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Excuse My Grandma While We Talk Jewelry with Stephanie Gottlieb · Excuse My Grandma

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to another episode of Excuse My Grandma. It's Kim and my cohost.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Grandma Gail.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: And this week, we are joined by a very special guest, Stephanie Gottlieb. If you aren't familiar, she's a New York City based jewelry designer. She started her business in 2013. I wanna hear all about that and has a lot of Instagram followers as well. I was just showing grandma some of her beautiful posts.
• 0:40
  And, yeah, we're so excited to have her today. So thanks, Stephanie. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: I'm excited because I love everything she has.
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: Yes. We love talking jewelry. But first, let's get a little bit about you, where you're living, your relationship status, all of that.
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: Sure. So I started my business in 2013. It was my first job right out of well, my first job right out of college was in the Diamond District. That was my intro to this world. And it was actually an internship that was meant to be just for the summer.
• 1:12
  I was applying to all of these glamorous jobs at magazines that I thought I wanted to have. And after two months of working with diamonds every day and learning about this industry, I was totally hooked. And I ended up staying with that company for five years. So during that time, I kind of took everything in, learned the ins and outs of the wholesale part of the diamond industry. And then after that time, felt like there was just more opportunity to be in front of a customer that felt more familiar to me and to be designing for the woman that I really was.
• 1:47
  So I left in 2013 and started my business. And at that time, it was word-of-mouth, friends and friends of friends, and this was all happening at the same time that Instagram became a platform that businesses were starting to use. And, you know, it became this portfolio of images of all the things I was working on and the fun projects I had completed, and slowly, slowly that word-of-mouth, you know, turned into something much bigger.
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: Where do you manufacture, Stephanie?
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: So we I have kept a lot of my manufacturing on 47th Street since that really is my background, and because it's so high touch, I'm able to really communicate and work closely with my jewelers there. But a lot of our pieces are also made overseas, just nature of the beast.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: Whether they're from Italy or from
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: Far East.
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: Exactly, Italy and Thailand. Thailand, yeah. So we have a whole range of manufacturing partners that we work with.
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: Right. Yeah.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: So it's been a while since you first started. How do you think jewelry trends have changed since then?
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: Well, you know, what's interesting is that I've changed so much over twelve years. So things that I loved twelve years ago are not things that I love or wear now. And I think that my woman has evolved with me. So in the beginning and to this day, something that I was always known for was color. I was always very much into rainbow, almost obsessively into rainbow, and that was a huge part of what I think drew people in initially was that I did it in such an over the top way, like truly head to toe.
• 3:24
  And over the years, that's become more muted and more color blocked and a little bit more elevated. But still, you know, speaking to that colorful lifestyle, I think is something that people resonate with. And I saw this particularly during COVID when people were really down and having those moments and glimpses of happiness, whether it be big diamonds or colorful clothing and all of it in between, I think brought people joy. And it was something that we could build a community around. And so now you'll see doses of rainbow in the collection, but it's done in a in a different way, a lot less in your face.
• 4:00
  But I think having those doses of color in your life is important, and I think it's something that resonates with our customer. I don't think jewelry trends change as quickly as ready to wear does, which is nice.
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: Heavens.
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: And yes. Thank thank goodness because you're you're investing in these pieces. Fine jewelry is not really trend driven so much as, you know, materials and color schemes and and things that evolve over a lifetime. But what I think is most interesting is how quickly things swing back in jewelry. So, you know, things that were very much in fashion when I started in this business, like the diamond by the yard chains that then kind of quieted and we didn't see any of them and then they came back Or diamond hoops that were all I sold in my first two, three years of business, and then we saw no diamond hoops, and now they're coming back.
• 4:50
  So it's it's nice that you can consider fine jewelry a true investment because, yes, it will have cycles and moments where it's more on trend than others, but it never really goes away.
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: Right. Yeah. I feel like that's the kind of thing. It's just whatever your personal style is, you can kind of reflect that with jewelry pieces. But I do feel like I've seen, like, certain, I don't know, hoop shapes.
• 5:13
  I don't know if this is fine jewelry. Yeah. Or stacking necklaces versus having, a dainty little thing. Like, where are you supposed to find inspo for that?
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: So, I mean, to be honest, Instagram is a great place to find that inspiration or Pinterest or, you know, the ready to wear brands do a great job of layering in jewelry so that you can really experience the lifestyle of the woman. And I think that's what I've really used the platform for is to show not just a pretty piece of jewelry, but how you can incorporate it into your daily life. And so styling is a big part of
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: that. And I also think, Kim, from my point of view, when I see young people, if you're going to a job or you're going out in a big city, you don't necessarily want the big splashy piece that you might have wanted to go out for dinner years ago. So everything is a little more subtle, a little more almost costumey looking so it doesn't really look real real. The big beautiful colored earrings with small stones that of course Jars from Paris made famous years ago, you're now seeing costume jewelry and it's fun to wear. I think people are less serious now, in their jewelry.
• 6:26
  In the old days, it used to be the big ring and the big studs were something that people aspired to. Now, it's sort of a little bit you can get five little tiny earrings in your ear and look great. Yeah.
• 6:37
  Speaker 3: And I think, you know, that's really the motto of our brand is that every day is an occasion to sparkle. So we're not about selling you a $200,000 piece that has to sit in your drawer because you have nowhere to go. I mean, look at how people dress for theater versus twenty years ago and the occasions just aren't there to wear those huge serious pieces. So let's elevate the more playful everyday pieces and make them fun, make them special, investment worthy, but something that is very wearable.
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: Right.
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: I agree with that.
