ABOUT SUSAN BLAKE JEWELRY

Our family’s work in jewelry began three generations ago. My grandfather came to New York from Argentina as a bench jeweler with almost nothing - no plan, no safety net, just the intention to work as hard as he could and provide for his family. He wasn’t chasing success; he was focused on the bench, morning to night.

His craftsmanship was so strong that Tiffany & Co. eventually found him, and that partnership transformed his life. What started as one man at a small bench became a 5,000-square-foot factory on 47th Street, filled with other immigrant craftsmen who became a tight, loyal community. They worked side by side, hand-making every piece, supporting each other, and building something larger than any of them expected. My grandfather remained modest and quiet through all of it - a simple, observant man who let his work speak for him.

Susan, my mother, grew up in that factory. She spent years designing jewelry under her father, learning manufacturing, materials, and the realities of the trade. But design alone wasn’t the part that fulfilled her. What she cared about most was interacting with people directly - helping someone choose a piece, seeing their reaction, and being part of real moments. She built her retail business around that connection.

A defining part of Susan’s reputation was her honesty. She didn’t tell people what they wanted to hear; she told them the truth. If something didn’t suit someone, she said so. If a piece wasn’t worth buying, she would tell them not to buy it. That willingness to say “no,” even at the cost of a sale, is what earned her the loyalty of generations of customers. People trusted her judgment because it was genuine.

Today, I run the business with the foundation she and my grandfather created.

In practice, that looks like:

• solid 14k gold and diamond pieces meant to be worn, not tucked away

• build quality informed by decades of hands-on manufacturing on 47th Street

• sourcing through makers and stone dealers we know personally and have worked with for years

• pricing tied to metal weight, stone quality, and labor — not inflated for a storyline

• small-team service where the same people who sell to you also help with sizing, repairs, and follow-up

• custom projects when we can genuinely add value — from resetting family stones to designing something from scratch together

My role now is to carry the soul of the business forward - the craft, the honesty, the way customers are cared for - while continuing to grow the community around it. I’m honored to continue what my mother built and to help more people find pieces that become part of their everyday life and their milestone moments. We remain a family business at our core, grounded in the same values and the same commitment to making jewelry that becomes meaningful through real use and real relationships.