An Interview with Anne Stachura

The Joseph P. Stachura Company Inc. is a family-run wholesale jewelry business that supplies industry professionals with natural gemstones, cultured pearls, and more. Founded in 1955 by Joseph P. Stachura Sr., a graduate gemologist, and wife, Lillian, the business has employed multiple generations of the Stachura family over the last seven decades.  Mr. Stachura was not only a jeweler but also a lapidary who cut and polished the gemstones he acquired during his travels around the world. The business, based in Uxbridge, MA, sprouted up organically and grew over the years to include more and more products. They have been partners with Ganoksin since 2016. 

I spoke with Joe's daughter, Anne, who explained the mission of the company, how the business has evolved over time and the types of products they offer. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Your website is very impressive. Is that how most customers find you?

Yes and Ganoksin is a substantial part of helping new folks find us.  We still have a lot of people coming into our physical store, but most of our business -  98%  - is online.  Most orders are shipped within 24 hours. With our newsletter and site, we reach thousands of people every week. It's wonderful!

People from the New England area often come into our store. In summer, customers come up from Florida to escape the heat. They get the products that they are looking for and we can put a face to the name. We have two large showrooms set up for our visiting customers. And we serve terrible coffee - what's not to like?!

How do people order from Stachura?

Most folks use our website, www.StachuraWholesaleGemstones.com. You do not need to set up an account to order online, but you do need a state tax number or a Federal EIN number.   If you choose to create an account, our website keeps a list of previous orders for easier re-ordering.   Students need to show that they are a student in the jewelry arts or somehow related. Jewelry designers need to do the same. As long as it is legitimately related in this business, they are very welcome.

While so much of our business is online, some of our clients prefer to call in their orders and that's just fine.   They call and get in touch with us, not a machine. The only time you will get a machine is if we aren't here. We will pick up the message and get back to you the next day. We like to stay hands-on.

Are you an international business?

Yes, we are.  We ship orders internationally on a daily basis.  Name a country and we ship there; the only codicil is getting the package to our customer - some delivery services simply do not service some countries.  

Your father started this business almost seventy years ago. How is it that Stachura came into being?

My dad was thirteen years old when he became the youngest member of the Worcester Mineral Society in the 1940s. He had an extensive background in mineralogy. He knew "everything!"  He just fell in love with minerals and crystals and became a collector. He started taking classes when he was in the Air Force learning how to cut gemstones and setting them.  He became a jeweler: he did a lot of stone cutting, setting, and polishing gold jewelry.

He and my mother, Lillian, would travel to places like Mexico, Brazil, India, Thailand, Taiwan, and China. They went all over the world in their search for mineral specimens and gemstones. 

So, your business really started selling gemstones and minerals.

Yes. Mineral specimens at first, then natural gemstones. And my dad would make jewelry, which was a small part of the business. We had cut gemstones but also we have a warehouse of rough rock and mineral specimens. 

My dad really fell in love with jade carvings. We have a vast inventory of what's called Type A Jadeite. We have amulets and sculptures, 6 to 12+  inches tall, intricately carved. We have a very large selection of fine jadeite and nephrite. This quality of jade is simply really difficult to find in the market presently. We're very happy to be able to offer these beauties.

A lot of Americans don't understand jadeite. They've heard of jade, but they don't understand jadeite jade. There's  Type A, Type B and a Type C.  Type A is in jadeite in its purest form: it hasn't been treated. It hasn't been impregnated with oils or dyes, wax or heated. We only carry the best quality and we offer it at the best prices. That's true of everything that we carry.

Did your dad also buy the bug-filled amber on the site?

Actually, my brother Joe was overseas about five years ago and made the purchase . He is an incredible graduate gemologist with vast knowledge of fossils as well as natural gemstones. He knew what he was looking at!  They are 20 to 30 millions years old and were found  in what is now the Dominican Republic. We are still in the process of releasing the material; we try to identify each one's insect/insects before we list each piece on-line. They are the kind of things that you just don't find anywhere!

I see on your website that you also carry other items, including estate pieces.

The Estate Collection is new for us.  These items are from my mother and father's personal collections. When they traveled and  saw something fantastic or one-of-a-kind, they would add to their vast collection.

There is a stunning azurite-malachite specimen in the Estate Collection. It has teeny tiny azurite crystals and some malachite. On the back there is an actual malachite crystal and it is unlike anything that I have ever seen before. It is so cool!  It would certainly be a centerpiece in a fine collection. An avid collector would really appreciate it!

Would you say that gemstones and minerals remain the cornerstone of your business?

Our strength really is in natural gemstones - fine rubies, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, tanzanites - and pearls. We have interestingly cut stones. We have some beautiful saltwater Japanese pearls, Tahitian pearls. We have large and lovely South Sea pearls. And we can tell you exactly how they are made. We hand-choose all of our pearls, buying the top quality of available materials.  We do not buy dyed Tahitian and South Sea pearls. 

People ask us for what they need. We have pounds of gemstones and cultured pearls. We are able to help people find exactly what they are looking for. People may call looking for a very specific size. Gemstones, especially fine gemstones, can come in very odd sizes. A ruby, let's say, is cut to enhance the whole of the crystal, which may not be a calibrated size. Someone might be looking for a natural gemstone for a custom piece…with odd measurements. We help people find something that will fit. Of course, we specialize in best quality calibrated gemstones and cabochons!

It sounds like you build close relationships with returning customers.

I'd like to think that we are nice people: our customers are certainly nice people! Over the years, you build up a bond. We have products to offer people, but we are also human beings and we see the creative side of people and are very happy to get to know them. Quite frankly, that's what it really is all about - human connection. Jewelry creates memories. Heirloom pieces get passed down in families and those are the memories that we cherish. 

I have grown up with some of our customers.  Now I sell to their children.  We sell to many small businesses as well as major New York designers.  We are lucky that we deal with just really nice, good people. 

What percentage of your business does the small family companies represent?

About sixty to seventy percent. If you go to any town in any state, you are going to find at least a couple of  "mom-and-pop" jewelry stores. They are everywhere. 

We are able to service large companies, too.  Yesterday, I was talking to someone from a large New York city business who just needed a little three-millimeter gemstone sphere.  It was the smallest, little thing. But it opened a pleasant conversation, one that I know will lead back to hearing from him again!

We see many metalwork students also. We are a hop-skip-and-a-jump from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Worcester Center for Crafts, UMass Dartmouth, and Metalwerx, to name a few.

What is the most important thing that you want clients and prospective clients to know about Stachura?

We are an integrity-based, family-owned business. Through our education at the G.I.A, we know that our gemstones are authentic and ethically sourced.  It's important that people know that. We want to make sure that we're good to Mother Earth and good to her people.

Also, we represent our products as honestly as possible. We have two photographers on staff and they are both family. We do not use filters or anything like that which many suppliers do. Some people don't understand that genuine gemstones are often not absolutely perfect like, say, a CZ would be.

I like to think one of our strongest points is our customer service. That's certainly our goal.  If a customer is not happy with an item, we are pleased to work with them to find a fair solution.  We really listen to our customers. Often we educate them  on properties of gemstones and discuss Mohs hardness and proper handling, whenever the need may be.

Is there anything new on the horizon for Stachura?

It is possible that we may launch some stringing and knotting classes in a digital format. It is something that we're thinking of doing because there are so many little things that you pick up along the way. Mary and I have been stringing professionally for 38 years.  So there's a lot of knowledge that we've picked up along the way. Some things you can't find in books. I've learned much through the years. There's much to share!