Lisa Cosenza (pictured), the company’s new vice president of sales, began her jewelry career at Alex and Ani as retail assistant manager. She then moved into wholesale as an account executive and was eventually promoted to regional sales manager for a business-to-business department that handled over $100 million in sales.

Susan Soares has joined Brosway as vice president of retail. Following stints at Ann Taylor and Barnes & Noble, Soares served as Alex and Ani’s vice president of retail from 2010 to 2015. She has also worked as an instructor at Rogers Williams University.

Soares “understands the detailed structure required to succeed [at retail], from the right staffing to days and hours of operation correlating to moving the right product mix”, said Giovanni Feroce, Alex and Ani’s first CEO, who now heads Brosway Italia’s U.S. expansion.

Brosway Italia is part of Bros Manifatture Group, a 40-year-old company based in Italy.

(Photos courtesy of Brosway Italia)

The collaboration between two iconic names reimagines the jeweler’s signature “Return to Tiffany” pendants (the usually heart-shape silver dog tags that were inspired by a key ring in 1969), infusing them with the energy and iconography of Queen B and her tour. Tiffany & Co. is the official jeweler for the Renaissance World Tour, continuing a relationship that began with 2022’s “Lose Yourself in Love” campaign. Beyoncé has worked with Tiffany on numerous other occasions, and has often worn custom-designed Tiffany & Co. pieces.

Each necklace in the new collection features engravings of a figure of a horse on the front and the text “Welcome to the Renaissance” and “Beyoncé” on the back side. Tiffany & Co.’s standard engraving, with the 925 mark, is also on each pendant.

The jewels, however, aren’t even the best part of the initiative. The real focal point here is that 100% of the profits from their sales will benefit the About Love scholarship program, an ongoing partnership between Tiffany & Co., BeyGOOD, and the Shawn Carter Foundation. The charitable donation expands on the $2 million pledged by Tiffany in 2021 for student scholarships at five HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities): Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, Norfolk State University in Virginia, Bennett College in North Carolina, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and Central State University in Ohio.

The Return to Tiffany x Beyoncé capsule kicked off in conjunction with the singer’s concert in East Rutherford, New Jersey, last Saturday. Available at tiffany.com, the pendants are available on three different chains, ranging in price from $275 to $700.

Top: Tiffany’s limited-edition pendants celebrating Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour come on a link or bead chain. (Photos courtesy of Tiffany & Co.)

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The collection, Statement Sterling, has had two drops so far, and its oversize yet sleek pieces have received the attention Wegman hoped for. Each retails for under $500, but the jewelry is made of high-quality materials and crafted to last, Wegman says.

While many consumers know Ring Concierge as a bespoke bridal and fine jewelry brand, Wegman wanted there to be a silver piece and a price point for every woman, regardless of age, and her company spent about a year developing the collection.

“I knew if it was a completely new material for us, it needed to be right, right from the start,” Wegman says. “We need to focus on Gen Z—we want this collection to help open the door to Ring Concierge for this young demographic.… They may not be significant revenue for us today, but in three years they likely will be. The age of the average bride is 28, so we only have a few years to capture her attention. She needs to know who we are and have our brand in mind.”

Wegman also has sought to make Ring Concierge a Generation Z go-to for a wide wardrobe of fine jewelry—including the trending sterling silver—at affordable prices. “Gen Z started this trend. They were pulling their parents’ old sterling silver pieces out, styling it. Or they were going to costume [jewelry] brands to achieve this trend,” Wegman says.

“We created our looks in sterling silver because we wanted our consumers to get in on the trend but not buy costume. Costume won’t last. If you spend a little more upfront but get more use out of it, it makes sense to invest in fine jewelry instead of costume.”

The collection was introduced in June with six core pieces; the second release included four more—oversize earrings, a chunky bracelet, and two chain necklaces. Items such as the Multiway Link earrings can be worn two ways—as a pair of single hoops, or with bottom links added—so the $250 investment has more value, Wegman says.

