In my job, I spend a fair amount of time trying on the most
expensive diamond jewelry in the world at the most decadently
intimidating stores in New York, but every trip to Jacob & Co. was
always a bit more exciting than the others. You never knew who or what
you'd see in there -- from Barbara Walters to a scaled-to-life chess set
made of white, cognac and black diamonds in the works for a Saudi
Prince.
Jacob Arabov
photo by Thomas Iannaccone
I've known Jacob Arabov since 2005 and there have been many interviews
at his East 57th street store and headquarters -- it's the only place
you can find a 15-carat fancy yellow diamond alongside a watch with the
image of a Playboy bunny on the dial. They don't have those at Graff or
Harry Winston.
Swipe a card and the glass for the jewelry case drops down à la
James Bond. Swipe somewhere else and a hidden pocket door opens to a
leather-laden back area with a fully stocked bar. The VIP area is
welcome to celebrities of all sorts, but a constant presence has been
Jacob's wife, Angela, always involved in the business, and one of their
three preteen sons wearing one of dad's larger-than-life five-time-zone
watches with diamonds.
That's the thing about Jacob. Sure, you'd see pictures of him with
all the bold-faced names -- Paris Hilton, P. Diddy, Britney Spears,
Beyoncé, Posh and Becks, etc. -- but for so many clients, the family
element was so endearing.
I wonder how the shop will fare without Arabov's presence for the 30 months while he is incarcerated for money laundering.
After all, who else but Jacob would have the nerve to make a pavé
diamond pendant the size of a CD, like the one he did for Pharrell
Williams.
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