OWNERS: Julie Walton Garland and Michael Walton; URL: waltonsjewelry.com; ONLINE PRESENCE: 36,000 Facebook followers; 19,000 Instagram followers; 101 5-Star Google reviews; OPENED FEATURED LOCATION: 1983; Renovation: 2021; AREA: 550 square-foot showroom; 2,500 square feet total; EMPLOYEES: 5 full-time; 4 part-time

Julie Walton Garland

WHEN A FIRE at an adjacent restaurant destroyed the back of Walton’s Jewelry in downtown Franklin, TN, the last thing on Julie Walton Garland’s mind was how that fire could reveal hidden architectural treasures. Yet, that’s what happened.

The restoration revealed a trove of historical touches in the late-19th-century building her grandmother had purchased in 1982, including original red pine floors buried beneath layers of carpet, plywood tile and linoleum; a beadboard ceiling carefully preserved in plastic sheeting; and old brick walls just begging for another day in the sun.

Three generations of the Walton family history shine through that Main Street structure, too. Company founder Melba Walton had installed distinctive copper awnings. She and her son, Mike Walton, had assembled hand-built showcases that remain, complete with the childhood scribbles of Melba’s granddaughter Julie.

“It was really exciting to me,” Garland says. “It looks like it always should have, which is wonderful. The things that make us Waltons are now showcased better. Cases are original to when my grandmother opened the store. I just had wainscot panels added to the front.”

Garland was drawn to her family’s business of selling estate and antique jewelry through a love of history, signing on full time in 2012. “I like to learn about the era of the pieces and romanticize what the piece saw in its lifetime. You’re not going to see the same thing walking down the street.”

Garland grew up in the family jewelry store acquiring skills she didn’t realize she was picking up from her father and grandmother.

Carefully chosen details in the showroom create an ambience that suggests a visit to a relative’s vintage parlor.

“All my life I’ve known this location,” she says. “I used to play with all the equipment, not knowing what it was. It’s interesting to realize how much you absorb just watching and listening; showmanship has come very natural to me.”

Her grandmother founded the business in 1974. Before having a showroom, Melba would sell jewelry on the hood of her car at flea markets, often setting up right next to people selling chickens.

But Garland didn’t know her grandmother in a professional sense. “I didn’t see the entrepreneur side because she was Maw-Maw to me.

An in-house photographer captures the unforgettable beauty of one-of-a-kind treasures.

“I always say I wish I had become more involved in the jewelry store when she was still alive and at the store,” Garland says. “When I did become involved, her health was declining, and she wasn’t conducting business. I wish I had been at an age that I would’ve known to ask the right questions.”
Still, Garland feels a connection to her through her generational clientele. “There were people who bought from my grandmother at flea markets, and now their grandchildren are shopping with us, and they have jewelry that was enjoyed and celebrated and passed down.”

Garland first tried wedding and event planning as a career. “I discovered that while I was good at it and enjoyed it, working late nights every Friday, Saturday and Sunday was starting to weigh on me quickly,” she recalls. Her dad had never pressured her to join the business, but when she expressed an interest, he said, “why not give it a try?”

“It means so much to me. It’s more than just a business, it’s my family. Getting to be a part of the legacy my grandmother started is remarkable. Everyone who works here becomes like family as well. Franklin is near and dear to my heart and the business owners here are close friends. I love jewelry, I love antique jewelry, and I love the community.”

Mike Walton, who is semi-retired and still shopping for inventory during his travels, was always open to his daughter’s ideas to expand their online presence and e-commerce, which in turn helped grow the business. “My dad has been wonderful in being open to change, which is one of the reasons we are still successful, I believe. We didn’t have much of an online presence at the time, but Dad knew that I’m super type A and organized, so he was like, ‘Do your thing.’”

Garland has built a team of nine, between full and part time staff. “If you think you can do it all, you’re lying to yourself. It’s so important to have a team of people who are better than you in certain aspects. It takes a great team to be successful and to enjoy life.

“We used to hire for personality, but I do now try to hire people who have a background in luxury sales, if not jewelry. It can be taught, but it’s a long process. We do a lot of jewelry repair, so it helps to have basic jewelry knowledge to be able to accurately take in jewelry repair.”

Online presence is curated to offer a one-of-a-kind experience that is both timeless and on trend. Marketing estate and antique pieces that may be more than 100 years old in a way that’s exciting isn’t always easy, but the team is obsessed with antique jewelry.

“Love Stories” feature real couples sharing about the jewelry that marked their engagements and other milestones. Adding to the engaging allure of their social media, there’s a professional in-house photographer on staff, thoughtful blog posts and weekly educational emails. A shoppable Instagram feed takes visitors straight to the items on the website and offers more suggestions handpicked by the team. “We strive to bring the ease and elegance of shopping at Walton’s to buyers across the country,” Garland says.

As for selling style, there’s no pressure.

“Our reputation and continued opportunity to share our love and expertise of antique jewelry is far more important to us than a one-time sale,”

Garland says. “I want people leaving thinking it was a fun, cool experience with a high-end twist. The key to our success generation over generation and decade after decade has been tracking our metrics, valuing quality over quantity, and providing an exceptional experience from a genuine place of joy.”

Five Cool Things About Walton’s Jewelry

1. WINDOW SHOPPING COLLECTION. QR window decals allow customers to learn about items displayed in windows even after the showroom has closed for the night. “Since we are located in a tourist destination, it’s important for us to showcase a sampling of what we offer even after business hours to those walking Main Street,” Garland says. Each front window displays a QR code that links to the “Window Shopping Collection” on the company website, showcasing every item displayed. “Customers can purchase what they are seeing while standing right there on our sidewalk! It brings a whole new meaning to window shopping.”

2. TIME MANAGEMENT. It used to be in the retail jewelry business that if customers weren’t in the store, there was a lot of downtime. The Walton’s team makes the most of that time by marketing to clientele or posting to the website. “There are so many ways to drive business and drive traffic to your business,” Garland says. “Even if the showroom isn’t full of people, we’re still making sales usually.” Garland estimates that 20 percent of sales are strictly e-commerce without even a conversation. After the purchase, though, Walton’s reaches out to talk about sizing and shipping.

3. BY APPOINTMENT. While they first decided to try a “by private appointment only” model out of necessity in 2020, they found the system allows everyone to be better prepared and enjoy a focused experience. These days, walk-ins are welcome but appointments are the priority.

4. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT. Walton’s uses the Edge POS system to track inventory. “Dealing with antique and estate that is one of a kind takes a whole lot more effort. You can’t just duplicate the inventory item, so you have to be very familiar with what sells. Replacing is harder because you can’t just make a call, but theoretically you can replace it because you know what’s selling.”

5. EASTER EGG HUNT. At Easter time, the team at Walton’s hides a gold painted egg somewhere in downtown Franklin. The egg contains a note instructing the finder to bring the note to Walton’s to claim the prize. During 2020 COVID shutdowns, they did the hunt virtually, posting clues each day, and if a participant solved all three clues, they were entered into a drawing to win the prize.

PHOTO GALLERY (13 IMAGES)

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The post Past Meets Future for Tennessee Cool Jewelry Store Owner appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

OWNERS: David and Ronnie Malka; URL: www.malkadiamonds.com; ONLINE PRESENCE: 220 Google reviews with 4.9 stars; 4,272 Instagram followers; SHOWCASES: JF Metal Works (hand-fabricated bases) and KDM Innovative Retail Solution (glass showcases); FOUNDED: 2008; Opened featured location: 2020; AREA: 2,100 square feet; Buildout cost: $200,000; ARCHITECT AND DESIGN FIRMS: Elk Collective, interior designer; Owen Gabbert Construction; TOP BRANDS: Facet Barcelona, Jolie Designs, Chris Proof Designs, Doves and Lashbrook Designs; EMPLOYEES: 4 full time

David and Ronnie Malka

IT’S BEEN A couple of years since David and Ronnie Malka moved their retail diamond and jewelry business into the second floor of a building in Portland’s Pearl District, but Ronnie still marvels at the change in perspective that move has brought.

Clients enjoy the treetop view while discussing custom design projects and making themselves comfortable on a green vintage sofa in the parlor-like lounge. Eighty percent of clients now make appointments, and a large percentage of those begin designing their rings using a tool on the Malkas’ new website. With few window shoppers, there are fewer distractions at work, which leads to an efficiency that has allowed the couple and their team to be open fewer hours a day and fewer days a week, a big work-life balance benefit for the staff and a recruitment tool as well.

The building is on a streetcar line near restaurants, breweries and shops, including world famous Powell Bookstore. Windows give it the ambience of an elegant tree house. “There’s great light on the second floor,” Ronnie says. “There are some trees outside the windows that cast beautiful shadows. It’s an inviting space to work in every day.” The couple has managed their business in a way that’s allowed it to evolve, grow and pivot to meet challenges since they opened their store in 2010 and ran straight into the Great Recession. From the beginning, they succeeded by giving their wedding and engagement clients what they wanted, whether that turned out to be salt-and-pepper or geometric-shaped diamonds, vintage rings, well-cut mined diamonds, or more recently, specially cut, proprietary lab-grown diamonds, all delivered with a straightforward, honest approach to education and a friendly informality.

When COVID-19 shutdowns and persistent vandalism in the summer of 2020 forced them to close their original storefront in downtown Portland’s mini-diamond district, they sought temporary refuge in an office building while weighing their options.

Not only did they begin reimagining what their new brick-and-mortar space would be, they also linked a Shopify account to their website and posted a curated selection of inventory focused on unique settings and the kinds of gemstones popular with their young, wedding-minded clientele, quickly creating an e-commerce outlet that didn’t exist before. They sought feedback from online clients and, in response to learning that clients seek assurances the store is LGBTQ-friendly, Ronnie added an entire landing page to the site to ensure a proper welcome.
The Malkas and their team became even more available and responsive than they had tried to be in the past, using FaceTime, virtual appointments and calls to connect.

