Racine & Me: Rasmussen Diamonds celebrates 125th Anniversary

 

RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Rasmussen Diamonds in Racine is celebrating our 125th year in business. We have been family owned and operated since 1900 and are the oldest retail business in Racine. The current owners, Daniel and Kristi represent the 5th generation (2 different families). The business was started as “Rasmussen Jewelry” on State Street in downtown Racine by Rasmus P. Rasmussen in 1900. The store sold dry goods as well as jewelry and watches in the original solid birch showcases that are still in the store today. We have been able to find newspaper ads from as early as the 1930s that advertised items such as hosiery, housedresses, aprons, and silverware as well as jewelry, clocks and watches. Frank Rasmussen, the son of the original owner, took over the business from his father and moved the store to the up-and-coming West Racine location in 1965. Kristi’s grandfather, Cal Sustachek was a Certified Master Watchmaker doing trade watch repair for Rasmussen Jewelry and other jewelry stores in the area. Since Frank Rasmussen didn’t have an heir-apparent for the jewelry store, he would “joke” with Cal about buying his business when he was ready to retire. That “joke” became a reality in 1977, when Cal and Marilyn Sustachek bought Rasmussen Jewelry, and hired their son, Bill Sustachek (Kristi’s dad) to manage the store. Bill had already gone to school to earn his Graduate Gemologist degree at the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, CA, and was managing a jewelry store in Milwaukee before he came to Rasmussen’s. Bill’s wife, Kathy joined the business a few years later while also raising their 5 kids. Bill was extremely passionate about the business and continued his education to become a Certified Gemologist Appraiser with the American Gem Society. This is one of the highest titles in the industry and shared by less than 400 jewelers in the US and Canada today. (Katrina Sustachek, Bill and Kathy’s oldest is our in-house appraiser and also carries that title.) Bill sat on the board of directors for the American Gem Society and was head of the education committee around when the AGS unveiled their Cut Grade grading scale. He was an advocate for ideal cut diamonds well before they were known in the market. To reflect the main focus of the business, Bill and Kathy changed the name of the store from Rasmussen “Jewelry” to Rasmussen “Diamonds”. Because it was a family business, the Sustachek kids were often in the back of the store after school and weekends, so Kristi started helping out with odd jobs and cleaning during that time. She officially started working at Rasmussen Diamonds in high school in the early 90s and already had a pretty good working knowledge of the business day to day. She went from typing appraisals, to assisting with inventory and repairs, to selling jewelry (and most everything in-between). Kristi continued to work in the business all through high school and college. In 1998, Rasmussen Diamonds moved just 2 miles West to its current location at 6220 Washington Ave. (Hwy 20). The original antique birch showcases were also moved again and are still holding our jewelry to this day. Shortly after this move, Kristi moved to Mesa, Arizona to be near her now husband, Daniel. Kristi and Daniel were high school sweethearts, but they lost touch for several years. When they “met” again, he was living in Mesa, so she moved to be closer to him. While living there, Kristi worked for a very high-end jewelry store called Molina Fine Jewelers. When hired, in her early 20s, she already had more knowledge and experience in the jewelry industry than most of the employees. This allowed her to gain a management position for the repair and appraisal department. During that time, the shop at Molina’s created extraordinary, one-of-a-kind jewelry creations such as the diamond necklace to adorn the historical 76ct D-Flawless Archduke Joseph Diamond that was for sale at the store. (It eventually was sold in 2015 for $21.5 million at Christie’s Auction.) The Molina shop was also commissioned to create the Fiesta Bowl Championship trophy which includes a near life size 18k gold football with bands of nearly 50cts of pave set diamonds. While Kristi was managing the appraisal department at Molina’s, they were asked to create an appraisal portfolio of the items that were found on the Titanic for the traveling Titanic Museum Exhibit. Kristi was responsible for scheduling the items to be delivered to the lab, and with weighing, measuring and cataloguing the items for the appraiser. Daniel and Kristi married in 2002 and moved back to Racine when they were expecting their first child in 2004. Kristi started working for Rasmussen Diamonds again with newfound experiences and excitement for the industry. Daniel became a Professional Firefighter for the City of Racine. Over the next 6 years, the couple had four children, and Kristi cut down hours to raise their children. In 2017, Kristi came back full time at Rasmussen Diamonds and took on the role of general manager. Daniel and Kristi discussed the business frequently that year, sorting through challenges, ideas and opportunities, and it became evident that they would be the ones to take over the business from Kristi’s parents. Daniel had experience owning and running businesses with his dad, and Kristi had the education, product knowledge and experience in the industry, so it was a natural fit. Daniel is mainly the visionary for the business, working on accomplishing long term goals, while Kristi is the facilitator in the business, handling daily operating and managerial duties.

In 2020, Rasmussen Diamonds was excited to be celebrating its 120th anniversary, and Bill and Kathy were set to sell the business the Daniel and Kristi early in the year...and then Covid hit. Rasmussen Diamonds was forced to shut its doors from March to May that year, and Bill and Kathy decided to postpone the sale of the business until business came back, and they knew that it was stable and healthy for Daniel and Kristi. In November of 2021, Daniel and Kristi Widmar officially became owners of Rasmussen Diamonds. Currently, Kathy is still working full-time in sales and Bill comes in when needed to help with the appraisal department. Kristi’s sister, Katrina Sustachek also works in the store as the head appraiser. She had a similar experience as Kristi, starting in the family business and going into other areas in the industry. Katrina was a past instructor for the Gemological Institute of America, traveling the world teaching gemology and diamond grading, and was a sales trainer for Hearts on Fire Diamond company in Boston. In addition, Kristi and Daniel’s oldest daughter, Mara started working for Rasmussen’s in 2023. It is not uncommon to come into the store and see three generations working together! This year, Rasmussen Diamonds is excited to be celebrating 125 years in business! We have many events planned for the year including: Diamond Stud Upgrade Event March 14-15 Wedding Band Event April 11-12 125th Grand Celebration / Open House / Designer Showcase June 20-21 Rasmussen Diamonds maintains the same values as it has over the years; a commitment to building relationships, conducting business honestly and ethically, maintaining a healthy work / family life balance, a commitment to provide the finest quality products and services backed by a fully educated staff, and a strong presence, support and involvement in our community. Daniel and Kristi travel to Antwerp, Belgium each year to bring back the finest quality diamonds, and Bill and Kathy travel to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show each year to bring back unique colored gemstones, crystals and geodes to the store. In addition, Rasmussen’s carries high quality engagement ring brands, unique colored gemstone and diamond jewelry, and affordable fine watches.