(Rapaport...November 29, 2005) Just about mid-way through the 2005 holiday shopping season, Russell Simmons will introduce a new collection of men's fine jewelry, which is meant to appeal to "urban-minded men who appreciate the hip hop lifestyle," Simmons said when announcing the launch.
The 47-year-old artist is called the godfather of hip hop within music industry circles, but in the diamond industry Simmons is known as a partner with manufacturer M. Fabrikant & Sons. Simmons says his jewelry company's mission is to understand the lifestyle and desires of youth culture and to fulfill their needs for diamond jewelry and watches.  | | Russell Simmons, hip hop artist and jewelry designer |
“The hip hop generation has not been spoken to in their own language. These 18-40 year old guys should have fine pieces that fit the lifestyle,” said Simmons.
In mid-December, Simmons will launch a collection of traditional jewelry at Macy's in New York City including; a diamond dice pendant that rotates, abacus cufflinks with moveable parts, and heavy bracelets, "all giving the line an urban identity," he said. A basic chain in the collection will retail for $200; a 0.50ct diamond steel and rubber bracelet will retail for $1,500, while a bracelet encrusted with six carats of diamonds will retail for $10,000.
Scott Rauch, president of Simmons Jewelry Company told Rapaport News that Simmons is a visionary and "needed to work with someone who could interpret his creative vision." Simmons wanted to partner with a jewelry manufacturer, but the partner had to offer a history of experience, and "M. Fabrikant & Sons is a 110-year-old manufacturer of jewelry, they are a [Diamond Trading Company] sightholder and have partners around the world," all of which Rauch said tipped the scale in their favor for Simmons.
"Fabrikant is at the pulse of the jewelry industry. They have the capabilities, expertise and know-how to meet Russell’s needs," he said.
Male attitudes are changing and men "are becoming more and more comfortable about expressing their individuality...Men are wanting to express themselves in a masculine, bold, contemporary fashion -- with jewelry," Rauch said.  | | Los Angeles bracelet, 18mm, 5ct.tw., stainless steel |
Simmons and Fabrikant designed the new men's line to fill a demand for urban diamond jewelry with materials that captured masculine tastes using stainless steel and rubber.
"Everything Russell does must be credible to the audience he serves. Many pieces in the line are evident of this and fully express youth and street culture. This is seen in pieces like the fist, cuff-links, dice necklace, pendants, and abacus pieces," Rauchs said.
Cuff-links for example are crafted as "edgy pieces such as a scorpion or bulldog relates to the young professional who is more apt to push the envelope when it comes to fashion."
The jewelry line includes pieces "completely encrusted in diamonds" as well as pieces accented with a single diamond, "which still maintain a masculine, modern, bold sensibility," Rauch said.  | | Octagon Cuff-links, .25ct.tw., stainless steel |
Simmons Jewellery describes its male audience (mostly) between the ages of 18 and 35, and reports that about 80 percent of its customers are white, suburban males, but Rauch says the men's line is more about psychographics. "Meaning a point of view, a mind set, a way of thinking," which also follows the hip hop trend in apparel and music.
"This is not your father's jewelry," Rauch said, adding that men could wear Simmons' jewelry anywhere albeit the red carpet, the ball field or the boardroom.
Simmons said the company "strongly" abides by and believes in the Kimberley Process and supports the mission to ensure that diamonds are tracked through the pipeline and remain conflict free.
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