A longtime wedding ring maker in Tuscaloosa will create 40 new jobs as part of a $21 million expansion of his unassuming headquarters in Tuscaloosa.

You’ve probably passed Tosyali International, Ltd. countless times – their building across from Central High School at the corner of 10th Avenue and 15th Street puts them in the very heart of Tuscaloosa – but closed gates and fences around the brick building, which is unadorned by signage.

Inside, though, something special is happening – craftsmen and women are making Benchmark wedding rings. Tom Tosyali created the brand with a lathe and polishing station in the back of a Tuscaloosa store in 1973, and although the quality of the rings is now known across the country, they’re still proudly made here in the Druid City.

Tom’s son A. J. Tosyali serves as President of Benchmark.

“Toscali International makes custom jewelry for J.C. Penny, Zales and a large number of small jewelry merchants around the country. They have a production facility here in town and also one in New York,” said Justice Smyth, the executive director of the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority.

Their collections are also carried by local jewelers, including Hudson-Poole, Fincher and Ozment, and Levy’s.

Tosyali appeared at a Thursday TCEDA meeting and said they are planning a physical expansion of their manufacturing facility, building into currently unused space on the property at 1500 10th Avenue.

Work will begin in July and is scheduled to wrap up in 2027, and the move is expected to create more than three dozen new jobs.

“They appeared before us with the intention of nearly doubling the size of their operation locally,” Smyth said. “They’ll add about 40 employees over the next 3 years to complement their existing 50 or so workers and it’s a not-quite $21 million capital investment.”

To incentivize the expansion, the TCEDA voted to abate about $1 million in ad valorem taxes and $1.1 million in sales & use taxes.

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