"I always had an interest in Thomas Jewelers." Sue Thomas Schmidt
continues, "I worked at the store starting in the seventh grade. When I
went to college in Iowa City, I worked for a jeweler there. I came back to work
with dad in 1980." Sue bought Thomas Jewelers, located at 606 Sumner, from
her father, Bob Thomas, in 1988.
Bob and Harriet Thomas were married in 1947 and came to Humboldt in 1948. Bob
was born in Fennimore, WI, and graduated from the Kansas City School of Watch
Making. Sue recounts the Thomas' method of sizing up the place where they hoped
to settle. "When they came to a town, mom would drop dad off at the jewelry
store and she would drive around and check to see if there was a decent golf
course." When Harriet reported to Bob that the Humboldt Country Club had
sand greens, but looked promising, they decided to settle in Humboldt.
"Dad's passion was the game of golf. He gave golf lessons to kids and many
of the local businessmen - often in the back room of the store."
Hof Jewelry
At first Bob Thomas worked for Irwin "Skip" and Lucille Hof, as a
watchmaker. His watch-repair bench was by the front window, on the right as one
entered Hof Jewelry, which was in the John Reed Building at 608 Sumner. Skip Hof
died in 1956 and Thomas went into partnership with Lucille Hof. He eventually
purchased the business in 1964, establishing Thomas Jewelers.
In 1977, Thomas and Clark Lane built a new building on Sumner Avenue to house
the jewelry store and a clothing store. After Sue bought the business, Bob was
semi-retired, continuing to work part-time at the store.
Rhinestones, China, and Charms
Sue describes the changes in the jewelry business. "One of the big jobs
used to be polishing the silver. We sold a lot of silver plate. Now it's mostly
stainless steel. No one wants to polish silver anymore. Rhinestone jewelry was
very popular, as well." Rhinestones are manmade gems from highly refined
glass. Various metals are used to color the glass before it's pressed into
molds. The stones are then polished by machine, resulting in a brilliant glass
stone.
"We had a big bridal business dealing in china, crystal, and silverware.
In the 80s and early 90s, the demand for fine china and crystal slowed down.
Most of the younger brides were choosing more casual everyday dishes. When I
discontinued the china, a woman who had a Bed & Breakfast in Carroll bought
all the individual place settings that were left."
An original diamond ring created by Isbell
jewelry
Diamond ring
"Today the demand is for necklaces, colored stone rings, earrings,
diamond ring and band wedding sets, as well as traditional wedding sets. We sell
better quality watches and clocks, and I do small repairs on watches. Sterling
silver jewelry and white gold are popular now. Sterling silver charms have come
back," comments Sue.
Although charm bracelets have been around for some time, charm jewelry as we
know it today came onto the scene after WWII. Soldiers leaving Europe and
islands in the Pacific bought little handmade trinkets as gifts to bring home to
their sweethearts. Native craftsmen fashioned small bits of metal into tiny
replicas of common local items.
Enterprising jewelers in the States quickly picked up on the trend to create
charms for all occasions. In the 1950s, a charm bracelet was a must-have
accessory for girls and women, but its appeal disappeared during the early
1970s. However, in 2001, women once again discovered the lure of the charm
bracelet.
A large portion of Thomas Jewelers' customers come from surrounding towns,
such as Algona, Eagle Grove and Fort Dodge. Sue explains, "These customers
appreciate having a jewelry store close by, where they can take their jewelry
and watches for repair and make a selection from a range of quality
merchandise."
A long-time employee was Fern Morrison, who worked for both Hof and Thomas
Jewelers for many years. Her daughter, Eileen (Morrison) MacVey says, "She
really liked working for Mrs. Hof and the Thomases. They treated her like family
and she appreciated that. Probably her least favorite thing about the job was
all the dusting. Things had to be kept sparkling so they were attractive to the
customers."
Early Jewelers in Humboldt and Dakota City
Humboldt's first jeweler in the 1860s was James B. Simmons. He repaired
clocks and kept a small stock of goods to "delight the hearts of the fairer
sex." The 1800s saw an increase in inexpensive jewelry for the average
middle-class consumer. Pieces could be stamped out and molded, rather than being
made by hand. This meant that quality jewelry could be created to a standard
that could be repeated.
Clocks and watches were a mainstay in every home. To keep time ticking over
properly in the area, Simmons traveled to Rolfe once a week to clean and
regulate their watches and clocks.
In 1877, headlines in the February 10th issue of the Kosmos shouted,
"Fire Fiend in Humboldt! $18,000 worth of property goes up in Smoke!"
Along with other businesses in the Russell Block, Simmons suffered losses to his
jewelry business and building, which was uninsured. The origin of the fire was a
mystery, but it was believed to be arson.
A. F. Hawkins started in the jewelry and watch business in Dakota City in
1879. He rented space in the McFarland drug store, where he had a fair stock of
the ornaments that "delighted the fair sex."