“This is a test for us because we have no history with sterling silver,” Wegman says. “Everything is an experiment, and that makes it fun. You have to stay nimble and be creative to grow a company. But our team is loving these pieces, which is always a good sign.”

2023 has been a banner year for Ring Concierge: Wegman is celebrating her company’s 10th year in business, and she recently was ranked No. 3 on the 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies list, organized by the Women Presidents Organization (WPO) in collaboration with JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking.

Since its inception in 2013, Ring Concierge has grown year over year, and its gross revenue has risen more than 1,200% since 2018, Wegman notes. She credits the company’s success to her use of social media—Ring Concierge blurs the line between influencer and retailer, letting the customer see Wegman and her lifestyle as a goal and the jewelry one aspect of it.

“It feels like it has all been very fast. I started this company because I liked jewelry. I wanted to do this category better than what I was seeing out there,” Wegman says. “Now it’s about growth and strategy, and that’s really exciting.… We have way more to go—we’re not even close to what we can do in terms of size.”

Top: Jumbo Cloud earrings ($250) are part of Ring Concierge’s first sterling silver collection, rolled out in June. (Photos courtesy of Ring Concierge) 

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Skulls and roses, royal shields, chunky blackened silver chains, bones and vertebrae: If you’re looking for jewelry with an edge, Alp Sagnak is your go-to guy. For decades, the Turkish-born, New York City–based Sagnak (pictured, above) has been creating cheeky, character-filled designs that appeal to wearers of all genders. This year, he returned to the Design Collective at the JCK show in Las Vegas, and he had more than a few jewels up his sleeve. First, there’s his Roaring ’20s collection, in honor of art deco’s 100th anniversary. “I always loved art deco, so I made my own versions,” he says. “There are 13 pieces that are 13 spectacular women from the ’20s.” (Author Edith Wharton and blues singer Ma Rainey are just two of the women represented.) Then there’s Set in Stone—“different mottos written in diamonds.” And keep, ahem, an eye out for Evil Eye vs. Eye of the Evil, “my take on the evil eye.” If you’re a Sagnak fan, you might have guessed: His take on the universal motif involves another of his favorite themes—skulls.

Age: 47

Number of years in the biz: I started when I was in middle school—37 years.

Number of employees you oversee: 25

Family and pets: I have a 17-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter, and according to my daughter, I am the grandfather of her dog, Star.

Describe your personal style: It is jeans and leather. I wear the ­jewelry I make.

First piece you ever designed: First thing I learned was how to cut a sheet of silver. It is very easy to make a sword when you first start, so it was that. Then when I got better, I cut a dragon. While I was looking if I did a good job, I placed it on the remaining sheet I cut it from. Then I picked up the dragon and realized the shadow of the dragon on the sheet. I loved it. Then I put a round gold wire in between the background and the dragon. That became my first-ever collection, Jeweled Ink.

The single piece of jewelry you’re most proud of: It is always the latest piece. These days I am making a candelabra with 2,500 carats black opal. That will be the piece.

Best advice you ever received: “May this be our worst day.”

Worst advice: Any advice that starts with “You know what you should do, you should…”

First job ever: Sweeping the floors, cleaning windows and display cases.

How did you get started designing jewelry? I started designing when I was studying engineering when I was 18; I started making jewelry when I was 27.

If you weren’t designing jewelry, what would you be doing? I wanted to be a basketball player when I was young. I want to be on stage now.

Favorite gemstone: At the moment, black opal.

Jewelry you’re wearing right now: I am wearing a gold vertebrae chain with diamonds, a spade-cut diamond earring, Batman ring, and some bracelets.

Five items on your desk right now: Castings, diamonds, bills, invoices, pictures of my son and daughter.

On your playlist: “If I Ain’t Got You,” Alicia Keys; “Gravity,” John Mayer; all songs by Bruno Mars and Led Zeppelin; Whitesnake unplugged

Exercise regimen: I am using an app called Muscle Booster, and I play basketball in a league called IndoorHoops.

What did you have for breakfast? Iced coffee with simple syrup.

