Fink's Jewelers

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ACCENT The Magazine of Life’s Celebrations • Spring/Summer 2014

SPRING 2014 TREND REPORT

FROM THE RUNWAYS CELEBRATIONS OF LOVE!

MODERN EASE Jewelry’s Sophisticated New Simplicity

PLUS:

SPECIAL WATCH SECTION


oyster perpetual subma riner date

rolex

oyster perpetual and submariner are trademarks.


DEAR FRIENDS, Welcome to the spring issue of Accent magazine. After a snowy, cold winter in the Mideast, I could not be happier to see spring in full bloom. Spring cleaning is a popular activity for the season, and we here at Fink’s are doing a little sprucing-up ourselves. At the start of the year, we began the first of a series of remodels in three of our stores. The process began in Richmond, Virginia, where we completely renovated our existing location at Chesterfield Towne Center. The beautiful new store includes an expanded selection of designer jewelry, a newly designed Rolex Corner and a TAG Heuer Boutique. Next on the list is our second Richmond location at Short Pump Town Center, where we made room for another state-of-the-art Rolex Corner and expanded the watch selection. The completion of these two stores solidifies Fink’s Jewelers as the top jeweler in the Richmond, Virginia market. Lastly, we’re making our way to Valley View Mall in our hometown of Roanoke, Virginia. This store will receive a complete facelift, including a larger Pandora shopin-shop. In addition to the fresh look in a few of our stores, the spring season also ushers in the latest selection of the industry’s leading designer brands. Visit any of our 14 locations to see the newest collections from David Yurman, John Hardy, Ippolita, Roberto Coin and much more!

Marc Fink, President and CEO

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FINKS.COM

CHAIRMAN & CEO MARC FINK EVP & CFO WALT GAYNOR V P O P E R AT I O N S MARK BAIR V P I N F O R M AT I O N T E C H N O L O G I E S TODD STAFFORD

CONTENTS

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING LINDSEY KIRBY

P U B L I S H E D B Y T H E B J I FA S H I O N G R O U P PUBLISHER STU NIFOUSSI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF KAREN ALBERG GROSSMAN

FEATURES

DESIGN DIRECTOR HANS GSCHLIESSER

1 Welcome Letter

MANAGING EDITOR

4 Fink’s Family Profile: Gretchen Weinnig

JILLIAN LAROCHELLE PROJECT MANAGER LISA MONTEMORRA

6 Fink’s Family Profile: Astra Houff 8 Fink’s Family Profile: Kelley Wood

WATCHES A C C E N T M A G A Z I N E S P E C I A L S E C T I O N S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 01 4

10 Fink’s Event: See and Be Seen 12 Gift Guide: Put a Spring in Your Step 20 Celebrations of Love

PRODUCTION MANAGER PEG EADIE

BRITTON JONES

28 Style: In the Mix

CHAIRMAN AND COO

30 Red Carpet

MAC BRIGHTON

GETTY 1 PASIEKA

34 Exhibits: Jewelry on Display

JEAN-NICOLE VENDITTI

PRESIDENT AND CEO

24 From the Runways

32 Chatter: Ask the Designers

DESIGNERS CYNTHIA LUCERO

Prices are subject to change without notice and may vary depending on size, quality and availability. Copyright 2014.

38 Fashion: Here Comes the Sun 48 Perfect Gems 50 Fitness: Spin Cycle 52 Food: Brooklyn’s Fine Fare 54 Technology: Home Safe Home

WATCH SECTION

Accent® is published by Business Journals, Inc, P.O. Box 5550,

40 Watch Advisor

Advertising Office: 1384 Broadway, 11th Floor, NY, NY 10018, 212-

Norwalk, CT 06856, 203-853-6015 • Fax: 203-852-8175;

686-4412 • Fax: 212-686-6821; All Rights Reserved. The publish-

42 Partnerships: Time Trials 44 Watchmaking: Hooked on Classics

ers accept no responsibilities for advertisers’ claims, unsolicited manuscripts, transparencies or other materials. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission of the publishers. Volume 12, Issue 1. Accent® is a trademark of

46 Spotlight: Hot Watches

56 Essay: Getting the Hint

Business Journals, Inc. registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark office. Printed In The U.S.A.

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CABLE CUFFS BY DAVID YURMAN

36 Trends: Simply Modern



FINK’S FAMILY PROFILE

G GRETCHEN WEINNIG Store Manager 419 at Colonial Avenue Roanoke, Virginia

retchen Weinnig made her debut in the jewelry industry when she joined Fink’s in September 2013. With 15 years of experience in financial sales and relationship management, we knew her skill set would transfer seamlessly to her new role as the sales manager of our Roanoke flagship store. “While I didn’t have experience in the jewelry industry,” she explains, “there is a lot of overlap with regard to customer service, the need for excellent follow-up and the ability to listen to and connect with others. “Sales people get a bad reputation for pushing people to buy. But that’s not how I see my role with Fink’s. It’s my job to serve—our clients, my teammates and this great company.” Gretchen believes that sales will come naturally if she focuses her energy on providing great customer service. “The same goes with leading a team. If you focus on helping others achieve their best, everyone succeeds.” Her sincerity and energy have already won her favor with coworkers and customers alike. “I am enthusiastic about helping others in a number of ways, and my new role at Fink’s allows me to do that in a completely different way from my prior career and volunteer involvement,” Gretchen tells us. So far, her favorite part of the job has been helping our customers commemorate the special milestones in their lives, and getting to know the wonderful people that walk through our doors. And like much of our Fink’s family, Gretchen reports that engagement rings are her favorite item to sell. “Whether I’m working with the man or the couple, it is so much fun learning about the two of them, their relationship, and their plans together. Finding the perfect ring to celebrate the love they feel for each other is such a joy. I love connecting with people and helping them make a very happy time even more special.” She’s also getting to know our fashion jewelry designers, and has already decided on a favorite. “I love the inspiration and craftsmanship of the John Hardy line, especially the Kali collection,” Gretchen reveals. “The story of how water pounds the kali stones (river rocks) to both smooth and harden them reminds me of the softness and strength of women. It’s really a beautiful mixture of what makes people unique and interesting.” Though it’s obvious she’s fully immersed in her new career, everyone needs time to recharge. Gretchen’s perfect day off would start with a run, bike or hike with friends. “It doesn’t matter if it is dark or sunny, warm or cold (although I’ll often pass when it is raining),” she tells us. “It’s all about the chance to share the experience with people who fill my life.” After the hike she’d share a drink—to either warm up or cool down— with her hiking buddies. Then, she says, she would want “the chance to give back to others in some way, either with volunteer work, helping to organize an event for the community or, believe it or not, just coming into work and making someone’s day with a very special purchase.” Talk about dedication!

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FINK’S FAMILY PROFILE

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ASTRA HOUFF Store Manager Valley View Mall Roanoke, Virginia

fter one year working for another local jeweler, Astra Houff applied for a job at Fink’s. After all, she decided, “If I was going to be in the jewelry industry, I wanted to work for the best company with the finest jewelry and the best reputation.” She was hired as a full-time sales associate, and the rest is history. Now 10 years later, Astra is the store manager of our Valley View location. She credits her strong work ethic and a commitment to follow through as the keys to her success, and also says she owes a lot to her first manager, Debbie Cochran. “She was a huge influence on me,” Astra reveals. “She taught me that if you are committed and dedicated to your job and your customers, then everything else should fall into place.” A highlight of the job for Astra is helping our clients find the perfect diamond engagement ring. “It is so awesome to be part of a couple’s decision-making process, choosing something that represents their commitment and love for each other.” She feels honored by the level of trust that our clients grant her, to help guide them toward the perfect ring they will own forever. “Not only do they depend on my knowledge as a salesperson,” she adds, “but also the reputation of the Fink’s name.” Outside of bridal, Astra lists John Hardy among her favorite jewelry brands. “There is something about seeing the customer light up when you describe all of the elements involved in making one piece,” she tells us. “I love the story of the dragon: you can wear his head facing toward you, which will open you up to love and wellbeing, or facing out, and he will protect you!” She also likes to point out the intricately designed back grills on many of the John Hardy pieces. “How many designers create an added bonus that only the owner can see?” she asks. “Each collection tells a story that always seems to make the customer even more proud to wear it.” Whichever designers Astra shows our clients on a given day, she is satisfied “knowing at the end of each day, I did everything I could to make our customers happy and feel like they are part of our Fink’s family. I want everyone who enters our store to feel welcome and appreciated!” When not hard at work, Astra loves to start the morning with a horseback ride alongside her husband, Ray. Afterwards, on a perfect day, she’d want to meet up with their son, Matthew, at an amusement park “to ride all the scariest rollercoasters together—and scream as loud as we can!” Next, she imagines, “All of my family would be together and we’d have a cookout in the evening at my favorite beach, Ocean Isle. (Steak, of course.) Then once the night came, I would love to go out on the beach beside the ocean with the entire gang, and catch blue crabs and sand crabs using only flashlights.” Sounds like someone has thought about this a lot! If Astra wasn’t in jewelry sales (or busy enjoying an epic day with her family), she says she would love to work helping animals in need. “There are so many organizations now that help abused, homeless and/or injured animals and I feel I could really make a difference,” she shares. “There’s something about the unconditional love that so many of these animals give, even though they have no say in how they are treated or where they end up. There is such a need to find ‘forever homes’ for so many pets that have been displaced or abused, and so many that need medical attention. There is always room for another dedicated person to fight for the cause.” Astra’s desire to make a difference can be traced back to a lesson learned from her mother years ago. “She asked me if I knew why they called today ‘the present.’ Thinking she was going to make a joke, I asked why and waited for the punch line. She then said, ‘No one can change the past, and tomorrow is the future, which can be full of uncertainty. But we have today, the present, which is God’s GIFT to each and every one of us. We should make every moment count!’ “I have kept her words in my thoughts and try to live by them every day.”

