Southern Jewelry News
  • Featured
    • All
    • Featured
    • Featured Retailers
    • Retailer Roundtable
    • Supplier Spotlight
    Jewelers Look to Modern Tech for a Profitable Future
    From Armenia to America, Motif Jewelers Turns 40
    Girl Power rocks at Jo & Co. Jewelers
    Jewelry Sales Training from a Living Legend
  • Latest News
    • All
    • COVID-19
    • Furry Friends
    • Industry Awards
    • Industry Events
    • NRF
    • On The Move
    • Other News
    • Sponsored Content
    • Tradeshow News
    • Video
    • What's New
    ASHI announces comprehensive offering of Digital Marketing Assets
    ASA aims to fulfill demand for well-trained and accredited gems and jewelry appraisers
    KIL N.Y.C. Scholarship for the Jewelry Arts opens application period
    Luxury watch preferences among high-income women in the USATHE MV
    Columbia Gem House’s Jewelry for Wildlife fundraiser raises over $12,000
    GIA global research team convenes in Carlsbad
    Synchrony study reveals shoppers value in-store experiences, financing options for large purchases
    jewelers Security Alliance logo
    JSA reports surge in crimes against traveling salespersons and retailers not in retail stores
  • Podcast
    The Jewelry Business Scorecard with JBT Experts
    Ep 53 – Jim Rocchio and Brenda Gamba, The Jewelry Business Scorecard with JBT Experts
    Ep 52 - Giving Thanks in Pearls, Our Thanksgiving Special Edition
    Ep 52 – Giving Thanks in Pearls, Our Thanksgiving Special Edition
    Ep 51 – Shelia Bayes, Making E-Commerce Accessible to Jewelers with Gem + Jewel 
    Ep 51 – Shelia Bayes, Making E-Commerce Accessible to Jewelers with Gem + Jewel 
    Stories, Trends, and Expert Insights from Snowden Jewelers
    Ep 50 – Chris Snowden, Stories, Trends, and Expert Insights from Snowden Jewelers 
    SoHo Success at the Atlanta Jewelry Show
    Ep 49 -Amy and Fran, SoHo Vibes, SoHo Success at the Atlanta Jewelry Show 
    The-Third-Generation-Fine-Jewelry-Expert_-Katelynne-Eslick-
    Ep 48 -Katelynne Eslick, The third-Generation Fine Jewelry Expert
    Long Jewelry Empire of Rembrandt Charms
    Ep 47 -Eric Lux, From Coop to Decades-Long Jewelry Empire of Rembrandt Charms 
    The Expert’s Guide to Jewelry Laser Technology of B&D Sales
    Ep 46 -Jacob Dupuis, The Expert’s Guide to Jewelry Laser Technology of B&D Sales
    Ep 45 -Andreas Argentinis, The Fine Personalized Jewelry Standard of Metal Pressions
    Ep 45 -Andreas Argentinis, The Fine Personalized Jewelry Standard of Metal Pressions
  • Columnists
    The Story Behind the Stone: Lost and Found in Africa
    A Visit to Mumbai – Diamond Central!
    Social media ads, boosted posts, Google paid ads: Making the right call for your jewelry store
    Image of Chuck Koehler
    The Retailer’s Perspective: Where Did the Good Times Go?
    The importance of having Patience & Compassion in your jewelry business
    The importance of having Patience & Compassion in your jewelry business
    Ruby sample before and after heating. Photo Natural Ruby company
    The Story Behind the Stone: Assume Heat
    International School of Gemology Education Series
    The Story Behind the Stone: Just Jewels
  • Classifieds
  • Subscriptions
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Print Subscription
  • Digital Magazine
    • Southern Jewelry News
    • Mid-America Jewelry News
    • Archive
No Result
View All Result
Southern Jewelry News
  • Featured
    • All
    • Featured
    • Featured Retailers
    • Retailer Roundtable
    • Supplier Spotlight
    Jewelers Look to Modern Tech for a Profitable Future
    From Armenia to America, Motif Jewelers Turns 40
    Girl Power rocks at Jo & Co. Jewelers
    Jewelry Sales Training from a Living Legend
  • Latest News
    • All
    • COVID-19
    • Furry Friends
    • Industry Awards
    • Industry Events
    • NRF
    • On The Move
    • Other News
    • Sponsored Content
    • Tradeshow News
    • Video
    • What's New
    ASHI announces comprehensive offering of Digital Marketing Assets
    ASA aims to fulfill demand for well-trained and accredited gems and jewelry appraisers
    KIL N.Y.C. Scholarship for the Jewelry Arts opens application period
    Luxury watch preferences among high-income women in the USATHE MV
    Columbia Gem House’s Jewelry for Wildlife fundraiser raises over $12,000
    GIA global research team convenes in Carlsbad
    Synchrony study reveals shoppers value in-store experiences, financing options for large purchases
    jewelers Security Alliance logo
    JSA reports surge in crimes against traveling salespersons and retailers not in retail stores
  • Podcast
    The Jewelry Business Scorecard with JBT Experts
    Ep 53 – Jim Rocchio and Brenda Gamba, The Jewelry Business Scorecard with JBT Experts
    Ep 52 - Giving Thanks in Pearls, Our Thanksgiving Special Edition
    Ep 52 – Giving Thanks in Pearls, Our Thanksgiving Special Edition
    Ep 51 – Shelia Bayes, Making E-Commerce Accessible to Jewelers with Gem + Jewel 
    Ep 51 – Shelia Bayes, Making E-Commerce Accessible to Jewelers with Gem + Jewel 
    Stories, Trends, and Expert Insights from Snowden Jewelers
    Ep 50 – Chris Snowden, Stories, Trends, and Expert Insights from Snowden Jewelers 
    SoHo Success at the Atlanta Jewelry Show
    Ep 49 -Amy and Fran, SoHo Vibes, SoHo Success at the Atlanta Jewelry Show 
    The-Third-Generation-Fine-Jewelry-Expert_-Katelynne-Eslick-
    Ep 48 -Katelynne Eslick, The third-Generation Fine Jewelry Expert
    Long Jewelry Empire of Rembrandt Charms
    Ep 47 -Eric Lux, From Coop to Decades-Long Jewelry Empire of Rembrandt Charms 
    The Expert’s Guide to Jewelry Laser Technology of B&D Sales
    Ep 46 -Jacob Dupuis, The Expert’s Guide to Jewelry Laser Technology of B&D Sales
    Ep 45 -Andreas Argentinis, The Fine Personalized Jewelry Standard of Metal Pressions
    Ep 45 -Andreas Argentinis, The Fine Personalized Jewelry Standard of Metal Pressions
  • Columnists
    The Story Behind the Stone: Lost and Found in Africa
    A Visit to Mumbai – Diamond Central!
    Social media ads, boosted posts, Google paid ads: Making the right call for your jewelry store
    Image of Chuck Koehler
    The Retailer’s Perspective: Where Did the Good Times Go?
    The importance of having Patience & Compassion in your jewelry business
    The importance of having Patience & Compassion in your jewelry business
    Ruby sample before and after heating. Photo Natural Ruby company
    The Story Behind the Stone: Assume Heat
    International School of Gemology Education Series
    The Story Behind the Stone: Just Jewels
  • Classifieds
  • Subscriptions
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Print Subscription
  • Digital Magazine
    • Southern Jewelry News
    • Mid-America Jewelry News
    • Archive
No Result
View All Result
Southern Jewelry News
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured Articles

