Herzog’s Jewelry is staffed with real flesh-and-blood personalities not stiff, rehearsed sales-pitchers who will only deal with your from across a counter. When you visit Herzog’s, it’s like coming into a friend’s home, full of warmth and personality, where you may even get to meet Gracie, a very eager pup ready to steal your heart away. What follows is a small introduction to some of the interesting nuances within the range of personalities that make up the magic that has become Herzog’s Jewelry.
Ted Herzog’s jewelry career started in 1971 and reflects in-depth experience in all aspects of the business. He worked in the Dayton area as head jeweler for Potasky and then Rife Jewelers before striking out on his own. In 1987 he opened the first incarnation of Herzog’s Jewelry on Far Hills Avenue before moving to Rahn Road and finally settling on Kentshire Drive, all in Kettering, Ohio.
While Ted’s gifts as a craftsman and artisan have certainly reached a master level, after talking with him for any length of time you’ll find that his strengths are not limited to workbench and design skills. His talents as a listener and educator propel him to an even higher level.
Ted is an active listener who will seek out the details, features, and meaning you may want to incorporate into your special piece of jewelry. With his knack for design and your input, he and his computer can present you with a concrete image of what you may have previously seen only in your mind’s eye. He can then transform that image into a treasured keepsake. The shop may appear small but the possibilities within it are endless.
Ted is a gifted educator. Most clients have, at best a rudimentary idea of the terms and specifications germane to a fine jewelry purchase. Ted will take the time to make the technical details easy-to-understand and show you what makes a certain cut of a stone or a choice of metal the best look and best value for your jewelry purchase.
Even if you are not quite ready to make a purchase, you owe yourself a visit to Herzog's Jewelry just to meet Ted. You will find Ted to be one of those memorable, affable characters that knows no strangers. One look on the wall in Ted’s office will show how much he cherishes his wife Barb and dotes on his two children, Jody and Andi.
You might also be interested to find pictures from the eighteen years Ted gave time to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy. There are framed photos of him being dunked in the Drop-a-Cop booth at the county fair next to the clock and plaques commemorating his retirement. You can tell the MCSO hated to see him leave.
But, luckily for you, Ted has not yet retired as a jeweler. In fact, the certificates on his wall testify to his ample qualifications. They include the following:
| Education: |
Gemological Institute of America
University of Dayton |
| Membership in: |
Jewelers of America
Manufacturing Jewelers and Silversmiths of America
Society of North American Goldsmiths
Jewelers Vigilance Committee
Better Business Bureau
Kettering Chamber of Commerce |
Feel free to stop by or you can also meet Ted via his e-mail: zog412 @sbcglobal.com.
Janet, a long-time personal friend of Ted’s, has been working at Herzog’s since 2000. Throughout that time, her duties have increased from just answering phones and routine office work to doing almost everything except the work at a jeweler’s bench in the back. She can handle buying, sales, processing and inspecting the many repair orders, in addition to doing all the office work. Over the span of time since her start, Janet has absorbed a tremendous amount of knowledge about jewelry and design so she can give clients a unique perspective on what makes Herzog's Jewelry a better value for their money.
Janet’s earlier professional career was as an elementary school teacher, full time in West Milton for nine years and then as a substitute teacher and tutor in Centerville, Ohio. She has raised two children and is devoted to her husband, Dana, a retired Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputy.
Despite the demands of keeping up with the workload at Herzog’s, Janet finds time to work as a docent at the Dayton Art Institute where she leads tours of its special exhibitions and permanent collection. Janet also enjoys her participation in the Centerville Community Chorus which performs seasonal concerts at various senior centers and at other venues in the Miami Valley. Janet also confesses to being an avid Bunco player and finds time to accompany her husband to estate sales in search of collectible treasures.
Janet appreciates working at Herzog’s because she feels that customers here get the best value for their dollar. She takes pride in knowing that, at Herzog’s, customers will never be offered jewelry of such a lightweight nature that it might actually have to be discarded the first time a repair is needed. She can tell stories of miracles she’s seen worked on well-constructed rings, like the one rescued from the ravages of a garbage disposal. Unfortunately she’s also seen pieces that can’t hold up to normal wear-and-tear because there are jewelry sellers who are quite literally “banking” on the customer’s ignorance. She’s happy to work for a business that stands firmly behind every piece that’s sold or repaired.
If you have had jewelry repaired or designed at Herzog’s since 2004, it may well have come through the hands of resident craftsman, Mark Spahr.
Mark and his wife Merry, who is an executive secretary at Central State University and an award-winning juggler, are residents of Xenia, Ohio. It was in Xenia where Mark first worked in the trade. For sixteen years of his professional career, Mark was the sole bench-jeweler for Tiffany Jewelers in that Greene County city. Mark had gained his knowledge of jewelry at a number of seminars and workshops before beginning at Tiffany’s.
One intriguing facet of Mark’s personality is the fact that he has been a piano and keyboards musician for 40 years, and counting. Mark can fill you in on some of his experiences playing local gigs; but you can amplify the twinkle in his eye if you ask him about his one-night trip to Macon, Georgia, to play with The Allman Brothers Band! Nowadays, most of Mark’s musical escapades are “high end jam sessions” with friends.
Another of Mark’s endeavors was a fifteen-year stint as part of a team of land surveyors for a local engineering firm. He also enjoys crafting small airplane replicas from tissue paper and struts hand-hewn from balsa wood… a further testament to his innate drive to do meticulous work with his hands.
At its heart, jewelry building and repairing is still an ancient art, requiring a dexterous hand, keen eye, and a facility with the same tools that have been used for hundreds of years. Mark’s abilities easily fit into the workflow at Herzog’s.
Gracie may not have as many certificates on her wall as Ted, but she is certainly qualified to be Top Dog at Herzog’s. It comes naturally to her. The couriers adore her. Clients love her, especially the children who are well entertained for the duration of their visit. Sometimes they even plead to extend their stay so that fetch and tug of war can continue just a bit longer.
Gracie the pug came into the Herzog family as a gift to his daughter on Valentine’s Day, 2006. She was an immediate hit at the nursing home where Ted often visited his mother, Betty, who had been an integral part of Herzog’s Jewelry for many years. Gracie began her visits to Herzog’s in 2007 and quickly became a full-time staff member.
Come to Herzog’s and meet Gracie Lou –feel the love and acceptance known only by those to whom she brings her toy “bear.” And while you’re at it, talk with those other wonderful personalities—Janet, Mark, and Ted, and learn why you should definitely make it a point to visit Herzog's Jewelry before you make a jewelry purchase anywhere else.
When you call or visit Herzog's Jewelry, at the other end of the line or the smile you will very likely find Janet Estep.