Author Beth Bernstein shares insights and intriguing extracts from the book 'Jewelry Creators: Dynamic Duo & Generation Gems,' which she co-wrote with Jewelry Editor and Journalist Sonia Esther Soltani.
If you look back at the most storied jewelry houses throughout history, their success has often been rooted in family ties, generational continuity, and creative partnerships. These relationships helped define their aesthetic, drive innovation, and ultimately built the enduring allure of each maison.
Consider Coco Chanel and her early collaboration with Fulco di Verdura before he went out on his own, or Jeanne Boivin’s visionary decision to bring in designers such as Suzanne Belperron and later Juliette Moutard. Family legacies also played a pivotal role. Louis-François Cartier founded the legendary maison, which was later led by his son Alfred Cartier in 1874. Alfred’s three sons—Louis, Pierre, and Jacques—along with the creative forces of Louis and Jeanne Toussaint, and later Claude Cartier and Alfred Durante, were instrumental in establishing Cartier’s global prominence.
Across the Atlantic, Tiffany & Co. began with the vision of Charles Lewis Tiffany, which was carried forward by his son, Louis Comfort Tiffany, whose groundbreaking designs transformed the brand. Over the years, Tiffany & Co. also collaborated with an extraordinary roster of designers, including Jean Schlumberger, Paulding Farnham, Donald Claflin, Elsa Peretti, Paloma Picasso, and Angela Cummings. Alongside these stories are the enduring generational and family bonds of houses such as Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Buccellati, whose trailblazing influences continues today.
Sonia and I were inspired by these remarkable histories and the ways in which they shaped the foundation of the jewelry industry from the 19th century onward. Our combined experience as jewelry journalists led us to further explore the narratives of the human relationships, creative exchanges, shared visions and connections of the contemporary brands we had been covering throughout our careers. This led us to develop the concept for our book, structured around two chapters: Dynamic Duos and Generational Gems.
Dynamic Duos explores the alchemy of partnership—married couples, siblings, parents and children, and friends whose complementary talents and perspectives have given rise to some of the most compelling contemporary creations.
Generational Gems celebrates continuity and evolution, highlighting those who have jewelry in their DNA: designers who learned from trailblazing predecessors and built their reputations by balancing heritage with innovation. It also showcases a new generation of talent—individuals who have inherited knowledge and passion from those before them and are now forging their own paths with modern sensibilities, new technologies, and evolving techniques.
Some of the brands featured in each chapter share aspects of their dynamics and relationships, in their own words:
Dynamic Duos
Tomer Michaelin & Tanya Michaelin Relationship: Husband and wife
“We share a great friendship and a beautiful marriage. Together, we have built a family and established a jewelry brand. We also share hobbies, chores, dreams, ideas... pretty much everything in our lives and work,” says Tomer. Tayna adds, “We are both very visual and imaginative people, and it turned out that we are best at brainstorming ideas together. When we are together, we just pull out this creative force from one another and it doesn’t matter if it’s a piece of jewelry, a rose garden, or a perfectly executed strawberry pie.”
Jessica Busiashvili & Michael Busiashvili Relationship: Siblings
“The brand is just the two of us, so we work very closely together. We first share a vision—the excitement and madness of creation; then we share the duty—the cost, the anxiety. I have learned there is no such thing as a role when we are in a period of ‘it’s gotta get done.’” Jessica continues, “I tend to think big, with long-term ideas, while Michael is often the one saying, ‘let’s build upon the smaller steps to get there.’ The beauty is that we are in sync with each other.” Michael jumps in, “Jess is a dreamer, and I am a realist. Supporting her creative vision has been the most rewarding experience of my life and has shown me that even realists can be dreamers too.”
Ari Madilian & Corina Madilian Relationship: Husband and Wife
Corina talks about how her and Ari met, “we had mutual friends who introduced us. After our initial meeting, we kept running into one another, always in unexpected locations. It was so random! Los Angeles is huge so it felt like serendipity after it happened multiple times.” She continues, 'We were dating and both knew where our relationship was heading and wanted to build something together. We each had different skill sets that we felt would complement one another.' Ari adds, “I love designing together. Collaborating with Corina is most exciting for me as we share creative ideas and a partnership that has allowed us to grow and evolve the business which I started one year before we met. I am not sure I could have come this far without her.”