Brooches, Banks, and Bicycles
Nathan H. Knowles established his jewelry business in Humboldt some time in
the early 1870s. Mida Doan, in her account of life in Humboldt in the 1880s,
reports that Knowles ". . . not only repaired our time pieces, but sold us
pretty diamond rings for our fingers and fine brooches to fasten our blouses,
and sold other pretty trifles to delight the women."
Brooches were extremely popular and were worn in a variety of ways - on the
shoulder, at the neck or waist, in the hair, and on ribbons as necklaces and
bracelets. Knowles was active in the community. In 1876, he was on the board of
Directors for the Humboldt County Bank. He was also an enthusiastic bicyclist.
In the summers of the 1890s, along with a parade of high-stepping horses hitched
to carts and buggies trotting around the oval in Taft's Park, Nathan H. Knowles'
bicycle club could be seen speeding round the track.
The Optician and the Optometrist
In the late 1800s, glasses were often fitted in jewelers' shops by an
optician. In the 1900 census, Knowles lists his occupation as optician, as well
as jeweler. At that time, training for many opticians consisted of a two-week
course in refraction, offered by optical equipment companies. Some opticians
were self-taught through textbooks or correspondence courses.
At the beginning of the 20th century, opticians wanted to distinguish
themselves from spectacle peddlers and medical oculists, so the American
Association of Opticians adopted the term optometrist at its 1904 congress.
Reed Jewelry
John Alexander Reed moved to Humboldt and purchased Nathan H. Knowles'
jewelry business in 1896. Reed had completed his high school education in his
hometown of Sterling, IL, and learned watch repairing and engraving as an
apprentice from a local jeweler. Some time after 1905, Reed studied at Still
College in Des Moines and added optometry to his qualifications. Still College
is now Des Moines University, an osteopathic medical college.
Reed's first jewelry store was at 624 Sumner Avenue. In 1912, Reed moved to
the new building he built at 608 Sumner, where Gary's Men's Wear is now located.
John Reed retired in 1946, selling the business to Irwin H. Hof of Des Moines.
Reed retained his optical business in the rear of the Hof Jewelry store.
Thomas Jewelers still has the enormous safe in which Reed locked away his
stock for safekeeping. The safe, manufactured by the Diebold Safe & Lock Co.
in Dayton, OH, was dynamite proof and would release tear gas if holes were
drilled in the door. In 1900 Deloss Woodward operated a watch, clock, and
jewelry repair business in Humboldt. Business may not have been very good,
because by 1910, the census listed him as an electrician for the Rural Telephone
Line.
Otto Matthies Jeweler - At the Sign of the Clock
Otto C. Matthies also established a jewelry store in Humboldt, early in the
1900s. His first store was on the south side of Sumner Avenue. He moved to the
north side in 1927, occupying the former Humboldt State Bank building, at 617
Sumner, where Balloon Buddies is now located. Matthies was able to use the
bank's vault for storing his valuable stock of jewelry and silver plate. In a
stroke of advertising genius, Matthies hung a large round clock that actually
told the time above the entrance to his store. Matthies left Humboldt in 1936
and settled in Long Beach, CA.
Around 1952 to 1957, there was a Preim's Jewelry Store at 510 Sumner, next to
where Bank Iowa is now situated.
Locke Jewelry
On April 13, 1953, Ralph Locke opened his jewelry store at 517 Sumner, next
to the Humota Theater. He offered watch, clock, jewelry repair and engraving.
Locke was born in Dakota City in 1925, where he attended school. The family
later moved to Storm Lake, where Locke graduated from Buena Vista College, with
a Bachelor's Degree in Education.
He taught mathematics and science and was a principal in public schools in
Battle Creek and Moravia. He later entered the trade of watch making and for
almost 40 years owned and operated Locke's Jewelry in Humboldt. In 1956, Dr. Don
C. Whittlesey, optometrist, was located at 517-1/2 Sumner - at the rear of Locke
Jewelry. He later established his own premises at 626 Sumner.
"Pretty Trifles to Delight the Women"
Early descriptions of a jeweler's stock emphasize its appeal to "the
fairer sex." This misrepresents the importance of the jeweler in a
community. In the early 1900s, the townspeople's eyesight was in the hands of
jewelers, who were also opticians and optometrists. Jewelers kept the
community's clocks and watches running and on time.
The jeweler's stock of china, crystal, and silverware ensured that hostesses
set a gracious and pleasing table. The jeweler honored special occasions -
graduation, the winning of an award, marriage, birth of a baby, retirement -
with watches, clocks, pens, silver cups, all engraved with a personal message.
Today, the jewelry store still satisfies our desire to own something of beauty
and value.
> Jewelry
"Diamonds
are a girl's best friend" We wish you all the best and a
brilliant 2010. Danny Diamonds.
sapphires
