May 8, 2017

Meet Johnny Kalo of Gold Empire Jewelry in Downtown Los Angeles

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Kalo.

Johnny, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My father, Edmund Kalo, started Gold Empire Jewelry in 1978. As a teen growing up interested in the jewelry industry, I would accompany my father at work on the weekends and during school holidays to learn the apprenticeship and skills of fine jewelry making.

After graduating college, I decided that my passion rested with jewelry design and manufacturing. I attended the Gemological Institute of America and earned a degree in Diamonds and Diamond Grading to dedicate myself to the business my father started.

Now, as the second-generation owner of Gold Empire Jewelry, I gave the same great passion for custom jewelry design and I take great pride in providing excellent customer service. I feel a moral responsibility to educate my clientele on the different facets of diamond purchasing, and with each client I assist, I grow more passionately to provide well-crafted jewelry that will be treasured for a lifetime.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
After working with my father for twenty years, he felt it was time for me to take complete ownership of the business so he can start enjoying retirement. I was already managing the business but assuming the role of owner was a big responsibility.

During that transition, our business lease was expiring and the dynamic of our business was changing. There wasn’t a need for the factory, extra office space, and staff, especially since we were already assigning dedicated jewelers throughout the district for our custom orders and repairs. The decision to downsize, remodel the showroom and negotiate the terms of my lease was one of the many obstacles I had to face, but it ultimately allowed me to compete in the heavily vast and populated LA jewelry district.

Besides handling the business financially, I also found it challenging to stand out in the jewelry district and the industry in general. This caused me to change majority of my inventory and focus on custom designs and quality craftsmanship while keeping prices affordable. I also learned the importance of maintaining a website and marketing wisely.

Gold Empire Jewelry – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Gold Empire Jewelry is an established retail jewelry store located in the historic Los Angeles Jewelry District which caters to the public with or without an appointment.

My business specializes in mainly loose diamonds with an emphasis on bridal jewelry and custom designs by method of 3-D CAD (three-dimensional computer aided design) renderings. We also specialize in assorted gold jewelry, pearls and specialty luxury watches by custom order.

We also take in all types of repairs, custom engraving and appraisal services.

I really enjoy consulting my clients by offering my knowledge and expert advice. I also enjoy facilitating the custom design process by working closely with my dedicated team of designers and jewelry craftsman to assure each order is made with attention to detail and quality.

As a company, we are proud to produce jewelry that we guarantee to have great value and the fact that our jewelry pieces will appraise for more than double the purchase price. It is always a very rewarding feeling to witness my clients joy and happiness when they receive their completed order, especially when they show gratitude for myself and teams hard work.

We also earned a reputation for excellent service as seen by the many positive reviews our clients posted on Yelp, Google Plus, Facebook and popular wedding websites such as the Knot and WeddingWire.

Gold Empire Jewelry’s commitment to quality, details and service makes us a stand out among the LA Jewelry and Diamond District stores. Our excellent quality and unmatched values make us a must when looking to shop at a bridal mart and our honesty and integrity is what I believe most sets us apart from our competitors.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Although it was a challenging moment when I established ownership of the business from my father, it was also the proudest part of my career. To prove to myself that I can generate revenue for the business, meet my financial obligations and earn an honest living was all very gratifying to me.

It was also rewarding to have my father to witness my passion and work ethic. This allowed me gain his approval which was never easy as he wanted me to work hard for it.

Now after five years of remaining profitable in a highly competitive market, I feel blessed to earn a great reputation with my clientele who continue to refer other clients to my business.

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