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Vahan Jewelry Founder Leon ‘Sacha’ Der Calousdian Dies at 85
The third-generation jeweler is remembered as a passionate creative with a love of art, traveling and sailboat racing.
Leon V. Der Calousdian, the founder of Vahan Jewelry in New York City, died last month at age 85. His son Greg posted this photo to his online obituary with the caption, “On safari in South Africa. In his element, seeking adventure.”
New York—Leon V. Der Calousdian, the founder of Vahan Jewelry, died on Oct. 15 at the age of 85.
The jeweler, affectionately known as “Sacha,” died peacefully surrounded by family, following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease, according to an online obituary.
He was born on June 16, 1940, in Pau, France, to an Armenian family with a history in jewelry design.
His grandfather, Manasse Der Calousdian, established a luxury jewelry company in Paris in the 1880s, and his father Arsène Der Calousdian took it over in the 1930s, according to a profile on the family in Elite Traveler.
Manasse created diamond crowns for the Shah of Persia in 1906, while Arsène designed bespoke jewelry for European nobility, according to an obituary in InStore.
Sacha graduated from La Chambre Syndicale de la Bijouterie, a jewelry design school in Paris, and, Instore said, worked with Hermès early in his career.
In 1958, he moved to New York and later served in the U.S. Army.
He designed for David Webb among other prominent jewelers, and in 1968, he founded Alwand Vahan Jewelry in a small New York City studio.
He merged European artistry and American craftsmanship by using mixed metals and developed the signature “Moiré Beaded” texture, which was introduced in the 1990s and remains at the core of the brand’s offerings, particularly its stacking bracelets.
Sacha was a man of “boundless curiosity and refined taste,” his obituary said, and outside of his work with jewelry, he enjoyed restoring and racing British classic cars.
He loved to travel the world and drew inspiration globally from architecture, culture, and nature.
He was also a curator and collector who “saw beauty in every form of human creativity,” according to his obituary.
In addition to designing jewelry, he enjoyed sculpting and felt at home in the world of art.
Sacha was also a long-time member of the Larchmont Yacht Club, where he had many friends and enjoyed the thrill of racing an Etchells, a popular one-design sailboat racing class.
Sacha was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather.
His warmth, humor, and creativity touched all who knew him, his obituary said.
His legacy endures through his designs and his wife and sons who lead Vahan today, carrying his vision forward.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Nathalie, his three children, Grégoire (“Greg”), Vanessa, and Cedric, as well as his grandsons Tristan, Sebastien, Leo, Nicolas, and Maxime.
A funeral Mass was held on Oct. 24 at St. Augustine Church in Larchmont, New York.
The jeweler, affectionately known as “Sacha,” died peacefully surrounded by family, following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease, according to an online obituary.
He was born on June 16, 1940, in Pau, France, to an Armenian family with a history in jewelry design.
His grandfather, Manasse Der Calousdian, established a luxury jewelry company in Paris in the 1880s, and his father Arsène Der Calousdian took it over in the 1930s, according to a profile on the family in Elite Traveler.
Manasse created diamond crowns for the Shah of Persia in 1906, while Arsène designed bespoke jewelry for European nobility, according to an obituary in InStore.
Sacha graduated from La Chambre Syndicale de la Bijouterie, a jewelry design school in Paris, and, Instore said, worked with Hermès early in his career.
In 1958, he moved to New York and later served in the U.S. Army.
He designed for David Webb among other prominent jewelers, and in 1968, he founded Alwand Vahan Jewelry in a small New York City studio.
He merged European artistry and American craftsmanship by using mixed metals and developed the signature “Moiré Beaded” texture, which was introduced in the 1990s and remains at the core of the brand’s offerings, particularly its stacking bracelets.
Sacha was a man of “boundless curiosity and refined taste,” his obituary said, and outside of his work with jewelry, he enjoyed restoring and racing British classic cars.
He loved to travel the world and drew inspiration globally from architecture, culture, and nature.
He was also a curator and collector who “saw beauty in every form of human creativity,” according to his obituary.
In addition to designing jewelry, he enjoyed sculpting and felt at home in the world of art.
Sacha was also a long-time member of the Larchmont Yacht Club, where he had many friends and enjoyed the thrill of racing an Etchells, a popular one-design sailboat racing class.
Sacha was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather.
His warmth, humor, and creativity touched all who knew him, his obituary said.
His legacy endures through his designs and his wife and sons who lead Vahan today, carrying his vision forward.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Nathalie, his three children, Grégoire (“Greg”), Vanessa, and Cedric, as well as his grandsons Tristan, Sebastien, Leo, Nicolas, and Maxime.
A funeral Mass was held on Oct. 24 at St. Augustine Church in Larchmont, New York.
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