Jewelry

Always & Forever Jewelers marks 20th anniversary milestone - News-Herald.com

Always & Forever Jewelers has shined as a business gem in the Mentor community for the past 20 years largely due to the expertise of its owner, Rachel Calabrese Lanese.

Lanese’s career in the gem industry began in the early 1980s while working at the fine jewelry counter at J.C. Penney. Later she moved on to the former Alvin’s Jewelers in Mentor.

During her time at Alvin’s she earned recognition as the top salesperson from among 16 of the chain’s stores for several years.

With significant experience, a strong customer base and encouragement from family and friends, in 1999 Lanese decided it was time to strike out on her own.

She chose the current location at 7294 Mentor Ave., just west of the Routes 20 and 306 intersection, because of her loyal patrons.

“I knew I had to be in the area because I was serving people here," Lanese said. "I’m upstairs in an office building and it works. My clients followed me.” 

As with many new business owners dipping their toes into entrepreneurial waters for the first time, the initial years were a bit challenging.

“It took about three years before I could exhale,” she said. “But it’s been steady and busy ever since. My customers and staff know that customer service is number one. And you’ve got to tell them the truth.”

Noting the less than personal and tech-heavy shopping experiences at many businesses nowadays Lanese said she works hard to avoid those practices.

Many customers are known on a first-name basis and welcomed as friends. And in keeping with the personal touch sales slips as well as other transactions are often handwritten.

“It’s 1959 in my store and 2019 outside my store,” she said. “When you get on the computer you forget people’s names. My store is more of a personal jeweler. Sometimes people like to come in and kibbitz.

"It’s not just in and out; people are very comfortable. ”

Over the years Lanese, a certified gemologist and diamontologist, has seen many changes in jewelry preferences.

For example, diamond sizes have leaped to large. Early on people sought to purchase one-third to one-half carats, now “it’s knocking on two carats,” she said.

And the means of obtaining diamonds have changed as well. Currently not all diamonds are mined from natural resources. Some are grown in laboratories but display the same chemical and optical properties as those drawn from the earth.

Cost is a definite factor. A mined diamond at $18,000 may compare to an equal-sized gem grown in a lab that sells for $9,000.

Styles have evolved as well. Lanese recalls offering a limited selection of rings to brides some years ago, contrasted with today when thousands of shining styles are available.

Trends have moved from heavily embellished jewelry to more simple looks preferred by millennials, and yellow and rose golds are becoming more prominent. Popular wedding bands worn by men are often crafted from tungsten instead of gold, saving grooms about 70 percent of the cost.

Another change that Lanese has witnessed emanates from online retailers. She notes that their effect has “put a little crimp” into her business, especially during the holiday season.

Although online transactions can be legitimate she’s discovered through experience that it’s not always the case.

“You think you’re getting something local, but it’s from China,” she said.

Claiming that celebrating the 20-year mark at Always & Forever is “unbelievable,” she credits her patrons for the business’s longevity.

“From my long term customers to my new customers -- they’re my success,” she said.

Contact Always & Forever Jewelers at 440-946-9033.