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FINK’S FAMILY PROFILE

Y KELLEY WOOD Store Manager Spotsylvania Towne Centre Fredericksburg, Virginia

ou could say that Kelley Wood got hooked on jewelry before she even got her diploma. She took a job in the jewelry business two weeks before graduating from Chancellor High School in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and hasn’t looked back since. Kelley came to Fink’s in October 2011 as a full-time sales associate, and later became assistant manager. Last July, she was promoted to store manager. “Fink’s is by far my favorite jewelry company to have had the pleasure to work for,” she says. “Working for a company that puts family first means a lot to me. It reminds you why you work as hard as you do in the first place.” After nine years in the jewelry industry, Kelley says she has enjoyed every minute of it. She still gets excited at the start of each season, when Fink’s receives the newest jewelry collections. “Seeing all the different ideas that each designer comes up with is incredible to me,” she explains. Characterized by other associates as being very passionate about her job, Kelley tells us the part she loves most is selling engagement rings. “Especially Norman Silverman,” she adds. “His pieces are very unique, and the time their jewelers put into each and every piece shows in the final products.” Beyond the dazzling diamonds, she says, “Being a part of a milestone in someone’s life is huge to me. I love knowing I helped make someone smile when they opened their gift. Whether it’s an engagement ring, a 25-year wedding anniversary gift, or even a graduation gift for all the hard work accomplished.” When it comes to everyday jewelry, Kelley’s favorite fashion line is David Yurman. “His pieces are constantly changing, which just makes you want more and more!” She appreciates that all his jewelry, especially the two-tone designs, can be mixed and matched, and that the pieces are both bold and classy. “My favorite piece of jewelry I own would have to be a white gold and diamond cross my dad surprised me with for Christmas in 2004,” she shares. “It was one present he put a lot of thought into and it means a lot to me.” Family is clearly important to Kelley, and she credits her parents with having a huge impact on her success. “If it weren’t for their support I would not be where I am today at such a young age. My parents raised my brothers and me to know that if there is something out in the world we want, we have to work for it. They made it perfectly clear nothing in this world is free; I would like to think I make them proud.” If she hadn’t found her passion in the jewelry world, Kelley says she would have liked to be a lawyer. “I am intrigued by the challenge of the debate. To this day my parents tell me I would have been a great lawyer.” And when she’s not working at all, Kelley prefers to spend her time on the beaches of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, where she was married in 2012. “My perfect day is sitting in high-90 degree weather on the beach, with my husband Nathan, son Benjamin, family and friends around me.”

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Fink’s Events

| See and Be Seen ....................................................................... DASH AT HALF 1. James Crawford and Christy DePaw won a $10,000 Ritani engagement ring at UVA’s Dash at Half.

TEA TIME 2. An afternoon tea was held at our Lynchburg, VA location for a Slane personal appearance and trunk show. Designer Landon Slane posed with Fink’s fashion buyer, Molly Abbott, while Slane enthusiasts modeled their new purchases.

CONTEST WINNER 3. Winner of our Holiday Gift Guide Facebook contest, Jane Nicholson, showed off her gorgeous new Naga bracelet from John Hardy.

DAPPER DOG 4. This lucky pup, Beau, modeled his custom-made dog collar from Fink’s.

BALI VAULT 5. John Hardy’s Bali Vault traveled to multiple Fink’s locations during the fall, delivering our loyal customers with custom manicures and an amazing selection of jewelry.

MONTPELIER 6. Fink’s Jewelers was proud to partner with Rolex at the Montpelier Hunt Races in Montpelier Station, VA to award a Rolex to one lucky winner.

VIP 7. Guy Bedarida made a personal appearance at our North Hills store in Raleigh, NC. The lead designer for John Hardy shared the inspirations behind his designs and engraved customers’ favorite John Hardy pieces.

BIG HAIR BALL 8. Fink’s was the presenting sponsor for the Big Hair Ball in Greensboro, NC. This model is shown wearing a gorgeous necklace from Roberto Coin.


.....................................................................................................................................................................


MIKIMOTO 7x6 mm Akoya pearl necklace with an 18K white gold clasp, $1,850. From the Morning Dew collection, 8 mm Akoya pearls and blue sapphires in 18K white gold. Earrings, $1,800. Pendant, $1,100.

IT’S A FINK’S EXCLUSIVE Fink’s Superior Cut® diamonds in 14K white gold. Bezel-set tennis bracelet, $4,375. Hoop earrings, $950. Cushion-cut aquamarine ring, $2,495. Halo stud earrings, $4,375. Halo pendant necklace, $1,150.


DAVID YURMAN From the Hampton Cable collection, designs in sterling silver. Earrings in gray diamonds, blue sapphires and lavender spinel, $1,350. Necklace $2,950. Bracelet in gray diamonds, blue sapphires and lavender spinel, $2,950. Earrings in black diamonds, $1,350. Bracelet in black diamonds, $2,950. Silver bracelet, $1,950. The Classic速 Timepiece in steel with a white mother-of-pearl diamond dial and diamond bezel on a steel bracelet, $5,800.


IPPOLITA From the Stella collection in sterling silver with chrysoprase doublet and diamonds. Teardrop earrings, $1,595. Necklace, $495. 3-stone bangle, $695. 5-stone bangle, $1,195.

ROBERTO COIN Diamonds by the Inch necklaces in 18K gold. 15-station diamond necklace, $3,000. 19-station diamond necklace, $4,540. 7-station diamond necklace in white or yellow gold, $1,340.

STEPHEN WEBSTER From the Superstud collection, designs in sterling silver. Square gray cat’s eye earrings with 14K gold posts, $495. Mother-of-pearl necklace, $425. Square mother-of-pearl earrings with 14K gold posts, $495. Large round gray cat’s eye ring, $595.


PENNY PREVILLE From the Diamond Lace collection, delicate designs in 18K gold. Oval earrings, $4,950. Oval enhancer on an 18� eyeglass chain in white or yellow gold, $4,160. (Earrings also available in white gold, $4,950.)

MARCO BICEGO From the Jaipur Link collection, designs featuring circular elements combined with 18K hand-engraved yellow gold and diamonds. Double-link necklace, $1,990. Bracelet, $1,490.

HONORA From the Grapevine collection featuring ringed cultured freshwater pearls in varying shades of purple and green. Dangle earrings, $70. Set of three stretch bracelets, $125. 36� necklace, $145.


IT’S A FINK’S DIAMOND Rings available in a variety of carat weights and prices. Let our diamond specialists help you find the perfect one for her today!

IT’S A FINK’S EXCLUSIVE Men’s comfort fit wedding bands shown in 14K gold. Visit your nearest Fink’s Jewelers location for pricing and to view our expanded collection of men’s and women’s wedding bands in a variety of styles and metal types.

OMEGA

CARTIER

BREITLING

Men’s SEAMASTER PLANET OCEAN 600 M co-axial watch in steel with a black dial on a rubber strap, $5,800.

Ladies’ BALLON BLEU watch in steel with a guilloché dial, quartz, $6,000. RONDE SOLO extra-large watch in steel on a leather strap, automatic, $3,550.

Men’s SUPER AVENGER II watch in steel with a volcano black dial and silver subdials on a steel professional bracelet, $5,550.


JOHN HARDY The men’s Classic Chain collection features designs in sterling silver. Shackle bracelet on a navy blue leather cord, $550. Shackle cufflinks, $495. Silver hook bracelet on a brown braided leather cord, $495. Station bracelet on a 10mm green cord, $295. Station bracelet on a 6mm multicolor cobalt blue cord, $225. Propeller cufflinks, $350.

TAG HEUER

MOVADO

LONGINES

Ladies’ AQUARACER watch in steel and rose gold with white mother-of-pearl diamond dial and diamond bezel on a steel and rose gold bracelet, $6,300. Men’s CARERRA watch in steel with a black dial on a steel bracelet, $2,950.

Men’s MUSEUM CLASSIC watch in steel with a black dial and signature concave dot on a steel link bracelet, $750.

Ladies’ LA GRANDE CLASSIQUE watch in steel with white mother-of-pearl diamond dial on a steel bracelet, $1,425. Men’s LEGEND DIVER watch in steel with black dial on a black strap, $2,300.


JOHN HARDY From the Palu collection, designs in hammered sterling silver with rosewood or black sapphire accents. Small hoop earrings, $495. Link station sautoir necklace, $1,650. Hinge bracelet, $1,600. Slim cuff, $995. Wide cuff, $1,300. Dome ring, $495. Slim hoop earrings, $395.

JOHN HARDY From the Palu collection, designs in hammered sterling silver and hammered sterling silver with rose wood. Medium hoop earrings, $350. Link station sautoir necklace, $1,650. Small hoop earrings, $495. Wavy hinged cuff, $895. Large cuff, $1,300. Slim cuff, $995. Dome ring, $495.


P OIS MOI COLLECTION


Celebrations

Brandon Hawkins & Megan Jones Engaged: April 3, 2013 in Las Vegas, NV Norfolk, VA

Joseph & Stephanie Trendowski Married: July 28, 2012 Norfolk, VA

| Engagements and Weddings ................................................

Josh Hathaway & Ashton Perry Engaged: April 27, 2013 Fredericksburg, VA

Thomas & Claire Lanier Married: September 14, 2013 Raleigh, NC

Ryan Bumgarner Photography


Want to share your recent engagement or wedding pictures in Accent Magazine? Submit them to our marketing department by email at finks@finks.com or message us at Facebook.com/FinksJewelers.