Soon they had transitioned to a larger, second-floor space with a lounge, private offices, their first break room, and a much bigger shop. A camera and a call box at the street announce guests.

The space has a custom feel that complements their custom business. The second floor is painted jet black, against which the gold store logo pops. “It’s very, very fun to open up the steel black doors with gold finishings, to walk in and see that it’s bright and pretty and full of light,” Ronnie says. “Customers comment about how private it is and that it feels like a hidden gem.”

When they first discovered their new spot, it was kind of a skeleton, Ronnie, says, leaving plenty of room for self-expression and imagination. They worked with a design company, Elk Collective, to define spaces. The showroom is divided by a cube encased with a textured geometric tile wall, which houses a full shop. The cube has several windows through which to view the work within.

Even before clients visit, they’ve already made a connection, which is the goal of Malka’s marketing strategy, which includes a blog and paying attention to Google analytics. They engage with clients through Facebook and Instagram. Along with the new store, they launched a website designed to be both engaging and intuitive. “With great videography and imagery, our clients get a clear feel for the space, vibe and our team,” Ronnie says. Website visitors can choose to further engage via chat, book an appointment online or start designing a custom ring.

Once the user clicks on the “Custom” tab on the homepage, they’re prompted to narrow down options. The Malkas instantly receive an email with the client’s center stone preference, ring silhouette, metal and budget, as well as inspirational photos. “Before we even meet with our clients, we have a clear understanding of what they want to create,” Ronnie says.

Currently, 10 to 15 percent of sales are made directly online. Much of the alternative bridal, unique salt-and-pepper and vintage collections are set with live centers and available for sale on the website. They’ve invested in hiring an in-house photographer, too, to elevate the look of website inventory as well as social media.

Despite improved efficiency, no one will feel rushed. The Malkas take the time to build a relationship, whether customers make an immediate decision or return, which inevitably they do. Ronnie attributes their success to their non-commission, organic selling style. “We don’t pressure-sell,” she says. “I would see that as a huge red flag. Everyone’s on the same team; everyone’s here for you.”

Windows allow clients to view jewelers at work in the shop at Malka Diamonds & Jewelry.

Respect for the clients’ budget also goes a long way to close sales. “If you are custom making it, you can let them know from the beginning how much it’s going to cost. We can price it at the price that makes sense for us and for the customer. It’s very transparent,” she says.

By the time clients make a purchase or put a deposit down, a relationship has been built. Customers receive a pamphlet detailing the history of the Malkas’ three-generation tradition of diamond dealers, and an appraisal. A guarantee is automatic for the life of the ring.

David’s father, Yossi Malka began his career as an apprentice under his great uncle in Israel, studied diamond cutting and later became a wholesale dealer in Portland. David earned a graduate gemologist degree, worked in a retail store for several years and also ran his own jewelry appraisal lab, Independent Gemological Services, before opening a store.

The Malkas take the long view. “It’s fun to look back at 14 years because the first couple of years you wonder, ‘Is this going to go?’” Ronnie says.

“It’s been a fun, fun ride. Our mission is to be that jeweler who takes care of you for generations.”

One major benefit of Malka’s new location is more space and breathing room for the store’s bench jewelers.

Five Cool Things About Malka Diamonds & Jewelry

1. WORK-LIFE BALANCE. The Malkas are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. five days a week, shorter hours than they had before COVID disruptions. “COVID did a lot for people’s way of looking at life,” Ronnie says. “We can spend quality time with our clients in the five days we’re here, and then spend quality time with our family on the other days. And when we’re hiring, those interested in the position are excited about the hours.”

2. ALLURE. The Malkas have developed a proprietary cut for lab-grown diamonds called Malka Allure, their own cross between cushion and emerald cut. The diamonds are cut in a solar-powered lab in Israel. Their first three sold in five days. “We’re buying from labs that have high-quality lab-grown diamonds and that are treating people well,” Ronnie says. “We’re selling about 65 to 70 percent lab-grown.”

3. MERCH. A free Malka hat, pin and umbrella are a part of the stealth marketing plan. “Our clients get asked about these items, which sparks up an organic conversation,” Ronnie says.

4. PERMANENT JEWELRY. The Malkas offer to affix permanent bracelets to clients during certain hours they’re open. “It’s fun, it’s an added thing we offer. It’s a $200 item, so we’re not doing it on the weekends because we’re busy.” The Malkas have seen couples visiting the store to exchange permanent bracelets. Groups are also welcome to come in early on a weekday, have mimosas and get permanent bracelets.

5. SOCIAL GROWTH. The Malkas add 100 to 200 new followers on social media every week or so. “We’re boosting posts and focusing on generating excitement, which generates appointments. Our followers direct message us often with questions about recent posts. They love our custom creations. They love when we share recent engagement photos, new babies, etc. Keeping our digital presence is key to showcasing that we are a brick and mortar, local with real people making real jewelry.”

PHOTO GALLERY (22 IMAGES)

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OWNER: Lucian Lee; URL: halesjewelers.com; ONLINE PRESENCE: 4.9 star average with 296 Google reviews; 8,000 Facebook followers; FOUNDED: 1856; Opened featured location: 2021; AREA: 8,000 square-foot showroom; 9,500 square feet total; ARCHITECT AND DESIGN FIRMS: DP3, Larry Johnson, The Heirloom Companies, Maven Construction; TOP BRANDS: Rolex, Forevermark, A. Link, JB Star, Kwiat, Yourline Jewelry, Fana, Tissot, William Henry; EMPLOYEES: 15 full-time; 5 part-time

Lucian Lee’s post-college job led to a fulfilling career.

WHEN LUCIAN LEE walked into Hale’s Jewelers to buy an engagement ring in 1973, he found the perfect ring — and also found a job to pay for that ring.

It led to a happily-ever-after story in more ways than one. Lee and his wife, Jeanie, have been married for 47 years, and although she has been gifted with other rings since then, she still treasures the original. As a recent college graduate, Lee also fell in love with the jewelry business and the people at Hale’s, so much so that the job he walked into turned into a long and rewarding career.

“I was fortunate enough to be adopted into the family,” he says. “It was my passion, and they recognized it.” Eventually, Lee formed a partnership with the Sullivan brothers, who owned the store. After the brothers both retired, Lee bought the business in 2000.

By 2020, Hale’s had been in one location for 40 years. And Lee was ready to transform his historic retail jewelry company into something that would make a splash in Greenville, SC, while offering a modern selling experience.

The company was founded in 1856 (making it the oldest business in Greenville), and since then, it had taken on a variety of forms, ranging from a wooden structure on Main Street in the beginning to a mall and freestanding locations later on. But Greenville had grown, and so had its residents’ expectations. Lee believed it was time to make another move.

The new store is a theme of the marketing strategy.

Architect Meg Terry and her team with DP3 in Greenville had a tall order with the design of the prospective new location, which was to be built in a development that was mixed use but still largely residential. Hale’s and its neighbor, a men’s store, represented the first wave of retail construction. The master plan for the site required the store be two stories. “So, while Lucian didn’t need a two-story, we needed to give him one,” Terry says.

Terry and team had to make the soaring, dramatic space feel homey and welcoming, which was Lee’s highest priority. “We had to mitigate the height so it didn’t feel like a vast canyon,” Terry says.

And from the perspective of his thriving repair business, Lee wanted the store to be convenient for people to run in and out of without having to navigate obstacles or a circuitous traffic pattern. It has a dual purpose in that sense: relaxing enough to hang out, but with a simple floor plan that allows for quick visits, too.

“The goal was to create an experience, an environment where they’d want to come hang out for a while, and if you have 10 different conversations going on, you don’t feel on top of each other,” Lee explains. The hangout areas include a hospitality space, the first time Hale’s has had one that is a prominent feature in the store. Guests can enjoy coffee or a glass of wine in a seating area incorporated into the design center.

Showcases allow for side-by-side selling. “The new world of retail is about interactive shopping,” Lee says. “This space gave us the opportunity to have plenty of room to self-shop or shop with the salesperson.”

Although Terry had worked on other retail projects, this was her first jewelry store, so she had no preconceived notion of what should or shouldn’t be done. “We try to be specific to the needs of the user and the owner and make sure it makes sense for how they want the space to feel and work,” she says.

Of three conceptual options presented to him, Lee chose one with the working title of “The Jewel Box.” The soaring slope of the roof suggests a jewelry or gift box being opened.

A sculptural custom light fixture reinforces the jewel box concept, particularly at night, when it resembles the glowing jewels within. The Heirloom Companies, a local metalworking firm, was commissioned to create a piece that characterized a floating jewel-like sculpture. “There is not another fixture like that in the world,” Terry says. “It was an effort to fill that big void. To bring the scale down over the center section of the store was really important.”

Shop-in-shops for Rolex and Forevermark were to be integral to the store, and so Terry and team made sure they coordinated well with the rest of the space. “The color and the finishes felt cohesive but still gave those brands their own identity,” she says.

Natural light is plentiful and can be filtered with remote-controlled shades. A vertical fin structure on the exterior ties into the architecture while filtering the light as well. Glass is high-tech, double paned and reinforced to meet security standards, similar to hurricane glass. “There’s not anything better to show off what we sell than natural light,” Lee says.

Since it’s opened, Terry has enjoyed observing how customers experience the space. “I took my grandmother’s jewelry in to have it appraised, and I was sitting there waiting, and it was cool watching how people mingle and use the space. In their previous store, when 15 people were in there, it felt tight and uncomfortable. When I was there at the new store, there were 30 people and it felt spacious and still welcoming.

