All blings must pass
Diamonds by the Sea holds a gem-uinely great final sale
Story and photo by Eliot Sekuler
For the TODAY
The store is spacious, airy and well-lit, its glass display cases sparkling with neatly arranged arrays of rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings and pendants. It’s a friendly, welcoming space conveniently located beside such Lincoln Plaza anchors as Joann’s, Rite Aid and Safeway,
For the past 30 years, Diamonds By The Sea has been Lincoln City’s go-to store for fine jewelry and now, owner Kathryn Heater plans to wrap up her long career as a jeweler/gemologist, with a mammoth retirement sale, beginning Tuesday, Nov. 5 and continuing through the holidays until Dec. 28, when the shop’s doors will finally close.
The sister store in Newport will remain open, having been sold to long-time store manager McKenzie Hall.
“Even though she’s not biologically related, she’s been with us since she was 18 years old,” Heater said. “So, it feels like it's remaining in our family. I am also proud to report that Ms. Hall is nearing completion of her Graduate Gemology degree so there will still be a gemologist/appraiser on the premises.”
The business had its beginnings in Toledo, where Heater’s parents, Harold and Betty Smith, opened the family’s first jewelry shop in 1953, Smith's Jewelers. The business moved to Newport in 1964, and a second store opened in 1977 with the new name, Diamonds by the Sea. Heater’s tenure at the business began at the age of six, when she would work behind the counter after school and on weekends.
“It was my second home,” she said. “I was there all the time. I knew from an early age that I would go into the business.”
Her passion for the business led her to study at the Gemological Institute of America in California, where she graduated as a GIA Graduate Gemologist. Those credentials enable her to judiciously purchase the stones her store sells and accurately evaluate the pieces her clients bring for appraisal.
Diamonds by the Sea offers a broad assortment of jewelry, ranging from stylish fashion options to traditionally crafted pieces in yellow and white gold. A display case at one side of the store features an assortment in sterling silver. A collection of whimsical musical clocks hangs from the walls. But as the store’s name suggests, diamond jewelry — in all sizes, cuts and settings — dominates the shop’s display cases.
For Heater, diamonds have a special appeal, both for their physical properties, their beauty and for the narratives they engender for those that buy them, gift them, wear them, and often, pass them along to their families.
“As a gemologist, I have an incredible love for natural diamonds,” she said. “Every diamond you see — whether they’re the tiniest speck or a two-carat diamond earring — has spent about six million years in the ground before it made it to the surface for cutting and polishing. Nothing is as hard, as durable and as long-lasting as a diamond. And there’s nothing that can touch them for beauty.”
Over the years, Heater has taken special satisfaction in the role her jewelry has played in the special events of her customers’ lives.
“I’ve been able to share many of their happiest moments,” she said. “Their engagements, their weddings, their anniversaries and their birthdays.”
She recounted the story of customers Cecil and Floraine, who were in their 80s when they came to the store to look for an engagement ring.
“We sat down and talked and got to know each other a little,” Heater said.
The couple had been high school sweethearts in the 1930s and eloped immediately after graduation.
“Floraine’s parents weren’t having it. They had the marriage annulled and the family moved away from town. The two remained separated for 60 years.”
Decades later, they were reunited, and Heater helped them find a wedding set to replace the pearl ring that Cecil had purchased so many years ago for their elopement. Heater attended the wedding as a guest of honor.
Customers can reap the benefits of Heater’s long experience in selecting great jewels as she offers the entire Lincoln City inventory at a substantial discount.
“We’ll be bringing in all kinds of extra merchandise as we’ll sell everything clear to the walls,” she said. “And it’s happening at the best time of the year, leading into and during the holidays. It will be the best sale you’ve ever seen in a jewelry store.”
For the past 60 years, the business has been a constant, demanding presence in her life.
“There were lots of things I had to miss,” she said. ”At the holidays, I could barely find time to put up a tree. So now, I’m looking forward to spending time with three daughters and four grandchildren, to a Christmas when I can decorate my house, maybe make some fudge and not be in the store until 9 pm on Christmas Eve. Because I am done!”
Diamonds by the Sea is located in Lincoln City at 4079 NW Logan Road and in Newport at 2005 Hwy. 101. Both locations are open Tuesday through Friday from 10 am to 5:30 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. For more information, go to diamondsbytheseainc.com or call 541-994-6373 (Lincoln City) or 541-265-7755 (Newport).