Jhanna Celebrates 25 Years in Millburn

"How are you? How's Karen? And the kids?" muses Jhanna Krentsel as she rushes from behind the diamond display cases at her namesake jewelry store with an ear-to-ear smile and her arms opened wide.

One of her many loyal customers just walked through the door to the Millburn Avenue store, Jhanna Fine Jewelers. "It's so great to see you!" she says as she gives Mark Caplan a kiss on the cheek.

Her husband, Rudy Shtainhorn, emerges through the corner doorway that leads to the room where all of the custom designs turn into one-of-a-kind rings, brooches, bracelets, earrings and necklaces.

The two men hug, just like family, as they begin to catch up. After a couple of minutes, Caplan asks, "Do you remember these?" as he holds up a small plastic bag holding a pair of diamond earrings, one with an empty setting and a loose stone floating around. He reminds the couple that when his son was an infant, the baby had knocked the earring out of Karen's ear. "She was so upset," he recalls, "We tried to duplicate it but just couldn't find a matching stone.

Just the other day, three years after the stone went missing, the cleaning lady found the missing stone under a table. "You know what that means?" joked Jhanna "It means you need to clean your house more often."

Caplan was there to have the earrings re-set in a sturdier backing.  He was planning to just use the original settings, but Jhanna quickly nixed the idea. Speaking a mile a minute, she told him she would put them in eight-pronged settings that his wife would "absolutely love."

"His wife, she has sophisticated taste. She is always current, she knows what she likes," Jhanna explained. "But she has never returned anything we've made for her."

Caplan did not even attempt to argue with Jhanna. The trust he has for Jhanna and Rudy is obvious in the way he raves about the care they have shown him over the last seven years. He first came in when he was looking for a setting for the stone he planned to use in Karen's engagement ring.

"Everyone said there's only one place to go—Jhanna," he said. "I called everyday for about two weeks to check on the ring, but there was no need to. It was amazing. She still gets compliments on it all the time."

Now, he said, he wouldn't even consider going elsewhere. "This is the only place to come," he raved. "It's like family here."

Fellow customers agree, which is how the store survived several economic downturns and is this month celebrating its 25th anniversary.

"We have built an amazing reputation here," Jhanna acknowledged. "But," her husband added, "you must have ability in order to build a repuation."

While both are artistically trained—Jhanna at Fashion Institute of Technolgy and Rudy at an architecture school in his native former Soviet Union—they said artistic talent is something you must be born with.

"Talent is something given by a higher authority," she said. "You cannot buy it or train it. You must have it. And you have to hope that someone recognizes it in you."

Asked how they landed in Millburn, Rudy joked, "It's such an ancient history, you realize it started last century?" The married parents of two started out in Manhattan before moving to Millburn in May 1985.

The couple said they chose Millburn because it is an upscale neighborhood where customers know what they are looking for.

"It gives us a huge satisfaction to know that our clientele is sophisticated, educated and upscale," said Rudy. "When someone who follows you and appreciates your hard work is extremely educated and traveled, it gives you an extra satisfaction."

Many of their pieces start out as a small doodle on a sketchpad before Rudy transforms them into works of art. Pieces are created in the workshop located in the back of the one-room store. They are typically working on five to 15 pieces at a time with projects in initial phases to those nearing completion stored in simple white envelopes in a plastic box.

Finished diamond, sapphire, coral and rare pearl designs are displayed in cases lining the walls of the store. 

Prior to starting a design, Rudy likes to get to know his clients.

"I ask more about their lifestyle, their taste, not just about jewelry," he explained.

Rudy estimated he has worked on pieces worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, but said it is hard to put a pricetag on the items because many customers already own the stones.

What is it about Jhanna that keeps customers coming back? Every piece is unique.

"When it comes to originality and controlling every aspect of production, we are second to none," he said. "We really don't follow the trends, we try to set the trends. We are the only award-winning designers in this entire area." The jewelry store has won several Jewelers of America awards over the years.

"Now, we're on to the second or third generation," he said. "Some grandchildren are getting engaged by us, can you imagine that?"

They have also kept up with customers' ever-changing tastes. "Today I would say people want things that are more wearable, more versatile," he said. "Black tie events used to be popular, but now everyone likes the beach weddings."

As Rudy raved about the loyalty of their customers, former Short Hills resident Susan Schott, who now resides in Florida, walked through the door. Schott has been coming to them since the day they opened.

"They're wonderful people, and I love their stuff," she gushed. "They have the best taste, and I trust them. I love all the things that Rudy designs. It's all eye-candy, the store is charming, it's a great experience." Schott said her husband has bought her countless gifts from Jhanna over the years, and her daughter will soon be coming in for her engagement ring.

The greatest honor Jhanna has felt over the years, she said, is customers make appointments to see her. "Just like you would with a doctor, they call up and ask when I will be here or when Rudy will be here. I consider it a privalege to have such great customers."

As Jhanna moves into the next quarter-century, the owners have plans to renovate the store. First up is a new façade, after which Jhanna would like to give the space a more Zen feeling. They also are expanding onto the international scene, currently in London and Kiev.

No matter how much it changes, the location will remain the same.

"We couldn't move," said Jhanna, "because we never want to give up the priceless relationships we've made."