Articles and News
Brand And Retail News: Levinson Jewelers Supports LPGA Star; Bromberg, Gumuchian To Be Honored; More January 14, 2015 (0 comments)
Levinson Jewelers And Gucci Support LPGA Star’s Morgan Pressel Foundation
Miami, FL—Levinson Jewelers and Gucci donated a beautiful rose gold and diamond horsebit necklace auction item to support the Annual Morgan & Friends Charity Event held here January 4, which raised over $750,000 for LPGA star Morgan Pressel’s Morgan Pressel Foundation. The foundation raises funds and awareness for breast cancer initiatives in South Florida.
Pressel, left, a Boca Raton resident, wore diamond drop earrings and a Gucci white gold and diamond horse bit bracelet, courtesy of Levinson Jewelers.
Bromberg, Gumuchian, Mortensen To Be Honored By WJA
New York, NY—The Women’s Jewelry Association has announced that retailer C. Clayton Bromberg, designer Myriam Gumuchian, and retail executive Pam Mortensen of JC Penney will be the key honorees at its 2015 Awards for Excellence Gala, slated for July 27 in New York City.
Bromberg, president of Jacksonville, FL-based Underwood Jewelers since 1988, will receive the organization’s Ben Kaiser Award, given to a male in the industry who is instrumental in advancing women’s careers. Bromberg has a laundry list of activity in the industry: he served as president of the American Gem Society, chairman of the AGS Laboratory, president of the Florida Jewelers Association, and on the boards of Jewelers of America, the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, the Jewelry Information Center, and the advisory board of the JCK Shows.
Gumuchian will be presented with the Corporate Award, given annually to a company that helps further the advancement of women in the jewelry industry. Gumuchian Fils was founded in 1979 by Anita Gumuchian, who now runs the company with daughters Myriam and Patricia. The woman-owned brand proudly is “designed by women for women.”
Mortensen, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of fine jewelry, watches, and fashion accessories at JC Penney, will receive WJA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She started her career at Zale Corp. and worked with Federated Department Stores and Wal-Mart prior to joining J.C. Penney. She serves on the boards of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee and Jewelers for Children.
Josette Patterson’s Blog: An Interview with Decorative Arts Scholar Levi Higgs
Corona Del Mar, CA—In her latest installment of Mark Patterson’s jewelry blog, partner Josette Patterson steps into the world where jewelry and decorative arts intersect. She interviews Levi Higgs, a recent graduate of Parsons the New School for Design. While attending school, Higgs worked as an archivist for the house of the late David Webb, and now has partnered with the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City. Read her interview here.
ViewPoint Expands Fine Jewelry Portfolio
New York, NY—ViewPoint, the full-service sales and marketing company specializing in the designer watch and jewelry categories, announces the addition of Syna and Jewel Chakra to its portfolio of brands. The company, founded by Jim DeMattei, expects to further expand its jewelry offerings in the coming months.
Husband and wife design team Dharmesh and Namrata Kothari established Syna in 2010 after successful private label collaborations with Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari. Syna is a simple, classic and timeless jewelry collection that blends the natural beauty of gemstones with 18k yellow gold into expressive and vibrant creations. The Kotharis set out to design pieces that are true to the inherent character of the gems they use, including diamonds, opal, blue topaz, amethyst, green and orange chalcedony, and pink tourmaline, among others. Each stone is carefully selected for its color and quality and showcased in an exquisite setting. Prices range from $650 to $48,500. To view the full collection, please visit www.synajewels.com or connect via the brand’s Facebook and Instagram.
Jewel Chakra, an independent brand also founded and designed by the Kotharis, is a collection of natural, colorful gemstone charms wrapped in 18k yellow gold and offered as accessibly priced bracelets, earrings, and pendants. While the stones used in Jewel Chakra include the twelve birthstones, they also represent the Chakra color spectrum. Ranging in price from $295 to $3,145, you can view the entire collection at www.jewelchakra.com or connect on Facebook.
Syna and Jewel Chakra join Sevan Bicakci, Rhyme & Reason, and Suciyan to comprise ViewPoint’s fine jewelry portfolio. ViewPoint’s watch and accessories brands include Philip Stein and Shinola.
ViewPoint is a full-service sales and marketing company with a distinct point of view. For more information, visit www.vpnyc.com.
Ritmo Mundo’s Puzzle Watch Offers Both Time and Play
Randolph, NJ—How many of you remember having one of those child’s puzzles where there are (usually) 11 small tiles and one blank space, and the object is to slide the squares around until the picture is in its proper order?
Ritmo Mundo brings that childhood memory back in an adult’s watch. Their version is designed around nine (as opposed to 12) spaces, with eight moveable tiles. Depending on which tile is moved, a different part of the dial is visible, but in a nod to practicality, the entire puzzle top also slides aside so the wearer can see what time it is.
Roberta Naas, author of watch site ATimelyPerspective.com, reviews the watch as a whimsical, entry-luxury ($3,500-$5,500) idea for gift or self-purchase.