When a local jewelry retailer gets voted one of "America's Coolest Jewelry Stores" it makes you stop and take notice. The creative energy behind every custom diamond piece from Thollot & Co. points to the love story of it's owners, Joy and Troy Thollot, who we'd like to introduce you to here.
Based in Thornton, Colorado, the Thollot Diamonds journey started in Illinois during the fall of 1987. At the ripe, young age of 18, Troy had spent his summer as a lifeguard on the outskirts of Chicago. With winter fast approaching, though, he needed a job that didn’t involve being outside in his bathing suit. Near the pool where he worked there happened to be a lovely, upscale mall.
Venturing to the mall in hopes of finding an indoor job that would allow him to work and go to college, he picked up applications to various retail establishments. While on his job-hunting mission through the mall, a jewelry store, or rather the pretty girl working in the jewelry store, caught his eye. Troy interviewed with the owner and also with the young woman who captured his attention. He found out her name was Joy, and she was the jeweler of the store.
Troy was hired by the jewelry store for such prestigious duties as taking out the trash and cleaning up the bench. At this time, Troy was going to college part-time but within a year, he was also learning the bench. During that time Troy fell in love with the jewelry business . . . and also with that pretty jeweler. Soon, Troy and Joy were married.
With a shared love for the jewelry business, Troy and Joy went to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and became GIA Graduate Gemologists. The pair then decided to move around a bit to get the feel for the business, gaining experience in high- to low-end jewelry stores and everything in between.
The couple lived and worked in Charlotte, North Carolina for about a year and a half. After that, they moved to Cincinnati and resided there for about two years. During this time of seeing the country and experiencing all aspects of the jewelry business, they would take vacations to Colorado. The mountains and all the activities that came with them had always appealed to the couple.
In 1993, Troy and Joy made the bold decision to start a trade shop in Golden, Colorado. Two years later they relocated the business from Golden to downtown Denver. Once there, the couple ran a successful wholesale trade shop servicing several Denver-area retail jewelry stores. After about five years, Troy decided it was time to break into the retail scene. Drawing on all their contacts from GIA, the places they’d lived before, and the wholesale trade shop business, they were able to realize that dream. They joined the Independent Jewelers Organization in 2004. In 2012, Thollot Diamonds was accepted as one of the 2% of global jewelry stores to attain prestigious ranking of American Gem Society Retail Firm. In 2013, Troy and Joy bought their own free-standing building (formerly Washington Mutual Bank) and moved their retail store to Thornton where they serve the community by offering exquisite Thollot custom designs, as well as name brand jewelry and watches.
In 2019, the showroom was expanded and remodeled to have the current "Colorado Casual" vibe--now including a Colorado-style bar. A casting stage where custom jewelry clients can "pour their heart into it" was also added, allowing clients to work with Thollot master jewelers to melt and pour melted gold into their own one-of-a-kind custom jewelry design. In 2020, Thollot & Co. had the honor of being named one of America's Top Two Coolest Stores by InStore Magazine, gaining a coveted national recognition and realizing a lifelong-dream of theirs.
In addition to running a successful jewelry store, Troy and Joy have three beautiful daughters: Jordan (a labor and delivery nurse), Danielle (living and breathing the business world with a Masters in Business administration) and Morgan, who has chosen to carry on the Thollot Legacy, becoming a jeweler and diamond setter in preparation for a "second generation" chapter to be added to this story.
In a world of big box corporate jewelry stores, Joy and Troy have the simple goal of treating every customer with honor and integrity and expanding the growing group of people they call "family". . . one customer at a time.
