Member News: Assael & Rosa Van Parys
Assael and Rosa Van Parys explain their experiences being jewelry powerhouses of New York.
Continue readingAssael and Rosa Van Parys explain their experiences being jewelry powerhouses of New York.
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From the April 2021 issue of #thisispearl digital magazine
Portland, Ore. Writer and pearl farmer Celeste Brash recently landed the ultimate assignment: writing about riding out the pandemic from her family’s Kamoka pearl farm in French Polynesia. A friend who works for the Los Angeles Times follows her on Twitter and was loving her tweets from the Ahe atoll—so much so that he asked her to write something about her experience. She happily obliged.
“I really loved writing it, partly because it’s rare to be assigned something more narrative oriented and less service-y,” she explains. “I love writing about Ahe descriptively—the images flow out and write themselves. I did veer away from talking about the pearls too much since that wasn’t the focus of the piece, but of course that’s what we’re here for so I got in some details!”
Click the photo to read her story.
Boston, Mass. Theresa Baybutt of Treasure Bay Jewelry loves not only her pearl-producing oysters but also the Eastern oysters that are native to the shorelines of Massachusetts where she lives. That’s why she’s been an active board member of the Massachusetts Oyster Project, an all-volunteer nonprofit whose goal is to strengthen the coastal environment by restoring native shellfish populations to beaches and estuaries. “Through oyster cultivation, shell recycling, education, and advocacy we can improve water quality, increase the diversity of sea life and mitigate the effects of climate change,” according to the group. Not surprisingly, oyster populations have been affected by ocean acidification, pollution, and boating, among other culprits.
A friend tapped Baybutt to volunteer because of her interest in pearls and love of the ocean, and she has been fundraising and doing hands-on work for the group since 2011. In 2022, she becomes president.
Baybutt’s knowledge of and passion for restoring Eastern oyster populations is as robust as her affinity for fine pearls. Besides serving as an edible treat, she says, Eastern oysters in reef formations provide protection and food for upwards of 200 sea creatures and plants. Their shells comprise calcium carbonate, which helps balance the pH of the water, and perhaps most importantly, “Oysters can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day—they are our ocean’s natural water filter,” she explains.
Specific activities of the Project include growing oysters from spat to release back into the ocean in early fall. The oysters grow in above-ground tanks called upwellers, and to date more than 1.5 million oysters have been released into the water, though the Project hopes to add another million over the next three years.
Volunteers also recycle oyster shells from restaurants and large events to drop back in the ocean—a move that removes them from landfills and makes them useful again. “Oysters grow best and reproduce more successfully on other oyster shells,” says Baybutt.
Project volunteers like Baybutt also survey oyster sites to check progress and count oyster numbers to determine survival and reproduction rates. “We can do this by establishing a grid-sectioned area and counting how many oysters are in the area,” she says.
Interested parties can also visit grow sites—located in Gloucester, Hyannis, Marblehead, and Nantucket, Mass.—during the summer months. Check the Project’s website for more information.
Baby Eastern oysters
Theresa Baybutt of Treasure Bay Jewelry and a volunteer for the Massachusetts Oyster Project releasing baby oysters into the Mill River in Ipswich, Mass.
Auckland, New Zealand. New CPAA member Shahana Kimiangatau of Shahana Jewels was recently selected to participate in a panel organized by the World Jewellery Federation. The topic? Up-and-comers in jewelry. To wit, Jewellery’s New Generation More Diverse, Independent & Out of the Box took place online on April 8, 2021 but is available to watch in full above. Participants were selected for their first-generation jeweler status but also because of their different journeys to market and unique points of view.
Kimiangatau was also recently profiled on JenniferHeebner.com. Read the article by clicking here.
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From the February 2021 issue of #thisispearl digital magazine
Islip, N.Y. Four-year-old jewelry brand LexiMazz Collection has earned a place in Zales’ first-ever Designer Spotlight Program, an initiative aimed at giving artists a platform to share their creations on Zales.com. Alexis Mazza, the force behind LexiMazz, features a healthy number of fresh-looking pearl jewelry designs in her line out of a love of both whimsical and classic design.
“I love using traditional materials in playful ways, such as my pearl hoops,” she explains. “Pearls are timeless but look even more unique, fun, and dramatic in styles like chokers.”
Zales opened the competition over the summer in an effort to inspire makers from diverse backgrounds to leverage Zales’ e-commerce platform in a way that works within the confines of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
A selection of 38 of Mazza’s pieces are posted on Zales.com, with Mazza drop-shipping orders to buyers. Items listed for sale include chic pearl threader earrings in 14k yellow gold, a look that speaks to the Zales.com demographic and their affinity for contemporary styling. Zales calls Mazza’s piece “Distinctly unique, thoroughly modern,” a statement Mazza appreciates. “They liked the fact that with LexiMazz pieces, you have the capability to layer, stack, and be on trend.”
Albuquerque, N.M. For the Crevoshay sales team, which typically uses travel to build business, the lockdown during the global coronavirus pandemic served as quite a shock, but a silver lining did emerge: an abundance of time.
To make the best use of it, the brand established a Zoom account and started sharing messages of love and support to “soothe frayed nerves and bring beauty into people's lives,” says founder Paula Crevoshay.
Activities ranged from Zoom cocktail parties (complete with dressing up and boozy beverages) to sharing flipbooks, all moves that generated positive feedback from clients and brand fans.
Ultimately, Crevoshay made use of the communication tools at hand—email, phone, videos, her website, and social media—in a resourceful way to stay top of mind when in-person travel was not possible.
“The basics are simple to understand,” Crevoshay adds. “Success takes persistence. You will always learn more as you go along. If you don't have the skills or equipment, there are plenty of people eager to help.”
