Florida Jeweler Dispenses Fashion Advice

Susan Schneider of Weston, Fla., has been a regular customer at Levinson's Jewelers in Plantation, Fla., for 17 years. One of the main reasons she keeps coming back, she says, is owner Robin Levinson's fashion expertise and ability to successfully "make over" Schneider's jewelry wardrobe.

Schneider, who has an exceptional collection of jewels at home, confesses to frequently asking Levinson for fashion advice.

"It seems like I call her every day to ask what to wear," Schneider says. "Robin makes it easy to put together."

For today's makeover, the brown-eyed brunette wears a tailored black shirt and pants, with burgundy flats. She's accessorized with a gold watch and yellow gold earrings, paired with a two-tone pink and white gold necklace.

"She's trying really hard to match the watch with the earrings, which works," Levinson says, sizing up her client and friend. "She's almost making it, but the necklace is throwing everything off. And it's not really coordinated with her look."

Levinson describes Schneider as classic, sophisticated, and creative. She begins the makeover by replacing Schneider's gold watch with a black Chopard Happy Fish sport watch with an oversized face that has floating diamonds. For earrings, Levinson recommends princess-cut solitaires.

"They work better with the shape of her face," she says, after scrutinizing her client's features. "And they're perfect for her style—they're unusual, but classic."

Noting Schneider's silver belt buckle, and hearing her say that she loves the new trend in white metal jewelry, Levinson chooses a platinum ring featuring a statement-making princess-cut diamond to match the earrings. For the other hand, she chooses a band of emerald-cut diamonds. "It's from the same family as the princess cut, so it coordinates with the earrings and ring, but the emerald cut is a little quieter," Levinson says.

Two-tone Cassis bracelets with diamond pavé are rejected, as both Schneider and Levinson agree that they are confusing with the rest of her ensemble. A Barry Kronen black-and-white diamond ring is a favorite of Schneider's for its fashion-forward look.

Wary of tailoring Schneider's jewelry wardrobe too much to just one outfit, Levinson recommends a strand of multicolor Tahitian pearls for a necklace. The piece, she says, offers much-desired versatility. "If she's not wearing a black outfit tomorrow, she has a lot of colors to pick from," Levinson says.

Schneider, who either purchases jewelry or receives it as a gift from her husband several times a year, beams as she inspects the results of her makeover. Levinson, meanwhile, continually gauges her customers' reactions as she shows her other options—a different watch or a formal bracelet—that would transform the ensemble from casual to formal.

"It's so important," Levinson says. "One little thing can change the entire ensemble."