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R. Hollander crafts a handmade niche all its own
July 23, 2008
Stamford, Conn.—To call Russ Hollander a purist would be an overstatement, but the jeweler must be at least 18-karat.
Located in the Sheraton Stamford Hotel, one of the best-known buildings in one of America's more prosperous cities, R. Hollander Master Goldsmith offers nothing but handmade jewelry, all of high-karat gold or 950 platinum, with no casting or prefabricated content—and no enhanced stones. Hollander sells the work of a few other craftspeople, but his inventory mainly consists of his own creations.
"We're an oasis for customers who have been to the malls and chain stores but don't want to spend their money except on the piece they can't live without," Hollander says. "We'll often custom-alloy various colors of gold—rose, green, peach—to go with certain stones such as Nigerian tourmalines or Pakistani peridots."
What sets Hollander apart is that each piece is handcrafted.
"I find the transition from lost wax to metal disappointing," Hollander says. "I prefer to work directly with the metal. I especially enjoy carving platinum. You lose nothing in translation; you recover both the metal and the time."
Hollander has also begun to fabricate high-karat sculpted wedding bands and eternity rings from solid extruded tubing, which he produces on classic Benzinger lathes.
He became committed to working only with high-karat gold and platinum during his association with upscale jeweler Black Starr and Frost in the early 1980s, he says. When he opened his own gallery and studio workshop in 1993, Hollander found it surprisingly difficult to source well-made, high-content domestic jewelry, so he turned principally to Italian jewelers.
"I've long enjoyed the work of the Verganos, Henry Dunay and Michael Good," he says. "Lately I've become an admirer of the design content of Larry Woods' faceted and carved stones. His use of mixed techniques in exotic material is exciting and has proven to be an excellent platform for my recent exploration of color."
Such designers have distinctive, well-crafted bodies of work, and Hollander thinks that helps them get through good and bad economic times.
"My own work employs soft, tactile forms," he says. "I've always believed jewelry, at its best, is an elegant sculptural form, and that high-karat metals and platinum invite the body to engage in a uniquely tactile experience. Consequently, my metals tend to have a warm, inviting look—much akin to what you'd expect to see from their organic cousins, wood and stone."
 | | Pearl and 2.43-carat aquamarine earrings handcrafted by R. Hollander Master Goldsmith retail for $6,200. |
At least two-thirds of Hollander's pieces are commissioned, he estimates. His stock pieces start at about $3,000, but most customers buy in the $5,000 to $20,000 range, with commissioned pieces going for as high as $40,000. Hollander says that his customers are almost always eager to take part in the design process—sometimes irrepressibly so—and he notes that recently he has observed more interest in pearls and colored stones.
"Certainly there's been a departure from diamond-centric platinum," Hollander says. "I've also fallen in love with pearls again. I especially gravitate toward larger, interestingly colored keshi pearls."
Hollander also makes furniture—of which several pieces can be seen in the store—and builds boats, but woodworking is just a hobby, he says.
"It gives me an opportunity to work in a grander scale, and explore forms and images I might eventually bring back to the bench," he says.
Hollander advertises little, relying mostly on referrals and direct mail. He occasionally hosts in-store events, offering champagne and caviar and featuring his new work or that of other artisans.
As business has grown, the store has been expanded three times, from 1,000 square feet to its current 2,400 square feet.
"These expansions just creep up on you, and this place is starting to feel a little tight again," he says.
For more: RingArt.com
Tips on selling custom or handcrafted jewels
Sell smarter: "Know the piece intimately: its content, construction and maker," says Russ Hollander, owner of R. Hollander Master Goldsmith. "Don't be afraid to express yourself with the same passion the maker used in the jewelry's construction. Find your voice and don't be afraid to use it."
Price appropriately: "I struggle to charge enough for my work and time when it's obvious that I'm perfectly happy doing this for free," Hollander says.
Editor's note: This story first appeared in the June 2008 print edition of National Jeweler.
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