“There’s nothing much like this in Greenville. It’s a differentiator for sure. That was the intention of it. To make sure it was identifiable as Hale’s and a cornerstone of the area.”

Because the store has such a wow factor, Bottom Line Marketing designed a “Come as You Are” ad campaign in 2021 to reassure Greenville residents they didn’t need to be rich to walk in the doors. The goal was to increase awareness that if you have $50 to spend or $50,000, Hale’s would treat you the same way.

The company’s history is highlighted within a modern wall case, along with select jewelry.

“For a lot of their branding campaigns, we do use the store because it’s such an interesting design and the inside of the store is so beautiful, so unique, showcasing jewelry as art,” says Sarah Gray, Bottom Line’s account manager for Hale’s. “Any time we’re not using images of brides, we love to use photos of the store.”

Hale’s has a 12-month TV, outdoor, digital, social and holiday catalog program that keeps the brand, the brand’s faces and the jewelry at the forefront of everything. “People come in after seeing us on YouTube and feel like they already know us,” Lee says.

Of course, for any business owner who operated a store, let alone opened a new one in the early years of the pandemic, added stress was a given. The ribbon-cutting took place with everyone wearing masks, out in the parking lot.

“I certainly aged in the last few years,” Lee says. “We started, and four months later, the world changed, but construction continued and we continued. It was stressful, but we were fortunate when we opened that the world was starting to come back.” In some ways, though, the timing was optimal. “Because people had not been able to travel and to do other things, it did create an opportunity.”

That unexpected opportunity, combined with the new location, almost guaranteed a successful outcome. “It’s something new and different in a good area,” he says. “We were just fortunate. We have pretty heavy traffic most all of the time, even in January, which used to be slower.”

Five Cool Things About Hale’s Jewelers

1. ORIGIN STORIES. In the beginning, the gold used by Hale’s was sourced from a local mine. The store was known for engraving and for crafting love tokens such as watch fobs or hair bows braided with hair and thin threads of gold for soldiers during the Civil War. Hale’s was spending money on advertising as early as the 1860s. Early maps had no street names, and so ads for the store, instead of listing an address or intersection, would offer directions such as two blocks east and a few paces north of the courthouse.

2. BONUS SPACE. The second floor isn’t entirely volume and open space. There’s office space, a conference room and a lobby on the second floor along one end of the store, which provides a good view of the showroom. The space is convenient for training sessions or private client meetings.

3. ALL ABOUT SYSTEMS. The structural part of the high-volume business is all about systems. “After 165 years, we have learned a few tricks in how to make our operations run smoothly,” Lee says. “From shipping, receiving, invoicing, marketing, sales, management, we all work as one. No one department is greater than the other and everyone treats everyone like family.”

4. OWNERSHIP IN A NUTSHELL. The business was founded in 1856 by James Hunter Randolph. In 1887, his grandson, William Randolph Hale, took over and renamed it Hale’s Jewelers. In 1910, William Randolph Hale Jr. installed Hale’s Clock, a landmark that served as the standard time for Greenville’s residents. In 1923, Hewlett Sullivan Sr. bought the business, which remained in the Sullivan family for the rest of the 20th century, until 2000 when Lucian Lee bought Hale’s. The landmark clock still stands outside the new store.

5. LOCAL TALENT. “It was important for me for everyone from the architects to the builder to the interior designer to be part of my local community,” Lee says. “For the most part, the store was built with local talent. I’m proud of that. We promote ‘shop local,’ and I needed to live that creed.”

PHOTO GALLERY (7 IMAGES)

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The post Uplifting Architecture Shows Historic South Carolina Jewelry Store in a New Light appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

OWNER: Karina Brez; URL: karinabrez.com; DESIGN: Romanov Interiors; ONLINE PRESENCE: 570 Facebook followers; 19,700 followers on Instagram; FOUNDED: 2011; Opened featured location: 2021; AREA: 145 square feet; EMPLOYEES: 1

Karina Brez finds her niche in a jewel box of a space in Palm Beach, FL.

ELEVEN YEARS AGO, Karina Brez launched her jewelry business in a tent at a horse show. A horse enthusiast with a passion for gemstones, Brez is a third-generation jeweler, a GIA certified appraiser, a graduate gemologist and a 2012 Miss Florida USA.

As a designer of equestrian-themed jewelry, she knew the pop-up VIP-tent operation was a perfect place to begin. She created a garden oasis of retail by using a Home Depot trellis draped with greenery and incorporating her favorite color, green, in the decor. “I was in a VIP tent for 12 weeks at a time,” she explains. “I’d bring my cases, then have my moving company pack up the cases and put them into storage.” But working in a tent without air conditioning at the Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL, did have a downside: “It didn’t have a privacy feel, and come March, it was so hot that clients didn’t want to shop.”

When she opened her first permanent store in 2021, tucked away in a Spanish-style villa on Palm Beach’s tony Worth Avenue, she was looking for the same aesthetic and colors she’d used in the pop-up. But at 145 square feet, space was a challenge. High ceilings helped, though, to create a more expansive feeling, and she designed the space vertically, having a wooden trellis pattern painted on one wall. A vine made from a real willow was twisted to form an arch, which was adorned with faux flowers and installed just opposite her front door. The store is surrounded by greenery. “I’m literally in a garden now, and there’s a water feature outside, too,” adds Brez.

Green is Brez’ favorite color for a variety of reasons beyond her affinity for foliage. As a May baby, emerald is her birthstone, which was also the Pantone color of the year when she launched her brand in 2013. That had to be a lucky sign, she thought. “And my eyes are green!” she says.

Designer Karina Brez says she continues to make pieces only if they’re proven fast sellers, such as her Lucky Horseshoe Collection.

Even so, she was a little nervous about painting the interior dark green. “I thought if I didn’t love it, I could just paint over it. But I do love it. It has a very moody, romantic vibe. So many places now are white. I like to be different.”

Brez worked with interior designer Natasha Steinle, who helped her fine-tune her vision and procure her specialty wallpaper. Brez had an image in her head of the chandelier she wanted, and she found just what she envisioned on Pinterest. “The chandelier is made of geometric crystals, which is so cool because I love minerals,” she says. Other luxurious details include a gilded ceiling and braided carpet.

Brez recognizes the importance of a beautiful jewelry store at a time when many people are attuned to HGTV interior design shows and are in pursuit of beautiful environments. “You can’t just go buy metal cases and some fluorescent lamps,” she says. “It’s about creating an environment that’s comfortable, where people enjoy spending 30 minutes of their time.”

Her jewelry collections are imaginative and carefully considered, but they must pull their own weight. “When I design a piece, I make one or two and wear it to get a reaction from customers. If people love it, I make more of it.” If it doesn’t sell within a year, on the other hand, it’s history. “I own every piece in my cases. Sweat equity is sitting in my cases. I only make pieces that are fast sellers. If it doesn’t sell in the first year, I stop making it.”

Her practical side can be traced to her parents, who emigrated from Ukraine and who each had two or three jobs while she was growing up. Her father washed cars and repaired jewelry; her mother, a hair stylist, worked all day and continued her work at home in the evening, sometimes until midnight. “From an early age, I saw my parents working so hard to make an honest living that I didn’t know any different,” she says. “That’s how you live, that’s how you survive. I’ve always had that entrepreneurial spirit. I didn’t have a TV or an iPad; I didn’t have toys. I had a piece of paper and a pen. If I was left with a babysitter, all I did was sit and draw.”

That work ethic led her to compete in and win the Miss Florida USA pageant. “Competing in a pageant was on my bucket list, and there’s a time limit on certain things you can do,” she says. “I did research, I had a business plan and I ended up winning. I got to meet ambitious, smart ladies and bring awareness to my friends’ charity, Horses Healing Hearts. It was one of the best times of my life.

Sketch of pop-up store courtesy of Tani Babaian.

“I remember growing up, I was terrified to go in front of a camera. I wouldn’t talk. Doing the pageant helped me get more comfortable in interviews and talking to people. I had to take public speaking and acting classes as part of the process. And I think the more I did events and interviews and just got out there, I got more comfortable in my own skin. I had to do an interview in a bikini! Thank God I did that THEN. Now you wouldn’t catch me dead in a bikini!”

While being in a permanent location in Palm Beach leaves her with a less targeted demographic than a horse show tent provides, her work appeals to a variety of people. In addition to equestrian-themed collections, she has a garden collection and designs one-of-a kind couture pieces around unique colored gemstones she buys. It’s a full functioning jewelry store with custom design. Her dad does all the bench work in his own space.

“My pieces are middle ground; they’re not too horsey,” she says. “Many of my customers are on a horse all day every day and they say they don’t want to look at another horse. People love that it symbolizes a lot of different things. My collections have a minimalistic look with attention to detail. They are like an optical illusion of a horse.”

“A lot of people walk through Worth Avenue and explore. They’re intrigued because it’s different. I don’t fit into a regular box. A lot of them know me because I grew up here and am an integral part of the community.”

Five Cool Things About Karina Brez Jewelry

1. MODEL COMMUNITY. Brez, like other boutique owners on Worth Avenue, employs a licensed model during South Florida’s busy season to show her jewelry on the street in a low-key manner. It’s a tradition there for models to carry discreet signs while showing clothing or jewelry from Worth Avenue boutiques. Brez partnered with a clothing store that appeals to her clientele, and together they hired the model.

2. PUBLIC RELATIONS. Working with a public relations firm, specifically Olga Gonzalez of Pietra PR, has changed the face of Brez’s brand, she says, as she launches a wholesale line. “When you have someone on your team who is your cheerleader, it helps you to expand.”

Brez employs a licensed model to show her jewelry on Worth Avenue.

