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In Memoriam: Robyn Lewis, Doyenne of Italian Jewelry | January 13, 2016 (0 comments)
Los Angeles, CA—Robyn Lewis, a pioneer in bringing Italian jewelry to American retailers and consumers, died suddenly Sunday at her home in California.
Lewis, a native New Yorker, was child prodigy who graduated high school early and spent time living abroad in Italy during her college career at UCLA. It was this that sparked her lifelong love of everything Italian. She began her career at the Italian Trade Commission while living in Florence, transferring to its Los Angeles office upon her return to the United States and working with the ITC for about a decade.
Later, she founded the Italian Jewelry Guild to focus specifically on importing fine jewelry from Italy. It was largely through her efforts that Italian jewelry became a key merchandise category for upscale and luxury American jewelers. Lewis helped American jewelers make the Vicenza jewelry shows a regular stop on their annual buying tours, and ensured that the U.S. jewelry trade press regularly sent editors to cover the events and report on the trends. A master event planner, she also was famous for producing spectacular lunches, dinners, and fashion shows to boost Italian jewelry’s presence at American trade shows.
As a result, some of the leading designers and brands in Italy—such as the late Leopoldo Poli of La Nouvelle Bague, Damiani, Orlando Orlandini, Fope, Vendorafa, and Chimento—grew familiar and sought after among jewelry collectors in the United States.
Corrado Facco, managing director of Fiera di Vicenza, told The Centurion, "Robyn Lewis has been a real brand ambassador for VICENZAORO and Fiera di Vicenza in the United States. The success of Italian jewelry in America certainly also comes from Robyn’s professionalism, enthusiasm, passion and creativity. In our heart and soul we will forever cherish the image of a great woman, a professional, and a great friend of Italy."
In recent years, Lewis had stepped back from the jewelry industry to focus on caring for her parents, who survive her but are both in hospice care. She also is survived by her brother and sister-in-law.
Prior to the revitalization of the Platinum Guild International’s American office in 1992, Lewis also helped promote Italian platinum jewelry here. Laurie Hudson, the first president of PGI-USA, told The Centurion, “I met Robyn for the first time in the early to mid 1980s. I was working in PR for AGS and Robyn reached out and invited me to an Italian Jewelry lunch event. She was wearing a black leather miniskirt, tights, sky-high heels, and when she turned around I saw she had a huge gorgeous diamond and colored stone lizard pinned to the back of her skirt. Genius! That was Robyn. Always pushing the barriers, superbly creative and talented, unselfconscious, articulate, inspiring and a true leader. Robyn probably singlehandedly created the allure and cachet of Italian jewelry designers. All those gorgeous events she masterminded, all the trips to Vicenza to introduce American retailers to sexy Italian jewelry. Robyn will be sorely missed. An inspiring and engaging character like her won't be seen again.”
Nancy Robey, who worked with Lewis on a multiple projects, told The Centurion, “Robyn was larger than life in every way, and she lived life large! People who did not know her would say, ‘Oh, is she that big woman with all the feathers?’ She was a study in contrasts: big, imposing, a bit scary, outspoken, garrulous, long-winded, but also kind, softhearted, generous and a real girly-girl. In 2009 I spent two weeks with Robyn on a business trip from Milan to Arezzo in Italy while my best friend was on her death bed in hospice in Washington, DC. Robyn talked me through my grief, listened to my stories, fed me pasta and dolci and bought me a feather and fur scarf (of course!) because ‘you need a little TLC.’ She was misunderstood by many but loved by many more. I will miss her friendship and her passion for life.”
As news of Lewis’s death spread through the industry, tributes to her lit up on social media.
Lauren Kulchinsky Levison of Mayfair Jewelers wrote, “Robyn Nessa was a force. She was unlike any other. She had the chutzpah and the self-esteem of the cast of the Victoria's Secret show. She was a hardworking, no-one-gets-in-her-way tough New York girl with a huge heart, who brought Italian jewelry to the front lines. She knew how to throw a party and have people talk about it. She knew how to make business, make friends, and how to have fun. She knew how to be a woman in a man’s business, and help other women come into their own in that business. Without Robyn Lewis, so many possibilities and doors would not have opened for so many of us.
"I only hope she is hosting the biggest, hottest dinner party right now—and for sure she booked Bowie [rock legend David Bowie, who also died Sunday] and is decked out in some seriously insane fur and sequin gown, wearing amazing [Stefan] Hafner and LNB! Keep the party going Robyn, it's what you do, and we all toast to your successes and your friendship. Chin Chin! You will be missed!”
Designer and futurist Paola DeLuca said, “Robyn Lewis was someone I have admired and followed for many years. A great professional in the international jewelry industry, representing Fiera di Vicenza for over two decades in the USA. Many Italian companies were helped by her and many American buyers became familiar with Italian jewelry because of her. The Queen of Italian Jewelry she was called. I can never thank her enough for her generosity, frankness, intelligence, glamour and sense of humor.”
Jen Cullen Williams of Luxury Brand Group said, “She had a heart of gold, with a genuine and charismatic spirit unlike anyone else! Her passion for jewelry, especially Italian jewelry, was inspiring. She will always be one of my great mentors. Her fire, intelligence, and straightforward (yet with a lot of vocabulary) approach to business, taught me lessons I'll never forget. Sending my prayers to her friends and family. Rest in peace, Ms. RL. The jewelry industry lost a legend. She will be truly missed.”
Tiny Jewel Box’s Jim Rosenheim—an early and frequent member of Lewis’s Vicenza excursions—said, “This is a sad moment. Robyn was a friend for decades and did much to enhance our industry. Her influence is unmistakable. I will miss her.”
And Centurion president Howard Hauben added, “We have lost an amazing friend to the jewelry industry with deep experience and knowledge. We worked together for 25 years on many projects and I will greatly miss her.”
On a personal note, I was one of the editors she regularly invited to Vicenza, and I worked with her on many projects during my tenure as JCK’s fashion and luxury editor in the 1990s and its chief editor in the 2000s. Apart from orchestrating a beautifully organized trip, she always hosted a lavish dinner for the American contingent visiting Vicenza. Those dinners were legendary, and even if you had to head to the airport, bleary-eyed, straight from the 24 Karat Club weekend festivities to get to Italy, you didn’t want to miss Robyn’s dinner. Sometimes she chose an historic castle up in the hills as the setting and bussed us all up there, other times it was a hidden gem of a restaurant known only to locals—but always she introduced us to places most visitors would never find on their own, and always she created a magical experience for us to go along with the beautiful jewelry we saw at the show. Because of those events year after year, retailers, importers, and editors alike became fast friends, not just industry colleagues. She was a true force in the industry and, as the many tributes to her attest, she will be greatly missed.
Final arrangements nor cause of death were not known at press time. But a core group of Lewis's close industry friends have discussed establishing a possible scholarship fund in her memory, as well as holding a memorial tribute event for her industry friends, possibly in New York City. The Centurion will update all information as it becomes available.