Bal Harbour

C O U R T E S Y YA FA S I G N E D J E W E L S T H E SHOP TALK, NEWS & HAPPENINGS AROUND THE KOI PONDS courtyard chronicles Cartier's emerald-eyed Panthère. Bulgari's slinky Serpenti. Van Cleef & Arpels' Mystery Set rubies. There are many motifs, gemstones, and designs that make up the holy grail of jewelry collecting. All are in regular rotation at Yafa Signed Jewels, which opens its doors at Bal Harbour Shops in March, offering an expert, multibrand approach to high-level jewelry acquisition. "It's really about one word: iconic," says Chris Del Gatto, a partner at the brand. "That's what's driven collectors. It's similar to the art world." It is these notable signed pieces—Yafa's specialty—that are often seen as some of the most reliable investments. Vintage pieces from important brands carry and build value, as do high-quality diamonds. The company handles both, the latter through their own vertically integrated diamond cutting centers in New York and Dubai, and sourcing offices in Botswana, Johannesburg, Antwerp, and Cape Town. "It's incredibly rare for a company of our size to be so close to the source," says Del Gatto. The brand's expertise comes from three generations, starting with Yafa Moradof, the matriarch who started as a jewelry purveyor in New York in 1985 with the help of her son, Maurice, the company's CEO. By focusing on the best examples of iconic designs from major jewelry houses, Yafa quickly established a reputation as a go-to for museum-quality pieces. After decades working in wholesale and with private clients, Yafa turned to retail in 2020 with the opening of their first store, in Palm Beach, bringing on Maurice's son, Tyler, as a principal. "Our target client is the educated consumer," says Moradof. "There is a community of people that appreciate and understand our tagline, of finding the unfindable." The new Bal Harbour shop will be appointed in the brand's signature interiors of polished wood, travertine, its own Pantone shade of blue (HEX #003157, to be precise), and Art Deco accents that nod to Miami's architectural legacy. After walking through the shop's glass vitrines and perhaps leafing through a book on vintage Van Cleef & Arpels or Harry Winston, clients are guided through Yafa's global inventory by trusted advisors, who will take notes of the types of brands, designs, gemstones, and other details that pique their interest, what they're searching for now, and the collecting goals they may have for the future. "We want our clients to be able to look back and see that we were with them each step of the way in their collecting process," says Moradof. "We're offering people the opportunity to really build a collection that they can be very proud of." SHOP TALK, NEWS & HAPPENINGS courtyard T H E courtyard T H E SHOP courtyard SHOP TALK, courtyard TALK, NEWS courtyard NEWS chronicles courtyard chronicles courtyard Serious jewelry collecting finds a new hub in Bal Harbour Shops with the arrival of Yafa Signed Jewels. BY SHANNON ADDUCCI THE RARE FIND Johannesburg, Antwerp, and Cape Town. "It's for a company of our size to be so The new Bal Harbour the brand's signature Harbour FROM LEFT MARINA B. sapphire, diamond, and mother-of-pearl necklace; BULGARI emerald and diamond ring; Van Cleef & Arpels flower brooch

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