Rare, one-of-a-kind: Village Jeweler Dean Thomas, 67, retiring

Village Jeweler Dean Thomas' career never began as a diamond-in-the rough. It began a quarter of a century ago when he looked at the goldsmith and diamond mounting work of his peers and said, "I can do it better than this."

And, he still DOES. His work is respected throughout the industry and while he never took photographs of his work, there are families across southern Illinois who should never give up the heirloom pieces he created.

He is a rare, one-of-a-kind craftsman, but cardiologists in St. Louis tell him they are running out of options on valves and stents and, because of that, he is transitioning into retirement.

Even while working for MCA in Pinckneyville his twin loves were electronics and jewelry. He had side-by-side electronics and jewelry stores decades ago and there came a defining moment. "A man walked in with a 19-inch TV set to repair and when I decided it was going to cost more to repair than to buy I new one I decided we're getting out of this business."

Good choice. He says his wife's love of Black Hills jewelry was his first introduction to the jewelry business. "With a little paperwork they would sell it to me wholesale," he said. He sold it at a retail price like hotcakes.

But, his real love was in making fine jewelry. He attended a jewelers school and it didn't take long for his reputation as a disciplined goldsmith to grow. He took accepted mounting practices and "perfected them." His reputation caught the attention of the 10-store chain of Michelson's Jewelry in Paducah, Carbondale and Cape Girardeau and he became their jeweler.

It wasn't an acquired intelligence. He always had it. As a veteran of the U.S. Air Force he completed a 52-week course in the USAF Intelligence School in 39 weeks. The jewelry store we know and love on South Washington evolved from stores on Main Street and Division Street and a friendship with Carbondale jeweler Ken Reinhardt, whom he talked into coming to Du Quoin after Higgins Jewelry closed.

Since then Dean and part-time clerk Betty Haines , 89, have served Du Quoin well. Besides jewelry they share another common bond--FAST cars. Even at 70-something Betty was driving a Camaro and Dean has owned four Corvettes.

"If it weren't for my heart I would still do something," Dean said.

That brings us down to business--an opportunity for an up and coming jeweler in a great location or the current Going Out of Business sale that could get you between 50 and 65 percent off on fire jewelry before Valentine's Day.

Either way, there are great opportunities.