London Jewelers Looks At New Markets

Candy Udell, designer of London Jewelers, tells one century of history of the family brand


«Of our 13 stores, the one in Manhasset, just outside New York, is today the flagship store. But London Jewelers’ story began in Glen Cove, Long Island. Charles London, my husband's grandfather, got right there from Poland in 1926. He had emigrated in search of fortune, and he did find it. He was a clock maker, and Glen Cove was the heart of what was known as the “Gold Coast” at the time, an area frequented by some of Manhattan’s wealthiest families. Charles was able to reinvent his profession: he used to go from house to house charging and repairing the clocks of bankers and shipowners and, step by step, he opened his first shop. Mayer, his daughter Fran’s husband, was a clock maker too, so they made the company grow together, and after them, my husband Mark and I have been continuing the work. We can proudly say that we built everything from scratch, with passion and honesty, always aiming for one purpose: sharing the same values with our partners, employees, collaborators and, above all, with our next generation. Our relationships with the best luxury brands have become true commercial partnerships. We now have 5 London Jewelers shops, plus one dedicated to the world of engagement, Two by London, and a series of boutique partners, such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, David Yurman, Audemars Piguet, Roberto Coin. 2021 will see further expansion, but towards new markets... top secret! Meanwhile, the fourth generation has also begun to make its contribution: our daughter Randi, our son Scott and our nephew Zach, a true lover of haute horlogerie, are involved in online sales, marketing and Instagram, a channel on which we have been selling a lot recently. We are in all respects a family-run business! As for brands, we are the only store in the world to have over 60 among the best luxury jewelry and watchmaking houses, and many of them are Italian: Bulgari, Buccellati, Vhernier, Pomellato, Gucci... People in the USA love the design and quality of Made in Italy, which mostly concerns the mediumhigh price range, but we also offer a wide choice of American brands, from fashion up to the top of the range. To give some examples, David Yurman, David Webb and Norman Silverman, but also many others, more basic and affordable, as well as “for a cause”, that is with a charity project. For example, the Paw jewelry line which I designed myself, to raise funds for homeless animals. In a short time, we’ve raised enough funds to help over 5,000 dogs. With this range of products and prices, we are able to attract buyers of all kinds and ages, even in the online shop. But it’s nice to see that we have third or fourth generation customers, who still love coming to our stores.»

 

Illustrations by Francesca Arena 


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