KC Jewelry Blog

As 2020 draws slowly to a close, let’s face it: it’s been a hard year for everyone. In an unusually difficult and divisive year, we can all agree that no one expected 2020 to go this way. Heading into the holiday season is especially tough for many of us. Maybe travel or quarantine restrictions are keeping you from seeing your family. Maybe you can’t gather with your large group of relatives and friends, and you’ve had to cancel that Christmas party you’ve been looking forward to all year. Maybe you have immediate family in other states whose lifestyle decisions or health restrictions mean you can’t see them this holiday. In some way, we all feel the pain of isolation and loss. Through the dark clouds of difficult times, a ray of light is always visible, if you just know where to look. A virus can’t control your life unless you let it. We can all choose resilience by looking on the bright side this holiday season. While the pleasant bustle of holiday busyness has diminished for many of us, we find we have more time to cherish some of the people who really matter. As we travel less and stay home more, we become more grateful for our local communities. The stark backdrop of the virus has made the vitality of relationships and community stand out; we have the unique opportunity to serve, support, and love each other all the more. In fact, the ability and desire to support one another, simply because we all have humanity in common, is a beautiful element of the human experience that is brought out by suffering. We have seen the healthy put their wellbeing on the line to care for the sick, because we know that each person deserves the best health care possible. As people, we believe that our strength is a gift to give to the weak. For many of us, COVID-19 has brought out inner strength perhaps we didn’t even know we had. As we head deeper into the holiday season, let’s not take family for granted. Let’s remember to thank the people who have served us this year–family, friends, neighbors, local businesses. Let’s all remember to have an attitude of gratitude for the health and provision we have been given, and to share with those who have been less fortunate this year. That’s what the holiday season is all about: giving. If you are looking for a meaningful gift for the special person in your life, we would love to help you handpick something that will carry the depth of your story. Colored stones can have a special connection to your loved one’s history, and we would love to help you make a piece that will be unique to you and her/him. This holiday, let’s continue to support our local businesses, our communities, and our families more than ever–the virus can’t defeat us if we stick together!

We all know how easy it is to obtain almost anything we want to buy with very little effort: open your web browser, click a few times, receive it two days later (and if it’s late, aren’t we usually upset?). We frequently sacrifice quality for convenience–and for some items, it really doesn’t matter and saves us some money and hassle. We Generation Y and Z-ers use the internet as our default shopping method. Don’t get me wrong–I am thankful for the convenience of online shopping. But if we are being honest, I think we could all admit that the normalization of speed shopping for generic products has made us lose something. My dad recently told me about growing up on Long Island in the late 1950s. Although all this sounded like a myth to me, just like the thought of a typewriter or a telephone with a real wire attached to it, I have no reason to doubt the veracity of his tale. He told me of days gone by where there was the local iceman, produce man, newspaper man, grocer, butcher, even the local doctor who actually came and saw you if you were sick. My dad’s family had a relationship with every businessman, and nearly every business was locally owned. I am thankful that progress has led us to a wider, cheaper array of goods and services to choose from, but I still found myself feeling a sense of loss when he told me what it was like to have a relationship with your local community businesses. People didn’t feel isolated, because face-to-face interaction was part of their normal, daily routine. Even the telephone was operated by a real person who you could talk to and ask to relay your call! Not only is in-person shopping becoming a thing of the past, but goods are now being produced in mass quantities. My generation is used to buying generic, cheap goods at the click of a button. We have not, however, given up our desire for quality and individuality. True, we are willing to cut corners on certain items for convenience. But in many ways, we are even more desirous of the unique and well-crafted than our parents’ generation. We have been so bombarded with instant gratification and thousands of cheaply-made options that we long for something that is made specifically and individually for us. Contrary to what our parents’ generation may think of us, we value things that are handmade, individually crafted, forged with genuine quality. I see more and more people in my generation turning from the ostentatious and fake to the tasteful and genuine. At Ruback, custom-made is our specialty. What we sell is chosen and designed by you (with a little help from us!) and produced especially for you. This is what makes us different from many other jewelers. At Ruback, you become the designer. The piece you create could be as simple as choosing your stone color for a sample band we have on display, or as complex as designing your own pair of gold drop earrings from scratch (I am helping a customer do that right now!). What I love about working here is that I get to establish a relationship with every customer. Unlike an online or chain jewelry store, we get to know all of our customers personally. We get to know your preferences and tastes–how else could we help you design your custom piece of jewelry? Stepping into Ruback is almost like stepping into the past–we are local and personal. But it’s also like stepping into the future, because I really do believe that we will see my generation returning to custom-made pieces that showcase individual taste and personality. We are creating something entirely new and fresh here every single day with the latest technology. We hope you will trust us to help you become your own jewelry designer and create something that has never been created before.

