Cool as Ice, Siblings Branch out with Stylish Jewelry Store
By Alin K. Gregorian
Mirror-Spectator Staff
WELLESLEY, Mass. — Browse through publications about style in Boston and you will likely come across two names when it comes to jewelry worn by the local glitterati: Veronica Sagherian and Anto Aboyan.
Sagherian and Aboyan have made a mark on the local scene with their first store, Newton’s Adamas Fine Jewelry, since 1997. Whereas Adamas, meaning diamond in ancient Greek, specializes in high-end, elegant jewelry as well as bespoke designs, the duo’s latest venture, Impulse, in Wellesley, is aimed at women who want to be stylish and wear pretty jewelry, without considering whether or not the purchase is going to make a deep impact on their wallets.
In the almost Zen space of Impulse, which opened its doors in November, shelves suspended by barely-discernible wires showcase chunky semiprecious necklaces and modern bracelets, as well as elegant gold and diamond earrings.
Adamas has been on the Best of Boston list by Boston Magazine four times for best fine jewelry and best custom design. The siblings were also recognized by JCK Magazine, the leading industry magazine for jewelers. And just this month, Sagherian was named among the top 25 style visionaries in Boston for starting Impulse, by COUP Boston magazine.
Sagherian, a Belmont resident, said opening Adamas was something she and her brother had thought a lot about. Aboyan already had a jewelry business downtown, Boston Bijoux, with a cousin, in the Jeweler’s Building on Washington Street. The brother and sister decided to combine their skills and start a new venture and one that would be in the suburbs.
Sagherian got her degree in economics from Boston College. “All my life I wanted to be an attorney, but I worked in that field and realized that it wasn’t for me. I needed to find a more creative field.”
Her brother, by contrast, has been working in the business since he was 10 as an apprentice. Aboyan, of Waltham, is a goldsmith and designer with many years of experience. He was only 19 when he opened his first store with a cousin.
“Anto and I always wanted to work together and with my management strength and his business sense and jewelry knowledge, we thought we would make a good team,” she said recently.
“Adamas is a slightly different take on a jewelry store with a niche in custom design. The kind of people who shop there basically want high quality and something a little unusual,” Sagherian explained. The jewelry is created “based on their input,” including bringing in items they have for repurposing.
Adamas does approximately half its business in wedding and engagement rings. Often men might come in looking for just the right ring and ask for guidance from Aboyan and Sagherian.
The duo saw there is a place in the market for an equally tasteful store that can offer customers stylish jewelry for far less, with semi-precious stones. In Impulse, the range is from $150 to $7,000, with most items under $1,000.
Traditional fine jewelry is made up of gemstones like sapphires and diamonds. However, she noted, “because of the huge downturn in the economy, semiprecious stones and metals like sterling silver have become bigger than ever.”
Thus, Impulse was born.
“There are changes in buying trends. Fewer people buy expensive jewelry and more people want to buy fun and trendy fashion jewelry, hence Impulse. It’s a little more fun and the purchases are not necessarily investments,” Sagherian said.
“We wanted to offer women a place where they could mix fashion and fine jewelry in a way that makes complete sense. It is all about fashion and making fashion statement,” she added.
The two stores have a lot of overlap in terms of customers. “We have some of the same clientele. A lot of them enjoy shopping here as a feel-good place.”
With the gleaming surfaces and pretty baubles in the high-end looking space, Sagherian said, they “want to make it impossible for people to walk in and leave without finding a gift,” even if they gift is to themselves.
Among the fashion jewelry lines at Impulse is the one by Heather B. Moore or Dominique Denaive.
“We do extensive research. We look around for designers who have talent and the potential to be great. Another find by Sagherian and Aboyan is Suzanne Kalan, an Armenian designer from Los Angeles.
“The first time I saw her, I got a pair of pretty earrings for myself. The next thing I know, I’m buying all kinds of things from her.” Now, she said, Kalan’s line can be found in several high-end stores.
Sagherian may have started with a business background, but she has accumulated a great deal of knowledge about gems — diamonds in particular — and has such natural style that her customers often rely on her to steer them toward a redesign.
Among diamonds, she said, white ones are still the most popular, while yellow and pink varieties are gaining popularity.
Among semiprecious gems, she said green quartz is very popular now. “It has a light, pale green color. Since emerald is the big color this year, the Pantone color, green jade and agate and also popular.”
When they were looking for a space for Impulse, the duo decided they need to explore other suburbs and an opportunity presented itself in Wellesley.
“We picked Wellesley because we liked the shopping area they created in Linden Square. People from Natick, Weston, Framingham, they all come through here. They come to Linden Square if they don’t want to go to the mall,” Sagherian said.
In Sagherian’s line of work, customers often shop based on their emotions. She recalled how a customer lost her teen son and asked Adamas to make custom jewelry for each of her remaining children as a tribute to their late brother. “It makes us feel good to help this family during such a difficult time,” Sagherian said.
Many celebrity clients have shopped at Adamas. In addition, the shop often provided the jewelry won by the actors on the set of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.” This summer the siblings receives a lot of attention when gymnast Aly Raisman, who was on the US Olympic Team, wore the earrings that Aboyan had made for her, a sapphire, ruby and diamond pair of earrings, wishing her luck. The Raisman family, who are from Needham, had been longtime customers of Adamas and the siblings wanted to convey their best wishes to the young Olympian.
To check out Impulse, visit trustyourimpulse.com; to see more from Adamas, visit adamasfinejewelry.com.
