When Charles Freshman majored in fine arts at Westminster College nobody in his family mentioned that he was expected to become part of the family business, Freshman's Inc., 353 E. 500 South.
After graduation, he knew he couldn't do much with a fine arts degree, and because he had to make a living he started with his father's company. Twenty-three years later he is still with it.This year marks the 100th anniversary for the company, which makes custom jewelry of all kinds, custom gifts, repairs jewelry and sells jewelry-making equipment and supplies. The third-generation company slightly changed direction over the years from watchmaking to jewelry.
To celebrate the anniversary, Freshman and his wife, Claudia, are holding classes on enamel, wire wrapping, geology and the types of stones used in jewelry, casting problems and solutions, bead stringing, understanding diamonds and security issues for jewelers.
Charles is meticulous about keeping records of the company, which began when his grandfather, Jacob Freshman, a native of Lithuania, was trained as a watchmaker in Denmark. (His name actually was Frischmann, but he Americanized it when he came to the United States in 1886.)
Jacob peddled jewelry on horseback in Colorado and New Mexico and with the assets opened a retail jewelry store in Cripple Creek, Colo., in 1895. His son, Abe, was born in 1904 in Cripple Creek.
Jacob moved to Victor, Colo., in 1909 and opened a second store but shortly closed his store in Cripple Creek. A few years later the mines began closing because it became too expensive to pump the water out, and there were lots of accidents.
Jacob moved his family in 1918 and opened a store at 317 S. Main in Salt Lake City.
Charles said his father was used to the wide-open activities in Cripple Creek and Victor and had to leave his dog and horseback riding for life in the city. Abe's personality changed as he spent lots of time in the family business.
When Abe was a member of the art club in high school he volunteered his father to manufacture some pins for club members. Jacob was a watchmaker and didn't know about making jewelry so he told his son that since he made the commitment he could produce the items.
This was Abe's first venture into the jewelry business, and he became so fascinated with it that he started his own wholesale jewelry business in the loft of his father's store. He wanted to use the business as a means of getting an education but eventually he had to spend more time with it and gave up his studies.
In 1945, the Freshmans moved Freshman Jewelry Supply to the David Keith Building at 248 S. Main. Jacob became ill and another son, Mark, left a teaching and music career to keep the family business going. Jacob died in 1947, and Mark continued with the business until the 1950s.
C. & E. Marshall Co., Chicago, purchased the business in 1963. Abe continued as general manager, and the name remained the same. Eventually, Abe wanted to purchase the tools and equipment from Marshall, but they wouldn't sell because of the competition involved.
Charles said his father arranged for several former Freshman employees to purchase the equipment. Abe and his wife, Lillian, wanted to have a business "just to keep busy" so they started again in the David Keith Building.
Charles started full-time with the business in the spring of 1972. On Aug. 26, 1972, fire gutted the David Keith Building, forcing the company into the Judge Building. Abe died in 1983, the name was changed to Freshman's Inc. and in 1985 Charles held a memorial jewelry exhibit, inviting severaljewelers to exhibit their work in memory of his father.
The company, which has 14 employees, moved to its present location in 1988.
In the 100 years of the company's existence, Charles has saved some of the old tools his relatives used in the business. Two of the items, a large screw press and a safe, once left the business but returned within a few days of each other.
The screw press, which weighed several tons, was shipped across the United States by train and used in the Freshman business for many years in making jewelry. It was eventually moved into the David Keith Building, but when a portion of the building was remodeled the press had to go.
The Freshmans sold it to a friend, and Abe went to Intermountain Stamp Co. to use its press. After a few years the owner of Inter-mountain Stamp Co. gave them the press because he knew it meant a lot to the Freshman family.
Jacob purchased the heavy safe in 1895, and it was used in the Victor, Colo., store and then shipped to Salt Lake City by train. It wound up in the David Keith Building but had to be removed during the remodeling, and it was sold to a Main Street business.
When West Hubbard Denn Jewelers closed, the Freshmans got their safe back in the same week as the press. The safe still is being used.
Charles said today's jewelry styles are dictated by technology. They have a huge variety of plastic ring forms, for example, that customers can pick the one they want or have a new one designed. Metal is poured into forms to make the rings.
Not of all of the items produced at Freshman's are jewelry but beautiful and unusual gifts. For example, Freshman and his employees recently completed a sleigh and reindeer from 14-karat gold and platinum that is mounted on a little house. The three-oounce sculpture took dozens of hours to complete.