ALON GARTY’s brand of diamond jewelry is no less than truly exquisite.
As a veteran diamond wholesaler and a published photographer, mixing business and art comes naturally to Alon Garty. “I’ve been in the jewelry business for ten years now,” he says, on dealings with many retailers, manufacturers and brands. “With my experience in different international markets, I know what’s out there and what is missing.
“In today’s world, everyone is traveling and exposed to so many things. Very often, you have the feeling of ‘been there, done that’. There are many brands, but there are actually very few new ideas in the world of jewelry. Van Eyck is a high-end Belgian jeweler pushing the boundaries of jewelry design and craftsmanship to create exquisite works of art from the finest diamonds, exclusively for the world’s most discerning consumers.”
Van Eyck Fine Jewelry Founder Alon Garty (right) with Princess Astrid of Belgium.
Without Flaw
Currently developing its second collection, Van Eyck creates pieces of the highest quality and extreme rarity; its products contend in international design competitions. “All our jewelry is handmade. We work only with top handcrafts to achieve sharp execution of our designs. While most jewelry brands sell thousands of machine-made pieces a year, everything in our collection is limited to 10 pieces. It’s like you’re buying a piece of art,” says Garty.
“Each ring tells a story. Each piece we make is the product of more than 1,000 hours of design, development, stone selection and finishing. In luxury, details make the difference. If you look closely at our jewelry, you will see that we put as much attention to the inside of the ring as to the outside. This is what defines a real jewelry house.”
Its first collection, Birds of Papua, consisted solely of natural fancy color diamonds. Numbering only one in every 10,000, they are extremely rare, and Van Eyck has a buying office wherever these diamonds are sourced. The company makes no use of intermediaries.
“It’s important to mention that we source all of our diamonds from conflict-free zones. We work closely with the Kimberley Process, a UN organization that ensures that miners have decent working conditions and that transactions do not finance rebels or terrorist groups.”
Van Eyck Fine Jewelry likes doing things differently. Each piece made carries the name of a bird that served as inspiration for its designer. Each collection is created around a muse, a woman with strong character, dedicated to a cause and who shares common values with Van Eyck.
“Our first muse, Shita Prativi, heads the Papua Bird Club NGO. She was a city girl now devoted to preservation of bird species, as well as educating children in remote areas in Papua. As us, Shita is determined to make a difference.”
A percentage of the collection’s revenue, as well as portions of the budget that commonly go to high-profile models’ talent fees and similar expenses, will be given to the NGO. As tradition, all Van Eyck collections support a cause.
Changing Winds
As the main luxury buyers hail from the Arab Nations, Russia, and China, business has not been too spectacular since 2014, with the drop in oil prices, the ruble currency falling by 50 percent, and the Chinese economy’s slowdown as well its recently enforced anti-corruption laws. Hong Kong’s Umbrella Protests and visa restrictions on visitors from Shenzhen add to the pressure. “This world economy sets high challenges for us, but we’re dealing with it in different creative ways,” says Garty.
“I’ve done research on new consumption trends in different industries around the world. Today’s consumers are looking for quality craftsmanship, identity, a story to tell. I believe that we have found a way to bring something new.”
Alon Garty’s fresh take on the time-honored trade might be exactly what the industry needs. Van Eyck Fine Jewelry shows that to shine, one must deviate from the norm.
“Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We just happen to create amazing jewelry. We are taking an experience that people know very well and actually adding on to it, to make it more special, and more enjoyable. We offer a different direction.”
For additional information please visit www.vaneyck-jewelry.com
