jewelry dealer business

L’Mont Betz learned the jewelry business from his father and has been running his own shop in Columbia since 1983.

L’Mont Betz jokes with longtime customer Kas Carlson on Wednesday at L.C. Betz Associates in downtown Columbia. Carlson stopped by to pick up a watch that was being fixed and to drop off a watch that needed to be tightened.

jewelry business. How a dealer runs a jewelry store

Nick King photo L.C. Betz is tucked away on Broadway. The jewelry store rarely advertises. None of that seems to matter.

As a teenager, L’Mont Betz worked with his father, Glenn, in his jewelry business in downtown St. Louis.

But Betz was indifferent and felt that his family simply "sold rich things to rich folks."

One day, he decided to share his feelings with his father, who gave him a lecture that still reverberates many years later.

Glenn, a master jeweler, compared different professions to his and pointed out the stresses of those professions, then reminded Betz of the joy customers experienced when they visited his shop, Glenn Betz Associates.

"There’s no better profession to be in and no better time to meet people," Glenn remembers his father said. "And if we do what we do right, boy, our legacy will be around a lot longer than we will."

From that point on, Betz realized that the best thing he could do in life was to be of service to others. Now an established Columbia businessman, he thinks about his dad’s words often as he runs his business.

With a motto to help customers celebrate life’s most joyous moments, Betz launched L.C. Betz Associates, a shop at 601 E. Broadway, in 1983.

Almost 24 years later, Betz is proud that his business has managed to attract and retain shoppers with its personalized service and exquisite designs.

"In our business, service has always been necessary and important," he said. "Genuine service that involves absolute trust and integrity is what sets us apart from our competition."

That genuine service is what attracted Columbia attorney Wally Bley to the store.

"He is an excellent jeweler, and he is impeccably honest," Bley said. "He genuinely cares about his customers, and he has great products."

Nick King photos

Above, L.C. Betz Associates store manager David Rubenstein fits a watch on longtime customer Kas Carlson’s arm Wednesday at the store as L’Mont Betz watches. Below, from left, Kathi and L’Mont Betz, sales assistant Natalia Nadraga and store manager David Rubenstein are L.C. Betz Associates in downtown Columbia.

Early on, Betz said, he realized the need to develop his own niche, so he decided to target professionals in the community with his upscale products.

Despite being a bit hidden away, Betz said the location is ideal because it attracts only serious customers.

Engagement rings are always popular at the store and account for a third of its sales. Diamond jewelry has also been a hot seller lately, Betz said.

Because Betz strictly buys his gems from specific vendors, his store has never been hurt by fake diamonds, which he calls "shake and bake."

The jewelry business has changed over the years with new technology and competition, but L.C. Betz’s goal remains to continue manufacturing and selling quality jewelry to its clients.

About four years ago, the shop invested in a cutting-edge laser welder, which Betz said has made it easier and quicker to make jewelry and do repairs on delicate stones. Betz said his business was the first one in the area to purchase the machine.

Longtime customer Rick Rother and his wife, Kimi, are grateful for Betz’s high-end jewels.

"We have never been disappointed," he said. "If you want to be assured of quality products and service, L.C. and staff are the people to see."

Betz is wary of so-called "conflict diamonds" and only buys gems from vendors he knows he can trust.

He has a written policy against dealing in conflict diamonds and insists on written assurance from vendors that their diamonds are conflict-free and in compliance with the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme, a self-policing system created by the diamond industry in 2003 to monitor the flow of the gems across borders.

"No caring individual would want to be involved in business practices that would be harmful to his fellow man," Betz said.

Conflict diamonds are uncut diamonds mined by rebel groups and used to fund and fuel civil war and terrorism, particularly in central and western Africa.

Nick King photos

Betz and goldsmith James Schuck, above, ready a laser welder for a demonstration of its power by burning a small hole in a penny. Betz was the first jeweler in Columbia to use the tool. Below, Kathi Betz shows off an emerald and diamond ring custom made by L.C. Betz Associates in downtown Columbia.

"They really don’t involve themselves with the professional aspects of making jewelry," Betz said of the chain stores. "Their jewelry is of a commercial quality and is not the quality that I would choose to associate with."

Bill Blair, executive director of the Missouri Jewelers and Watchmakers Association, considers Betz one of the most successful and well-respected jewelers in the state.