JB Fine Jewelry flies high celebrating 10 years in business

Amy Minnick by Amy Minnick
March 1, 2016
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Reading Time: 7 minutes

JB bench March
JB is a staunch proponent of creating jewelry by hand – with a torch, hammer and files.
Flying “under the radar” has worked well for JB, owner of JB Fine Jewelry in Tampa, Florida. For 35 years he’s been content using his talents to please customers and keep his employers’ stores on track with their busy repair schedules. He’s trained under master jewelers, dabbled in just about every stone or metal and has found tremendous satisfaction from putting life back into heirloom pieces that everyone else had given up on.

But over the last 10 years he’s started branching out; as in opening his own retail store and moving away from baguette and princess cut diamonds to the beauty of Ethiopian opals. JB is putting aside the “sweat shop” mentality of mass repair that honed his skills and taught him so much and is, in this phase of his career, sharing his unique, custom made designs for which he’s become so well known.

For a guy who’s been designing since his freshman year in high school, JB has kept a pretty low profile in the industry. Not one to submit his pieces for award consideration, his customers and clients are his judges and seem impressed, pleased and sometimes overwhelmed with the beauty of his custom designs.

JB press March
JB Fine Jewelry’s owner JB has received recognition in local press for his custom jewelry design and creation, repair and restoration skills.
You won’t find a CAD system in JB’s store. You won’t see laser fabricated products. JB is a staunch proponent of creating jewelry by hand with a torch, a hammer and files and he’s discovering people are interested in every step of the process.

