By Knowing how to draw beautifully was a key to Harmeet Singh’s life as a jeweler. Along with that natural talent, “God’s Gift,” he had a passion for gems, “their color, rarity, mystery…” The opportunity to become a jeweler came in connection with his father’s expertise as a designer and importer of Swiss watches. “Watches are closely associated with jewels. So that’s the part I took on,” said Harmeet. The family, originally from Kuwait, came to the U.S. In 1982. The business opened 38 years ago on the Upper West Side. Then, 15 years ago, they opened the current store at 2586 Broadway between 97th-98th Streets. They named it The Jewel Boutique.
In the beginning, pre-Internet, when customers came to the store to order an engagement ring, for example, they would discuss their ideas with Harmeet, who would draw a design and then provide a sampling of diamonds or other rare and precious gems from which they could choose. Now, decades later, the experience has changed. The jeweler and customers discuss options. The Jewel Boutique technicians then create a 3-D design from which a model is then printed in wax. The customer can try on the wax form. “We can even place the gems on the wax so that the customer can see and consider how the ring will look on their hand.” Custom design, of course, invited personalized elements. One prospective groom knew his finance liked leaf patterns and requested this as part of the ring’s design.
Today, many brides prefer symmetrical designs, say two emeralds on one side of a diamond and a ruby on the other – something personal and a little different. Trends also influence ring designs. “Many women are very active between work, family, sports, and other pursuits and interests; they prefer their diamonds set low to avoid damaging the ring.”
What stones are his personal favorites? “Opals,” Harmeet answers without hesitation, noting his attraction to their mysterious luminosity. He appreciates “their extraordinary iridescence; when I look at them through the magnifying loupe I wear around my neck all day, I can see the universe!”
Harmeet is very personable and fully enjoys his interactions with customers who come to the shop with ideas about their dream jewelry that may celebrate a wide variety of life experiences. “It took one woman six years to complete her doctorate, said Harmeet. We designed a bracelet with six sapphires. She asked if using only four or five sapphires would be cheaper. Yes, it would be less expensive, Harmeet conceded, but it wouldn’t really represent her six years of hard work.
Jewels, because of their beauty and value also throughout history, tend to have stories, the very rare diamonds even have names (think KoH-I- Noor Diamond). In his 1987 book Famous Diamonds Ivan Balfour wrote, “Diamonds have been objects of passion, sometimes of war, violence and theft. As well as being objects of exceptional beauty and rarity, they were once thought to possess magical properties that protected their owners from enemies.”
Gold jewelry also has its stories. This is true at The Jewel Boutique. One account is particularly touching because of the unusual provenance of two rose gold wedding rings fashioned on the Upper West Side by Harmeet. Things began unfolding around ten years ago when Eda, a regular customer, came into The Jewel Boutique with a rusted, old Swee-Touch-Nee tea canister. “I have a project for you,” she said to Harmeet. Eda said the can was top-heavy; could Harmeet find what might be hidden inside? According to family lore, when the Jewish family Eda’s parents) were escaping the growing power of the Nazis in 1939 Germany, they had a local jeweler melt down whatever gold jewelry they had. He concealed it, encasing it within lead and creating a secret compartment within the canister.
That jeweler was trustworthy, noted Harmeet. Given the circumstances, he could have, but did not, pocket the gold, but marvelously concealed it. The can made it through Auschwitz and a transatlantic passage. For decades the can remained as is, a family conversation piece. Then, Eda decided to have Harmeet explore further. One of her daughters was getting married. If any gold was actually there, what a wonderfully sentimental source of the precious metal. It would also be a tribute to family survival. As it turned out, there was more than enough gold for two wedding rings. Harmeet said that when the work began, it looked as if yellow gold was being uncovered. But, once cleaned, it was clear that it was rose gold. Harmeet was concerned that his trustworthiness, “the most important trait for a jeweler,” might be questioned. But, on phoning Eda to discuss the matter, she reassured him that rose gold was quite the fashion in Warsaw, Poland, at the time. “The couple got married with the rings. It all has a happy ending.” The story was covered by NPR in 2016.
The high price of gold – which now hovers around $2000 an ounce brings customers to The Jewel Boutique for custom repurposing. This could mean for example, the wish for a broach or ring inherited from a grandmother or aunt to be repurposed into a more contemporary style. The gold and gems from the original piece can be reused or saved for the future.