Carter's Jewel Chest is celebrating 50 years of business in Mountain Home with a storewide sale that offers discounts ranging from 10% to 60% on fine jewelry, engagement rings, estate pieces, watches, and gifts. Known as the 50th Anniversary Golden Opportunity Sale, the event runs through Saturday, August 15. The store is also providing 36 months of interest-free financing for qualifying customers.
The journey to this milestone began with Beth Carter’s early jewelry career. Carter worked at Horton’s Jewelry in downtown Mountain Home while still in high school. Though she attended college briefly, she ultimately found her passion in trade school, attending Gem City College in Quincy, Illinois, to study watchmaking and jewelry craftsmanship. There, she met her future husband, T.C. Carter, who shared her professional focus. They married in Mountain Home in 1974 and launched The Jewel Chest two years later at Harp’s Shopping Center, each just 21 years old at the time.
“We had both gone through jewelry school for watchmaking, jewelry design, jewelry repair, [and] hand engraving,” Beth Carter said in an earlier interview. “So between the two of us, we had all the qualifications you needed to get going.”
In the early years, T.C. Carter focused on watch and jewelry repair, work that secured the financial footing of the business while Beth Carter managed sales, purchasing, and accounting. By 1978, The Jewel Chest had joined the American Gem Society, a significant industry designation. Over time, the store expanded, moving to its current location in 1985 when the Carters purchased the Town East Center, pursuing a vision to offer a range of goods comparable to a department store.
The store adopted the name Carter’s Jewel Chest in 1994. A year later, the Carters began traveling to Antwerp, Belgium, to buy diamonds directly, a practice that remains a cornerstone of their operations. In 2005, the store added the Hearts On Fire collection to its inventory, followed by other brands including De Beers Forevermark, Gabriel & Co., Le Vian, and John Hardy, which had initially hesitated to sell to the Mountain Home market.
Technology became central to the next generation of the Carter family’s involvement in the business. Chris Carter, the founders’ son, gained interest in high school after the store acquired its first computer engraver. After completing gemology education with his wife Nicole at the Gemological Institute of America, Chris brought CAD design and CNC milling capabilities to the store, enabling in-house jewelry design and manufacturing.
The store has also undergone physical expansions, including a remodel in 2018 that introduced a larger showroom, a hospitality bar, a children's playroom, and an electric vehicle charging station. In 2020, INSTORE magazine named Carter’s Jewel Chest one of America’s coolest jewelry stores.
Now with a strong focus on customer service and community support, Carter’s Jewel Chest organizes annual charity efforts, including events like the Red, White and Blue Festival, Carat Cake for Christmas Wish, and Into the Light.
Carter’s Jewel Chest is located at 860 Highway 62 East in Mountain Home. Customers can reach the store by calling 870-425-7070.