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Ben Hoyt & Kathryn Conrad Engaged: August 4, 2013 in Salvo, NC Roanoke, VA

Margarito Valente & Patricia Antonio Engaged: August 15, 2013 Charlotte, NC

Gary & Julie Mendelson Married: September 22, 2013 Dulles, VA

Brad & Lisa Dilworth Married: November 2, 2013 Raleigh, NC


VIRGINIA Roanoke 419 at Colonial Avenue .................................................540.342.2991 Valley View Mall.............................................................. 540.362.3779 Lynchburg 16960 Forest Road ......................................................... 434.237.6301 Charlottesville Barracks Road Shopping Center ............................434.284.4060 Richmond Chesterfield Towne Center .......................................... 804.379.7171 Short Pump Town Center ........................................... 804.377.8589 Fredericksburg The Village at Spotsylvania Towne Centre ...........540.736.1290 Dulles Dulles Town Center ........................................................571.434.6540 Norfolk MacArthur Center ............................................................. 757.640.1132

NORTH CAROLINA Greensboro 1951 Battleground Avenue...........................................336.292.8355 Charlotte Northlake Mall ................................................................. 704.927.4888 SouthPark ..........................................................................704.366.3120 Raleigh North Hills........................................................................... 919.881.8247

Durham The Streets at Southpoint ................................... 919.281.8407

www.finks.com facebook.com/FinksJewelers twitter.com/FinksJewelers pinterest.com/FinksJewelers instagram.com/FinksJewelers FinksJewelers.polyvore.com


T H E O R I G I N ATO R O F C U LT U R E D P E A R L S . S I N C E 1 8 9 3 .


from the

RUNWAYS

EVENTFUL EVENING

1. John Hardy two-finger Naga ring with black sapphire, $795 2. Fink’s Jewelers aquamarine ring surrounded by diamonds, $5,060 3. Stephen Webster 18K white gold ring set with mixed pavé sapphires, black diamonds and black opalescent quartz, $6,500. 4. Ippolita chrysoprase doublet bangle from the Stella collection, $695 5. Marco Bicego Jaipur five-row kissing bangle, $5,500 6. Penny Preville moonstone and aquamarine earrings with diamonds, $4,750

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RUNWAY IMAGES COURTESY ACCESSORIESDIRECTIONS.COM

Statement jewels make it a night to remember.



from the

RUNWAYS

NEARLY NUDE

1. Roberto Coin Cento signature diamond ring in rose gold, prices start at $2,200 2. Ippolita rosé multi-square necklace, $1,295 3. Roberto Coin 18K rose gold Pois Moi single bangle, $3,900 4.

Penny

Preville

small round lace earrings with top bezel, $4,950 5.

6. Fink’s Jewelers 18K rose gold diamond circle pendant, $1,310

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Penny

Preville

pink opal and diamond earrings, $4,995

RUNWAY IMAGES COURTESY ACCESSORIESDIRECTIONS.COM

A rosy outlook on spring fashion.


LOVELY LADY

Feminine flair is always on trend.

1. Roberto Coin white gold diamond hoop earrings, $14,300 2. Mikimoto 32� Akoya pearl necklace with 18K yellow gold clasp, $6,400 3. Cartier Tank Anglaise in stainless steel with a silvered and lacquered flinque dial on an 18K pink gold and steel bracelet, $7,600 4. Ashoka Trilogy ring in platinum, price varies based on carat weight 5. Penny Preville marquise and round bangle bracelet, $5,315 6. Mikimoto 9 mm black south sea pearl and diamond stud earrings, $2,350

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style

MIX In THE Freshen up your jewelry favorites.

BETH BERNSTEIN

Have a tennis bracelet that’s been sitting in the recesses of your jewelry box? Think your round, brilliant-cut, prong-set stud earrings look too traditional? Love your grandmother’s 1920s Art Deco diamond and platinum brooch but don’t know how to wear it alongside your contemporary jewelry? Spring 2014 is all about the art of the mix. There is a trend towards updating classics you already own (or want to own) by combining them with more fashionable styles, or adding a contemporary element to those pieces in your jewelry box that you thought were outdated. It’s all about personalizing your jewelry look, which means mixing old with new, antique heirloom with modern, and even throwing in some edgy pieces.

Here are three tips to help you get the most mileage— and style—from your jewelry box:

Inherit This Style

If you’re one of those lucky women who have inherited an elegant Art Deco brooch but can’t figure out how to incorporate it into your everyday jewelry wardrobe, here are a few intriguing ideas. You can fasten it onto an elongated diamond station necklace, or

Diamonds Will Always Be a Girl’s Best Friend

wear the brooch as a pendant on a satin cord (layered with a station necklace if you wish). Or pin the brooch to the side

If you own a (flexible diamond line-style) tennis bracelet from the late-’80s or early-’90s

of a dress, and complete the look with

that was once chic (worn with Armani pantsuits to power lunches or out to coffee with the

linear earrings that also recall an Art

other moms), it’s time to try mixing it up. Add status pieces like large links or thin cuffs

Deco influence—a pair with swing and

and bangles. These diamond line bracelets are injected with new life when worn with

movement. But don’t stop there: get

another classic, like the Cartier Love bracelet, on one side, and a thin bangle with a

creative with a double-finger ring or one

gemstone and diamond pavé surround on the other. For an edgier look, add a snake cuff

of those fashionable bracelet/ring

that slithers around your wrist. For the more sentimental, layer with a charm bracelet; if

creations that extends from your finger

you haven’t been filling one up for years, it’s never too late to start. Your wrist is the

to your wrist.

Past Present

Love the sentimental designs of Victorian-era rings, but think you need to save them for a special occasion? Not so. Try stacking a Victorian cluster ring with mine-cut diamonds, or a new polished, rough-cut gray diamond ring, and the look becomes current and playful. Or go for a garden theme, with a bold piece like Stephen Webster’s pavé diamond butterfly ring, worn with an antique snake ring on the same hand. Luckily, you have 10 fingers and limitless possibilities.

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FROM TOP: IMAGES COURTESY OF PENNY PREVILLE, JOHN HARDY, STEPHEN WEBSTER

perfect place to mix metals—white, pink and yellow gold—and gemstones with diamonds.



SAMIRA WILEY at Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week

MIKE COPOLA/GETTY IMAGES FOR MERCEDES-BENZ

CARLA GUGINO at the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards

COURTESY OF NORMAN SILVERMAN

red carpet

REGINA HALL at the Hollywood premiere of The Best Man Holiday 30

COURTESY OF SAZINGG AND KUUMBA

JULIETTE BINOCHE at the Cartier: Le Style et l’Histoire exhibition in Paris

RINDOFF PETROFF-CASTEL

RED HOT!


BEN PRUCHNIE FOR PARAMOUNT PICTURES INTL

KATE WINSLET at the BFI London Film Festival Labor Day screening

COURTESY OF CHIMENTO

EMMA ROBERTS at the 2014 Vanity Fair Oscar Party

In this bold hue, there’s no chance of blending in.

EMMY ROSSUM at the BTJA 3rd Annual Critics’ Choice Awards 31

COURTESY OF NORMAN SILVERMAN

KELLY OSBOURNE at the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards

COURTESY OF AMRAPALI

JILLIAN LAROCHELLE


chatter

Ask the

DESIGNERS We asked some of our favorite designers: what’s next on your bucket list? Listen in and get to know the artists behind your most-loved jewelry.

IPPOLITA

My next destination is Luang Prabang in Laos, one of the most mystical, magical and inspiring old villages in Asia. It will be the inspiration for my next collection.” GUY BEDARIDA OF JOHN HARDY

ROBERTO COIN

I have been compiling pieces of my writing, photographs and experiences for some time now. 2014 is the year it’s all going to come together inside one cover. I have a publisher so the rest is down to me. If anyone who knows me can remember anything that involves me between 1989 and 2000, please send in your stories. No junk mail or time wasters please.” STEPHEN WEBSTER

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STEPHEN WEBSTER IMAGE COURTESY OF RANKIN. GUY BEDARIDA IMAGE COURTESY OF JOHN HARDY.

For sure on my bucket list there is the bright future for my brand. I am a creator and a dreamer, and I wish to always keep being able to foresee my clientele’s taste and mood. This year we are going to debut an exclusive limitededition collection inspired by the horse. To me, the horse symbolizes par excellence of freedom and elegance. Actually, this is related with my second wish, to keep surprising myself and my collectors by keeping them young and glamorous.”

Read Tolstoy in Russian and Proust in French. Roll around in caviar with Javier Bardem. Make my own scented candle with Cire Trudon. Walk the Great Wall of China. Travel around the world with my future grandchildren. Learn to paint from Eric Fischl.”


To keep abreast of the latest jewelry news, offers and events at Fink’s Jewelers, all you have to do is join us on one, or all, of our social media sites - our website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Polyvore. They are informative, interactive, but most of all FUN! We invite you to log on and join in the conversation today!


exhibits

Jewelry

ON DISPLAY

Many leading arts institutions now regularly highlight fine and contemporary jewelry from the 19th and 20th centuries—and visitors have taken note.

