How Robbins Brothers Is Winning Over Gen Z

By Victoria Gomelsky | December 01, 2025

On a rainy January day in 2024, Marc Friedant, the CEO of Robbins Brothers, a 14-store fine jewelry retailer with headquarters in Southern California, toured an empty bank building on the corner of Colorado and Madison Avenues in Pasadena, along with a few members of the company’s executive team.

“I said to them, ‘What do you think if we make this a store and office space?’ and they looked at me like I was nuts,” Friedant tells JCK. “And then we went back and said, ‘You know, maybe there’s something here.’ We started talking with the landlord and tried to coordinate lease expirations and all of that and got to where we are today.”

Robbins Brothers Pasadena interior — *The interior of Robbins Brothers’ new Pasadena showroom*

He’s referring to Robbins Brothers’ new state-of-the-art prototype showroom in Pasadena’s Playhouse District, which celebrated its grand opening in mid-November with a series of events for influencers, press, and clients. The historic bank building, which dates to 1928, boasts 30-foot coffered ceilings, elaborate chandeliers, tall pillars, dramatic windows, and wall murals painted by impressionist artist Alson S. Clark in the early 1920s.

It’s also a proving ground for some of Robbins Brothers’ newest ideas about engaging with younger clients. For example, the retailer has, for the first time, installed front-opening showcases that allow sales associates to stand side-by-side with customers.

“Our target audience is generally 25 to 38 if it’s their first engagement, although we certainly appeal to all ages and we do second and third engagements and trade-ins,” Sue Hopeman, vice president of merchandising, says. “But what we’re finding with the Gen Z population is they want the experience. Everything is experiential. And with the showcases that open in the front, you stand side-by-side with the guest, and it’s much more of an experience than trying to sell over the counter, which feels very old-school.

“We’ve already seen some very nice success in this store in the first month with this side-by-side selling,” she adds. “We will use this prototype as we remodel our future stores.”

Robbins Brothers Pasadena lounge — *The hospitality lounge at Robbins Brothers’ new Pasadena showroom*

In addition to involving customers in the sales process, the retailer has also built a “hospitality lounge” near the corner windows “because it’s not all about standing across the counter from someone who’s teaching you the four Cs,” Friedant says. “It gives guests an opportunity to take a break and just relax. If the guest is getting serious and they want to sit down and learn, we have diamond viewing rooms around the edges of the store where we will bring stones out to the extent that they want to understand the four Cs, how to hold tweezers, how to look at the stone under a loupe, all of that. We can do that with a certain level of privacy.”

As Robbins Brothers looks to the final weeks of the 2025 holiday, the company is stocking price-point goods to appeal to younger shoppers and gift-givers.

“We mostly do 14k, 18k, and platinum,” Hopeman says. “But everything classic—diamond stud earrings, tennis bracelets, tennis necklaces—we still are seeing those as our best sellers along with really cute pendants such as butterflies, bumblebees, initial pendants. Very affordable pricing, under $600, seems to be what is attractive to guests right now.”

Robbins Brothers M pendant — *Initial pendant in 14k white gold with diamonds, $446; Robbins Brothers*

Hopeman notes that for the time being, the retailer has resisted raising prices to account for the increase in the cost of gold. “We do not want to pass that on to the consumer at this point in time,” she says. “We know that their budgets are being pulled in multiple directions, so we have kept the majority of our prices as is. We just want to take care of the guests.”

Another way the retailer is doing that for Gen Z clients is by making the custom design experience as seamless possible.

“They really want to customize whatever it is they purchase,” Hopeman says. “Particularly if it’s their engagement ring—they might see something they like, but they want to put a little twist to it. So about 40% of our bridal business is special orders. Everybody wants to customize. And we are seeing that move a little bit into the fashion business as well.

“For instance, they might see a tennis bracelet with diamonds, but they want it with all sapphires,” she adds. “Or they see a tennis bracelet—we’ve done alternating diamonds and sapphires. We are actually working on a bridal piece right now where the guest has it with amethyst and blue topaz instead of diamonds for the side stones. They’re definitely bringing in more color rather than just always sticking with the traditional diamonds.”

Robbins Brothers viewing rooms — *Diamond viewing rooms at Robbins Brothers’ new Pasadena showroom*

Speaking of diamonds, Robbins Brothers has long prided itself on offering a wide selection of stones, including both lab-grown and natural.

“We don’t try to tell the customer what they want to buy,” Hopeman says. “We have always been in the natural diamond business. We’ve always been in the lab-grown business. We do not push one or the other. It’s whatever they want. It’s what their budget allows them to spend. For ’26, that is really going to continue to be very important. Both the experience of the purchasing process and buying an engagement ring is one of the most traumatic but exciting things that folks do in their life. So we’re trying to diversify our assortments. especially with things economically being the way they are, to make sure we really can cover all price points.

“It is not unusual for us in the same day to sell a $2,000 diamond and to sell a $100,000 diamond,” Hopeman says, adding that while lab-grown stones dominate sales in terms of units, in terms of dollar value, the breakdown is closer to half and half. “It’s what the guest wants. It’s not up to us.”

The other big trend Robbins Brothers is seeing this fall is the rise of platinum jewelry.

“With gold topping $4,000 an ounce, platinum is becoming very predominant,” Hopeman says. “We really are pushing platinum and transitioning quite a bit of our assortment. We even brought in platinum tennis necklaces and three different carat weights and lengths for holiday because platinum is so affordable right now compared to gold. It’s having a moment.”

Top: Robbins Brothers’ new prototype showroom in Pasadena, Calif., celebrated its grand opening in mid-November. (photos courtesy of Robbins Brothers)