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: Yeah. And what do you think about people wanting something more timeless? Especially, I hear friends say that with engagement rings and things like that. Do you think there's something to say about having a timeless piece? Or is it like be of the moment trendy, and then it will end up being timeless fifty years from now?
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: From the
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: still good. Well, that's the thing. When you're buying an engagement ring, the center stone is really your your big investment. Mhmm. So I've always been a fan of leaning into whatever it is in the moment that you're loving because the setting can change.
• 7:45
  And I'm not suggesting you change it every year, but every five, ten years to give a ring new life, I'm all about that. And so from the beginning, my bridal has always been very playful, much of the trend because it should be a reflection of where you are now. I don't think you necessarily have to think about where you'll be in ten, twenty years when you're picking your engagement ring. Think about that in terms of the stone. What shape do you really love?
• 8:12
  And then there's so much you can do with the setting to adjust it to your I
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: want to know about your proposal story
• 8:19
  Speaker 3: and your ring as well. Okay. So this is fun. I was working for this diamond wholesale company on 47th Street, and every few months I would find something new that I loved, and I would save it to my computer at home, which I shared with my boyfriend at the time. We were living together.
• 8:38
  And just to back up, my boyfriend and I are high school sweethearts, went to college together.
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: She loves
• 8:43
  Speaker 3: and then moved in after college.
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: So we
• 8:46
  Speaker 3: had been together forever. So there was no real question of whether we were getting married. It just wasn't something we had really spoken about. But of course, I'm working with diamonds every day and playing with jewels. So I would save rings that I like to the computer, and they would change every few months.
• 9:03
  And so at the time, it was this rose gold split shank ring. Nobody was Explain for the viewers, please,
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: what a split And me. I will. What a split I will.
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: Shank ring.
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: Okay. So first of all, rose gold was not trending at all. Nobody was wearing rose gold yet, and that is exactly the reason that I loved it because I felt like if I'm working in this industry and I want my ring to feel special, then it has to be something very different than everything I've made for everybody else. So I chose rose gold, and then a split shank is like two rows of diamonds that taper outwards.
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: Okay.
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: So it's wide at the top and tapers down the finger. And I had nothing in rose gold, like absolutely nothing.
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: So nothing
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: goes with it. Exactly.
• 9:48
  Speaker 3: So my then boyfriend knew that I would want another piece in rose to match it or I would not be happy having the ring until I got the whole set, the wedding band too. He's well trained, wow. He was. He is. He still is.
• 10:01
  So when he proposed, he woke me up at like 7AM earlier than I needed to be to get ready for work. And my first instinct was to shoo him away. Like, I've got an hour. Leave me alone. And then he nudged me again, and he had this red Cartier box.
• 10:20
  So of course, I sit up. Like, Okay. Let's still wait. And I open the box, and there's a love bracelet inside. And it's engraved BG Heart SG, our initials, April 2632.
• 10:32
  So cute. Is so nice. What's it for? What's April 26?
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: Wait, was your maiden name also G? No. Oh, Okay.
• 10:41
  Speaker 3: I didn't pick up on So that, I said, what is April 26? And he said, it's the day I asked you to marry me.
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: Aw.
• 10:47
  Speaker 3: So now I had this rose gold love bracelet. And then he brings out the rose gold ring. And so those were my first two rose gold pieces. So sweet. And we had plans to travel to LA, which we always used to do during college together.
• 11:02
  And we celebrated there. But that was our
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: Then did you keep that setting even now?
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: I have the setting still. Yes.
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: So you like you you you're married to the rose gold, you're still happy with it.
• 11:12
  Speaker 3: So I have shifted away from rose I
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: knew you were gonna say that.
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: But I have a whole set of rose gold things. And I will, of course, come back to them at some point in time. Right now, I'm feeling yellow, and I have upgraded my ring a couple of times for different occasions. I have two children, so I've gotten different rings with each. And I'm I'm building a collection that I, you know, hopefully I have forever and pass down to my children one day.
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: Very nice.
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: Yeah. It's nice when it has that sentimental value as well.
• 11:41
  Speaker 3: I think there's so much sentiment that's wrapped up in jewelry and it is one of those things that you really can hold onto for a lifetime and pass down and we see so much of that. You know, I have so many clients who are in their 20s and 30s bringing in pieces that their grandmother left or that their mother gave them and we repurpose them and give them new life and make it feel like something that belongs to this new wearer, but it always has that sentimental attachment to the original Totally.
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: I did that with mommy. I gave a lot of my mother's jewelry to your mom but I made it modern so she could wear it. They are funny earrings but they were originally serious earrings but they become different. It's because you want to pass these things down. When you spend no matter what time the jewelry was bought, it was always expensive.
• 12:34
  So you would hope that your children and grandchildren and great grandchildren will have
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: it. Think all my jewelry stories is important. Passed down from you or mom. Well, not
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: at all.
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: Well, kind of. I mean, than, like, graduation gifts from but things like and then I wear that stuff every day, but it's, a mix and a I love all the big eighties clip on earrings Well, that your that's that mom gave me.
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: And then are mine. No, that you gave mom. Well, I never pierced my ears, so I have to give it to the granddaughters willing to wear clips.
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's so painful. Some of them are. Some of them are just like, it hurts. Even if you put the little padding
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: It slip on doesn't bother me. I guess my
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: ears Some are heavier than
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: others You're right.
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: We were talking a little bit before about depending on your age, kind of how to make the jewelry style applicable to you. Wanted to hear your thoughts on that.
• 13:32
  Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean, even from when I started my business to now, the things that I wear are different. And I've seen a lot of my friends, you know, when you get engaged, you are obsessed with the ring and it has to be everywhere and you wanna show it off and you're so proud of it. And then I think you have kids and you're busier and your hands are dirtier and you stop wearing the ring and now you just wear your wedding band. So it's not that the things become less important, it's just that your life changes.