“In her third year in business after starting her company, I was one of her first wholesale representatives. For 3 years working with her, not only did she give me my start, but she opened up the Industry to me as she allowed me to open up her collections in half the U.S. She, by example taught me there was no difference in leadership , talent & innovation, whether you were a Woman or a Man. Nancy not only touched so many lives & careers through her attitude & work, but in representing & selling her collections throughout the country, I learned how they were uniquely positioned to fit into the finest Rodeo Drive/ 5th Ave. stores all the way to popular department stores & every store in between. Nancy will be remembered as a trailblazer in the Fine Jewelry Industry, and will be greatly missed.” https://news.centurionjewelry.com/articles/detail/in-memoriam-nancy-brewer-trailblazing-designer-and-womens-advocate

Are diamonds really forever? The answer is not a simple yes or no. Left in the earth under very specific conditions, they may re-crystallize and re-form, explains Dr. George Harlow, a gem curator at the American Museum of Natural History and research scientist at Columbia University. On the other hand, if diamonds make it near the earth’s surface, it is “very hard to get rid of them,” in the words of Dr. Harlow. The amount of pressure and temperature it would take to re-form them is not available nearer to or on the earth’s surface. Therefore, in a sense, diamonds really are forever. (Citation: Are Diamonds Really Forever? C. Claiborne Ray, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/12/science/diamonds.html .) This incredible fact is something that didn’t really dawn on me until I started working at Ruback Fine Jewelry. But it’s something that binds Hal to the jewelry industry. When I first met him, his deep passion for the industry couldn’t help but surface: as he explained to me, these gems will be around much longer than you or I. There is something enduring about them that transcends our lifespan. What is it that makes diamonds or other precious stones valuable? I’m not talking about what makes them valuable as commodities, such as being extremely rare and hard to obtain from the earth, taking unbelievable amounts of time to form, requiring extremely skilled and specific methods for cutting them, etc. That’s what makes them valuable as objects. But what is it that makes them valuable to us as people? Why do we want to save and re-set our grandmother’s diamond? Why do we want to make a pendant out of the ring of a deceased spouse? Why do we take so much care in choosing the center stone for an engagement ring? We don’t cherish these stones merely because we know they’re scientifically proven to stand the test of time. Rather, we cherish them because they represent relational bonds that transcend the test of time. When we are gone, that diamond will remain, offering connection to those we love that remain after us. Since joining the Ruback team, I have already seen this in action many times. As I am beginning to hear people’s stories, I see that their jewelry matters to them because their family matters to them. They may have an objectively beautiful center stone or an exquisitely-crafted wedding band, but their real attachment to their jewelry comes from something much deeper than monetary value: a desire to remain connected to their roots, or to establish roots that will remain. The young man who comes in to pick up his painstakingly-chosen custom engagement ring, and the older lady who brings her deceased husband’s ring to have it made into a pendant, have one thing in common: what their jewelry represents to them. It’s something that’s actually very difficult to put into words, because the deeper and enduring aspects of life can be very hard to articulate. This intangible beauty of the enduring, of being connected to heritage, is something I see clearly represented in the pieces of custom jewelry that we produce at Ruback. It may be difficult to put into words, but maybe that’s why a piece of custom jewelry makes the best gift: the jewelry says it best. Your custom-designed piece tells a unique story about your family and your heritage. It tells the story of the people who came before you, and has already begun telling the story of the people who will come after. Your diamond will be around much longer than you, wordlessly representing the story of your life. That’s why at Ruback we want to produce custom pieces that tell your story, a story that will be around much longer than we can even imagine. It’s one worth telling!

Ruback's Showroom is open & ready for your appointment

In recognition of the city-wide Stay At Home Order affecting local businesses, our showroom & workshop will be CLOSED until further notice, beginning Tuesday, March 24th. We will continue to service our customers to the best of our ability, and encourage you to contact us for: Special Orders Video or Phone Consultations Custom Design Inquiries We’ve had many customers eager to find new jewelry & begin new custom projects with us via Facetime and Phone Consultations from their own homes! Please call or text (213) 706-2261 to reach Hal Pollack OR Fill in the CONTACT page of our site and we will be in touch. We appreciate all of our customers’ understanding as we move forward to the best of our ability through these uncertain days ahead.

Just over 3 years have passed since I walked out of college with degrees in Psychology & Philosophy and into the custom design, fine jewelry industry. It was quite a change in direction from my education and, suffice it to say, I had much to learn about diamonds, jewelry manufacturing, and the art of selling an engagement ring. Here is what 3-years of full immersion in the fine jewelry industry has taught me and why many of my pre-conceived notions have disappeared.