Ocean Jewels opened its doors in 2016 offering a true jewelry haven with its blue and white interiors.

We were quite a hit at Coastal Grand Mall with our three immense cylindric crystal chandeliers that enhanced our shop with a modern, sophisticated look. “I remember we had so many passer buyers just stopping and photographing our shop” remembers Stella nostalgically.

The now-sprawling boutique was founded by co-owners Ali and Stella Channa as a fine jewelry oasis that introduced numerous gold and silver jewelry collections from all over the world to the fashion-curious in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Over the past 5 years the boutique has become equally famous for its superb curation of fine jewelry, gold chains, hip-hop jewelry, custom jewelry and an impressive collection of designer watches.

“It has been pretty meteoric how fast jewelry has grown for us, but that’s the way people shop. They buy jewelry to go with other things.”

Ali Channa

Ocean Jewels also changed a lot over the years, trying to follow the technological trends and challenges.

The owners, Ali and Stella, like taking customers on the journey from a rendering to a finished piece, with wearers often stopping in to see the process.

Sometimes it is a long process, sometimes it is shorter, all depending on the design, but in the end all that matter is the customer’s satisfaction, says Ali, for whom the custom pieces became his DNA.

Hip hop artists display status with their chains and personality with their pendants. Choosing a pendant that has meaning to you has been a hot trend for the past 3 years. It allows the wearer to proudly share his values as part of the style. Hip-hop pendants come in a wide range of designs and sizes, but they are typically constructed of well-liked precious metals like platinum, gold, or silver. They are encrusted with priceless stones like emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and diamonds, among others.

“We like to make our clients our friends. Customers visit regularly even after moving from the area, and the store occasionally sells engagement rings to clients’ children. We believe that one of the gifts that could potentially become an heirloom is a piece of jewelry. So, if you love somebody and think you will love them forever, you want to give something that’s not a sweater or a pair of shoes, but something you can leave to your grandchildren”.

Ali and Stella Channa

Ali Channa has been in the jewelry business for a long time. He cannot imagine doing anything else in his life, but living, designing and selling jewelry to his faithful customers. Ali thinks that relationships are everything. Fine jewelry is seldom an impulse buy, and it can take several touches on the part of a retailer to seal a deal on a high-end jewel. This business is really about nurturing relationships. We have to create moments for people when they come in, and when we can build a personal relationship, there’s value for everyone.

Stella is behind the design of the shop, showcases, and the marketing force. Smart buying and merchandising go hand in hand. The maze of cases in the shop spotlights an impressively wide selection of jewelry – both on the bridal side and in hip hop gold chains, charms, rings and earrings.

The importance of keeping the cases filled with on-trend, covetable jewelry cannot be overstated-provided the pieces are merchandised in ways that delight a wide range of consumers. Without the right merchandise mix, it would be easy to flounder in this business. Ali’s approach to jewelry retailing recognizes that many of today’s consumers no longer rely on their local retailer to introduce them to what’s new. While that shopper certainly still exists, younger shoppers tend to walk into brick-and-mortar stores already knowing what they want. If you have what they are after and are able to inject fun and friendliness into their buying experience, you are bound for greatness.

In the jewelry business you also have to be on top of everything that is going on in this industry, because it changes a lot. Besides owners’ yearly fine jewelry perfecting classes with the GIA, Ocean Jewels is constantly looking for new ways to improve customers’ experiences. They are now offering a wide array of services and products. “We have an in house jeweler ready to fix any of your jewelry problems or to offer advice on how to take the best care of your valued pieces. We also offer customized engravings, name plates and much more”, said Ali who is best known in the Myrtle Beach area for his immense expertise in the customized diamond hip hop jewelry, and of course his watch passion.