Holtzclaw's Jewelry

John and Darlene established Holtzclaw's Jewelry Store at this location in May 1954 on a site that had previously been a coal yard and later a barber shop and beauty salon. The business offered services ranging from expert watch repair and hand engraving to the sale of fine china and silverware. John's jewelry designs gained international recognition, including 1967 honors from DeBeers for the original and influential use of diamonds in jewelry design. He also collaborated on industrial projects with the Gemological Institute of America and with Lazare Kaplan & Sons of New York, helping develop specialized equipment for evaluating GIA-graded diamonds, contributing to the early development of diamond-edged surgical instruments, and fabricating special diamond windows for NASA's 1978 Venus Night Probe. These technical accomplishments and the store's success depended on Darlene's tireless management of daily operations, aided by local high school and college students known as the Holtzclaw Girls, and by her exceptional devotion to customers through services such as complimentary gift wrapping with handmade satin roses and polishing patrons' silverware. An electrical fire destroyed the jewelry store and manufacturing plant in March 1987, and although the business reopened at a new location, John and Darlene retired it in 1990 after 36 years of service to Alva and Woods County.

Alva, Oklahoma · United States