The 50th anniversary of Eric J. Loch Diamond Jewelers, currently located at 3370 Lehigh St., Allentown, is a celebration of accomplishment and a nod to the importance of maintaining a business’ vitality through flexibility, diligence and commitment.

As stated on the store’s website “ ... in 1972, we started as a raw colored gemstone business serving lapidaries around the world.” Lapidary as defined in Oxford Language means “relating to stone and gems and the work involved in cutting or polishing.”

But the Loch family’s connection to gemstones began much earlier.

Frank Loch periodically rounded up his wife and nine children for a camping vacation. During these excursions, he took the opportunity to pursue his passion for rock collecting, a hobby that would branch into an interest in gemstones.

Eric, the third oldest child, shared his father’s enthusiasm and by the age of 13 possessed the expertise to grade raw gem material.

As their collection grew, the Lochs began to sell to rock shops and other collectors.

In 1972, they established the business with Eric Loch taking a significant role and working the trade shows. As their knowledge deepened so did the Lochs’ business acumen. In a market that operated mainly through mail-orders and trade shows, they were the first to offer a transaction approval policy.

At the time, customers who purchased mail-order gem collecting packets merely paid their money and received the materials. To facilitate customer satisfaction, the Lochs instituted a return policy. If a buyer was not satisfied with his purchase, he had 15 days to return the packet for a refund. This early emphasis on customer satisfaction has remained a constant focus.

By Eric Loch’s junior year in high school, 1974-1975, the Lochs were providing collectors with a variety of lapidary services and dealing with foreign suppliers. At this juncture, Frank Loch determined meeting the suppliers face-to-face would be advantageous. Consequently, he and Eric traveled to Africa.

In Eric Loch’s words, the trip proved to be “an eye-opener.”

As well as gaining firsthand knowledge of all aspects of gem production, he became acutely aware of the social and economic discrepancies between the lives of working-class Africans and Americans. During visits to the mines, he witnessed the labor-intensive work of harvesting the raw gemstones which grow like rock candy and must be dug out by hand. He also toured a gem cutting factory. The ride to the factory remains a vivid memory.

An outgoing teenager, Eric Loch attempted to make light conversation with the driver. This effort proved futile because the Black driver was not permitted to speak to a white person.

Eric Loch also experienced the lack of conveniences taken for granted at home.

South Africans’ television viewing was limited to one channel that might be available for a few hours two days a week. Upon returning to the U.S., he told his friends, “You don’t know how good you have it.”

Eventually, although the business was thriving, the Lochs became aware of shifts in the market. The need for brokers to bridge the gap between the gem producers and foreign markets was shrinking. Consequently, Loch’s Jewelry Store opened in Emmaus in 1984. Frank Loch retired in 1994 and the business moved from dealing with a variety of gemstones to offering fine diamonds.

As stated on the company website, “In 1996 we joined the largest diamond buying group in the world, IJO. This ... allowed us to pursue our passion for really well-made diamonds ...”

From a family rock collecting hobby, Eric J. Loch Diamond Jewelers has and continues to evolve. The current location boasts a full gemological, on-site lab run by the only certified gemologist in the Lehigh Valley. Years of experience, hard work and study translate into Eric Loch’s extensive knowledge about the mining, cutting, polishing and presentation of gemstones and diamonds.

However, like the business he has grown into much more than just a successful entrepreneur.

Loch describes himself as always looking either down or up. He is fascinated by rocks, arrowheads, geology, stars, planets and especially galaxies.

In addition to running the business and membership in the Lehigh Valley Astronomical Society, Loch donates time and energy to community service. He has served as an Emmaus volunteer firefighter and engages in numerous charity endeavors through his membership in the Emmaus Rotary Club. He explains the most satisfying aspect of his business involves helping to “ ... celebrate people’s lives,” engagements, marriages, births and memories.

Furthermore, to fulfill the responsibility Eric Loch associates with owning a local business, he actively participates in multiple community enhancing programs and projects.

A 50th anniversary is an impressive milestone. More impressive are the people who founded and manage Eric J. Loch Diamond Jewelers, his fabulous team and the story behind their success.