Drink (daytime/evening): I drink whiskey three to four times a week with dinner.

First website you check every day (not your own!): Kitco.com

Scent: Pi by Givenchy

How do you unwind? I unwind on my motorcycle and spending time with people I love.

Who would play you in your life story? Tom Hardy. I think he is great at playing unique characters. Adrien Brody, Adam Driver, and Liev Schreiber as well.

Personal motto: “Embrace your shadow or it will kill you.”

Mars: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for the Recording Academy/Getty; coffee: RyanJLane/iStock/Getty; whiskey: Gresei/iStock/Getty; Hardy: Jay Maidment/© Sony Pictures Releasing/© Marvel Entertainment/Courtesy Everett

Janssen (pictured) will oversee the company’s efforts to increase speed-to-market, efficiency, automation, and innovation. She will be a member of the Swarovski executive committee, reporting to CEO Alexis Nasard.

Previously, Janssen was chief supply officer for Philips, the Swiss medical technology manufacturer. Prior to that, she was PepsiCo’s vice president of supply chain for Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.

A Swarovski statement said that Herbert Schuler, its current chief operations officer and a 32-year veteran of the company, will move to an unspecified new position where he will “continue to play a pivotal role.”

Photo courtesy of Swarovski

Chenery previously worked for 11 years at Tiffany & Co., where she served most recently as senior director of e-commerce and omnichannel for Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

At Pandora, Chenery will lead the company’s marketing channel mix, including paid media brand partnerships and public relations and influencer initiatives. The U.K. is Pandora’s second biggest market, after North America.

Chenery takes over from Marco Groebel, who had been serving as acting marketing director for the United Kingdom and Ireland. She will become part of Pandora’s regional leadership team as well as its global marketing leadership team. She will work alongside Pandora’s chief marketing officer, Mary Carmen Gasco-Buisson, who was appointed last year.

(Photo courtesy of Pandora)

Consumers are seeking more statement-making jewels—a genre that was all but forgotten in the sweatsuit-soaked days of 2020. Smart shoppers want jewels that will stand the test of time without breaking the bank, and sterling silver often allows for that.

Yellow gold is still important: Shoppers aren’t done collecting everyday jewels in the metal. With two-tone silver styles, they can wear both yellow gold and sterling silver simultaneously—the best of both worlds.

Below are some of the latest sterling silver pieces (many of them two-tone) to scout on the floor of the JCK show in Las Vegas this year. Surely these represent only a fraction of what’s in store, with a fantastic array of brands ready to showcase their offerings.

Top: Bracelet in sterling silver and 18k yellow gold, $1,130; Phillip Gavriel

The first clue that I was headed to one helluva shindig came last Tuesday, when my family returned from a weekend visit to Mexico City to find a delivery van parked in our driveway. The driver, who’d been told we’d be pulling in after midnight, was fast asleep in the front seat.

After I awakened him, he grabbed a bag in Tiffany’s unmistakable shade of robin’s-egg blue from the passenger seat. “You must be a very important person,” he said as he handed it to me.

Inside, a personalized invitation spelled out the details: Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH, Tiffany’s parent company (and the richest man in the world, according to Forbes), was inviting me to celebrate the reopening of the Landmark, the jeweler’s New York City flagship, at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. The party was taking place on the eve of the store’s official reopening on Friday.

When I arrived at the Landmark, throngs of onlookers were pressed against the barricades across the street, quite likely squinting their eyes to see if I was a somebody.

I glided through the revolving doors beneath the Atlas statue clock right on the heels of Paloma Picasso, the immaculately coiffed Tiffany collaborator whose designs are featured in a dedicated display upstairs. She paused near the entrance long enough for me to admire her silk kimono printed with a Japanese-style tableau: birds alighting on branches of cherry blossoms. It was easy to imagine that even the daughter of the 20th century’s most lauded artist was stunned by the opulence of the ground floor, aka “The World of Tiffany.”

