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Established in 1979, Rocky Point Jewelers is family owned and operated
with two locations. We are proud members of the prestigious American
Gem Society, an organization of professional jewelers devoted to
consumer protection through ethics and continued gemological education.
Our appraisal department is accredited by the American Gem Society, one
of only approximately 500 such accreditations to be awarded throughout
North America !
We also offer a complete repair department
that stands ready to service your jewelry, watch, and clock repair
needs. Our work is always performed to the highest level of
craftsmanship. The special care that is taken on all jobs, big or
small, is your assurance of complete customer satisfaction.
What
we are most proud of is our "OLD FASHIONED SERVICE." When you stop in
to visit either one of our galleries, you will be greeted with a smile
by a knowledgeable sales consultant who will assist you with all your
special needs. When you contact us with questions by mail or e-mail,
you will receive a prompt and courteous reply. When you call us, you
will never get an answering machine or voice mail. ALL CALLS ARE
ANSWERED BY REAL PEOPLE!
We look forward to becoming your jeweler of choice to help you celebrate life's most significant moments.
Cordially,
The Bongiovanni Family
Anthony Bongiovanni Sr.
When Anthony was a young boy in the early 1940's, he saw a three-cent
piece in the window of a New York City store. It amazed him, he went in
and bought it, and began a passion with collectible coins and currency,
joining the world renowned American Numismatic Association in 1955.
His hobby continued throughout his life, and in the 70's he finally
turned it into a business endeavor. The buying and selling of
collectible coins evolved into a coin shop, which eventually became
Rocky Point Jewelers.
Anthony Sr.'s main responsibility for
Rocky Point Jewelers is providing guidance for the rest of his family
and generally overseeing business. For him, his biggest accomplishment
is having raised five daughters and a son. Anthony is happy that it is
a family business. He says that he "enjoys seeing that his children
have built up a nice business for the future."
Other things
that Anthony Sr. prides himself on are his three years served in World
War II, in Europe and the Philippines , where he achieved the rank of
Staff Sergeant. He also acted as a Grand Marshall in the 1993 St.
Patrick's Day Parade, and is past president of the P.V. Landi Lodge,
Order Sons of Italy in America .
Anthony Bongiovanni Jr.
Anthony Jr. has been involved in the family business since it's
formation in 1979. A member of the American Numismatic Association
since 1974, he was only thirteen when he began buying and selling
collectible coins and currency.
Currently, Anthony Jr. is the
general manager of Rocky Point Jewelers, which means that his work
encompasses everything. He handles buying, selling, repairs, and the
gemological aspects of the business. He also works with the
collectible coins and currency, from which the firm originally evolved.
What makes Anthony Jr. skilled in working with jewelry is the
sam e thing that makes Rocky Point Jewelers a unique place within the
jewelry industry. Anthony has received his graduate gemologist diploma
from the Gemological Institute of America, the highest degree awarded
by this world renowned school for jewelry professionals. He also holds
the title of Certified Gemologist with the American Gem Society, which
is quite a title of distinction as there are only approximately 1500
individuals within the United States and Canada that are members of the
A.G.S., and fewer yet that hold the C.G.. title. In fact, there are
only a handful of certified gemologists on Long Island . In order to
become a Certified Gemologist, one must first be an A.G.I.A. Graduate
Gemologist, and then apply for membership in the A.G.S., where seven
out of ten applicants are turned down. In addition, one must possess
proven gemological knowledge and strong business ethics, these aspects
are assessed in a written test as well as a gemstone identification
test (on which one must receive a perfect score).
What Anthony
enjoys most about the business is seeing happy customers, with smiles
on their faces. For instance, when a couple comes in to buy an
engagement ring, they are full of love and joy. Anthony says that it is
very gratifying to share in those emotions.
Linda Bongiovanni-Mammina
Linda
is one of the partners of the company, and has been with Rocky Point
Jewelers since its inception, along with her brother Anthony Jr. and
her father Anthony Sr. All her children, David, Paul, and Joseph, as
well as her husband, Joseph Sr., have worked alongside her. The
business was formed when Paul and Joseph were young, and as soon as
they were old enough, they began following in their mother's footsteps.
Linda runs the Stony Brook branch of Rocky Point Jewelers and
handles everything that goes on there, ranging from client services to
sales. She handles jewelry, watch, and clock repairs, along with
custom design jewelry requests.
Linda and her husband, Joe,
are quite active in their local parish, St. Louis DeMontfort R.C.
Church in Sound Beach , where she is a Eucharistic Minister.
She
says what she enjoys most about the job is the friends she has made
along the way, as she has continually "developed a nice report with
customers." She also takes pleasure in the fact that it is a family
business, and looks forward to the possibility of having grandchildren
one day work at Rocky Point Jewelers.