F

or the past three years, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts has served up Jewels, Gems, and Treasures: Ancient to Modern (through June 1), drawn from the museum’s over 20,000-piece collection of jewelry. “Not only is this exhibit bringing a lot of visitors to the museum, but there’s now more respect for jewelry in the art world. It’s no longer considered something just for women [to wear],” says Yvonne Markowitz, the Rita J. Kaplan and Susan B. Kaplan Curator of Jewelry at the MFA. While Markowitz’s next exhibition will focus on the museum’s collection of ancient Nubian jewelry, come September, more 20thcentury jewelry will be on display at the MFA as part of an upcoming exhibition devoted to Hollywood fashion and glamour. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, which has long been known for showing modern jewels, recently put together Jewels by JAR, the first large-scale exhibition of the exquisite work of Paris-based jeweler Joel Rosenthal. “If you look at Joel’s work, it’s like sculpture, it’s three-dimensional,” says associate curator Jane Adlin. “There’s no difference between someone like Joel and

Frank Stella or Anthony Caro. It’s just that Joel is working in gemstones.” The Met will soon be showing another exhibit curated by Adlin, International Contemporary Jewelry from The Donna Schneier Collection, from May 13 through August 31. It will feature more than 100 pieces from the 1960s onward, designed by 88 different artists from 17 countries. Another museum at the forefront of bringing contemporary jewelry to the masses is New York’s Museum of Arts and Design, which will feature Multiple Exposures: Jewelry and Photography from June 24, 2014 through January 18, 2015. This ambitious exhibit focuses in part on how art jewelry and technology can collide. “Art jewelry is often idea-driven, so an exhibition can lend itself to a theme or aesthetic,” says Ursula Ilse-Neuman, the museum’s curator of

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Above: Armband (bazuband). Indian, late 17th–early 18th century. Gold, enamel and emeralds. Left: Heraldic Maltese Cross Brooch, 1964. Cabochon green onyx, circular-cut-diamond and sapphire center surrounded by coral arms with circular-cut diamonds and gold. By David Webb, courtesy of private collector.

TOP: PHOTOGRAPH © MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON. BOTTOM: COURTESY OF NORTON MUSEUM OF ART.

BRIAN SCOTT LIPTON


1. IMAGE BY ILAN RUBIN COURTESY OF NORTON MUSEUM OF ART. 2. IMAGE COURTESY OF MOCNY. 3. IMAGE COURTESY OF NORTON MUSEUM OF ART. 4. IMAGE COURTESY OF MOCNY. 5. PHOTOGRAPH © MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON. WILLIAM FRANCIS WARDEN FUND, MARSHALL H. GOULD FUND, FRANK B. BEMIS FUND, MARY S. AND EDWARD JACKSON HOLMES FUND, JOHN H. AND ERNESTINE A. PAYNE FUND, OTIS NORCROSS FUND, HELEN AND ALICE COLBURN FUND, WILLIAM E. NICKERSON FUND, ARTHUR TRACY CABOT FUND, EDWIN E. JACK FUND, FREDERICK BROWN FUND, ELIZABETH MARIE PARAMINO FUND IN MEMORY OF JOHN F. PARAMINO, BOSTON SCULPTOR, MORRIS AND LOUISE ROSENTHAL FUND, HARRIET OTIS CRUFT FUND, H.E. BOLLES FUND, SETH K. SWEETSER FUND, HELEN B. SWEENEY FUND, ERNEST KAHN FUND, ARTHUR MASON KNAPP FUND, JOHN WHEELOCK ELLIOT AND JOHN MORSE ELLIOT FUND, SUSAN CORNELIA WARREN FUND, MARY L. SMITH FUND, SAMUEL PUTNAM AVERY FUND, ALICE M. BARTLETT FUND, BENJAMIN PIERCE CHENEY DONATION, FRANK M. AND MARY T.B. FLETCHER LITTLE. BOTTOM LEFT: IMAGE COURTESY OF NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF LA COUNTY.

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jewelry. “That’s what makes it intriguing to our visitors. This kind of jewelry is not just about decorating the body or finding the right accessory for your green dress.” In other cases, leading jewelry makers are arranging for their most beautiful wares to be shown in museums. Some glorious vintage Tiffany pieces are part of the Museum of the City of New York’s Gilded New York exhibit (through November 2014), which can be found in the new Tiffany and Co. Foundation Gallery; Cartier recently organized an exhibition of its finest works for the Grand Palais in Paris; Van Cleef & Arpels put together A Quest for Beauty, which closed in February at California’s Bowers Museum of Art; and the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida

recently showcased David Webb: Society’s Jeweler, featuring over 80 examples of the master craftsman’s work from the 1960s and 1970s. Clockwise from top left: 1. Emerald and diamond shell brooch. Seashell, Cabochon emeralds, diamonds. David Webb, courtesy of Primavera Gallery. 2. Tiffany & Co., perfume bottle, ca. 1895. Gold, diamonds, rock crystal, quartz, enamel. Tiffany & Co. Archives, A1999.57. 3. Ceremonial elephant brooch, 1964. Mabé pearl, carved rubies, circular-cut diamonds, carved and circular-cut emeralds, off-white enamel, platinum and gold. David Webb, courtesy of Hollis Reh & Shariff. 4. Marcus & Co. necklace, 1900. Gold, natural pearls, demantoid garnet, enamel. Courtesy of Siegelson, New York. 5. Marjorie Merriweather Post brooch. Possibly by Oscar Heyman & Bros. (American, founded in 1912). For Marcus & Co. (American, 1892–1941). American, late 1920s. Platinum, diamond and emerald.

The Aurora Butterfly of Peace Perhaps the most unusual jewelry exhibition of the moment is The Aurora Butterfly of Peace currently on view through June 1 at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Artist Harry Rodman and curator Alan Bronstein spent 12 years assembling the 240-piece collection of natural colored fancy diamonds from around the globe, one stone at a time, and shaping them into a butterfly. “The Aurora Butterfly of Peace is both an exquisite artistic creation and a valuable scientific collection,” says Dr. Eloïse Gaillou, NHM’s associate curator of the museum’s Gems and Mineral Collection. “A diamond’s flaws and impurities offer clues into the geological conditions that have dubbed diamonds ‘messengers of the deep earth.’ ”

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trends

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s the warm-weather seasons begin, jewelry and fashion have both entered into a nouveau modern era. In two words: sleek and uncomplicated. Still glamorous? Definitely—but more panache with purity, if you will. When models strutted down the spring/summer runways wearing peek-a-boo sheers and cut-out mesh (and even see-through skirts) they looked sensual, but seldom overly sexy. “In fashion, there’s a distinct modernization going on, as designers are beginning to rethink luxury,” explains David Wolfe, creative director of international fabric, color and style forecasting agency The Doneger Group in New York City. “It’s super-simplicity—kind of no-fashion fashion. Yet there’s a lot of cuttingedge creativity. For example, cleancut sharp angles—what I’m calling geometrickery!” What does this mean in terms of jewelry accessorizing? “It’s the minimalist ’90s back in fashion. But not the stark minimal ’90s, when everything was spare—as in no accessories and no jewelry,” explains Vicente Agor, president of the Contemporary Jewelry Design Group. “This time around, sleek apparel is LORRAINE the backdrop for jewelry. That’s key to what makes it now—completely 2014,” he says. “The clean lines of the clothes actually let the jewelry stand out. If you wear something exactly as it was styled in its original decade, then it’s a costume! So it’s very important to pair the new austere-shaded, streamlined clothes with jewelry. Otherwise, you’ll look out-of-date—very yesterday.”

worn in multiples—three minimum, but mostly five—stacked up the arm. “Geometric and sculptural pieces are very important now,” notes Agor, “and jewelry looks very fresh when it’s large in scale.” Nonetheless, says Wolfe, “Because there are many important silhouettes going on simultaneously this season, sometimes dramatic designs are needed while, at other times, what you wear may call for smaller, slimmer items of jewelry worn together for an overall uber effect.”

FASHION’S METALLICS, JEWELRY’S METALS Still, whether the jewels you wear this spring and summer are singularly super-sized or merely appear large when layered, the precious metal itself is a key consideration. To some degree, all the high-gloss futuristic fabrics are a factor. “We’re currently experiencing a fascination with unnatural-looking textiles. Metallic is being worn yearround, not just during the holiday period,” Wolfe says. “All shades of metallic—blue, pink, green—a rich rainbow. But my favorites are the darker muted gold metallics; I call them golden glamour. They’re very DEPASQUE complementary to the new jewelry we’re seeing in yellow, rose and darkened rhodium-plated gold, and these mix fabulously with white gold and sterling silver that’s oxidized to look gray or black.”

SIMPLY MODERN

Jewelry’s new sophisticated simplicity.

LIVING LARGE The first thing to remember when wearing the season’s refined, unfussy clothes is to think big: jewelry with impact is a mega-trend. And you can do that either by wearing large statement pieces or by layering several for a strong jewelry look. With luxury brands, top-trending categories include knuckle rings and cocktail rings, power pendants and lengthy necklaces, long dangle earrings—especially triple-stone drops—and slim bracelets

COLORS . . . AND NON-COLORS Speaking of black, like last year, it’s the non-color that’s still going strong. “Lots of sparkling white, too,” Wolfe reminds us. “Remember, white is now worn year-round. I especially like all the black-and-white clothes because it’s a color combo that gives you a lot of freedom with jewelry and other accessories. Beyond black and white, color runs the gamut, from bold and bright to darks to mellow yellow, neutral, and nude. And I love that very

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Ippolita 18K yellow gold Drizzle large open circle pendant with pavé diamonds


sophisticated combination of navy and black, which many major fashion houses have given us. Although this year, you’ll see all shades of blue—light, medium, and dark navy—straight into fall and through the winter. And more monochromatic schemes of mid-tone blues, too.”

