McCary’s Jewelers in Shreveport is a fourth-generation family jewelry store that has built a reputation for highly regarded stones and specialty custom design work over the past 75 years. Under the vision of Miles Thomas, a registered jeweler and a fifth-generation McCary descendent, they’ve just unveiled a new custom stand-alone store on 6959 Fern Loop just off of E. 70th Street next to Whole Foods.

“We selected the location for the new building because we thought it was just a good location in the heart of town,” Thomas said. “It’s a nice area that we think is going to grow with reputable businesses.”

“Each element of design of the new McCary’s Jewelers, from style lighting to product display, is focused on the customer experience,” Thomas said. “We had been at the old store for 30 years and still had the original cases we had moved in with. We had made some small adjustments, but once we started playing around with the idea of building our first new stand-alone store, we knew we needed to capitalize on some big ideas or it wouldn’t be worth doing.”

What Miles and his wife, Anne, produced with gallery lighting alone is simply amazing, and that’s just the beginning. “Anne has a real design eye, and she’s done a beautiful job on this project,” Thomas said. “We wanted it to be new classic design but not super-modern. We also wanted it to be a lot brighter. You see that in our trim work to our paint colors with lots of mirrors and glass work. It’s bright white and really spectacular.”

“When we decided to move, we knew we had an opportunity to show people that we are true professionals in our industry, not just people who sell jewelry,” Thomas said. “So we designed lighting and walls and countertops in the main office to mimic a stone grading lab, right down to the hues of paint. My whole thought process was that I wanted this office to show people that we know what we’re doing. When we grade your diamond ring, we’re doing it under the exact qualifications as in a GIA grading lab.”

As an American Gem Society store, McCary’s is one of the few local jewelers to employ professional registered and master jewelers, as well as certified gemologist appraisers and jewelry consultants. The family’s expertise and passion for fashion and fine jewels have come together to offer a shopping experience like no other.

McCary’s Jewelers is a brand ambassador for a special collection of designers, including Alwand Vahan, Simon G, Gabriel & Son, Raymond Weil, L vente and more. “We’ve kept our staple lines and brought in some new ones,” Thomas said. “We’re carrying a wonderful collection of Raymond Weil watches, and we’ve invested more than we had in the past in some existing lines for the new showroom.”

Shopping for jewelry in such a bright, beautiful space is invigorating. “A lot has changed in the jewelry industry in the past 10 years,” Thomas said. “But color is still hot. Color will never go out of style. And yellow gold is really coming back in fashion.”

“We are known for our custom design work, though,” Thomas said. “There is something different about having initial cuff links made for a wedding and having it done locally by hand, by a familyowned jeweler rather than ordering machine-made pieces on the Internet. Custom work just makes the pieces and the event more special.”

Just as important as their stunning design work, however, is the full service care they bring to the table with every purchase. “When you buy from us instead of looking for the best buy on the Internet, you get reputable service to back it up,” Thomas said. “Whether it’s design, knowledge, cleaning, sizing or repair work, you won’t find that on the Internet.”

“The one thing I really want everyone to know is that I was given the opportunity to build this store on my own,” Thomas said. “I’m just so grateful. So this store is for our customers, but the building that we worked so hard on is a tribute to my ‘Paw Paw,’ R. L. McCary.”

“I grew up at the old store, guided by family,” Thomas said. “That’s where we built our reputation on very good customer service. We had a personal relationship with each customer. When our customers walk into this brand new, bright, fabulous store, I want them to know they are going to get the same level of attention. It’s still the heart and soul of Mc- Cary’s Jewelers, but with a new face.”

For more information, visit McCary’s new showroom at 6959 Fern Loop or visit www.mccarys.com. You can follow McCary’s Jewelers on Facebook at www. facebook.com/mccarys.jewelers.