Mouawad Opens Shiny New Boutique In Geneva

Mouawad celebrated the official opening of its newest boutique at Rue du Rhône 8 in Geneva. It is the luxury jewelry and watch company’s first boutique in Europe and the 15th globally. 

Located near Place Bel-Air, one of the most prestigious shopping street of Geneva, the store represents a modern look for the 126-year-old family business, according to Fred, Alain and Pascal Mouawad, the three brothers who serve as co-guardians of the family business.

“Not only does this boutique reflect Mouawad’s continued expansion and growth in the world, it also captures the forward-looking vision as to how the brand enchants its customers,” Alain said.

Furnishings, carpets and wall treatments in shades of grey with gold details reflect Mouawad’s corporate colors. The rounded lines throughout the space gently lead people through the displays of luxury jewelry and watches, which include a dedicated watch area and a private space for bridal jewelry. 

Strands of white-colored flower-shaped figures hang in rows from the ceiling serve as a central design element. They are styled after the company’s “Flower of Eternity” jewelry collection made of three heart-shaped petals that combine into a flower. 

Exclusively featured in the new boutique is one of Mouawad’s latest masterpieces, the Divine Muzo Pears, a diamond and emerald suite of jewels, consisting of five pear-shaped, vivid green emeralds mined in Colombia, paired with white diamonds.

Mouawad designs, manufactures and sells its own jewelry and timepiece collections ranging from boutique collections and high jewelry to bespoke pieces and objects of art. 

In addition to its jewelry and timepiece design and production, Mouawad manufactures rough diamonds through its joint venture company, Premier Diamond Alliance. 

Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet, the Forbes website and on Instagram @JewelryNewsNetwork

Harry Winston Opens 12th US Salon In Houston

The House of Harry Winston opened its first retail salon in Houston in the River Oaks District shopping center. 

Among the architectural highlights, the floor of the foyer entrance, made of black marble from Belgium and white marble from Colorado, creates an image of a round brilliant diamond. The hanging chandelier, which seem to be in the shape of Harry Winston cluster diamond jewels, are custom-made in Italy. 

The soft taupe and grey color palette complements the furnishings, custom-made in Italy, which combine black lacquer and antique bronze furniture fabric with contemporary lines. The walled display cases are made in Switzerland.

There are dedicated areas for high jewelry, bridal, timepiece and fine jewelry collections; as well private rooms for more personalized service. For more privacy, the salon has a VIP entrance with private parking on the second level.

The store in the River Oaks District, a 14-acre outdoor luxury boutique shopping center, marks Harry Winston’s 12th US salon. 

The US luxury brand is owned by the Swiss conglomerate, Swatch Group. 

Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet, the Forbes website and on Instagram @JewelryNewsNetwork

The New A. Lange & Söhne South Coast Plaza Boutique

Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

German luxury watch brand, A. Lange & Söhne, added to its international network of boutiques with its newest location at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif.

The new store in the 240-store luxury retail mall officially opened with a cocktail reception on October 15 attended by nearly 100 persons.

A watchmaker demonstrates a few of the brand's 51 calibers. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

“Costa Mesa marks an important step in the brand’s expansion in the United States,” said Gaetan Guillosson, president of A. Lange & Söhne North America. “The first A. Lange & Söhne mono-brand store in California is a commitment to our ever increasing number of fans on the West Coast.”

Private sales room. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

It’s the fourth US boutique and first in California for the watch brand, known for its high-complication creations. The 925-square-foot store is typical of the traditional look and feel of A. Lange & Söhne boutiques. The signature grey color, known informally as “Lange grey,” with wood trim and furnishings dominates the three-room space. There are also sandstone elements, which serves as a nod to company’s Saxon origin. In addition to the main display area, there are two smaller rooms in the back, one for private sales and a library-like space for relaxing.

The 1815 “200th Anniversary F. A. Lange”

The reception included a selection of new timepieces from the Watches & Wonders luxury watch event held in January in Hong Kong. It included the 1815 “200th Anniversary F. A. Lange” in a honey gold case, a gold alloy unique to the watch brand. The watch celebrates the 200th birthday of the company’s founder, Ferdinand Adolph Lange. The manually wound caliber L051.1 is composed of 188 parts and has a power reserve of 55 hours. It is limited to 200 watches.

The gold A. Lange & Söhne watch I wore for the event.

Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes website

Buccellati Unveils Salon in West Palm Beach

By Gretchen Friedrich
Jewelry News Network Social Media Manager

Favoloso is the Italian word for fabulous. It is certainly an appropriate adjective for describing all things Buccellati. From the world’s most expensive tech accessories, to the extensive history of craftsmanship, Buccellati brings a signature level of quality and creativity in all its pieces.

That attention to detail is conveyed in the new location in the Neiman Marcus store in West Palm Beach, Fla., unveiled Wednesday. The salon’s design and appointments are a reflection of the new global identity by Buccellati worldwide, unveiled in March in its new New York boutique. The salon features its signature Alcantara beige throughout the space, complimented by rich wood display cases and neutral furnishings. 