Mollie Faith Good & Stephanie Walters Abramow Relationship: Friends
“We met while working at another fine-jewelry house. We immediately clicked —not just as friends but as creatives with a shared vision,” Stephanie explains, “Mollie is the designer and creative force behind the collection, handling jewelry design, social media, the website, and all things visual. I manage operations, retail partnerships, and the business side of the company. For the first five-plus years, we consulted each other on every decision, but now we trust each other in our respective roles, with support from our team." Molly says, “When we started, we were hyper-focused on a core concept—bold links and mixed metals. Over time, we’ve introduced new materials, textures, and design directions while maintaining the DNA of Walters Faith.”
Generational Gems
Nadine Aysoy
Third generation, designer
“My grandfather P.N. Ferstenberg was a sightholder for De Beers, created a diamond-cutting factory with about 300 workers, and trading offices in Antwerp, Tel Aviv, New York, and Sydney. In the ’60s and ’70s, he was the main supplier of diamonds to companies such as Bulgari and the King of Belgium. We used to have lunch at my father and grandfather’s office twice a week when I was in school. My sisters and I used to play with the stones and also helped to create the special paper envelopes. Because I was still young, it felt totally normal to me to be surrounded by diamonds.” Nadine explains how she went into finance and then came back to jewelry years later. “I always wanted to study gemology. Then, due to life changes, I finally followed my passion when I turned 50. However, I realized that I preferred jewelry making to the profession of gemologist or diamond dealer. I created my brand under my married name so as to become known on my own for my contribution to the industry. I found that it is never too late to start a new career or activity at any age, as long as you have a passion and are willing to take risks, follow your heart, and grow.”
Omi Nagpal, Preeti Nagpal, Niveet Nagpal ,First, fifth, and sixth generation, Founders of Omi Gems and President of Omi Gems and Omi Privé
Omi reflects, “I have learned, when you first join a family business, you spend time asking questions, gaining knowledge, displaying patience while listening to the more experienced family members until you have enough experience yourself and find your niche." Niveet lets us in on part of the family’s secret of success , “My father always says, ‘Don’t worry.’ He can even say ‘Don’t worry’ in several different languages. His optimistic and humble nature keeps us all grounded” he adds, “The world has evolved with technology. Yet the relationships we build are still vital—business done with a handshake—and the passion for what we do is the same as it has always been and will continue to be.”
Selim Mouzannar, Ranwa Mouzannar, Namir Mouzannar, third and fourth generation, CEO & COO, Brand Manager, and Head of Laboratory and Workshop Innovation
“Initially, I resisted the idea of joining the family business,” Selim confides, “I had dreams of becoming a journalist. However, my family’s heritage in the jewelry trade ultimately drew me back and I found my passion in the world of design and craftsmanship.” His daughter Ranwa adds, “My passion was in gastronomy and hotels, so I began my studies and career in that field. However, I eventually decided to return home and join the family business. The skills I acquired during my hotel management studies and work have proven invaluable. Namir, Selim’s son, explains, “Encouraged to explore my own interests, I was drawn to science and the challenge of understanding how things work. Studying mathematics sharpened my analytical thinking, which naturally led me to the fascinating world of gemstones and the family business."
Selim concludes, “While we have maintained the core principles of traditional jewelry-making, we’ve introduced a more emotional and creative approach. Our aim is to inject more joy and contemporary elements into the designs, all while honoring the craftsmanship and techniques passed down through the generations."
Demetra Lalaounis
Third generation, CEO International
“At the dawn of the jet-set age in the 1960s, and with personalities such as Aristotle and Jackie Onassis putting the spotlight on Greece, my father, Ilias, set out to reimagine ancient Greek artifacts and transform them into contemporary jewelry creations,” Demetra says. “My earliest memories are of my three sisters and me, in our original workshop at the foot of the Acropolis, hammering away; more often than not, deconstructing rather than creating anything, but always with great zeal and passion.” In talking about the four sisters’ approach today, Demetra continues, “We have built on traditions rather than change them and continue to use all our hand-crafted signature techniques. It means a lot that we can work with jewelers associated with our company for generations, who pass their expertise and traditions to the younger ones.” The company believes in empowering women, bringing in more female jewelers to the company. Demetra concludes, “since the 1980s, we have used family members as models for our marketing campaigns. This was quite unconventional at the time but became a trademark and forged an unexpected connection between our clients and the LALAoUNIS brand.”
