(PRESS RELEASE) DENVER, CO — At the height of pandemic lockdown, jewelry industry veterans and good friends Nan Lung Palmer and Kelly Selcer Phoundoulakis found themselves regularly ”quaranteaming” over social-distancing meals and dog play dates as a way to keep in touch. They would often brainstorm ways they could combine their skills to launch businesses that spoke to their passions, but also filled a void in their industry’s crowded marketplace. “We saw a white space in the near-gem sector of the jewelry trade,” says Nan, a seasoned buying and merchandising consultant formerly of David Yurman and Macys, who has lent her expertise to such clients as Anna Sheffield, JBT, and MJJ Brilliant. “We noticed mineral specimen collecting had arrived on the trend scene from an interior design perspective. However, what we were finding was either too costly, too cerebral, or too witch-crafty”.
Enter LuxeRox, a mineral, crystal, and fossil collecting concept for the consumer who wants to acquire beautiful, high-quality specimens like cleansing Cave Calcite, dazzling Azurite Malachite and 60 million years old Ammonite—all from a trusted source without having to invest hundreds of dollars or travel the world to find them. “We want to provide highly curated specimens to make collecting joyful and enlightening, but not too serious, while delivering a hand-picked, museum-esque product for customers who are as mineral obsessed as we are,” says Kelly, co-founder of LuxeRox who also owns an edgy line of empowerment fine jewelry collection designed around flattened bullets called Gold and Smoke.
A familiar face and jewelry industry veteran Manos Phoundoulakis (formerly of OMI Prive/Gems and currently head of business development for Gems of Note) joins Nan and Kelly’s business
venture with the jovial title of Head Gopher. Though he has assumed a minor role in LuxeRox’s business, he is lending his experience in sales and business development and is responsible for designing and engineering LuxeRox’s proprietary display stands.
“Our customer may be drawn to our monthly service because they’re interested in the spiritual benefits, or want to beautify their home since that’s where everyone is spending so much time these days, or like us, they’re mineral enthusiasts who want to grow their collection in a meaningful, intentional way,” says Nan. “We are targeting the customer who is deeply immersed in a lifestyle centered on the convenience of Daily Harvest, Uber, GrubHub, Birchbox. Since the world of minerals and fossils is so mysterious to outsiders, we’re here to inspire design and decor ideas while offering a gateway into the world of specimen collecting.”
Each monthly delivery is accompanied by one of LuxeRox’s exclusive signature hexagonal mineral display stands —lightweight yet impact and heat-resistant, they are made of materials derived from natural resources. “We’re growing a community of ‘Rox Stars’ with our monthly mineral service and we know they share our values when it comes to conserving energy and reducing carbon footprint,” says Nan.
Each LuxeRox mineral display is made and assembled in the USA and comes packaged in a velvet storage pouch while all shipments utilize eco-friendly, recycled packaging. LuxeRox members will receive personal concierge-level service via the brand’s website, where they can preview a 12-month calendar of shipments in advance as a way to build anticipation. The brand’s
Instagram(@luxeroxbox) will serve as a content hub for fun and elevated mineral display ideas, and other imagery catering to devotees of the eco-luxe lifestyle.
An important component of LuxeRox is an ongoing effort to obtain specimens that are sourced directly from ethical mines ensuring the highest quality and sustainable specimen at an affordable cost to the consumer. And this accessible approach to luxury is also a humanitarian one: LuxeRox donates a portion of proceeds to Gem Legacy, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting education, vocational training, and local economies in the mining communities in Africa.