What makes a great retail store? It’s not just the product but the design of the store itself, which should display the product the way a setting showcases a jewel.
A case in point — gorjana (gor Yah na, typically written lowercase), whose beige and blush palette offers the perfect backdrop for its understated fashion and fine jewelry.
The newest of its more than 80 stores nationwide, which include stores in Greenwich and Westport, is gorjana The Westchester in White Plains, which opened Thursday, Sept. 12, to continue the New York retail footprint of seven locations.
“New York has been an incredible part of our story since the beginning,” Gorjana Reidel, co-founder and chief creative officer of the company, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to bring our SoCal styles to The Westchester and can’t wait to help even more New York shoppers find their perfect layers for the fall.”
The layers of which she speaks are gorjana’s approach to its delicate 14- and 18-karat gold creations, studded with birthstones such as opals, sapphires and topazes as well as diamonds ethically sourced under the Kimberley Process, which unites 85 countries to reduce the flow of “conflict diamonds.” (The fashion jewelry is 18-karat gold-plated.)
Bracelets and necklaces are meant to be layered; rings and earrings, stacked, all in a style that’s a favorite of fashionistas like Catherine, Princess of Wales. Besides travel cases for your treasures, which come in little blush pouches and gift boxes, the company also sells its own Gentle Jewelry Cleaner for fine jewelry. You can use a little mild soap and water as well, said store manager Caroline Kelly, adding that plated fashion jewelry should never have contact with water or any moisture. Gorjana’s fashion jewelry is protected with an anti-tarnish barrier. (For more on jewelry care, click here.)
The store also sells candles designed to transport you to Laguna Beach, California, where Reidel and husband Jason (company CEO) founded their business in 2004 on the floor of their apartment. They hit the road with samples, driving 50,000 miles, and worked the trade-show circuit. Three years later, they opened a studio in Laguna Canyon that would become their fulfillment center and headquarters.
The first retail store opened about a mile away in Laguna in 2016. The second store, a year later, took to New York City. Gorjana followed this in 2018 with its best-selling Parker necklace, which has inspired other chain-link designs, and, over the next three years, its first fine jewelry collection. Last year marked its 50th store and first TV commercial. The goal, Kelly said, is to open about 30 stores a year.
Philanthropy, a spokeswoman said, has been central to the brand’s mission and approach to community-building. In the last few years, gorjana has donated more than $2 million to nonprofits, supporting a range of national causes, with a particular focus on women and children through its annual partnerships with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Baby2Baby, Toys for Tots, Dress for Success and more. Gorjana also partners with local charities and schools in each of its locations. Nonprofits in White Plains are encouraged to complete a donation request form for efforts that support its community.
