Our History
Tom A. Gould has worked for more than 49 years in the goldsmithing industry. He doesn’t just sell jewelry – he is a craftsman, taking stones and metal, and creating something unique and wonderful with them. Heirloom pieces are given new life; sometimes repaired, sometimes molded into something unique. Jewelry that is beyond saving, is painstakingly salvaged.
Tom Sr. began dabbling in silversmithing when his father Jay became ill. While in Kansas City in 1948, recovering from Malaria, he took up watchmaking and repair to keep his mind and hands busy. Soon he had a workbench at home, and had his hands full with repairs from other retailers. While working on watches, he picked up the basics of sales and jewelry work at Gustufson Jewelers in Minneapolis.
Tom Sr. worked for the J. B. Hudson in a management position at the new Southdale Mall in Edina, MN until 1961. He and his family moved to Moorhead, MN, where Tom Sr. had accepted a position of manager at Martinson’s Jewelers, until its closure in the early 1970’s.
In 1974, Tom A. Gould moved back to Moorhead. A freshly minted college graduate, he had worked for a year in an industrial machine shop, learning the ins and outs of metal fabrication. Then WHAM! Recession hit, and the shop closed. Tom A. began taking basic jewelry repair, and began work for Labelle’s repairing hundreds – nay! – thousands of rings, honing his craft. Tom A. suggested he and his father start up their own jewelry store. They rented out a bay in the brand-new Moorhead Center Mall, and literally built the store from the ground up. They hung suspended ceilings and wired up the bay, poured concrete over the dirt floor, and even built the showcases with help from Nicklay Woodworking (also out of Moorhead, MN). In 1976, Tom Gould Jeweler opened its doors with the father-son team.
Years later, brother John Gould also took part in the business, and the store name changed to Tom Gould Jeweler & Sons. John took over the mall location, Tom Sr. retired, and Tom A. moved to another location. Tom A. had built up a reputation of jewelry repair around the Fargo-Moorhead area, and did contract work for many of the mall stores, and independent jewelers around the cities. Old, worn-out pieces that everyone had given up hope on were the bread-and-butter of his shop, as Tom performed miracles with metal.
Once Tom’s business and equipment could no longer fit in the little rental space, he moved to a condemned house near the Red River which was converted into a cozy little shop with the help of his wife Kathy. It was dubbed the “Quaint House on the Corner.” They would probably still be there to this day, if the city of Moorhead hadn’t decided to implement their own plans for riverfront property. They briefly moved to another shop location on 8th Street in Moorhead, before eventually moving the business to Perham, MN, where they worked until retirement.
You can read more about the remodeling and opening of the Perham store here!
T. A. Gould Jeweler has closed its doors, but Tom isn’t quite ready to hang up his visor yet. He’s working by appointment only in Vergas, MN at “The Studio” – 140 East Main Street. He’ll still be around for custom orders, as well as buying & selling gold / silver / estate jewelry, but he’s not interested in chaining himself to the workbench with repairs. He’s paid his dues – it’s time for fun stuff.
The Studio - Tom Gould & Brianna Mae 