Photo by Ben Hensley | Founded in 1955, Orloff Jewelers is in its third generation of family-owned operations with Max (left) serving as vice president and James (right) as CEO.

In the face of several decades of economic upheaval, one family-owned business has remained a steady presence. Hard work, dedication, innovation and a foundation of honesty and integrity are all factors cited for Orloff Jewelers celebrating 70 years in the jewelry business.

Founded in 1955 by Paul Orloff, Orloff Jewelers — then known as Paul Orloff Diamond Company — opened its first storefront on Tulare Street. Orloff valued professionalism, honesty and a commitment to treating customers like family.

That mission has been carried on throughout the store’s three generations, including James and Mary Ann Orloff, and their son, Max, who serves as vice president.

“What started out as a very small entity — a personal type of thing — has grown into a little bit larger and still personal,” James said. “Families doing business with families.”

In the late ‘60s, the store moved to the Fulton Mall, rebranding as Prince Orloff Crown Jewels. A second location was added at Manchester Mall. The Fig Garden Village location started in 1982, first operating as Prince Orloff & Son Jewelers.

By 1990, after taking full ownership of the business, James and Mary Ann rebranded the business once more — this time as Orloff Jewelers, the name Fresno shoppers know today.

While many jewelers rely on commission-based sales, Orloff’s staff does not work on commission, giving employees the opportunity to focus more on their customers, James said.

“They’re here to listen and to follow what you want and give you guidelines and help in creating that magic that you’ll have,” he said.

 

With a customer base that has grown more informed by global price comparisons, Max doesn’t see it as a challenge, but as a positive shift.

“It’s very welcomed and encouraged by us,” he said. “It empowers them to make their own decision.”

That empowerment, Max said, has built a lasting trust among customers. Orloff Jewelers boasts a low return rate, with Max crediting the long-standing relationships between customers and staff — many of whom have been with the business for 15 years or more.

“Where a lot of our success is isn’t just the name and the reputation, it’s all of the employees who really aren’t employees — they’re family,” Max said.

That family mentality shone through during one of the industry’s most challenging times — the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, James and Mary Ann were among the first in the region to explore estate and gold buying, traveling up and down California and the country to expand the store’s buying reach.

Those early efforts, while fraught with risk, paid off in the long-run, establishing new customers and reaffirming existing customer trust in the business.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the team kept operations going by holding a second-hand pawn license. With a small crew, Orloff Jewelers delivered jewelry, cleaned pieces, and even held Zoom parties and virtual showings to keep celebrations and special moments alive.

A “customer first” mentality wasn’t just implemented during the pandemic; it has been with the Orloff’s as long as the company’s third generation — Max — remembers back to his childhood and the economic struggles of the late 2000s.

“I remember the times that it was out of their control; they couldn’t be there at certain times and that was because they had to provide,” he said of his parents. “That resonates in my head so strongly because it has helped build my drive and my passion to be successful.”

James emphasized honesty, teamwork and compromise — not on integrity, but on flexibility — have been essential tools in navigating challenges like the pandemic and 2008 recession.

“If you can’t give somebody your heart or talk to somebody, how are you going to be able to talk to people that come in?” he said.

Honesty, he added, has always been central to the business’ longevity and the loyalty of its clientele.

“My father was somebody that grew up in the ’30s and the ’40s,” James said. “He didn’t make a knee-jerk answer. He was careful about it.”

The legacy will be carried on into the future through Max; having spent time out of state in the late 2010s attending law school and, eventually, finding his way into the jewelry business in Atlanta, Max looks to use the knowledge he found out of state and that which he has gained at Orloff to carry on the family business.

In 2022, Orloff Jewelers began work on its succession plan, preparing for the future to provide customers and staff with the same business they have come to know and love.

With coffee, wine and champagne always on offer, Orloff Jewelers encourages customers to stop in, whether for a conversation or a celebration.

“This is a destination spot and something that isn’t new or formed but something that is very familiar and familial to people,” Max said.