• 14:01
  And I think over a lifetime, the things that you wear and care about shift a little you know, I'm sure you have beautiful pieces in your collection that
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: you do don't wear anymore.
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: And I don't wear them at all. So, you know, that's the one thing. The ring, a ring you always do wear. You save it to go out for dinner. Right.
• 14:21
  That you wear. The wedding band, you tend to wear more, you know, every day, whether it be a excuse me, a diamond or a gold.
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah. But I'm wondering, like, accessories. I feel like there's certain pieces that you're like, this is kinda matronly for someone in their twenties, but maybe not.
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: And then Like, Louis is never matronly.
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: I don't know. Like, but you wouldn't wear giant, like, gold hoops. No. A big gold hoop wouldn't look great on someone who's 80, but that could be, like I could be wrong.
• 14:52
  Speaker 3: I don't know. I kinda feel like there is the right woman who can pull that off. And it you know, I think what's cool about jewelry is that it can transport you to a time and a place and remind you of a person. And, you know, it's like a smell in that way, like it's, you know, a perfume. It just it kinda takes you there.
• 15:12
  So I think why not have grandma wearing the big hoops that remind her of her younger days?
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: Right. If that was your vibe.
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: No, it's very interesting. The jewelry that I really still love to wear and I do wear it is all the pieces that were handed down from the 40s. I have a lot of deco pieces that I just adore because the workmanship, I have a charm cuff that they were only made for a short period of time in the 40s and they're beautiful and it's timeless, just like a ring is really timeless, a solitaire. And I remember my mother-in-law who passed on many years ago had a beautiful emerald engagement ring and I always thought why emerald?' and she said 'because that was my favorite stone' and then she added as the years went on and I was married at the time she added sort of another stone next to it in a regular clear white diamond.
• 16:08
  Speaker 3: I love that.
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: So it was a great look. I don't know where that ring is. Didn't know. Yeah, what the heck? I think Poppy's brother has that ring because I think they gave it to him to think he was gonna get engaged.
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: But he didn't. He didn't. Someone's gotta sign that ring.
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: He has the ring.
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: He's just wearing it?
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: I don't know. I'm sure he's not.
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: Okay. Let's ink fire after this. Okay. Let's move on to the Grandma Report. So we're gonna talk about some articles, one in In style and one in Vogue, talking about two Stone engagement rings.
• 16:44
  Right. Good segue. That's good. Jackie Kennedy had one in 1953. Was Van popular.
• 16:51
  But now celebrities like Emrada, Megan Fox, we've seen it be a trend. And it makes sense that people want something unique. But what are
• 17:00
  Speaker 3: your thoughts? So for my second child's birth, which was in 2020, I designed myself a toi moi ring with two stones. One was a heart and one was a pear shape.
• 17:13
  Speaker 2: And
• 17:15
  Speaker 3: that really started a huge wave of two stone interest for us. And I would say for the two years following, a huge influx of interest in two stone rings. And this was everything from two diamonds, a diamond and a gemstone, two different gemstones. So there were price points for everybody. We were doing minis and big ones.
• 17:38
  And even a lot of people were bringing in their old engagement rings that they weren't wearing and saying, I I wanna give this new life, and we would add a diamond or a gemstone to it. So I personally love it. I still wear mine all the time. It was rose gold. I've since changed it to platinum because I wear that now for my more dressy occasions.
• 18:00
  It's cool. I think most people find some symbolism in the two stones. I think initially it's meant to be a representation of you and your partner. For me, it's a representation of my two kids, and I know that each of them will get one of those stones one day. So I think there's really something special to that.
• 18:19
  From an overall value perspective, when a client is considering one big stone or two smaller stones, There's definitely trade offs each way. But you definitely get a bigger overall impression when you have two stones And side by people really liked that. And there's definitely a lot of talking points about why you chose those two different shapes or two different colors. And I think it's just a really fun way to bring conversation into the jewelry too. Mhmm.
• 18:48
  Speaker 2: I think it's I think it's pretty, but not as a first ring.
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: I agree. I really no. Really I have a having side stones. Right. Like, don't
• 18:57
  Speaker 3: know Fair enough. What Those to are definitely more traditional.
• 18:59
  Speaker 2: Yes. Think a traditional first ring, and then hopefully you get many rings.
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 19:03
  Speaker 3: Right. Well, so we actually I'm not wearing it today. I should have been. But I love the combination of two different shaped diamonds. I think it's really interesting.
• 19:13
  So I built out an entire collection called the Undecided Collection. And it used it used rounds and emerald cuts. The first piece was an eternity band that I designed for myself. So top half was rounds, bottom half was emeralds. And as the ring is moving on your finger, you're getting different versions of sparkle.
• 19:32
  And so that's something we built out into studs. So now you're wearing one in one and a pendant. And so there are different ways to eventually kind of break that up into two pieces and refashion it. And there's also something fun to that too.
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: Totally. I love that.
• 19:48
  Speaker 2: I love that. That's great. Now, do you you don't work with your husband?
• 19:52
  Speaker 3: I don't.
• 19:53
  Speaker 2: No. Because
• 19:53
  Speaker 3: that's It is good.
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: It's good.
• 19:55
  Speaker 3: Some days I think I would love to have him in my business. Right. And he's, you know, my unofficial board of trustees. Yeah. But
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: He's a
• 20:04
  Speaker 3: husband of
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: the board.
• 20:04
  Speaker 3: It is nice to have that separation. And actually, our offices are across the street from one another, so we commute But yeah, we have our own thing. Very cool. Yeah, I
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: love that. Okay, so the second article is twenty twenty five Ring Trend Predictions.
