Kohl’s Diamond Gallery
By Alexander Germanis
Spring breathes life into more than just nature. From the celebration of Valentine’s Day, to walks in the park in May and weddings in early June, spring breathes new life into love. Love is a unique emotion. It often takes a long time to truly develop, but once it does, it can reach a strength so powerful it will withstand any onslaught. It becomes an everlasting emotion.
It is only fitting a symbol of love—the diamond—takes eons to form and to perfect its own strength. Once it does, it is a beauty that can last forever, mirroring the indestructible power of one person’s love for another.
For the past 15 years, Kohl’s Diamond Gallery (KDG) has been Galesburg’s place to go to discover these everlasting symbols of love as well as myriad other gems and precious metals in countless settings. Opened in 2005 by Jeff and Lori Kohl, its first location stood on North Seminary Street before moving to the south end of Seminary in 2008 where they operated until 2017.
Now located at 370 East Simmons Street, they currently feature a 3000 square-foot showroom and a custom, in-house repair shop. Jeff and Lori’s son, Ryan, joined the family business in 2008, after graduating from the New Age Jewelry Academy. Since Ryan’s inclusion, KDG has been able to offer those in-house repairs and their latest move to Simmons Street means Ryan can now perform the repairs in the showroom, where he can interact directly with the customers.
Jeff and Ryan are happy to sit down with any customer who might be looking for that special, unique piece of jewelry in order to give it to that special, unique person in their life. “Bringing the customer’s ideas to life,” as Jeff puts it, is the purpose for which KDG exists.
For some, that idea or dream may be answerable with a tour of the showroom. But for a one-of-a-kind love, often only a one-of-a-kind work of jeweler’s art will be the right fit. KDG will engrave a new or old piece, re-set an old stone, or design and create something entirely new. Every person, every couple, and every love is unique; the symbol of that love should match it.
Most importantly, true love is eternal. Like the spring, perhaps it simply needs a little new life breathed into it—life infused by a unique piece from Kohl’s Diamond Gallery.
