Sarah Sockolof knows the magic of family legacies—and how stories are often told through treasured items. For her, it is her grandmother’s gold medallion that she wears on a gold chain. Inscribed on the front are her grandmother’s initials; on the back is the acronym “ILYMWEPY” (“I love you more with every passing year”).
“The medallion is often flipped over to the acronym, so I’m always being asked what it means. This is so nice because it allows me to tell the story and think of my grandmother,” she says. “That is what having a piece of jewelry that spans generations is all about: It keeps your loved one ever-present in your daily life.”
As the owner of Simms Jewelers, Sockolof is honored to play a role in helping families with their own legacy pieces, whether it is selecting new jewelry, modifying a piece such as resizing a ring, or maintaining or repairing a treasured piece. “This is my favorite part of the job: To be involved with jewelry that will be passed along from generation to generation,” she says.
Simms Jewelers, based in a century-old former home in Bedminster, is a family legacy in its own right. Founded in 1953 in New Brunswick by Sid and Mae Sockolof and next led by their son, Arthur Sockolof, Sarah’s father, the store moved to Bedminster in 1985. “We are in our third generation, though my father is now semi-retired,” she says. “We have a wonderful, experienced staff. Our jeweler Gerald Beck—everyone knows him as “Jerry”—has been with us for 30 years.”
With a focus on high-quality, timeless designs that can be cherished today and passed down for generations to come, Sockolof seeks pieces at the intersection of trend and timelessness. “We have access to not only the world’s finest pieces of jewelry but also to its most talented and committed craftspeople. With partnerships that span from the Netherlands to Italy, one of our best vendors is in Secaucus, New Jersey.”
Paramount to the family business is the relationship that it establishes with customers, both existing and new. In the Sockolofs’ opinion, the key to retail jewelry longevity is knowing and listening to the client and their needs. “We take the time to find out more about who the customer is, who they are buying for and what is most important to them. Getting to know clients is one of the aspects I enjoy most about this job. I love our clients. They are well-traveled, interesting and generous,” Sockolof says. “It’s a privilege to be able to greet most of the people who walk through our door by name.”
View timeless designs at simmsjewelers.com.
