Longtime jeweler to close shop after 33 years in Old Sacramento. ‘A good legacy’
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- Howard Skalet to close Skalet Family Jewelers after 33 years in Old Sacramento.
- Business shifted to estate and preowned jewelry after the Great Recession.
- Skalet retires at 61; building likely to be leased by another local jeweler.
After decades of business in Old Sacramento, a longtime local jeweler is retiring and closing up shop.
Howard Skalet, a fourth-generation jeweler, said Skalet Family Jewelers has occupied the corner of J and Front streets for 33 years.
Skalet’s great-grandfather and grandfather were jewelers, and his parents ran a store in Tahoe City in the early 1970s. In 1975 they opened another in Birdcage Walk, the former shopping center in Citrus Heights, before moving to Old Sacramento.
Growing up, Skalet worked for other jewelers in town for free, to learn the trade. Over the years, he’s sold his wares to mayors and state treasurers — though he declined to name names
“I’ve helped the trembling young person with an engagement ring, who’s about to pass out because they’re not sure if they’re doing the right thing. And I’ve held people when they cry when they’ve lost a partner, and they want their ring made into a necklace,” Skalet said Wednesday, as he helped customers and thanked well-wishers stopping by his storefront.
How the business changed
Though the store has been a stalwart of Old Sacramento for 33 years, the business has changed. During the Great Recession, for instance, Skalet began buying previously owned jewelry for the first time.
“People were coming in to sell jewelry, not to buy it, and I didn’t know what to do,” Skalet said. “I’m like, ‘I don’t have money to buy stuff.’ Then I just learned.”
He came to understand that customers loved vintage pieces. Sales of estate and other previously-owned jewelry became one of the strongest parts of the business.
During the pandemic, Skalet scaled back to five days a week, from seven, and found the business ran far more efficiently.
“Each test, we came out a little bit stronger,” Skalet said. “The benefit of a family, smaller business is we can pivot.”
What’s next
The building won’t likely be vacant long, he said. Another jeweler — “a well-known, respected local” — is already looking at leasing it from California State Parks, which owns the real estate.
Skalet, who is 61, said he plans to turn his attention to “living life on a full-time basis.”
“It’s just the right time,” Skalet said. “The last five years have been great. It feels like we’re going out on top, and retiring with really good karma, and a good legacy.”
This story was originally published December 31, 2025 at 2:00 PM.
