Most people know the “four C’s” when it comes to evaluating a diamond – cut, color, clarity and carat – but Jewelry Design Center’s Kevin McClure considers a fifth: community. It’s one of the ways the nearly 50-year-old company aims to set itself apart in the local jewelry business.

The Kennewick branch of the Spokane-based chain opened in 2016 at 1350 N. Louisiana St. near Costco. Though it’s tucked around the corner, it’s easy to find thanks to the large, spinning diamond on the corner.

It was the first foray for Jewelry Design Center outside of its flagship site, though it now has a third location in Missoula, Montana, which opened in fall 2023. When the family-owned business decided to expand to the Tri-Cities, President and CEO Brian Toone lived locally five days a week for the first two years to both grow the new location and get to know the market and its community.

Despite all the jewelry stores available in metropolitan areas like Seattle and Portland, this local “gem” still sells the most diamonds by quantity of any independent jeweler in the Pacific Northwest.

In-house jeweler

The shop’s name speaks to its capabilities – Jewelry Design Center offers hundreds of options for rings, bracelets and earrings, but its in-house jeweler can be seen daily working on repairing items for customers or as part of the process to custom design new pieces.

McClure said the most common custom pieces requested are white gold engagement rings. He estimates four to 10 people touch a single custom design, starting with an initial drawing from a sales associate, a computer-aided design, a wax cast finish to create a mold, and a jeweler finish to polish the metal and set any gemstones.

Start to finish, this process can easily take 10 hours of work for the entire team, yet the cost of a one-of-a-kind piece is more affordable than consumers might expect.

“I would say your base price for a custom, with a very simple design, is $650,” McClure said. “That’s your starting, entry-level price. It’ll go up to $2,000 if it’s complex.” The price doesn’t include the cost of any stones, which are chosen and priced separately.

The Kennewick Jewelry Design Center typically gets a handful of custom orders every month, contributing to the 1,200 created yearly across all three locations. It takes about four to six weeks to complete a unique piece, though customers should always make the store aware if it’s needed more quickly.

The special moments

“I had a woman come in the first week of December and she was making two pendants for her daughters with her birthstone and their birthstones,” said McClure, who got emotional recalling the story. “She had just been diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. I knew this was going to be a challenge, but we were going to go for it, right? Let’s see if we can do it. And we finished it and got it to them on Christmas Eve, the same day she passed. And that’s the stuff that makes the custom work so special. When we impact somebody’s life, those are the ones that stick with you.”

He likens it to being an “old school barber,” who would get a peek into people’s lives while cutting their hair. “We know the tears and the joy and that’s what makes it remarkable,” he said.

People often create a custom piece for the sentimentality that comes with it. McClure said another recent design was created to replicate a ring the customer had seen before but wanted to make it their own.

If people like the idea of a one-of-a-kind item but don’t know where to begin, a sales associate will start by having them look around the store to find styles they like, then offer websites, like Pinterest, that might help spark an idea.

“We could literally copy something if they asked. There are very few things in our industry that are trademarked beyond reproduction,” McClure said.

Jewelry Design Center’s goal is “to be your jeweler for life,” and this includes remaking a custom piece even if it’s been created to the customer’s exact specifications.

“You could take it home and then call me three weeks later and say, ‘I don’t like it,’ and I’m going to remake the ring at no cost. The only thing you’d pay for is if you add stones,” McClure said. “The last thing we want is for you to look at it and not love it, put it in a safety deposit box and never wear it again. I want you to see it and smile and tell someone else, ‘Go see Kevin in Jewelry Design Center.’”

New from old

McClure said they’ll also frequently make new items out of heirlooms since “styles don’t get passed down.” The store will buy the metal, typically gold, at market rate. The same metal can be reused, but due to differences in alloy, it’s recommended to use new gold. A customer can receive cash for the value, or Jewelry Design Center offers credit toward new gold plus a 25% bonus on top of what the cash payout would be as an incentive for buying from them.

The store stands by its jewelry and offers a number of lifetime guarantees, including an option to get your money back for a natural diamond (versus lab-created) for its full purchase price within the first 100 days. After 100 days, customers can get a credit for use in the store – even if you return the diamond years later. Additionally, all maintenance is included for life on natural diamond engagement rings, including sizing, polishing, cleaning, rhodium plating for white gold, and even replacement on stone loss up to $3,499.

“I remember Brian (Toone) telling stories of people calling him when he first rolled out that warranty in Spokane. Other store managers or jewelry store owners said, ‘They can’t do this. This is dumb.’ And he was like, ‘Well, we’re going to do it,’” McClure said.

Toone’s father, Doug Toone, started the company in 1977 “with one small display case and a vision of creating unique custom jewelry.”

Originally called Doug Toone Jewelry Manufacturing, other jewelry shops used his services before Doug began working directly with customers and opened his own store. Brian came on board 30 years ago and still hand selects diamonds to offer the largest inventory of loose diamonds in the area.

Spread out across a 17,000-square-foot store, McClure said the entire contents of the shop are sealed in the walk-in vault in about 10 minutes each night and placed back on the floor in about 20 minutes when the store opens. While browsing, customers can watch the jeweler working within the shop from mounted screens or through glass. This on-site jeweler is one of seven total employees, with six of those working full time.

The fifth “C”

That fifth “C” for community is on display year-round as Jewelry Design Company is a strong supporter of events sponsored by local nonprofits.

“We do small jewelry donations for auctions, raffles and silent auctions. Gift cards for the same purposes and sometimes just monetary donations if we can,” McClure said.

Employees are often found at the events they have contributed to, including ones benefiting 4-H, Columbia Ability Alliance, Junior Achievement, the Tri-Cities Cancer Center Foundation and the Tri-Cities Chaplaincy, the latter of which held a “Bubbles and Brunch” fundraiser.

“We donated a Prada bag and then raised more money through an ‘elevated expectations room’ where people donated $50 to see aspirational-type jewelry and sip bubbly with the owners and myself. It was a great experience and a lot of fun,” McClure said. “Our biggest donations have been to causes that were important to us, including cancer and kids.” Requests for donations can be made online.

In addition to its own designs, the store carries other fashion jewelry lines, including Swarovski, Mikimoto, Gabriel & Co., Fope and Hearts on Fire diamonds.

 Jewelry Design Center is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Jewelry Design Center: 1350 N. Louisiana St., Kennewick. Contact: 509-579-0456; jewelrydesigncenter.com.