Newport Beach’s finest turned out for last month’s opening of Mardo Ayvazyan’s 4,400-square-foot jewelry store.
The city manager postponed his honeymoon to mark the opening of Mardo Fine Jewelry on Pacific Coast Highway.
City Manager Homer Bludau and Ayvazyan are friends.
Ayvazyan also calls Leo Gugasian, who owns the property, his best friend since 1989. That’s the way of the & #252;ber jewelry business. Your customers often are your friends,or better yet, your friends are your customers.
“It’s a very social business,” said Ayvazyan, an affable man who wears a gray ponytail and speaks with an accent. He’s from Istanbul, Turkey.
The store is extravagant. But Ayvazyan stresses he’s no overnight success. He’s spent years,27 of them,building his business.
“It is patience, lots of years of patience,” he said.
About 80% of customers live in Newport Beach, according to Ayvazyan. The new store, which is 80 feet long, is nearly six times larger than his old one, which used to be in Lido Marina Village.
Ayvazyan came to the U.S. in 1979 and opened a 300-square-foot store in Lido Marina, later expanding into an 800-square-foot space.
A perfectionist, Ayvazyan said he works at the store seven days a week. He even redid the architectural designs that were drawn up for the building. The store has custom molding, Italian furniture and marble and granite finishing. There is a design area in back and a small kitchen.
In front, five turtles swim in a tank. There’s a liquor cabinet for occasional drinks with customers. Ayvazyan said he often goes out to dinner with his customers/friends in the evening.
“They don’t have to buy anything when they come,” he said.
Ayvazyan didn’t formally study gemology in Turkey. He studied archaeology. But he had his eyes on the rocks, regularly visiting jewelry stores as a teen. Later, he studied gems in Paris. Ayvazyan’s family was in the clothing business. But he liked the sparkly stuff.
The store carries only Ayvazyan’s custom jewels, except for watches. Ayvazyan sells five different brands of watches.
Big diamonds,40 carats to 50 carats,sparkle behind glass in a private back room.
“This is the ‘wow’ room,” said Patricia Mitchell, one of the saleswomen.
As I chatted with Ayvazyan, Mitchell wrapped a sparkly $600,000 diamond necklace around my neck.
I reflected on the wealth of Orange County residents, what it must be like to easily drop half a million dollars on a necklace. It doesn’t happen every day, Ayvazyan said.
Couples often come in shopping together. Sometimes the guy will slip off to the Ferrari and Maserati dealer next door. By the time he’s picked out a car, she’s found a piece of jewelry she loves.
The store has its share of celebrity customers. To protect their privacy, Ayvazyan doesn’t name names. Flipping through a photo album kept in the store, there are a few rock stars and other sorts. Ayvazyan says they come for the privacy. Mardo Fine Jewelry isn’t in a mall, so customers can park right out front.
Ayvazyan said he can close the store for more privacy.
The photo album also shows pictures of Ayvazyan hoisting a prize fish, a contrast to the jeweler in front of me. He knows the weight of the fish, 45 pounds. Deep-sea fishing is one of his passions. It’s not something he gets to do often. He even sold his boat.
But next year, he said he plans to indulge more in traveling and fishing.
“My grandson is my biggest hobby,” he said.
One of his daughter’s, Sheila Ayvazyan, is in the business. She’s likely to take over when Ayvazyan’s ready to retire.
Speaking of Bling
Charriol, a Swiss jewelry and watch boutique, is opening a store at Fashion Island. The company is named for French designer Phillipe Charriol. The jewels also are sold in a number of upscale retailers such as Neiman Marcus.
Newport Lexus GM
Allen Moznett has been named general manager of Newport Lexus, which is set to open across from Fletcher Jones Motorcars in Newport Beach Monday.
Moznett grew up in California and sold cars while studying at San Diego State University. Most recently, he was the general sales manager for Toyota of Orange.
Newport Lexus and Toyota of Orange are part of David Wilson’s Wilson Automotive Group.
The 100,000-square-foot Lexus dealership is squaring off with Fletcher Jones Motorcars in a luxury battle royale.
Newport Lexus plans to pamper buyers like Fletcher Jones does. It has its work cut out.
Executives at Newport Lexus have been training in the ways of high service. They have studied how the five-star Four Seasons Resort Aviara in Carlsbad handles guests during busy times.
They also learned the service ways of other companies, such as Starbucks Corp., Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. and Apple Computer Inc.
