Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester
1. Bangles
2. Big Chain Link Necklaces
3. Mix & Match Pendants (update old vintage ones!)
4. Layered Necklaces
5. Diamonds
6. Statement Necklaces
7. Fun Rings
8. Enamel Bracelets
9. Watches
10. Update Pearls
Visit us at lagravinese.com
10. Make your Rocks list, check it twice…
9. Snag a little swag for that holiday party…
8. Glitz up the house with dazzling accessories…
7. Grab a chic scarf for cozy shopping days…
6. Treat yourself to new tableware for your holiday meal…
5. Stuff those stockings with bling, bling, bling…
4. Pick out the perfect hostess gift…
3. Toast the New Year with stylish everything…
2. Don’t forget you! Create your perfect wish list…
1. RUN to Rocks for a fabulous holiday season!
Visit us at rocksbyjoliebray.com
Injecting cutting edge style into the new shopping center at Chappaqua Crossing, ROCKS Jewelry Gifts Home (“Rocks”) opened its doors this past May. The one of a kind boutique carries unique and modern fine jewelry, fashion jewelry, and home decor. Upon entering the bright and airy space, one is immediately struck by the beautiful artwork on the walls and the chic home accessories artfully displayed.
The store is entirely curated by owner Tanya Tochner, an 18-year resident of Chappaqua. Tochner recently closed her jewelry store in Armonk to focus on the expansion of her business into home design at the Chappaqua Crossing location.
“The home component is all new,” says Tochner. “The idea for it started five years ago but I never had the space for it in Armonk and then this opportunity in Chappaqua came up. Home goods take up a lot of space and we have almost 2,000 square feet here to accommodate us.”
There are no home and jewelry stores in the shopping center so Rocks provides a unique shopping experience.
“The jewelry and the home products really complement each other,” explains Tochner. “Customers come in intending to buy a hostess gift but end up looking at jewelry and vice versa.”
“I try to carry pieces that are unique and modern and unlike other jewelry stores,” says Tochner.
Tochner sells a wide array of fine and fashion jewelry. Some favorite designers whose original pieces she currently sells include Jamie Joseph, Janis Savitt, Rebel Designs, Rachel Reinhardt, and Ela Rae. The store also carries the Jolie B. Ray line that Tochner created along with her previous design partner over a decade ago.
But Tochner is always changing things up and on the look out for new and exciting designers.
She is also adept at creating custom pieces. As a child, Tochner always liked fine jewelry and had a penchant for drawing. She discovered that drawing was helpful when she worked on the Jolie B. Ray line, and was able to draw jewelry and give it to her manufacturer to create it. She offers that custom service to all her clients. If a customer requests a specific design, Tochner can draft it on paper, make a model, and then ultimately present them with a final product from that drawing.
Rocks also keeps a convenient database of “wish lists” for their customers. “I always tell women to create a wish list if they’re eyeing certain pieces because their husbands come in to buy birthday or anniversary gifts and they want to know what their wives like,” explains Tochner.
For people that love to entertain, Rocks is a treasure trove of gorgeous platters, vases, decanters, barware and bowls. Just in time for the holidays, they are selling modern tabletop accessories that are sure to impress any dinner guest.
Larger home items showcased at the store include ottomans, side tables, benches, lighting and artwork. Tochner offers personalized design services and visits to a client’s home to accessorize their house.
“We try to have something for everyone,” says store manager Wendi Gordon. “We have $18 candles and candles that are over $100. We find that everyone shops at all different price points. We have coasters for $40, candy dishes for $45, and bowls for $250. If you’re going to someone’s house and want to bring a little something, we have plenty of affordable options. If you’re looking for a higher end piece to decorate your home with, we have many choices.”
On where she derives her inspiration and ideas, Tochner says,” I’ve always had an eye for jewelry and home design. I feel that if I like it myself, I will be passionate about selling it. I also listen to my customers and what they want.”
As for following any favorite bloggers or instagram accounts, Tochner says she does not spend her time doing that. “I don’t want to cloud my judgment. I try to be creative and if you are constantly looking at what everyone else is doing, you can’t come up with your own spin.”
Tochner definitely stays current and does her research. She travels to the home show in North Carolina twice a year, attends the New York shows, and is in the city once or twice a week buying merchandise, fulfilling custom orders or getting complicated jewelry repairs done for customers.
The boutique has a fun party vibe to it. Maybe it is all the sparkle between the glamorous jewels and the beautiful serveware that evokes this feeling. It may also be the friendly staff comprising of local moms that are eager to help you find that perfect gift.
Rocks holds many events at the store featuring local vendors and running various promotions throughout the year. To stay informed of all their fun events and see their newest merchandise, be sure to follow them on instagram at @rocks.jewelry_gifts_home. You can also request to be added to their email list or follow them on Facebook at Rocks by Jolie B. Ray.
The store is located at 480 Bedford Road in Chappaqua and can be reached at (914) 219-5808.
