Eye on Small Business: Josh Levkoff Jewelry, Westport

When Josh Levkoff told us he loved to go to rock shows as a kid, he wasn’t, er, kidding. He wasn’t speaking about Led Zeppelin, AC/DC or the Red Hot Chili Peppers either. The Rolling “Stones” may have been nearer the mark.

The Charleston, South Carolina-born Levkoff – the in-house jeweler and designer for The Collective West, Christian Siriano’s Westport store – has been intrigued by rocks and gems from a young age, growing up partly in Amsterdam where his jeweler father had relocated. And while diamonds may musically be a girl’s best friend, Levkoff developed his own particular passion for them after graduating from Tulane University and heading to Israel to apprentice under a diamond manufacturer in Tel Aviv, home to the world’s largest diamond exchange.

“I always wanted to be an NBA player or an archaeologist as a kid, and when I realized my dreams of playing in the NBA weren’t going to happen, gems were it,” he said.

Moving back to the United States, Levkoff attended the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in Manhattan, obtaining his Graduate Gemology degree (G.G.) there.

He then set out to further his knowledge by going to work for a large diamond manufacturer. But after working as a salesman for a year and a half, he knew it was time to go out on his own. He established Josh Levkoff Private Jewelry in 2011.

Levkoff, who has five showcases at The Collective West, said he has had a great partnership with Siriano, working many of his fashion shows, celebrity “front rows” and red carpets. He has also developed an impressive online business, selling through his own website, as well as on Shopify and Instagram, where he has 115,000 followers. Many pieces are stock while others are made to order.

Clients range in age from 25 to 70 years old — a swath, he said, that covers everyone from young couples looking to buy engagement rings, like the one pictured here, and wedding bands all the way to older clients wanting to repurpose their jewelry or family heirlooms.

Repurposing is a big facet, no pun intended, of the business, he said, as “people are taking their mother’s or grandmother’s old jewelry that isn’t their taste and turning it into something they love and will wear. That’s their aesthetic, and it has sentimental value.”

Asked for his thoughts on lab diamonds, Levkoff said he sold only naturally mined diamonds from his showcases, although he did see “a space” for lab diamonds on the market. He said he personally loved the allure of natural diamonds coming from the ground, and “the beauty and rarity of diamonds (formed by) Mother Nature.”

He offers clients a personal, interactive, one-on-one experience, which caters, he said, to their every need – from concept to the completed piece. Using advanced technology, he said, he is able to provide them with 3D-imaging of their design, created prior to moving into final production to ensure a perfect piece of jewelry matching the client’s specifications. Personally overseeing each step of the process, from initial hand sketches to wax models to the final approval, Levkoff offers one-on-one consultations via phone andVideoChat or in person in his New York City atelier.

Levkoff sees himself as a neighborhood jeweler for all his clients and said he wanted to be their “go-to designer for any and all their (jewelry) needs.” He also aims to grow his Westport presence while developing the online brand.

“And who knows?” he mused. “Maybe one day I’ll look to open a retail store in New York City. The sky’s the limit.”