In summer 1979 brothers Joe and Glenn Taylor, along with their father, decided to take an extended vacation in Alaska to catch fish in crystal clear streams and try their hand at prospecting for gold along the Fortymile River. It proved to be a profitable summer for the Taylor family as they netted plenty of grayling to fill their stomachs and a solid six ounces of gold. That was enough incentive for the family who soon pulled up the stakes at their Arizona-based wholesale jewelry business to head for a more permanent Alaska adventure. They would spend years working in a variety of industries around the state before deciding to return their roots and in 1992 opened Taylor’s Gold-n-Stones.
It’s been twenty-five years since they made a move and the Taylor brothers may have just enjoyed their best year yet. Glenn credits the success to “having excitement, being tenacious and always striving to learn about best practices.”
The Taylor’s bread and butter are their engagement and wedding rings. They have rings of all types and variety, and their price can range from just a few hundred bucks to tens of thousands of dollars.
Now Taylor’s Gold-n-Stones is going back to its roots with a wide variety of gems mined right from Alaska. The Taylors are confident of the quality of these gyms, considering they were the ones who prospected and mined the local sources they came from. Some of the collections from the store include crystal-clear quartz mined from the Brooks Range, smoky quartz from nearby Northway, and gorgeous rose quartz mined from the Alaska Range.
To keep with the theme, the store cuts the stones into what they call ‘Arctic Ice Cubes,’ they also turn stone into shimmering works of arts with a quick spray of titanium and oxygen. The different stones are cut within the Taylor family too, with cut stone being used for bracelets, necklaces, and of course breath-taking engagement rings and wedding bands that are uniquely Alaska.
The whole family is in on the operation with each doing their part to keep the busy jewelry shop running smoothly. No matter how busy they are, they love what they’re doing. Joe Taylor says success is: “Desire of and love of what you’re doing.”
Thank you John Atencio for sharing this story with us.
