Page 4 - 2016BellaFebruary

Tia Lyons tlyons@eldoradonews.com
The pop culture phrase “Dia- monds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” was lifted from the signature
song in the 1940s Broadway musical “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” starring raspy-voiced actress Carol Channing.
It became more firmly ensconced in the national lexicon with Marilyn Mon- roe’s version of the same song in the 1953 movie adaptation of the play.
The saying takes on a familial — and fitting — element at Cole’s Jewelers, where three generations of Cole wom- en work alongside a dedicated staff to continue a 42-year tradition of provid- ing high-quality jewelry for El Dorado and South Arkansas.
As the late afternoon sun began to set three days before Valentine’s Day, the staff scurried behind display cases of sparkling diamonds, gold, silver, and platinum to assist a steady stream of customers, mostly men, in search of just the right piece to express the love, hugs and kisses that are associated with the holiday.
“It doesn’t have to be romantic. It could be for your daughter. It’s some- thing that says, ‘You and me togeth- er,’” Cole daughter Cindy Leverette explained while discussing a popular holiday seller from the Twogether jew- elry collection.
Several white gift bags accentuated with gauzy pink wrapping tissue were handed out to seemingly satisfied customers who were left with a hearty thank-you and “Happy Valentine’s Day!” and an invitation to sign up for a holiday-basket giveaway.
Leverette, her mother and store owner Gail Cole — wife of late founder Charles W. Cole Sr. — and daughter Lindsie Leverette paused periodically between customer-assists, stocking and cleaning glass display cases, and answering phones to speak with a Bella reporter and photographer.
“It’s one of our busiest times of the year,” Cindy offered, almost apologeti- cally, to the understanding Bella team.
Mounted on a rear wall and serving as a backdrop to the hub of activity was a framed poster with the words, “Stay in the Know.”
The simple philosophy was illustrated by Cole and the Leverettes as they
4 – February 2016 – BELLA
passionately talked about the jewelry trade, brandishing an encyclopedic knowledge of brands, trends, and the hottest selling items.
They whipped out photographs and a July 2015 issue of OK Magazine that showed them and other family mem- bers attending red carpet events and posing with celebrities — sometimes unwittingly — at major jewelry shows around the country.
The trio laughed as they opened up the magazine to a page with a photo of actor and TV host Mario Lopez at a Le Vian red carpet event last year.
Lindsie pointed to sister Casey, whose face could be seen over Lo- pez’s right shoulder.
“She’s pouting because she wanted to take a picture with him, and she couldn’t and that ended up in the magazine,” Lindsie explained with a chuckle.
They pulled up cellular phone pic- tures of Cindy with Lopez, former MTV host and actress Jenny McCarthy and television personality Giuliana Rancic and her husband Bill.
While meeting celebrities is a fun
perk of the job, the Leverettes and Cole said they remain laser-focused on the primary reason they attend such events: to stay sharp and on top of their game when it comes to their business by hand-selecting pieces
to provide quality service to Cole’s customers.
“In the jewelry business, we’re always looking for something new to catch people’s eye. We’re always looking for different things,” Cindy said.
She said shifts in jewelry styles and trends occur about every five to six years.
For instance, stacking is all the rage right now with diamond bands and bracelets, and Ronaldo bracelets have been the must-have item for the past decade, said Cindy.
“They sell every day,” Cole added.
Each bracelet is designed with a theme that celebrates life. Some of the messages are “Jesus Loves Me,” “Let it Shine,” and “Sands of Time.”
Cole said Ronaldo bracelets with the latter two messages sell the most at their retail store. Cindy held up another bracelet that depicted an angel.
Three generations of Cole women run jewelry store.