JOHNSTON JEWELERS CONTINUES TO EVOLVE WITH THE INDUSTRY
Johnston Jewelers
618-532-8900
701 W. Broadway, Centralia, IL
Your Trusted Source for Diamond & Gemstone Jewelry in Centralia IL – Johnston Jewelers
Johnston Jewelers has remained a destination for quality products, custom jewelry work, and elegant watches by continuing to evolve with the times.
Owned and operated by longtime jeweler and watchmaker, Jeremy Johnston, the business continues to advance alongside its constantly fluctuating industry.
One of the biggest components of that continued evolution is a manufacturing workshop for specific diamonds that Johnston has been putting together for some time.
“I knew what was coming with lab-grown diamonds and the lack of people we have in the area that can do that kind of job,” explained Johnston, a Centralia native. “I knew there would be more of a demand for things like that, so I wanted to get ahead of it.”
Johnston is also in the process of introducing a 3-D printer to his customization services, which he said would drastically minimize the timeline of alterations and creating pieces.
“I’ve got the latest 3-D printer that I’m setting up. I’m not quite there yet, because I’m doing it all from scratch and I want to do it right,” Johnston said. “Say I come up with a design for a customer on the computer with this software. I can print up a model in 25 minutes. It will print that fast. You can’t cast it from that, but it looks just like the ring.”
“Being a jeweler, I’m used to hand-carving the waxes like we did back in the day. It’s pretty crazy when I make one small change on the computer and it does what would have taken me days to do.”
While Johnston continues to prepare his newest additions, his store remains fully stocked with the best and brightest in fine jewelry, engagement rings, watches, colored stones, and more.
“I carry Bulova watches, and they’ve really impressed me,” said Johnston. “Just as a watchmaker, I like Bulova. They’ve got watches that went to the moon, and they’ve got a lot of history.”
“We carry about 1,000 engagement ring mountings in the store,” Johnston continued. “People are always amazed at how much we have in the store. Believe it or not, out of all of these options, we still end up customizing a lot.”
But it’s that custom work that Johnston considers his bread and butter.
In his childhood, Johnston was taught by his uncle Charles West, a local knifemaker, how to scrimshaw ivory knife handles. This gave him an interest in jewelry.
Johnston went on to study at Jem City College in Quincy, Illinois, where he graduated early after completing just one year of the three-year program. He then returned to Centralia where he began work as a mobile trade business, servicing clocks and watches as far south as Carbondale and as far west as Edwardsville.
Johnston then opened the original Johnston Jewelers store on East Broadway in what is now The Commonwealth before relocating in 2011 to his current location at 701 W. Broadway.
Looking ahead, Johnston said he and his staff will continue to explore the newest options available to best serve their customers.
“I’m looking towards the future,” Johnston said. “I’m in this for the long haul. I’m not going anywhere.”
