Charleroi jewelry maker Krutz left mark on area

A headline near the top of Page One of the Saturday, June 29, 1946, edition The Charleroi Mail alerted readers to a story about a promising new business in town. It read:

Charleroi Firm Is Manufacturing Costume Jewelry, Wares Widely Sold

The story opened as follows:

“Glistening salesmen's sample cases today are showing a line of Charleroi-made jewelry to buyers throughout the United States these days. ‘Christmas trade' bookings are already being made for items made here in the old hometown.”

Patricia Krutz Miller of Fallowfield Township remembers the firm that produced the unique jewelry — National Steel Fabric Co.

“My father, James C. Krutz Sr., and his brothers, Anthony Krutz and William Krutz, and others who worked in their factory made those stainless steel bracelets,” Miller said.

The company was headquartered in the large building owned by L.L. Clark at 158 Lincoln Ave. Extension. That huge structure, which was built in 1907, now houses Maple Creek Distributing, which is owned and operated by Joe and Elaine McGaughey.

“National Steel Fabric was located at the end of the building closest to Charleroi, with the entrance facing the highway (Maple Creek Road),” Miller said. “They were part of the complex in which Mr. Clark had his popular and successful bicycle shop.”

There is some uncertainty about when National Steel Fabric Co. began operating in Charleroi. The firm was founded in 1927 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Pittsburgh Steel Co. and was headquartered for many years at the steelmaker's facilities in Monessen.

“My father and my uncles worked in the steel industry, so they had a solid background in the production of steel products,” Miller said.

The June 29, 1946, story in The Charleroi Mail said that “ ... for the past six months, the National Steel Fabric Company ... has been experimenting with the possibilities of the wonder metal 18/8 alloy fashion jewelry.”

Various industry sources identify 18/8 metal as containing 18 percent chromium, 8 percent nickel and the remainder iron.

“After months of research, the company is now ably producing a wide variety of bracelets,” The Charleroi Mail story said. “They are hopeful this wonder metal will be adaptable to many more items such as arm bands, earrings, necklaces, chokers and anklets. At present, the firm employs several workers to weave and weld the bracelets by hand, but they expect to employ more from this district after the installation of machines for stamping and welding.”

The story also emphasized that under the trade name of “Lureloy Fashion Jewelry,” agents of the company are beginning to contact dealers through the country, showing five children's and eight adult styles of the jewelry.

National Steel Fabric Co.'s run at the Clark Building ended in 1947.

“My father purchased the patents for the jewelry from the company and started to produce the bracelets at his Krutz Welding Shop in Twilight Hollow in 1947,” Miller said. “He renamed the company and it became known as Lureloy Fashion Stainless Steel Jewelry.”

Krutz created a handsome sales brochure that touted Lureloy products as being made with “The Modern Miracle Metal ... with the allure that endures.” His marketing also emphasized that the jewelry was “handmade ... non-tarnishing, non-staining, non-scratching, everlasting.”

“They truly were beautiful,” Miller said of the myriad bracelets, earrings, necklaces, chokers, scarf fasteners and accessory pins produced by her father. “I still have several of them, and they hold many fond memories. They truly emphasize the commitment my father had to producing quality handmade jewelry.”

Krutz expanded the distribution of his handcrafted products across the country.

“He made numerous trips throughout the tri-state area to take orders for the jewelry, but he mailed the brochure to many other places and the promotional effort worked well,” Miller said. “The jewelry was sold in jewelry stores, department stores, gift shops, drug stores and other venues.”

That point is emphasized by archive advertisements in online newspaper sites. They show Lureloy jewelry being sold in Denton, Texas, Chula Vista, Calif., Eugene, Ore., and Houston, Pa., as well as outlets throughout the Mon Valley.

Krutz also left a lasting legacy with his craftsmanship in many other projects in the area.

For example, he created the structure that housed the celebrated Victory Bell at the former Charleroi High School Stadium. He also constructed and repaired the goalposts and other facilities at the stadium, which opened in 1937 and closed in 2010.

“Dad donated his services to the Charleroi School District throughout this life,” Miller said. “The stadium was like a second home to him. He was a season ticket holder from the inception of the stadium in 1937 until his death (on July 20, 1990). I can still hear him cheering in the crowd when I was a cheerleader at CHS in the mid-1950s.”

His talents also extended to his church, St. Mary's Episcopal in Charleroi, as he erected a seven-ton tower at historic Old West in West Pike Run Township.

And the masterpiece of his creativity was the “Big Jim” cowboy which rose high above the Krutz Welding Shop and the family home on Twilight Hollow. The eye-catching statue constructed by hand by Krutz caught the attention of thousands of motorists from the time it was introduced in 1978 until it was purchased by Dr. Kamlesh B. Gosai and moved in 2007 to the Gosai family's Best Western Garden Inn at Bentleyville.

Like the Lureloy jewelry, bell towers, goalposts and myriad other creations, Big Jim remains as a constant reminder of the legacy of James C. Krutz Sr.

Ron Paglia is a contributing writer for Trib Total Media.