13 Secrets Jewelry Gallery

Jun 30

In their own words

“There aren’t many things you purchase in your life that you’re going to look back on ten, twenty, thirty years, and relive that moment. Jewelry is a core part of everyday life. If you think about it, you wake up, you put your clothes on, you put your jewelry on, and it’s just a habit. The jewelry industry is going back to a truth; customization and individual, unique pieces are where our industry thrives. There’s no other thing that you can make that captures history or legacy that can be passed down, generation after generation.”

-Chad Crawford

Jason’s Interview with Chad

Jason

We're back on Meet the Jewelers and today we're talking to Chad Crawford from 13 Secrets Jewelry Gallery! Third-generation jewelry expert-- how did you get into the industry?

Chad

I was born into it. My grandparents began the business in the late 1950s. By the time I came around, they'd been doing it for quite some time. My father went into the business in the`70s, and then I began working at the retail store in the early `90s. I think when you grow up in something, you realize you either love or don't love it. I knew it was always my passion.

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Jason
Can you tell us some of the exciting moments when you were deciding to enter the business? What was it that drew you into the family business?

Chad
The interaction with customers. I've always been a people-person. When you're getting to know someone, jewelry is something that people use as an emotion and a memory that's attached to it. You really get to know people and how they think and what they're looking for. I'm drawn to having conversations with people and making sure that we're matching them to the right piece. The memories that they create with this piece or that they're passing down in future generations is something that they can carry on their legacy with. Having the connection with the different manufacturing components in the jewelry industry, it's very collaborative because we all have days you get approached about one thing or another, and you're like, “I know we can do that. But how can we best do this?” It's a team effort.

Jason
Can you tell us about your team?

Chad
I've been designing a line since 2006 for other stores, a sterling silver line. I've been lucky enough that I've been featured in many different publications and I work with retail stores all across the U.S. and Canada. I use a lot of historical patterns in the manufacturing process, because to me every piece should have its own story, even with fine jewelry. So that line is silver, and I have put together both the sales and distribution, as well as anybody who works with our company. I feel that it is important for me to be accessible. I always make sure that my staff has my cell phone. You can text, you can call. We have a lot of clients who traded with my family through the years. One of my most exciting moments was, I had bid on a home and in that process, they asked us what Crawford am I, because my family's jewelry stores are Crawford Jewelers. And I said, “Oh, you know, Crawford Jewelers.” And the gentleman proceeded to go into his bedroom and bring out a receipt, where he bought his wife's diamond from my grandfather in 1963. It was just amazing to see— my grandfather passed away— both his handwriting and an actual receipt from when my family’s stores were only five or six years old. When you have things like that, how can you not be drawn to a business that I was lucky enough to be brought up in?

Jason
Can you tell us an engagement ring experience or proposal you were part of?

Chad
I had a couple that I was talking to, and they had come in to get ideas. He then proceeded to call me back, saying, “I want you to utilize the ideas that we spoke about and put it all together.” I custom-made a piece. He said that they lived out of Savannah and had been referred to me by a couple of different people. He gave me a call and they were staying at a local hotel. He asked me to place it in the hotel room. I got with the concierge, they put it in the hotel room, they did the whole experience. They were in the middle of checking in and his fiancé-to-be, made the comment, “We have to go and see Chad. I really want to see him, whether or not we're doing anything,” because she still had no idea. It dawned on him that the ring was not with me. He told her to wait, he said he had to use the restroom. He ran up, grabbed the ring, they walked over to me, they walked in the front door, and he knelt down in the front of the store and asked her to marry him. I thought that was amazing. Needless to say, champagne came out and we made a big toast.

Jason
Tell us more about what differentiates your store, what sets you apart?

Chad
A lot of people always say customer service. I really try to talk to people and get an idea of their likes, dislikes, what they're looking for. I have a saying that jewelry can be almost anything we want it to be, whether it is inexpensive or expensive. It's about the person and their personality. I think people come into the store because it's approachable. I keep a small selection of engagement rings, but most people want to do custom. We have a diamond salon in the back, it's a private meeting space and we can walk through all the things that you're looking for.

Jason
What other elements can people look to, to trust you with one of their most special pieces?

