A Century of Luxury & Legacy
Honoring the Women Who Helped Build Our Family Legacy
Published: May 10, 2026
The Mothers Behind a Century of Legacy
Mother’s Day always gives me a reason to slow down and reflect.
As we celebrate a century of legacy and luxury at David Douglas Diamonds, I think about the men in our family who built the business, worked at the bench, met with customers, and carried the responsibility of keeping things going. But the more I look back, the more I realize this story is not just about the men.
It is also about the mothers, grandmothers, wives, and women behind them.
These are the women who raised children, prepared meals, gave encouragement, taught lessons, stood by their husbands, carried families through difficult seasons, and helped make it possible for a business to survive and grow from one generation to the next.
This time of year is especially meaningful at our store because we are right in the middle of Dazzling Diamonds for Mom. We have received the letters, judged them, announced the winners, and presented diamonds to some very deserving mothers. Now, children are coming into the store to pick up their gemstones and diamonds.
It has been a busy season, but it has also been a joyful one.
There is something special about reading the words of children as they describe their moms. They may not always have the perfect grammar or know exactly how to say what they feel, but their love comes through loud and clear. Those letters remind us that a mother’s impact is often felt in the ordinary moments that children remember for the rest of their lives.
When I think about the mothers in my own life, I think first about my grandmothers.
My Grandma Meadows was a sweet little woman who always made us feel welcome. We would go to her home in Detroit for holidays like Easter and Christmas, and there was always good food and good memories waiting for us. Later, she and my aunt moved out to Fowlerville, surrounded by cornfields and open country. It seemed like a long trip from the city, but we always enjoyed going out there to see them.
One of my favorite memories was a road trip I took with my grandmother and aunt when I was ten years old. We drove from Michigan all the way down to Florida to visit my aunt and uncle and celebrate the birth of a new baby in the family. That little girl was named after my grandmother, Julia. I still remember the trip, the time together, and how meaningful it was to be part of that family moment.
Then there was my Grandma Fur on my mother’s side. She was different from Grandma Meadows, but she was just as special. Whenever you went to her house, she wanted to give you something. Most of the time it was food. She had things dated and organized, and she wanted to make sure nobody left empty handed.
Both of my grandmothers lived long lives, and I am thankful for the memories I had with them. I did not get to see them as often as I might have liked, but the time I did spend with them mattered.
My mother also played a big role in shaping who I became.
I lost my mom to cancer when she was only fifty eight years old. I was thirty two at the time. Losing a parent is never easy, and there are moments when you wish you could go back and ask more questions or hear their voice one more time.
But I look back on my childhood with gratitude. My mom and dad did the best they could to raise us, feed us, care for us, and give us a good life. I would not change it.
One lesson from my mother has stayed with me all these years. I was home from school during the summer, probably in high school, and my dad came home for lunch. He asked me to come back to work with him because he needed some help. I did not feel like going, so I told him no.
After my dad left, my mom made sure I understood that was not the right answer.
She told me that when my father asked me to go to work, I went to work. I never forgot that. I also never said no again.
That was a small moment, but it reinforced something important in me. Work matters. Showing up matters. Helping your family matters. Those lessons are often passed down in simple conversations that may not seem important at the time.
I am also grateful for my mother-in-law. After my mom passed away, she became an important part of my life and has cared for me in many ways. Today, she lives next door to us and is still doing well at ninety-three years old.
Our children adore her. My daughter goes over to see her almost every day, and I know they will appreciate those moments more and more as they grow older.
For years, my mother-in-law was known for her fried chicken. The kids loved it so much that Joseph, who helps us at the store, made her a big cutting board with an engraving that gave her the title of Best Fried Chicken. It was a sweet gift and a reminder of how food, family, and memories all have a way of becoming tied together.
These days, Grandma has decided that she is done making fried chicken. She has earned the right to retire from that job. But the memories of those meals will stay with the family for a long time.
Of course, I cannot talk about mothers without talking about my wife.
Becoming a mother was something she deeply wanted, and our journey to have children was not an easy one. We went through testing, procedures, years of waiting, and eventually began exploring adoption. That was an emotional journey with many highs and lows.
