THE BEGINNING
Las Vegas in 1976
The story of The Jewelers Inc. is the quintessential story of the "American Dream." Mordechai and Vicki Yerushalmi, married for less than two years, immigrated to the United States with virtually nothing to their names and settled in the burgeoning city of Las Vegas in search of opportunity. A short time later, in October 1976, the couple put together everything they had and opened a small jewelry store to the public at 2400 Western Avenue with only four showcases.
The couple's focus on delivering their customers great service and great value fueled the fledgling company's rapid growth. Word-of-mouth began spreading throughout the city and more and more customers made The Jewelers their first and only stop for all their jewelry. Mordechai quickly gained the reputation of treating customers like family. To this day, Mordechai and everyone at The Jewelers has steadfastly followed the same commitment.
It is no surprise that The Jewelers of Las Vegas is routinely visited not only by long-time regular customers, but also by second and even third generation customers who are proud to shop at the only place their parents and grandparents trust for their diamonds, jewelry and watches. Over the past 46 years, Mordechai and The Jewelers have also become famous for their many celebrity customers, including Liberace, Wayne Newton, Mike Tyson, Larry Holmes, Chuck Norris, Mayweather, Mike Piazza, Celine Dion, and many others. But, our biggest achievement at The Jewelers is being able to serve all of our customers within the Las Vegas community.
The Jewelers of Las Vegas has become a staple to the Las Vegas community because they are not only a retail establishment but also have the largest jewelry manufacturing and repair facility in Nevada. As a result, custom designs and repairs are more affordable, and The Jewelers can do many repairs while their customers wait. The corporate headquarters and flagship store still sits in the very same spot where Mordechai and Vicki first opened their doors over 46 years ago, although it has significantly expanded over the years.
Along with their desire to provide excellent service to their customers, giving back to the Las Vegas community is equally important to The Jewelers of Las Vegas. They donate throughout the year to multiple schools, charitable organizations, religious institutions, community events, and youth sports teams.
Memories with Mordechai
1976
When Elvis performed in Las Vegas, it was common for Mordechai to bring a vast selection of jewelry for him to choose from for his shows. Mordechai’s most memorable moment, however, occurred in the middle of the night in December 1976, on his last ever trip to Vegas. Elvis called him to bring a selection of diamond rings to his suite at the Las Vegas Hilton. Mordechai copied the check Elvis wrote him that night and it remains a treasured memento. His relationship with Elvis was so treasured that the jeweler celebrated his 60th birthday in that very suite in the Las Vegas Hilton, now renamed the Westgate.
1979
In 1979, The Jewelers undertook its first expansion into the Las Vegas casino market with the opening of Jewels by Mordechai at The Dunes Hotel & Casino. The success of the Dunes store led Mordechai to open additional stores in some of the most successful casinos of that time, such as The Tropicana Hotel and The Desert Inn.
1980’S
In the 1980’s, Mordechai and The Jewelers continued providing unique jewelry pieces to many famous Las Vegas icons, such as Liberace and Wayne Newton, and for both the hit television series Vegas and its star, Robert Urich. Later in the decade, the company and its founder became known for a series of television commercials featuring many recognizable celebrities, most notably boxing champion Larry Holmes. The commercials became part of classic Las Vegas culture, even being singled out by popular television host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel in a recent interview as one of his favorite memories from his time in Las Vegas.
1990’S
The 90’s marked another key transition point for Mordechai and The Jewelers Inc. when the crew filming the movie Casino unexpectedly approached Mordechai and asked if he could provide all the jewelry and watches for the critically acclaimed film. To his surprise, Mordechai himself was also given a minor speaking role in the movie, playing the jeweler whose jewelry store was burglarized. The Jewelers went on to provide jewelry for several other well-known films, including Analyze This and Rush Hour 2.
2000's
Towards the end of the decade and into the new millennium, Las Vegas witnessed explosive growth with new megaresorts opening annually. An entrepreneur by nature, and as Nevada's premier jeweler, Mordechai recognized the importance of growing alongside the local community he served. As a result, The Jewelers expanded in a new direction with higher-end luxury boutiques in many of the Strip's most successful resorts. The first such store to open was Venetzia Fine Jewelry at The Venetian in 1999, followed soon thereafter with other elegant stores in Caesars Palace, and Mandalay Bay. Today, the Yerushalmi family operates multiple stores throughout the Las Vegas Valley, including the company's flagship The Jewelers of Las Vegas store on Western Avenue and in Summerlin. The family also operates stores under a variety of names in several of the leading hotel casinos in town, including Venetzia Fine Jewelry inside both The Palazzo hotel lobby and The Venetian hotel lobby, Rocks the Jewelers inside The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Rocks the Jewelers inside Red Rock Casino Resort Spa and The Jewelers of Las Vegas inside Mandalay Place and Vicci Fine Jewelry in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.
Many of these locations have been featured in a variety of popular television shows, including Storage Wars, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, CSI, VH1's The Fabulous Life Of Las Vegas, BET's Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is, and The Travel Channel's Vegas Extravaganza. For information on any of The Jewelers, Inc. locations please visit the Locations Tab along the top of the page.
The early 2000’s brought about a new transition for the company, as Mordechai and Vicki welcomed their children into the family business. Coincidentally, during this same period, many of Mordechai's early customers began to bring their second and third generations to shop with the only jeweler they trusted.
2005 - NOW
In 2005, International Watch Magazine named The Jewelers one of North America's Leading Watch Retailers, and the first one in Nevada, which is a distinguished recognition the company has earned each year since. Three years later, the Yerushalmi family and everyone at The Jewelers were especially honored when the readers of The Las Vegas Review Journal voted The Jewelers of Las Vegas the city's Best Jewelry Store in the 2008 Best of Las Vegas poll and have continued to do so every year since. It is no wonder that The Jewelers has been widely regarded as Nevada's Most Trusted Jeweler for over 46 years.
The Jewelers of Las Vegas was also named one of North America's Leading Watch Retailers by International Watch Magazine in 2013 for the 9th consecutive year.
On November, 2nd, 2022 another major honor was given to The Jewelers of Las Vegas. The Jewelers were recognized by the City of Las Vegas for owning and operating a long-standing Las Vegas family-owned business as well as being stewards of the Las Vegas community.