Mar 25, 2024 By Melissa Gibson 3 min read

John Carom and his wife Diane started Abby’s Gold and Gems in Uniontown with $400 in their pockets and seven gold chains.

“We were in California and bought (the) chains at a California swap meet. They were so much less expensive than what you could get at a department store,” Carom said. “We brought them back, sold them to friends and family at a discount, and sent money to purchase more in California.”

He was likely born with the entrepreneur’s spirit. Carom’s parents were immigrants from Lebanon and both owned their own businesses.

In honor of them, he originally named the company Abdilly, the family’s village in Lebanon. After adding the gold and gems to their offered products and popularity grew, the name changed to Abby’s Gold and Gems.

“For one year, I ran the business from my kitchen table. That first Christmas, when people were calling us at 5:30 a.m. with a turkey in the oven and trying to figure out a Christmas gift, my wife said, ‘We need to open a store’,” Carom said. “In August of 1985, we did just that.”

Carom has learned everything that comes with a full-service jewelry store.

At Abby’s, staff design, manufacture, repair and appraise jewelry but Carom said just one thing makes them stand apart.

“My parents helped me part-time. They were elderly by then but they witnessed the beginning of the demise of customer service,” Carom said. “They also witnessed the demise of the traditional jewelry store. We began seeing it sold on television and the internet. What are they lacking? Customer service.”

Carom said the single reason a small, family-owned business can survive 40 years later is because of the relationships they’ve built with each and every customer.

“If you make a good impression, people don’t want to switch jewelers. You hear there’s no loyalty anymore but I know your name and I ask about your granddaughter, and I’ve sold engagement rings to the grandfather, the daughter and the granddaughter,” Carom said. “That means something to them and to us.”

Over time, Carom said he’s had to learn two more areas of the business.

The first is asset management.

As customers bring in family heirlooms they’ve inherited, they want to know what the jewelry is worth and what options they have.

Secondly, the world of “hard assets,” Carom said, has grown.

“Some people want to purchase gold and silver coins or even bars for a variety of reasons. They like to pass them down through generations and they feel secure with a hard asset they keep in the safety deposit box,” Carom said. “I’ve become an advisor, seller and buyer of those assets.”

From $400 and seven gold chains, Carom has reached semi-retirement and his daughter is now co-owner and store manager. They’re even training others to learn about diamonds, gemstones, gold, silver and platinum jewelry.

“One of the challenges today is finding the right person but we are hiring and it’s really a great experience. We get to celebrate the happy moments in people’s lives: birthdays, engagements, weddings and other events,” Carom said.

For more information, visit https://www.abbysgoldandgems.com/.