EDUCATION Benjamin Bosse High School (1975); Gem City College School of Horology, Quincy, Illinois (1976); Stewart’s International School for Jewelers, Jupiter, Florida (1989)
HOMETOWN Evansville, Indiana
RESUME President and Owner (1998-present) and Master Jeweler (1976-present), Turley Jewelers
FAMILY Wife Joan; son Matt; daughter-in-law Cheyenne; three grandchildren
Everett and Mabel Turley started the business that became Turley Jewelers nearly 80 years ago. With son Bryan at the helm since 1998, the shop at 14 N.W. Third St. is the last of the dozen-plus jewelry stores that occupied Downtown storefronts when he first started working for his parents. It’s also one of the neighborhood’s longest tenants — meaning Turley is an authority on both jewelry and local happenings. “When Lloyd Winnecke was mayor, I told him one time, ‘You’re the mayor of Evansville, but I’m the mayor of Downtown,’” Turley laughs.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A JEWELER AND WORK WITH YOUR FATHER?
I worked in a factory for seven months after I graduated high school and I decided I wasn’t going to do that. So, that’s what my deciding factor was to go to jewelry school. Dad never did jewelry, so when I went to school, I took the jewelry part. I had the same instructor my dad did in 1948. We worked well together for 38 years, officially. I was actually working here when I was 10.
YOUR FATHER PASSED AWAY IN 2014. WHAT SIGNS OF HIM ARE STILL PRESENT AT WORK?
My dad worked on more than 38,000 watches. When he worked on a watch, he had to put it in the logbook. A lady came in one day who had bought a watch at a yard sale, and she wanted to know if it could be fixed. I looked in it, and it had my dad’s scratch marks in it. We got his logbook, and he cleaned it in 1966 for $12. I check scratch marks all the time when watches come in. It’s just curious to me because we can look it up. I also sold a guy from Virginia a wedding ring set, and he called me on the way home: “I called my dad and said, ‘I bought a set from Turley’s.’ He goes, ‘Well, your brother bought his from him. I bought mine from him, and your grandpa bought his from his dad.’” They were here originally and moved to Virginia, but they came back here to buy the rings.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF PROJECT?
I like making stuff. I had a lady bring a watch in, a beautiful platinum diamond watch. It was her mom’s, and she wasn’t going to wear it. I broke it apart and made three pairs of earrings and a pin. She just loved it because it was still in the same form as the watch, without changing everything. I like doing that because it’s different.
HOW HAS THE JEWELRY INDUSTRY CHANGED?
I set a lot of stones that I didn’t sell. It used to be (that) people wouldn’t buy a diamond online. … Now, it’s every day. But we’re still as busy as we’ve ever been.
WHAT MEMORIES STAND OUT IN YOUR 50-YEAR CAREER?
Christmases here are always special. We’re so busy. It used to be my mom and dad and me and Joan, and my son, Matt. It’s just part of it, and we know that. A farmer is not going to go on vacation in September. We’re not going to do anything in November or December because we’re in here all the time. We’re together a lot more. It’s good for business on Christmas.
YOU SAY YOU’VE NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT LEAVING DOWNTOWN.
There are 10,000 people working down here, so it’s like its own city. If we move, it makes a big change. And Downtown’s been good to us. We’re busy. About 12 or 13 jewelry stores closed in the last three or four years. So, we do what nobody else would do.
