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Step Inside JR Dunn Jewelers’ Giant New Store
The Florida independent expanded its store from 8,000 to 14,000 square feet, fulfilling the vision of its late co-founder, Jim Dunn.
On Nov. 20, J.R. Dunn Jewelers held the official grand opening for its recently renovated and expanded store. An independent jeweler that has been in business for more than 50 years, J.R. Dunn Jewelers is in Lighthouse Point, Florida, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. (Photo courtesy of J.R. Dunn Jewelers)
Lighthouse Point, Fla.— J.R. Dunn Jewelers recently celebrated the grand opening of its renovated and expanded flagship store, a store the Dunn family says is a tribute to its patriarch, the late Jim Dunn.
The new store is nearly 14,000 square feet, making it the largest independent jewelry store in South Florida and one of the largest in the country, the retailer said.
“This new showroom celebrates the past while embracing the future of our company and community,” said second-generation jeweler Sean Dunn, who recently was promoted to company president.
“We built this space to honor my parents, to serve our clients at the highest level, and to carry forward the dream my father started.”
Jim and his wife, Ann Marie Dunn (née Pelliccia), opened their first jewelry store in a small house in Hanover, Massachusetts, in 1969, spending their life savings—$10,000—to do so.
They called it the House of Gems.
When the store outgrew that space, Jim and Ann Marie moved it into a mall in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, and renamed it J.R. Dunn Jewelers.
In 1978, the couple relocated to Florida and opened a small, by-appointment-only jewelry boutique.
The business outgrew its space again, and the family purchased an 8,000-square-foot building on Federal Highway for their store.
This latest upgrade gives J.R. Dunn Jewelers nearly 6,000 additional square feet of space and includes a renovated bridal salon with floor-to-ceiling windows, new spaces for Rolex, its sister brand Tudor, and Breitling, and an area the retailer is calling its “Heritage Lounge.”
The new store is nearly 14,000 square feet, making it the largest independent jewelry store in South Florida and one of the largest in the country, the retailer said.
“This new showroom celebrates the past while embracing the future of our company and community,” said second-generation jeweler Sean Dunn, who recently was promoted to company president.
“We built this space to honor my parents, to serve our clients at the highest level, and to carry forward the dream my father started.”
Jim and his wife, Ann Marie Dunn (née Pelliccia), opened their first jewelry store in a small house in Hanover, Massachusetts, in 1969, spending their life savings—$10,000—to do so.
They called it the House of Gems.
When the store outgrew that space, Jim and Ann Marie moved it into a mall in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, and renamed it J.R. Dunn Jewelers.
In 1978, the couple relocated to Florida and opened a small, by-appointment-only jewelry boutique.
The business outgrew its space again, and the family purchased an 8,000-square-foot building on Federal Highway for their store.
This latest upgrade gives J.R. Dunn Jewelers nearly 6,000 additional square feet of space and includes a renovated bridal salon with floor-to-ceiling windows, new spaces for Rolex, its sister brand Tudor, and Breitling, and an area the retailer is calling its “Heritage Lounge.”
J.R. Dunn Jewelers co-owner and president Sean Dunn and his mother, company co-founder and co-owner Ann Marie Dunn (seated), were front and center for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony. (Photo courtesy of JR Dunn Jewelers)
The new J.R. Dunn Jewelers is more than 14,000 square feet. (Photo courtesy of JR Dunn Jewelers)
Among the new features highlighted by the company is the bridal area, which features floor-to-ceiling windows (not visible in this shot) that allow customers to see how their diamonds look in natural light. (Photo courtesy of JR Dunn Jewelers)
Another feature of the new store is the “Heritage Lounge,” an area where customers can relax and see memorabilia from the early days of the business. (Photo courtesy of JR Dunn Jewelers)
The store’s new Breitling boutique includes a full bar. (Photo courtesy of JR Dunn Jewelers)
The new Rolex area includes a window (not pictured) that allows customers to see inside the store’s on-site watch workshop. (Photo courtesy of JR Dunn Jewelers)
When Jim and Ann Marie Dunn first opened their jewelry store in 1969, they had a burglary that almost put them out of business. More than 50 years later, J.R. Dunn Jewelers experienced a middle-of-the-night smash-and-grab attempt just days before the new flagship opened, but they persevered. (Photo courtesy of JR Dunn Jewelers)
The lounge has memorabilia from the early days of the business, including the original House of Gems sign.
There is also a custom design atelier headed by Ann Marie’s brother, award-winning designer Robert Pelliccia.
J.R. Dunn Jewelers said the new showroom fulfills Jim’s vision of what the retailer could be but, sadly, did not live to see.
Jim died in 2021 at age 78 following a brief illness.
"This showroom is a tribute to Jim,” Ann Marie said.
“It reflects his spirit, warm and welcoming, built on integrity, and [is] the culmination of the hard work he and I put in together to build J.R. Dunn Jewelers."
J.R. Dunn Jewelers is one of a handful of independent jewelers that have opened big, beautiful new stores in 2025.
Over the summer, Korman in Austin, Texas, opened a new store that is double the size of its former location, while another family-owned Texas jeweler, Zadok Jewelers, expanded into Austin with the opening of an 11,000-square-foot store.
In May, Eiseman Jewels renovated and expanded its space in the NorthPark Center mall in Dallas and last month, Seattle’s Green Lake Jewelry Works upgraded from a 7,500-square-foot location to a store that is more than 12,000 square feet.
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