Alishan Halebian, who uses his first name professionally, is an Armenian-born, self-taught goldsmith who has been creating unique jewelry and winning design accolades for more than three decades. He and his wife and business partner Lydia Tutunjian operate Alishan – Jewelry Gallery from a 2,200-square-foot, two-level workshop and offices located on the main street of a business center in Irvine, California. There they produce and market a collection of fashion and bridal jewelry that is showcased in a gallery/showroom at the front of the shop. Because of the location, there is little walk-in traffic and most clients visit by appointment. Alishan says he designed the gallery with a “museum” setup of wall and freestanding cases that highlight the scope of his work.
Getting Started
Alishan began his training as a stone-setter. Before he immigrated to the United States in 1970, a friend taught him stone setting and he used the skill to get his first job when he arrived in Los Angeles. For two years, while attending college, he worked as a diamond setter, but because his first love was fine arts, he got involved with jewelry design almost immediately.
“I started doing special orders and I made some original designs but I didn’t market them,” Alishan says. “By the late 1980s, I had quite a collection of pieces and decided it was large enough for me to market.” At that time, the designer and his wife rented a two-story shop on the Coast Highway in Laguna Beach. The ground floor was the workshop, where they designed and manufactured jewelry, and the second floor, a small gallery housing the finished designs. Later, they moved to their current location in Irvine.
Bridal rings are the major part of Alishan’s business, at both the wholesale and retail level, and his clients cover a wide spectrum, from young couples to loyal, longtime customers. Bridal has always been the designer’s major business, but he says it really started taking off in the early 1990s because his work in platinum coincided with the formation of the Platinum Guild International (PGI). By the mid-1990s, his sales were more bridal than fashion. And while bridal still makes up the lion’s share of his wholesale and custom designs, he says fashion pieces are growing in popularity as well.
Contemporary Classic
Alishan’s jewelry has been described as “contemporary designs with classical elements” and he applies his skills to a wide range of metals and materials. He says he learned all he knows about goldsmithing from a single book entitled Jewelry Concept and Technology by Oppi Untracht that he still uses as a reference. He works in 18-karat gold, platinum, sterling silver and palladium, often mixing the metals together in a single piece. Favorite gemstones are diamonds and pearls, but his jewelry also showcases colored gemstones, ancient coins, glass and exotic woods.
Signature designs are often complex constructions, involving several individual pieces that must be welded together, and are detailed with a combination of polished and hand-textured finishes. Design influences range from African art to contemporary sculpture. Over the years, Alishan has collected numerous design awards, including the Contemporary Design Group designer of the year award, as well as prizes from the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), PGI and numerous pearl competitions.
Diamond Details
Although diamonds are a big part of both Alishan’s bridal and fashion business, the designer keeps no inventory of the stones. “I talk to the client and see what they want,” he says. “I have good relationships with diamond dealers and it’s easier to show the client more variety. I explain all the basics about diamonds and show comparisons for looks and price. I ask how much they can afford and then recommend price points and quality.”
Quality of diamonds, of course, varies according to the customer, but in general, the melee Alishan uses is of good quality and well cut, usually G color and VS clarity. The best-selling wholesale prices for jewelry range from $600 to $1,200; $800 is a good median for semimounts. In bridal, retails go from under-$1,000 to $7,000. In the retail part of the business, Alishan’s wife Lydia says they are attracting more young customers, many of whom are referrals from previous clients.
Alishan notes that many of his customers are fairly knowledgeable about diamonds because of all of the information available on the internet. “Sometimes, a piece of jewelry is easier to sell because they already know the basics,” he says. Do they request certificates for their purchases? “Absolutely,” he says. “We use GIA [Gemological Institute of America] and EGL [European Gemological Laboratories] only.” Alishan believes the certifications from accredited outside labs build confidence in the minds of buyers.
By Appointment
Why do his retail clients make appointments to see him instead of simply walking into another store? “Service is the most important part,” sums up Alishan. While the designer says most of his time is spent at the bench, he looks forward to becoming involved with customers in creating a piece. “I can give more time to a client and get involved with the process of customizing a piece,” he says. “Clients feel more special when they help create a one-of-a-kind design.”
The collection itself continues to grow and evolve. Alishan’s new designs for men and women are made of patinaed silver with subtle textures, accented with rose gold, yellow gold and palladium.
Alishan and Lydia host two gallery events each year to thank existing clients and to introduce new designs. The couple also conducts a number of trunk shows for their retail accounts.
Despite his success in both wholesaling and retail, Alishan says his work is an ongoing process. “It takes a lifetime to develop and get a voice into your work.”
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - September 2010. To subscribe click here.