The First Generation of Jewelers – the story begins…

It was back in October of 1911 when Walter H. Sturhahn, at the young age of 23, opened his own business, Sturhahn Jewelers, at 410 S. 8^th Street, Quincy, Illinois.  Before he ventured out on his own, Walter had worked six years for Thomas A. Brown, a jeweler located in the old Wells building at 5^th and Maine in Quincy.  There, Walter learned to be a watchmaker, hand engraver, jeweler and businessman.

In one year, Walter proved himself and his business a success to his sweetheart’s father, and on October 13, 1912 Walter and Adelaide Lechtenberg were married.

Due to prosperous growth, Sturhahn Jewelers moved in 1917 to the southeast corner of 8^th & State streets, where it would remain for 87 years.

Second Generation Jewelers – the story continues…

Down the road, three of Walter and Adelaide’s six sons joined their father in the jewelry business.  Grant & Harold joined in 1946 after serving in WWII and Don, the youngest son, would join the family business in 1954 after serving in the Korean War. During busy holiday and wedding seasons, their wives,  Georgann, Lucille, and Joan (respectively) would help in the store with sales, gift delivery, and bookkeeping. 

When Walter, the owner and founder of Sturhahn Jewelers, stepped down from active participation in the business, the boys took on more responsibility. Grant became the store manager, Harold the watchmaker, and Don the bench jeweler.

In 1964, Sturhahn Jewelers became Registered Members of the American Gem Society (AGS, www.ags.org), an organization dedicated to consumer protection, honesty, and ethics in business.

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