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ine jewelry has, in fact, led the way when it comes to blues, says lapidary artist and veteran gem dealer Bill Gangi, who sells high-quality colored stones to many leading names in luxury artisanal jewelry. “It’s the number-one gem color every year,” he says. But in the 2014 Spectrum Awards (the annual premier competition for colored gemstone jewelry design sponsored by the American Gem Trade Association), there were notably more indigo, azure and cobalt-colored jewelry entries than in the 2013 contest. Tanzanite, blue sapphire, lapis-lazuli and aquamarine were hard-to-miss standouts—way more popular than in the previous year. You definitely want your jeweler to show you some new designs that highlight any (or all!) of those blue beauties. Other in-vogue blues are iolite, black opal, blue moonstone, labradorite, turquoise, blue chalcedony, blue topaz and blue zircon. “A great color combination is blue with purple,” Wolfe recommends. “In fashion, purple’s been hot for the past four seasons.” Given that the Pantone Color Institute named Radiant Orchid as its 2014 Color of the Year, you can bet that DAVID WOLFE purple passion will continue to heat up throughout the year. THE DONEGER GROUP “It’s a modern and surprisingly versatile shade,” says Pantone’s executive director, Leatrice Eiseman. (Take note: There’s that word modern again!) Eiseman adds that Radiant Orchid is “a captivating, magical, enigmatic purple, inspiring confidence and emanating great joy, love and health. And it encourages expanded creativity and originality.” Looking at the breadth of imaginative new collections from goldsmiths inspired by a spectrum of violet, lavender and eggplant shaded stones—amethyst, alexandrite, sugilite, purple sapphire, kunzite, tourmaline, agate, quartz and lavender spinel—we can’t help but agree! On a final note, it’s hardly coincidental that the Pantone Color of the Year is named after a beautiful, delicate flower. Remember, we’re enjoying an uncluttered, easy-to understand style era right now, one that’s often characterized by natural influences as well as geometrics. Think about it: Both nature and geometry are minimalist at their core. Going forward, well beyond 2014, forecasters are predicting that organic-themed collections will continue to grow, as women (like us!) are captivated by the perfection of the imperfection of asymmetric gemstones. Raw diamonds, baroque pearls, sliced precious and semiprecious color. . . each gem is one-of-a-kind from nature—and completely sophisticated in its simplicity!

This year, you’ll see all shades of blue—light, medium and dark navy—straight into fall and through the winter.’’

From top: Penny Preville earrings in 18K yellow gold with moonstone cabochons and large organic aquamarine bottom drops Marco Bicego 18K yellow gold iolite ring with diamonds Stephen Webster hoop earrings in 18K rose gold and white diamonds Roberto Coin Haute Couture collection cluster ring in 18K white gold with iolite, blue sapphire and white diamonds Roberto Coin trio of single-row bracelets from the Poi Moi collection, in highpolished 18K rose, white and yellow gold

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fashion

Here Comes the Sun Hot trends in sunglasses for 2014. ELISE DIAMANTINI

The flowers are blooming and the days are getting longer. Wake up your wardrobe with a new pair of stylish sunglasses. RETRO REVIVAL The ’70s have recently been a major fashion influence, and eyewear this season is also taking a nod from the decade. Says Fashion Snoops’ Lindsay Alt, “There is a very interesting ’70s influence happening right now; I love the Fear and Loathing look that we’ve seen on runways. I think people always fantasize about the late’60s and early-’70s, so trends from those times are often adopted quickly.”

MIXED MATERIALS Just as in women’s apparel and jewelry, mixing materials is a hot trend in designer eyewear. As Vision Monday magazine’s Deirdre Carroll predicts, all sorts of combinations—acetate fronts paired with metal temples or wood fronts paired with acetate temples, for example—will be strong styles for spring.

THE EMBELLISHED EYE

MIRROR MIRROR While some may see mirrored lenses and think “cop glasses,” this trend is taking the fashion world by storm. Carroll elaborates: “Flash and mirror coatings on lenses, usually seen on sport performance pieces, are now being paired with more fashionable acetate styles and feel especially fresh. Monochromatic frame and flash mirror lens pairings are also on the rise, i.e. a green frame with green lenses.”

SIZE MATTERS Oversized glasses are a tried-and-true trend that isn’t disappearing anytime soon. However, as an update this spring, designers are introducing lighter-weight frames so glasses won’t weigh you down. “While oversized sunglasses and deeper optical frames are still popular,” says Carroll, “they can also be heavy on the face. Designers are using more lightweight materials, like flat-sheet stainless steel and titanium, or carving the acetate more delicately, to make glasses more comfortable and wearable.”

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FROM TOP: IMAGES COURTESY OF RAEN, ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, ANN-KARIN KARLSSON, JIMMY CHOO, BALENCIAGA

Have a little fun with your eyewear. Designers are enhancing glasses by adding quirky ornaments to some of this season’s frames. Or you can take a plain pair and DIY! “We’re seeing everything from cheetahs to rosebuds being placed right on top of the sunglasses, says Alt. “It’s something you would expect the younger generation to pick up, but everyone is going crazy for it. You never know what people will take to; that is what makes it so fun.”


WATCHES GETTY 1 PASIEKA

A C C E NT M A G A Z I N E S P E C I A L S E C T I O N S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 014


WATCH ADVISOR CAN ANY WATCH BE REPAIRED BY ANY TECHNICIAN, OR ARE WATCH MOVEMENTS UNIQUE TO EACH BRAND? It depends very much on the watch. Many watches use movements (the mechanism inside that actually keeps time) made in the tens or hundreds of thousands by major industry suppliers, but some luxury watches use their own in-house movements and materials that few watchmakers are trained to service, or can't obtain the parts to service properly. Especially for luxury mechanical watches, we always suggest using a brandauthorized service center like the one in our store. Mistakes are very easy to make, and extremely expensive to fix.

How many parts are used to make a timepiece, and how many hours go into constructing it?

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ven a simple mechanical watch that tells only the date and time can have over a hundred parts, including the case, dial and hands. Very complicated watches that include functions like a chronograph (stopwatch), a perpetual calendar (one that always shows the right date, no matter if the current month has 30 or 31 days, or even if it's February 29th in a leap year), or a repeater (which chimes the time on tiny gongs inside the watch) may have many, many more. Watches that combine these complications, often called “grand complication” watches, may have close to a thousand parts, all of which have to be tested and re-tested. They can take nearly a year to assemble. Most other watches take much less time to build. Exactly how much depends on the level of care that goes into finishing the movement parts, how complex the case construction is, whether or not any special techniques must be used to make the dial (for example, enamel and engraved dials both take considerable time and skill to make), and how carefully the watch is adjusted—that is, fine-tuned to keep time accurately. Mechanical timepieces can be almost entirely machine fabricated and assembled, or they can be almost entirely made by hand, virtually from scratch. It all depends on the specific model. A mass-produced mechanical watch is a marvel of industrial technology that makes it possible, for a reasonable price, to enjoy all the pleasures of mechanical watchmaking. A hand-assembled, hand-finished watch with a hand-finished movement, individually adjusted by an expert watchmaker, takes many dozens of hours of skilled work, which can only be done by highly trained experts with years of experience.

What is the difference between quartz and mechanical watches? Is one better than the other? A mechanical watch is powered by a coiled spring—just like a child's wind-up toy—and it uses a mechanical, rather than electronic, oscillator to mark time. (Think of the principle of a pendulum clock, where the pendulum always swings, say, once per second. Of course, a pendulum wouldn't work in a portable timepiece; it uses something called a balance and

balance spring that perform the same function.) Mechanical watches are preferred by most serious watch lovers, and their history goes back much further— all the way back to the late Renaissance if you include pocket watches. Quartz watches are generally more accurate and almost always less expensive. However, a wellmaintained mechanical watch can

keep time to within a few seconds a day, or even a week—more than good enough for most purposes. Mechanical watches also offer a history and heritage far older than quartz watches. Though they're technical marvels, the massproduced, basically disposable nature of many quartz watches makes mechanical watchmaking something that continues to be held in high regard. BY JACK FORSTER

A quartz watch is powered by a battery, and keeps time by passing a tiny current through a very small quartz crystal. This causes the crystal to vibrate, like a tuning fork, and a tiny integrated circuit counts the vibrations per second to mark time. The hands are moved by miniature electric motors. They are a fairly recent development; the first were sold to the public in 1969.

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©2013 movado group, inc.

MOVADO TC™ ULTRA-THIN CASE DESIGN IN STAINLESS STEEL WITH MODERN BLACK DIAL. MOVADO.COM


PARTNERSHIPS by Laurie Kahle

TIME TRIALS

When watch brands partner with world-class sporting events, every microsecond counts.

Omega Sochi Petrograd

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rom race tracks to track and field, the tiniest fraction of a second separates winners from losers in the sporting world. Through partnerships with premier events, top watch brands apply generations of expertise to develop cutting-edge timing technologies that heighten accuracy both in the arena and on your wrist. At the 1932 Games in Los Angeles, when Omega began its longstanding partnership with the Olympics as official timekeeper, 30 chronograph stopwatches were necessary in order to accurately time each event. “Back then it was the same technology you could buy in the store,” explains Stephen Urquhart, the company’s president. Its latest timing advancement is the Quantum Timer, which, remarkably, can measure one microsecond (one millionth of a second). To commemorate this year’s Sochi Games, the brand released limited editions of its Planet Ocean model and a retro Sochi Petrograd dress watch. When Oracle Team USA won last year’s America’s Cup, its crew wore TAG Heuer’s Aquaracer 72, an unprecedented digital chronograph that provided real-time data through wireless integration with the boat’s onboard computers. Each piece was programmed for each sailor’s specific role, to

TAG Heuer Aquaracer 72

provide information on boat speed, true wind speed, direction and angle, and much more. Yachting is one of many sports partnerships at Rolex, but the brand is most famously aligned with motorsports, an affiliation that dates back to the 1930s, when Sir Malcolm Campbell set a world land-speed record while wearing a Rolex Oyster. In 1959, Rolex partnered with Daytona International Speedway, a relationship that spurred the development of its famous Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona. The model’s 50th anniversary last year was marked with a limited edition in platinum. Rolex’s other motorsport sponsorships include 24 Hours of Le Mans, Goodwood Revival (UK) and, most recently, Formula 1. The original kind of horsepower is still celebrated by Longines, which traces its synergy with equestrian sports to 1878, when it produced a chronograph engraved with a jockey and his mount. The timepiece, which tracked seconds, quickly became popular among equestrians and was even used by event judges. This year, Longines continues that tradition as First Official Timekeeper and Watch of the Triple Crown, playing an active role timing the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona

