It was the Roaring Twenties, a decadent era aptly captured by F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby. Charles London, a young Polish immigrant and self-taught watchmaker, had just arrived in the land of opportunity - Long Island, to be exact - in pursuit of his own American dream.

Almost immediately, he found himself immersed in the real-life version of Jay Gatsby's opulent world, as he made his way up and down the Gold Coast, servicing the clocks of its grandest mansions. Whitneys, Morgans, Vanderbilts, and Pratts were among the aristocrats whose estates he visited weekly.

In 1926, he established London Jewelers with a small storefront on School Street. "People loved him and encouraged him to open the store," Mark says. A few years later, Charles' American dream was further completed when he raised enough money to send for his family. In 1929, his wife and three children joined him in Glen Cove.

To the family, the store represented a bold new future. "My father took us by trolley to School Street and there it was, London Jewelers, our savior," his daughter Fran once said. "It was a tiny, dark, humble shop that was built with dreams of hope, freedom, and joy."

Fran shared Charles' passion and proclivity. From the moment she arrived in Glen Cove, she was a regular presence at the store, spending her afternoons and weekends learning the business from her father. She was a natural, gifted with moxie and compassion in equal measure, and even after she married, she eschewed the convention of the day by maintaining her career.

Fran's husband, Mayer Udell, had more than a few things in common with Charles: He was also an immigrant from Poland; he was a quiet man with an appreciation for details; and he, too, was in search of a better life. He found it first with his knitwear factory in the Bronx, and second in his relationship with Fran. The couple married in 1945 - Charles picked out the engagement ring - and soon Mayer found himself drawn into the London family through more than just marriage. Ever the saleswoman, Fran convinced him to sell his sweater mill and join the business full time.

Soon, Fran and Mayer were at the helm of a booming Glen Cove store. The secret to their success was all in their dynamic: She was a spitfire, keeper of the books, and charmer of customers. He was the mechanical brains, the veritable Oz behind the curtain, ever fixated on the details of every watch and clock. Together, they were a force.

As Fran and Mayer built their own family, the store welcomed two more little employees. Ira and Mark were put to work just as soon as they could sit on Mayer's lap. From a young age, Mark was especially curious about the business, traveling with his father to the Lower East Side of Manhattan to watch him negotiate with jewelers and buy merchandise.

Though business was life - and life was business - family was the glue that held it all together. There was no night the Udells could not be found eating dinner together, whether it was at home after a long day at work or at the store itself. Family was the foundation of everything: It was the reason Charles London had created London Jewelers. It was the reason that Fran and Mayer worked so hard to carry on the business. And it would be the reason London would succeed for decades to come.

Throughout their lives, Mark and Candy ensured their family business would both evolve and hold steady, remaining true to Charles London's founding ideals of honesty and hard work, even as the company flourished. And amidst it all, there was never any hesitation in their minds that what they wanted most was to pass those same virtues on to the next generation.

It seemed natural that Randi and Scott would follow in their parents' footsteps. After all, they were raised just like their father. The Glen Cove store was their second home, and they too spent endless hours absorbing the business firsthand. "I thought their move — that they would establish careers with London Candy, and Mark never imposed their wishes on their children."

Soon, jewelry called Randy and just like her father, she cast out into the world to learn the business from fresh angles, working with brands like David Yurman and Honora. She caught on quickly, designing an award-winning piece for Honora, and she was the youngest student in her class at the Gemological Institute of America. When she returned to London, she was ready to make her own imprint with new jewelry collections - which she designs with her mother - and fresh approaches to client and brand relationships.

Meanwhile, Scott developed a passion for diamonds and gemstones becoming the family's first fully certified gemologist. He envisioned the TWO by London engagement ring concept, which connected the family business with a new younger generation of consumers.

Zachary Udell, son of Ira and Allyn Udell, found his way to a London Jewelers career through a different path: his latent passion for timepieces. "It was the first time I found something I could sink my teeth into," he says.

For Candy and Mark, the closing of London's first century - a monumental feat for any business - is a reminder that every decision has been made not just for profit or prestige, but in the spirit of providing for all those who carry the Udell name. Because behind the golden LONDON letters, the most valued possession has always been, and will always be, family.