How you display your jewelry is almost as important as the jewelry itself. Keep thinking outside the box.
WITH DECISIONS to be made on materials, size, cost and design, purchasing a high quality, custom-built display case can feel like buying a house. For some jewelers, custom-built means cherry-wood traditionalism and a sturdy quality that, like the store’s name, can be handed down from generation to generation. For others, customized design means a chance to reinforce the store’s identity. Whether they’re tall like a grandfather clock or small and spaced far apart, display cases can make little things like diamonds look big and grand things like special jewelry collections seem larger than life.
ARAMIS FINE JEWELRY AND DIAMONDS
FREEHOLD, NJ
ARAMIS smacks of Old World elegance. But Old World doesn’t have to mean old-fashioned and conventional. Store owners Lisa and Koko Beikian adapted an innovative spin on the classic columns most stores take for granted. The store owners display their finer pieces of jewelry in box displays built into the store’s large support columns. The four-sided-glass with wood-trim column cases are a nice complement to the store’s other custom-made display cases.
DESTIN JEWELERS
DESTIN, FL
Elizabeth Carmont and Lisa Peters liken their high-end jewelry to fine art. And At Destin Jewelers, their creations are displayed like works in an art gallery. The store has a curious mix of cherrywood and mahogany-finish display cases, some set 56 inches off the floor to allow easy viewing. There are also a number of tall, matching display cases for higher-end items. Destin gets away with the mix of material and size by setting off each type of case in a certain area of the store with vibrant colors.
LIBUTTI JEWELERS
HUNTINGTON, NY
When James and Jeannine Tiemann redesigned their store they wanted it to reflect their personal lives, including Jeannine’s commitment to her faith. The result was a scattering of religious symbols throughout the store. In a similar way, their display cases pay homage to their choices of jewelry. The cabinets have an appearance similar to a church or cathedral with defined columns, stepped baseboards and other ornate features.
TURGEON-RAINE JEWELERS
SEATTLE, WA
Norman Turgeon and Jerry Raine are another store-owning team that has adopted the art-gallery approach to show off their fine jewelry. The display cases are a rich mixture of light and dark exotic woods from all over the world. The two business owners created visually interesting displays by building large, wide but shallow cases, in some instances only eight inches deep. Matching wall cases coordinate with nearby floor cases to complete a look for certain products in different areas of the store.
CLODIUS & CO.
ROCKFORD, IL
Mark and Monica Clodius are a creative husband-and-wife team who do a lot of customized jewelry work. So it only follows that the interior features of their store reflect this. Their big custom-made birchwood display cases have large oval openings, while the smaller coordinating cases (pictured here) are made in classic shapes for specialty items. ?A natural finish on birchwood gives the silver-trimmed cases an earthy appearance and textured look,? Mark Clodius says of his store’s showcases.
FRANK ADAMS JEWELERS
ALBANY, NY
When Frank Adams Jewelers was refurbished in 2004, Kimberly Adams decided on a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired boutique look. Wood, and lots of it, gives the store a warm look and feel, from the hardwood maple floors to the cherrywood floor display cases as well as the wall installations.