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Manhattan jeweler and designer dies at 66
Alfred Albrizio, jewelry designer and owner of the C’est Magnifique jewelry store in New York City, died Feb. 2. He was 66 years old.
Alfred Albrizio, jewelry designer and second-generation owner of retailer C’est Magnifique in Manhattan, died Feb. 2 at the age of 66
New York--Alfred Albrizio, jewelry designer and owner of the C’est Magnifique jewelry store in New York City, died Feb. 2. He was 66 years old.
Albrizio was born on Sept. 2, 1947, in the Bronx, N.Y., to Alfred and Rita Sevino Albrizio. He had several other jobs before entering the jewelry industry, including a position on Wall Street, before moving to California and then returning to New York in 1975 to work as a welder on a sailing ship at Manhattan’s South Street Seaport.
Albrizio began working at his family’s jewelry store in the early 1980s.
C’est Magnifique was founded in 1959 by Albrizio’s uncle and aunt, Alfonso (known as Funzy) and Josephine Albrizio. For years, it was located on MacDougal Street in Manhattan but in 2012 the family moved it to 328 E. 9th St., which is located between First and Second Avenues in the East Village, to allow for a bigger space.
The shop became known for its custom design and Southwestern-style jewelry pieces, and has had celebrity customers that include actor Johnny Depp and musicians Madonna and Keith Richards.
In 1994, Funzy Albrizio was murdered in the store. Alfred Albrizio and one of his sons, Alfred III, took over the shop. The business will now operate under Alfred III, taking C’est Magnifique into the third generation.
“They did beautiful work,” LindaAnn Loschiavo, a Manhattan resident and patron of the shop, told The Villager. “I went there to have my jewelry repaired, but I really went to talk to Al (Alfred). He had lots of stories and a 100-watt personality.”
Albrizio is survived by his wife, Catherine, and their son Christopher; his son Alfred III; and four sisters, Patricia Gambelunghi, Vickie Paladino, Angela Lazos and Joanne Simon.
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