J & M Jewelry

We offer custom design, jewelry & watch repair and have a wide selection of 14K Gold and Silver finished jewelry available for purchase at our storefront in the heart of Chalmette in St. Bernard Parish. We specialize in the design and creation of wedding sets and engagement rings. We also buy used jewelry and scrap gold and metals.

In 1997, Joseph and Madeline opened their store, St. Bernard Jewelry, in Chalmette, LA, Hurricane Katrina destroyed their business and home in 2005, but being dedicated to their work and their community, they rebuilt their business and reopened in the same location under the current name of J & M Jewelry.

Madeline and Joseph C.
Business Owner
Joseph and Madeline Collara are both master jewelers who have worked in the jewelry industry for 50 and 43 years respectively. Joseph’s career began at the age of 12 working on watches in his father’s store, Chalmette Jewelry. Joseph served as an apprentice at master jewelers such as Adler’s and Corrigan’s Jewelry. He received further formal instruction in New York and at Stuller in Lafayette, LA.

Madeline had her own apprenticeship at Chalmette Jewelry & Sporting Goods and in the 1970’s she received formal education in jewelry casting & jewelry repair at LSUNO, in the mid 1980’s”Trenton School for Jeweler’s” in Little Rock Arkansas and in 2006 “New Approach School for Jeweler’s” in Virginia Beach to study Advanced Stone Setting and jewelry designs. As a professional jeweler, Madeline showcased her designs at numerous Gem & Jewelry Expos. In the mid 1980’s, she served as an instructor at “William Holland School of Lapidary Arts” and “Wild Acres Institute.”