• 20:21
  Speaker 2: The thing is Maybe they'll bring mine back. Maybe. Well, actually, Marquee is coming back.
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: Oh my god. Held it long enough. You're Four years, I
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: knew it was gonna come back.
• 20:32
  Speaker 3: So Selena Gomez got engaged with the Marquee earlier this year.
• 20:35
  Speaker 2: I know, but mine's bigger than hers.
• 20:36
  Speaker 3: Well, saw I mean, bigger the better, right?
• 20:40
  Speaker 2: I know. Alright. So, oh, I'm coming back. Wait. What else is happening there?
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: Platinum was one of the things that were predicted. I don't know if you're seeing that as well. Platinum's always the choice.
• 20:51
  Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah.
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: When does expensive. I don't know
• 20:54
  Speaker 3: if it is anymore. It's it's regulated. I mean, gold is up so much, so there the difference isn't all that different. Yeah.
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: Segue quickly, like, when you're styling an outfit like you're wearing today, how do you choose whether you're gonna do mixed metals, gold, platinum?
• 21:09
  Speaker 3: So my mom used to tell me I'm queen Elizabeth because I'm matchy matchy everything. So, like, if my shoe has a little silver detail, then all the jewelry has to be silver for me. I've done better at doing two tone and mixed metals, and I actually I wear this stack every day that's got all three.
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: I told you that, Kimmy. You mix it. So everybody mixes it.
• 21:29
  Speaker 3: This is my way of being like, alright, I match everything because I've got it But all I would say yellow is my go to for every day and white is my go to for evening. Is there truth to like, if
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: you have certain coloring, skin tone, hair, to like wear gold or silver?
• 21:46
  Speaker 3: I think rose gold is the only one that's tricky.
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: If you're
• 21:49
  Speaker 3: very fair, I think rose gold can But kind of be washed no, not really. Okay.
• 21:56
  Speaker 2: Both look good.
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah. Another one, colored gemstones, which is great. You know what I love? The martini ring you have.
• 22:04
  Speaker 3: It's a good one.
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: It's sick. Thank you.
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: I feel sorry for everybody that's watching us
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: or listening to They're going go on
• 22:11
  Speaker 2: our Instagram.
• 22:12
  Speaker 3: Oh, Don't forget. You can find it all on Step
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: cut diamonds. What is that? Step cut's like
• 22:18
  Speaker 3: the emerald or the asher. Again, emerald is one of the two most classic choices for engagement rings, so I wouldn't consider that a trend. Okay.
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: Interesting.
• 22:29
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and same with platinum.
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: Right, and
• 22:32
  Speaker 2: oval was very big for a while. Oval We never really loved oval, a lot of my friends that as they got older got a bigger ring, they went with the oval to
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: And Grandma talked behind your back and
• 22:43
  Speaker 2: said it wasn't. No, I didn't talk. Still beautiful. It wouldn't be my choice.
• 22:51
  Speaker 3: Imperfection. Yeah. So this is an interesting and hot topic. And colored stones and champagne, I think we're seeing a shift towards those for the same reason. I don't wanna talk too much about lab grown because we don't sell it and Yeah.
• 23:05
  Speaker 2: It's not true.
• 23:05
  Speaker 3: And I don't wanna give it so much airtime. But I will say for those who want to buy natural, there has been some shift towards slightly more yellow or champagne diamonds because that is one way you can know that it it is a natural diamond. They don't make lab grown champagne or yellow. Oh, that's interesting. So that's one way that I know that if you're wearing that, I know that you're wearing natural.
• 23:28
  And I think there's something to that. So interesting. And then just with the way lab grown has sort of defeated the confidence of the buyer about diamonds, there's just so much confusion, and I think the younger generation doesn't quite understand what the difference is. So they are going towards gemstones that they feel like they have a little bit more confidence in.
• 23:48
  Speaker 2: And also a return, I mean it's still something of value that you have. The other, I mean, may be valuable when you're buying and it looks pretty but I don't think it has an intrinsic value, I don't think. Maybe it will down the road. And I was just going to say a cute story. Years and years ago when I was going to get my ring, my friend who sold me my actual ring said I have the most gorgeous and I was just about 39, going to be 40.
• 24:15
  And I had the most gorgeous pink diamond. In those days, he was a very large diamond importer, especially from Russia, which I don't think they do anymore. But anyway, my husband called me and he says, 'He's got a pink diamond for you that is so beautiful,' he said. I said, what am I going to wear with pink?' You wear pink so much. I want you to know that was probably the dumbest thing I ever did in the world because I would be so rich now I wouldn't even talk to to anybody and I didn't buy it.
• 24:47
  Passed on it and got a white diamond, a clear diamond and it's beautiful. But I always think about that how dumb was I? I think something sold at Sotheby's is small like a six carat for millions and millions of dumb. Oh my gosh. So I was not meant to be a diamond.
• 25:04
  Speaker 3: You would have been wearing it today with your pink sweater.
• 25:07
  Speaker 2: I would have definitely and I always wear pink which
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: is so funny. And pink could literally go with anything.
• 25:11
  Speaker 2: I said it couldn't go with anything. I told your grandfather, I said, How
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: can I wear pink? It goes with nothing. Oh no, that's sad. But yeah, that's really interesting because I would think like if it's slightly yellow or whatever it
• 25:24
  Speaker 2: is No, that's different. Not slightly yellow. You have to have a yellow stone. Slightly yellow stone.
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: What am I talking about?
• 25:30
  Speaker 3: Slightly off white is what we would call it. It it is it's more yellow on the scale, but still technically considered a white diamond. Right. Oh, really? But for the younger generation who's making a decision how they're going to spend these first big dollars, I think there is something to knowing that you're buying natural, knowing that what you're buying is going to hold value.
