Nature and time form a majority of the precious stones and metals people adorn themselves with.
But it takes the delicate hands of a craftsman and the trained eye of an expert to transform rare gems and ores born in the earth’s crust into dazzling rings, bracelets and earrings of superior quality.
That’s where Mark A. Young Jewelers comes in.
Located at 31 N. Washington St., the jewelry store is one of the latest additions to downtown Oxford’s burgeoning shopping district.
Owned by Orion resident Mark A. Young, the store offers customers “superior” quality jewelry – both finished and custom pieces – at a “fair price” backed by “top notch” service.
“If I don’t supply superior quality in all aspects, it comes back to me because my name is on every piece that goes out,” said Young, who has 23 years experience in the jewelry business. “If a piece goes out the door with my name on it, I’ll guarantee it because I want to be around to serve (customers) for another 20 years.”
“I want people to be happy. There’s nothing better than a happy, satisfied customer,” he noted.
Good design and solid construction are two of the qualities Young insists all his jewelry possess.
“Is it going to hold up to everyday use?” he said. “Most people want to wear their jewelry everyday so it can’t fall apart or break all the time.”
Young stressed that his is not a “discount store” and will not sell “closeout pieces.”
“We don’t sell something cheap,” he said. “We may sell something inexpensive, but we don’t sell cheap stuff.”
“We won’t ever have a sale because we don’t play the used car game, where the markup’s 300 percent, you take 50 percent off and still make a ton of money,” Young explained. “We work on a fair profit and give a high quality value for the piece we’re selling.”
If none of the finished pieces displayed in the store are to a customer’s liking, Young can use his mix of “Old World techniques” and new technology to custom fabricate one based on a “rough sketch” or “photo,” or entirely from “scratch.”
“I can make just about anything you can conjure up,” he said.
For four years prior to opening the retail store downstairs, Young worked upstairs in an “office-type setting” creating “commission pieces” for private clientele.
To guide customers on their journey toward finding that perfect piece, Young put together a “very well-qualified” sales staff consisting of Paula Cima and Jackie Szydlowski, who each possess 15 years experience in the jewelry industry, and fellow Orion resident Stephanie Strat, a “longtime customer” who “always had a good eye for design and quality.”
Young noted that his staff “gets paid well,” so no one is “counting entirely on commission” and “trying to sell you something you don’t really want.”
In addition to building a successful business for himself, Young is passionate about building a successful downtown for everyone and looks forward to working closely with his fellow merchants to make that happen.
He, along with a core group of downtown business owners, are in the process of trying to establish a “merchant’s association” to give themselves a united voice and stronger representation in the community.
The public is invited to attend Mark A. Young Jewelers’ Grand Opening Friday, Nov. 21 and Saturday, Nov. 22.
Mark A. Young Jewelers is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The store is closed Sunday. For more information about the new business call (248) 969-3211.