1957

Underwoods founded

Underwoods® founded in Fayetteville, Arkansas, by William G. Underwood.

1959

American Gem Society

Admission to the American Gem Society (AGS).

1961

Certified Gemologist

Certified Gemologist (CG) title bestowed.
Accredited Gem Lab certified by AGS, the first in Arkansas.

1966

Fay Jones building completed

Underwood building, designed by Fay Jones, completed.

1968

Diamond Standards Committee

Bill Underwood appointed to Diamond Standards Committee of U.S. and Canada. This committee determines diamond grading standards for North America.

1970

AGS Board of Directors

Bill Underwood elected to Board of Directors of American Gem Society.

1978

Smithsonian Collection

Bill Underwood selected by Smithsonian Institute as one of 33 jewelers in America to create a special jewelry piece for the Smithsonian Collection.

1979

Elvis’ Ring

Certified appraisal of Elvis’ Ring.

1983

Certified Gemologist Appraiser

Bill Underwood one of first 29 jewelers in America to earn Certified Gemologist Appraiser (CGA) title, industry’s most advanced title.

1985

AGS President-Elect

Bill Underwood elected to President-Elect of American Gem Society.

1986

Pearl Design Contest

Pearl Design Contest.

1987

National AGS leadership

Bill Underwood elected to national President of American Gem Society.
Craig Underwood completes gemological training and enters store.

1988

Craig earns CG title

Craig Underwood earns CG title.
Bill Underwood makes special presentation to William R. Chaney, chairman of Tiffany & Co. at special “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” event in New York.

1991

National Jeweler Hall of Fame

Underwoods named Best Single-Store Jeweler in America and inducted into the National Jeweler Hall of Fame in New York.

1992

Craig earns CGA title

Craig Underwood earns CGA title.
Bill Underwood elected to Board of Directors of Jewelers of America.

1993

Robert M. Shipley Award

Bill Underwood awarded the Robert M. Shipley award, named after the founder of both the GIA and AGS.

1994

Craig elected to AGS Board

Craig Underwood elected to Board of Directors of American Gem Society.

1995

AGS Laboratory leadership

Bill Underwood elected to Manager, Board of Directors, of the American Gem Society Gemological Laboratory, the first independent lab to offer a diamond cut grade on their Diamond Quality Documents.

1997

Certified Master Bench Jeweler

Underwoods head goldsmith, Tom Weishaar, receives nation’s first Certified Master Bench Jeweler title from Jewelers of America of New York.

1998

Diamond Standards Committee Chair

Craig Underwood appointed Chairman of Diamond Standards Committee of United States and Canada. This committee determines diamond grading standards for North America.

1999

AGTA Spectrum Award

Underwoods Design Department wins Industry’s most coveted Design Competition, the National AGTA Spectrum Award.

2000

Arkansas Carat Award

Underwoods wins First Place Arkansas Carat Award for Excellence in Design.
Craig Underwood appointed Chairman, International Task Force, American Gem Society Diamond Standards to evaluate and develop a cut grade for fancy shaped diamonds, a “first” for the Diamond Industry.

2001

Craig becomes president

Craig Underwood promoted to president of Underwoods and Bill Underwood to chairman of Underwoods.

2002

Advanced Cut Grading

Bill Underwood named chairman, Oversight Committee for Advanced Cut Grading for the AGS Laboratory.
Platinum Honors Design Contest.

2003

Emmy Awards

Underwoods selected as Jeweler for Emmy Awards gift basket at annual awards ceremony.

2004

AGS President-Elect

Craig Underwood named President-Elect of American Gem Society.
Bill Underwood recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year by the Sam Walton School of Business, University of Arkansas.

2005

Triple-0 Award

Bill Underwood receives the “Triple-0” award in the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center for outstanding achievement in the jewelry profession.

2006

Best Jewelry Store in America

Underwoods named “Best Jewelry Store in America” by INSTORE magazine, the leading publication for the jewelry industry, and dubbed “Coolest Store in U.S.”
Craig elected President of the American Gem Society.

2007

50 years of service

Underwoods celebrates 50 years of service.
Craig elected Chair of the Jewelry Leadership Council.

2008

AGS presidential term

Craig completes term as President of the American Gem Society.

2009

Beauty Grade Machine® Patent

Underwoods granted a U.S. Patent on the “Beauty Grade Machine®” after a worldwide search that no other similar technology existed.

2010

Milling technology

Underwoods adopts state of the art Milling Technology for casting.

2011

Beauty Grade Machine® upgrade

Underwoods upgrades laser technology on patented Beauty Grade Machine®.

2012

CASE Award and Academy Awards

Underwoods wins national jewelry design contest, Jewelers of America “CASE Award,” for custom-made diamond ring.
Underwoods is one of 12 jewelers in the nation selected to provide two Underwood Custom Pieces for the “Red Carpet Collection” at the 2012 Academy Awards.

2013

Town and Country recognition

Underwoods Named a Town and Country Leading Independent Jeweler.

2014

Second CASE design award

Underwoods wins a second “CASE” design award for their custom handforged gold and opaque diamond ring.

2015

Fab Five Community Giving

Underwoods celebrates its 5th Anniversary of their Fab Five Community Giving. Since 2000, Underwoods has supported the NWA community giving more than $500,000 to local non-profits.

2016

Fay Jones building turns 50

The Underwood Building, designed by AIA Gold Medal architect E Fay Jones for William G. Underwood CG, celebrates its 50th birthday.

2017

Interior remodel

Completes remodel of interior and creating a beautiful new entrance on the west side of our historic building.

2018

3-D printer and community recognition

Underwood upgrades their 3-D printer for State-of-the-art CAD design and lost-wax casting.
Laura Underwood awarded the “Arkansas Parks and Recreation Volunteer of the Year” for her work with the Yvonne Richardson Community Center.

2019

Third generation

Troy Underwood, the future 3rd generation of Underwoods, graduates from the Gemological Institute of America with his Graduate Gemologist Degree.

2020

Underwood Park

Craig and Laura Underwood gift land to the City of Fayetteville to create the 65-acre Underwood Park.

2021

Troy joins the family business

Troy Underwood, 3rd Generation, joins the family business.

2022

Shipley Award and CGA

Craig Underwood was presented with the prestigious high honor of the Robert Shipley Award.
Troy Underwood became a Certified Gemologist Appraiser.

2023

Chamber leadership

Laura Underwood elected President of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce.

2024

Jewelers of America 20 Under 40

Troy Underwood named Jewelers of America’s 20 Under 40, highlighting individuals who best embody an ability to lead, innovate, and improve a jewelry store’s success while adhering to professional ethics.

2026

American Gem Society Young Titleholder of the Year awarded to Troy Underwood

This award recognizes an merging jewelry industry professional for exceptional leadership service, and contribution to the AGS Young Titleholders community and for helping advance and strengthen the next generation of the American Gem Society.