You know, we love talking to inspiring women, Christen.
You and I both and recently I got to speak with one
of the top emerging jewelry designers who that stars like Alicia Keys
where her designs Stephanie Gottlieb and I had a fascinating conversation about
everything from the difficulties of making it in the jewelry world.
As a woman, a woman.
It's mostly men, believe it or not to how she found the elusive work life balance.
Of course, she showed us some amazing pieces as well. Take a look at our walk
and
talk.
Stephanie, thank you so much for joining us. Thanks
for having me. We are on Fifth Avenue right outside your beautiful store.
Let's start from the very beginning.
How did you become one of the biggest female jewelry designers out there right now?
Well, that is a huge compliment. I would say
I started in the diamond district right here on 47th street straight out of college.
And I got to really experience the ins and
outs of the true wholesale 47th Street experience.
And what I noticed very quickly was how few women were in the space.
And
I mean, let's be real, the majority of our jewelry buyers are female.
And so we had these older men in family businesses selling
jewelry to young women and they just really didn't get it.
They didn't understand the aesthetic, they didn't understand trend and they,
you know, they really weren't in touch with what a woman wants.
And so I felt there was this huge void and opportunity
to, you know, be that to advise women.
So because of that, was it hard to navigate this industry, especially being a woman.
It definitely took time to carve out a niche for myself and to sort of prove my worth,
I would say, I think
at the same time, I was doing this,
there were other female entrepreneurs who were entering the space.
And so we had this, you know,
kind of kinship and we were able to build each other up while doing it for ourselves.
And we really created a different type of business
that didn't exist before in the diamond space.
This kind of jewelry influencer was non existent 15 years ago when I started.
And so it was exciting to kind of break in and do something different.
So how do you find that elusive work life balance?
I think that is one of the hardest questions to
answer and something that is a work in progress.
For me, it is, you know,
the reason that I love being in New York City and having an office
space is that I have a designated work space and work time and I can
really allocate,
you know, different places to different duties.
So, work time is here and then I go home and I have to be present for my kids.
But it's a lot easier said than done.
You recently launched the Moores more collection,
tell me what this line means to you personally.
So the Morris Moore collection was in collaboration with Magnum,
our favorite ice cream brand.
And it's really about the art of self expression and maximal
and going bold with your choices and doing so unapologetically,
it's about indulging in the things that make you happy and
two things that make me happy are ice cream and jewelry.
And so what better marriage to bring two brands
together and just encourage our consumer to enjoy life and to, you know,
really indulge these pieces are absolutely beautiful.
There's one thing you said that I love that stuck with me
that you think jewelry should be passed on from generation to generation.
Some of the best presents I got is from my mother and my mother in law.
Tell me why you believe that
jewelry is something that for me reminds me of a time and a place. So
whether it is something I purchased in a location that instantly takes me
back to that happy moment or it's a piece that was inherited.
And now I'm remembering my grandmother or some other special person in
my life every time I see or feel that piece on me,
it has that ability to really transport you to a different time and place.
And that's what's so magical about it.
We've seen so many trendsetters wear your jewelry, Alicia Keys. Just to mention
one. How does that feel when you see these big names rocking your jewelry?
It's really something that I will never take for granted.
It's,
it's honestly such a pleasure and an honor to see something that means so much to me
being enjoyed by other people and particularly people
who I've admired for so many years for,
you know, whatever amazing talents that they hold.
So
to be able to see the jewelry translate to different ages and different
and
you know, categories of people across the board.
That that is really what this is all about now, my favorite part.
But I also think this might be the hardest part. What are your favorite pieces?
Because everything here is absolutely gorgeous. That is a tough one.
It's like asking me to choose a favorite child. But
um currently we're seeing a lot of bold, bold trend right now.
That's, you know,
a lot of the inspiration behind our magnum Morris More collection,
our Candy Button collection,
which I'm wearing here is also a really good reflection of that trend.
So this is a piece that my husband designed for me.
Well, he had some help,
but we co designed this for our anniversary and we
have an entire fashion collection with colored stone pieces here
and this has to be my favorite. It's a really good use of color and big gemstones.
This again is that art of self expression allowing yourself to
indulge in something that makes you happy.
A lot of our customers choose to do a birth stone or just a color that they love.
Absolutely beautiful.