A Love for Creating Jewelry Becomes a Life’s Passion
Jalisa Murray – Shetler Fine Jewelers
“Crafting Exceptional Jewelry for Discerning Customers”
By Meredith Kay
There are few people who can say that their first job became a lucrative and life-long career, but Jalisa Murray, the design studio foreman at Shetler’s Fine Jewelry, is a card-carrying member of that elite club. Jalisa was born in Corpus Christi but grew up and still lives in Boerne. Like most young adults, fresh out of high school, Jalisa was trying to find her path in life when a friend’s father asked her if she wanted to make some money making and assembling jewelry pieces for his business which supplied jewelry and accessories to small jewelry stores across Texas.
She became quite skilled as a jewelry maker, and when Medlar’s Jewelers in San Antonio came to the company to help fulfill orders of themed jewelry for amusement parks around the country, Jalisa’s talents were discovered, and she was hired and quickly became a supervisor. She worked with Medlar’s for over 25 years until the owner retired and sold the store to Shetler’s Fine Jewelers in early 2021. Medlar’s had been doing a lot of repair work for Shetler’s, so it was a natural transition for them to acquire the talented design team that had earned such a stellar reputation in South Texas.
Jalisa lights up when she speaks about her mentor, Roger Huckabee, who also worked for Medlar’s and is still working the bench with her at Shetler’s. She says, “Roger taught me everything while working beside him throughout the years at Medlar’s. Every day was a different day and brought a different repair or design challenge to solve. He has always been so patient, and I’m grateful that he took me under his wings and continues to inspire me today.”
Jewelry design is more than just a way for humans to decorate themselves; it allows us to express our personalities and personal styles to the world. Jalisa loves to design custom and quality jewelry pieces that will become a treasured heirloom and passed down through generations. She says, “I enjoy being able to become a part of someone’s journey in selecting or designing a memorable piece of jewelry. What I create becomes a significant life souvenir, and you are able to build connections with people you might not normally cross paths with otherwise.”
Jalisa describes how jewelry making has changed during her career with advances in technology streamlining and perfecting manufacturing techniques. She says, “We used to hand solder precious metals and hand cut stones to be set into mountings. Now we use computers to create designs and lasers to cut and weld, but it still takes an artist to make someone’s vision come to life, and I love being trusted to refurbish, repurpose, and create something special that means so much to somebody.”
When you sit down with Jalisa Murray, you are immediately at ease in her presence. She has a calm and open demeanor that draws you in and makes you feel that she is interested in knowing you, even as she tells her story. She has lived in Boerne for most of her life and raised three children as a single mom. Her daughter, Kelly (32), is a dance teacher at Boerne High School. Her oldest son, Cameron (24), is a fuel pump technician, and her youngest, Jason (23), is a correctional officer in Kerrville. She has three cherished grandchildren under the age of three to keep her busy in her free time and is very happy that God’s path for her has led her to the team at Shetler’s Fine Jewelers, where she will eventually retire her jeweler’s tools, but for now, she will continue to craft precious keepsakes from precious stones and metals.
