Gorjana’s first foray into fine jewelry comprises 26 jewelry styles in 14-karat or 18-karat gold, with diamonds, opals, white topaz or white sapphires.
Laguna Beach, Calif.—As Gorjana jewelry customers grow up, the brand is evolving with them.
Married team Gorjana and Jason Reidel originally launched their eponymous company in 2004, honing their particular take on gold-plated, casual everyday-wear jewelry that they’ve dubbed “California Fine” over the better part of the next two decades.
“This is the first and only business we’ve started, at least for now,” they told National Jeweler over email.
“We’re a one-trick pony. This was only supposed to be something we did for a year or so until we got one of our other big ideas developed. As it turned out, this was the big idea.”
Jason and Gorjana Reidel Fast-forward 16 years and Gorjana is a multimillion-dollar brand stocked at nationwide retailers like Nordstrom, with 16 of its own stores in California, New York, and Arizona.
Now, Gorjana devotees can buy their favorite delicate styles in a more long-lasting 14-karat or 18-karat gold version.
“The fine jewelry collection was very purposefully designed with delicate details providing a thoughtful assortment of the ultimate collector’s pieces that last a lifetime,” the Reidels explained.
Instead of the brand’s gold-plated “Shimmer Bar Ring,” set with cubic zirconia and priced at $38, for example, one can purchase the “Diamond Stacking Ring,” a 14-karat gold band with a scattering of real, pinprick-sized diamonds for $130.
“The idea was generated with the intention to give our super passionate customers something extra special to layer with all their existing Gorjana pieces,” said the couple.
Necklaces from the new fine jewelry collection. Launched Aug. 21 at their stores and on gorjana.com, the initial rollout features 26 items priced between $80 (a single diamond, opal and 14-karat gold stud earring) and $765 (for an 18-karat gold necklace with three laser-cut dangling diamonds).
The small scale rollout combined with the use of materials like white topaz, opal and white sapphire in addition to diamonds helps keep the price point accessible.
The Reidels said the fine collection has been in the works for two years and was originally set to launch in April, but was held back due to the pandemic.
So were the openings of the 17th and 18th retail locations in California—one in Palo Alto in the Stanford Shopping Center and the other in Marin in the Corte Madera Shopping Center—which are now set to open their doors this fall.
The Reidels noted that their own business has become evermore important
Stud earrings are sold as singles. “With our 16 stores being closed for two to three months and having to delay opening our 17th and 18th stores from spring to fall, that changed the landscape of retail, and wholesale has shifted, with us working with less partners, and adopting a ‘quality over quantity’ strategy. Thankfully our ecommerce business has exceeded expectations to keep us on track as a whole.”
The brand said they will let consumer demand and preference guide their fine jewelry assortment in the future, saying, “We really didn’t set expectations about how big or small the fine jewelry collection will be; we want it to be organic and ultimately our loyal customers will drive that narrative.”
