After nearly 40 years of serving the Arkansas community, the staff at Jones & Son Diamond & Bridal Fine Jewelry in Little Rock knows the ins and outs of the fine jewelry industry. Co-owner Jacob Jones said that expertise is the reason for the business’s success and loyal clientele.
“We don’t exist without our customers,” he added. “Without our customers coming back again and again, we’re dead in the water. We take care of everybody as they come in — take care of their needs and go above and beyond for people.”
Jones, a gemologist who has practiced for 28 years, said his love for gemology began at an early age due to his involvement in the business during his teenage years while he had summer breaks. His father and business partner, Darrow Jones, offered him a role at both store locations.
“I worked in the store when I was a teenager,” Jones said. “He had two stores, and I worked at the one on Markham [Street in Little Rock]. It would just be me and a jeweler in there.”
The summer job soon became a passion for Jones. After graduating from the Gemological Institute of America in 1997, he returned to Little Rock and has since been involved in the day-to-day operations at Jones & Son. Jones was also recognized as the youngest graduate gemologist in Arkansas at 19.
The jewelry savant said his calling for jewelry was accompanied by a pursuit of giving back to the community, which Jones & Son has shown through its involvement with Wolfe Street Foundation in Little Rock, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in Little Rock, Arkansas Children’s, the 20th Century Club of Little Rock, The Centers and Miss Arkansas.
“It’s an evolution,” Jones said. “We want to make sure that we have the most impact possible in the community through scholarships for the young ladies. That’s the future of our state. Then there’s the kids at Children’s Hospital, cancer patients for the 20th Century Club, and The Centers for youth and families, sex trafficking and domestic violence victims. It’s just spreading it out to make the most impact possible over time.
“I’ll say this too: It’s those charities we just mentioned that seem to be the ones we’ve worked the closest with. What we try to do is work with these charities. We try to partner with them and really get behind them.”
Education has been a major focus of the father-son duo, and thanks to their contributions, Arkansas is ranked first in fundraising through the Miss America system.
“I left high school and went straight to a trade school,” Jones said. “I never really went to college, and I think that’s important for people to go to college. It’s important for a lot of people to go to college, and people that want to go and need to go can’t afford to go to college. That’s a pretty big thing, especially with how much it costs. Nowadays, it’s expensive.
Jones said the response to that generosity is unmatched, and introducing philanthropy to his line of work is a rewarding aspect of his job.
“That’s why we’re the No. 1 state, because so many people are willing to step up and willing to help these [Miss Arkansas contestants.] They’re more than grateful and I think because of the gratitude and they’re so excited, it makes us want to do more.
“Taking off and being able to go and be around all those girls, seeing the girls that got the scholarships last year from us, seeing who got the scholarships this year, and relationships that we have with these organizations are invaluable. I’ve known people for years that are friends of mine because of these organizations. It’s just something that we passionately do. We don’t do it for a reward, recognition or anything. We do it because we want to.”
Following in his family’s footsteps by supporting Miss Arkansas, Jones said the Miss Arkansas 2025 pageant was especially meaningful because of his son’s involvement in it.
“We brought him to the pageant when he was 5, and so he’s done it for a year or two now,” Jones said. “He’s kind of getting involved. Everybody loves him, and he was an escort for one of the girls. The girl he was with got top 15, so he was on TV. He got to escort her and everything.”
When Jones is not assisting with community outreach or running a storefront, he spends his time relaxing with family and watching football.
Through his years in the industry, Jones has combined a love for philanthropy with a love of fine jewelry, emphasizing a new meaning of being a business owner and an active member of his community.
(Photo by Lori Sparkman)
READ ALSO: Nation’s First Lithium Accelerator Launched in El Dorado
