Martin Katz – Modern day Midas

From my earliest days as an assistant salesman at the luxury jewelry salon Laykin et Cie at I. Magnin, I began my love affair with vintage jewelry. After starting my own business, my passion for vintage pieces grew until I was met with the frustration of being unable to find pieces in the style I loved, which led me to start designing pieces of my own. That was met with great success, and today I am better known for my original designs than my vintage pieces.

[highlight_text] “I designed the world’s first $1 million perfume bottle for DKNY’s new Golden Delicious fragrance.” [/highlight_text]

By bejeweling Sharon Stone after she had completed Basic Instinct I became the first independent jeweler to be seen on the red carpet. Over the years I have jeweled over 500 Hollywood celebrities and my jewelry has been seen in every major magazine, even gracing the covers of many, including Town & Country, W, and Vogue. Today, I have stores in Beverly Hills, Rancho Santa Fe, California, a boutique in Bergdorf Goodman, New York and a satellite store in Moscow.

While I’ve explored countless combinations and creations, hundreds of which have adorned the stars of the silver screen, some of my most influential pieces are those that haven’t been on display in any of my stores.

I love objets d’art and even love creating them. In 2008, I designed the famed $5 million bra for the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Modeled by Adriana Lima, the $5 million Black Diamond Fantasy Miracle Bra was encrusted with 117 round diamonds, 3,575 black diamonds and 34 rubies. Two 50-carat black diamonds hung down the front of the luxe bra, bringing the bra’s gem weight over 1,500 carats.

But that wasn’t my only foray into bedazzling everyday objects – 15 years ago, I created the first diamond cell phone case for the Motorola StarTAC, carried on the red carpet by Angela Bassett. I also designed jeweled eyewear for Ray-Ban, which made an appearance on the red carpet by Celine Dion.

This year saw perhaps my most creative challenging venture yet.

I designed the world’s first $1 million perfume bottle for DKNY’s new Golden Delicious fragrance. The lavish bottle is a solid gold apple, elaborately decorated with precious gemstones. It features over 2,700 white diamonds and almost 200 golden yellow sapphires set in a micro pave setting in white gold. Even the spray button of the bottle is haute, adorned with a flawless vivid yellow canary diamond.

The regal bottle sits on a water white glass saucer featuring the continents of the world encrusted in over 2,900 various gems from the countries depicted.

The bottle also pays tribute to the city by which it was inspired; around its circumference, diamonds create a small-scale model of the New York City skyline.

Each stone was placed by hand—a process that took almost 1,500 hours.

This creation will tour the world, showcased for all to see. Once the tour is done, the bottle will be auctioned off for charity. Profits will benefit Action Against Hunger.

I haven’t abandoned my fashion jewelry side, though. My latest endeavor is my new Divine Collection, a somewhat avant-garde collection spirited from the 30’s and 40’s meant to create a contemporary perspective on traditional cocktail rings and evening earrings.

The infinite nature of the circle stands out among the rest. The soft suggestive curves are symbolic of timeless beauty, divine in nature. The collection, which will be expanded upon throughout the season, launches with three pairs of earrings, three rings and a pendant. This collection fills a niche for the stylized woman who wants an approachably priced piece of jewelry that will generate the same impact as large diamonds would.

As award season is upon us, we’ll be participating in our 19th consecutive year on the red carpet. I’m sure many of you have watched our collections over the years, and you’ll continue to see some very fun and spirited designs in the upcoming shows. Stay tuned to see what pieces grace the red carpet this year.