Miami Jewelry District Sets Up Advisory Council
An advisory board has been established to help draw tenants and talent to the area, including to the new Time Century Jewelry Center.

Levy is the man behind the Time Century Jewelry Center, an up-and-coming development within Miami’s jewelry district.
New York-based real estate firm Time Century Holdings LLC purchased the Metro Mall building in downtown Miami in 2018 for $14.5 million with plans to transform it to a luxury destination for retail jewelers and wholesalers.
The Time Century Jewelry Center will feature four floors of wholesale and retail space and an additional four floors of office space.
The wholesale and retail spaces are set to open by June, with 65 percent of the spaces already leased, said a spokesperson for the project.
Levy is setting up an advisory committee to oversee the district, alongside the Miami-Dade Beacon Council and the Downtown Development Authority.
The committee will include local, national, and international experts that will join forces to welcome jewelry retailers, manufacturers, designers and diamond dealers to Miami.
Haygo Demir, CEO of consulting group DGI, will join the committee.
Demir has experience in jewelry manufacturing and retail distribution in the Southeast U.S., the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, as well as retail tourism and cruise industry know-how.
“I am all about growth in the jewelry industry and feel that the Miami market is positioned for substantial growth and wanted to help develop this new opportunity,” said Demir.
Kirsten Darrow, the former group vice president for Fred Meyer Jewelers, will also join the advisory board, with a focus on developing industry relationships for the Miami market.
“Jewelry is universal, meaningful, and is an industry built on relationships. I am thrilled to help cultivate and bring new, valuable relationships and partnerships to this landmark opportunity that will benefit Downtown Miami, the jewelry industry and deliver an unparalleled customer experience,” said Darrow.
Deborah Scarpa of marketing firm DJS3 will handle the marketing and communication for the advisory board and the Time Century Jewelry Center.
The advisory committee will grow as invitations to join the board are sent to other jewelry industry leaders, said a spokesperson.
There’s no shortage of talent to be found right in Miami, according to James Kohnstamm, executive vice president of economic development at the Miami-Dade Beacon Council.
“Miami-Dade County is rich with talent and expertise in a variety of creative sectors, and there is a long history of jewelry designers, manufacturers, gemologists, and retailers that serve local, national and international clientele,” said Kohnstamm.
“Beyond the jobs this effort has the potential to drive, the collaboration between private sector business leaders, local government and organizations like ours, the Miami DDA and others is vital to the continued growth and success of this community; that dialogue and shared commitment to Miami’s success is what sets us apart and helps us capitalize on this momentum.”
The city will continue to grow, predicted Levy, noting the development of luxury condos and apartments close to the Time Century Jewelry Center.
The building will also house two upscale restaurants, and hopes to draw in the city’s tourist crowds.
For his own development, Levy is still on the lookout for a design school tenant, said a spokesperson.
He would also like to have a grading laboratory as part of the center.
“We need a top quality and prestigious diamond grading research laboratory here in the Time Century Jewelry District. This will be great for the whole district because of safety and convenience, but also because they act as an educational facility for gemology training and credibility monitoring of the industry in general,” he said.
“The public trust in diamond grading, certification and purchasing brings commerce,” he added.
For more information about the Time Century Jewelry Center, visit its website.
The Latest

The large stone will be offered at its June sale along with a selection of secondary-type rubies from a new area of the Montepuez mine.

Located in Bangkok, the laboratory is Gemological Science International’s 14th location worldwide.

Those born in June have a myriad of options for their birthstone jewelry.

When investing in your jewelry business, it's important not to overlook the most crucial element of success: the sales associates.

The diamond industry veteran has been named its senior sales executive.


The company plans to raise the prices of select watches to offset the impact of tariffs.

Between tariffs and the sky-high cost of gold, designers enter this year’s Las Vegas shows with a lot of questions and few answers.

More shoppers are walking out without buying. Here’s how smart jewelers can bring them back—and the tool they need to do it right.

Designed by founder Renato and his daughter Serena Cipullo, it showcases a flame motif representing unity and the power of gathering.

However, the tariffs remain in effect in the short term, as an appeals court has stayed the U.S. Court of International Trade’s decision.

The pop icon is one step closer to launching her “B Tiny” jewelry collection, a collection she first began posting about last fall.

Sponsored by Stuller

It was featured in the miner’s latest sale, which brought in $24.8 million.

GemText AI uses artificial intelligence to generate tailored product titles, descriptions, and tags with jewelry-specific language.

Aging and with myriad health issues, none will serve time for their roles in robbing the billionaire celebrity at gunpoint in 2016.

The WNBA team received rings imbued with meaning, from leaf motifs and its Liberty torch to the number of diamonds used.

The two organizations have signed an affiliation agreement that’s expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.

The platinum and diamond watch is part of Sotheby’s upcoming Important Watches sale.

Recovered in Mozambique, “The Kat Florence Lumina” was part of Bonhams’ Hong Kong jewelry auction held last week.

Get a taste of the delicious candy-like gemstones in this Amanda’s Style File.

JSA’s Scott Guginsky provided a list of nine security measures jewelers should observe while locking up for the long weekend.

From Lau’s “Love of a Kind” series, the engagement ring was inspired by the moon and holds a different meaning depending on how it is worn.

The lab has adjusted the scale it uses for nacre grading.

Sponsored by GCAL by Sarine

David Walton will serve three years’ probation after an incident in a hotel bar led to the death of West Virginia jeweler David Ettinger.

The retailer also provided an update on how the tariffs situation in the U.S. is affecting its business.

The family-owned jeweler in Great Falls, Virginia, will be celebrating its golden jubilee with a year’s worth of events.