Look Book

26 www.thejewelrybook.com W G E M V O YA G E W I T H O M I P R I V É A D V E R T O R I A L C O V E R S T O RY Gem Voyage BY JENNIFER HEEBNER hen Niveet Nagpal joined his parents' business in 1997, he traded in a career in cutthroat corporate finance for the familiarity and warmth of family affairs. Omi Gems was 12 years old when Nagpal—fresh out of GIA—joined with ambitious ideas that helped pave the way for the firm's Gemstone Journey events (a version of gemstone roundtables). The niche is a natural fit for Nagpal, whose love of gems and clients has been a constant. In fact, a client's bracelet commission helped jumpstart the Omi Privé finished division. During the Great Recession, Nagpal created a swirl-motif style in platinum with diamonds and blue sapphires that turned out so well he entered it into the 2011 AGTA Spectrum Awards, where it took Best Use of Platinum and Color honors. "That was a defining moment for us," he recollects about the win and the brand's 2012 decision to debut Omi Privé jewelry. (To date, Omi has accumulated 14 Spectrum Awards.) Gemstone Journeys started taking place in partner re- tail stores as a means of better telling the Omi story and how finished jewelry fit into it. Armed with an educational PowerPoint presentation and some 80 loose gems and jewelry, Nagpal and his team—includ- ing Manos Phoundoulakis and Rita Considine—tell the story of where the gems come from and how many hands they pass through to be cut, polished, and hand- set into finished pieces. The jewelry store owner, meanwhile, sets up an elegant table or two to accom- modate roughly a dozen top clients, treating them to light bites and beverages. "When clients look at a luxury item, they don't neces- sarily realize the number of steps that go into it," he says. "After a Journey is complete, customers better understand the value, rarity, and story, which just adds so much more emotion to the experience." Omi Privé takes clients on rare-gemstone journeys from the comfort of your store. Niveet Nagpal, head designer and president, discusses treatments and disclosure during an Omi Privé Gemstone Journey. Oval black opal from Lightning Ridge, Australia, weighs 14.90 carats.

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