The owners of House of Jewels, husband and wife duo, Leonard and Sofia Shpigel moved from the former Soviet Union with their son Alex in 1979 to build their new life in sunny San Diego and pursue the American dream. Sofia has her PhD from a prominent conservatory in Russia and Leonard was a mechanical engineer. Prior to leaving Russia, Leonard took up an internship as a jeweler and dedicated himself night and day on his new trade.

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  Upon arriving to San Diego, Leonard continued his apprenticeship with a local master jeweler to study jewelry design, manufacturing and repair.  In the mean time, Sofia started her career as a music professor and musician. She continued her career for 20 years teaching at the United States International University and USD.

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  The first idea of opening a jewelry store came in 1985 and they opened the doors to their first store in Birdrock, San Diego. In 1991 they moved locations to the current spot in Pacific Beach.

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  After serving the community of Pacific Beach for over 25 years, many of the clients have become close friends. Because of the great service and work, customers keep coming back for many years. Those that started with young kids of their own are now sending them in for wedding and engagement rings so the store has the pleasure of serving several generations. House of Jewels is run with a warm atmosphere and home feel. Often you will see people just popping in to say hi and don’t be surprised if you see a neighbor, a friend or make a friend.