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SEREIN 16 DIAMOND SEREIN 16 DIAMOND TWO-TONE


WATCHMAKING by Jack Forster

HOOKED ON CLASSICS

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n 1969, the first quartz watch (the Seiko Astron, which cost as much as a car at the time) was introduced, and by the mid-1970s mechanical watches seemed to be on their way out. But today they’re back in a big way, and some of the most popular styles recall the most classic designs from the past. Watchmaking has been around for nearly 500 years, and for the last century, wristwatches have dominated personal timekeeping. But they didn’t really take off until after the first World War, when their widespread use by officers as a more practical alternative to the pocket watch made them respectable for men to wear. (Before then, they were called “wristlet” watches and were worn almost exclusively by women.) A fine mechanical wristwatch—a tiny, high-precision machine—was considered a masterpiece of miniaturization, and as the wristwatch evolved

technically, especially during the 1950s and ’60s, certain classic forms evolved too. One of the most important was the extra-thin dress watch. Extra-thin watches couldn’t be made by just anybody; they required high precision and care to assemble thanks to the unforgiving tolerances, so a thin, gold dress watch was considered a de rigeur accessory. The development of better waterproofing techniques led to the evolution of sports watches that could be worn by divers, and specialist watches (particularly chronographs), which combined the functions of a watch and stopwatch, began to be made for pilots, motorsports enthusiasts, and were even worn into space by both American and Soviet astronauts. Extra-thin watches seemed a dying breed, even during the renaissance of mechanical watchmaking. As recently as 10 years ago, men’s taste ran strongly

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IMAGE COURTESY OF JAEGER-LECOULTRE

Heritage-themed watchmaking in the 21st century.


WATCHMAKING in favor of large, aggressively styled watches, but in the last five years watch lovers have rediscovered the pleasures of the classic dress watch. The evolution of thin watches goes back a long way, to the 18th century, when some of the first thin pocket watches were made by Pierre de Beaumarchais (who also wrote the Figaro plays, one of which was turned into the opera The Barber of Seville, by Rossini). Making a true extra-thin watch that still keeps time well is a huge challenge. Everything from the mainspring to the case itself has to be built differently, in order to maintain the ability to keep precise time in a space that may be half the thickness, or less, of an ordinary dress watch. For this reason, true extra-thin watches tend to be made by companies that have been in the business for a while—long enough to build up the necessary expertise. For real connoisseurs, they’re desirable not just for the technical skill it takes to make them, or their incredible elegance (they’re still the only really correct watch for formal events, James Bond’s Rolex-with-tux notwithstanding), but also for the heritage of the companies that make them. Think Vacheron

One of the least-known but most interesting pieces of pilot’s watch history is from an even more unlikely source: Cartier. Cartier’s most famous watch is, of course, the Tank (first sold in 1918 and in production ever since, speaking of classic dress watches), but it’s not often realized that the Santos was originally designed as a pilot’s watch, for the great aviation pioneer Alberto SantosDumont. Santos-Dumont, one of the first to successfully build and fly a heavierthan-air craft, was a friend to Louis Cartier. When he complained that a pocket watch wasn’t exactly practical for flying, Louis Cartier made a wristwatch for him, which Santos-Dumont wore while flying as early Rolex Oyster Perpetual as 1906. Though the watch has been made in a huge Submariner Date variety of styles, the basic design’s still the same. It’s Cartier Santos, fascinating to note that in addition to being one of the original and current most successful watch models of all time, the Santos Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional was also the first pilot’s watch. Diver’s watches are loved and worn by many who

What’s old is new again. Classic watch styles endure the test of time. Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Breguet, Piaget, and of course, Patek Philippe. intage-style chronographs are, for many, a reminder of some of the most important events in motorsports, with names like Daytona and Carrera representing both iconic competitions and the watches favored by drivers and enthusiasts. Although vintage-style dress chronographs are popular, the lion’s share of attention these days goes to sports chronographs, including models by companies like Rolex, Tudor and TAG Heuer which either revive favorite designs from the past, or which have actually never gone out of production (the Rolex Daytona is a case in point). For their part, pilot’s watches have remained one of the most enduringly appealing of all watch types. In the explosion of interest in civil aviation postWWII, some of today’s most memorable designs were first created, including Breitling’s Navitimer and the Rolex GMT Master (first made for Pan Am aircrews). Ironically, one of the most popular aviator’s watches of all time—the Omega Speedmaster Professional—was first designed for motorsports enthusiasts (its tachymetric bezel is designed to calculate average speed over a measured mile). But it became immortalized in watchmaking history as the timepiece worn by all Apollo crews, and it’s still flight-qualified by NASA today.

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never dive, though plenty of amateur and professional divers still use them, as a back-up to modern wrist-worn dive computers. They’re popular for both their rugged good looks and inherent durability. Not just any watch can be called a “diver’s watch”; there is actually an international standard which specifies, among other things, a 200-meter minimum water-resistance, shock resistance, and anti-magnetic resistance, as well as a certain minimum visibility in the dark, and a mandatory rotating timing bezel. Thanks to the rich history of the development of undersea exploration— and undersea warfare—in the 20th century, there are a wealth of choices, including the Rolex Submariner (in production continuously since it was introduced in 1954, and one of the most enduring designs of all time). As with the Santos, some of the earliest diver’s watches may be a surprise. Those who don’t know Panerai might dismiss their Radiomir and Luminor designs as mere exercises in style, but in fact they’re designs that originated in the 1950s (Luminor) and the 1930s (Radiomir), representing some of the first true diver’s watches ever made. Whether you’re looking for a watch that’s rich in history, or just a greatlooking timepiece that recalls the post-World War II Golden Age of mechanical watchmaking, there’s never been a better time to be a watch lover.

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SPOTLIGHT by Roberta Naas

HOT WATCHES Today’s finest watchmakers are pulling out all the stops when it comes to timepiece design. Key men’s looks for the season include stealth black chronographs to time his workouts.

DAVID YURMAN Classic GMT World Time Iconic American designer David Yurman continues to create top-of-the-line Swiss-made watches. Among his more coveted pieces is the very functional yet refined Classic GMT World Time watch. Created in a 43.5 mm stainless steel case with integrated signature cable design, the watch houses a topquality Swiss automatic ETA Movement with 42 hours of power reserve. It offers hour, minute and seconds timing, as well as a dual time-zone function. The sapphire crystal and caseback both feature two-sided anti-reflective coating for easy readability, and to allow for viewing of the movement. An inner rotating bezel on the watch indicates top world cities, and there is a printed 24-hour GMT track for use in finding time in different zones. The watch is water resistant to 100 feet.

BREITLING Navitimer 01 COSC Chronometer Having just celebrated its 60th anniversary, the Breitling Navitimer is the quintessential timepiece for aviation buffs. First unveiled to the world in 1952, the Navitimer is a wrist chronograph with a circular slide rule that enables pilots to make all navigation-related calculations. The watch was not only an immediate success, but it also became a legendary tool of aviation and achieved cult-like status. This timepiece even accompanied Scott Carpenter on his orbital flight aboard the Aurora 7 capsule in 1962. Today, the Navitimer in its different evolutions is worn by many elite pilots and teams, including the Breitling Jet Team of aerobatic flyers. This Navitimer 01 is a certified COSC chronometer with glare-proofed sapphire crystal, chronograph, bi-directional rotating bezel and circular slide rule.

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IT’S AMAZING what a little charm can do

LOVE

Double-link charm bracelet $58, Bangle charm bracelet $43 Charms: Birthday cake $47.50, Confirmation $29.50, Cupcake $32.50, Labrador $25, Baby shoes $24.50, Graduation cap $34.50, Engravable heart disc $16, Passport $32.50 All in sterling silver. Charms also available in 14K gold.


PERFECTGEMS

EXPLORE THE LITTLE LUXURIES THE WORLD HAS TO OFFER. DONALD CHARLES RICHARDSON

LÉGENDAIRE NICE

From its venerable position on the Promenade des Anglais, the very grand Hotel Negresco in Nice, France has epitomized Côte d’Azur style for over 100 years. Collected behind the lofty facade is 400 years of French culture and art including works from the reign of Louis XIII and avantgarde sculptures (Picasso and Dali often stayed here). After viewing the hotel’s treasures, guests can watch the chic passing Riviera scene while sipping rosé in the outdoor lounge. The sommelier will take interested oenophiles off to one of the nearby vineyards for a tour and tastings. And dinner at Le Chantecler, the two Michelin-starred restaurant with a wine cellar containing 15,000 bottles, is a full evening’s experience. Of course, for those who come to Nice for the sea, the hotel has its own private beach.

MICHAEL RUDDIN

DISCOVERING NEW WINES FOR SUMMER

When dining at Vetro Restaurant & Lounge in Howard Beach, New York, guests can enter through the front door or dock their yachts at the marina. The menu includes classic Italian food and over 400 wines. According to Vetro’s sommelier, PJ Connolly, “Summer wines should be refreshing and you need to find a crisp, clean acidity.” The 2012 DAOU Vineyards Grenache Blanc Paso Robles from California is a grenache blanc with citrus and melon aromas and bright acidity. Nice for a barbeque. The 2012 Tenuta Guado al Tasso “Scalabrone” Rosato di Bolgheri, an Italian rosé, is blended from cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah. Fresh with a crisp finish, serve with fruit and light salads. The 2010 Pago De Los Capellanes Crianza, Ribera del Duero from Spain is 100 percent tempranillo and goes well with grilled meats and salsa verde. And from France comes the 2010 Domaine Faiveley Mercurey 1er Cru “Clos Des Myglands.” This pinot noir from the Côte Chalonnaise in Burgundy is a versatile wine: excellent with game meats or cheese, or by itself on a warm sunny day.

