Stella Flame Gallery in the Hamptons Elevates Jewelry-Shopping Experience

Stella Flame Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY

OWNER: Stella Flame; URL: stellaflamegallery.com; FOUNDED: 2015; Opened featured location: 2023; AREA: 1,500 square feet; ARCHITECT AND DESIGN FIRMS: Stella Flame, Aida Contracting Corp.; top brands: Stella Flame Jewelry, Pinar Hakim Jewellery, JojoAnavim, Whisbe; online presence: 5 stars on Google; 828 Facebook followers

A TRIP TO ISTANBUL in 2008 ushered in an unexpected career change for jewelry designer and retailer Stella Flame.

Stella Flame

Flame was working as an interior designer and restoring an estate in Connecticut when she became friends with a gallery owner who sold jewelry. When Flame mentioned she had a trip planned to Istanbul, her friend asked her to pick up a few pieces. “That little assignment changed the course of my life,” Flame says.

“I got in touch with a few people who are world-class shoppers, and they gave me some suggestions,” Flame recalls. “The first day I was like, ‘This jewelry is unbelievable.’ But her first impression soon changed to the realization that much of it looked alike.

But one shop she visited in the Grand Bazaar stood out for its unique designs. After the shop owner showed her suitcases overflowing with wax molds and samples, Flame purchased two ready-made rings and designed another eight to have made. As a result, she soon found herself in the jewelry business, returning frequently to Turkey to work with the jeweler she’d met. Once she connected with Fragments, a New York City institution once known for launching the careers of many important jewelry designers, her orders grew exponentially. She also set up her own shop in Istanbul, where a master jeweler now produces her line.

Flame opened her first jewelry and art gallery in 2015 in the Hamptons (Sag Harbor, NY) with a few friends. Then she moved into her own small Sag Harbor space in 2017, where the challenge was to choose art that didn’t overshadow the jewelry. She flanked antique Belgium wall cases with art and mirrors, which made the space feel experiential and attracted a wider cross-section of clientele. “Some came in for art, some for jewelry, but there was and is a lot of crossover,” she says.

But the gallery’s 12-by-25-foot size was limiting. “Not everyone wants to come into a tiny space because they feel immediately like you’re on top of them,” she says. “We didn’t want people to have that feeling but rather be a place of discovery, a place to immerse and enjoy yourself.”

A five-mile move in May 2023 to a two-story gallery in Bridgehampton, NY — a vibrant, artistic community — gave everyone breathing room. The space, previously an art gallery, has a pleasing aura and 20-foot skylighted ceilings. “The energy in this space is extremely positive, so I felt like I was inheriting a kind of feeling.”

She also inherited a floating steel staircase and a glassed-in balcony.

“Our space is uber sleek, chic, eclectic and designed to foster exploration and discovery,” Flame says. “I kept that mix of sleek and slick with a little bit of warmth. I don’t want it to feel cold and clinical; I want it to be welcoming for everyone.”

Two distinct ground-floor showrooms include a magical faux garden with fountain, plantings and silver gilt cork wall covering. The mezzanine is accessed by the suspended glass and steel staircase and overlooks a balcony exhibition space.

The clean, contemporary main gallery is flanked by twin console table bases topped with early 20th-century curved glass and bronze general store display cases. A pair of 7-foot-high étagère style display cabinets separated by a chrome and mirrored bar anchors the sales floor and encourages conversation.

Flame’s favorite color, orange, is used as an accent throughout the gallery. It adds to the positive vibe while pulling together elements of marketing and branding.

Flame curates jewelry by size, color and theme and moves it around frequently. “We’re constantly curating it to work with what’s happening art-wise. If the art is very colorful, we’ll move the much more colorful jewels there so the art doesn’t take over. If the art is more refined and more illustrative, we’re often putting more delicate pieces nearby to complement it.”

A mixture of wall and floor cases creates niches within the expansive space. “That makes it more immersive, more interactive, so they aren’t wandering around in a cavern unless they want to be,” she says. She and her team assess how much attention a customer would like by simply asking them, “Would you like us to pay attention to you?” — a question that often evokes a laugh.

“We leave them alone for a few minutes, then might ask, ‘Is this your first time in the gallery?’ or ‘Did you know we moved from Sag Harbor?’ to try to engage them.”

Flame represents about a dozen jewelry designers from around the globe. All of the jewelry is limited edition, one-of-a-kind, high-karat pieces. “I like things that are saleable, that are different, that are wearable,” she says. “I wear things every day that people might consider more special-occasion jewelry, but I tend to make every day a special occasion, celebrating being here another day. I show by collection, but almost all the jewelry works together, and almost anything could be layered. We like to talk a little bit about every designer, what their process is, what their inspiration is.”

Flame expects the sales team to be able to share with customers three to five things about each designer that sets them apart.

She also sells antique garden ornaments, silk pillows, fragrance collections, and cashmere shawls from Kashmir (It’s a good excuse to go on buying trips around the world, she says).

The placement of art influences the curation and display of the jewelry. Gallery owner Stella Flame ensures that the two art forms complement one another.

Flame’s own jewelry collections are inspired by buying trips abroad, by the energy of New York City, and by the horse farms, beaches and marine life of the Hamptons. “The gallery has a pride of place,” Flame says. “Everyone talks about the quality of the light. You really have to experience it and the way it literally and figuratively colors our world and the gallery itself. The light is beautiful; the ocean is beautiful. It’s a really amazing spot.”

Flame’s jewelry is still made in Istanbul, where she spends four or five months every year.

“I just fell in love with the place,” she says. “It’s the crossroads of the world.”

Five Cool Things About Stella Flame Gallery

1. A FRIEND OF A FRIEND. Flame staged a photo shoot around town with models wearing jewelry to promote Bridgehampton as a retail destination. It’s part of the marketing campaign, “You’re a Friend of a Friend,” in which Flame highlights one of her neighbors in a postcard and/or an email or via social media while also offering discounts of 15% in the gallery. The neighbors have returned the favor. “The more successful they are, the more successful we are and vice versa,” Flame says. “Community presence and mutual support are critical to our long-term success.”

2. PHILANTHROPIC REWARDS. Flame supports her neighbors’ philanthropic interests as well. Typically, for a gala fundraising effort, she donates an empty 19th century jewelry casket of French provenance along with a gift certificate valued at $750. Almost unfailingly, the winning bidder has come to the gallery to redeem their certificate and made purchases totaling more than $10,000. “Clearly, everyone benefits,” she says.

3. FILM NIGHTS. Flame hosts seasons of film nights on the gallery’s mezzanine, most recently with a film noir theme. She serves themed cocktails and offers a 10% gallery-wide savings. Searchlights and an orange carpet outside amuse guests while attracting attention from passersby.

Frequent interesting events keep the gallery experience fresh.

4. REGULAR EVENTS. Flame also plans events at least monthly. After Flame won the Visionary Award from the Cultured Pearl Association of America for a bejeweled interpretation of the story of Daphne and Apollo, she planned a June pearl party. “It’s all geared to be an immersive, comprehensive and shared experience,” she says.

5. GLOBE-TROTTER. In addition to months spent in Istanbul, Flame regularly travels to Munich, Hong Kong, Jaipur, Italy, Tucson and Thailand looking for gemstones and jewelry. The search for gems has also drawn her to Croatia and Poland. “I try to go to the source,” she says. “I like to see it in situ. I’m a little crazy like that.”

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