Today we hear from veteran fine jewelry designer Lorraine West, who’s based in Brooklyn, N.Y.
JCK: Hi, Lorraine! Who are you living with through the pandemic, if anybody, and what state of lockdown would you say you’re in?
Lorraine West: My Brooklyn apartment/home studio with my husband, Sol, and our 10-year-old son, Solly. We were in our apartment unless we needed groceries, to do laundry, or if I needed to get supplies from the Diamond District when it opened back up. We’ve been staying healthy so far so good.
How would you say the pandemic has impacted your creativity and desire to create and work?
December 17, 2020
Wedding planning site
The Knot has released the 2020 edition of its annual Jewelry and Engagement Study, which tracks trends in consumer behavior and wedding jewelry by polling thousands of recently betrothed couples. And, unsurprisingly, the biggest factor in couples’ planning and ring shopping decisions in 2020 was the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic played a major role in couples’ decision-making, from setting the date and choosing a venue to inviting guests and figuring out how and when to shop for wedding jewelry.
The study of more than 5,000 newly engaged individuals found that COVID-19 pushed proposers to plan their proposals within a shorter time frame this year, to account for “constantly evolving pandemic conditions.” Nearly half of proposers were forced to change original plans as a result of the pandemic, from changing the location (67%) or date (63%) to involving their friends and family (52%).
December 17, 2020
Sotheby’s Important Watches auction on Tuesday in New York brought in $10.4 million, and a rare 18k yellow gold Patek Philippe watch became the sale’s superstar lot.
The sought-after Patek Philippe reference 2499 watch was originally retailed by Tiffany & Co. and sold for $818,600 (its sales estimate was $500,000–$800,000). It was the first time the watch appeared on the auction block. The timepiece was produced in 1981 and features a personal inscription, “Patek Philippe,” on its folding clasp.
Another rare watch, an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Grand Complication with a salmon dial, was also on auction for the first time, and fetched an impressive $441,000. Meanwhile, a unique vintage clock, a Charles Frodsham & Co. Ltd. open-faced minute repeating split-second chronograph originally owned by J.P. Morgan Jr. (and on offer through the estate of Alexandra McCain Morgan) went for $201,600.
December 14, 2020
Gabriel & Co. is following up its successful 91>19 charitable bracelet a $91 sterling silver piece released early in the COVID-19 pandemic with a new charitable jewel, the Stronger Together necklace.
The company will donate 100% of proceeds from the classic-looking sterling silver necklace, which retails for $100, to Jewelers for Children specifically to benefit the National CASA/GAL Association, an organization that supports and promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy for children.
Sales from the 91>19 bracelet raised $91,000 for Jewelers for Children.
“In a year that’s been very challenging for fundraising, Jewelers for Children has been so fortunate to have folks like [Gabriel & Co. cofounders] Jack and Dominick Gabriel step up with initiatives that not only raise money to help children in vulnerable situations, but to make us all feel better and that we’ll get through all of this, and be better for it,” said David Rocha, executive director of
December 11, 2020
Independent fine jewelry designer Page Sargisson had been eyeing a sweet little storefront at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Hoyt Street in Brooklyn earlier this year as a spot to potentially stage a pop-up shop.
This was right before the pandemic hit, when brick-and-mortar retailing in New York was humming along beautifully. But even after COVID-19 closed the city’s stores for several months, Sargisson was still interested in setting up shop in the light-filled storefront, a former Steven Alan boutique that had been sitting empty.
Eventually, she was able to negotiate a cut rate for rent (more on that in a minute), and Sargisson went from planning a pop-up shop to signing a two-year lease for the space at 347 Atlantic Avenue to opening her first-ever retail store, which bowed in late November.