Mordechai from the jewelers of Las Vegas
Mordechai Yerushalmi Important History and Events
When Elvis performed in Las Vegas, it was common for Mordechai to bring a vast selection of jewelry for him to choose from for his shows. Mordechai’s most memorable moment, however, it occurred in the middle of the night in December 1976, on his last ever trip to Vegas. Elvis called him to bring a selection of diamond rings to his suite at the Las Vegas Hilton. Mordechai copied the check Elvis wrote him that night and it remains a treasured memento. His relationship with Elvis was so treasured that the jeweler celebrated his 60th birthday in that very suite in the Las Vegas Hilton, now renamed the Westgate.
In 1979, The Jewelers undertook its first expansion into the Las Vegas casino market with the opening of Jewels by Mordechai at The Dunes Hotel & Casino. The success of the Dunes store led Mordechai to open additional stores in some of the most successful casinos of that time, such as The Tropicana Hotel and The Desert Inn.
In the 1980’s, Mordechai and The Jewelers continued providing unique jewelry pieces to many famous Las Vegas icons, such as Liberace and Wayne Newton, and for both the hit television series Vegas and its star, Robert Urich. Later in the decade, the company and its founder became known for a series of television commercials featuring many recognizable celebrities, most notably boxing champion Larry Holmes. The commercials became part of classic Las Vegas culture, even being singled out by popular television host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel in a recent interview as one of his favorite memories from his time living and growing up in LasVegas.
The 1990’s marked another key transition point for Mordechai and The Jewelers Inc. when the crew filming the movie Casino unexpectedly approached Mordechai and asked if he could provide all the jewelry and watches for the critically acclaimed film. To his surprise, Mordechai himself was also given a minor speaking role in the movie, playing the jeweler whose jewelry store was burglarized. The Jewelers went on to provide jewelry for several other well- known films, including Analyze This and Rush Hour 2.
Towards the end of the 90’s decade and into the new millennium, Las Vegas witnessed explosive growth with new megaresorts opening annually. An entrepreneur by nature, and as Nevada’;s premier jeweler, Mordechai recognized the importance of growing alongside the local community he served. As a result, The Jewelers expanded in a new direction with higher-end luxury boutiques in many of the Strip’s must successful resorts. The first store to open was Venetzia Fine Jewelry at The Venetian in 1999, followed soon thereafter with other elegant stores such as Rocks the Jewelers Inside of The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Rocks the Jewelers inside Red Rock Casino Resort Spa, The Jewelers of Las Vegas inside Mandalay Place and Vicci Fine Jewelry in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.
Today, the Yerushalmi family operates multiple stores throughout the Las Vegas Valley, including the company’s flagship store The Jewelers of Las Vegas at 2400 Western Avenue, The Jewelers of Las Vegas Summerlin store at 8502 W. Lake Mead Blvd and several luxury boutiques located within prestigious hotel and casinos including the Venetian, Palazzo and MGM Grand.
Many of the current and past locations have been featured in a variety of popular television shows, including Storage Wars, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, CSI, VH1’s The Fabulous Life Of Las Vegas, BET’s Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is, and The Travel Channel’s Vegas Extravaganza.
The early 2000’s brought about a new transition for the company, as Mordechai and Vicki welcomed their children into the family business. Coincidentally, during this same period, many of Mordechai’s early customers began to bring their second and third generations to shop with the only jeweler they trust.
Recognitions In 2005, International Watch Magazine named The Jewelers one of North America’s Leading Watch Retailers, and the first one in Nevada, which is a distinguished recognition the company has earned each year since. Three years later, the Yerushalmi family and everyone at The Jewelers were especially honored when the readers of The Las Vegas Review Journal voted The Jewelers of Las Vegas the city’s Best Jewelry Store in the 2008 Best of Las Vegas poll and have continued to do so every year since with our most recent gold winning in 2021.
On November 2nd, 2022, another major honor was given to The Jewelers of Las Vegas. Mordechai and Vicki Yerushalmi were recognized by the City of Las Vegas for owning and operating The Jewelers Inc. a long-standing Las Vegas family-owned business as well as being stewards of the Las Vegas community.
