[dropcap]V[/dropcap]irgille Charles began her employment with the highly acclaimed Harry Edwards Jewelers, which is known for duty free shopping experiences and world-renowned shopping brands, in 2002 as a sales representative. Young, vibrant and enthusiastic about contributing to the company, she was able to prove to her employers that she had what it took to excel. Her insatiable curiosity as to the mechanisms of watches and how they work quickly qualified her to be nominated for Rolex’s programme to train a new generation of watchmakers. In 2012 Valerie went to the Bahamas on training and later became the Caribbean’s only female watch technician.
She returned to Saint Lucia with her youthful smile to continue working for her previous company of employment alongside a more experienced technician, Trinidadian national Richard Chan. Chan pursued employment in Saint Lucia almost 11 years ago because of the wider scope of watches he was able to work with from Point Seraphine. He hasn’t returned home (to work) since and has by now accumulated 40 years of experience in the field. Now, Harry Edwards Jewelers’ Service Centre is able to provide an even better quality of service than it did at any time in the past ten years. Both watch technicians are certified by Rolex standards, which is one of the highest in the world. However, store and Service Centre manager, Valerie Felix, says, “We repair all major watches and all jewellery. We saw the need to introduce a well-equipped Service Centre and, of course, we do repairs for our neighbouring islands.”
Harry Edwards Jewelers Service Centre hosts some of the highest quality equipment for the job and provides services for testing, angling, cleaning, and battery change, among many more. The improved Service Centre also accommodates repairs for other types of jewellery by young jewellery technician William. All new introductions to the list of services available from Harry Edwards Jewelers will contribute to building on the over 18 years of merited standards that the company has established. It continues to be one of the headlined stores at many of our immigration ports in Saint Lucia.
