Now in its fourth year, the program is expanding to include a list of “20 Under 40” for jewelry suppliers.
Jewelry of the 'Shadows'
When my first son was very young and very sick and spending too much time in operating rooms and intensive care, I sought a diversion to distract him from what was happening. Portable DVD players were just becoming available. So...
When my first son was very young and very sick and spending too much time in operating rooms and intensive care, I sought a diversion to distract him from what was happening. Portable DVD players were just becoming available. So what we landed on was watching movies--specifically, the classic monster movies by Universal: Frankenstein, Dracula, the Hunchback, The Mummy, the Wolf Man and so on. Lying together on his gurney in those rooms, we screened film after film. We bought matching action figure collectables. We tuned out all the negativity going on around us.
An unintended side effect was--after we had gotten past those hard times--that we had turned our son into a horror genre junkie. Several years later, then, we embarked on an associated journey that has lasted years now.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, television produced a soap opera that centered on the supernatural. "Dark Shadows" had begun as a somewhat normal soap with a Gothic-romantic theme. But when it attracted only limited audiences and faced cancellation, producer Dan Curtis took a leap that could only have been broached in those early days of television. He introduced a vampire, who quickly captured the imagination of, predominantly, America's youth and went on to become the main character, resuscitating the show in the process. As months passed, vampire Barnabas Collins was joined by a closet-full of ghosts, werewolves, witches, zombies, warlocks, demons and other creatures of the night--a child's lurid delight!
Now, Dark Shadows' legacy has been revitalized by Tim Burton's Hollywood feature starring Johnny Depp (who, by the way, started his career with a supporting role in the horror classic "Nightmare on Elm Street" and is a self-avowed Dark Shadows fan).
What's exceptional for our business is the starring role played in Dark Shadows by fine jewelry. In fact, jewelry was the very plot element used to usher the vampire into the show. Willie Loomis, a con man living in the Victorian Maine mansion of the wealthy Collins family, learned that family ancestors had historically embraced the practice of being buried with their jewelry. His next step, of course, was to break into the Collins mausoleum and begin prying open coffins. Two centuries earlier, the vampire had been locked and chained in a coffin in a secret room by his father. When Loomis raised that lid, out came Barnabas and his fury.
Over
The show's plot regularly hinged on elements such as misplaced earrings. Overall, fine jewelry was key in defining the leading family's societal position of power and authority--a model for American royalty and a supporting statement of the substantial importance of luxury accessories for the affluent.
The vampire's ring, in 9-carat rose gold and onyx.
Needless to say, I was thrilled to learn that British designer Stephen Einhorn was unveiling a bespoke collection for Burton's film. Einhorn created pieces for the vampire's love-nemesis, Angelique the witch, as well as the vampire himself, among others.
"I had to make two different sized rings for Johnny Depp's character, as Tim Burton and Johnny Depp liked it so much they wanted it to be worn throughout the film--one for his extended finger and one to wear over his gloves," he explains.
Popular culture reference is critical in establishing and defining the meaning of our product. Four decades ago, there was no question as to the desirability of fine jewelry and its position in the cultural mindset as a symbol of elite status. Royalty and captains of industry naturally embraced it as core to their lifestyles and images. Today, we are the stewards of this heritage and must keep a keen eye toward supplying anything that may sully its image with a strategically placed stake to the heart.
The Latest

One of the men is said to be connected to the South American crew charged with burglarizing Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow’s home.

Smith details the types of store managers he’s encountered, with the goal of helping retailers find a person who’s a fit for their store.

Colored stones are stepping into a jewelry spotlight typically reserved for diamonds—are you ready to sell color?

The brands immersed one of Bulgari’s most famous historical icons in MB&F’s ultra-mechanical universe of haute horlogerie.


The luxury titan’s full-year performance was weighed down by struggling sales at its star brand Gucci.

The jewelry manufacturer has launched more than 100 pieces made with natural diamonds.

The new year feels like a clean slate, inspiring reflection, hope, and the motivation to become better versions of ourselves.

Bain & Co.’s latest report on the luxury market examines why the market’s customer base is shrinking and how to appeal to consumers in 2025.

Officers in Louisville seized 28 shipments of fake jewelry and watches that would have been worth more than $27 million if genuine.

The collection centers on the art of tailoring, inspired by designs that feature folded fabrics, such as a tuxedo lapel.

The trade show has added a new location to its fall line-up.

From the brand’s latest collection of lucky charms, the ladybird is seen as a bearer of good fortune and a ward against negative energy.

The moves come amid a prolonged period of lower demand for diamonds, particularly in China.

The workshop returns in March, along with the “Battle of the Benches” mini challenge series.

Two attorneys purchased Windsor Jewelry, which was set to close, and will retain all existing staff at the downtown Indianapolis store.

Adam Heyman joined the family business in 1965, just weeks after graduating from Columbia Business School.

The “Essence of Nature, Chapter One” collection echoes trees and roots, literally and figuratively, through three sets of high jewelry.

The fourth-generation, family-owned jeweler has given its Worth Avenue store a new look.

Luxury watch dealer Anthony Farrer pleaded guilty late last year to defrauding clients in a scheme with Ponzi-type elements.

In its full-year results, the retailer shared its 2025 outlook and an update on the global rollout of its lab-grown diamond collection.

Celebrate February birthstones and the gem shows in Arizona this month with a versatile stone like amethyst.

Scheetz has been with the nonprofit since 2007.

The agreement will allocate an increasing proportion of the country’s rough diamonds to the government of Botswana over the next decade.

“Cosmic Splendor: Jewelry From the Collections of Van Cleef & Arpels,” opens April 11 at the American Museum of Natural History.

Those celebrating Valentine’s Day this year are expected to spend a record $27.5 billion on jewels, flowers, candy, and more.

Layoffs will reportedly start next month as HSN plans to move into QVC’s location in Pennsylvania.