• 25:54
  Speaker 2: But it's
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: still less expensive than would be.
• 25:58
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Well don't they have I don't know if the yellows do but I remember when we were buying, you had to have a GI because that really told you and that piece of paper you never had to show the stone. Was basically each diamond is different and the stone was really, you know, that piece of paper represented what you But
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: the point is you're not carrying that around and we're in a more judgmental time where people are posting their rings on Instagram. Well, shouldn't do that. But but you're not gonna know, like, what it is. And there's something almost, like, status about showing, yes, I have a real diamond.
• 26:32
  Speaker 3: Okay. Well, so this is a good question because you are young. Yeah. And you don't have a ring yet. Correct.
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: Thanks for reminding me. Sorry. No. I'm kidding.
• 26:41
  Speaker 3: If it were up to you Yeah. Within a certain budget, knowing that you could get something that is three times the size but lab grown
• 26:50
  Speaker 2: Yep.
• 26:50
  Speaker 3: Or much smaller, but natural.
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: 100% natural, don't even have to finish the
• 26:55
  Speaker 3: And that's how I feel. And that's how our clients feel. But there is a very large population of people who see size, and they're getting a nicer quality and they're okay that it's not natural. And, you know, I'm not here to judge either decision. It's to each their own.
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: Right. You care about different things.
• 27:11
  Speaker 3: Yes. Like having But I do think if you see a 20 year old walking around with a six carat ring You don't believe it.
• 27:18
  Speaker 2: You know, something's Well, was she married very well?
• 27:21
  Speaker 3: And good for her.
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: Bad luck. Good for her. We know a couple who have that. So good for her. I'm proud.
• 27:27
  Mhmm.
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: Okay. The other quick ones, asymmetry and art deco influence.
• 27:33
  Speaker 3: Yep. Yeah. I think again, just kind of people are looking for things that feel different, Yeah. More You know, everyone is sharing their rings on Instagram. So how many round pave bands can you see?
• 27:45
  You know, it's people want something that feels more unique and and really speaks to their personality.
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: Makes sense. Yeah. Okay. Let's do Grandma Gale's voicemails. So this listener wrote in a story that they want all of our advice on.
• 28:05
  Okay. Hi, Kim and Grandma Gail. Huge fans of the podcast and everything you do. I'm in a bit of a situation with my best friend where I don't know if I should speak up or let her live her life. She's been going out with this guy for two months but doesn't see marrying him because he never wants kids and she claims he doesn't have a good job.
• 28:21
  He's also fifteen years older than us. We're 28. He wants to be boyfriend girlfriend with her but she doesn't want to label it because she doesn't want to commit and likes the attention. If she knew from the beginning he wasn't her husband, why is she still dating him? I kinda wanna tell her to cut this guy loose because it's a waste of his time and hers since she knows it's going nowhere.
• 28:41
  I personally only date someone if I see a future. How do I kindly tell her to stop leading him on or do I let her figure this one out on her own? Grandma, want
• 28:49
  Speaker 2: to Grandma's answer is mind her own business but it depends how intimate she is with this friend. It'll never come across as anything good because if the guy really turns out to be a super guy changes his mind six months down the road, then the friend has really done a disservice. So I think if the man is a nice man and not mistreating her friend, she should really mind her own business. But that's my opinion. What about you, Stephanie?
• 29:20
  Speaker 3: I think the same way. You know, if her friend is not in a situation where she's at harm, then let them. Let her come to that decision on her own.
• 29:31
  Speaker 2: And you know I often say, it also depends, I don't know how old this girl is.
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: 28.
• 29:35
  Speaker 2: Well, eight, she's wasting her time but her friend really can't tell her that. Yeah. I think it's a hard thing to tell.
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: I don't know obviously in this situation but sometimes your friends are coming to you telling you things like kind of wanting advice. So if they're asking then do you tell them the
• 29:53
  Speaker 2: truth Well and how do you say I think if they're asking that's a very different slant on the question then I would say, you know what, I think he's a nice guy but it's not really going anywhere, you don't have the same goals for a relationship and maybe you should think through it. And put it in that way, not that you're denigrating the young man because he could be a really nice person but he's not really looking for the same endgame as she is. That would be my advice.
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: That's good advice. Yeah I
• 30:22
  Speaker 3: think that's right.
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: Okay let's play the game. Should we bring it back? So this week we're going to do 1950s jewelry So let's see if we should bring this trend back into modern day. Brooches on jackets or shirts. You have a ton.
• 30:42
  Speaker 2: I have a ton. So I'm gonna say I hope we could come back. The problem is the clothes we wear don't work very often but I have a solution. If I have a dress, I can't wear with my usual sweaters and white shirts during the day but if I go out at night and put a jacket on, I always put a pin on. If I have a dress and the pins tend to be a little heavy, they're not delicate, I attach it to the bra so that it stays in place because the pins are so beautiful.
• 31:14
  I hope they do come back, I don't know if they will. I
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: haven't necessarily seen it on a young person like maybe on a blazer.
• 31:23
  Speaker 2: Well they put it on their hip. Sometimes I've seen them move the axes and put it down. They connect it to the dress, they wear it in a different position than what it's supposed to be. It could be very trendy but you'd hate to put a very expensive pin on your hip and then it falls off during the evening.
• 31:40
  Speaker 3: Yes, I have two thoughts. One, we're seeing a ton of men wearing brooches.
• 31:45
  Speaker 2: Yes. Saw that on the
• 31:46
  Speaker 3: Oscars, And that by the I am all about. I love that for them. Mhmm. The other thing is a brooch can could be converted to a pendant. So I think for someone who has a lot of them, it's not that they don't go bad just because no one's wearing I think they can be used in other ways.
