One step into Leigh Jewelers on Ocean Drive, and the sparkle and visual joy of it all begins.
Peering through the squeaky-clean new glass cases at some of its fine jewelry and watches, triggers that oh-so desirous feeling to have a piece.
Now that the store has been remodeled to showcase items in the most spectacular way, the temptation has anything but subsided.
At least, that’s the hope of owners Mark and Barbara Leigh, who just completed a remodeling of the 2,460-square-foot shop they opened over 20 years ago.
“Display makes the jewelry look more beautiful,” mused Barbara, looking at new walnut and teak cases and recessed LED lighting. “Display catches your eye, draws you to the jewelry. This will make people stop in their tracks!”
The store which the Leighs opened in 1990 in the Atrium Building on Cardinal Drive, and later moved to its current location on Ocean Drive, just reopened after a rapid-fire six-week remodeling that included new recessed lighting and carpet, some dropped ceilings and handsome walnut and teak showcases throughout.
“There wasn’t a wire or A/C duct left in the ceiling,” recalled Mark. “It’s like building a new house.”
The Leighs got the “wow effect,” Mark said, after attending a conference held by Stuller Inc., the leading manufacturer and supplier of jewelry in North America located in Lafayette, LA. They saw prototypes of showrooms, and with that the seed was planted. They launched into a major facelift with key players being Della Porta Construction in Vero Beach as the general contractor, Icon Architecture and Fabrication of Kansas City, MO, which fabricates and installs Rolex in-store boutiques, and David Hollingshead of Stuller, who was lead architect for the plan.
A new Rolex boutique within the store consists of aquaplex wavy green Venetian glass that is elegantly backlit, along with leather and walnut wall panels, and walnut cases in which to display the roughly 150 Rolex watches for sale.
Rolex is a significant part of their business, and the single most difficult line to obtain in the industry, according to Mark. Once there were 58 Rolex franchises in Florida. Now, there are just 11 left. Leigh Jewelers is the only Rolex dealer in Indian River and St. Lucie Counties.
“It’s much more state-of-the-art in terms of design,” said Mark, excited about the updates to the store.
“In any industry where you are selling luxury goods, presentation is a big part of it,” he added. “Hopefully it will create a desire to purchase.”
With its new CAD Design Gallery, customers can create their own jewelry designs using software, choosing a specific metal, diamonds and gemstones and style. Their custom design is then sent via the Internet to the manufacturer, which does a custom 3D wax from the CAD design and converts it into the finished product. The ring, necklace, earrings, bracelet or other item is then returned to Leigh Jewelers within a week – a process which typically took a month or longer.
Leigh Jewelers offers a wide selection of diamonds, precious gems,18k fine jewelry and Rolex watches. The full-service shop has a goldsmith and laser welding capabilities, and offers in-house Rolex repairs done by a certified technician. The shop offers complete professional gemological appraisals. It is a member of the American Gem Society and has an accredited AGS lab on site.
Some of the items displayed in its new cases include a10k fancy yellow diamond ring set in platinum; 7k emerald-cut blue sapphire ring with 2 pear-cut diamonds on each side in a setting of 18k gold and platinum; and pair of diamond studs in a 3-prong platinum “martini” setting. The two round brilliant-cut diamonds weigh 8.03k.
Also, sparkling in the new cases is a platinum diamond line bracelet set with a total of 28 carats of diamonds; and a selection of his or her Rolex watches priced from $5,500 to $150,000. Another eye-catching piece is an opera-length diamond necklace designed in platinum that can be separated into two shorter diamond necklaces.
Leigh Jewelers has items for all budgets. It carries Pandora charms and charm bracelets, with beads starting at $25. And there are plenty of sterling silver pieces, as well.
The Leighs established Leigh Jewelers in 1972 in a small town in New York and by 1980, their success allowed them to expand to three stores. Ten years later, the desire for warmer weather drew them to Florida, and in 1990 they sold their stores and moved to Vero Beach.
The Leighs’ daughter, Suzanne, has worked in the shop for 10 years, and will some day take over the business. Their son, Gregory, is an aerospace engineer in Seattle.
“I love the industry,” Mark said, describing it as multifaceted. “It’s the kind of business that you never get bored in.”