In 2014, the design house launched a rebranding effort while simultaneously bringing on its first female designer, Lucrezia Buccellati. She continues the family tradition of two generations working as the design center of the luxury jewelry house. She and her father, Andrea, are combining traditional Buccellati craftsmanship with modern design. 

Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes website.

Buccellati Unveils 5-Piece Jewelry Collection Inspired By Master Artists

Gold ring inspired by The Spider's Web by Mikhail Larionov (pictured below) 

Buccellati unveiled a jewelry collection Thursday inspired by the individual works of five master artists from the impressionist and post-impressionist periods. The five one-of-a-kind pieces designed by, Andrea Buccellati, president and creative director, and his 25-year-old daughter, Lucrezia Buccellati, the first woman to be a designer for Buccellati and its youngest family member to be given the title, are based masterpieces from Claude Monet, Pierre Bonnard, Winslow Homer, Mikhail Larionov and Odilon Redon. 

Gold bracelet inspired by Winslow Homer's Light Blue Sea at Prout's Neck (pictured below)

It will be shown in an exhibition format during the grand opening of its flagship at 714 Madison Avenue Thursday March 12. Entitled “Timeless Blue,” the evening will support the restoration foundation, Save Venice. The new pieces will be displayed with the painting that provided the inspiration.

Gold earrings inspired by Claude Monet's Tempête sur les cotes de Belle-Ile (pictured below)

Andrea explained the color blue is very important to Buccellati.

“The blue color reflects the historical roots of Buccellati and has nothing to do with the blue period of Impressionism,” he said. “With the new rebranding of the company we have wanted to preserve many of the historical concepts of Buccellati, and the blue color is one of them.”

Gold earrings inspired by Odilon Redon's  La Chute de Phaéton (pictured below)

Andrea said even though the jewelry created for the flagship opening event had international influences, it wasn’t an attempt to create a more international image.

“Lucrezia and I were particularly inspired by the impressionist and post-impressionist time periods. We had at our disposal, some different masters and works of art to choose from. Specifically, Lucrezia was inspired by the works of art of Winslow Homer and Odilon Redon,” he said. 

Pendant necklace inspired by Pierre Bonnard's  Deux Vases de fleurs (pictured below)

“My inspiration to create jewels has never had geographic boundaries,” he added. “Lucrezia’s inspiration comes more from different cultures and traditions from around the world. Being based in New York helps, as it is a city with a mixture of people from all different parts of the world.”

The creative team, Andrea Buccellati and his daughter, Lucrezia

The new five-story retail store was the former home of French jeweler, Mauboussin. Andrea said this space represents a new design conceived and developed with architectural firm, Vudafieri Saverino Partners. It is defined by wood floors, plush white and cream-colored furnishings and neutral colors highlighted by modern artistic touches. 

Inside the new Buccellati New York flagship

“The New York flagship perfectly represents the new concept of Buccellati and thanks to the dimensions of the New York space, we will have the possibility to express it at its best,” Andrea said. “We have succeeded in maintaining the concept of Buccellati’s traditional style combined with a more modern sobriety and elegance. I think this new essential look will emphasize the unique and incomparable style of our creations, and they will finally stand out with all their beauty.”

Andrea explained that its previous space on Madison Avenue was a temporary solution while the new five-story space will be its permanent home in New York.

“After the move of our townhouse at 57th Street, due to a new real estate project, we wanted to find a new place to reside on Madison Avenue,” he said. “It was hard to immediately find the right place for Buccellati, the place we felt we deserved. Therefore we found a temporary solution at 810 Madison Avenue in order to wait until something more exciting could be found.”

In 2014, the Mauboussin space opened up and Andrea said it had the size to properly show its pieces and the elegance that reflects the brand. 

The facade of the new Buccellati flagship on Madison Avenue

“This new space is the best we could have imagined for ourselves on Madison Avenue,” he said. “We are among all the important jewelers of the world present on Madison and we could not miss being there. It matches the prestige of our brand…. This move marks the expansion of the brand here in the U.S. as well as the evolution of the brand further into the 21st Century.”

Andrea explained the first floor will be dedicated to jewelry, watches and some silver pieces. The second floor will host silverware and its new collection of bridal rings, released a year ago as a new category for the jeweler. 

“The bridal world is an important segment in jewelry, and it will give us the possibility to offer our clients a wider range of choices mostly focused on young couples,” he said. “At the same time, these young couples will have the chance to admire the silver pieces for table and home decoration, which have always been crucial as bridal presents.”

The third floor will be dedicated to vintage products and historical items of the high jewelry house; and serve as a place to privately meet with clients. 

The fourth floor is for exhibitions of special collections, while the fifth floor will be dedicated to the “Buccellati Club,” a place to host friends and clients for a drink, breakfast or dinner. 

“The dimensions of the boutique, the entire space will be exploited in the best way to express all our savoir-faire and the world of Buccellati,” Andrea said.

Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes website.