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BC Clark, Harry Kotlar Celebrate “Heart Of Oklahoma” Diamond At In-Store Event | December 04, 2019 (0 comments)
Oklahoma City, OK—Legendary retailer BC Clark Jewelers and diamond brand Harry Kotlar teamed up for a multi-sensory, invitation-only red carpet event titled “The Art Of A Handmade Masterpiece,” November 14 at the Oklahoma City jewelry store. Left: the finished ring with the Heart of Oklahoma diamond. Country music superstar and Oklahoma native Carrie Underwood wore the ring the night before at the Country Music Awards. Photo: Casey Maxwell
At the center of the evening’s festivities was the famed Heart of Oklahoma diamond, an 18.92-carat internally flawless fancy intense yellow diamond, which celebrates both the state of Oklahoma and the founding date of BC Clark Jewelers in 1892.
It was a whirlwind week for the stone, which was set into a ring by the artisans at Harry Kotlar. The night before its presentation at BC Clark, country music superstar and Oklahoma native Carrie Underwood debuted the ring to national attention at the Country Music Awards in Nashville, TN. The ring was then flown back to Oklahoma to be put on display for the BC Clark event.
Related: Carrie Underwood Rocks Harry Kotlar At CMAs
BC Clark commissioned Harry Kotlar to create a luxurious handcrafted jewel incorporating the diamond, whose intense yellow color symbolizes the intense and colorful sunsets that stretch for miles over the Oklahoma plains. The setting, carefully crafted by Harry Kotlar’s master Italian artisans, features a geometric design reminiscent of a steam locomotive’s pilot grills with the use of tapered baguette diamonds. It represents a piece of BC Clark’s history as Oklahoma’s oldest business under the same family ownership.
The atrium of the 101 Park Avenue building in Oklahoma City, which houses BC Clark’s downtown store, was awash in azure blue hues, while “stars” twinkled on the ceiling with the use of innovative mood lighting. The color gave the space a dreamlike atmosphere, pulling elements from one of the greatest post-impressionist artists of all time, Vincent Van Gogh.
The crowd waits in anticipation for the unveiling of the ring. Photo: Ryan Magnani
“The transformation is not just about making the film and exhibit space look pretty and theatrical, it was about forging emotional, artistic, and historical dialogues, says Czarah Cabrera, brand director for Harry Kotlar. “It is about bringing forward the artists’ soul and emotional intensities as they create masterpieces, while paralleling B.C. Clark Sr.’s journey in 1892 to [what was then] Indian Territory, and his life in Purcell, OK, through determination for safe passage from WWII full of love, passion and tenacity.”
A three-minute film highlighting the romance of creating the masterpiece accompanied the unveiling. The film turned back time by showing the closely-guarded techniques of Harry Kotlar’s master artisans as well as Oklahoma’s history and BC Clark’s journey. As a surprise element, a special ballet performance in the form of a pas des deuxwas incorporated for the ring’s big reveal. Right after the reveal, the lights magically shifted from deep blues to vivid yellow hues.
Related: Fredric H. Rubel Jewelers And Harry Kotlar Jointly Fete 160 Years
Two ballet dancers perform for the big reveal.
The event brought all of BC Clark’s Harry Kotlar collectors and other special guests to the jeweler’s downtown location to witness the reveal and discover other pieces from the Harry Kotlar’s 70th anniversary collection and Vault Collections, learn the history and creative process, create their own masterpieces, and more. Seven Harry Kotlar masterpieces, one for each decade of the brand’s existence, were showcased in a museum-style exhibit with a special audio guide. Guests also were given a behind-the-scenes look at the design process of the Heart of Oklahoma ring, as well as the opportunity to work with a Harry Kotlar illustrator on-site to create their own pieces.
Guests at the event, above; a display showing the different stages of cutting the Heart of Oklahoma diamond, below. Photo: VGM Social.
“BC Clark is honored to have partnered with Harry Kotlar to create this masterpiece,” said Coleman Clark, president of BC Clark Jewelers. “Unveiling the Heart of Oklahoma Diamond Ring at such an elegant and interactive event with Harry Kotlar at our flagship downtown store with some of our most loyal customers has been a moment I will always remember.”
Mitchell, Coleman, and Jim Clark with the ring. Photo: Ryan Magnani
“Bringing this luxurious event to Oklahoma City has been an amazing experience,” echoed Cabrera. “The Heart of Oklahoma masterpiece is something we are very proud to be a part of, and we hope this piece will create an appreciation for the beautiful art of jewelry making, art, history and beyond.”