Nearly 10 years ago, George Califf (aka George the Jeweler) posted the first photo of jewelry to Instagram.
A custom jeweler from Detroit, he learned the trade from his father, a Lebanese immigrant who built a jewelry empire, Goldcorp Corp., based in Oak Park, Mich. But unlike his father and most retail jewelers of the time, the younger Caliph recognized the power of celebrity long before the word influencer took hold on social media.
George Califf, aka George the Jeweler
“I started approaching celebrities early on,” Calif told JCK.
His first big acquisition was singer-songwriter and actress Christina Milian. “A friend of a friend helped me get her some jewelry,” he says. “And then she contacted me and said, ‘Hey, I have your business card and I’d like to make something for you.'”
In 2017, Khalif made a custom gold nameplate for Milian, and the two hit it off. “She started texting me and I started calling her,” he says. “We decided to work together to create a jewelry line called House of Fine Gold, with her as the face.”
The pieces were made in Detroit and sent to Milian’s fans around the world. “She has 7.3 million followers on Instagram,” says Khalife. “It was an eye-opening, door-opening experience, and it allowed me to reach out to a lot of different celebrities.”
Now, after seven years of working with celebrity clients, Calif continues to create custom jewelry for the rich and famous. (Most recently, he created a custom paw print pendant in honor of Khloe Kardashian’s dog. “The most surreal moment was seeing her give the pendant to Kendall on Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” he says. “It was like, ‘Mom, I made that.'”)
But he also grows his “regular” business by reading signs of trends.
Bold earrings in 14K yellow gold, $899
“As the colder months roll around, you’ll notice a clear shift in jewelry,” says Khalif. “Diamonds are making more of an appearance, and stacked necklaces are being replaced by larger, more statement pieces. Tennis necklaces are getting shorter, at 14 to 15 inches, tennis bracelets are on the rise, and hoop earrings are definitely getting thicker.”
14K Gold Eagle Necklace, $999
The trend this fall is “bigger, bolder gold jewelry,” he says. “There’s a time and a place for layering. In the summer, you want to wear multiple necklaces at the beach, and that’s fine. But in the winter, when you’re wearing sweaters, it’s harder to maintain that look.”
14K gold starburst ring with 1.50 carats of diamonds, $1,499
Kalife has also seen strong demand for jewelry with custom nameplates and initials. “People want something unique, something that nobody else has,” he says. “And green jewelry is popular. I had someone ask for a tsavorite ring recently. Yellow gold and green gemstones, oh, what a beautiful combination.”
Above: Custom diamond name necklace in 14K gold with diamonds, $1,699, George the Jeweler
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