3. COUTURE ALLURE. Brez launched her wholesale business in 2022 at the Couture Show. “We signed seven stores, which I thought was amazing,” she says. “That was the first hurdle. The second hurdle is, ‘Are they going to reorder?’ and believe it or not almost everyone reordered within two months.”

4. NICHE NEWS. “Because of our niche market, we can easily market within our equestrian community,” Brez says. “So, this means that we are constantly in editorials of magazines that are focused on the equestrian lifestyle.”

5. WHAT’S NEXT? Brez plans to introduce a solar-powered, tiny-house style store on wheels with 11-foot ceilings that’s eco-friendly and portable, so she can sell her jewelry at horse shows in comfort. Built by Movable Roots Tiny Home Builders in Melbourne, FL, it will be called the Jeweled Barn and have the look of an English countryside tap room with a green-plaid wall and leather-trunk cases. Everything runs off a solar panel battery, which can last for two days and was as costly to purchase as a car, Brez says. The custom 800-pound safe is just 24 by 15 inches.

PHOTO GALLERY (18 IMAGES)

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ARCHITECTS: Jeff Stowe, Sto Architecture, LLC; FOUNDED: 1968; Opened featured location: 2019; AREA: 4,500 square-foot showroom; 7,500 square feet total; DESIGNER: Craig Husar; TOP WATCH BRANDS: ORIS, Seiko Prospex & Presage Luxe, Frederique Constant, Shinola, pre-owned Rolex; ONLINE PRESENCE: 4.9 star average for 556 Google reviews; 3,600 Facebook followers

Craig Husar

WHEN IT CAME time to build his destination store, Craig Husar tried to clear his mind of the many other jewelry stores he’d seen, even those he admired, to concentrate on his own vision.

He wanted his store to stand alone, not only geographically, as a destination, but also in its singular design.

Husar, a second-generation jeweler, designed the 4,500 square foot showroom himself, influenced by studying both feng shui and consumer behavior. “Feng shui is about energy and movement,” Husar says. “We don’t have a bad retail spot or a dead corner.”

With the help of an architect who was a lifelong friend, Husar dreamed up a 35-foot tower that he describes as the store’s exclamation mark. The tower houses the Star of Husar, a 15-foot sculpture adorned with 2,618 Swarovski crystals suspended from 480 steel wires. There is no electric illumination within the Star, so its brightness depends entirely on weather conditions.

When the sunlight hits the crystals, the hanging fixture glows like a fireball, sparking a retail experience shoppers and passersby won’t soon forget. At the base of the tower is the EngageBar, where the glass walls show diamonds in their best light. Details are symbolic and intentional. Custom built cases on the main islands, the location for Husar’s Masterpiece Collection, form the infinity symbol. Curves in the design create a floor plan with a natural flow.

Husar chose natural materials where possible. Flooring is travertine; counters are marble. The color scheme was inspired by Italian streetscapes. Walls are painted in a shade called tanglewood, a mixture of gray and tan with hints of green. Cases range from lighter blond colors to natural tones and help create distinct departments throughout the store.

Looking back, he wouldn’t do anything different. “I really enjoy the natural light, the openness and airiness of the space. I wanted it to be upscale but not threatening in any way. A casual luxury experience.”

Husar Tic-Tok shop

The 2019 opening of the store coincided with the 50th anniversary of the family business, which began when Craig’s parents, Lyle and Alice Husar founded the 400-square-foot Tic-Tok Shop to sell and repair watches. From there, the couple moved the business to a strip mall location, where it remained for decades.

When Craig bought out his parents in 2012, he began anticipating the next move. “We’d been in a strip mall and were having a very difficult time being able to express the personality of the store in that setting,” he says. “So, in building the new store I added all the elements I was unable to add at the strip mall. There is a tremendous amount of glass to let in natural light. We are so aware of our environment now. It lifts your heart, lifts your spirits when you soak up sunshine. It elevates the mood when people are shopping.”

When Husar considered inventory for the larger space, he knew he wanted to bring back the Tic-Tok Shop, a name the family hadn’t used in 30 years, in recognition of his parents and the store’s history. He introduced watch brands including Frederique Constant, Zodiac and Seiko. “Seiko has been exciting because we were a Seiko dealer in the 1970s. My father always laughs when I introduce something “new” and he says, “I did that already. Don’t you remember?”

The shop’s original 1968 Tic-Tok Shop signage is displayed with pride on the wall.

Although Husar grew up crawling around on the floor of his parents’ store, it wasn’t always a given that he’d take over the business.

He developed an interest in colored stones and in 1991 decided to study gemology at the GIA in California. But the classes, especially in colored stones, didn’t always live up to his expectations. “I thought there were more exciting ways to teach these programs.”

Richard Liddicoat, GIA president, responded by inviting him to become an instructor, if he thought he could do it better. Craig turned him down three times (“Public speaking? I’d rather die”) before finally agreeing to try. It changed his life, he says. “That became one of the most exciting things for me, presenting and sharing my passion about gems and diamonds and their history and allure.”

When Mel Fisher sent the GIA lab a 90-carat gemstone to confirm as an emerald, Husar was intrigued and asked the treasure hunter if he’d like to have a gemologist on staff in Key West, FL. Fisher agreed, which led to a five-year adventure for Husar, who became the exhibition director for the Treasures of the Atocha. The Nuestra Senora de Atocha was sailing from the New World to Spain in 1622 when it sank in a hurricane. The ship, which had contained 40 tons of gold and silver and some 70 pounds of emeralds, was discovered by Fisher off the Florida Keys in 1985.

Husar did all the training for the stores that hosted the exhibition and made TV and other media appearances. “That was the ultimate opportunity to become comfortable speaking in front of people,” he says. “Some of the crowds were enormous.”

Lyle Husar

He visited 85 stores, spent time with the owners and got to know how they ran their businesses. “It was like a four-year degree in how to run a jewelry business.” Mentors he met along the way made him realize that all of the exciting things he loved about the industry could come together in his family business, to which he did return, albeit much later than expected. “The GIA gemologist program is six months and I wound up being away for seven years, so my father likes to say I was a slow learner,” Husar says.

Today, Husar works with his sister, Christine Husar-Anderson, vice-president and operations manager, whom he describes as the glue that holds it all together.

Husar had learned that being known as the diamond expert in any market is critical. He became the face of the business and connected his image with that of a diamond. In images on billboards, buses and in print, Husar holds a diamond-shaped Swarovski crystal paperweight. To coincide with the store opening, Husar gave away one 5-carat diamond in a promotion that generated 6,000 entries.

Husar also promotes his role as chief romance officer, a title born in 2010 during a jewelry show in Italy, to which he’d been invited by the Italian Trade Commission. Only three U.S. jewelers made it, due to a volcano in Iceland affecting air travel. “They had this enormous press conference set up and there were only three of us. The heads of the trade commission and the mayor introduced themselves with fancy titles and I realized I needed something with more pizazz than Jewelry Store Owner from Brookfield, WI,” so I introduced myself as chief romance officer of the U.S. When I walked into the show my photograph was on the front page of the paper, saying the chief romance officer was attending the show.” He had the title added to his business card. “It’s become a pretty hilarious ice breaker at parties.”

Five Cool Things About Craig Husar

1. NO. 1 RECOMMENDED JEWELER. With over 500 five-star reviews on Google, Craig Husar lays claim to the title of Milwaukee’s No. 1 Recommended Jeweler. Consumers interact with fresh daily content on Instagram (1,100 followers), and Facebook (3,600 likes). The website craighusar.com, features more than 3,000 shoppable products, and consumers shop directly from Facebook and Instagram.

2. ENGAGING EXPERIENCE. Often, a young woman about to be engaged will visit the store with an entourage of friends and it turns into a party as she explores thousands of the prototype rings on display at the EngageBar. “Initially, they are afraid to touch, but when they realize they can try them on, they start piling the rings on,” Husar says.

3. MEMORABLE ATTIRE. Founder Lyle Husar is known for wearing the traditional attire of Swiss watchmakers, which happened to be lederhosen (leather shorts with suspenders). “We always worked it into our ads and got a lot of good laughs out of that, but people remembered us,” Lyle says. Craig framed the last pair of lederhosen his father wore and hung them up in the new store. “I’d often hear ‘Nice legs, Mr. Husar’ from little old ladies when I worked,” says Craig, who has adopted his own signature albeit low-key look, a blue vest and blue jeans.

4. UPBEAT ATTITUDE. “We begin every meeting with an attitude of gratitude,” Husar says. “Each person shares something they are grateful for that happened that day or week. It’s an instant attitude adjustment. I constantly ask myself, ‘What difference have I made today to my clients, my staff, my family?’ That’s how we start our meetings.”

5. THE LEARNING CURVE. The Trusted Jeweler Apprentice program was developed to provide real life work experience to local high school students. “I always try to have someone in their teenage years in an apprenticeship role,” Husar says. “Sometimes family, sometimes other individuals, sometimes friends’ children. We expose them to the work environment and teach them the experience of being in retail. For six or seven years, we have had a high school student on staff on weekends.”

PHOTO GALLERY (13 IMAGES)

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OWNER: Jennifer Farnes; URL: revolutionjewelryworks.com; SHOWCASES: Tutko’s Fine Woodworking;  ONLINE PRESENCE: 4.7 Stars for 239 Google reviews; 16,578 Facebook followers; 1,252 Instagram followers; FOUNDED: 2013; Renovated: 2019; AREA: 2,950 square-foot showroom; 4,300 square feet total; Buildout cost: $350,000; TOP BRANDS: Nell Marie Jewelry Innovations, Margisa Jewelry, Belle Brooke Designs, Brendan White Jewelry, Jason Simmons Diamond Jewelry; EMPLOYEES: 11

Farnes doesn’t sacrifice smart hiring and training to keep up with growth.