• 32:05
  But I am curious to see what happens because the Met Gala theme is suiting this year. So I think we will see a lot of That'll lapel be good. Embellishment, and that will be nice to see if it trickles down into, you know, the fashion
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: trends. On that note, when it comes to red carpet, celebrity fashion,
• 32:25
  Speaker 2: do
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: you see those jewelry trends on the
• 32:28
  Speaker 3: same page as for the everyday person and setting that? Red carpet is such a it's such an anomaly. It's like this own fairytale version of a world that doesn't really exist. I think, you know, you see whatever the bigger brands are trying to push from their catalog essentially, but those things don't usually trickle down into the everyday jewelry.
• 32:53
  Speaker 2: Saw that's one of the conversations we had about the Oscars the other night. These women are wearing dresses that are hundreds of thousands of dollars. Nobody out there is going to wear those dresses.
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: You can do the accessible version.
• 33:06
  Speaker 2: Yes, you can but the truth is no one's wearing an emerald choker to go for dinner or to anywhere. I mean, they're magnificent and all the jewelry Well, what I'm maybe. I don't think it's going to happen. I think it's specifically for those high profile women. We're not selling jewelry.
• 33:31
  I'm sure Stephanie is not looking to sell one piece of jewelry, she's looking to sell a vast community beautiful things and so it has to be wearable. Different categories, some are less, some are more but still wearable.
• 33:45
  Speaker 3: I do think some of our brides are inspired by red carpet fashion.
• 33:49
  Speaker 2: That could be.
• 33:50
  Speaker 3: You know, because that is one moment where you are the most extroversion And so, you know, even something like wearing a necklace backwards because you've got a big open back. Like, that's maybe something a bride wouldn't think of unless she had seen that on a red And so it does inspire this more fantastical version of what you could do. So in that way I think we can see it in some bridal trends. Makes sense.
• 34:18
  Speaker 1: That's interesting. Yeah. Okay. Next one, matching jewelry sets, like matching earrings
• 34:23
  Speaker 2: Sweets.
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: And necklaces. I love
• 34:24
  Speaker 2: it. Sweets.
• 34:24
  Speaker 1: It's called sweets?
• 34:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah. It used to be called sweets. I don't know. Stephanie knows Yeah.
• 34:28
  Speaker 3: I'm I am all about it. And like I said, I'm matchy matchy, so I I love it. I think it's fun.
• 34:33
  Speaker 2: My grandmother used to like that, how to be a sweet.
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: So interesting. I don't think I've seen that or have anything that much.
• 34:40
  Speaker 2: No. Well, you'd have to have
• 34:41
  Speaker 1: earrings Oh, I should like and that. A Yeah. Right. Like if you wear clover earrings with a clover. Yeah.
• 34:46
  Speaker 3: Yeah. Exactly.
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: I guess I do that. So Mhmm. Let's bring it back.
• 34:51
  Speaker 2: Some of them are beautiful, they are truly beautiful. And again, you have to have a place to go in them. So if they're toned down and not the grand ones then they absolutely could be worn with a shirt, a sweater, a
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: little cotton dress. Okay, last one, which they kind of are back in a way, but pearls. I love pearls.
• 35:13
  Speaker 2: Me too.
• 35:14
  Speaker 3: I think they're great. We are introducing more pearls into the collection because I I think they have a place in fashion jewelry. Think it's It's not something I would purchase first if
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: I were
• 35:27
  Speaker 3: starting to build my collection, but once you have the basics of your diamond tennis necklace and studs, I think pearls are a fun place to go to.
• 35:35
  Speaker 1: And how do you envision wearing them? Is it chunkier? Is it a few strands?
• 35:42
  Speaker 3: So I love a pearl drop earring, I think, is really fun. For me, pearls feel very vacation focused. So white t shirt and a pearl drop earring or a pearl that's got a big chunky gold pendant on it. There are definitely ways to make it feel younger.
• 35:59
  Speaker 1: I have
• 35:59
  Speaker 3: my mom's pearls that I wear in ways that she would never. But it makes them feel like they belong in
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: my wardrobe. That's cooler than, like, with a tweed suit and a Right?
• 36:11
  Speaker 3: Wouldn't do just, you know, the classic pearl strand. Although, like, there is a time and a place for that.
• 36:15
  Speaker 1: Right. Yeah. Okay. I think we're bringing some of this stuff back, which is Bring it back.
• 36:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Come on. Bring it back. Come into my closet.
• 36:23
  Speaker 1: Okay. Let's do our ask grandma anything. Just a few quick, like, rapid fire questions that everyone wrote in on Instagram. So first one is can you explain the four C's?
• 36:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Stephanie can.
• 36:40
  Speaker 3: I can. Can Grandma?
• 36:42
  Speaker 2: I remember it a little bit. Think it was let me see. I think it was color first, then clarity. Does the order matter? No.
• 36:52
  Okay. Then I don't know what the Think of the shape. Oh, well, that's on the c then.
• 36:59
  Speaker 1: Well, there's a c word for it.
• 37:00
  Speaker 2: Oh, there is? Alright. Well, alright. I'm gonna hand it over. The cut.
• 37:04
  Speaker 3: The cut refers Oh, to
• 37:06
  Speaker 2: right. Right. Right. And what was the And the carrot. Alright.
• 37:11
  Speaker 1: So next one is should the girl get to pick what she wants or should it be a surprise?
• 37:21
  Speaker 2: You know, today it's very different. We've talked about this with some guys. I think we've talked about this before. From my vantage point, I think the girls should input in now because you're basically living together. When I got engaged, nobody did that and you got what your fiance brought you.