Nearly four years in the making, the store’s renovated interior—all 100,000-plus square feet of it—may well be the world’s most glamorous temple to jewelry. JCK news director Rob Bates did a fine job of summarizing the details that went into the brand’s first “holistic renovation” since 1940, including digitized immersive installations, 4,090 light fixtures, and 40 artworks by the likes of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Damien Hirst, Julian Schnabel, and Daniel Arsham.

I, on the other hand, am here to tell you about the scene.

And by scene, I don’t mean the 80-plus celebrities in attendance—though the famous-face spotting was, indeed, epic. Mayor Eric Adams was a guest, as were film director Baz Luhrmann, artist Jeff Koons, designer Marc Jacobs, Martha needs-no-introduction Stewart, and dozens of actors and musicians, including Gal Gadot, Hailey Bieber, Pharrell, Anya Taylor-Joy, Florence Pugh, Zoë Kravitz, Blake Lively, Mark Wahlberg, and Tiffany Haddish.

One of the first guests who caught my eye was a beautifully put-together Asian woman dressed entirely in white. Against the backdrop of her leather vest, crinoline skirt, and Dior handbag, it was impossible to ignore the Patek Philippe Tiffany Blue Nautilus on her left wrist. (When it was introduced in December 2021, the limited-edition timepiece retailed for $52,635; the current secondary-market price hovers around $3 million.)

I turned to take in the lavishness of the room and spotted Michael J. Kowalski, Tiffany’s beloved former CEO, who served in the role from 1999 to 2015. As he posed for photos with the current CEO, Anthony Ledru, I couldn’t help but wonder what Kowalski made of the new (and improved?) Tiffany.

Last November, when I interviewed Ledru over a video call for a New York Times story about the growth of the branded jewelry sector, he was candid, gracious, and undeniably clear about the brand’s repositioning under LVMH, which acquired Tiffany in early 2021 for $16 billion.

“This year has been really focused on product elevation,” Ledru told me. “One reason we’ve been growing fast is we went quite big on high jewelry.”

“When we completed the acquisition, we never thought the high jewelry business at Tiffany in 2022 would be on par with our silver business,” Ledru said. “We multiplied by five the high jewelry activity since we took over. And the focus has been on Jean Schlumberger, the designer who joined Tiffany in the ’60s. He’s a bridge between old world and new world. It is the ultimate signifier of what Tiffany stands for. I believe it is our style.”

If the designer’s iconic Bird on a Rock brooch comes to mind, you’re spot-on. According to Ledru, the piece is at the heart of Tiffany’s high jewelry ambitions.

“It’s incredible the growth we enjoy,” he said, referring to sales of the brooch. “Bird on a Rock was only mounted on Tiffany legacy gemstones: tanzanite, tsavorite, morganite, and kunzite.

“Why would clients not want that on stones that were truly exceptional?” Ledru added. “We’ve done that for this year. We’ve had it on sapphires, on a very big morganite. This year we did it on white diamonds. Today we have close to six months of waiting time on that specific piece.”

As I wandered the floors of the reimagined Landmark, the focus on high-end clientele was palpable. Starting on the seventh floor—home to a Patek Philippe salon as well as a wide selection of Tiffany “Masterpieces,” including a $1.95 million Bird on a Rock brooch with a 7.91 ct. no-oil Colombian emerald and a $1.45 million diamond necklace centered on a 14.42 ct. oval Paraiba tourmaline from Brazil—I made my way down the sweeping curvilinear staircase to the themed floors beneath.

Lifestyle and home goods plus the Blue Box Café dominate floor 6. Here I spotted deluxe table tennis rackets, throw pillows, and plates, all decked out in Tiffany Blue. Throughout the room, re-creations of window displays designed by Gene Moore, Tiffany’s former artistic director, evoked the feeling of visiting a museum.

Silver designs occupy level 5, alongside a small but delightful “Audrey Experience,” featuring a replica of Audrey Hepburn’s black Givenchy dress from the opening scene of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. (Speaking of Givenchy, which LVMH acquired in 1988, the Tiffany salespeople are all outfitted, right down to their shiny black loafers, in custom black Givenchy clothing embroidered with a blue Tiffany logo.)