WHEN JENNIFER FARNES launched her retail business, Revolution Jewelry Works, in Colorado Springs, CO, in 2013, she wanted to create a place in which she’d feel comfortable shopping.

She hadn’t grown up in the business. She’d come to jewelry through a childhood obsession with rock hunting and later an apprenticeship in gem faceting. As an outsider looking in, she thought jewelry stores were stuffy and intimidating when she would walk in as a faceting vendor.

She wanted her own store to be laid back, open and casual, with a knowledgeable team focused on interactive custom design rather than commission. She devised a profit-sharing approach that encourages team selling, takes away high-pressure sales and sets customers at ease.

“We are usually the second or third stop for shoppers because we are out of the way,” she says, “but we end up being the last stop because they don’t feel the hard-sell push.”

With this formula, she quickly realized exponential growth in revenues, hitting $1 million in 2017 and significantly exceeding her $2 million goal in 2021. “We got really close to $3 million last year,” she says. “We closed 2021 up 58 percent on the year, which was growth that no one can be prepared for when it happens. Insanity is the only way to describe it. But we stayed on top of it with staffing.”

Farnes found a chandelier that exceeded even her dreams.

Despite pressure from growth, she’s had to be patient and wait to hire the right people to keep up standards. “You can’t sacrifice quality to get the job done and out the door,” she says. “I tell clients we are never going to be the cheapest shop in town and we’re never going to be most expensive, but we are going to be unmatched in quality in repairs and in what we sell.”

Farnes attributes that growth in part to committing 15 percent of gross income to paid advertising to convey the message, “Come in and get a feel for what handmade fine jewelry really is,” she says. “A lot of people do come in because they have heard our message enough that it piques their curiosity.”

She’s allocated marketing dollars to radio, movie theaters, social media and SEO. She appears on local TV shows with educational segments about how to care for jewelry. The website, too, offers this educational focus through blog and video. “Rather than saying, ‘We’re great and here’s why,’ we say, ‘These are things to look for in your jewelry and here’s why.’ That helped build a lot of trust locally and has made us the go-to when people need jewelry advice of all kinds: from estate appraisals, to repairs to redesign. Building trust through education is less of an uphill battle. And word of mouth goes only so far.”

Profit-Sharing and Other Incentives

Farnes invests in her team. In 2017, her staff bet her a cruise that they could beat revenue projections by 20 percent and break the $1 million sales mark. She happily lost the bet and took everyone on a week-long Alaskan cruise in 2018. For 2021, the bet was $2 million in sales. Farnes “lost” again. “They earned a trip and it’s on the books!” she says.

Profit-sharing is another big incentive. “Rather than commissions, I believe in paying a solid living wage to each team member,” she says.

“We do bonus payout by profitability, even adding vacation days if we beat sales goals. It makes our store client-focused, whether it’s a $20 sale or a $20,000 sale, and no one competes for commissions.”

Profit sharing and other incentives cut down on turnover. “Retraining is a waste of everyone’s time and energy,” she says.

Growth-driven hiring through the years created growing pains in her physical space. By 2019, before her expansion, eight people worked in 1,200 square feet. “We were hitting each other with an elbow or a hip; nobody was even saying ‘excuse me’ anymore!” she says. “The walls were closing in.”

In September 2019, she bought her building from her landlords while knocking out walls and expanding from 1,200 to 4,300 square feet.

Previously, a solid wall separated the shop and the showroom, which made team members feel like they spent the day shouting at one another.

The shop and the floor are completely separated now, but still visible through glass. “The nice part is when we consult with the jewelers, clients can still see what’s happening but not necessarily hear all of the technical communication,” says Farnes, who has also added technology to enhance staff communication.

“There is a lot more elbow room, and with the extra space, we are selling a lot more out of our showcases,” she says. “I think clients feel less confined, and it puts them at ease to peruse without dancing around the team trying to help other clients.”

She designed the whole store, from color selection, layout and artwork to lighting and the floor plan. The design fused wood and metal for an industrial look; she worked with a local cabinet maker to create showcases, work booths and displays using Colorado reclaimed woods.

Farnes and her team celebrate every success together, sometimes with a vacation.

The store’s finishes draw on Farnes’ family story and favorite memories. Her mother collected driftwood from riverbanks to decorate the front yard of her childhood home. That inspired her to choose a dark gray stain for the wood in the store and, for the countertops, a knotty pine with natural faceted gemstones suspended in hardened epoxy. “My first experience welding was when my father and I built a giant toolbox for his long-haul work truck, which inspired the diamond-plate accents,” she says.

For the floors, she designed the pattern in Matrix CAD and worked with a flooring company to lay out the pattern using a scaled grid in 5-foot sections. When the floors were poured and still wet, they manipulated the polyurea with a leaf blower to give it the look of liquid metal in platinum and crimson.

The crown jewel is her 350-pound dream chandelier that hangs just over our entrance. “I told my husband, I have to have a chandelier — the biggest, prettiest, gnarliest chandelier I can find.”

The personal, handcrafted approach so important to the store design is also integral to the team’s approach to custom jewelry design. Farnes encourages clients to add personal symbolism to their pieces to ensure they’re unique. “Our philosophy from the beginning has been that if someone is going to spend over $1,000 on jewelry, why not be the only person in the world wearing that design?” Customers may share napkin sketches or sit with a CAD designer to bring their ideas to life.

Everything is manufactured on site. Custom clients can make an appointment to watch their design being poured and taking shape. The team casts live in the studio every day.

“For those looking for ready-to-wear gifts, the jewelry we carry in our showcases only comes from the workshops of other small-business artisan jewelers. The artists we work with get their showcase space at no charge, with our caveat being their pieces must pass our quality control standards, and they must honor our warranty on the pieces we sell on their behalf. It is a beautifully reciprocal relationship.”

An eye-catching blend of light, color and liquid metal floors contribute to the revolutionary design of the expanded space.

Five Cool Things About Revolution Jewelry Works

1. SOCIAL STRATEGY. Farnes created a culture of storytelling on her Facebook page, sharing through imagery the backstory of each custom design. On Instagram, she posts images of the manufacturing process and in-stock creations, and clients can see different stages of their design in the works through a customized hashtag shared privately. This year, she added text marketing with discounts and contests, which also helps with scheduling appointments for free cleanings and inspections.

2. PARTNERSHIPS. “We love to partner with food trucks, mobile boutiques, and other odd partners,” Farnes says. “It’s a great way to introduce new traffic to both and builds camaraderie with other business owners.”

3. TEAM DESIGN COMPETITION. Farnes challenged every member of her combined shop and sales team to sketch a design that would be featured in the RJW Exclusives Collection. The designs are given to a CAD designer, grown on a 3D printer and then cast and set in the studio. Images of the finished pieces are featured in the spring bridal advertising campaign, with voting on social media to pick the favorite. One team member wins a cash prize.

4. COMMUNITY COMMITMENT. Since opening in 2013, RJW has donated more than $70,000 to local charities. Two examples: In 2020, when food banks ran low on critical inventory, they designed a charity pendant, the sale of which benefited food banks 100 percent. RJW appraisers offer free services (evaluating donated jewelry) to a non-profit thrift store that funds grief counseling to children and therapy to victims of abuse.

5. PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES. “We’re cheeky and we know it! ‘Rock Hard,’ ‘OMG’ and ‘Hard Core’ are regular taglines we feature,” Farnes says. “Play cutesy elevator music in our radio spots? No way! We go for rock or heavy-metal music that conveys the edginess our whole team and brand. How to convey we really are different in video? We love to put real clients in our commercials featuring their custom designs and stories … then air our commercials in movie theaters and on TV. The goal with our marketing is to convey that jewelry can be fun, personal and approachable.”

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Online Extra: Q&A with Jennifer Farnes

What are your current goals on the road to world domination?

The biggest thing is waiting to see how the recession plays out. We closed 2021 up 58 percent on the year which was growth that no one can be prepared for when it happens. We stayed on top of it with staffing. This year we’re still going strong and running up in our numbers but it’s different. Instead of big diamond sales we’re seeing a lot more people coming in, and we’re selling more refurbishments, more lab grown diamonds. I want to see how the next couple of years play out before we franchise. I have a good footpath for making that happen when we’re ready. I have a plan, a strategy, but I don’t want to push anything too quickly. It would be kind of a hybrid model. I would still be primary owner, but I’d be making it more of an employee-owned company. I would have a hand in guiding advertising and marketing efforts and how to manage the business. I think a big part of the franchising would be continuing the company culture that we have. So, if you buy into a franchise you’d have to work in an established location for at least two years. A lot of people have worked in jewelry stores with an old school mind set. That’s a culture that doesn’t work here because of the profit-sharing aspect.

They have to be willing to share the wealth with their team.

How did you get into the business?

I grew up in Montana; the youngest of three to my father who worked for Sweetheart Bakeries, and my mother who was an elementary school teacher’s assistant. On family camping trips, my much older brothers were forced to take me with them to look for fossils and crystals. I loved it, and continued the hobby into adulthood, introducing my husband (Jeremy) to rock-hounding on our honeymoon in 2003. He wanted to have one of the crystals we found together faceted, which is how I met my mentor. Rather than faceting for me, he offered to take me on as an apprentice! A few months later I launched my gemstone recutting and repair business in our basement, offering services to jewelers around Colorado via postcard. After a decade of growing my lapidary business, I was offered the opportunity to purchase a local jewelry store. Just two weeks from closing on the loan, the owners backed out. I thought the dream was over and I would just be a gemstone faceter forever, but the next morning my husband grabbed me by the shoulders and said, “You would have been buying someone else’s dream. Figure out how to open a store that fits your dream.” I converted the loan from an acquisition to a startup and submitted for an SBA loan. We had to put everything on the line; house, equity, cars, retirement… but we had just enough assets to cover the startup down payment. We have never looked back!

