My Life and Sanity Files

Work Hard, But Don’t Lose Yourself in Your Work, Says Third-Generation Jeweler

Published

4 years ago

October 25, 2016

INSTORE Staff Instore November 2016 Issue

Stephen Vaeth
HELMUT THE JEWELER, SHOW LOW, AZ

Stephen Vaeth is a third-generation jeweler whose grandfather, a master watchmaker, opened a jewelry store in Germany in 1928. Stephen’s father, Erich, became a watchmaker while his uncle, Helmut, became a jeweler. The brothers moved to the U.S. and named their own store for Helmut to emphasize its German roots and craftsmanship. Says Vaeth: “I’m a first-generation German-American who was promised nothing, but taught the value of a penny, hard work and goal-setting!”

Wilkerson Testimonials

Wilkerson Helped This Jeweler to Navigate His Retirement Sale Despite a Pandemic

Hosting a going-out-of-business sale when the coronavirus pandemic hit wasn’t a part of Bob Smith’s game plan for his retirement. Smith, the owner of E.M. Smith Jewelers in Chillicothe, Ohio, says the governor closed the state mid-way through. But Smith chose Wilkerson, and Wilkerson handled it like a champ, says Smith. And when it was time for the state to reopen, the sale continued like nothing had ever happened. “I’d recommend Wilkerson,” he says. “They do business the way we do business.”