Chad
I'm extremely fortunate to be from a family that has an amazing legacy with our customers, also with industry people. When I was opening this store, I cannot tell you the amount of people who were approaching me saying, “Thank you for coming,” and giving me amazing reviews. You want to go to someone that you can trust. My family has a long history in this region. We're very blessed that people always speak highly of us and the difference is we take the time. We try to make sure that we live up to every standard. We give all the information that we can possibly give you up-front. We are a part of our communities. In November, we do a fundraiser for a different charity every year. There's so many different charities and they're all worthy. We try to rotate on an annual basis. We are 13 Secrets, so for the first thirteen days of November, we do a massive push for a different fundraising event. We did the Woman's Rape Crisis Center, which helps people that have had different struggles. We did a local coffee shop, and a nonprofit that goes to help students. In Savannah, we have a strong community that does a lot of giving back. I'm also on the committee for the Historic Savannah Foundation. It's preservation for all of Savannah, Georgia. In the mid-century, seven women got together because many homes were in lieu of being torn down. They got together to create an organization that would help preserve and restore. Without them, Savannah would be a very different place today. Our store was built in 1893. Being able to be a part of that, and raise money and awareness, and to help restore all of what Savannah’s been known for since 1733 really is an amazing cause.

Jason
Tell us your thoughts on the jewelry industry five, ten, fifteen years out. Where do you see it going, and where do you see 13 Secrets going?

Chad
Everybody says that jewelry evolves. It is an emotional point. When you look at that piece or you look back at that time, you remember when you got that piece, why it was made, what the function was— whether it's a birthday, an anniversary, your engagement. Customization and individual, unique pieces is where our industry thrives. People inherit a lot of jewelry and they say, “You know, while I love these pieces, they're not really my style. They're not a piece that I would wear today.” They want to retool it. One of the greatest things I get to do is work with them to create a new piece out of their legacy pieces. In the past six months, there was a lady who came in and had inherited her great-grandmother’s earrings. They were beautiful gold, cameo, and pearl earrings, and she said, “My girls just won't wear cameos.” So we split the earrings up. We made beautiful pearl studs for one daughter, and then we took the cameos and we made them on this really cool unique flex bangle piece that she could stack with all of her bracelets. And every one of them has come back now, and thanked me. It wasn't revolutionary, but because they don't wear a lot of elaborate jewelry, they now can wear heritage pieces every day.

Jason
And when you look through your collection now, are there any pieces you're really excited about?

Chad
I've had the fortune of working with some really exquisite stones. For the Fall season, I have a four-carat natural salon sapphire that I just finished putting into an art deco ring. It's got about a karat-and-a-half of diamonds around it. It's beautiful. As people look at my work, they'll see I really love taking vintage, art deco, Victorian-era, and modernizing it into something that is current but will stand the test of time. I'll take a trend and make it classic, so that in ten years you'll still be proud to wear or if it.

Jason
How did you come up with the name? What's the significance there?

Chad
It's one of my most asked questions. The real reason for 13 Secrets was thirteen has always been my lucky number, and serendipitously, Georgia was the thirteenth colony and we're in historic Savannah. A lot of people tend to think that the number thirteen could be superstitious, and a lot of people think that Savannah is also haunted. So it just kind of worked. I thought, everybody loves a good secret. We put the store in a residential area, because we wanted to be able to take time with each customer. Savannah has upwards of over a million tourists a month coming through. The right people always find us and come through. If you're in the most trafficked part, you're almost just turning people and never have the time to sit down and get to know them. We’re more experiential than just walk in, walk out with a generic piece.

Jason
If we're entering your store, what's the experience like?

Chad
When we first started the store, we were renting the space, we since purchased the building, so we did a massive renovation. Everything is crisp and clean. We have components throughout the store—everything is white with a navy blue accent wall and gold accents. It's timeless and classic. We don't have your standard to-the-floor jewelry cases; to me that's heavy. We have an intimate space. One room that you first walk into is what we call the Everyday Collection that will go from sterling to fine jewelry, from $20-$30 to a $5,000 price range. It's something for everybody. Then, as you go to the back room, it’s all of the individual customized pieces. From there, your imagination is the limit. Each case has its own feeling, its own personality.

Jason
That's awesome. Thank you so much for being on Meet the Jewelers.