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OWNERS: : Dror and Helene Zadok and their three sons, Jonathan, Segev and Gilad; URL: zadok.com; ONLINE PRESENCE: 28,753 Facebook followers; FOUNDED: 1976; Opened featured location: 2021; AREA: : 28,000 square feet; 18,000 square-foot showroom; ARCHITECT AND DESIGN FIRMS: Michael Hsu Office of Architecture; Nina Magon Studio; SHOWCASES: Faubion Associates Inc.; Alliance;TOP BRANDS: Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, Roberto Coin, Zadok Collection, Mikimoto; EMPLOYEES: 48

Zadok family

MOVING INTO THE expansive new site of his family’s jewelry store in uptown Houston was bittersweet for Jonathan Zadok, who had collected a lifetime of memories at the former location. “That was where I grew up,” he says.

But nostalgia was trumped by excitement and the prospect of new memories, especially when his 5-year-old daughter walked into the new Zadok Jewelers, with its two-story foyer, artistic light fixture and rich, natural finishes, and said, “Daddy, this store is so much nicer than your old store!”

“You don’t realize how dated your old store was until you move into your new store,” Jonathan says. “Want the truth? Ask a 5-year-old. No one tells you the truth like a child.”

Zadok’s clients seem to agree. “I think the customers really love it: a new and fresh look, a cool, fun place to go,” Jonathan says. “We opened in March of 2021 right when people were starting to come out of their COVID hibernations. Most of them say they’ve never seen anything like it.”

Post Oak Place, the mixed-use project owned and developed by the Zadok family, houses their new 28,000-square-foot retail operation, double the size of its previous location, as well as space for two restaurants and five stories of office space.

Zadok Jewelers is owned by Helene and Dror Zadok and their three sons, Jonathan, Segev and Gilad. The entire family — parents, sons, daughters-in-law and children — were involved in store design discussions with Jay Colombo, partner at Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, which designed the entire project.

It was clear that the store’s design narrative would revolve around family.

Dror (a sixth-generation jeweler) and Helene Zadok came to Houston in 1976 from Jerusalem with two suitcases and a baby. Dror and Helene founded a small jewelry shop on prestigious Post Oak Boulevard and slowly built a business by embracing the community and taking a genuine interest in customers’ lives and milestones.

What began as a 1,200 square-foot storefront has grown slowly over time, expanding in its former location at least six times before the 2021 move.

Jonathan says the store has always been like an extension of their living room and no one wanted that to change, no matter the size. “We want people to feel like they are walking into our home,” he says.

They also didn’t want their customers to feel they had to dress up to visit. “We live in a Lululemon world,” Jonathan says. “We wanted the store to feel like you could walk in no matter how you were dressed. We spent many sleepless nights wondering how to achieve that.”

It was imperative, Jonathan says, to configure the floorplan to include inviting, smaller spaces, such as boutiques and intimate seating areas, in multiple lounges and bars. Because the architect designed both the building and the exterior, the company was able to determine how tall or small different areas of the store would be and strategically position seating areas. Colombo says the goal was to create places where clients can feel like they are the only ones in the store and where sales associates can chat with a client and not have it be over a showcase.

On the grand end of the scale, they did punch a hole through the first-floor ceiling to the second floor to allow a large light fixture to be hung. The contemporary fixture by artist Tom Dixon is a centerpiece that unites both floors. “Then things compress down again,” Colombo says. “Nothing is uniformly the same across the space.”

The exterior of the building is pedestrian-friendly with limestone and lush greenery along walkways. The interior is notable for a calming palette of warm wood, Italian stone flooring, and velveteen wall coverings juxtaposed with brass ornamentation and rich detailing. These high-quality materials and design elements, often found in luxury residences, create a space that’s soft and inviting.

The two-story atrium space and light fixture creates a touch of grandeur.

The beauty of the store can be felt as well as seen. “We wanted to make sure that things we selected were quite tactile,” says Colombo. “Brass, travertine, beautiful marble. They connect with people. There’s no laminate or fake material.”

Three sides of the building let natural light flood into the store as deeply as possible. “You don’t feel like you’re in a fluorescent box,” Colombo says. Windows line the branded boutiques, while another giant window illuminates the grand staircase with northern light, desirable for its consistency and evenness.

Zadok partnered with watchmakers and jewelers to create four in-store boutiques reflecting the look and feel of their respective flagship locations. On the first floor, boutiques dedicated to luxury watch brands include Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, A. Lange & Sohne, IWC and Cartier. The space is also home to 14 shop-in-shops.

“This space allows us to showcase the brands in a much better way,” says Jonathan. “We thought long and hard about how to not let the store look like a bazaar, with brand colors fighting each other.” They chose an overall color scheme that could wrap around and separate the brands without clashing with some of the brands’ brighter colors.

The second floor, branded as Upstairs at Zadok, starts with a bridal shop, a Champagne lounge and a design room equipped with a 3-D wax printer. The team collaborated with Nina Magon Studio to create an upstairs lounge that serves as an event space.

There’s also a pop-up store area where complementary designers can showcase their luxury products, such as sunglasses or handbags. “When you go to a store like Zadok, you know what to expect, but with the pop-up shop there’s always something new, something unique,” Colombo says. “They’re selling a lifestyle.”

Colombo says he believes the project was successful based on the family’s continuing feedback. “I’m happy to see the smiles on their faces,” he says. “It’s our job to take someone’s hopes and dreams and turn them into something that they can look back at and say, ‘Yeah, you guys nailed it.’”

The showroom is home to the latest design concept for Italian luxury watchmaker Panerai that includes the brand’s very first full bar.

Jonathan believes the goal of hospitality has been achieved. “It comes down to our people. It’s rare that you come to the store and don’t find a family member here. A concierge meets clients at the door, and if you’re a regular, someone always remembers your name, remembers what you like to drink and who your salesperson is. We want them to feel special and important.”

Dror and Helene have come a long way since they opened their first Houston store. “I think my parents feel it’s bittersweet, too, but they’re ecstatic to see their dream come true, building a store that has received national accolades and local customer raves,” Jonathan says. “My dad had dreamed about owning his own building for decades. We made it a goal and we’re very thankful we reached it.”

Five Cool Things About Zadok Jewelers

1. UPSTAIRS AT ZADOK. The second floor, a destination in itself, was designed to appeal to the bridal crowd, with hardwood floors and cooler, hipper furniture. The second floor is also the site of design stations, big events, piercing parties and trunk shows.

2. WORKING WITH FAMILY. “The best part is you get to see them every day. And the worst part is you get to see them every day,” Jonathan jokes. “We all get along with each other pretty well. We tend to agree on most things. We take the time to think through ideas and find common ground.”

3. LEGACY. The Zadok family were royal court jewelers in Yemen. They started out as silversmiths, but also made gold jewelry, Judaic objects and objects for
the home. “My grandfather immigrated to Israel in the 1930s,” Jonathan says. “He opened a store in the King David Hotel in Jerusalem in 1950, and my parents came to open a store in Houston after my dad worked in the Jerusalem store.”

4. GRAND OPENING. Gary P. Nunn headlined the grand opening bash at Zadok Jewelers, where 700 people stopped in over the course of the evening. Top executives from most of the watch and jewelry brands they represent attended. Attractions included multiple bars, a cigar bar, and a cupcake raffle for hidden gems.

5. BACK OF HOUSE. The new building has windows in the offices, which is much appreciated by 40 back-office staffers, from customer service reps and bookkeepers to watchmakers and jewelers. They also enjoy an upgraded kitchen and an open workspace. Before the move, it was a struggle to find a spot to put new hires. “The new store is conducive to collaboration, to creating a better environment,” says Jonathan.

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OWNER: Wendy Woldenberg; URL: wendjewelry.com; EMPLOYEES: 1 part-time; ONLINE PRESENCE: 5.0 Stars on Google; FOUNDED: 2020; Opened featured location: 2021; AREA: 300 squarefoot showroom; 450 total square feet

Wendy Woldenberg

WENDY WOLDENBERG HADN’T done any serious hiking in years when a few friends asked whether she wanted to join a two-week backpacking trek around Mount Rainier in 2016. The 100-mile Wonderland Trail proved a revelation to Woldenberg: Where her hiking partners saw rivers, glaciers and waterfalls, she saw rings waiting to be made. When she kept dreaming about those rings once she got home, she knew it was time to take her dreams seriously.

The result is WEND, a fine jewelry studio and retail shop where everything is inspired by Woldenberg’s affinity for the natural world. Set in a mixed-use area of West Seattle — a geographically isolated neighborhood that feels like a small town within the big Pacific Northwest city — WEND has a townhouse-meets-treehouse vibe, with 17-foot ceilings and window displays draped in lichen and moss within sight of the jeweler’s benches.

Although Woldenberg makes most of her jewelry to order, walk-in customers find a smart selection of ready-to-wear pieces in this streetside gallery, along with a custom-made maple Ring Bar where people can try on sample rings or take classes in jewelry design and other arts. A steep, space-saving staircase accesses an open-air mezzanine where Woldenberg and her part-time employee/long-time friend Mitzy Oubre work their magic at a lost wax casting station, buffing wheel and pulse-arc welder. And a wall running the length of the shop showcases goods ranging from pottery to candles to culinary salt, all by Seattle makers, plus a gallery for rotating art shows.

Like many creative people, Woldenberg has forged a career path that seems both meandering (true to her shop’s name) and purposeful. She had taught jewelry design at a high school in Auburn, WA, for more than two decades, yet she also designed wedding bands in her home studio on the weekends, starting with her own, which were inspired by the waves of a little fishing village in Mexico where she and her husband married “a million years ago.”

