Hursts' Berwyn Jewelers - featuring Hearts on Fire diamonds and designer jewelry for couples in Brookfield

CHAMPIONS WANTED

ARE YOU READY FOR A CAREER CHANGE? REENTERING THE WORKPLACE?

Persuasive?
Upbeat, positive and energetic?
A good listener
Confident and resilient
Willing to take risks?
Good sense of urgency?
Outgoing
Persistent, thick-skinned and perceptive

If this sounds like you, why not get paid to apply those innate personality traits and work with beautiful products and a flexible schedule?

WE COVET EXCEPTIONAL SALES TALENT.
EXPERIENCE NICE BUT NOT NECESSARY

COME INTO OUR STORE AND APPLY.
6418 W. Cermak Road Berwyn, IL 60402

Our Vision

We have built our reputation on quality merchandise, extraordinary customer service and fair prices. To maintain it we seek to continue
to lead the Chicago area in providing high quality designer jewelry. To provide superior quality we hand select our diamonds and all other gemstones for beauty, we subject each and every piece of jewelry we offer to an intensive inspective - holding each to the highest
standards of manufacture. To maintain our standards of quality we prefer to have almost all of the rings we sell tailor made to the
consumers’ specifications rather than alter our stock rings and risk diminishing their quality in anyway. To maintain our lead in fashion,
we engage in an ongoing, year-round survey of our clientele aimed at determining their wishes, using this input to seek new designs and designers.

Mission Statement

Our purpose is to provide high quality jewelry of imaginative design at reasonable prices. To achieve this end we will seek to provide fresh alternatives to the commercial jewelry seen in most jewelry stores. We will seek to provide a much higher quality of manufacture and we will seek to provide gemstones of beauty whenever gems are called for in a design.

American Gem Society Member

What is the American Gem Society?
The American Gem Society was established by early pioneers in the jewelry industry over 70 years ago. The American gem society is a not-for-profit trade association of fine jewelers, designers, and appraisers in North America. Theses members are dedicated to consumer protection, ethical business practices, and the development of superior gemological skills and knowledge.

You will have the peace of mind that we have been educated, tested and reaccredited annually. And, most important, we are committed to promoting the highest ethical standards to give you confidence and satisfaction. When you put your trust in us, rest assured that you're working with a consummate professional- one who adheres to the highest standards of the jewelry industry.

What's in a title?

The American Gem Society awards titles designating members as skilled professionals upon completion of stringent gemological studies and examinations. For you, this means the American Gem Society provides professional, knowledgeable, and trustworthy specialists who continually are improving their knowledge of the industry. Exactly the kind of professionals you'll find at our store.

Andrea Crawford, our Registered Jeweler, has successfully completed the required course work and classroom study of diamonds and colored gemstones and adheres to the American Gem Society's Code of Ethics. This title must be renewed annually based upon increased knowledge and continued ethical practices.

What makes members of the American Gem Society so special?

For starters, only 5% of all jewelers, designers, and appraisers have met the American Gem Society standards. In addition to satisfying the exacting criteria, including rectification on a yearly basis, members admitted to the American Gem Society have proven a commitment to their community and the highest standards of ethical practice.For a us to become a member of the American Gem Society, we had to meet a list of rigid requirements.

- Our firm owners, or employees must have completed an accredited or graduate programfrom the Gemological Institute of America along with successfully completing an American Gem Society course.
- We must hold a reputation with for unquestioned integrity in the business community and must be operated in a way that will enhance the confidence of the public in the jewelry industry.
- Our owners and principals must demonstrate that they are genuinely interested in high business ethics, and our firm must exemplify this belief.
- Our firm must be a retail jewelry business that has been established for at least two years and has demonstrated financial stability.

The history of Hursts’ Berwyn Jewelers

In 1918 young Michael Hadraba entered into a partnership on Lawndale Avenue in Chicago with an older jeweler who had already been in business for more than 20 years. As the western suburbs of Chicago developed, young Mike became interested in the growth of a new retail strip along Cermak Road at Ridgeland. in 1927, he separated from his partner and opened his own store - Berwyn Jeweler - in the building occupied by the then new “Parthenon” (later "Berwyn") theater.

Though the late 1920’s were good for the jewelry business, the coming of the Great Depression spelled hard times for all retailers. Mike made his living selling everything from clocks and radios to bowling balls.

With the outbreak of World War II, full employment returned the business to prosperity and young George Hurst began to work part time for Michael Hadraba in 1942 and continued to work for Mike through high school. After his military service he again worked part time for Mike while he went to college. In the summer of 1953, Ron Hurst, George’s little brother, began to work part-time for Mr. Hadraba and continued through high school and college.

In 1966, Mike died and in 1967 George, Ron and their nephew, Chris, purchased the business from Mr. Hadraba’s estate. They incorporated it as “Berwyn Jewelers Inc.”. George and Ron worked in the business part time (both were employed in education; George as a grammar school principal and Ron as a high school history teacher) while Chris, a one time air traffic controller, went to work in the business full time.

In 1974, Kathy O’Brien came to work for Berwyn Jewelers while she was in high school. By the spring of 1977, after Chris had sold his
share in the business to George and Ron, she became the manager of the store. Ron Hurst and Kathy were soon married.

1981 was a big year for Berwyn jewelers, Inc. as the Berwyn Theater building burned and was ultimately torn down. While George, Ron
and Kathy were rescuing their merchandise from the fire, Agness Sellas, who owned the building the which Hursts’ Berwyn Jewelers is now located, approached Ron and George with an offer to sell them her building. They accepted the offer and hence the transformation of Berwyn Jewelers, Inc. into Hursts’ Berwyn Jewelers.

Both George and Ron continued to work in education until 1983, when George retired. In 1993 Ron retired from education and in 1994
Hursts’ Berwyn Jewelers began the transition to its present form, that of a designer jewelry boutique.