Ellen Epperson Wiberley is continuing the tradition of quality craftsmanship that her father brought to the jewelry business when her parents started Epperson's in the family's basement in 1976, when Wiberley was just 4 years old.
Epperson's Cleveland storefront opened in the 1980s. It was focused on custom jewelry and repairs as well as manufacturing earring backs and wedding bands for other local jewelry stores. In 2022, Wiberley transitioned the business into more of a fine-jewelry studio, opening the storefront only by appointment and focusing on her passion for creating custom, personalized jewelry for clients and selling her own designs.
"I have a love of colored stones like my dad did, so it's fun for me to go back through 48 years' worth of inventory of gemstones and create new things," says Wiberley, who grew up working in the shop and dreamed of creating her own jewelry line.
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The art of jewelry making: Epperson’s ‘jewelry box sessions’ breathe new life into heirlooms
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In 2008, she and her father designed a line of sterling silver and gold pieces they sold through trunk shows held at boutiques and people's homes, and she continues to design and sell her own lines at trunk shows today.
"It's a great way to get in front of people and really get to know my customers," she says. "Jewelry is personal, and I love the emotion that comes with that."
Most people don't just go out and buy a piece of jewelry because they want it, Wiberley says, adding that jewelry purchases typically have some sort of sentiment involved and often are associated with a special milestone, such as an engagement, anniversary or the birth of a child.
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"It's fun for me to be able to sort of walk through that excitement with the customer to create something to mark the occasion," she says.
Epperson's also helps clients make better use of what they already own through "jewelry box sessions," in which Wiberley goes through the client's collection and separates the contents based on what the client still wears, what can be donated or passed down and what has potential for restoration or repurposing in another piece.
"It's kind of like a puzzle," she says.
A jewelry box session also allows Wiberley to get to know a client's taste and preferences, helping her to design custom pieces that really reflect that person's style. Digital design platforms — which make it much easier to show clients what a piece will look like when produced than the sketches she remembers her father drawing — give people the peace of mind of knowing they are investing in jewelry they know they'll love.
Find out more at eppersonsjewelers.com.