Ann-Maria Bongiovanni-LaBella
Ann-Maria
has been involved with Rocky Point Jewelers for twenty-five years. She
is the daughter of founder Anthony Sr. She started working after she
graduated high school.
Known to many as "Ria," she handles the
duties of the storefront along with back-room work. When working
behind the scenes, she deals with engravings, pearl stringings, and
procurement of rare and exotic gemstones, along with customer repair
work. She also handles most of the buying.
Ria likes her
position as primary buyer for Rocky Point Jewelers, as it requires her
staying on top of current trends. In doing most of the picking and
choosing, she is able to find things that are really one-of-a-kind. She
also assists customers wishing to redesign their old, out of date,
jewelry styles. She says she enjoys this because it allows her to
"create new jewelry out of something old."
Despite her skill
working with the jewelry, it is really dealing with customers that Ria
loves about her job. She says she would rather be out in the store, and
likes to think of herself as a people person. "Jewelry is a very
personal thing," Ria says. People buy jewelry for happy occasions,
like anniversaries and birthdays, and refers to her job as "selling
emotion."
Barbara Michele
Barbara Michele has been working with jewelry for 23 years, and
specifically with Rocky Point Jewelers for 14 years. She initially
became involved with jewelry as she used to design her own jewelry. She
"finds it interesting to sell and work with people." She wound up with
Rocky Point Jewelers after a recommendation from a friend. Barbara says
she chose them because she found them to be "honest, loyal, and
sincere," and that they have "the finest designs and best jewelry
prices."
When Barbara designed her own jewelry, it was for
herself, but she says that she now takes a lot of that learning and
applies it to the knowledge she uses today. She works with diamonds,
rare and exotic colored gemstones, pearls, and does some of the
ordering. One of her talents is her ability to envision a final product
that she will sell when working with jewelry. She also heads up the
fine giftware department.
In all her years at Rocky Point,
Barbara has only taken one sick day. She loves her job, and her
favorite aspect is "letting people be happy," and feels that selling
jewelry really allows you to be "part of the future." She likes
working with people, she is good at letting buyers know what's new, and
tries her hardest to include her client's input when they are buying
pieces. Barbara particularly likes selling Lazare-Kaplan ideal cut
diamonds, which are especially precious, as each one has its own serial
number, and is cut to a precise mathematical formula to achieve optimum
brilliance. She says, "It's nice to know that you are selling something
of unique value."
David Mammina
David
has worked at Rocky Point Jewelers for the past five years, however, he
is not new to the family business. His mother is one of the partners in
the business, which was formed a year before David was born. David
literally grew up around jewelry.
David handles watch repairs,
as well as a lot of odds and ends jobs around the store. He deals with
things that are "very hands on," most of which he learned from his
Uncle Anthony, and his two brothers, Joseph and Paul, all accomplished
bench jewelers. One of his greatest skills is his ability to get
things done as quickly as possible. While he works primarily with
repairs, he occasionally works in the storefront during busy times of
the year, like Christmas, or when the store gets backed up. David also
keeps our six computers operating and handles inventory control.
What
David enjoys most about the job is the fact that it's a family
business. He says it's fun and entertaining to work with family. "We
have a good time together."
Tara Jansen
A
2004 graduate of Sachem High School, Tara brings her fashion flair to
our Stony Brook location, where she assists our customers in choosing
the perfect special-occasion gifts.
Tara has a special talent
for knowing what looks good on people. "I love to work with our Stony
Brook customers and I like to give my input," she says.
Tara has been with Rocky Point Jewelers for three years, and previously worked for a bridal retailer.
A
resident of Shirley for the past 13 years, Tara has a sister who is 11
and a brother who is 4. "It's almost like they're my kids," she jokes.
Robin Cohen
A
resident of Shoreham for 12 years, Robin joined the Rocky Point
Jewelers team in September of 2007. Always of connoisseur of fine
jewelry and watches, Robin is pleased to be able to assist
her customers in finding the perfect gift for all their special
occasions and family milestones.
"I love this job because people
usually come into the store to celebrate happy occasions," says Robin.
"I particularly like to work with young couples on their bridal
jewelry. It's romantic, emotional and exciting to see these new couples
starting their life's journey wearing engagement rings and wedding
bands from Rocky Point Jewelers."
Before joining Rocky Point
Jewelers, Robin assisted her husband, Howard, in running their family
business, HSC Communications, which provides marketing services for
retail jewelers.
Robin is the mother of three children, Nicole
(19), Max (17) and Brianna (7). She is active in the community and
enjoys working out at a local gym with her close friends.
Linda Friedman
Ron Watkins
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