A Self-Made Bench Jeweler Finally Gets the Store She Always Wanted

This story is part of INSTORE’s lead story, “Radical Reinvention“, featured in the December 2025 edition.

Amber’s Jewelry, Katy, TX

IN 2011, JEWELRY designer and bench jeweler Amber Gustafson undertook a major expansion of her store, marking the third time she’d expanded further into the first floor of a bank building in Katy, TX. In many ways it was a DIY project, with a budget that topped out at $35,000. But after that expansion, she’d officially run out of space.

After years of planning and saving, in September 2025, Gustafson opened her dream 5,200 square-foot freestanding location next door to the bank.

This time, she spared no expense and hardly blinked when her daughter, Melissa Nelson, told her she needed an elevator — an additional unexpected expense in the building project. Nelson, a graduate gemologist, had joined her mom in the business three years ago after working 17 years in sales at Zadok Jewelers of Houston. Nelson’s renewed interest in the business was one motivation for Gustafson’s building project.

But there were others: the need for more space, of course, and the allure of ownership were high on the list. “I have the freedom to not worry about what my landlord is going to do, what I can and can’t do in the parking lot or the store,” Gustafson says. “It’s such a wonderful feeling of freedom.”

Gustafson broke ground in August 2024 on the building, which boasts a large showroom and a glass-enclosed space on the first floor showcasing jewelers at work. The second floor has space for more jewelers and offices. “I even bought myself a new bench,” she says.

Gustafson landed her first job in the industry at age 18 working in the office of a mall jewelry store. She was fascinated watching the bench jewelers at work, to the point she was invited to help them as an apprentice. At 19, she carved her first custom wax of a ring that was cast into gold and set with a diamond; it sold! She opened her own business in 2001, offering custom design, a wide range of fine jewelry, and in-house repairs and appraisals.

“Reinventing yourself, there’s a lot to it: going from a bench jeweler to a custom designer to having five bench jewelers and a full staff in a new building. We have grown every single year. But I’ll never forget where we started from.”

The reinvention came with a new name: Amber’s Designs Fine Jewelry will be known simply as Amber’s Jewelers. She’s also adding new lines, including Charriol and A. Jaffe.

The shop is outfitted with new equipment, including a laser machine, engraving machines and microscopes. She had the store fitted with wiring for display screens, allowing customers to watch jewelers engraving, bead setting or designing with CAD.

An architect customer designed the building based on Gustafson’s hand-drawn sketch. Even with this showplace of a store, there are DIY elements. Because of the proximity of new location to old, for example, Gustafson didn’t hire movers; the team picked up and carried boxes as time allowed. “We took our safes, rolled them through the parking lot and rolled them into the new store,” she says.

Gustafson is proud of how comfortable her place is, including the bar flanked by a plush couch. “I got to break in the bar first,” she says. “I opened a bottle of Amaretto over ice with a customer!”

Adding to the experience is a robust sound system and an appealing air-freshener scent. “I keep pinching myself,” she says. “I have been a miser, but when I did this, I decided to spare no expense.”