STORY AND PHOTOS BY KATE DALY

After 35 years of being a mainstay in Ketchum, jewelry store Jensen Stern is being taken over by the next generation.

Jessica Herner grew up in Hailey and knew the owners Theresa and Colin Jensen’s daughter Tara.  Now Herner and her husband Charlie are working alongside the Jensens as the young couple transitions into the position of being the new owners.

“It’s a dream come true to continue what they established,” Jessica said.

We’re enthusiastic to become a part of the community and “get to know everybody and see how we can help everyone as designers and creators,” she added.

Both Herners graduated from the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, Calif.  She’s a gemologist with a diploma in jewelry and applied jewelry arts, and the only certified member of the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers in this state.  He earned degrees in architectural drafting and architectural design before getting his GIA diploma in jewelry and applied jewelry arts and honing his skills in CAD and wholesale production.

Charlie made their wedding rings, and for hers chose a rare color change garnet from Tanzania in a diamond setting.

After working in various jobs in several different places, including the Wood River Valley where Jessica worked at Christopher & Co., Barry Peterson Jewelers, and Towne & Park Jewelry, the couple moved to Hailey and founded the company Gem State Concepts in 2019.  

Having worked out of a home office to offer design, evaluation, illustration and gem acquisition services, the couple is grateful for nearby grandparents helping to look after their two young boys and enabling the Herners to go to their new lively business setting to deal with clients and vendors in person.

One week into ownership Jessica is delighted to see “customers coming in from all over the country, and at all times of the day”--a mix of “locals, second- and third-home owners and tourists.

The Jensens are sticking around for another month or so as they wind down their involvement.

“It has been an incredible fun-filled successful and rewarding 35-year run,” Colin Jensen said, attributing it to “lovely, caring, loyal patrons, the majority who have become friends.”

He’s also proud of the quality of Jensen Stern’s thousands of pieces, a collection he describes as “original, eclectic, yet timeless.”

He compliments his ex-wife for her discerning taste in the selection process: “Theresa has a great eye.”

They used to bring in artists to design the store’s eye-catching window displays, but since the pandemic it has been an all-Theresa effort.

Colin is also known as “the Watch Man,” coming from generations of watch makers.

The Jensens opened the doors of their shop Christmas of 1989 with the aid of a $100,000 loan from his grandfather, Henri Stern. The Stern family owns renowned Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe.

“This building was being built and at that time it was the first nice building to be built here [at 351 Leadville Avenue],” recounted Theresa

“We were trend setters,” she added, while sitting down to reminisce with her sister Jodi Herlich, who joined the business almost 24 years ago.

Both see Jensen Stern as a non-traditional jewelry store. It has people who are very well established and make wearable, beautiful pieces, but it was also the first in the country to show Sevan Biçaçki jewelry, now found in museums, and to carry Stephen Webster designs back when he was an unknown, as well.

Swiss watchmaker Franck Muller opened its first account in the United States at Jensen Stern.

“There’s a warmth that we bring to our relationships whether with the vendors or the customers,” Jodi said. “If something looks awful on you, we’ll tell you; it’s about selling the right jewelry to the right person.”

“I have loved my store, my customers, and this town.  It has been a wonderful voyage…but I’m 70 and it’s time to do something else,” Theresa says.

She’s currently remodeling her house in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and thinking about living there full time, learning Spanish, redecorating, gardening, hiking and maybe taking up palette painting.

“It’ll be nice soon not having to be anywhere,” agreed her sister. “It’s going to be a joy.”

Jodi is exploring moving to Italy, after spending a month there earlier this year to test it out.

As for Colin’s next steps, they will revolve around “a woman who walked into the store a year ago, and into my life.”

“I’m very excited to be out of this box and I’m going to get back to being an artist, painting and guitar,” he says.

Meanwhile, the Herners are busy building a team and plan to keep the same shop hours.  They will be available by appointment, too, and envision eventually bringing in a bench jeweler to make repairs and adjustments onsite.