"He’s always creative," Blair said. "He is also realistic about what’s feasible in the industry. He is respected in the business, and people can always turn to him for advice because of his experience and his personality."

L.C. Betz specializes in fine jewelry and watches and has a nationwide client base even though it primarily targets customers in Mid-Missouri. The business occasionally serves customers from abroad and has recently served customers from as far away as Germany.

"Customers calling from other states is not unusual for us," Betz said. "I have a substantial amount of out-of-state clients. We don’t take for granted the trust that people have in us, and we always heed to the needs of our clientele."

"I have sold engagement rings to children whose parents bought wedding rings from us years ago," he said.

Unlike chain jewelry stores that sell ready-made jewelry, Betz said they can create jewelry from scratch according to a customer’s specifications or take a piece and redesign it according to a customer’s wishes.

Using an ancient process called lost-wax casting, James Schuck, the business’ bench jeweler of 21 years, draws a jewelry piece such as a ring, refining the drawing based on what a customer wants.

Schuck then carves a wax version of the metal parts of the ring to the desired design and gives it to the customer for approval. If the customer is satisfied, he creates a mold into which the metal - usually gold, silver, platinum or palladium - is poured. Then he finishes the rough casting and, finally, places the stones by hand or using a laser welder as needed.

The prices of the pieces vary, and Betz said he has sold everything from a $15 pearl to a $65,000 6-carat diamond ring, hand-wrought in platinum with two shield-cut diamonds that weighed more than a carat each.

"Whether it’s sizing rings or creating pretty metals, we can do it," he said. "We are able to create those artistic pieces that are comfortable for people to wear, and more importantly, they commemorate the joy and accomplishments of peoples’ lives."

The store’s customers can also buy ready-made jewelry from designers such as Pandora, Martin Flyer and Spark Creations.

Gary Robinson, president and owner of Gary B. Robinson Jewelers, praised L.C. Betz for its designs and service.

"He carries quality products," Robinson said. "He is certainly knowledgeable, and the fact that he has lasted for over 20 years in today’s business environment is a testament that he is doing something right."

Betz’s grandfather, C.W. Betz, started in the jewelry business back in the early 1900s. C.W. Betz co-owned a repair shop in Centralia where he fixed watches, jewelry and sewing machines. In 1922, he moved to Columbia and opened an optometry office downtown and continued repairing jewelry on the side.

Betz’s father, Glenn, started his career in the early 1940sin his father’s jewelry business in Columbia.

While traveling to New York one day, he ran out of money in St. Louis and started working at Jaccard’s Jewelers, where he became chief platinum designer, winning numerous awards for his jewelry designs.

In 1965, he opened a jewelry business with Larry Kunkler in downtown St. Louis. Kunkler died in 1969, and Glenn became the sole owner of the business and changed its name to Glenn Betz Associates. He moved it in 1990 to Des Peres and continued there until his death. Betz’s brother, Craig, now runs the business.

Betz and Craig worked at their father’s store after school and during holidays. By the time they were teenagers, it was obvious they would follow in their father’s footsteps, Betz said.

Betz worked at the family business until 1971, when he moved to Columbia to pursue a degree in business at the University of Missouri-Columbia. But during his junior year, his father became sick, and he was forced to put his studies on hold to help in the family business.

Betz returned to Columbia in 1981 to finish his studies. After graduation, he decided to stay in Columbia to open a jewelry shop. Armed with a few pieces of jewelry on consignment from his family’s shop and a $25,000 loan his father co-signed for him, he launched L.C. Betz Associates.

With a wealth of experience in the business, Betz knew he was cut for success from the onset. His father had built a strong reputation in the business, which was also a big boost for him.

"It would be very difficult to develop a business in jewelry without having a reputable name," he said. "My brother and I both know that our good name has gone on long before we received it."

With seven full-time employees, Betz, 55, is able to back off a bit on the long hours of the retail business and take yearly vacations with his family to Florida.

Even though he has no immediate plans to retire, he will opt for what he calls selective retirement when that time comes.

"I will work when I want, retire when I want and work again when I want," he said.

Betz is looking forward to the future and plans to stay on the cutting edge of manufacturing jewelry.

"We want to keep offering those who share this business with us the best of the industry offers," he said.

Nick King photos

Nick King photos

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