After nearly a half century of crafting fine jewelry under his eponymous brand sold in more than 100 of the nation’s finest independent jewelry stores, Charles Krypell recently opened his flagship store in Greenvale.
At the newly built 5,000-square-foot Charles Krypell Fine Jewelry boutique, shoppers can meet the visionary himself on occasion while visiting the store to see its extensive collection of jewelry spanning many categories, from bridal to fashion, classics and contemporary, sterling silver to haute couture high jewelry. The store is less of a traditional jewelery retailer than a highly curated retail experience. At its lounge, fireplace, and full-service coffee bar, guests can feel totally comfortable and welcome to learn about, try on, and shop the thousands of spectacular items on display. The pieces can be experienced, felt, and enjoyed in a setting just as grand as the jewelry itself, allowing guests to engage without any feelings of intimidation, judgement, or pretension.
“Jewelry is an interpretation of the individual,” says Krypell, who’s lived on the North Shore for more than 30 years. “I create generational jewelry — something that will be revered, something that will be a precious part of a woman’s life, a representation of who she is in the here and now.”
Krypell draws on his nearly five decades of traveling the country, making personal appearances and meeting collectors in nearly every state in the nation. This experience helping hundreds of stores nationally has helped the Krypell team create what they feel is a near-perfect interpretation of the modern jewelry store. They’ve learned what works and what does not work by witnessing the successes and failures of some very important retailers. The Krypell team’s hands-on experience behind the scenes of their 45-year-old jewelry design and manufacturing firm has allowed them to fine-tune their message, product mix, and customer interaction to a level not attainable by the traditional jewelry store startup.
A Pratt Institute graduate who studied sculpture, Krypell’s vision of creating the perfect piece of jewelry that will become a cherished heirloom is the culmination of an American dream for an immigrant who grew up in Coney Island before raising his family on Long Island. He made a name for himself in an industry led by multigenerational legacies. His children and wife are now his business partners and his employees are all from Nassau County.
Beyond the emotional lure, the family run business is also cognizant of practical concerns. The classic jewelry with a twist is competitively priced, paired with unparalleled value, ranging from $75 to more than $1 million, from tennis bracelets to some of the rarest jewelry, which is one of their specialties. Customers can even meet with the design staff to conceptualize their own piece. Each designer and brand partner brings their own unique expertise and mastery to their craft.
The designer’s son, Evan Krypell, the store’s director, says people are still buying jewelry to treat themselves and their loved ones, despite the coronavirus pandemic-induced economic downturn.
“We are here to become the neighborhood jeweler,” he says. “If you don’t know jewelry, know the jeweler. Even though we’re new, we have a 45-year-old history.”
The Press spoke with Charles Krypell about the philosophy behind his unique designs, his inspiration, and what sets him apart from the competition. This conversation has been condensed for clarity and length.
Who is the man behind the company? Charles Krypell makes jewelry that speaks to the individual, reflects their personality, their passion. He has stone and metal working together. Negative space creating movement. We believe that jewelry is more than just stone and metal, it is wearable art that commemorates lifetime achievements, special moments, and important relationships. We don’t sell jewelry, we romance it. We don’t call our customers customers, we call them “collectors.” We feel this is something this area has not had as part of its narrative.
Why did you wait until now to open a store? From traveling around the country I have learned the difference between simply selling jewelry to romancing jewelry and applying it to the person that’s in front of me so that the jewelry represents their personality. After doing this for 45 years and being extraordinarily successful in creating collectors, I finally decided that for the neighborhood that I live in, which is a wonderful neighborhood, it’s time.
How does this differ from a traditional jewelry store? Eighty percent of the jewelry in the store is designed by us, made by us, and now sold by us. We have eliminated the middleman. We are sensitive to the fact that we are in control of the entire process from start to finish. The other thing that’s different about us is that since we are the designer and the manufacturer, we are able to help the customer conceptualize a dream piece of jewelry. If customers come in with an illustration or a sketch or even an heirloom piece of jewelry that they want to replace, we can sit with our design team and fully conceptualize and design that piece of jewelry in a 3D form, so they can see it on our big screens, or we can print a 3D model for them so that they can be a part of the entire process. You don’t just come here to shop for jewelry.
Why is that important? I design because what else can a woman give to her daughter, her granddaughter, or her nieces besides a beautiful piece of jewelry that she has worn that has retained a piece of history? I always recommend that when that time occurs, that a person who’s wearing a Charles Krypell will be anxious to give it to this young lady with a warm hand. A warm hand is important because while she’s alive, she recognizes who loved the piece, who’s deserving of it, who is close to her heart.
What are some of the services and products you provide? We are beyond a full-service jewelry store. What we specialize in is classic jewelry with a twist. We really have everything from jewelry staples like diamond studs and tennis bracelets to one-of-a-kind sapphire, ruby, diamond, and emerald creations all the way to fancy-colored diamonds. We have one of the biggest collections of pink, yellow, blue, and natural-green diamonds. This is something we have specialized in, are known for nationally, and we have one of the largest private collections here on display and for sale. We have a full-service repair department. There’s no job that’s too small or too large for us. Bridal is one of the most important parts of the store. We are here to provide the best engagement ring-shopping experience on Long Island. And that’s because we’re leveraging out 45 years in the jewelry manufacturing business to offer the clients diamonds that are not readily available on the open market. These are diamonds that come exclusively to us. We have relationships with diamond mines, siteholders, and cutters so that diamonds are not passed through so many hands before they gets to the final client.
From where do you draw your inspiration? My inspiration comes out of satisfying the consumer’s individual sense of what they want, and if they don’t understand what they want I will help them. Once I achieve this experience, this piece of jewelry that you own that was made by Charles Krypell, as opposed to another piece of jewelry that was made by someone else, will be given to your daughter. Anything else that was not made by Charles Krypell will be given to your daughter-in-law.
HERITAGE BEHIND THE BRAND
1970s
Before jewelry, Krypell enjoyed working in three-dimensional media, including clay, wood, brass, and stone.
1980s
Officially launched in the historic Diamond District of New York City, Krypell began producing his first complete collections of Sterling Silver jewelry.
1990s
Many top department stores and en vogue boutiques soon recognized the talent of Krypell and welcomed his collections along with collectors’ enthusiasm.
2000s
With a growing desire to connect, listen, and learn from his collectors across the United States, Krypell began his traveling circuit of in-boutique personal appearance trunk shows.
2010s
Wearable, trendsetting, and fun, the Sterling Silver Collection grew in popularity during this transformative design period for Krypell.
2020
Krypell opens his flagship store in Greenvale.