The silver offerings still open at a relatively affordable $250, for a Return to Tiffany bracelet, but when I spoke to Ledru last year, he made clear that the old Tiffany, with its wide selection of accessibly priced silver jewels, was a thing of the past.

“We’re not discarding silver, but we wanted to start with first things first, which was all about the brand elevation and having a very clear message for our clients,” he told me.

When I arrived on floor 4, dedicated to “Gold & Diamond Icons,” including works by Picasso, Schlumberger, and Elsa Peretti, I got a very clear vision of the kind of clients Ledru had in mind. At a showcase of watches created specifically for the Landmark, I came across a well-heeled couple who appeared to be in their 70s. The husband was trying on a square-faced Union Square timepiece, while his wife, who wore her silvery hair in a shoulder-length straight bob, admired the accompanying bangles.

“Do you need another watch?” she asked him.

Later on, at the party space next door (the former Niketown site that became Tiffany’s temporary home in 2019), I spotted the woman and approached her to say hello. “Where do you live?” I asked her, practically screaming so she could hear me above the crowd.

“Here in New York, but we have four other homes,” she said.

“Where are you from?” I persisted.

“I’m from Hamburg,” she replied. “Where are you from?”

When she learned I was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, it was clear from her reaction that she knew the city of the White Nights. “We have been there five or six times,” she said. “With Gergiev.”

She meant Valery Gergiev, “Russia’s most powerful classical musician,” as The New Yorker once described him. He was the longtime artistic and general director of St. Petersburg’s famed Mariinsky Theatre, and served as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic until his post was rescinded in 2022 when he refused to condemn the war against Ukraine.

Later, the Rockettes took the stage, followed in short order by Katy Perry, who delivered a spectacular performance that had the entire room singing along. And yet all I could think about was the privilege that surrounded me.

I glanced around, only to find a pretty blond woman in a short pink tweed dress standing to my right. On her left lapel, she wore a Bird on a Rock brooch, the bird perched on the biggest pink stone I had ever seen.

Top: A scene from Tiffany & Co.’s grand reopening party on April 27 taken at the entrance to the ground-floor “World of Tiffany” room (all photos courtesy of Tiffany & Co.)

As you think about how to merchandise your gold and silver showcases this fall, you may want to keep this in mind: The pandemic-era craze for layering smaller pendants, bracelets, and earrings into a maximalist whole is finally giving way to a look that favors singular statement styles—in particular, those in trending silver or two-tone executions.

This was a takeaway from our recent conversation with Kate Lagos, brand stylist at Lagos, the Philadelphia-based jewelry company founded by her father, Steven Lagos, in 1977.

“We’ve been pushing light and layerable because it’s been happening for so long, and we’ve explored that a lot, but it’s shifting back to bolder styles, such as big cuffs,” Kate tells JCK. “Also, it’s very interesting that silver is coming back. We’ve been working on our gold pieces for the last 10 years, but silver is our core.”

To hear Kate tell it, so is two-tone jewelry. “Steve was a pioneer when it came to two-tone,” she says. “When he started 45 years ago, people were wearing silver or they were wearing gold. He gave the wearer that confidence to feel as though they can mix and match what they already have and not feel like it’s clashing.”

The Lagos fall 2023 lineup incorporates these trends and more—just look to the brand’s bold new Embrace collection, which combines its classic X motif with diamond-circled O’s, and its iconic Caviar pieces bearing the brand’s signature beading, often dusted with diamonds.

“The fall focus is on the best of Lagos, on what makes us distinctive,” says Kate.

Top: Embrace Caviar bracelet in sterling silver with diamonds and 18k gold, $9,500 (available in August)

National Beer Day is an unofficial holiday every April 7, though Virginia officially recognized the holiday in 2018 and started celebrating—likely with a cold one—in 2019. The date was chosen because April 7 was when the Cullen-Harrison Act was enacted in 1933, reversing the U.S. prohibition on selling beer.

In honor of National Beer Day, here is a look at three jewelry makers for whom beer serves as inspiration or subject—and maybe even the reason for becoming a jewelry designer.

