The entire team at Time Wise would like to thank our community for supporting us at our 40th Anniversary. If you missed the sale, know that service and low prices happen everyday.
By LinDee Rochelle
During the Holiday Season, all that glitters may not be gold … it might be ruby, sapphire, silver, a glittering watch face, or a simple, gilt-edged thank-you. These are a few of our favorite things …
Is jewelry on your gift list? If not, give it a thought. Buying jewelry is always personal, whether it’s for yourself or someone else. It represents milestones, special occasions, and tongue-tied feelings. It helps you make or preserve a memory, share a special moment, and often incites excitement.
Although you might consider buying online for convenience, the best deals and value for your dollars is likely right in your local community. Whatever the reason or the season, knowing your local jeweler makes the buying more fun and secure, and supporting local shops keeps your community thriving.
Stephanie Langlois, owner of Time Wise Jewelry in Clairemont, feels she owes this Holiday Season to her local customers, and feels the immense gratitude of the season.
Community Spirit More than a Word
“We were able to stay open and still be here, because of the community,” Stephanie emphasized. “Locals would come in and shop during the pandemic, saying ‘You are a staple in this community, we want you here, we want you to stay, and that’s why we’re here today.’ We are so fortunate to have such great customers. We would not have survived the past two years without their support.”
That doesn’t mean it was easy. Stephanie purchased the thirty-eight-year established, Time Wise Jewelers in late 2018, with her first day as new owner, on January 1, 2019. She wasn’t really new to the family-owned business, as she’d been groomed by the retiring owners for more than eight years.
However, hot off their 2018 Holiday “retirement sales,” many local customers assumed the store would close. “It was difficult from day one,” admitted Stephanie. “Even though there was no going-out-of-business ads, it took me all of 2019 to convince the community that we’re still open and it’s just a change of ownership. And then the pandemic hit.”
Stephanie and all at Time Wise Jewelry
Thank You!! Sincerely,
A Little Sparkle Here, A Little There …
Stephanie made good use of their pandemic down-time, though, to give the store a glittering makeover. “I did a lot. The store was a little dated (it had been there for many years under the same family ownership) so I completely repainted the inside. The store location was once a fake flower shop, so everything in the back was painted green.”
She installed a chandelier in the center which makes a great store centerpiece to reflect the brilliance of the diamonds and gemstones. Stephanie continued, “There was a lot of clutter and extra inventory.” Cleaning out the clutter gave her extra room. “I made a little seating area with a little table, installed pretty, mirrored wall décor, and eliminated the central sales area electric pole to open the space even more.” Time well spent.
Through her vendor connections, she learned that more than sixty family-owned and small community jewelry stores in California closed, in just the first year of the pandemic. This was her dream, and she wasn’t going to give up easily.
For the Pure Pleasure of It
Stephanie thrived in jewelry sales as a seventeen-year-old starting out in the business and learned the ropes on her way up to an assistant manager. Okay, got that part down. Then she found herself in a small watch and jewelry repair shop. “That’s where I learned more of both—jewelry and watches—and the back end of the business in repairs and maintenance,” said Stephanie.
“The best deals are in our estate case,” said Stephanie. “There’s a wide selection, with really cool, unique and quality pieces from all over the world. I make sure each piece is restored to ‘new’ condition—they’re polished, deep cleaned, and stones replaced, or the piece expertly repaired.”
That isn’t even the best part … “I literally figure out what it is worth at full retail, then sell it for half. It’s like buying a brand-new piece for half the price.” And there’s just some-
store is fully stocked and we’re ready for the holidays. Get acquainted with us by getting a free jewelry cleaning and inspection while you shop!”
Wrapping Up the Season sale, know that we have the best prices everyday so come and see us!
“I’m grateful to be here,” says Stephanie. “I’m so thankful for my customers, and because of them, I get to keep doing what I love, my passion, that I’ve been doing for the past sixteen years. There is no doubt, we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have such loyal customers.”
But Stephanie and Time Wise likely wouldn’t have such loyal customers without her artful dedication to designing one-of-a-kind pieces and serving her community with pride.
While jewelry is the obvious focus in the store, you can also stop in to say hello. “Recently,” said Stephanie, “a customer came in and brought me flowers, ‘just because’.”
‘Tis the Season to make a trip to Time Wise Jewelers See what’s new, what’s old, what’s on sale, and what Stephanie can do for you in a beautiful custom gift.
From a simple watch battery to custom designing a personal and unique item, the mission of Time Wise as your local, go-to jewelry store, is to give each customer extraordinary service and an unbeatable experience.
It was when she stepped into a position at Time Wise Jewelers that she excelled. She worked her way up for eight-plus years, “… learning ever more about both jewelry and watches, and much more on the repair end,” Stephanie recalled. Now, with a well-rounded and comprehensive background, she still does “… a lot of clock and watch repair, and small jewelry repairs.”
It’s the jewelry designing, however, that she truly loves. “I like working with the customers, figuring out what they want. Designs and tastes are so different.” She enjoys the mystery of conception-to-completion and helps the customer create one-of-a-kind pieces to express their personality, or their sentiment for another.
As she described a particularly interesting and unique request, I was struck by the customer’s depth of feeling.
“I made a ring for this gentleman,” Stephanie began, “to give to his wife for their 20th anniversary. It had a lot of meaning—from the design to how many stones used—everything was very symbolic of something. It was very personal; he didn’t let me in on all the details. It was all so mysterious. That ring was like two years in the making. He bought stones as he went, because it did have quite a few diamonds in it. I kind of went on this journey with him, finding stones, putting them together, designing the style. To this day his wife still comes in for its deep cleaning, and tells us how much she loves it, and gets compliments on it all the time.”
Sometimes though, you simply must have a piece of jewelry that makes your own statement. “Another woman we did a ring for a couple months ago,” said Stephanie, “brought in a bunch of her grandmother’s jewelry and we took certain stones out of it and came up with a really cool, asymmetrical design to make it her own style.” A great compromise expressing her personality, while still honoring the sentiment of her grandmother.
Of course, for several decades now, Jewelry hasn’t been coveted just by women. There is a fair share of guys who have come to enjoy its many facets for themselves, from a little sparkle to big bling. And nothing feels better than real gold.
Holiday Cheer with a Twinkle
Stephanie’s looking forward to greeting first-time shoppers and thanking her loyal customers, during a Holiday Season filled with glittering good cheer.
“We have a new case of jewelry that features $500 and under pieces,” to make glittery gifting even more affordable. “There’s a nice mix of pendants, rings and earrings, for great stocking stuffers.”
But if you’re looking for the best bang for your buck, take a gander at their top selling estate jewelry. If you’re thinking it’s just a tray of grandma’s tarnished old rings,
Besides the standard affordable sale cases of jewelry, Stephanie is thanking the Clairemont community with a Holiday special of 25-50% off all items, store wide.
At-A-Glance
Time Wise Jewelers
Stephanie Langlois
858-560-5503
5643 Balboa Ave, San Diego, CA 92111 (Von’s shopping center)
TimeWiseSanDiego@gmail.com
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday: 10 am – 6 pm
