Introducing Cameron Lynch
We are so excited to share with you that we recently had the honor of having Cameron Lynch visit our store! In case you don't know Cameron, he is an NFL star and broadcaster, recent USF graduate and entrepeneur. Cameron played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2016-2017 season and has stayed in Tampa ever since! He is also one of the most sincere and down-to-earth people that we have ever met and we were so honored to be able to help him select some very important gifts for the very important women in his life. He did a little shopping for himself while he was at the store also! We thought you might be tired of hearing from us every week on the blog so Cameron was generous enough to write a guest blog post for us! Without further delay, we turn the mic over to Cameron...
Shopping at Kiefer Jewelers by Cameron Lynch
Wow! It’s an understatement to say that I had the best day at Kiefer Jewelers shopping with owner Alex Schlindwein. First of all, you walk into Kiefer, and you are immediately struck by all of the pristine glass cases and sparkling jewelry. It’s kind of like Disneyland for adults – it’s hard to know where to go first! Luckily, I had Alex to guide me!
The end of the year is a busy time for me. Not only do I have holiday shopping to do for all the loved ones in my life – especially the women, like my mom and grandmother – but Halloween is also my anniversary with my girlfriend. So I needed a lot of important gifts when I arrived at Kiefer.
We started our shopping journey with the Time & Eternity collection, as well as the Proud Mom collection – both of which I had in mind for my mom and grandmother. They both raised me into the man I am today, so I want to always give back to the strong women in my life. The Proud Mom collection really spoke to me, because it’s meant to signify the sacrifices that moms make for their kids. My mom was a single mom, so she made all of the sacrifices. I wanted my mom to wear this necklace, so she had a token of gratitude from me to feel proud of the man she raised.
What I love about Kiefer Jewelers is not only have they been family-owned since 1957, but everything in their stores has a why and story behind them. Jewelry should be meaningful. They specifically look for unique pieces that you aren’t going to find anywhere else. Kiefer also goes out of their way to find products that are made in the U.S. or are from family-owned manufactures. They work with partners who share the same values.
As someone who cares about doing the right thing in the world, the Kiefer collections really struck me as meaningful. I was especially blown away by their John Hardy collection. I didn’t know their story until Alex shared it with me, but their products are made in Bali. John Hardy traveled there on vacation and fell in love with Bali (how could you not?!). My girlfriend and I also had an amazing vacation there, so we feel a tie to the country as well. John was amazed at Bali’s beauty and wanted to give back to the island. So he created the John Hardy collection and actually constructed his facility completely out of bamboo. WAIT WHAT! This way, if the company ever has to close down production, the building would be re-absorbed into nature. What a guy!
In addition, John wanted to create eco-friendly products, so all of his pieces are made of 100% sterling silver. Some of his pieces even go towards re-planting bamboo trees. Oh, and they look so dope! Okay, so hear me out. I know I was there to shop for the women in my life, but we have to treat ourselves every so often. Men need jewelry too! I’m all about that self-care life. So I got this John Hardy bracelet, which looks so fresh. Now when I’m broadcasting football games, I will have a sharp piece to wear on the air with me, and I’m supporting a company that is doing so much good in the world.
John Hardy Sterling Silver Bracelet $695
The John Hardy bracelet took care of one wrist, but um yeah, what about the other wrist?! Couldn’t leave it high and dry! Luckily, Alex guided me to the Citizen watch collection, and I couldn’t resist!
I picked out this super sweet watch. Now that I have my MBA, and I’m in the working world, I need to stay on track and make sure I make my meetings on time. No more coaches blowing the whistle and giving me a practice schedule. So this watch will be clutch. In line with the way Kiefer does business – making sure they are only working with the best companies – Citizen watches are eco-driven, which means they are charged by light through the dial of the watch. They will run as long as they have exposure to light. Such a relief never having to worry about a battery dying and having to constantly replace it.
Okay, enough shopping for myself, even though I was pretty stoked to walk out with two staple pieces for myself. Back to the task at hand: the ladies in my life.
I shared with Alex that I had some worries about shopping for my girlfriend. My girlfriend has specific tastes in jewelry, as most women do. There have been times I’ve gotten her gifts, and she has returned them, which hurt my feelings. So I wanted to make sure I got her something I knew she’d like. Luckily, I learned about two great policies that Kiefer has to avoid having your loved ones get stuck with gifts they don’t want. First of all, they have a wish list program, where your loved ones can come into the store, shop around pressure-free, try on all the jewelry they’d like, and Kiefer will save their preferences on the computer. So, I can have my girlfriend come pick out what she likes, and then I can come back later, give Kiefer her name and ensure I get her a gift she loves from her list! Secondly, they have a 30-day money-back guarantee on anything that isn’t customized, special-ordered, or a Rolex – by the way, did I mention that they are one of the few, exclusive Rolex distributors? Even better, during the holidays, Kiefer extends its return policy through the first week in January. And if you’re in a different part of the country (I know my NFL guys move around a lot, but still need a trusted jeweler), Kiefer offers free shipping on website orders over $100, as well as interest-free payment plans on all purchases. They also have really pretty gift wrapping and truly have items for all budgets, so you can find a beautiful gift for everyone on your holiday shopping list.
For my girlfriend, I wanted to get her a staple piece that I KNEW she’d love. Let’s be real – every girl needs a pair of diamond earrings. They are timeless, classic, and perfect for all occasions. What put me at ease regarding Kiefer’s diamond studs is that they have SO many options in all different sizes and price ranges. So no matter what my budget was, I knew I was walking out of there with a pair for my girlfriend. The other cool part is that they have an upgrade program. So I can start with a pair that’s comfortably in my budget. And then when she is ready for the next size up, we can bring them in, get full value for what we paid and just pay the difference between this initial pair and a bigger size. Think of it like a diamond savings account! Kiefer also offers a preferred warranty, which means that you can find another family-owned jeweler to service your jewelry anywhere in the country. Kiefer will also pay for insurance for two years, so now there is really no reason not to invest in diamond studs. Kiefer has you covered and believes in fully protecting you from damage, loss, or theft on your big purchases.
I also learned you can totally level up to diamond studs and add diamond halo earring jackets! You can drop a stud into the halo to make it fancier or less fancy. The halos give you two pairs of diamond earrings in one. They are great gifts for the woman who has it all!
Our last stop was at the sports jewelry counter. Did you know Kiefer is a sponsor of USF? This sports display case was my worlds colliding! Kiefer has a Champa Bay jewelry collection. Alex’s family members are Tampa natives, so it’s meaningful and important to them to carry the officially licensed Bucs and Lightning pieces! As a pro athlete and former Bucs player, these are such great gifts for my family members. Kiefer also features my other world, which is USF! I just graduated from there with my MBA – Go Bulls! Kiefer is the official sponsor of USF football and basketball teams. It’s also super cool that they sponsor the Kiss Cam at football games in non-Covid times. Kiefer’s USF jewelry is super dope! I truly never thought I’d find a place that combines my worlds of NFL, graduate school, and awesome jewelry all in one!
Okay, so I didn’t just share all of this awesome jewelry and then plan to leave you high and dry. With Covid, it’s been tough times for all of us. So Santa Cam is coming through for you. You can use promo code cam10 for 10% off of any purchases on the website (except for clearance and sale items). I know there are still concerns with Covid and traveling this year, plus we’ve all been limited in being able to splurge on experiences during the pandemic, so it’s really the perfect time to spend your extra income on jewelry. And you couldn’t be supporting a better store. They have amazing pieces, they lead with love and all of their collections have a great story. Your loved ones will be blown away by their jewelry!