It all started in 1943 when my grandfather, Joseph A. Cirelli Sr., married my grandmother, Mary Anne Gabriel. In 1945, they moved to Youngstown, Ohio - a then robust steel industry town, directly between Cleveland and Pittsburgh to start a family.
They gave the world seven beautiful children, five girls (Denise, Laraine, Linda, Sandi and my mother Mariellen) along with two boys (Joseph Jr. and Leonard).
After serving in the Army during World War II, and thanks to the establishment of the G.I. Bill, Joseph Sr. became certified as a master watchmaker with additional training in jewelry manufacturing and repair. He returned home to Youngstown, and began to practice his trade out of their home. His jewelers bench was located in their living room.
As their family continued to grow, Joe & Mary realized they would have better luck cultivating their business with a proper store front. Cirelli Jewelers officially opened on Belmont Avenue in 1947 on the North Side of Youngstown and soon after became the anchor store in the McGuffy Plaza on the East Side of Youngstown.
In 1974, Cirelli & Son Jewelers opened a new location on Market Street in Boardman (where it remains to this day) and their oldest son, Joseph Jr., entered the business with them after graduating with an expertise in jewelry repairs and stone setting. He worked side by side with his father until the unexpected passing of Joesph Sr. in 1979.
Joseph Jr. continued his education and perfecting his art as a master craftsman, while the business kept growing. Amazingly, he was able to accomplish this almost exclusively as a one man operation. It was only during the holidays and busier times of the year my father, Mark Cichanski Sr., would come in to assist with the retail side of things so Joe could focus on bench work. My Father credits my Uncle Joe with teaching him more than he realized or ever imagined during their 20 year working relationship. Unfortunately everyone's time with our beloved Joe was cut short when he passed away in 2001.
My entire family was determined to keep the Cirelli tradition going, but nobody was entirely sure what that looked like or how it would be accomplished. Finally, with the blessing of Joe's wife Kathleen, a new partnership was formed. The store was renamed from Cirelli & Son Jewelers to Cirelli Jewelers. Kathleen and my mother, Mariellen, would keep the store in the Cirelli family, while Mark would oversee the day-to-day operation. A few years later, my parents would assume full control of the business.
Although many things would change, as they do in any business over time, there are several key objectives that will always remain.
First and foremost is offering the best pricing possible to our customers. We like to say that everything is on sale everyday. Unlike other stores that offer coupons on select items during special sales that require waiting in line at 4AM on a holiday, we are proud to give our clients consistent and even pricing across all of our products no matter when they are in the market. We believe this alleviates the "fear of missing out".
Secondly, is to offer the highest level of service from watch battery replacement to ring sizing to diamond resetting and custom design. We aren't here to judge which customer or job is more important than another.
Lastly, we will continue to bring in and support the best brands and designers in the industry as long as they can provide ourselves, and our customers, with ethically sourced metals, diamonds and gemstones as well as maintaining the highest levels of service available.