Greetings, everyone! If you caught my Tweet and FB update this weekend, you know that I’m in Florence, Italy, visiting the Rebecca jewelry factory. 

Check out the panoramic view from my hotel window; my room overlooks the Arno River






Hope you were able to disregard the enormous crane partially obstructing the view outside of my window. The hotel is doing a few renovations.

Rebecca makes high-end costume jewels—gold-plated bronze and lab-grown gems, as well as silver and semi-precious stones and steel—in its Florence-based factory, which I’ll tour on Monday.  

 

 

Like it or not, costume jewels are being embraced by more high-end stores in light of the economy. Fine-quality and less-expensive lines—albeit non-precious—like Rebecca appeal to many consumers who just can’t spring for the real stuff right now. 

On Sunday evening, Agostino Magni, president, welcomes U.S. storeowners. All carry Rebecca and travelled to Florence just to see the factory.

Plus, these pieces attract an entirely new customer base. A Milwaukee-based jeweler I just met says he carries Tacori, Pandora, Thistle & Bee silver, and Rebecca, among other lines; he also maintains that the latter brought in thousands of new and younger customers last year alone because of the price points. [And please note all of the young faces in the photo above; these are all storeowners who carry Rebecca and are here to see the company’s facilities first-hand.]

 

 

Agostino Magni and Michael Pucci, Rebecca

With suggested retail prices starting at $100, even the most die-hard luxury jewelry collector will have a hard time resisting a Rebecca purchase. Rebecca has U.S. headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif., and can be reached at (310) 319-9600. JCK also published a profile of the company in the January 2009 issue of JCK.

 

 

Come back tomorrow to see photos of the factory tour!

 

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