• 37:40
  Speaker 3: What your fiance's mother probably picked Right,
• 37:42
  Speaker 2: I got engaged with the Wellesley ring which I've discussed many times and I still have in the vault and it was the closest I ever got
• 37:48
  Speaker 1: That to wasn't a diamond, right?
• 37:49
  Speaker 2: No, was a blue enamel, it was a Wellesley graduation with little pearls. Because my husband was still in school at the time, this is a very different time and he was still in graduate school so when he got out of school was the day we got married, he got me a ring. I wasn't worried, the ring was coming. You know, there's much more pressure on rings now today. We didn't have social media where we were showing everybody our engagement ring But Stephanie, you tell me.
• 38:16
  Speaker 3: I think that she should have a choice. Most of our couples come in together and learn and make initial selections together, and then generally, he or she would come back separately to make an actual purchase. Don't know that I wouldn't need to hand pick my stone necessarily, although I Well, you should.
• 38:39
  Speaker 2: As you should.
• 38:40
  Speaker 3: I think having input for sure.
• 38:42
  Speaker 2: I'm going ask you a question now, I'm going ask both of you. Let's say now you're getting engaged and you're living together, or maybe not living together, maybe the ones who don't live together. You see, I always think about this, how much can the young man afford? That has to be put into the dynamic because if he can only afford a certain amount, the girl can't have expectations. The expectations have to meet what he actually can put in.
• 39:11
  And do you ever have a problem with that with your Yes, small which
• 39:15
  Speaker 3: is why I think it's important to come in together and get on the same page about, okay, I know you want three carats but this is what your budget is going to get you. And now we can have a conversation. Do you want to go down in quality so that
• 39:28
  Speaker 1: you can
• 39:28
  Speaker 3: get three carats? Or do you prefer this higher quality and it's going to be slightly smaller? So knowing the trade offs
• 39:35
  Speaker 2: And you say that in front of the girl as well.
• 39:37
  Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely. I don't even necessarily need to talk numbers, it's really about leveling the playing field. This is what the budget affords, and if it's not something you're happy with, let's consider other options.
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: But does the guy tell you the budget before she comes in?
• 39:50
  Speaker 2: Yes, that's smart. That's what I was thinking because it could be very tricky now. Some girls are gonna come in and say, Oh my god, I love this four carat wing, the poor guy, he only has a certain amount to spend and he's not gonna get that.
• 40:04
  Speaker 1: Depends on the couple too of how open you are about that kind of stuff. Like, there are some people who are probably like, I'm only paying $20,000 and that's it.
• 40:11
  Speaker 2: Well, maybe that's all they can afford.
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: Right? Or, like, I like that idea of telling the jeweler, and then when she comes in, like, the ones that are laid out or whatever all
• 40:20
  Speaker 2: That's very smart.
• 40:21
  Speaker 3: In budget. You never want to look at things that are over your budget. Right. That is just not setting you up for To success.
• 40:27
  Speaker 1: And then you get to choose, like, the cut and other things that are more like just figuring out your vibe and then having the guy come back and make the decision. I like that.
• 40:38
  Speaker 2: Well, I hope everybody's listening to this suggestion. I think it's very important. Mhmm.
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: How often and what are the best methods to clean engagement rings? For me or for
• 40:49
  Speaker 2: No, for me I have to tell you, I don't even know if they make it anymore, I still have mine, it's like 80 years old. It's like a little container, they sell it in the drug stores and they have a brush and you use to brush it out like a Windex almost and you dip it in and you take it
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: out My and friends comes out sends her out. Hers out.
• 41:10
  Speaker 2: Well then, what in is the fields plowing? Mean, never should get that dirty.
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: I don't know, she wears it every day.
• 41:16
  Speaker 2: Even if you wear it every day. I mean once a week you should rinse off just because you know why you're also using cream on your hands and all this kind of stuff, right Stephanie? I don't think you need to send it out unless there's something really seriously
• 41:30
  Speaker 3: No, I mean at home jewelry cleaner or soap, water, and a toothbrush. Toothbrush, a very good old toothbrush. Know, if you have a big event and you want your brush really sparkling, sure, the jeweler can clean it for you. But generally avoiding hand lotion and perfumes and all rest shower
• 41:50
  Speaker 1: with a ring?
• 41:50
  Speaker 3: No. No. Take it off to shower, take it off to exercise, take it
• 41:54
  Speaker 2: off to sleep. You like any other piece of jewelry. Would you shower with a necklace on? I do.
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: Yeah. You do? The ones that I don't take off, like, every day.
• 42:02
  Speaker 2: Really? I I don't take them off. Oh, I I could never do that.
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: Really? Yeah. I take can barely get on the Well, that's This is my aggravated
• 42:11
  Speaker 2: big problem.
• 42:11
  Speaker 1: This is a huge problem. And I don't know if you're doing anything to address it or if it's just, like, status quo. This is what it is. Like, the clasps are so small Especially with nails. And especially with nails.
• 42:20
  Yeah. With long nails.
• 42:21
  Speaker 3: I don't have long nails, so I can't sympathize.
• 42:23
  Speaker 2: That's the problem. But you
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: can't do it on yourself. Yeah. If you
• 42:27
  Speaker 3: want I mean, if you make it bigger, then it's very heavy and then it falls to the front. So that's really the reason why you wouldn't want a big clasp.
• 42:34
  Speaker 2: Typically there are used to have a little, little clasp and I have now taken Gone in to my jeweler around the corner and put the tiny but larger one in because the old beautiful ones that are truly are prettier and they don't show anything so it looks like it's all one. As you get older especially, you can't even see it. So I do think there could be a way that the jewelers have to figure out a little easier way for women, older women, and also young women who have long nails. Fair enough. A tricky issue.
