West End Jewelers Gets Unique Commission

West End Jewelers Gets Unique Commission

Pamela Hall

The Ashland Beacon

Most little girls dream of winning a beauty pageant and wearing a crown someday. They dream of walking across the stage holding roses and waving to the crowd. It doesn’t happen for most, of course, but it is always special when someone who lives locally wins a state pageant title and goes to compete in a national scholarship pageant.

For Kitts Hill native, Olivia Fosson, that little girl dream came true. She was crowned Miss Ohio 2025 and went on to compete in the Miss America pageant last year.

“I’m so grateful to be the first woman from Lawrence County to be Miss Ohio,” Olivia said. “I know I won’t be the last.”

Olivia is the daughter of Erby and Debbie Fosson. Erby is an Ashland native and Debbie’s family owns a Christmas tree farm in Kitts Hill. Olivia is the fifth generation in her mother’s family to live on the farm.

Part of the winnings for the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program was having an official Miss Ohio diamond ring. West End Jewelers and owner Jacqueline Slone in Russell were commissioned to design and make the ring for Olivia.

“When looking for a ring sponsor,” Olivia explained, “it was important to us to work with a local, female-owned store. This is what led us to decide Jackie and her team would be the perfect fit.”

Olivia made a good choice. Jacqueline has been in the jewelry industry for about 25 years and has been designing jewelry for about 10 years. West End Jewelers has been open for five years and Jacqueline has done design work for people all across the country, from professional athletes to celebrities and people in movies.

When designing for the ring for Olivia, Jacqueline worked for constantly for three days to come up with the perfect design. It incorporates a crown effect along with the state flower, the red carnation, and the buckeye.

“Considering that it was part of the Miss America organization,” Jacqueline explained, “we wanted it to symbolize the crown, but we wanted it to be something that she wasn’t going to age out of and be able to wear the rest of her life.”

“The official Miss Ohio ring is absolutely beautiful,” Olivia said, “and I feel so blessed to be the first Miss Ohio to wear it. The thoughtful design represents everything our program stands for - strength, resilience, and a passion for Ohio. I am ecstatic over the ring and we look forward to partnering together for many years to come.”

Although Jacqueline gets commissioned for unique custom designs, she also feels that West End Jewelers is successful because of the down-home feeling that everyone is welcome in the store. They welcome the younger crowd as well as those that have been saving for years for the jewelry they want.

“I wanted to have a store in which every person felt welcome,” Jacqueline said, “whether they have $20 to spend or $20,000. That is something that I believe a lot of jewelry stores are missing.”

As for Olivia, her reign will soon come to an end in June when the 2026 Miss Ohio will be crowned.

      “I can’t believe my year as Miss Ohio 2025 is almost over!” Olivia exclaimed. “It has been the most transformative year. Between being a law student and serving as Miss Ohio, my calendar has kept quite full over the past ten months. But my full calendar gives me an even fuller heart. I have dedicated my year of service to highlighting and uplifting Appalachian communities. I am so proud to be from southern Ohio, and I hope I can be an example for every young girl from a small town with big dreams.”