Still, it was a leap to leave a secure teaching career to pursue her own vision. Woldenberg spent several years job-sharing with a former student while she developed her collections. In 2019, she found an ideal retail-studio space in a new building that hadn’t yet hit the market. The business opened on Earth Day 2021 — no small thing since its buildout coincided with the height of the pandemic. “The city kind of shut down and (permitting) was incredibly backed up,” she recalls. “I had the plans in place, the builder in place, everything ready, but it took forever to get the go-ahead.”

A steep staircase and 17-foot ceilings give WEND a townhouse-meets- treehouse vibe.

Yet that left plenty of time for Woldenberg to refine her ideas for what WEND would — and would not — be. Her style and sensibility mirror that of many people who find their way to the Northwest: understated, unpretentious and immersed in the natural world. WEND’s two signature collections take their cues from tree roots and tidepools, with rings available in four widths, with or without gemstones for a modern, gender-neutral look.

Woldenberg describes how, when she and her now-husband were thinking about wedding rings, the term “bridal” meant nothing to them. “I certainly didn’t know what that meant,” she says. “It was outdated then and it’s even more outdated now.” Traditional wedding jewelry styles seemed limited, too, especially for couples who prefer to spend their time outdoors, as well as for people who live outside traditional gender norms. “It felt really boxed in. It didn’t fit my personality, nor did it fit anyone I knew. I thought, ‘We can’t be the only people who don’t fit into this.’”

Sustainability is another key hallmark of the WEND approach. Many pieces are reworked from customers’ existing jewelry; others feature certified recycled metals, lab-grown diamonds or sustainably sourced gemstones, including some that come from not so far away. “I have a true obsession with Montana sapphires,” says Woldenberg. She prizes them for the way they are found near the surface and how “they don’t have to be chiseled out, so nobody’s getting silicosis or dying in mining accidents.”

Many Montana sapphires go through a chemically intensive heating and treating process, but Woldenberg pays more to buy untreated stones. Recalling her visit to a sapphire supplier in Montana, she says, “I got to spend a weekend behind the scenes, separating them out from the rough.” Beyond gorgeous rings, the stones inspire everything from WEND’s logo to a custom chocolate bar to several shades of nail polish that Woldenberg often wears in homage to her favorite gem.

Seattle is a high-tech city, and WEND makes it easy for clients to book in-person or online consultation appointments via Calendly. “Many people are more comfortable setting their own schedules and prefer online booking to picking up the phone,” Woldenberg notes. Once a meeting is set, WEND asks how clients like to communicate, “then we abide by their stated preference. Many like to text, so our phone system supports texting.”

Lichen and moss are among the organic materials used in jewelry displays.

But when it comes to making jewelry, WEND couldn’t be more low-tech or high touch. “Our designs are wrought by hand” with no computers involved, Woldenberg says. “I don’t know very many fine jewelers who don’t use some CAD,” she adds, noting that “99.999 percent” of jewelry in the world is designed on computer. “But it’s best if you know how to hand-make it first,” she says, as she always taught in her high school classes. She elaborates with another West Coast metaphor: “Can you become a great skateboarder from playing it on your video game? No.”

And so Woldenberg creates entirely by hand, using a hands-on approach, keeping WEND firmly rooted in the physical world. Happily, it’s a world she can return to again and again from Seattle, where she lives within sight of the mountains and close to the sea.

Five Cool Things About WEND

1. BEFORE AND AFTER. Wendy Woldenberg specializes in reusing clients’ heirloom jewelry to create something new. Many pieces are accompanied by a certificate that documents the journey, and WEND showcases some of these stories on Instagram. “This has been a great way to engage people, celebrate our successes and find new clients,” says Woldenberg.

2. SWEET SPIEL. Among WEND’s trove of local treasures are gourmet treats from Seattle-based small-batch company ChocolateSpiel. Its founder, Angi Pfleiderer, previously had worked as a chemical engineer for paints in her native Germany (where “spiel” means “play”), and when she learned that chocolate and paint coatings used similar manufacturing processes, she was inspired to create wildly colorful bean-to-bar confections, including one specially made for WEND.

3. GOOD NEIGHBORS. During the pandemic, WEND started hosting low-cost yoga classes in its courtyard, followed by muffins and mimosas. “Since many yoga studios closed during the pandemic, a beloved yoga instructor in our community found herself in need of work, and we needed to bring people to WEND,” Woldenberg recalls. “People were excited to exercise again, see other humans in person, drink mimosas and look at jewelry. This idea really helped spread the word about WEND.”

4. KEEP IT WILD. It’s only natural that WEND gives back to organizations that advance environmental sustainability, forwarding a portion of profits to the Washington Trails Association, Wild Aid (which works to end wildlife trafficking) and the Big Life Foundation (dedicated to wilderness protection in Africa).

5. BIG PICTURE. A blank exterior wall at WEND has all the makings of an artist’s canvas, and Woldenberg plans to have a mural of Mount Rainier painted there in 2023. It’ll be a fine tribute to Washington’s highest peak and how it served as inspiration for Woldenberg’s ring-making dreams.

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The post This Seattle Jeweler Follows Her Own Path appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

OWNER: Jessica Armstrong; URL: pistachiosonline.com; FOUNDED: 1991; Opened featured location: 2021; AREA: 1,000 square-foot showroom; 1,385 square feet total; INTERIOR DESIGN: Angela Murphy, Maks Design; TOP BRANDS: Heather Guidero, Pat Flynn, Elizabeth Garvin, Petra Class, Karin Jacobson; EMPLOYEES: 3; online presence: 5 Stars on TripAdvisor.com; 2,438 Facebook followers; 336 TikTok followers

ONE SECRET TO the success of Chicago jewelry gallery Pistachios can be found in owner Jessica Armstrong’s ability to trust her gut. Armstrong has discovered that the jewelry she buys from artists she truly believes in become best-sellers.

“When you fall in love with an artist’s technique, professionalism, style, or just really connect with them and their energy, it relieves you of the need to come up with sales strategies and angles to get the work to move,” she says. “Clients can sense the genuine interest and excitement we have for our artists. If I’m passionate about it, other people will be passionate about it.”

For Kentucky native Armstrong, ownership of the gallery, established in 1991, is both a calling and a responsibility.

Jessica Armstrong discovered she enjoys making house calls.

She moved to Chicago in 2016 with an advanced degree in jewelry and metalsmithing for an artist residence at Lillstreet Art Center. She also landed a job at Pistachios, where she was soon promoted to gallery manager.

When gallery founder Yann Woolley retired in 2018, Armstrong was highly motivated to continue the Pistachios legacy in the heart of Chicago. “The thought of an established gallery closing or retiring would have been a travesty for the art jewelry world,” she says.

She updated and refreshed the gallery while maintaining relationships with artists and clients who had helped make Pistachios a nationally recognized business. Her goal was to make Pistachios a contemporary art jewelry gallery that was beloved by amateur collectors and established patrons of the arts alike.

But 2020 brought first COVID, then protests and riots, during which Pistachios was looted and dismantled twice, ultimately forcing Armstrong and manager Isabella Aimone to take the gallery completely online and rebuild from the ground up. Fortunately, online sales boomed as did virtual visits, and Armstrong discovered she enjoyed making house calls. “I would give them a box of jewelry while I sat in my car, and they would Facetime me if they needed an opinion,” she recalls.

Aimone says the community showed its support with encouraging emails and messages. “Something so devastating gave us a lot of strength and hope,” she says. “When I was working alone, I would look up and see the chefs at the restaurant across the street waving at me, checking on my welfare.”

While the gallery was closed for repairs, the lease ended, and Armstrong decided to move on. The new space she found on Wabash is only four-and-a-half blocks from the old.

Pistachios draws clients from the building above and its neighbors, too.

“We had thought about getting into a different neighborhood, so we drove around for days and toured many different locations,” Armstrong says. “None of them felt like us or our clients or our brand. When we walked into this one, it felt right.

“We have four windows, so it’s brighter, there’s a vestibule, we can buzz people in and out. Even though we’re still downtown, we’re underneath a high rise, so we get the neighborhood flavor; there are 50 floors above us, and 50 across the street.”

They embarked on a full brand makeover, including rethinking the pistachio green color scheme. “I wanted the tone to be brighter, more inviting and comfortable,” Armstrong says. A carpenter built new cases to match the old; the old ones were repainted in a new color. They split the space into two, with room for rotating exhibitions of contemporary art jewelers with their bigger, bolder work displayed along a back wall. “It really keeps our dedicated clientele on their toes with new and exciting work.”

The shows are curated to fit the season. In winter, Armstrong explains, shoppers are more bundled up, obstructed by coats and gloves, and so they tend to wear smaller jewelry. Summers bring customers without those impediments, as well as more foot traffic. “We get tourists from all over the world, runoff from conferences and conventions. We do take into consideration what’s going on in Chicago as well when planning exhibitions.”

Owner and manager formed a close bond through the turmoil. “I don’t think we could have done it if neither of us cared that much,” says Aimone. “It was a lot of hard work.” Armstrong agrees. “I couldn’t have done it without Isabella,” she says.

“It was a couple tough years, but we stayed very active online, sent out a lot of emails and we do a lot of social media,” Armstrong says. “We never used the word closing; we always used the word moving, first to online and then to our new location. But we still have people who walk by and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I thought you closed.’ And we’re finally getting our snowbirds back.”

What sets the gallery apart, Armstrong believes, is the personal shopping experience that contrasts with what’s offered at big box stores on nearby Michigan Avenue. To prioritize clients feeling comfortable, especially during a pandemic, they incorporated a dressing room for privacy.

