
INSTORE extends congratulations to 10 honorable mentions in the America’s Coolest Stores contest. Look out for full-length Cool Stores feature stories on these impressive stores in upcoming issues of INSTORE.

CHARLES KOLL Jewellers, San Diego, CA (BIG COOL DIVISION)
URL: charleskoll.com
Owners: Malcolm Koll & David Armstrong
COOL FACTOR: Founded 50 years ago in South Africa, the store moved to San Diego in 1991 and to its newest location there in 2011. How many stores have you been to that have a jewelry reference library for clients, designers and the manufacturing team? The books cover design, machining, mathematics, metallurgy and gemology.

WORTHINGTON Jewelers, Worthington, OH (BIG COOL DIVISION)
URL: worthingtonjewelers.com
Owners: Joe Davis & Bob Capace
COOL FACTOR: The store’s newly expanded showroom melds a 107-year-old historic building with a new addition that emphasizes traditional style in its handmade cases and craftsman-style architecture and stained-glass light fixtures.

WORTHMORE JEWELERS, Atlanta, GA (BIG COOL DIVISION)
URL: worthmorejewelers.com
Owner: Harris Botnick
COOL FACTOR: Named a Cool Store in December 2002, the completely renovated and refreshed Worthmore remains cool at heart, keeping up with the times, always pushing itself to remain a step ahead.
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E.M. SMITH JEWELERS, Chillicothe, OH (BIG COOL DIVISION)
URL: emsmithjewelers.com
Owners: Don & Bob Smith
COOL FACTOR: The jewelry store that bills itself as Ohio’s most fun is certainly one of the state’s most innovative. Jumping on the silver bandwagon, the store instituted a paid-membership “Club 925” that gives customers access to special events, deals and exclusive products.

TIVOL, Overland Park, KS (BIG COOL DIVISION)
URL: tivol.com
Owner: Cathy Tivol
COOL FACTOR: Tivol’s flagship store took Third Place in the Big Cool division of our 2008 contest. This younger sibling, remodeled in 2011, houses a 500-square-foot Rolex boutique and a Cartier wall. The store is flooded with natural and overhead ambient light that adds to its approachable, yet sophisticated, interior design plan.

Jamies The Diamond Mine, Virden, IL (SMALL COOL DIVISION)
URL: jamiestdm.com
Owners: Cliff & Kelly Hughes
COOL FACTOR: This stylish, contemporary store is a place where two worlds collide: the appeal of a small town setting, and the sophistication of an urban lifestyle.
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Howard’s Diamond Center, Triadelphia, WV (SMALL COOL DIVISION)
URL: howardsdiamondcenters.com
Owner: Seth B. Posin
COOL FACTOR: To find other chandeliers by the same artist who created the one in this West Virginia store, you’d have to go to Singapore, Hong Kong or Riyadh.

Collins Diamonds, Liberal, KS (SMALL COOL DIVISION)
URL: collins-diamonds.com
Owner: Audie & Karla Bartel
COOL FACTOR: With only a shoestring budget for marketing (sound familiar?), Collins Diamonds began doing in-store photo shoots of jewelry modeled by staff and customers. The community loved the idea of seeing their friends and neighbors, and more than 30 shoots are scheduled this year.
Almaza Jewelers, Houston, TX (SMALL COOL DIVISION)
URL: almazajewelers.com
Owner: Ziad H. Noshie
COOL FACTOR:Almaza means small diamond in Arabic. Between the Almaza Jewelers staff, they can provide help in six different languages; English, Spanish, Arabic, Greek, French and Italian.
Richter’s Jewelry & Design Studio, Londonderry, NH (SMALL COOL DIVISION)
URL: richtersjewelry.com
Owners: Paul & Amy Richter
COOL FACTOR: At Richter’s pull a chair up to the kitchen bar while owner Paul Richter indulges in his other passion of cooking, and pair a wine to your favorite gems.