 CENTER AVENUE
MARTINEZ, CA 94553