When Jordan Detweiler opened Liberty Hill Jewelry, it marked the third location in a growing family of jewelry stores. Originally from Washington State, Detweiler has called Texas home for the past 21 years, spending the last 12 years in Williamson County. His journey in the jewelry industry began with family influence – his uncle introduced him to the craft, leading to the establishment of Summit Jewelers in Leander, File & Hammer in Lindale, and now Liberty Hill Jewelry.
"I love the Liberty Hill and Leander area," Detweiler shares. "The vibes and the community have been so good to us. There’s currently no jewelry store here, and I wanted to get in before anyone else did."
Unlike many jewelers who focus solely on sales, Detweiler is a true craftsman.
"I can craft, design, stone set, repair, and appraise jewelry," he explains. "I do five different jobs myself, and no one else in the area can say that."
His expertise has led to high demand for his custom work, attracting attention from major names like Blue Nile and Diamonds Direct. The need for quality craftsmanship has even prompted Detweiler to bring on two additional jewelers specializing in custom design and repair.
One of his most memorable projects was designing his mother’s engagement and wedding set. "She wears it every day, and that is such an honor," he said.
Detweiler splits his time between Summit Jewelers in Leander and Liberty Hill Jewelry.
"Even though they aren’t far apart, the demographic and customers are like night and day," he observes.
After acquiring another jewelry store years ago, Detweiler had been preparing for this expansion. "We officially opened on Feb. 4, and the move was fairly easy with all the help from friends and family."
To celebrate the new location, Liberty Hill Jewelry is hosting a Grand Opening sale through the end of February, offering discounts ranging from 10 to 50 percent off select pieces.
Like many businesses, Detweiler has had to navigate economic fluctuations.
"Jewelry isn’t a necessity – it’s a want,” he said. “It’s one of the first things people cut out when trying to save money,"
Detweiler’s philosophy is simple but powerful.
"Do right by people, be straightforward and honest,” he said. “My reputation means more to me than anything. I want to build relationships, not just make money."
Detweiler's commitment to high-quality products at competitive prices has helped him earn the trust of his customers.
While Liberty Hill Jewelry is the newest addition, Detweiler isn’t stopping there.
"I’d love to expand into other business ventures within the Liberty Hill area in the future," he said.
Detweiler believes mentorship and humility are key to success.
"Find a good mentor, put your ego away, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. There are no stupid questions," he advises. "You’ll never feel 100 percent confident making big decisions – you’ll always be scared to death – but you just have to take the leap."
You can visit Liberty Hill Jewelry at 1201 TX-332 Loop Suite 300, Liberty Hill, TX 78642 or their website libertyhilljewelry.com.
Firefly Aerospace, the leader in end-to-end responsive space services, announced March 17 it met 100 percent of its mission objectives for Blue Ghost Mission 1.
This was achieved after performing the first fully successful commercial Moon landing on March 2, completing more than 14 days of surface operations (346 hours of daylight), and operating just over 5 hours into the lunar night with the final data received around 6:15 pm CDT on March 16. This achievement marks the longest commercial operations on the Moon to date.
“After a flawless Moon landing, the Firefly team immediately moved into surface operations to ensure all 10 NASA payloads could capture as much science as possible during the lunar day,” said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “We’re incredibly proud of the demonstrations Blue Ghost enabled from tracking GPS signals on the Moon for the first time to robotically drilling and collecting science deeper into the lunar surface than ever before. We want to extend a huge thank you to the NASA CLPS initiative and the White House administration for serving as the bedrock for this Firefly mission. It has been an honor to enable science and technology experiments that support future missions to the Moons, Mars, and beyond.”
Throughout the mission, Blue Ghost transmitted more than 119 GB of data back to Earth, including 51 GB of science and technology data, significantly surpassing Firefly’s mission requirements. Key payload milestones completed on the surface include the following:
During surface operations, Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander captured high-definition imagery of a total solar eclipse on March 14. This marks the first time in history a commercial company was actively operating on the Moon and able to observe a solar eclipse where the Earth blocks the sun and casts a shadow on the lunar surface. Blue Ghost operated the LMS, RAC, and SCALPSS payloads during this unique phenomenon to measure changes in the lunar dust and radiation environment.
“This team continues to make near-impossible achievements look easy, but there is no such thing as an easy Moon landing, especially on your first attempt,” said Will Coogan, Blue Ghost Chief Engineer at Firefly Aerospace. “We battle tested every system on the lander and simulated every mission scenario we could think of to get to this point. But what really sets this team apart is the passion and commitment to each other. Our team may look younger and less experienced than those of many nations and companies that attempted Moon landings before us, but the support we have for one another is what fuels the hard work and dedication to finding every solution that made this mission a success.”
Firefly also captured imagery of the lunar sunset on March 16, providing NASA with data on whether lunar dust levitates due to solar influences and creates a lunar horizon glow that was hypothesized and observed by Eugene Cernan on Apollo 17. Following the sunset, Blue Ghost operated for 5 hours into the lunar night and continued to capture imagery that measures how dust behavior changes after sunset.
Looking ahead, Firefly is ramping up for annual missions to the Moon. The team has begun qualifying and assembling flight hardware for Blue Ghost Mission 2, which will utilize Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander stacked on an Elytra Dark orbital vehicle for operations in lunar orbit and on the far side of the Moon.