About us

The Story Behind Heights Jewelers

Heights Jewelers opened in 1938. To understand the store, you have to go back further.

In 1915, in the town of Krevenka, Poland, my father was five years old. He had a sister of eight and a brother of twelve. It was a hard time and a hard place to be a Jew. There was a riot he thought it went on for several days, but a child's perception of time isn't reliable. The morning after, he saw bodies in the street. One of the bodies was his rabbi.

That image stayed with him for the rest of his life. It marked him.

The family decided their time in Poland was over. They were poor. The only way to get to America was for my grandfather to go first, alone, earn money, and bring the family over later. He said goodbye to my grandmother and the children.

He would never see her again.

World War One broke out. There were no telephones, no way to stay in touch. The family lost contact completely.

Armies moved through Krevenka again and again  Russian, German, Austrian, Russian again. Each time, the family had to leave. Before the first move, the only thing of real value they owned was a pair of silver candlesticks. My grandmother buried them outside the house a certain number of paces from a corner, a certain number from a tree and kept the bearings in her memory.

Then typhoid swept Europe. It killed a third to half of the continent. It killed her too.

Before she died, she called her eldest son to her side. I've sometimes put myself in her position and wondered what I would have said. Brush your teeth. Wash your hands. Keep your room clean. The kind of thing a parent says.

What she said instead was the one piece of wisdom she believed would carry them for the rest of their lives — not a household rule, not a piece of practical advice, but the truth she'd lived through war, hunger, and loss. She said it in Yiddish:

Ophitten de misbucha tzuzamen. Keep the family together.

That became the principle that carried them. My uncle, twelve years old, was now the head of the family. The three children survived on garbage and whatever shelter they could find. They kept together.

After the war, the Red Cross worked to repatriate orphaned children. My father, his sister, and his brother were brought to the United States. At ten, my father was introduced to a father he barely remembered.

He was malnourished. His immune system was wrecked. Around the age of eighteen or twenty, he developed tuberculosis. The treatment in those years was removal of a lung. He carried the scar an inch wide, from behind his right ear, down his spine, ending in an inverted J at his beltline for the rest of his life. Recovery took five years.

It was during those five years that he learned watchmaking, as occupational therapy. That's where the trade began.

About the candlesticks

World War One ended. World War Two came and went. The Cold War. The Iron Curtain went up. The Berlin Wall went up and came down. Through all of it, our family in America stayed in touch with what cousins remained in Europe through letters.

One of those letters, written years before by my grandmother, had survived. In it, she described where the candlesticks were buried the corner, the tree, the count of paces.

A cousin decided to go back. He found Krevenka. He found the house. He took the bearings from the letter. It took several tries  but he dug, and he found the candlesticks where my grandmother had buried them.

They are on my dining room table today.

All the money in the world isn't enough to buy them. They aren't for sale. They are personal. And they are mine.

That is probably part of the DNA that drew me into the jewelry business and specifically into personalized jewelry. Something made for one person. Something that means something. Something that survives.

Back to my pop

In 1938, recovered, he opened Heights Jewelers. He worked alongside two men. One was Morris Abrams, who'd learned watch repair beside him during their years in recovery hey used to call each other "inmates." The other was Joe LaPola, an Italian jeweler who was like an uncle to me. The three of them made things by hand in the shop. That's where personalized, hand-made jewelry took shape in our family.

The techniques have refined over the years  we have computers now, and the work is more precise  but the principle hasn't changed.

What my father taught me

My father had a saying he used to repeat, ironically. He'd point at something a building, a bridge  and ask:

"How did this happen? Did it just happen by itself? Did nobody design it? Did nobody put the workforce together? Did nobody do the work? It just… happened?"

His point was that things don't just happen. You have to put in the work. You have to do it right. And when you do, more often than not, the right things tend to happen.

That's how he built Heights Jewelers. It's how he raised me. And it's how every piece we make is still made today.

— Marc Appelbaum

 

Ethical Practices and Local Commitment

We are proud to be 100% made in America, using only ethically sourced materials. Supporting local communities and maintaining ethical business practices are at the core of our values. Our dedication to these principles ensures that every piece of jewelry not only looks beautiful but also carries a story of responsibility and care.

 

Our Promise

We guarantee that every piece of jewelry from Heights Jewelers is of the highest quality, backed by our unwavering commitment to your satisfaction. Our discounts reflect only the price, never the quality. When you shop with us, you can be confident that you are receiving the best value for your purchasing dollar, as well as beautiful jewelry to adorn and bring joy to you and your loved ones.

 

Join Our Legacy

We invite you to regularly visit our website, sign-up our newsletter, and experience the legacy of quality and service that has defined us for generations and continues to fuel creative new designs. Discover our exquisite collections and join our family of satisfied customers who know that at Heights Jewelers, the customer is always number one.

 

Thank you for being part of our story. We look forward to serving you with the same dedication and excellence that has been our hallmark for nearly a century.