Sparkling Diamond: King Jewelers Celebrates 15 Years in Music City

The story of King Jewelers began long before the first display case of sparkling gemstones — with brand names like Buccellati, Kwiat, Pasquale Bruni and more — arrived in Nashville. The legend of King Jewelers began as most stories in this country do — as an American tale. In 1898, young Belarusian Louis King set out on a ship to cross the Atlantic. He was one of thousands with the same dream — to start a new life of prosperity in America. Upon arrival, Louis — like so many others — found work in a factory during the day; in the evenings, he worked a second job repairing watches. 

Not long after Louis’s immigration, the Gold Rush took hold, and Louis seized the opportunity, moving the King family to Salt Lake City, where he opened King & Co. The business — a fully stocked mining and trading post — prospered. After years of purchasing gold and gemstones from miners, Louis transitioned the business to specialize in jewelry, finally settling in the heart of Salt Lake City in 1912 and opening King Jewelers. The company grew as each generation took over, adding wholesale gemstones and custom jewelry designs to the business.

Fifth-generation jeweler David King began his professional career in high finance. While visiting his parents in Miami in Sept. 2001, he had intended to travel back to his New York City home on Sept. 12. After the events of that fateful Tuesday, David decided to move back to Miami and join his father in the family business. After a visit to Nashville, David recognized an opportunity and opened King Jewelers Nashville in 2008. 

This year marks the 15th anniversary of King Jewelers’ arrival in Nashville. Throughout the last decade-and-a-half, David and the team have worked to bring a new level of art and jewelry design to Nashville. One service that is particularly fulfilling for the team is helping their customers design jewelry for celebrations or significant milestones in their lives. Each custom piece is made with the wearer’s style in mind. The team works with their customers every step of the way as they design and build the perfect, timeless piece of jewelry. In addition, David inherited vintage molds, which gives the business a leg-up on recreating pieces from the past. “We are in the celebration business. Helping customers create just the right piece for the moment is always rewarding,” said David. 

In addition to making custom pieces, King Jewelers works with top brands throughout America and Europe. The store also carries an extensive collection of new and vintage watches and timepieces. While they have helped countless customers upgrade to just the right watch, King Jewelers has also helped many begin — and make additions to — extensive collections.

This fall, they plan to expand their Nashville footprint with an IWC watch boutique location in The Mall at Green Hills, exclusively offering luxury Swiss watches by IWC Schaffhausen. When asked about the future of King Jewelers, David said, “I hope it is the same. We want to be the trusted brand that is known as a trendsetter; we are a family business that is in it for the long haul. I take a lot of pride in bringing this brand [to Nashville] and in doing something special for the city.”