Learn the secrets of the gorgeous cases at this Ames, IA store.

In 1976, at the age of 19, Gary Youngberg and his soon-to-be wife, Karen, opened Ames Silversmithing in downtown Ames, IA, with $1,500 and a dream of doing what they loved. Today, the store is known for its gem selection, which includes approximately 2,500 gemstones.

When it comes to jewelry displays, Youngberg figures that the allure of rocks and gemstones that interested him from childhood will work just as well with customers. “You throw something like a fossil or meteorite into the case, and suddenly you’ve got a hook to draw people in,” he explains. “I can’t tell you how many comments we’ve gotten from customers. Obviously, you don’t want the eye to be drawn to the fossils so much that people forget about the jewelry. There’s an art to making sure people’s eye is drawn to the forefront of the case.”

Setting up the store’s displays are one of the duties that Youngberg has never been willing to give up as the store has grown. “My eye tells me there needs to be balance,” he says. “I try to keep the higher pieces to the middle or back of the cases, and the shorter pieces toward the bottom. That seems to be the most aesthetically pleasing arrangement.”  — STORY BY TRACE SHELTON

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