Many jewelry purveyors claim to cater to the stars, and many do. However, there’s no one in the business quite like Jacob Arabo. His unmistakably blinged-out creations under his eponymous diamond-filled empire have graced the wrists, ears, neck, and in few cases, feet of just about every celebrity under the sun.
For David and Victoria Beckham, Arabo has dreamt up more than a handful of pieces, including several watches and a head-turning pair of $1.2 million triple drops earring worn by Mrs. Beckham to the 2014 Met Gala. For Madonna, there was the tailor-made, 20.6 carat, $7.5 million watches made to be auctioned for her Raising Malawi charity, and who could forget when crooner Elton John purchased 22 of Arabo’s signature “five time zone” watches to give away as holiday presents? The result is a veritable harem of boldface names who all tout their Jacob & Co. wares proudly, and it’s simply said that the man is not one for subtly.
Like his jewelry, his new Manhattan storefront, opened just a few days ago at 48 East 57th St., is nothing short of over-the-top. During a recent celebration to mark the opening, his legions of loyalists pulled up in their various foreign cars, creating a parking lot of idling Rolls Royces and Lamborghinis that elicited the interests of the nearby police. Inside, heaping helpings of caviar and champagne abound, Arabo held court alongside fashion folk like creative director and Kardashian confidante Carine Roitfeld and longtime clients including Adrian Brody and Debra Messing, but all eyes were on the jewels.
The 4,000-square-foot townhouse space, overhauled by Roman Vnukov of Design Studio Romani over the course of a year, comes chock full of priceless baubles, all designed and created on-site by Arabo and his team. Just like the company’s spaces in Geneva and Dubai, the plush surroundings are engineered for ultimate comfort when swiping and signing for your selected jewels and include several nods to products found in-store.
The geometric pattern featured on the façade and on the ceiling of the boutique first appeared on the dial of the Astronomia Meteorite watch in 2016, and hulking center showcase mirrors the shape of the Arabo-designed sapphire dome casing featured throughout his Astronomia collection. But perhaps the most unique design feature of all is found at the back of the space where a transparent, tempered glass walkway, exposes original New York City bedrock. Appropriately, this gives way to a VIP salon.
“After focusing much of our effort on product development and overseas expansion, it was time to come back to the place where it all started and show New York City how much we’ve grown,” Arabo said in a statement. “The design of the new boutique takes clients on a journey throughout our collections while offering them the same excitement they would feel upon discovering one of our new timepieces or jewelry items.”
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