Stall Jewelers

Stall Jewelers

Written by Rachel Youens Wednesday, 07 February 2007

Custom designs, personal attention secret to success

Besides each other, perhaps the only thing Norma and Eric Stall have had a longer relationship with is jewelry. This year the couple’s store, Stall Jewelers, celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Through three locations and almost three decades, the business has thrived in Northwest Austin. Even as big diamond outlets move in around them, Stall sits securely in its niche as a home to original, high-quality jewelry.

“When people come here, they’re often bringing with them a piece of jewelry that was their grandmother’s, their first wedding ring, an heirloom,” Norma said. “They want us to see how important that jewelry is to them, and for us to treat it that way. The memories attached to those pieces are priceless, and we incorporate that into what we create.”

Stall sells a range of jewelry including charms, chains, watches and rings, but their specialty is custom-made pieces. Norma doesn’t need to ask customers what style of jewelry they’re looking for. She analyzes them like a palm reader, observing how they sit, what they wear, their style and personality.

Norma is also one of the store’s most successful showcases. Many times women will choose a piece of jewelry she is wearing rather than something under the glass. While she strives to stay up-to-date with what’s in style, going to conventions and reading celebrity magazines, nothing she makes is ever trendy.

“I won’t copy something out of a magazine for a customer. What I do is take trends and make them timeless and unique,” said Norma, who likes to use large, uniquely cut gems set in custom-designed settings.

The couple attributes the store’s success and longevity to the relationships they’ve developed with customers.

“That was the hardest part in the beginning - getting people to trust us,” Eric said. “Today most of our business comes through referral, so the customer is already sold before they come in the door.”

The reason Norma is so good at selling jewelry, according to Eric, is because she just loves it so much. She never designs the same piece twice, and while she’s sad to see each of her designs go, she is happy to reminisce on where each piece has ended up.

“Jewelry is such a special thing to sell because it is passed on through a family and through history. It doesn’t break or get thrown away, it’s just melted and reworked. I always like to tell people that the gold they’re buying could have been the same gold Cleopatra wore.”

Designed by Norma

This large stone is morganite, a member of the emerald family. At top are white diamonds surrounding a brown diamond, chosen because its tone matches the pink of the morganite. At bottom are pink sapphires

While Norma loves big gems, such as this one, they often pose problems. Their large, irregular size usually means she can’t use a pre-made setting. One trick Norma uses when she designs rings with big heavy gems is to square off the bottom of the ring giving additional support.

Stall Jewelers, 13770 N. US 183 • 250-9011

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