Jeweler family celebrating four ‘Luckey’ generations

For nearly three generations since 1955, Luckey’s Jewelers has operated as a certified jewelry shop in downtown Houma.

But the family got its start in jewelry much earlier. Grandfather Fred Weaks ran an out-of-state jewelry shop called OK Jewelers in the early 1900s. He eventually handed down his love for the business to son Luckey Weaks.

While serving in the U.S. Air Force, Luckey made watches for his battalion and worked on all the instruments for his battalion’s aircraft during World War II.

In 1955, Luckey and his wife, Rose Marie, opened their own shop – Luckey’s Jewelers – inside Houma’s Bijou Theatre (now the Whitney Bank building on Main and St. Charles streets).

This was the home of the family jewelry store for 20 years, until the business moved down the block to 7815 Main St.

Along with changing locations, after Luckey’s death in 1985, the store changed ownership from Rose Marie Weaks to son Spencer and his wife Juanita.

Another father-to-son exchange is in the works; Spencer intends to one day hand the store keys over to son Taylor, continuing the family tradition.

Like his father, fourth-generation jeweler Taylor is looking forward to taking the helm from his father.

“I wanted to learn something that no one else my age was learning. I’ve been around jewelry-making all my life and I know that one day I am going to take my dad’s place,” Taylor said.

Taylor is a junior at Vandebilt Catholic High School. During his summer break, his father wanted him to learn how to be a certified jeweler rather than bag groceries.

“He’s been in a well-trained atmosphere for years, so he went in and took challenging courses and became a certified goldsmith, chain repairer and stone setter,” Spencer said.

Admittedly, Spencer Weaks’ venture into the jewelry business included a brief detour: he started out in pharmaceutical school. “I went to pharmacy school but decided that wasn’t what I wanted to do,” he said. “Then I went to jeweler school and got my certification. I worked hand in hand with my dad until he passed away in 1985.”

After his father’s passing, Spencer continued to work alongside his mother until he bought her share of the business. His mother Rose Marie wasn’t an actual jeweler. She served as the bookkeeper and helped with sales.

“She may not have been a jeweler, but she definitely knew it after being around it for so many years,” Spencer said.

This can also be said of Spencer’s wife Juanita. For years she was a nurse, but decided to go to school to become a certified jeweler because her husband needed help at the store.

Juanita is also a standard gemologist, specializing in genuine stones and diamonds.

“We are well-rounded, but I have to take my hat off to my wife because she has really added a classy touch to our products by promoting the genuine stones,” he said.

Luckey’s Jewelers has nearly 65 different colored stones available.

“Most jewelers use sapphires and tanzanites. We have gone into orange garnets and green and pink tourmalines,” Spencer said.

And jewelry can be custom-made at the shop. “Anything is easy, if you know what you’re doing,” he said. “If a customer sees a picture online, in a magazine, book or even has a costume piece of jewelry that they want made into a real piece, we can bring it to life for them.”

Juanita sometimes goes out on a limb when designing pieces for the store showcase. “I make what I like and then if someone else likes it too, we sell it,” she said. “I like trendy and fashionable jewelry. I don’t like to stick to the traditional pieces.”

Spencer attributes that willingness to expand to meet customers’ needs and staying ahead of the curve to Luckey’s longevity. The shop’s never really had a low point, according to Weaks. Not even when the oilfield industry crashed in 1985.

Every year, Luckey’s Jewelers has seen an increase in sales, Spencer said.

Having licensed bench jewelers on staff is a major asset, too.

“Most of the other jewelry stores in the area are not hands-on jewelers. They just shop for the different collections and sell them. They don’t have any formal training. They can’t answer the mythologies of jewelry-making,” he said.

Before a customer buys a piece of jewelry, Spencer said he educates them on diamond quality, clarity and cut.

“I want them to know just as much about the piece they are buying as I do.”

Two of the most popular jewelry-buying holidays are Christmas and Valentine’s Day, when customers buy general jewelry items and engagement rings.

“You see a lot of people getting engaged during (the holidays). Men and women are coming in, looking at engagement rings to purchase,” he said. “Or they are coming in just to buy something nice for a loved one.”

Luckey’s Jewelers will soon expand into West Houma on Bayou Gardens Boulevard, while still keeping the present location open, of course.

“We are bursting at the seams here. We need a bigger building to do more repairs and display more jewelry,” Spencer said. “But we cannot do away with this shop because it’s part of our legacy.”

Certified bench jeweler Spencer Weaks, the current owner of Luckey’s Jewelers, and his son Taylor, who is in the process of becoming a certified manufacturing bench jeweler, are pictured. Spencer’s father, Luckey Weaks, started the Houma family business in 1955. * Photo by SOPHIA RUFFIN