Canadian Jeweller December 2014

Canadian Jeweller Magazine

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DESIGNER PROFILE

Stunning handwork from Almari Design’s Vladimir Chakharian

FASHION FORWARD

Our take on what consumers will want in the coming months

The independent voice for the industry since 1879 DECEMBER 2014

EN FRANÇAIS EN FRANÇAIS Distributeur de l’Est: Viser l’excellence depuis 60 ans

JEWELLERY APPS JEWELLERY APPSStand apart from the crowd with your own app

Howard AppotiveHoward Fine JewellersA lavish landmark

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74SHOWCASE /MARKETPLACE

80STYLE COUNCILBold looks to combat the cold

82LAST WORDFrozen embrace: Maple Leaf Diamonds by Maya Akbay

CJ en français47LES NOUVELLES49DISTRIBUTEUR DE L'EST:VISER L'EXCELLENCE DEPUIS 60 ANS

December 2014 cover photographed by Jessica Deeks

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Contents54

20

28Departments

12 EDITOR’S LETTER

14CONTRIBUTORS / BEHIND THE SCENES

16 PRODUCT SHOWCASE

20FOR THE RECORDNews, trends and events

27WHAT'S ONThe shows you can't miss

28STAR WATCHJaw-dropping looks from the red carpet

30CJ GALLERYAvakian bedazzles in Monaco; Classic Creations kicks off Watch Fair; a star-studded night for Hamilton watches

54ON THE COVER: HOWARD FINE JEWELLERSThis top-notch Ottawa-based jeweller is living the dream after a massive store renovationby Irina Lytchak

^ Next issue spotlight:Christine Jewellers

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Contents 38

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60

36FEATURE: THE SMARTWATCHNot just another pretty face. Where does this technology �t into the traditional watch market?by Liza Marley

38DESIGNER PROFILE: VLADIMIR CHAKHARIANVancouver-based Almari Design jeweller gives us a glimpse into the fascinating world of traditional engravingby Sarah B. Hood

40COMPANY PROFILE: BULLION MARTMoniruz Zaman talks to us about Bullion Mart's impressive growthby Irina Lytchak

42MARKETING MAGICStand apart from the crowd with your own appby Ryan Holtz

44KEEPING TIMEIf it ain't broke, don't �x itby Kuldip Rupra

46ON DISPLAY COLUMNDon't stock your display cases with the wrong product!by Larry Johnson

60FEATURE: FASHION FORWARDOur trend guide to help you stay ahead of the holiday havoc

68RETAIL WATCHDon't turn a blind eye to the sales you could be making ifyou just think outside of the boxby Todd Wasylyshyn

70GEMS & GEMMOLOGYWhat happened to topaz before the invention of gemmology?by Duncan Parker

72JVC COLUMNBehind the scenes at JVC - Part 1by John Lamont

44

Features &Columns

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Cover Story

Howard Fine Jewellers: A lavish landmark

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With a major store renovation all wrapped up, Howard Fine Jewellers continues to please customers and live up to its name as a top-notch jewellery and watch destination in the heart of Ottawa. by Irina Lytchak

photography by Jessica Deeks

HOWARD APPOTIVE WAS STEPPING INTO FAMILIAR TERRITORY when he embarked on a journey which led him to opening his very own storefront with his brother David several decades ago. The jeweller studied gemmology in school, apprenticed with Barry Brothers and worked under renowned names like Birks and Mappins before opening his own business so it’s no wonder that today his store, Howard Fine Jewellers, is a renowned landmark location on one of the busiest corners of downtown Ottawa.

“I originally opened up a manufacturing business, Howard Manufacturing Jewellers, in 1967; it was a bit of a �uke,” recalls Appotive. “I planned on opening up a retail store in a shopping mall but it kept getting delayed so I started selling to all the different jewellers here in the city. I didn’t have store-front for about 25 years after I was in business but I was making it.”

Years later when Howard Fine Jewellers was ready to open its doors to the public, Appotive couldn’t say goodbye to his manufacturing business and it is still an integral part of his store. Today, Howard Fine Jewellers, which is run under an equal partnership between brothers Howard and David, houses eight jewellers and two setters in a separate mezzanine located right in the store.

“They’re all master jewellers, there are no apprentices,” says Appotive proudly. “It’s incredible. We do everything from casting, right to the �nished product. Nothing is done outside.”

Howard Appotive pictured with his daughter Stephanie



Dedicated to timepiece luxuryThere are several things that set Howard Fine Jewellers apart from other jewellery retailers in Canada and even from the rest of the world, one of them being the retailer’s dedicated relationship with the Rolex brand.

