History

Mike and Cynthia are more than business partners, they are husband and wife. Cynthia manages the office and the books, while Mike works the line. Michael is a master jeweler with 24 years experience. He began in the jewelery business as an apprentice for two years then obtained his Diamond Grading degree while attending the Gemological Institute of America. Then Mike went on to own, build and operate one of the largest service shops in the country, Diamond Creations, Inc. DCI was also one of the most prestigious remounting companies.

In November 1985, Michael and Cynthia began their career as a small jewelry repair service contracting with local jewelry stores in Gainesville and Ocala. The company grew quickly to meet the demand for the quality and service we offered. We incorporated the business under the name "Diamond Creations Inc." (DCI). Throughout the following years, the business grew by leasing shop space in retail stores and providing repair services for stores throughout Florida.

As the number of employees grew, the business needed room for expansion and discovered the Haile Village Center, a retail center in the middle of an new up scale development. The arrangement made it very attractive for the possibility of retail clientele as the Village developed. In November 1993, DCI moved into their state-of-the-art 1,700 square foot design/manufacture headquarters In Haile Plantation. We continued to grow by negotiating national service contracts with several large jewelry chain stores. The company set up a network courier system throughout the state to insure the utmost security for delivering there jewelry, and was soon to be one of the largest and most sophisticated repair centers in the country.

With their growing success, the retail chain stores approached DCI about building on their quality and service by developing a diamond remounting campaign. Remounting for large chains became DCI's focus. Teams would travel through the country, consisting of a jewelry designer and a craftsman. They brought with them several hundred custom designed rings, pendants, loose color gemstones and a large selection of loose diamonds. They would remount the retail stores customers' old or worn jewelry into one of their new, updated custom designs. They might even design a new piece of jewelry from their extensive collection.

DCI designed a portable workbench and adapted a van to carry it, the team and the inventory. Teams went out working with the Zales jewelry corporation, servicing 29 stores throughout Florida. The venture was an immediate success and the company's reputation jumped far above all other remount companies used by Zales. With this success, DCI adopted the trade slogan, "Resetting the standards" in the jewelry industry, maintaining high sales averages above any production goals. In Lakeland, Florida DCI sold a 5.5 carat diamond -- the largest sold by the Gordon’s division in 25 years (again resetting the standards).

With a desire to see this mutually beneficial enterprise grow, Zales quickly offered DCI areas for expansion. We installed more teams and a were designing a prototype of a portable workbench which could be shipped via FedEx, enabling to operate at the highest efficiency. DCI's area of operation expanded from Puerto Rico to Pennsylvania, with annual retail sales in excess of $7 million.

Then came the unthinkable -- a $1.3 million loss in Miami, Florida. The company incurred a robbery wile transporting the Jewelry to the retail stores. Then being denied Coverage by insurance There was a new focus to reduce the exposure of theft.

We decided to focus our skill and knowledge and apply it to the opening of a new retail store -- The Village Jeweler. With the years of experience and buying power from being a major player in the industry , we are able to offer the highest quality merchandise at an affordable price, with the best service department in the area.

After Ten years now as a retail Jeweler we have had lots of success and by far we are now the finest full service jeweler in the area with an all new store which is double the original size a 300 gallon full reef fish tank and service which is second to none. We also have a new and improved website with state of the art diamond search engine. We would like to just thank all of our customers for their support and the friends we have made.

Modern Renaissance Man… Mike Thibault – The Village Jeweler By: Nancy J. Scharmach, Ocala When you are invited to go behind the gleaming jewelry cases in the Haile Plantation’s Village Jeweler you are struck by several things. The jeweler’s specially designed equipment on his bench, photos of Mike and his family, and the two full-size motorcycles hanging overhead! One of the bikes is a restored 1977 Bultaco, a Spanish make, that Mike painstakingly restored himself. He raced it in a National Vintage Race for restored bikes. It’s not unusual for him to be interested in riding motorcycles since he rode Motocross as a teenager. He doesn’t race now but loves to ride dirt bikes with his sons at local tracks and trails. Mike pointed out that “As we baby boomers age we are seeing more and more seniors riding Motocross. There is even a +60 class in competition.” A native of Gainesville he grew up in the Kenwood neighborhood near Haile Plantation, and he and his friends all were very much involved with outdoor sports, particularly skateboarding. He said a number of his childhood friends continue to get together with him and they are also Motocross fans. He has fond memories of a skateboard park that was a home away from home for him and his friends when he was 14, sometimes as much as eight hours a day. One of them, Rodney Mullen from Gainesville, began his career at the skateboard park as well and went on to be a World Champion and a multimillionaire, all from skateboarding. “The sport really evolved from the years when I learned and competed - 1978 through 1982,” Mike said. “Now we have televised extreme events, skateboarding with stunts, aerials, tricks. The sport’s really exploded from the time I grew up in Kenwood with a skateboard ramp in my backyard.” Mike’s job history includes working as a carpenter, welder, and as a jeweler’s helper. After two years apprenticing at the jeweler’s bench, he took over management of the store, then four stores as a contract jeweler. At the peak of his career as a wholesale contract jeweler he was responsible for 80 separate locations, and two diamond remount restyling teams, which traveled throughout the country doing trunk shows at over 200 locations. A life changing jewelry robbery changed his focus and he made the decision to move from a contract jeweler for others to becoming the owner and manager of his own retail store. His broad experience as both a contract jeweler and in his own store has allowed him to express his creativity in designing, creating and finding just the right piece of jewelry for his clients. He and his wife Cynthia opened their retail store, The Village Jeweler in 1993, the fourth business to open its doors in Haile Plantation, where they make their home. Mike is a certified member of the Gemological Institute of America with over 20 years experience in his industry. “I like to deal directly with my customers,” he said. “I grew very large in the wholesale jewelry business but I prefer to do my own thing, and have been doing it now for a long time.” The Village Jeweler employs five staff members, and Mike hopes that his children will follow in his footsteps. He believes that once they complete college, all his children should have the opportunity to “learn the bench,” as he puts it. “This type of training means they will always be able to find a job,” he said. The Village Jeweler has grown significantly since its opening in ‘93 and has been recently remodeled and expended to nearly double its original size. When they re-opened their retail store they wanted it to have a unique look, so Mike came up with the idea of a large saltwater fish tank as you first step into the store. He assisted in designing a special wood cabinet to house the tank with a hidden space below it for another tank that helps keep the water circulating and the fish and sea anemones healthy. What are his goals today? “There is more to life than being the biggest in your business,” he said. “We started our family when we had the major robbery and we learned what was really important. The retail store was opened and today we have yearly gross sales of over $3 million. We don’t want to get any bigger.” Mike loves to create, design and make unique pieces for his customers. His motto is “Better - not bigger.” He is very proud of working closely with former Gators coach Steve Spurrier and creating a special Cyma watch for him. New coach Urban Myers has also made a television commercial for The Village Jeweler. Mike and Cynthia invite everyone to stop in and visit them. Children can watch the fish swim by, while their parents will enjoy the baubles in the jewelry cases. If you’re into Motocross, tell Mike and we bet he’ll invite you in back to see his Bultaco. From skateboarder to jeweler – quite a family history to pass along to Zachary, Sydney, Harrison and Porter, along with the desire to provide outstanding customized jewelry to fulfill every customer’s desire. ### Nancy J. Scharmach (352) 236-1177 Oct. 5, 2005 - Updated per phone call E-mail: Nancyscharmach@cox.net E-mail designedimpressions@yahoo.com sent Weds. 11:00 a.m.