Today we’d like to introduce you to Skylar Holt.
Hi Skylar, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
William Sheahan Designs was one of (if not the) the largest custom trade jewelry shop in the country for about 20 years in the Dallas world trade center, Known as the “jewelers jeweler.” Bill established a impeccable reputation for being able to figure out the difficult jobs that where beyond most jewelers. We were pioneers of CAD design and 3d printing in the jewelry industry, Bill Sheahan did so much work for stores like Cartier and Tiffany & Co, that he had their “stamps.” to sign their jewelry once he was finished producing it.
When the market crashed in 2008 we went from doing millions a year in sales (wholesale), to not being able to to keep the lights on, as none of the big box stores were selling “custom” anymore, due to the price of gold nearly doubling overnight.
That is when we shut down and became what we are today, a small “Mom and Pop” custom design & fine jewelry repair shop. Offering full service jewelry & Watch repair, Selling new and estate jewelry, and our bread and butter, “Custom Design.”
I started 9 years ago this black Friday, and was only supposed to be here a month, to help Bill make it through the Holidays as 2 employees had just quit. The 1st day on the job Bill showed me the CAD designs he was working on and I immediately thought “I have to learn how to do this.” After my month was up, Neither I or Bill wanted me to go anywhere as I was a good fit, due to my artisanal passions, natural fascination with gemstone lore and goldsmithing, as well as my ability to listen to customers in order to help them find what they wanted.
2 years later Bill invested in me to learn CAD design, and since then I’ve designed over 400 custom pieces for our customers. 2 years after that, circa 2020, Bill told me he wanted me to run the store, which I’ve been doing ever since.
We have since become one of if not the “Highest Rated” Jewelry stores in Dallas.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
See previous answer. All the other struggles are typical, dealing with increased work volume, and improving everyday in efficiency and all the skills necessary to operate a successful jewelry store.
Personal life challenges include.
Father committed suicide the day before my 5th birthday. So learning to love life and appreciate as many moments as possible was a side effect of that.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Something that sets us apart from other custom designers, is actually working first hand with the jewelers to make heirlooms designed to last lifetimes. Lots of custom designers will make you something pretty, that falls apart after 6 weeks, at which point you can no longer return it.
Any big plans?
Bill is planning his retirement, which means I am planning to take over ownership of the store, Looking forward to taking this business to new heights.
Pricing:
- Wholesale Diamond Pricing.
- Best Bang for the buck for custom designs.
- Fair Jewelry Repairs with warranties
Contact Info:
- Website: myhpjeweler.com
- Instagram: WilliamSheahanDesigns
- Facebook: WilliamSheahanDesigns
Image Credits
-Skylar Holt