“We’ve been working with Rolex for 40 years,” says Appotive. “We have an authorized Rolex watch service, by authorized Rolex watchmakers. I think there’s a couple others in Canada that do it, but not that many. We report everything to Rolex.”

The store’s recent renovations also included a brand new segment of the store dedicated to the iconic watch brand, which is a �rst for Canada’s jewel-lery retail landscape.

“It’s gorgeous, absolutely beautiful,” says Appotive. “The designs came directly from Rolex.”

The newly redecorated store has more of what Appotive calls an “interna-tional” look, with the feel of a high-end European jewellery house, in order to better align itself with the af�uent customers that tend to walk into the busy downtown.

“The calibre, quality, and the �nishing lives up to that international stan-dard,” says Appotive. “And that’s our competition today. We are in a prime location in downtown Ottawa, on the business corner of the city. That’s how we get our international business a lot of the time. And because we don’t charge for branding, we have that big edge.”

Family and dedication go hand in handDespite the turmoil and hassles that come with doing an immense store trans-formation, Howard Fine Jewellers kept it’s doors open to its loyal clientele, making sure to accommodate all requests while still retailing product from its wide-ranging �oor inventory.

“During the renovations, we had a security lobby where we handled ev-erybody as much as we could,” explains Appotive. “We made sure to stock everything in vaults between showing it to people. We also set up a pop-up store a few doors down in my daughter Lindsay’s store. We took over about four of the showcases and it worked really well. People were going back and forth between the two locations. The clients loved it.”

Cover Story


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AT A GL A NCE

NAME: Howard Fine Jewellers

OWNERS: Howard and David Appotive (along with Sharron, Stephanie, Lindsay and Sharon)

LOCATIONS: 220 Sparks St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5C1

STORE SIZE: 3,000 square feet, including the mezzanine

STAFF: 40

KNOWN FOR: central location and high-end, one-of-a-kind jewellery pieces

BRANDS: Rolex, Tudor, Hearts on Fire, Henri Daussi, Furrer Jacot, Tacori, Jack Kelege, Howard, Jeff Cooper, Todd Reed

COOL FACTOR: one of the few retailers in Canada to have a specialized partnership with Rolex

“The calibre, quality, and the nishing lives up to that international standard. And that’s our

competition today.” It was easy for Appotive to rely on daughter Lindsay during the renova-

tions because she, along with Appotive’s other daughter Stephanie and wife Sharron, are all very involved with the business. Sharon is a graphic designer who is also involved in designing the jewellery pieces retailed at Howard Fine Jewellers while Stephanie is in the process of gradually taking over the store. Lindsay has her own jewellery shop called True Bijoux, which concentrates on high fashion jewellery pieces and is just a few doors down from her father’s store. And while Appotive’s partner and brother David now focuses most of his time on the family’s �nancial and real estate holdings, David’s wife Sharon oversees the vintage and pre-owned inventory control for both Howard Fine Jewellers and True Bijoux.

“They have all been involved right from the beginning,” beams Appotive. “It’s all in the family.”

Thinking outside of the boxNot only does Howard Fine Jewellers cater to clientele in person through its beautiful storefront but the business also brings in a large sum of its pro�t through online sales.

The website for the company showcases various modern designs done in-house as well as pre-owned and estate high-end jewellery and watches.

“Some of the pieces we sell are brand new but we sell them as pre-owned, because they may have been traded in,” explains Appotive. “For example, if someone was presented with an Omega watch but they really wanted a Rolex, they can trade it in. In the end, the product is brand-spanking new.”

When it comes to estate and vintage jewellery and watches, Howard Fine Jewellers stands apart for offering pieces that are absolutely magni�cent and in many cases, one-of-a-kind. The retailer also specializes in buying distressed merchandise, which entails the purchasing of samples from manu-facturers that are looking to let go of their product.

“Once we obtain the merchandise, we can do many different things with it because we have a full factory right in the store,” says Appotive. “We can dismantle it, use it for our own designs, or use the material again.”

Today, Howard Fine Jewellers is a prominent landmark that makes up part of Ottawa’s downtown landscape and the family behind the store is proud to look back at what the store has achieved over the years.

“If you’re looking for an item that’s one-of-a-kind and you need it done right… that’s us,” says Appotive. “We really try to blow people away with what we do.”

Most importantly of all, it’s the customers that walk into the store on a daily basis that enrich the Howard Fine Jewellers name to be what it is today.

“It’s all about the people, the clients,” he says. “They are terri�c.” CJ

Cover Story



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Canadian Jeweller December 2014