About Thomas James & Bechtold Jewelry

“Built by four generations over the course of more than 120 years, we have been providing people with authentic, high-quality craftsmanship for lifetimes. Our belief is that purchasing jewelry should be an unforgettable experience – That’s why we prioritize your desires and provide exceptional customer service that goes beyond everyday sales.”

Thomas and Kasia, are the husband and wife team who own and operate Thomas James and Bechtold Jewelry, the oldest jewelry store in Sioux Falls and South Dakota. Established in 1902 by the Bechtold family, the company has been providing quality jewelry services to customers for over a century.

Thomas began his career in the wholesale jewelry industry, working with his father Larry at F&H Private Jewelers, a company founded in 1950. Under his father’s guidance, Thomas learned the art of jewelry design, repair, and custom creation, eventually becoming a master jeweler and hand engraver himself. In 1995, after his father’s passing, Thomas and his brother took over the family business.

In 2014, Thomas received Ecclesiastical Approbation to work on Sacred objects and relics, expanding his expertise in that field. In 2017, Thomas parted ways with his brother and continued to focus on wholesale, manufacturing, and design work while also entering the world of retail jewelry at Bechtold Jewelry. To honor the legacy of the Bechtold family, Thomas added his name to the business, now known as Thomas James and Bechtold Jewelry, maintaining the family-friendly atmosphere that has been a hallmark of the company for decades.

Kasia, originally from Poland, moved to the U.S. in 1990 during a time of political unrest and communism in her home country. Kasia, graduated from the University of Łódz in Poland with a degree in Economics, as well as floral design and as a seamstress. She traveled frequently to Poland, building relationships with local artisans who create the unique products she brings to the U.S. market, including exclusive crystal designs, pottery, porcelain and Christmas ornaments. Together, Thomas and Kasia have four children and four grandchildren, ( And counting).

As Traditional Catholic Christians, Thomas and Kasia have dedicated their business to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Częstochowa, her image proudly displayed in the store. The couple is committed to continuing the rich legacy of their family business while offering quality jewelry services, custom designs and unique products to their customers.

The Challenge

Initially, Thomas James & Bechtold Jewelry had two separate websites online – a WordPress website, and a Shopify website. With the intention to make Shopify their full website solution, they ran into issues getting exactly what they wanted out of the WordPress builder. With seven different domains, and two different websites, there was quite a bit of information to collect, as well as new information from recent changes in the business and marketing strategies, we set out to design a website that guided visitors on a journey to find exactly what they were looking for, be it a new jewelry piece, a custom design, or long-term repairs or care for their existing collection.

Summary of Solutions

• Centralization of domain traffic to ‘bechtoldjewelry.com’
• Reinstallation of a new WordPress website to eliminate carryover issues from Version 4 Installation
• Migration of Existing Data such as Posts, Images, and Media to New Installation
• Installation of Redirects to ensure Old Traffic is properly rerouted to New Destinations if pages do not exist
• Installation of Dynamic Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, and Cookies Policy to maximize compliance coverage

Products Utilized

• WordPress Design Services
• Advanced Shopify Integration
• Managed WordPress Hosting