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A HORSE OF COURSE

Just 40 miles from Washington D.C. in Middleburg, Va., the Salamander Resort & Spa is set on 340 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It features luxurious suites, spa, cooking studio and wine bar, but it’s the great outdoors that beckons most visitors. In the Culinary Garden the chef teaches secrets of organic farming, and guests can pick herbs and produce for a cooking class or dine under the garden trellis. There are hiking and biking paths, tennis courts and croquet. Naturally, since the resort is surrounded by Virginia’s famed riding country, horses are a mane attraction (the resort has nine horses and two ponies, or you can bring your own). The Equestrian Program at Salamander includes a practice ring, instructional classes, and riding trails through woods and fields.

WRAPPING UP THE SEASON

ROBERT GODWIN

Before beginning her career as a couturiere, Jackie Rogers was a model for Coco Chanel and learned much of her craft, style and technique from the legendary designer. She’s created clothes for some of the most famous women in the world, including Julianne Moore, Condaleeza Rice, Roberta Flack, Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek and Courtney Love. For this spring and summer Rogers suggests a wrap-tie blouse, which she makes to order in 100 different colors (she particularly likes it in shocking pink). “A tie blouse can go over anything and make everything look new and fresh again,” she explains. (And think of the jewelry options!)

STRAVINSKY IN SANTA FE

Every summer The Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico presents repertory and contemporary performances on a high mesa overlooking two mountain ranges, a setting unmatched anywhere in the world. This summer, the program includes Carmen, Fidelio, the American premiere of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, and a special salute to one of the early supporters of this unique company. In 1957 Igor Stravinsky was invited for the first season. Intrigued by the innovative organization, the celebrated composer returned several times to direct and conduct his own operas. In 2014, Santa Fe pays tribute to Stravinsky with a performance of Le Rossignol, marking the 100th anniversary of the opera’s premiere in Paris. The nightingale doesn’t only sing in Berkeley Square.

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fitness

SpinCYCLE

Indoor cycling has become the latest craze. ELISE DIAMANTINI Soul Cycle Locations: 25 with 15 openings planned this year, including its first international location At Soul Cycle riders can expect a “cardio dance party.” As instructor Marvin Foster explains, “Soul Cycle is a full-body workout that requires core strength, rhythm and coordination of the upper and lower body. Each class consists of interval jumps out of the saddle, quick-fire sprints, massive hills, upper body push-ups in and out of the saddle, and a

GETTY 1 / ISAAC KOVAL

five- to 10-minute weights section while cycling. At

S

ay goodbye to those tired spinning classes from the ’90s. Indoor cycling has gotten a major makeover, and new methods that incorporate strength training with spin are popping up all over the U.S. Most rides are 45 to 60 minutes long: total body workouts that leave riders dripping with sweat. In a typical class, you can burn anywhere from 500 to 1,000 calories (depending on variables like body type, how hard you push yourself, etc.). And you know it’s a good workout when celebrities like Kelly Ripa, Lady Gaga and Jake Gyllenhaal are all spinning to stay in shape. Another reason people love indoor cycling is the mind/body connection many studios offer. Classes are led by high-energy instructors who inspire and motivate riders to push their limits. At Soul Cycle, phrases like Aspire to Inspire, Change Your Body, and Take Your Journey are printed in big, bold letters on studio walls to motivate students during their rides. Instructors draw parallels between struggling in the class and the life struggles we all face, giving people the inspiration and strength to tackle anything that comes their way—on and off the bike. Instructor Marvin Foster explains that Soul Cycle offers more than just a workout. “Every class begins with a spiritual journey, eventually

building into a full-blown cardio dance party. At Soul Cycle, it’s about support, community and strength. I like to think of teaching as an exchange. We are both in the room, on our bikes, and we exchange the experience back and forth.” Flywheel’s Jaimie Bailey says of her teaching method: “Most of the things I say while coaching riders through a long sprint or heavy climb are things that have gotten me through thick situations. There is nothing better than having one of my riders share a Flywheel success story with me. Each class is not only challenging and fun, but inspiring. Flywheel loyalists come back for more not only because they love it, but because it works.” Music plays an important role in classes too. Riders are often encouraged to pedal to the beat, so speed can change dramatically based on a song’s tempo. Cyc touts a “unique playlist that includes unreleased songs and remixes,” while Soul Cycle hosts special themed rides, like a class that only plays Beyoncé or one that features songs from the TV show Glee. Whatever philosophy you follow, indoor cycling is a low-impact, high intensity cardio workout that helps you burn calories, build muscle, clear your mind and have fun!

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Soul Cycle we work hard and party hard on the bike.”

Cyc Locations: Madison, Wis.; Austin, Texas; New York, N.Y. Cyc activates the whole body the whole time, with moves inspired by more than 20 sports such as boxing, volleyball and swimming. Cyc Social, a proprietary social platform, allows riders to see where people within their network are sitting so they can book a bike nearby, and receive notifications when friends register for classes. Ride for Change is a part of Cyc’s tracking technology loaded onto every bike, and proceeds are donated to one of Cyc’s charity partners for every mile achieved.

Flywheel Locations: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, LA, Miami, NYC, Philadelphia, Dubai Flywheel incorporates the TorqBoard, a proprietary technology which instructor Jaimie Bailey explains as a way to “digitally display and monitor every rider’s real-time performance data. Additionally, after class each rider can view their personal performance data (total power, miles, calories burned, etc.) on our Performance Page, enabling individual goal setting and performance tracking.”


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ColorE Grade Grade Clarity VS1

Grade CutExcellent

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BRENT HERRIG

Saul Bolton's Atlantic Black Bass with Braised Fennel, Sweet Pea Puree and Saffron Chamomile Sauce

BRENT HERRIG

food

CHEF SAUL BOLTON Saul, The Vanderbilt, Red Gravy Saul just reopened in a very exciting new location: the architecturally majestic Brooklyn Museum. How did the site change come about? It was serendipitous. After 14 years at our Smith Street place and wanting to redo and rehab Saul, we saw this as a great opportunity to be part of an iconic institution. We were able to keep everybody from the old Saul and just continue on in the new location—in a bigger space. To have that kind of continuity in your kitchen and in the front of the house is a gift. Manhattan’s Union Square Greenmarket is a destination for chefs as well as residents and tourists. Which markets in Brooklyn should people check out? We go to Grand Army Plaza on Saturdays. It’s a badass farmer’s market. Cadman Plaza in Downtown Brooklyn is Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The Brooklyn Heights farmer’s market takes

FINE FARE

Discover a few Brooklyn chefs crafting delectable dishes, in the borough no longer considered off-thebeaten-path. SHIRA LEVINE

care of the more specialty, esoteric stuff, like fresh lima beans and shishito peppers. The best fish purveyor in New York is also in Brooklyn. And we have great cheese purveyors here, like Saxelby in Red Hook. My favorite is Stinky in Cobble Hill. What do you make of all the attention Brooklyn has been getting? I’m really proud of where I live and I love to share it. I can cook foie gras in Brooklyn just as well as I can anywhere in Manhattan, and now people realize it. You’re the man behind Brooklyn Bangers, which has become quite a successful enterprise.

T

hose who plan their travels around the gastronomic demands of the stomach (or rather, the palate) should point their appetites toward the newly haute Brooklyn food scene. No longer the borough where your grandfather played stickball, post-industrial Brooklyn is ripe with multi-million dollar urban mansion conversions and shiny glass skyscrapers. Even the most exclusive Manhattanites now salivate at the locally sourced, sustainably farmed charm of the varied dining options. People from Sweden to Singapore are dropping the phrase très Brooklyn when describing things ultra cool, and they’re chomping at the bit to feast on Brooklyn’s fare. While the borough has long had its culinary attractions—The River Café, Peter Luger’s, Junior’s— a new wave of chefs has recently arrived to elevate the epicurean landscape. Like the influx of locals trading in Manhattan zip codes for new Brooklyn digs, chefs are seeking more space, cheaper rent, and a less frenetic lifestyle that allows them to tinker with recipes and cultivate their own culinary visions. From back-to-basics dishes at cozy-chic restaurants, to Michelin-starred, fancy fine dining rivaling the best in the world, Brooklyn’s nouveau cuisine is giving Gotham’s more than 10,000 restaurants a run for their money. The small-village vibe of neighborhoods like Park Slope, Boerum Hill and Carroll Gardens provides a welcoming atmosphere that’s utterly un-Manhattan, yet just across the river.

52

We wanted to do an American gastropub where we were making awesome sausages and charcuterie. It morphed into sausage-making equipment in the basement of The Vanderbilt. We started to sell them at the Brooklyn Flea, where some people wanted to buy them wholesale to serve at beer gardens and specialty stores. The Barclays Center approached us and we were like, “What the hell? Why not sell them at a basketball arena?” Next year we’ll be in Citi Field, MetLife Stadium and the Prudential Center, and we’ll be carried by [grocery delivery service] Fresh Direct. What are your favorite restaurants in Brooklyn? I love the tripe tacos at Tacos Matamoros in Sunset Park. I eat often at Al di La: great Italian in Park Slope. I also love Tanoreen’s Lebanese food in Bay Ridge.


CHEF PAUL LIEBRANDT The Elm at King & Grove Hotel Williamsburg and be a part of the changes here. It’s certainly an area everyone is flocking to, so it’s exciting to be a part of that momentum. This isn’t the Williamsburg of a decade ago. But traditionally you haven’t followed trends. I’m not a trendy person. I always have my own voice. I was in kitchens since I was 15 and that’s how I was trained. You have to be true to yourself. I came here for the project, not to be a pioneer or whatever. That isn’t me. I want to reach EVAN SUNG

the clientele I would have never reached with Corton. The Elm is sophisticated casual. It has elements of fine dining, but I don’t say it’s fine dining. This is in Williamsburg, but this project is not about being on trend.