Pistachios prioritizes product photography and magazine placement.

“New clients often remark on how refreshing it is to have staff curate suggestions and engage with them, and our more dedicated clientele is able to come into a local business where everyone knows their name, their preferences, and treats them like family,” Armstrong says. “We happily make house calls and work to accommodate any needs that may arise and love helping with special events; clients often come in with specific outfits and use our changing room to aid in finding the perfect set of jewelry to match for their big event.”

Online sales are about one-eighth of the total now, a percentage that has grown since 2020. “When I took over the gallery, we had a website, but for Isabella and myself, it was important to make the pictures better, to keep it updated, to include more of our artists,” Armstrong says.

Armstrong travels the world (Germany, Poland, Paris, London, New York, Greece and jewelry shows in Las Vegas, Baltimore and Chicago) looking for the highest quality work to take back to her local clientele, with a catalog of over 100 international and domestic artists displayed in the gallery.

Above all, Pistachios is known for having fun with its selections.

“We take a bolder approach, have more one of a kind,” Armstrong says. “Honesty is huge. If I think they don’t like it, I don’t push that on them. I listen to their needs. We do have a good amount of traditional jewelry and we make sure we have bolder items, especially with the exhibitions.”

Manager Isabella Aimone, left, and owner Jessica Armstrong formed a close bond that ensured the business succeeded through challenging times.

Five Cool Things About Pistachios

1. SUPER SOCIAL. Sophie Peterson, brand manager and social media coordinator, prioritizes product photography. The team has used social media, including TikTok videos of new products, to break the fourth wall between the sometimes-intimidating world of contemporary art jewelry and their followers. They’ve also given followers a behind-the-scenes look into the gallery’s daily operations, shining a spotlight on staff and artists alike.

2. ARTIST IN RESIDENCE. Armstrong has her own line of jewelry but not much time to add to it. “I’m almost oversaturated, so when I get home, it’s more paperwork than benchwork. I try to take a workshop a year to continue my education, to learn a new process.”

3. CASUAL TRUNK SHOWS. Visiting artists have a full display case for trunk shows and may stay as long as they like. They have the opportunity to work on custom projects with new clients. Sip-and-shop events also bring artists and shoppers together.

4. DID I SEE YOU IN VOGUE? Armstrong has advertised in Vogue, Allure and the Chicago Reader. The Vogue experience was fun, and the ad ran only in Chicago. “Clients did ask about it! They said, ‘Were you just in Vogue?’”

5. WIDER HORIZONS. Pistachios is known for jewelry, but they have an expansive collection of objects, vases, and glassware throughout the gallery. “People really have fallen in love with the more whimsical work from artists like Brian Randa and Gary Bodker,” says Armstrong.

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OWNER: Viviana Langhoff; URL: Adornment + Theory; FOUNDED: 2017; Opened featured location: 2021; AREA: 1,100 square-foot showroom; 1,750 square feet total; TOP BRANDS: Viviana Langhoff Fine Jewelry, Jennie Dowie, Jules Kim, Alicia Goodwin, Laura Wood ; EMPLOYEES: 3; ONLINE PRESENCE: 4.9 Stars on Google

A LOT OF UPHEAVAL has happened in the five years since Viviana Langhoff launched Adornment + Theory, but it’s good vibes only these days for this energetic entrepreneur and her community-centered, mission-oriented fine jewelry and creative design business.

Corona blues? Not for Langhoff, who forged ahead with the expansion and makeover of her shop in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood in the spring of 2021, singing a song of hope in a time of uncertainty. Unrest and political strife? Not in this universe. In fact, maybe the world is finally catching up with the way Adornment + Theory has positioned itself from the start as a company proudly powered by (and for) women and people of color.

Langhoff has seen her star steadily rise within the industry; she was one of 13 designers featured at the 2022 Las Vegas Couture show through capsule collections created for the De Beers Code of Origin Radiance project, the culmination of a two-year mentorship. Amid the massive change of the past few years, this repeat Cool Store winner seems to be hitting her stride and relaxing into success.

Viviana Langhoff has a strong sense of purpose.

“I’ve loosened up a lot,” reports Langhoff. “When I started my business, I was a little more uptight and felt there was no margin for error. I was a lot less playful because I put a lot of pressure on myself as a minority woman” who didn’t take a traditional path into the jewelry industry. Now, she adds, “I feel a lot more relaxed and confident in the business and everything else.”

Adornment + Theory’s new incarnation opened in May 2021, basically doubling in size to make more room for creativity and collaboration. “I was thinking about expansion in 2019, before the world shut down,” says Langhoff. With just 550 feet of showroom space, “we would host events and people would be out in the street because there just wasn’t enough room,” she recalls.

A devoted client base and growth in bridal were spurring momentum as well. “We came out of 2020 really strong,” she says, so when the space next door became available, Langhoff decided to go for it. “I’m very big on projections and numbers and mitigating risk, and it felt right.”

Morocco meets Miami in this eclectically designed Chicago store.

During the three-week buildout, Adornment + Theory teamed with OutCold, a Chicago experiential marketing company, to rent a tricked-out Airstream trailer as its temporary quarters. The Instagram-cute pop-up got the neighborhood excited for the shop’s expansion while preserving sales and netting plenty of social media attention.

Langhoff designed every inch of the store’s rebuild, working with Chicago Common Construction on the project. Supply chain issues were a factor, of course. For example, she’d pick out a tile she liked, only to learn that it wasn’t available — and that her second choice wasn’t either.

But Langhoff’s background meant she was able to make the most of what was available. The Art Institute of Chicago graduate drew from a broad palette of influences, hand-painting murals, selecting plants, hanging sumptuous velvet curtains and adding a library where guests can relax and read about the history of jewelry and body adornment of all kinds.

A library nook, where guests can relax and read about the history of jewelry and body adornment of all kinds, demonstrates Langhoff’s dedication to education and the “theory” component of jewelry.

The redesigned space is true to Adornment + Theory’s roots, yet it shows signs of evolution, too. “I had created a pretty strong brand voice from the beginning, from our color selection to our messaging,” Langhoff says. The first version of the space “felt like an art gallery but a little edgy and cool.” With more room, Langhoff says she is better able to honor her Latina culture and its emphasis on unpretentious hospitality.

“I want people to feel comfortable and loved, like they’re home” and can hang out, Langhoff says. The relaxed yet refined vibe “feels like an art gallery made love to Miami and Morocco,” she adds. “Any day of the week, you can come into our warm beautiful space while we listen to everything from Afrobeats to David Bowie, Bad Bunny and Julie London.”

And you can also do it while enjoying a Hazy IPA, getting a tattoo or perusing local art. “I really want to highlight and elevate Chicago creatives. Those are my friends,” Langhoff says. (Go to the INSTORE archives online to read a January 2019 feature about how Adornment + Theory has collaborated with its Logan Square neighbors on a range of cool events.)

Owner Viviana Langhoff designed every inch of her expanded showroom.

Adornment + Theory showcases the work of dozens of designers — most of them women, many of them people of color — who make wearable statements of passion, pride and beauty. Diversity, equity and inclusion are Langhoff’s way of being.

“I have a really strong sense of my ‘why’ and my purpose, so that is really the foundation of what’s brought us through these incredibly turbulent, difficult times,” she says. “I am grateful that we did not have to switch marketing plans or fill our feed with black and brown faces. We didn’t have to change our pronoun language.”

As she becomes better known in the wider fine jewelry world, Langhoff envisions maybe opening a store in another city. “I definitely would be excited to open in a different market and serve another community,” she says. She continues to grow her own line of fine jewelry, adding, “I have three collections cooking and in the works for the next year or two, and I’m really excited to bring my designs to a more national audience.”

She’s also modeling sustainable business practices within the industry. “The question we ask is how do we make a more loving, beautiful environment every single day?” she explains. “I believe if your foundation and your integrity are in place, money will flow from there … We’re in a beautiful business, and I believe that we bring joy to people and meaning to special occasions in creating gorgeous objects.”

Five Cool Things About ADORNMENT + THEORY

1. MIX IT UP. Adornment + Theory’s social feeds are a glorious, sometimes hilarious mix of product photos, jewelry history and education, tips and tricks — even Drunk Jewelry History videos. Episode 1 featured the shop’s staff and friends explaining how the late Mexican actress Maria Felix actually brought a live baby crocodile into Cartier as inspiration for a necklace so fabulous it could double as a centerpiece for dinner parties. (Check it out on Facebook.)

2. MEET CUTE. Everyone loves a good love story. The Adornment + Theory blog regularly features the back stories behind “Adornment Weddings,” where readers can learn, for example, how Katie and Josiah met in a high school theater production of Dracula, and Melanie and Shaun connected via their kids.

3. ACT GLOBALLY. In addition to its strong local ties to Chicago, Adornment + Theory has extended its reach via virtual consultations. “This has allowed us to take on clients from all over the U.S. as well as internationally,” says Langhoff.

Langhoff chooses models from various ethnic and racial backgrounds, who also represent a range of ages. “It’s important our clients see themselves represented,” she says.

4. MODEL BEHAVIOR. “Instead of traditional models, we have teamed up with local activists who share our passion for equity work,” says Langhoff. “The models we select are also from various ethnic, racial, and age backgrounds. It’s important for us that our clients see themselves represented.” Models include dancer, athlete and Healthy Hood co-founder Tanya Lazano; restorative justice advocate Mashaun Ali Hendricks; and Muslim fashion blogger and community organizer Hoda Katebi.

5. POP STARS. From Black Panther-inspired jewelry to annual birthday celebrations for Beyoncé and Rihanna to who wore what on the red carpet, Adornment + Theory stays on top of trends and pop culture.

PHOTO GALLERY (21 IMAGES)

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