COUTURE: What is notable about The Vault?

Katherine Jetter: What makes The Vault special and notable is that I’m a jewelry designer operating as a retailer and so I approach the business from that perspective. The entire way in which I operate, my curation of the store, the collections I carry, the way in which my team is trained, and my philosophy of selling is all about a celebration of jewelry design.

We represent all different types of jewelry making techniques, and every design is chosen for its own unique aesthetic that doesn’t conflict with anything else in the store. We tell the stories of the journey from the ground up. The customer experience is explaining to them the story behind each designer, the quality of their workmanship, the concepts they employ, their use of diamonds, gemstones and precious metals; we are dedicated to educating the customer on understanding what they’re buying. And we make it fun and lighthearted and relaxed. That’s very much our philosophy; we’re very serious about serious jewelry and not taking ourselves too seriously!

What COUTURE designers and brands are your clients responding to right now?

KJ: 80% of the designers we carry are COUTURE designers. I love CADAR. I’ll never forget the first time I saw Michal walking past me at COUTURE wearing all three of her earrings stacked, the movement blindsided me; I ran after her so I could compliment her earrings! The engineering in her work is one of the reasons I love it. It’s unbelievably intelligent in its engineering and the movement in the work, the way its technically assembled, elevates the gold.

I love IsabellaFa for the same reason, though they have a completely different aesthetic. IsabelleFa is a German brand and I’m half German, so we have that connection. The way in which they create elasticity in the gold and establish a muscle memory by pulling their gold over and over again to create flexibility is amazing. It’s much more of a sleek, contemporary look that holds the same space with completely different aesthetic. Both lines can appeal to same customer for different purposes.

Of course, Victor Velyan is tried and true and one of the few artists left on the planet that uses patina and creates his own alchemy. Having his use of gemstones and his celebration of the ancient art of patina in the store tells the story of the history of jewelry making. His use of mixed metal and complex gemstones makes his work unbelievably layered.

Moritz Glik is a true bench jeweler as well so that’s also very much a part of a key theme; they’re truly bench jewelers and not just designers, many of our designers make their own pieces. The simplicity of the faceting of the white sapphire without being too fussy, his use of full cut diamonds and stones instead of chips, makes the the piece much more valuable; from my perspective, his workmanship is top level and has the extra steps of integrity that I look for in a brand.

I love working with Robinson Pelham. In fact, having gone to boarding school in London, I particularly enjoy working with many of my British designers. I had initially seen a potential conflict in working with Robinson Pelham since we both work in rainbows and colors, but the philosophy that I have is that there’s space and room for everyone and I like to celebrate designers. Their use of color is very different than mine, their execution in their gold work is excellent, and their use of premium quality colored stones is exceptional. They don’t cut any corners, the gemstones, metal links, polish, the execution of design and engineering that goes into their links have a very contemporary feel and I don’t think rainbows are going away any time soon.

I love working with Kwiat in the diamond space. I don’t carry generic product of any form, including classic diamonds. The excellence of William Goldberg and the long history and passion of Ashoka cuts in combination with the Kwiat family highlights the uniqueness of specialty cut diamonds and offers something elevated in the design space.

I’m extremely excited about bringing Castro Smith into the store, I’ve wanted to carry his collection for years. He is another master artists that’s making his own pieces. He’s literally telling a story through gold engravings, and through his pictures you can feel the story and the narrative of myths, lore and legends. The detail goes all the way inside and out; they’re works for art. His use of color is very exciting. He uses enamel, rhodium and crushed gemstones that add layers to his finishes. I feel very comfortable explaining his product to the end consumer. The Vault is special, I’m able to stand there and train my team on Paraiba coper inclusions, enamel, and how you can crush mother-of-pearl and mix it with rhodium to create a pearly sheen.

I’m always excited that I’m able to represent Sorellina; we had our salons next to each other at our very first COUTURE in 2010 so we’ve had a long journey of getting to know each other and grow up together in the jewelry industry; it wouldn’t be The Vault family without them.

Where’s the best place in town to grab a quick lunch?

KJ: It’s kind of hard to get a quick lunch here, even if you go to the Lemon Press on Main Street it’s a 20-25 minute wait to get a smoothie! I’m very lucky to have a beautiful bakery, Born & Bread, next door, which isn’t particularly healthy or good for getting bathing suit-ready, but if you’re visiting, a Born & Bread sandwich is great. The grilled cheese at Brotherhood of Thieves is always a crowd pleaser, and they also have light bights like sushi.

Where’s the best place to entertain clients or out of town guests?

KJ: We have so many great restaurants on the island it’s hard to choose! I love taking clients to lunch at Cru on the water. Everyone loves French martinis and a big stack of oysters and clams; you can eat a lobster roll and watch the boats come in and out.

The Galley, which is set on the beach and the sand, is also great, you can watch the sunset while having an elegant dinner. Everybody lines up in their matching outfits to take sunset photos! We’re doing a luncheon there this summer with CADAR and we rented a tent on the beach so we can hang out with our toes in the sand and see their beautiful Shell collection.

Otherwise, I love taking people to Far Away and the Sister Ship restaurant that was designed by one of my friends. It’s like going back in time to old whaling adventures with artifacts collected form around the world.

What’s your favorite local cultural spot?

KJ: Nantucket is deeply rich in history and I’m huge supporter of the Nantucket Historic Association (NHA). They have the Whaling Museum and they also have over 30 historic properties on island. You can tour some of the oldest building on the island that are kept in a trust to preserve their history. The oldest house that you can visit is up on a hill in town so you can see how people lived in the Quaker days and an endless amount of artifacts like woven baskets and carved ivory from whaling expeditions that are a big part of our history.

And there’s also the Maria Mitchel Foundation which pays homage to the first female astronomer to name a comet; we have multiple observatories on the island that you can visit to stargaze.

What’s special about your town?

KJ: It’s really hard to put into words. There’s something about the second you get off the ferry and place your first step on cobble stones, you feel like you’re in a different world, you breathe the sea salt air and it fills you with happiness, I get the same rush every time. You just breathe a sigh of relief and think, “Ahhh, I’ve made it!” It’s just a magical place, there’s magical energy on the island, it’s aesthetically beautiful and steeped in history. Having been raised in Europe the aesthetic draw of old gas lanterns and picket fences and manicured gardens gives such a beautiful energy to the place. It’s unlike anywhere else I’ve ever been and it’s like being a kid in the candy store, every adult and child wants to jump on a bike and ride around the island, pick flowers, go to the beach; it’s contagious!

Nantucket is also called the Gray Lady because it has a tendency to be surrounded by gray fog. If the fog comes in the planes aren’t leaving and you’re just staying. There’s a saying we use often on the island, “There’s always the next ferry!”