New York City. CPAA recently sponsored a CIBJO-organized webinar dubbed Reimagining the Pearl, Youthful, Bolder and Edgier. The webinar took place on Thursday, Feb. 11, at 12 noon EDT; the full recording from YouTube is below.
CIBJO is the World Jewellery Confederation, a group that calls itself the United Nations of the jewelry business and represents the interests of all individuals, organizations, and companies earning livelihoods from jewelry, gemstones, and precious metals. The webinar cast a spotlight on visionary pearl jewelry designers and manufacturers aiming to break the pearl’s staid image.
Panelists included Jennifer Heebner, executive director of the Cultured Pearl Association of America (CPAA); Melanie Georgacopoulos, owner and creative director of the London-based jewelry brand of the same name and head designer of M/G Tasaki, a collaboration with Japan’s Tasaki group; Peggy Grosz, senior vice president at New York-headquartered Assael Inc., where she is in charge of product development and design; Sean Gilson, a groundbreaking master jeweler with a studio in Connecticut and a workshop in New York City; and Patricia Kiley Faber, co-owner of the Aaron Faber Gallery in New York and curator of its contemporary jewelry exhibitions and permanent collections.
Needed: Person with experience in diamonds and pearls. Graduate gemology degree and Pearls As One certificate preferred but not required. Duties include merchandising and generating invoices; social media skills are a bonus. Sales also an option for additional commission. Office is located in Great Neck, N.Y., and is a two-minute walk from the train station. Email or call Harry or Lily Kalatizadeh, London Pearl, at hr.londonpearl@gmail.com or 516-724-4514.
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From the December 2020 Issue of #thisispearl digital magazine
New York City–based Assael took part in a virtual event on Zoom on Nov. 17, 2020, as part of New York City Jewelry Week. Christina Lang Assael, CEO, and Peggy Grosz, vice president, presented Come Play Among the Pearls from their Manhattan office and highlighted some of the brand’s exceedingly rare and responsibly sourced pearls, including conch and melo.
Assael also recently landed an impressive new account, Mindham Fine Jewellery in Toronto, Canada. The store carries a healthy selection of Assael jewels, including an akoya program, the Tahitian Colors collection, and Bubbles.
Left to right: Peggy Grosz and Christina Lang Assael
Pittsford, N.Y.–based jewelry designer Barbara Heinrich is participating in two holiday trunk shows. The first is at the Carol Saunders Gallery in Columbia, S.C. (this gallery does not have a website), from Dec. 3, 2020, through Jan. 10, 2021. The second is at Ladyfingers Jewelry in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., from Dec. 8, 2020, through Jan. 3, 2021.
Drop Shell earrings in 18k gold with black coral and white South Sea pearls, $5,000; email terri@barbaraheinrichstudio.com for purchase
Photo by Mark Nantz
Montreal, Canada–based Canadian Gem/Nishi Pearls has raised $10,000 to date from sales on NishiPearls.com for Armenian relief as part of its Nishi Cares for Artsakh initiative, which aims to raise awareness of the attacks by Azerbaijan and Turkey against the Artsakh Republic (supported by Armenia). Nishi Pearls is donating all proceeds to the Armenia Fund, a humanitarian organization providing aid for the Republic. Efforts will continue based on more sales from NishiCares.com. Nishi founders Alique and Arka Akkelian are fourth-generation jewelers of Armenian descent. Click here to learn more.
In other company news, Alique was recently interviewed by MTL Blog about breathing new life into the pearl jewelry category. Click here to read the interview.
Manchester, Vt.–based jewelry designer Judi McCormick has a Pearl Gemstone clasp with a pending international design patent. The invisible and decorative clasp features a pearl of any type or shape that is set with gemstones and doesn’t look like hardware. McCormick calls it an artful part of a necklace or bracelet. The Pearl Gemstone clasps are available for purchase in jewelry or as individual clasps. They can also be custom ordered. Retail prices start at $450. Click here to see options.
Judi McCormick has a Pearl Gemstone clasp with a pending international design patent.
New York City–based jewelry designer Ray Griffiths recently made a unique custom pearl ring for a client, sourcing an organic-shape coin pearl and designing and building a model around it. The client was delighted with the finished product. Click here to learn more about it and Griffiths’ process.
New York City–based jewelry designer Ray Griffiths recently made a unique custom pearl ring.
Westlake Village, Calif.–based jewelry designer and architect Rosa Van Parys took the Best Use of Color award as part of the American Gem Trade Association’s Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards this year. Van Parys’s Links 3.5 necklace with the Zaha Tahitian pearl pendant and rainbow dagger are made in 18k yellow gold with tsavorite garnets, pink sapphires, and blue diamonds; a colorful front clasp is made in 18k rose gold with tsavorites, yellow and dark pink sapphires, and black diamonds. The Zaha pendant features a AAA 14.9 mm blue-tone Tahitian pearl and a dagger motif with colorless and blue diamonds, orange sapphires, amethysts, yellow and pink sapphires, and tsavorite garnets. The necklace and pendant are interchangeable with a removable add-on ring and add-on connector in 18k yellow gold with pink and yellow sapphires. The necklace retails for $39,795; email sales@rosavanparys.com with inquiries.
Parys is an architect and interior designer who strives to stay on the forefront of the new pearl movement in fine jewelry. Her nontraditional designs speak to her motto, Elegance with an Edge, with symmetry, composition, versatility, and the bold use of color all driving factors behind the brand’s fun and statement-worthy point of view.
Rosa Van Parys took the Best Use of Color award as part of the American Gem Trade Association’s Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards this year for the Links 3.5 necklace with the Zaha Tahitian pearl pendant and rainbow dagger.
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