General Info

Bartelsmeyer Jewelry, Incorporated is a family-owned, independent jewelry store whose history begins in the early 1900's. After the great flood of 1915, Mr. Wiles from F. Wiles Jewelry moved from Market Street,Fort Scott National Historic District, to 14 East Wall Street. In the 1920's, Ova Newberry began working for Mr. Wiles. He later purchased the store, and then changed the name to Newberry Jewelry. In 1941, M. H. Bartelsmeyer (a boyhood friend of Mr. Newberry) from St. Louis, MO began working with Ova Newberry as a watchmaker. After Mr. Newberry's death in 1963, M. H. Bartelsmeyer purchased the store from Mr. Newberry's widow and changed the name of the store to Bartelsmeyer Jewelry. Other family members working at the store were M. H.'s wife, Jane Bartelsmeyer and son, John Bartelsmeyer. While M. H. concentrated on railroad watch maintenance and general watch repair, John's specialty became jewelry repair and diamond setting. John Bartelsmeyer, the current owner, purchased the store from his father in 1991. In 2005, John and his wife, Cindy, built a new freestanding jewelry store located at 1519 S. National Avenue. The new store opened in January 2006. John and Cindy have built the business and gained a reputation in southeast Kansas for honesty and integrity by meeting the many needs of their customers. Bartelsmeyer Jewelry specializes in engagement ring sales and in custom designs as well as repair and restoration of all types of jewelry. John has 44 years experience as both a bench jeweler and a retail salesman. He is a past board member of the Kansas Jewelers Association. John is also a member of Jewelers of America and Retail Jewelers Organization.