J.R. Dunn Jewelers

James Robert Dunn started his career in 1967 as a sales representative for IBM. During a sales call to a jewelry company in Malden, MA, Jim picked up a magazine about the jewelry business and became intrigued. When his schedule allowed, Jim took correspondence courses in gemology, and went to New York to learn about diamonds and colored stones. “I bought a little microscope and I was playing scientist at home,” he said.

While at IBM, Jim met his future wife, Ann Marie Pelliccia, who was working as an executive secretary. Like Jim, she was driven by an entrepreneurial spirit. She was 10 years old when her family immigrated to this country from Italy. It didn’t take long for Ann Marie to master the English language and become the interpreter for her father’s cabinet-making business. She went to work every day after school with her father from age 11 until she graduated high school. Soon after, she joined the team at IBM. “It was IBM that helped us forge our philosophies about customer service and business ethics,” said Ann Marie.

The couple married in 1969 and together decided to take a chance by starting a jewelry business. With their savings of $10,000, the couple purchased a small house in Hanover, MA and converted it into their first jewelry store, The House of Gems.

During the first year, their store was burglarized and every piece of jewelry was taken, including customers’ repairs. To make matters worse, the Dunns were in between insurance policies. The couple went from door to door informing and reassuring each client that their prized possessions would be replaced. Ann Marie and Jim paid for the stolen jewelry out of their own pockets to preserve their reputation of integrity and trust.

Word spread when the couple made good on their promise, and business began to grow by leaps and bounds. The House of Gems soon outgrew its tiny location. Jim and Ann Marie relocated the store to a nearby mall in South Weymouth, MA and changed the name to J.R. Dunn Jewelers, emphasizing the importance of the family-owned and operated business.

In 1978 the couple relocated to South Florida and opened a small jewelry boutique, serving a select clientele by appointment only. This is when the Dunns were fortunate enough to have 18-year-0ld Robert Pelliccia, Ann Marie’s brother, come on board at the age of 18 and eventually start creating one-of-a-kind custom creations for their discerning clients. It didn’t take long for J.R. Dunn Jewelers to outgrow its location once again; that brought about the monumental decision to purchase a 6,000 square-foot building on Federal Highway in Lighthouse Point, Florida.

Today, J.R. Dunn Jewelers has expanded to 8,000-square-feet showroom in Lighthouse Point and is an Official Rolex Jeweler conveniently located between Boca Raton and Ft. Lauderdale just and just under an hour from Miami.