Then one day, we received a call about a newborn baby boy in Mexico.
We flew to Texas, met up with a missionary friend, and traveled down to Tampico and then into Mexico. There, we picked up our three-day old son, Drew.
I will never forget the look on my wife’s face. She was glowing. She was so excited to finally have a baby in her arms.
We brought Drew home, and I remember feeding him in the middle of the night, rocking him to sleep, and realizing that life had changed. I had my little boy.
Four months later, my wife took me out to lunch and told me she was pregnant. We were so thankful. Over time, our family grew to five children.
Watching my wife raise those children has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. She was made to be a mom. She loved it then, and she still loves it now as a grandmother.
There were difficult seasons as I worked to build and grow the business. There were financial pressures, long hours, and commitments that often pulled me in different directions. Through it all, she helped raise our children, care for our home, and do what needed to be done.
And now, we have a new mother to add to that list.
Ragan, Joseph’s wife, became a mom a year and a half ago when they had their first baby, Hayes. So now I’m a grandpa, and that has opened up a whole new chapter for our family.
My wife is absolutely ecstatic. She gets to take care of Hayes twice a week, and I can see the joy it brings her. After all those years of pouring herself into our children, now she gets to love on a grandchild in that special way only a grandmother can.
And who knows? Maybe Hayes is a glimpse of the fifth generation. I don’t know what the Lord has planned for him, but it sure is sweet to watch another generation begin.
When I think about a century of family legacy, moments like this remind me that legacy is not only something we look back on. It is something still being written.
That is why, when I look back over one hundred years of family jewelry history, I see much more than a business story.
I see the women who stood beside the men.
I see the mothers who taught their children how to work.
I see the grandmothers who made homes feel warm.
I see the wives who carried responsibilities that often went unseen.
I see the women who loved, sacrificed, encouraged, and held families together.
A century of legacy is never built by one person. It takes generations. It takes faith, hard work, perseverance, and a lot of people doing their part.
This Mother’s Day, I am thankful for the mothers, grandmothers, wives, and caregivers who have made a difference in my life and in the life of our family business.
Their love is part of the legacy.
And it is a legacy worth celebrating.
Mother’s Day always gives me a reason to slow down and reflect.
As we celebrate a century of legacy and luxury at David Douglas Diamonds, I think about the men in our family who built the business, worked at the bench, met with customers, and carried the responsibility of keeping things going. But the more I look back, the more I realize this story is not just about the men.
It is also about the mothers, grandmothers, wives, and women behind them.
These are the women who raised children, prepared meals, gave encouragement, taught lessons, stood by their husbands, carried families through difficult seasons, and helped make it possible for a business to survive and grow from one generation to the next.
This time of year is especially meaningful at our store because we are right in the middle of Dazzling Diamonds for Mom. We have received the letters, judged them, announced the winners, and presented diamonds to some very deserving mothers. Now, children are coming into the store to pick up their gemstones and diamonds.
It has been a busy season, but it has also been a joyful one.
There is something special about reading the words of children as they describe their moms. They may not always have the perfect grammar or know exactly how to say what they feel, but their love comes through loud and clear. Those letters remind us that a mother’s impact is often felt in the ordinary moments that children remember for the rest of their lives.
When I think about the mothers in my own life, I think first about my grandmothers.
My Grandma Meadows was a sweet little woman who always made us feel welcome. We would go to her home in Detroit for holidays like Easter and Christmas, and there was always good food and good memories waiting for us. Later, she and my aunt moved out to Fowlerville, surrounded by cornfields and open country. It seemed like a long trip from the city, but we always enjoyed going out there to see them.
One of my favorite memories was a road trip I took with my grandmother and aunt when I was ten years old. We drove from Michigan all the way down to Florida to visit my aunt and uncle and celebrate the birth of a new baby in the family. That little girl was named after my grandmother, Julia. I still remember the trip, the time together, and how meaningful it was to be part of that family moment.
Then there was my Grandma Fur on my mother’s side. She was different from Grandma Meadows, but she was just as special. Whenever you went to her house, she wanted to give you something. Most of the time it was food. She had things dated and organized, and she wanted to make sure nobody left empty handed.