Sterling Echoes

Denise Harrison (no relation to Harrison of the Cullen-Harrison Act) says beer is a driving force behind the jewelry she designs for her Bend, Ore., company Sterling Echoes. The textures and patterns on her fine jewelry come from beer bubbles and the foam that results from pouring beer into a glass.

To create her jewelry, Harrison starts with a photograph she has taken, one of her drawings, or a computer-generated piece of art. For example, she’ll take a photo of the foam on the side of a glass that looks like a tree or other organic shape, then manipulate it in a software program. The first step is to strip away any color so you can see the pure form.

Next, that image is printed onto press-and-peel paper used in etching. Harrison etches images onto copper, and she creates wax pieces with those copper etch plates. Harrison uses the lost-wax method to cast jewelry from these plates onto sterling silver and gold. Each piece is hand-patinated and polished, ready for the beer-loving wearer.

Harrison says she also does custom work. So whether you prefer an IPA or an amber, you’ll know that your piece of jewelry is a reflection of the beer you love. “You can send me a picture or you can send me the beer. I’m happy to drink it for you,” Harrison says with a laugh.

Her jewelry journey started when she was making pieces at home as a hobby. Harrison needed a ring mandrel, and someone suggested she look at the local college bookstore. It turned out the college held metal classes, and Harrison signed up for one.

Harrison, who was working in information technology at the time, ended up taking multiple jewelry classes to learn the techniques. Her hobby had developed into a business as she took her work to art fairs and local stores and sold it through her website.

She occasionally receives some odd inquires because her jewelry business shows up when you search “beer jewelry” on the internet. Some people will ask if her work is made from beer tabs or old cans; she answers politely that she works only in precious metals, not tin or aluminum.

She came up with the business name because at the time she used to work mostly in sterling silver and “echoes” referred to how Harrison likes to work in abstract, making the jewelry reflective of its inspiration without being a direct reproduction of it.

“It has a story—you have to dig a little bit deeper to know what it is,” Harrison says.

Delicacies 

Wheat is a key ingredient in many beers, and a fun ingredient that the whimsical jewelry brand Delicacies loves to represent in its work. The St. Paul, Minn.-based jeweler is committed to fighting hunger, so you give to good causes with every purchase of its wheat-shaped jewelry.

The brand, co-founded by Nicolle R. Nelson and John Peter Larson, donates 10% of profits to help provide meals to the underserved. They choose local organizations so they can donate both money and time.

According to the Delicacies team, wheat is an ideal symbol in jewelry because it is believed to promote prosperity, renewal, fertility, and that all-important quality for makers like themselves: creativity.

Hopped Up Jewelry

When Hopped Up Jewelry creator and designer Kimberly Markley moved from Ohio to Bend, Ore., she found a great part-time job at a small pub, “pouring tasty Pacific Northwest beer for thirsty, craft-beer-loving folk,” as she says. She created a pair of beer-themed earrings to wear to work.

“I made a pair of hop flower earrings to celebrate my appreciation of their mighty flavor—and to spice up the boring beer swag T-shirts I was required to wear to work at the bar,” Markley says. “Many of the ladies who spotted them wanted a pair for themselves and for their friends, and that’s how Hopped Up Jewelry was born.”

After taking some time off to travel, Markley moved back to central Oregon and invested time in growing her jewelry hobby into a full-time job.

“I never meant to start a line of jewelry dedicated to my love of the beer community. I did not mean to spend my weekends obsessively tinkering with designs in my tiny studio or years building a small business,” Markley says. “It just happened because I love creating well-made objects for people to wear and feel beautiful.

“It gives me immense joy to spot women wearing their hop earrings while raising pints of their favorite craft beverages with their friends in the sunshine on the patios of my local breweries. That’s the good life here in the Pacific Northwest,” she says.

Top: Sterling Echoes’ Beer Speak Tree necklace ($375) features an image that company founder Denise Harrison says she found in a glass of beer. (Photo courtesy of Sterling Echoes)

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