“I look at today’s designs and so much is done on the computer with AutoCAD, but I still use a torch, not a laser, and I carve my waxes by hand with files,” he explains. “I handcraft the wire work by melting it into an ingot and then pull it into wire, and people love that.”

But talent and passion alone don’t make a business successful. As JB Fine Jewelry celebrates its 10th anniversary in business, the seasoned veteran looks back on the first few years recalling the difficulty his young store faced when the 2007 recession hit. Open only a year, the new store owner had to do what many retailers did, buy back gold.

JB 2 rings March
JB’s extraordinary design and jewelry making skills have enabled his store to thrive despite opening just prior to the Great Recession.
“We opened in 2006 and the recession hit in 2007 and my partner pulled out around the same time. It was a rough time. I also had a very large 10-piece custom line fall through after nearly 10 months of work. I got by doing repairs for a major chain which meant driving all over town and working on a very tight deadline. I truly thought I’d lose my house or have to shut my doors. But then I had an investor talk me into buying gold and it kept me in business,” recalls JB.

Making it through those tough times earned the store a reputation for being honest, fair and caring. Many times customers came in asking for a redesign of badly worn pieces only to have JB work a little magic to make the piece look like new for little to no cost.

But his design talent didn’t go unnoticed. Carrying only custom pieces (no vendor lines appear in his store), JB’s customers have grown to love the talent and ability of the man behind the counter.

“I’ve been handcrafting custom pieces for 35 years, and have done everything from a custom pendant with 150 pavé diamonds for a Denver Bronco’s player, to a complete refurbishment of a 1930s wedding ring for a 96 year old woman. Her husband had been dead for 10 years, and we did more than just hand her the ring. We made a huge production of bringing her into the store and sitting her down and putting the ring back on her finger. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place.”

Until recently JB’s designs centered mostly around colored gems and diamonds. But when a customer sold him Australian opal rough for the first time his opal obsession began. Carving opals became like buying a lottery ticket, as he watched the color and fire appear like magic. Today, the passion in his voice is evident when he speaks of Ethiopian opal, his latest “winning ticket.”

JB opal pend March JB opal ring March
JB’s latest passion is handcrafting beautiful pieces using Ethiopian and Australian opal.

“I exhibited at a coin show with seven of my first opal pieces and sold every one of them. That’s when I discovered Ethiopian opal and now I have many more pieces in the works.”

When asked where his design ideas come from, he’s quick to point up explaining, “I get my ideas from the rough. It’s whatever the Lord leaves for me. That’s how I decide what shape the stone will be. Whether it’s my design talent or musical ability, everything I do is from Him.”

Check out JB’s YouTube video called ‘The Making of Bobbi’s Ring’ (www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvdF-i01NKY), visit his website at jbfinejewelry.com or give him a call at 813-926-2233.

Amy Minnick

Amy Minnick

Related Posts

Jewelers Look to Modern Tech for a Profitable Future

November 29, 2023

From Armenia to America, Motif Jewelers Turns 40

October 31, 2023

Girl Power rocks at Jo & Co. Jewelers

October 31, 2023

Jewelry Sales Training from a Living Legend

October 31, 2023

Latest News

Other News

ASHI announces comprehensive offering of Digital Marketing Assets

November 29, 2023
Industry Events

ASA aims to fulfill demand for well-trained and accredited gems and jewelry appraisers

November 29, 2023
Other News

KIL N.Y.C. Scholarship for the Jewelry Arts opens application period

November 29, 2023

Other News

Jewelers Look to Modern Tech for a Profitable Future

Ep 53 – Jim Rocchio and Brenda Gamba, The Jewelry Business Scorecard with JBT Experts

Luxury watch preferences among high-income women in the USATHE MV

Columbia Gem House’s Jewelry for Wildlife fundraiser raises over $12,000

GIA global research team convenes in Carlsbad

Synchrony study reveals shoppers value in-store experiences, financing options for large purchases

Southern Jewelry News

© 2023 Southern Jewelry News.

Additional Information

  • About
  • 2023 Jewelry Trade Shows & Events
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Sitemap
  • Newsletter Signup

Get Social with Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured Articles
    • Featured
    • Featured Retailers
    • Retailer Roundtable
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Sponsored Content
  • Latest News
    • What’s New
    • Industry Events
    • Tradeshow News
    • On The Move
    • Other News
    • Furry Friends
  • Podcast
  • Columnists
  • Classifieds
  • Subscriptions
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Print Subscription
  • DIGITAL MAGAZINE
    • Southern Jewelry News
    • Mid-America Jewelry News
    • Archives

© 2023 Southern Jewelry News.