At Waylon Rhoads Jewelry you will find the owner, Waylon, crafting one of a kind, personal, dream-come-true luxury jewelry. A true artist, Waylon chose to start his own business because, “I no longer wanted my labor and creativity to be owned and controlled by an employer.” For him, creating true heirloom-quality pieces—that are his blood, sweat, and tears—is very gratifying but does have its challenges. “Pricing my work in a way that is congruent with the value I created was, and still is, my biggest challenge, though I have gotten better at paying myself more.” For him, adaptability has been more important than growth.
Waylon understands that trust is earned through communication and action. “It’s better to make a product I can be proud of, than making $10 extra dollars in profit.” He has been in the jewelry industry for over 20 years now and has a global clientele base. “My jewelry has been purchased by people in 13 countries, across four continents, and 43 states in the US.” Loving what he creates and owning his business is very evident. “If you are willing to work 40+ hours a week for someone else, you’ll find working 60 hours a week for yourself much more fulfilling.”
“Always try to make the most expensive products you can. Don’t compete to make anything the cheapest way possible, you will always lose.”
—Waylon Rhoads
Waylon takes pride in his artistry. “I’ve made a ring that sold for $80,000. I’ve sold over $1,000,000 worth of jewelry that have been made with my own two hands, and I have over 800 unique custom jewelry clients.” Additionally, this artist knows that every commodity has a range of values. “Always try to make the most expensive products you can. Don’t compete to make anything the cheapest way possible, you will always lose.”
Waylon Rhoads Jewelry is located at 1205 Vermont St. Suite C
Waylon prefers to meet his clients by appointment – call 217-209-061
His business is open 10:30am – 4pm M-Sat.