• 43:02
  Speaker 1: Maybe there's, like, some sort of technology that it just connects and looks seamless.
• 43:06
  Speaker 2: I have no idea.
• 43:07
  Speaker 1: I don't know. Okay. Maybe we'll answer some of these other ones on our Instagram stories later. Let's move on to Grandma Gale's old fashioned dating quiz. So this is rapid fire.
• 43:23
  We're gonna see if Stephanie is more old school in her thinking when it comes to relationships or more moderate. Okay. Okay. Would you rather receive a call or a text from your husband if it's just to say hi? Text.
• 43:37
  Would you sleep with someone on the first date? Oh, god.
• 43:41
  Speaker 2: But she only had one date. Basically.
• 43:43
  Speaker 3: Yeah. Fair. I really never had a dating experience So outside of high I we weren't there yet.
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 43:50
  Speaker 3: I guess no.
• 43:53
  Speaker 1: Dating apps or setups? Setups. Would you move in together before getting engaged or be married or engaged? Move in together. One person pay for the date or should you split, alternate?
• 44:09
  Speaker 3: I would alternate, I think. Interesting.
• 44:13
  Speaker 1: Okay. And would you soft or hard launch the relationship on social media or keep them off until it's, like, very serious?
• 44:21
  Speaker 3: Oh, that's a good question. I guess there would be some sort of social media involved in a young person's life. I'm trying to imagine myself before was social my life, my job.
• 44:39
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Because you post your family and your kids.
• 44:41
  Speaker 3: I do. You do?
• 44:42
  Speaker 2: I do. You don't have a problem with that? You're not worried about that?
• 44:47
  Speaker 3: I probably Yeah, should
• 44:49
  Speaker 2: I don't know.
• 44:49
  Speaker 3: I don't I haven't really thought. They're not so much on my feed as story, but they're definitely on there. Okay.
• 44:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah. I think people relate to you more, though, when they see your family and they feel like they really know you.
• 45:03
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's definitely a big piece of the community building. Yeah.
• 45:07
  Speaker 1: Mhmm.
• 45:07
  Speaker 3: It's a tricky
• 45:08
  Speaker 2: It's tricky, yes.
• 45:09
  Speaker 3: It is tricky. And as they get older, it will get harder.
• 45:12
  Speaker 1: Mhmm. I actually think you're a little more modern.
• 45:14
  Speaker 2: She is.
• 45:15
  Speaker 1: Yeah. She is.
• 45:16
  Speaker 3: Hell yeah.
• 45:16
  Speaker 1: You're on my You're on her side today.
• 45:18
  Speaker 2: That's it.
• 45:19
  Speaker 1: We never get one of those. No. We very rarely
• 45:21
  Speaker 2: get one.
• 45:22
  Speaker 1: Okay. So I just wanna end with if you have any questions or advice you want from Grandma Gail. I do. Oh. Absolutely.
• 45:28
  Speaker 3: I am curious if there is one piece of jewelry that's in your repertoire that you love the most? Like, what it And was it for a certain occasion or a self purchase or
• 45:42
  Speaker 2: I have to tell you very truthfully. The piece of jewelry, and I have several, that I wear all the time and I go to right away is my watch. Whatever I have like a series of maybe 10 or 12 that are all beautiful. And I've gotten them over the years for different occasions. I particularly like the bulgur snake bracelets.
• 46:03
  I wear them
• 46:04
  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, by every that like to every party. Well,
• 46:07
  Speaker 2: different colors. I like it. I love the look. I've always loved the snake thing. I don't tend to fall in love with anything really other than that, but I do have little Van Cleef earrings that people who watch our podcast I wear.
• 46:22
  Today I didn't wear them because I'm not wearing a gold watch.
• 46:25
  Speaker 1: But you also always wear a chunky watch. Don't have
• 46:28
  Speaker 2: the I always wear a big well I have smaller ones but I don't wear them anymore because first of I can't see the The little ones actually the watches, the snake watches are very small so I wouldn't wear I those during the usually have a big watch but I'm in the city now so I have to be a little less flashy.
• 46:44
  Speaker 1: The Chanel is less flashy. Yeah, well I don't
• 46:46
  Speaker 2: know it's Chanel. Nobody knows it's
• 46:48
  Speaker 3: a Chanel. The little watches are back.
• 46:49
  Speaker 1: Yeah. So
• 46:50
  Speaker 3: if you're not wearing the little ones,
• 46:51
  Speaker 1: you should go in and grab a couple. I have a bunch of little ones. I would, oh, actually, I realized, I think I took one of yours, our mom's, that have like a burgundy band. They're not that small. That'd be a great one.
• 47:03
  But no, wear this one every day, is also yours.
• 47:06
  Speaker 2: Right. Because that's a big one.
• 47:08
  Speaker 1: And this is yours.
• 47:08
  Speaker 2: Yep. Yep.
• 47:10
  Speaker 1: Lucky. No.
• 47:11
  Speaker 2: Those are cute. Know they're peers, so they're
• 47:14
  Speaker 1: just like grandmas. Okay, amazing. Stephanie, thank you so much
• 47:18
  Speaker 3: for This was so fun.
• 47:20
  Speaker 1: Tell everyone how they can follow you. I'm going immediately to her
• 47:23
  Speaker 3: to see her. Follow on Instagram Stephanie Gottlieb, and our website is stephaniegottlieb.com.
• 47:29
  Speaker 1: Amazing. Thanks Thank for coming so much. And you can follow us at Excuse My Grandma, Kim Merstein, and we'll see you next week.
• 47:37
  Speaker 2: Bye.