Armonk’s original jewelry store, LaGravinese Jewelers, located on Main Street in Downtown Armonk is in its 26th year of providing its clientele with beautiful jewelry. The LaGravinese family has been in the jewelry business for over a century. Debra LaGravinese, owner of the Armonk store, is trained in diamond grading, gemology, gem identification, and pearl grading by the Gemological Institute of America. LaGravinese Jewelers carries a large selection of jewelry at all price points and are known for their custom design work, excellent service, and quick turnaround time.
Clients looking for handcrafted custom pieces specifically made for them meet with LaGravinese and her trusted bench jeweler/“right-hand man,” Art Manfredo, to create the design they have in mind. They can incorporate a sentimental piece of family jewelry into a new design or simply construct an entirely new piece of jewelry. Approximately eighty percent of LaGravinese’s business involves redesign, repairs and special orders.
“If you have an estate piece that nobody is wearing and it just sits in a drawer, we can make something current out of it, either trendy or classic, that the next generation wants to wear,” says LaGravinese.
Jewelers often get to share in their clients’ most joyous celebrations. Helping clients choose the perfect gift for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, or any momentous event, is what they do. It is especially sweet when they have personal relationships with those clients.
“I have recently been working on a lot of engagement rings,” LaGravinese says. “All of my clients’ children are at an age now where they’re all getting married. After 25 years in the same town, it’s great to see these generational milestones. I have amazing clientele and I’m so lucky to be part of their process of buying and giving to their family.”
Many of LaGravinese’s clients have been customers for decades. The business is well sustained by virtue of repeat customers and word of mouth.
“You don’t get to stay in business 25 years doing the wrong thing,” she remarks. Despite being a small store in a small town, she makes certain that the store remains competitive. “We are very close to Manhattan, so I compete with that and I compete with the internet. I make sure I am giving the best possible deal to my customers,” she says. LaGravinese travels to jewelry shows and strives to acquire a diverse collection and unique pieces such as watches from Shinola that her clients may not have seen elsewhere.
As a full service jewelry store, they cater to all their customers’ jewelry needs, including watch battery, watch repairs, appraisals, ear piercing, custom orders, redesign, pearl restringing, and they buy diamonds, gold and silver.
LaGravinese is grateful for her clients and to many of them that have become friends over the years. “I’m blessed to know them,” she says.
With the fall season upon us, LaGravinese is stocking up on plenty of new inventory for the holiday season. Be sure to stop in and check out their selection. Also, be on the lookout for their occasional specials when a portion of proceeds are donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
LaGravinese Jewelers
430 Main Street in Armonk
P: (914) 273-5432
lagravinesearmonk.com
When most New Yorkers think of jewelry they know that the Diamond District in midtown Manhattan offers gorgeous pieces from top designers but you don’t have to travel to NYC to avail yourself of the most exquisite jewels from top designers. For more than four decades, ICD Contemporary Jewelry located in downtown Chappaqua has been a bastion of beautiful jewelry showcasing some of the leading designers in the world of fine jewelry. Just this past holiday season, ICD Contemporary Jewelry played host to celebrated designer Tovi Farber from Israel. Farber made an in-store appearance at an exclusive trunk show, which helped customers create one-of-a-kind pieces.
Farber who hails from Israel creates jewelry utilizing gold and colorful semi-precious stones that celebrates every woman’s original, individual style. Farber fans love the organic appeal of her jewelry and her unique sense of style with a keen eye for aesthetics. She embraces the interplay between structures, contrasts and intensities so every piece is distinctly styled and timeless.
Varda Singer, the owner of ICD Contemporary Jewelry was thrilled to see how Farber’s holiday collection appealed to customers across a wide spectrum from millennials in their early 30s to baby boomers. “Once the customers saw her collection they fell instantly in love with it. We didn’t have to sell it. Her beautiful designs sold themselves.” Singer has been busy delivering special orders from that trunk show that were custom created by her and Farber utilizing customer’s seldom worn jewelry and transforming it into modern pieces with timeless appeal. The shop is busy year long with customers making appointments with Singer who collaborates with Farber on a continual basis.
Singer is in the midst of planning upcoming trunk shows and one that she is particularly excited about is Laura Bicego’s Nanis line hailing from Venice, Italy. Laura is the sister of famed jewelry designer Marco Bicego and her work done in 18K gold has been praised for its artistry. Unlike other designers who create pieces with pencil first, she creates with her skillful, delicate hands and her line is synonymous with “well-made.”
Singer‘s favorite part of the job is developing long-lasting relationships with her customers. She has several that travel from all over Westchester County including Rye where they previously had a store and New York City. She prides herself on delivering “concierge” service and can take appointments in people’s homes, in the evenings or work with them virtually via online renderings of custom pieces. She loves to see the “before” and “after” remodels of jewelry that are created in collaboration with her customers. Several are posted on the store’s Facebook page and serve as inspiration to customer’s seeking a jewelry makeover. For more information on jewelry makeovers or upcoming trunk shows, visit ICD Jewelry’s Facebook page.