Varda Singer Archives - The Inside Press

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.

Widespread Appeal for Farber’s Creations

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.

Tovi Farber helping customers inside ICD this past holiday season.

New Line Nanis: A Hit for Spring

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.

By Jennifer Leventhal • Melani Lust Photos

“My home is my sanctuary,” says ICD owner and Chappaqua Mom Varda Singer. Nestled in a tranquil, wooded neighborhood, Varda and Roy’s (husband Dr. Elliot Roy Singer is known as Roy) stylish, contemporary home is filled with the treasures collected from all over the world. “I love to travel and I love to be in our store, but when I come home and open the door, all the stresses of the outside world fade away, because I am surrounded by so many of my favorite things.”

Indeed, her collections are museum quality. Richly hued Roman glass, a magnificent iron Tree of Life sculpture from India, bronze sculptures from Vietnam, tribal art from Papua New Guinea, and ancient coins made of 22-karat gold and natural pearls. Scattered  casually amid the beautiful bounty are small, signed photographs of her with several past presidents and dignitaries. They are not blown up and framed; they are just modestly part of Singer’s everyday surroundings.

ICD’s motto, “Timeless Elegance,” suits Varda Singer perfectly. She is both glamorous and down-to-earth. While she exudes a worldly confidence, she is also a warm and approachable mother and grandmother. And just as her Feng Shui designed home is a perfect backdrop for her art collections, her luxurious neutral dresses and suits are a fitting canvas for her own favorite pieces of jewelry. “I personally love the warmth of high karat gold jewelry, 18-karat and 22-karat gold, with special detailing and granulation,” Singer says, “I also love South Sea pearls. My favorite pieces are very organic and interesting, and those that tell a story.”

40 Years in Chappaqua

Her home is Varda’s sanctuary, one filled with beautiful art from around the world.

Singer and ICD have been part of the Chappaqua community for nearly 40 years. She was born in Israel, the daughter of a prominent diamond merchant. After serving in the Israeli army, she came to the United States to attend Columbia University, and then she began her career as a jeweler. In Chappaqua, she raised two children who attended Grafflin, Bell, and Horace Greeley High School. They are grown now, but live in Manhattan, so she is able to see them often and to spend time with her four beloved grandchildren, as well.

Now that Singer’s children are grown, she can say with confidence that, “A mom is a mom forever. Your children depend on you whether they’re three-years-old or 40-years-old. It’s great to now be able to communicate and consult with my children in more of a friendship role. For me, the feelings and experiences you gain from being a mother cannot compare or compete with any feelings or experiences in your other relationships.”

Earlier in her career, the balance of raising a family and running a successful business was a bit more challenging, and Singer suffered the same moments of guilt as most working mothers.

“There were some times when my children were younger that I was worried because I couldn’t be two places at one time. I think that all mothers struggle a bit with some guilt or questioning of this balance,” she says. “When my daughter was in college, I asked her if she ever felt I should have spent more time at home when she was growing up, and she replied, ‘No, mom, I felt that the quality of the time you spent with us was so wonderful, and you were a great role model to me as a working mother. I wouldn’t have wanted you to do it any other way.’ Now, she is a successful working mother, and I’m so proud to watch her balance it so well.”

Singer’s strong relationships with her extended family still create an important balance in her life as a business owner. “I carry these family values with me into the store,” she says, “which I hope creates an environment that is very warm and very welcoming.” Both clients and staff feel that sense of family.

When the February 3rd Metro North train accident took the lives of four members of the Chappaqua community, including ICD employee Ellen Brody, the outpouring of grief and love and support for the business was enormous. “Ellen was one of us, and she had a heart of gold,” says Virginia Shasha, ICD Director of Private Sales.

“We are absolutely heartbroken, but we are not only heartbroken because of Ellen. We grieve all  of the losses that our community has suffered. We grieve for all of the victims and their families, and we grieve along with everyone else in Chappaqua.”

Respecting Values

The people of Chappaqua mean a lot to ICD and to Singer. Her clients are her neighbors. “I’ve had the privilege of working with several generations of families,” she says. “Their values have stayed constant, but the trends in fine jewelry have changed a bit over the years. When we first opened, the jewelry was chunkier and heavier, but today it’s more streamlined and wearable with an active lifestyle. But it’s still always classic and meaningful.”

Singer enjoys getting to know the younger generation of Chappaqua Moms. “So many of the moms in town today are professional  women–whether or not they are taking some time off to raise their children,” she says. “The women who shop in Chappaqua are very worldly, intelligent, and stylish. They are fun to be with and to  create pieces for.”

Custom design is a big part of ICD’s business, and Singer herself designs more than half of those pieces. She travels the world to find the very best diamonds, gemstones and South Sea pearls. “We’re doing more and more redesigning of pieces clients already own. We work with them to recreate outdated or inherited heirlooms into fresh, new, wearable works of art.”

Over the years, Singer has shared with her clients her philosophy that there is so much more to a special piece of jewelry than just the intrinsic value of the gold or the gemstones. “People today are looking for more meaning in the jewelry they wear,” she says. “They want their jewelry to be timeless and beautiful, of course, but also to bring good luck, good memories, and good Karma.”

Amy Knox of Millwood recently had the opportunity to work with Singer on a meaningful piece of jewelry. “The necklace I made with Varda was something I dreamed about for many years. Her enthusiasm for the design and truly understanding what it meant to me is what made it so special. Making a custom piece requires many steps, and Varda did all of the legwork for me and kept it fun along the way. I agree with Varda that jewelry should have meaning, whether it’s to mark a milestone or elicit a great memory. Her passion for this makes me want to work with her again when I am lucky enough to buy or design something new.

A Very Special Client

While all of Singer’s clients are important to her, she has particularly enjoyed working with President Clinton on creating custom fine jewelry for his wife, Hillary. “A couple of years ago, President Clinton brought me a gorgeous Tanzanite that he had selected and purchased in Africa, and together we designed spectacular statement ring for his wife. Then last year, we worked together to create a special bracelet for her to commemorate their new granddaughter.”

Jennifer Leventhal is a former lifestyle and fine jewelry editor. Her current venture, with partner Rachel Rader, is By the Book Fundraising,  a marketing and book production company that helps non-profit organizations create meaningful fundraising tools that tell stories that donors can actually hold in their hands.