Sharif Jewelers

Oct 28

In their own words

“The nice thing about being in the Sacramento area and what makes us unique from other jewelers is that we are family-owned. At each of our four locations, you’re going to find a Sharif family member. We’re a big family, and we’ve been in the business for a long time. We make sure that at every location you have that family touch.”

-Ali Sharif

Jason’s Interview with Ali

Jason

We're back on Meet the Jewelers and today we're talking to Ali from Sharif Jewelers. What was your journey at Sharif Jewelers?

Ali

My family has been in the jewelry business for years. My great-grandfather started in 1932. I'm fourth generation. I'm going to be the first generation in the States. My dad and my family that started the business came to California and opened the first branch here in 1980.

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Jason
Do you have any stories about their opening?

Ali
My father actually came here from Jerusalem. Our original jewelry store is still back in Jerusalem and Jordan. When my dad came here in 1980, he was studying at Sacramento State University, right around the corner from our first location. He opened the doors to Sharif Jewelers in 1980, going on forty years now.

Jason
What makes each of these stores unique?

Ali
The nice thing about being in the Sacramento area and what makes us unique from other jewelers is that we have the family-owned aspect. Every one of our locations, you're going to find a Sharif family member. We're a big family and we've been in the business a long time. Whether it be my dad, one of my brothers, my uncle, or my cousins, we're all going to be spread out between the four stores. We're not a big corporation. Some things we could do the same day. Everything is done in-house.

Jason
How many team members do you have across the stores?

Ali
Between the four locations, about fifty or sixty people. We do quite a bit of manufacturing. We have a big repair facility that takes care of jewelry repairs, sizing, soldering. We have state-of-the-art machines, like laser welding machines and castings. We do all that in-house.

Jason
Tell us about your give-back program with all the great causes you support.

Ali
Our family is a big supporter of giving back to our community. When he came here, he was welcomed by everyone, and so happy to be running a successful business in the community. Whether it be local basketball teams, baseball teams, and even bigger organizations that come to us, we make sure we donate. We give a beautiful ring or pendant. Typically, they auction them off so that all the proceeds will go directly to the organization.

Jason
What's your position in the company?

Ali
I went to Sacramento State University. After I graduated, I went to the Geological Institute of America, where I studied gemology. After I graduated, I took over marketing and management as far as the workshop. I handle all the custom pieces, so anything that comes through our manufacturing where we have to sort the diamonds. I handpick the diamonds, make sure that every piece goes through our production, that we've used the best quality in every piece, and calibrate the sizes. All the detailed stuff that goes into the manufacturing, my hands are in it.

Jason
Why do you think people trust you and Sharif Jewelers?

Ali
If you're in the Sacramento area and you're looking for jewelry, we've been here for forty years in the same location and we've opened up stores around the area. People have seen the name. We're not going anywhere. Part of that trust in the quality is our guarantees. We do a lifetime guarantee on all our rings and jewelry. If any stone comes out, as long as it's been checked and brought in for proper maintenance, we cover that.

Jason
Talk to us about an engagement proposal that you experienced at Sharif Jewelers?

Ali
We're the official jeweler of the Sacramento Kings, which is our NBA team. We are the Kiss Cam sponsor. If you're attending one of the Kings games and you see the Kiss Cam pop up on the big screen, you'll see it's brought to you by Sharif Jewelers. We've had clients come in and when they purchase an engagement ring, they want to do something if they're Kings fans. They want to propose live during a game or during a Kiss Cam. We had a client that came to us—he's a big Kings fan, so he was really excited about it and wanted to propose live on court. We prepared everything for him and his girlfriend. The Kings actually helped us and brought them down to the court. They told them it was one of the games they do on court and when she turned around, he was there. He proposed right in the middle of the court in front of 16,000 people and it was live on TV.

Jason
How do you treat your customers?

Ali
We treat every customer with the same level of respect, it doesn't matter the dollar amount, whatever you're purchasing is going to be a commitment. You're choosing us with your purchase and we know that jewelry is not something that you buy every day. We want to make sure that you're comfortable and that you're going to get exactly what you want, especially with engagement rings. When you pick your engagement ring, we make sure it's something she's going to be wearing forever and that you're getting the right choice.

Jason
What motivates you to wake up every day and provide such a high level of service?

Ali
I grew up in the business, since ten years old, coming to work every day with my dad and my family. I love what I do. I'm mostly in custom jewelry. Every day, I'm doing something new. I never get the same rings. No one's ever going to get the same exact ring or get the same cookie cutter-like rings.

Jason
Are there any branded designers or designers you carry that you want to talk about?

Ali
We are exclusive to several different brand names as far as designer bridal jewelry. I would like to talk about Verragio and Tacori. We're exclusive to the Sacramento market. They have the most popular rings in the U.S. They have the most unique designs. Verragio has a very distinct look, very delicate, a lot of detail. Tacori is more of the art deco style, which has the filigree work, but they're very popular rings. We're lucky to be the exclusive dealers for them in Sacramento.

Jason
How many years have you guys been exclusive for Tacori and Verragio?

Ali
We have been exclusive for at least ten years now with Tacori and Verragio. In the last few years, we have been an exclusive partner with Omega watches. We carry Omega exclusively, Mont Blanc, the writing instruments. We do the leather goods as well. And the watches. And Franck Muller, which is a really high-end Swiss watch line. We're going to be exclusive for them in our market.

Jason
Tell us about the brand.

Ali
We want to make sure everyone knows that we have our own personal touch on everything. We're not trying to be that huge company. We want our pieces and our jewelry to be personalized. We want people to know us personally. People want to connect with the owners and the designer.

Jason
If there's one thing you want Meet the Jewelers to know about Sharif Jewelers, tell us.

Ali
We're redoing our website, so we're going to put a lot more products. If you have Instagram or Facebook, follow us on Instagram, you’ll see a lot of our custom pieces. We post mostly about our bridal jewelry, but we do a lot of custom work, whether it be custom medallions or chains for the Kings players or local people.