Ruby Jewelry Company has been serving the Greater Binghamton community since 1919. Rochelle is a third generation jeweler who loves her job. Grandfather Runbine (Ruby) Levine began his jewelry career in a jewelry manufacturing plant in NYC when he was a teenager. Ruby’s father Rachmeil sent him to an agricultural school to escape from the city and the black lung he was developing from all of the polishing compounds. Ruby hated agriculture as the farm he was on also collected skunk oil for perfumes.
So Ruby moved to Syracuse to be with his brother and became a peddler selling door to door. He joined the army in WWI and when he returned his territory had been taken over. It was suggested he comes down to the Binghamton and Endicott area as there were many immigrants that he could sell to. Ruby was a linguist and spoke many languages.
In fact he later printed business cards in multiple languages to hand out. Ruby’s very first business office was located on Court Street in Binghamton on the second floor. He soon closed that and started selling jewelry from a case located inside the five and dime at 59 Washington Avenue Endicott while also peddling his wares on the Northside of Endicott. He soon opened his first official jewelry store RUBY JEWELERS (RUBY JEWELRY CO.INC) at 8 Washington Avenue where he remained until about 1935 when he moved next door to 6 Washington Avenue Endicott. Carl Levine owned and managed the family business until 1995 when he retired.
At that time Rochelle obtained ownership and management of the now 3rd Generation store. For 10 years Rochelle operated a second location at 1332 Front Street. When the lease expired she decided that one store was enough. Ruby’s Endicott store was moved to Endwell in 2007 at which time it relocated to Country Club Road in Endwell. Ruby Jewelry became Ruby and Sons Jewelers in the early 1960’s when Ruby’s sons Carl and his brothers pressured her grandfather to add them to the name. In 2020 Rochelle relocated the store back to the Village of Endicott returning also to the original name Ruby Jewelry Co., Inc.
