Tom was born in Anchorage, Alaska, but was raised in the St. Louis area since he was 3 years old. A graduate from Troy Senior High in 2003, Tom has worked in several retail and customer service positions since he was sixteen. He started in the jewelry industry in January of 2005 thinking it might be a fun and interesting industry to learn with lots of directions available for his future. Since then he continued to work toward his associate's degree at Saint Charles Community College. Tom has also achieved certificates in Basic Bench Repairs and Basic Stone Setting through the New Approach School of Jewelry. In January of 2008, Tom went to Los Angeles, California to attend school at the Gemological Institute of America to earn his Graduate Gemologist degree. His G.G. certification has given him the training to identify all of the various gemstones using different pieces of laboratory equipment and the microscope. This is one of the most respected degrees that can be earned in the jewelry industry. While in LA, he also stayed on at the GIA campus to take a 10 week design and rendering course and after finishing decided to stay on for another 6 months to work in a jewelry store in Malibu, California. Working near the beach and serving stars like Cindy Crawford, Victoria Principal, and Martin Sheen, to name a few, was definitely an experience of a lifetime. In May of 2009, Tom returned home and re-joined our team at Roemer's with all of his newly acquired experience and education. His vast array of skills enable him to help the customers in identifying stones, evaluating pieces, repairing, and designing jewelry. With all of Tom's training, creativity, and wonderful people skills, he will continue to be very successful in the jewelry industry and we are very proud to have him back. Tom wants people to know that we have "something for everyone". "We also have a very warm and friendly atmosphere with NO pressure, because we don't work on commission." That means, if you need some time to think about it, we're just as friendly then as we are when you walk in. We are just there to help, not to "sell" you.
We are proud to announce that we've begun to transition to the Nolan second generation. As of 2022, Tom is now part owner of the store and we will continue to transition shares from Melinda to Tom, to take the store into the future and allow Melinda to eventually retire. Yay! Congratulations Tom.