Moments and Milestones - Shearer the Jeweler: Tracey F. Johns

Moments and Milestones with Shearer the Jeweler

by Tracey F. Johns

As a ‘come here’ to the Eastern Shore, I’ve been relying on Shearer the Jeweler for more than 30 years to help celebrate many of life’s most important stages and milestones. I say as a ‘come here’ because Shearer the Jeweler began in Easton more than 96 years ago ~ long before my arrival ~ bringing fine jewelry and lasting joy to people over many generations and remaining an integral part of pleasant living on the Eastern Shore.

My first experience with Shearer the Jeweler was while I was in my early twenties and received a custom engagement ring with the clearest of diamonds. The setting was created onsite with meticulous artistry and attention to detail. It’s a spectacular piece that will forevermore be passed down in my family.

Later, in 1994, family and friends began purchasing individual pearls for my newborn daughter. The ‘add a pearl’ concept was to buy pearls for birthdays and special occasions that would later be strung together at Shearer the Jeweler. My daughter wore her special strand of pearls for her high school and college graduations, with all the love of family and friends knotted around each pearl on the strand.

Then, the time came to repair jewelry that I had inherited when my mother passed away. I couldn’t imagine trusting anyone else with the special watch necklace she had left me. My intuition paid off, with the piece still ticking away to this day. Shearer the Jeweler also helped with an engraved plaque for

my mother’s urn. Again, another milestone helping to commemorate moments as life moves on.

Time and again over the years, I’ve headed to Shearer the Jeweler to have jewelry cleaned and inspected, or to purchase gifts to help other people mark their moments and milestones. Each time, staff members always greet me with a warm smile, even taking a moment to acknowledge me while helping other customers.

This kind of service sticks in my joy book. I’m always touched by the attention to detail each person in the store is given, along with the reminiscing that unfolds in the conversations around Shearer’s jewelry cases.

This place is more than just an elegant jewelry store because the staff takes the time to build relationships with their clients through enormous dedication to fine craftsmanship, exceptional service and earnest care.

I recently sat down with thirdgeneration owner Steve Shearer to learn more about the history of the jewelry store that was started by his paternal grandfather and what warms his soul about the work he continues to do in the family name.

Tell us about your parents and grandfather, and how he started in the jewelry business.

Steve and MaryKay Shearer with their staff. 52

I never met my grandfather Abraham Shearer because he became ill early and passed away before my time. He began apprenticing with a watchmaker in what we believe to be West Virginia at a young age. He then met and mar-

Eunice and Morton Shearer

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Moments and Milestones father, Morton Shearer, working in accounting and my mother, Eunice, ried my grandmother, started a working in early childhood educafamily and moved to the Eastern tion. Both had graduated from the Shore to open Shearer the Jeweler University of Maryland College in 1926. Park, which is also where I earned When my grandfather became ill, my business degree. my grandmother began running My grandmother had reached a the store by herself. At the time, my turning point when she called to parents lived in Baltimore, with my tell my father, “I’m going to close up, but if you want to come down here to the Eastern Shore, you might be able to keep it going.” That was 1950 ~ 24 years after her husband started Shearer the Jeweler ~ and where I’ve been for the last 42 years after my father’s retirement in 1980.

How did you get your start in the jewelry business?

I didn’t know I was going into the business. I like marketing and advertising. After graduating college with a business degree ~ and much to my parents’ chagrin ~ a housemate and I decided that seeing the country was the priority. So we packed up our camping gear and his mother’s Nova and took off traveling 15,000 miles across the country, visiting Vancouver Island and the Canadian Rockies before traversing the states. Back in Maryland, I then answered a Washington Post ad to work in management training with Gordon’s Jewelers. I was on the road as a traveling salesman, then went back inside with a fine jewelry store around D.C. During this time, I started studying diamonds and colored stones. Once I realized this was going to take a long time on my own, I enrolled and graduated from the Gemological Institute of America in Santa Monica, Calif. My father then said, “Come east, I’ll make room for you, but it’s not 9 to 5,” meaning when you come to work for us, you’re working all the time. Having your own small retail business requires a tremen-

Eunice and Morton Shearer, circa early 1960s. 58

dous amount of dedication.

Where did Shearer the Jeweler begin in Easton?

We’re not sure of the original location, but we think the store moved a few times. We had a storefront on the opposite side of our current Washington Street location, and down toward the Goldsborough Street intersection. George Goldsborough was the landlord. My parents then purchased what was Lomax Jewelers from then-Easton Mayor George Murphy in 1990, which is the location we’re in today at 22 N. Washington Street.

What do you think has given Shearer the Jeweler staying power as an Easton landmark in retail?

Our success is built on integrity, history and reputation. We have our goldsmith, JonMaria Harding, who has been with us doing repair work, manufacturing and custom pieces for more than 25 years, along with wonderful staff and my wife, Mary Kay. This business has been built on under-promising and over-delivering, with relationships that span generations.

What warms your soul through the work that you do?

I love getting to know people, and sharing experiences is by far the best reward of this career. I grew up quiet and reserved, so it’s helped me get out of my shell. We build relationships that extend beyond a lifetime ~ with grown children, for example, coming in after knowing them as babies along with their parents and grandparents. There’s a lot of shared history and trust in the relationships built here. My heart is warmed when we can take care of a family’s treasured jewels, for example. It’s remarkable to be able to earn that kind

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of trust, especially over multiple generations within a family or community.

What about the future? Will there be another generation of Shearers taking over?

Both of our daughters live in the city with successful careers outside of the jewelry business, so for now, no. I believe while retail continues to change to more online experiences, fine jewelry is a personal experience mostly requiring an in-person experience. This makes the future bright for us.

In addition to owning and operating Shearer the Jeweler, Steve serves as president of the Youth & Community Fund of the Rotary Club of Easton, Md., where he is

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a Paul Harris Fellow and has continually served the community in his role as a Rotarian since 1994. Shearer the Jeweler is open during select hours Tuesdays through Saturdays, with more at www.shearerthejeweler.com.

Tracey Johns is a storyteller, engaging local, regional and national audiences through her words and photography. She has worked in communications, marketing and business management for more than 30 years, including non-profi t leadership. Tracey’s work is focused on public and constituent relations, along with communication strategies, positioning and brand development and project management.

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