TQ Diamonds

Sep 26

In their own words

“One of the stones I love, that I’m the most passionate about, is Australian Boulder Opal. I love diamonds, but I love the uniqueness of opals. Each opal has its personality and characteristics that are unique, like people are. That’s intriguing to me. I’ve imported colored gemstones from South America and Brazil, traveled to the mines, as well as the cities around the mines. That experience itself has been incredible. It’s fun to meet people with jewelry and gemstones in their blood.”

-Tim Quigley

Jason’s Interview with Tim

Jason

We're back on Meet the Jewelers and today we're talking to Tim at TQ Diamonds. Can you tell us a little bit about TQ and how you got started in the industry?

Tim

I started in the industry in 1985 when I was in high school and in a program called Marketing and Marketing Co-op. As a junior, I took the Marketing class, and as a senior, I was able to take Marketing Co-op, which means that I needed to find a job for practical work experience. In doing so, I earned high school credit and was able to get out of school early every day, so that was right up my alley.

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Ultimately, I had bought a pair of opal earrings for a girlfriend and they were a big hit. After about four to five months, she lost one of the opals out of the earrings. She was devastated. I took them back to the original jeweler, a national chain, and asked what it would cost to replace an opal. I'd spent $35 on this pair of earrings and the cost to replace the opal is anywhere from $35 to $50. I said, “I don't understand. I can buy a brand-new pair in the case for $35.” They're like, “Well, yeah, they got to match it.” I stormed out of there and went down the street, and the first jeweler I stopped into, I asked him what it would cost to replace the opal and the cost was $8. So I bought a few more items from that jeweler and talked my way into a job for my Marketing Co-op class as a senior.

So I started in the jewelry business my junior year of high school and before I graduated from high school, I went to my parents and said, “Hey, I know you would have helped me or assisted me with my college education. I don't want to go to college, I want to start a jewelry business.” My parents supported me wholeheartedly and helped me secure financing, so I opened TQ Diamonds on September 1, 1987.

Jason
In the same location in Madison?

Tim
Just down the street from where I am today. I was 18 years old. We were in our first location for about thirteen years, until 2000. We've been in this location for nineteen years. I just entered my thirty-third year in business working for myself. I've been in the jewelry business for thirty-five years.

Jason
Tell us what jewelry and diamonds mean to you?

Tim
I'm passionate about jewelry and diamonds. It goes back to my childhood. At nine years old, I was a rock hound. I collected rocks. My mom took me around to collect different rocks. She helped me identify rocks and we glued them to a board and identified them all. They were hanging in my parent’s basement until fifteen years ago, when my mom finally said, “Hey, time for these to go to your house.” I started with a childhood fascination and love for rocks, and have parlayed it into a lifelong career and passion.

The jewelry industry is a dream industry. If somebody is upset or has a bad day, they don't go to the jewelry store to go spout off--they go to the grocery store, the liquor store, the gas station. So, you're always celebrating happy and special occasions in the jewelry industry, whether it's a couple getting engaged, a push present, the birth of a child, or a special anniversary. It’s a neat experience where you are intertwined with your client’s lives. You get to share experiences. You see young engaged couples get married. Few years later, they're coming through the door with a little one, and then two, and then three sometimes. We've been in the business long enough now where I'm fortunate enough that we're actually selling second-generation engagement rings from clients that we sold engagement rings to in the late 1980s and early 1990s--now their kids are buying engagement rings from us.

Jason
Can you talk about an exciting proposal that one of your clients did?

Tim
There are hundreds of them. One most recently, I had a client that I worked with extensively through the summer months, he just proposed to his fiancé on a hiking trip in Europe. They were in the Dolomites in Italy. His name was Michael and I said, “Hey, Mike, I'd love it if you could share a picture with us after you propose.” He sent me a picture from the top of the mountain where he proposed, and where she accepted. You feel special to be a part of other people's special moments in their life.

Jason
What do you think you and your staff do that allows you to have second-generation customers?

Tim
I'm from the Midwest--I treat people the way I want to be treated. At the end of the day, I've run my business for thirty-three plus years. You can buy jewelry anywhere, so all I got at the end of the day is my name, my honesty, and my integrity. That's been my formula for success. I've been very fortunate. I've had the same store manager with me--she's in her twenty-fifth year with me. I've got two other employees who have been with me twenty years and nineteen years, and multiple employees in the ten-year range. We've got a great staff of career jewelers that are passionate about the industry and share their experience and knowledge with customers. Their enthusiasm is infectious.

Jason
You have been in the area for so long, can you tell us any causes or charity work that TQ does and how you give back?

Tim
We give back to multiple charities— there's almost too many to list. A charity called Safe Harbor that works with children, giving children a safe environment for a police interview after sexual assault, or other types of abuse, in a comfortable environment so that the appropriate parties can be prosecuted if need be. We're also involved with the American Heart Association and The Cycle For Stroke--a dear friend of ours had a stroke about five years ago. We've recently gotten involved in that cause as well. We try to give back to the community, whether through donations for auction items and that type of thing. Madison's been good to us and we like to pay back as much as we can.

Jason
Given that you have been in the industry for so long, where do you see the industry going five, ten, twenty years out?

Tim
We've continued to grow for thirty-plus years. The industry is always evolving and we've got a large Internet presence. In the next ten to twenty years, I would hope to see one or both of my children transition into the jewelry industry. They're both currently in college and have some interest in the industry. So, we may have second-generation TQs coming into the industry.

Jason
Can you talk to us about a few pieces that you love??

Tim
There's so many things and so many different gemstones that I love. One of the stones I love, that I'm most passionate about, is the Australian Boulder Opal. Obviously, our name is TQ Diamonds. I love diamonds. But I love the uniqueness of each opal. Each opal has its own personality and characteristics that are as unique as people are. I've imported colored gemstones from South America, Brazil, traveled to the mines, as well as the cities around the mines. I don't necessarily have a specific piece that I'm infatuated with per-se. I love multiple gems and different types of jewelry.