Both of my grandmothers lived long lives, and I am thankful for the memories I had with them. I did not get to see them as often as I might have liked, but the time I did spend with them mattered.
My mother also played a big role in shaping who I became.
I lost my mom to cancer when she was only fifty eight years old. I was thirty two at the time. Losing a parent is never easy, and there are moments when you wish you could go back and ask more questions or hear their voice one more time.
But I look back on my childhood with gratitude. My mom and dad did the best they could to raise us, feed us, care for us, and give us a good life. I would not change it.
One lesson from my mother has stayed with me all these years. I was home from school during the summer, probably in high school, and my dad came home for lunch. He asked me to come back to work with him because he needed some help. I did not feel like going, so I told him no.
After my dad left, my mom made sure I understood that was not the right answer.
She told me that when my father asked me to go to work, I went to work. I never forgot that. I also never said no again.
That was a small moment, but it reinforced something important in me. Work matters. Showing up matters. Helping your family matters. Those lessons are often passed down in simple conversations that may not seem important at the time.
I am also grateful for my mother-in-law. After my mom passed away, she became an important part of my life and has cared for me in many ways. Today, she lives next door to us and is still doing well at ninety-three years old.
Our children adore her. My daughter goes over to see her almost every day, and I know they will appreciate those moments more and more as they grow older.
For years, my mother-in-law was known for her fried chicken. The kids loved it so much that Joseph, who helps us at the store, made her a big cutting board with an engraving that gave her the title of Best Fried Chicken. It was a sweet gift and a reminder of how food, family, and memories all have a way of becoming tied together.
These days, Grandma has decided that she is done making fried chicken. She has earned the right to retire from that job. But the memories of those meals will stay with the family for a long time.
Of course, I cannot talk about mothers without talking about my wife.
Becoming a mother was something she deeply wanted, and our journey to have children was not an easy one. We went through testing, procedures, years of waiting, and eventually began exploring adoption. That was an emotional journey with many highs and lows.
Then one day, we received a call about a newborn baby boy in Mexico.
We flew to Texas, met up with a missionary friend, and traveled down to Tampico and then into Mexico. There, we picked up our three-day old son, Drew.
I will never forget the look on my wife’s face. She was glowing. She was so excited to finally have a baby in her arms.
We brought Drew home, and I remember feeding him in the middle of the night, rocking him to sleep, and realizing that life had changed. I had my little boy.
Four months later, my wife took me out to lunch and told me she was pregnant. We were so thankful. Over time, our family grew to five children.
Watching my wife raise those children has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. She was made to be a mom. She loved it then, and she still loves it now as a grandmother.
There were difficult seasons as I worked to build and grow the business. There were financial pressures, long hours, and commitments that often pulled me in different directions. Through it all, she helped raise our children, care for our home, and do what needed to be done.
And now, we have a new mother to add to that list.
Ragan, Joseph’s wife, became a mom a year and a half ago when they had their first baby, Hayes. So now I’m a grandpa, and that has opened up a whole new chapter for our family.
My wife is absolutely ecstatic. She gets to take care of Hayes twice a week, and I can see the joy it brings her. After all those years of pouring herself into our children, now she gets to love on a grandchild in that special way only a grandmother can.
And who knows? Maybe Hayes is a glimpse of the fifth generation. I don’t know what the Lord has planned for him, but it sure is sweet to watch another generation begin.
When I think about a century of family legacy, moments like this remind me that legacy is not only something we look back on. It is something still being written.
That is why, when I look back over one hundred years of family jewelry history, I see much more than a business story.
I see the women who stood beside the men.
I see the mothers who taught their children how to work.
I see the grandmothers who made homes feel warm.
I see the wives who carried responsibilities that often went unseen.
I see the women who loved, sacrificed, encouraged, and held families together.
A century of legacy is never built by one person. It takes generations. It takes faith, hard work, perseverance, and a lot of people doing their part.
This Mother’s Day, I am thankful for the mothers, grandmothers, wives, and caregivers who have made a difference in my life and in the life of our family business.
Their love is part of the legacy.
And it is a legacy worth celebrating.