CHEF ZAHRA TONGORRA Brucie

It was a big deal coming here from Manhattan. Your

Will you work with The Elm to bring another Michelin star

success there and your culinary background in London and

to Brooklyn?

Paris make you a bit different than other chefs that have

I’m not thinking about Michelin stars. I’m focused on giving

crossed the East River.

customers a different view of what I’ve been doing and

What does it mean to be a chef in

I think it was a natural progression. To be part of an

what they’ve already been getting in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn?

exciting, youthful and creative area is a risk, but it is one

Since you’re still exploring, what is your favorite place to

It is profoundly exciting. Being a chef and

that makes sense. For me, this is a nice project that is

eat in Brooklyn so far?

also the sole owner, your emotions span

approachable and fun. It’s exciting to be here in

I love Roberta’s in Bushwick.

the spectrum from exhaustion to elation, heart warmth to heartbreak. Now more than ever there is a lot of pressure to be

Lisa Giffen's Duck Breast with Chanterelles, Beets and Cherries

innovative and relevant amongst such amazing talent throughout the borough. Some days it feels surreal that anyone knows my name or eats at my restaurant, and other days I feel really on top of my game and like I really belong where I am. The word “trendy” is often used when describing Brooklyn cuisine. How do you feel about that? Honestly, I love seeing trends, but Brooklyn as a place to eat is not a trend. It’s awesome when a chef starts using an

CHEF LISA GIFFEN Maison Premiere

ingredient heavily and then it becomes a thing. I love seeing how it then spreads from hood to hood, and how they each

Tell us how your family heritage has

worked for mostly French chefs or chefs

blasted for not being a certain way.

influenced you as a chef.

who learned from French chefs, and

Could Brooklyn ultimately steal

make that “fad” ingredient their own by

I was born in Korea, but I was adopted

I love the discipline and dedication it

Manhattan’s culinary thunder?

using it differently. There’s a friendly

and grew up in Germany. My culinary

takes to learn this cuisine. Many of the

Manhattan will never fail to be what it

competitive spirit here in Brooklyn, and

heritage comes from my parents. My

techniques have been used for hundreds

is, this great Mecca of food, culture,

that’s what has driven the greatness of

dad is from the Midwest, and my mom

of years, which I find pretty amazing;

luxury and innovation. Brooklyn,

the Brooklyn food scene today.

is from Northern California. They come

they withstand the test of time.

however, is the place to be all of that,

There is an obsession right now with

from agriculture backgrounds, so a

How would you describe Brooklyn’s

but on your own terms.

food scene to those who haven’t

What is one of your favorite Brooklyn

Brooklyn-born gourmet food items.

kitchen rich with vegetables and meats are part of my heritage. My

experienced it?

restaurants?

family loves food.

Brooklyn is like Manhattan’s rebellious

I enjoy St. Anselm in Williamsburg.

Maison Premiere is distinctly French,

sibling: raised the same, but doing it

They have such great affordable meats

and your past work under famed

their own way. Most of the chefs who

and some wonderful seasonal sides.

chefs like Alain Ducasse, Dan Barber

have settled into Brooklyn worked in

Why do you think there are so few

we are awfully lucky to have access to

and Ed Brown was also French

Manhattan for many years, so we all

notable women chefs?

natural foods and exciting foods on the

influenced. What is it about French

have a sense of what the highest

It’s not necessarily that there are

regular. Brooklyn is a community that

cuisine that inspires you?

standard is. In Brooklyn you retain

so few women chefs. It’s more, “Why

supports the ritual of food. I love moving

I’ve been classically French trained, so

those standards, but you can put your

are women chefs so unrecognized?”

back to the very basic idea of eating as

it’s something I know well. I have

own spin on it. In Brooklyn you aren’t

It’s 2014!

we were always intended to.

53

It’s very cool when you can sustain doing these specialty things. I like when people do one thing really well. I hear people saying how ridiculous kale is, but


technology

HOME SAFE HOME The best new ways to protect your valuables.

ROBERT HAYNES-PETERSON

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY New home security systems and jewelry storage options provide the latest high-tech innovations without being eyesores.

even view ourselves as a security company any longer," says Harkins. "We consider ourselves a connected home organization. Ten years ago, the protection industry was about the technician installing the system. Now it's about the consumer. We want the product to look really nice and elegant, and for the consumer to want to use it on a daily basis." The same holds true for safes, which are also becoming increasingly high-tech and customizable, while not being a design eyesore. Casoro Jewelry Safes builds completely customizable safes and vaults offering a variety of exterior colors and interior fine wood drawers that give the feel of an elegant jewelry cabinet. Features like built-in watch winders, dehumidifiers or vertical space for guns or other collectibles can be easily added. Meanwhile, Cannon Safe offers Smart Safes with electronic-mechanical protection technology to guard against electromagnetic pulses and surges, which can disarm electrical locks. Cannon's safes can also feature internal power stations for dehumidifiers and chargers, along with USB ports and an RJ45 Ethernet media connection.

MORE TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS

■ The first, best security system is to not make your home a target in the first place: Avoid giving away exact

travel plans on social media sites, use proper external and internal lighting, and make sure doors and windows are secured while you’re away. ■ If you store passwords and combinations on your computer (you shouldn’t), label the file with a random title like “Best Shopping Malls” instead of “Important Passwords.” ■ Don't store passports and insurance papers in the same (probably prominent) safe your jewelry and watches are kept in. Consider a hidden floor safe in an obscure location. ■ For high-value protection, consider hiring an independent security consultant to review existing security measures and recommend upgrades. ■ Lock access to your mobile devices with a random password.

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TOP AND CENTER RIGHT IMAGES COURTESY OF HONEYWELL SECURITY PRODUCTS. CENTER LEFT AND BOTTOM IMAGES COURTESY OF CASORO MAXIMUM SECURITY SAFES.

I

t's not just on TV and in the movies: crime is becoming increasingly high-tech. Whether the issue is identity theft or a sophisticated jewelry thief employing camouflaged miniature cameras and computers for long-term surveillance, it may be time to upgrade your own home security systems. "The market's changed a lot in the past three to four years," says Scott Harkins, president of Honeywell Security Products. "It's way more than traditional security measures—doors, windows, smoke detectors." Honeywell recently integrated its Total Connect Remote Services system with its Tuxedo Touch touchpad controller, for a (residential or commercial) system that allows the user to customize operations from a touchpad, or one's smartphone, tablet or laptop. Multiple users and configurations can be assigned, so kids, visitors and service staff can have access to meet their needs. Separate buildings within the wireless automation area (workshops, guest cottages) get their own security systems, and you can add a beach house or condo's system to the same Total Connect app. You can secure all doors and windows at once wherever you are, schedule lighting to turn on or off, adjust temperatures as needed, and the app will instantly email you if anything doesn't seem right. Motion detectors placed inside valuables on display will notify you if they're moved, and cameras at doors or other security points can instantly email you video of what triggered them. From blinds to sprinklers to electronics, anything that can be automated—like the popular Nest Learning Thermostat—can be connected to Honeywell's system. Perhaps the most intriguing part of this integration of security with other aspects of your lifestyle is the focus on consumer appeal and ease-of-use. "We don't


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essay

Getting

the Hint

How to get the jewelry gift you want. BETH BERNSTEIN

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IMAGE COURTESY OF AHEE JEWELERS

W

hether for birthdays or anniversaries, my female friends (knowing I’ve spent my career in the jewelry business) would tell me which sparkling baubles they wanted their husbands or boyfriends to buy for them. It was then up to me to subtly convince these guys to spend a year’s rent on something they didn’t understand or appreciate. Good news: I no longer have to go through all this. Most of my friends now take advantage of the digital wish lists provided by their favorite jewelers, which they can update throughout the year. In this way, they are able to more subtly communicate information to help their significant other choose the perfect gift. But—and there’s always a but—your guy might not be able to fathom what’s so fabulous about the spiky bracelet you covet, since he sees nothing sexy about sharp objects draped dangerously around your wrist. Ditto for the gorgeous diamond pavé snake choker: snakes terrify you in real life, but now you want to wear one around your neck? Nor will he comprehend why you’d want a rough- or rose-cut opaque, champagne or black diamond. Where’s the sparkle, he will wonder, worrying that no one will even know they’re diamonds… (Last year I spent two hours convincing one friend’s husband that an opaque gray rose-cut diamond pendant was what his wife truly wanted, and that it was, in fact, a “real” diamond.) If you aren’t married or engaged and he’s not popping the question anytime soon, forget about asking for a ring. Dismiss your dreams of receiving a large trendy Boulder opal, a three-dimensional fantasy ring, or a rose gold spider with diamond eyes to encircle your index finger. Rings are just too intimidating for single men. I once witnessed a guy break into a cold sweat when a store owner showed him a thin micro pavé diamond band in yellow gold. Didn’t matter that it was for his girlfriend’s pinky finger, where she already wore several other rings. To him, it looked too much like a wedding band. So my advice to women coveting a new piece of jewelry: purchase rings and more avant-garde styles as gifts for yourself, and start clueing in your favorite jeweler on the other pieces you crave. This season, guy-friendly pieces might include drop earrings in firey opal or rainbow moonstone: something with a magical feeling that changes color with the light. Or consider sentimental jewelry like an engraved locket or pendant. Perhaps he’ll even have it inscribed with symbols or words he lacks the courage to say himself. You know how he feels, don’t you? So help him out a bit! You will both win in the end.



© D.YURMAN 2014


FINK’S JEWELERS ACCENT THE MAGAZINE OF LIFE’S CELEBRATIONS

SPRING/SUMMER 2014


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