Jackson Free Press logo

This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
Note that any opinions expressed in legacy Jackson Free Press stories do not reflect a position of the Mississippi Free Press or necessarily of its staff and board members.

Check out the JFP flip book for a complete listing of where to find all that sparkles in Jackson.

WHERE2SHOP

Alex and Lele
1481 Canton Mart Road
601-206-7720

Carter Jewelers
711 High St.
601-354-3549

Crossgates Jewelers Inc.
401 Cross Park Drive,
Suite A, Pearl
601-939-9313

Crown Jewelers
5647 Highway 80 E.,
Suite 3, Pearl
601-939-1108

Paula’s Fine Jewelry and Etc.
3032 Highway 80 E., Pearl
601-939-2489

Donna Parks, Stella & Dot Stylist
[e-mail missing]
601-940-8880

MFP Solutions Lab logo

The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.

Mississippi native Donna Ladd and partner Todd Stauffer founded the Jackson Free Press in 2002 in the capital city. The heavily awarded local newspaper did many investigations heralded across the state and nation and served as a paper of record due to its diversity, inclusion, in-depth reporting and deep connection to readers and dedication to narrative change in and about Mississippi. In 2022, the nonprofit Mississippi Free Press, founded by Ladd and JFP Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin in 2020, purchased the journalism assets and archives of the Jackson Free Press. A Google grant through AAN Publishers enabled Newspack's integration of the JFP archives into the Mississippi Free Press website to become part of a more searchable archive of recent Mississippi history and essential journalism.