New York City based fine jewelry brand, Jade Trau, will open its first store in Southampton on Friday, May 28. Jade Trau’s inaugural location will be housed at 46 Jobs Lane and will offer “new classic” diamond jewelry.
Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, founder and designer, Jade Lustig, has always felt right at home in the easy quietness of Southampton. “I’ve been looking for my happy place and I love how peaceful it is — how green it is. When I went there for the first time it felt like home,” she said of her store location decision.
The store will feature a curated selection of Jade Trau’s signature designs and will also provide on-site restyling and bespoke consultations that shoppers have come to know and love from the brand.
We caught up with Lustig to learn more.
What inspired you to start your jewelry line?
My sixth grade year book poll for “future profession” had me listed as jewelry designer, so I think it was just a matter of time. On a practical level, after years of being a diamond buyer and helping friends and family with classic diamond jewelry pieces, I really felt it was time for a new “diamond classic” conversation.
Tell us a little about the brand:
Jade Trau is an 18kt gold and diamond jewelry line that is part my version of classic diamond pieces and part a modern riff on vintage pieces I’ve collected over the years. My goal for the brand is for each person to feel deeply connected to the product and to purchase pieces with the mindset that this is the sort of jewelry that becomes an extension of you. It should feel effortless to wear and yet you never get tired of having it or less excited to put it on. It’s also the reason that I include my bespoke and restyling services as a key part of my brand. I think it is such important part of feeling connected to your jewelry.
You’re a self-identified 47th Street girl. Tell us a little about how you started your career as a diamond buyer:
I started working with my grandfather when I was a freshman at NYU as a Friday gig. After about four years of training with him and his gemologist, I started officially buying for the company in Antwerp and then Israel. To be honest, it sounds a lot more exciting then was it really was . . . a three day trip to Antwerp that was mostly spent in little dark rooms sorting through literally thousands of diamonds to find the right ones to come back to the office with for our clients. Until we moved our studio a little farther uptown last year, I had spent my entire career working within a one block radius of 47th Street. I still love looking and procuring diamonds for my clients and for the collection. I feel priviledged to have the expertise and the network that I have to find them, but designing jewelry is infinitely more fun!
What led you to pick Southampton for your new store location?
I started toying with the idea of a summer pop up shop somewhere out east at the end of last year. After looking a bit, it became clear to me that I’m not a “pop up” kind of girl and I actually think that it’s a bit contrary to my brand. I really wanted the store to feel like it’s a destination that you look forward to coming to, not only for the store but for the energy of the whole village. When I really started to settle into the idea of the permanence of the location, Southampton and Jobs Lane specifically, felt like the right fit for Jade Trau. It’s not Main Street, but it is a main street and while I haven’t even opened yet I already feel like I know and love so many of my neighbors! It also feels close enough to the city to make it a day trip for the non-locals.
Tell us a little about your background and what brought you to this point:
I spent the first 15 years of my careeer as a diamond buyer and while I learned so much about that industry, I always felt like I was on the sidelines of where I wanted to be. I would sell diamonds to large jewelry houses but I was a degree removed from it and it felt (and is in many ways) like a totally different business from the one I was in. I finally mustered up the guts to start my collection and spent a number of years working to figure out exactly how my creative point of view really stood out and resonated with my clients.
Now that the brand feels like it’s living and breathing on its own, I’ve had time to work on how to create the best environment for my amazing, small but mighty team. It started with moving into our new studio in New York City this summer that has more of an apartment feel then an office one and now has extended itself to the summerhouse vibe. The idea that this summer is going to be spent in my own flagship boutique in Southampton surrounded by my incredible team of women, my 13 year old son’s there to bear witness and cheerlead my opening, and all my friends, current clients and future clients almost doesn’t feel real. I’m so pumped for it!
What’s next for Jade Trau?
We’ll be launching a new collection at some point this summer that we’ll be previewing exclusively at the store. It’s called Poppy; partially named after it’s floral inspiration and also after my grandfather who I called Popy on the anniversary of what would have been his 100th birthday. Other than that, I’m really focused on the now. Life passes you by if you spend too much time thinking about what’s next.
