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TRAXNYCDiamond District · New York
Renato at his desk
The 47th Street Interviews · No. 04 · Custom jewelry

Renato: Good Things Take Time

10years on 47th Street

Ten years on the block, from a micro pavé setting shop to custom chains, and why a custom piece can't be rushed.

Interview and photographs by Yan Do Amaral · Translated from Spanish · TraxNYC Magazine, Issue 01
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How long have you been working on 47th Street, and how did you start?

RenatoI've been here exactly ten years now, since around July, when I came. When I got here, I went first to a micro pavé setting shop.

Hands at a jeweler's bench working a piece held in a setting clamp
At the bench: a piece held in the setting clamp.
A bench microscope over the workshop tables
The microscope, for the finest details.

What chain did everyone want when you first started, and what is it now?

RenatoBack when I got here, everything was micro pavé, and everyone wanted Cubans. Right now, most of them do prong setting. They want chains that are more personalized: everyone invents their own chain model now.

What should a buyer check before buying a gold chain?

RenatoThe first thing the client has to check is the quality of the gold they're being sold. I think honest jewelers around here are very few, and I think the most honest jeweler is Trax, brother, for me. You have to check what's inside the chain, the gold that's inside the chain: what gold they're selling you.

I think the most honest jeweler is Trax, brother, for me.Renato, ten years on 47th Street (translated from Spanish)

What mistake do you see buyers make the most?

RenatoThe biggest mistake clients make is wanting to rush things, doing them without time. Because first they have to get the design made, and the designer takes a while. Then it goes to casting, and everything else.

So when things are rushed, they don't come out the way they expect. But we solve everything.

Planning a custom piece for a big day? Don't leave it to the last minute.

What's one piece you'll never forget?

RenatoThere are a lot of pieces, brother. But something crazy we made... I think the Prime bottles were one of the biggest impacts we made.

Lea la entrevista en español

¿Cuánto tiempo llevas en la 47 y cómo empezaste?

Estoy exactamente ya diez años acá, por julio más o menos, porque vine acá. Brother, yo cuando llegué acá, llegué primero a un taller de seteado de micro pavé.

¿Qué cadena querían todos cuando empezaste, y cuál es ahora?

En el tiempo cuando yo llegué acá, todo era micro pavé y todo el mundo quería cubanas. Ahorita la mayoría hacen todo prong setting, quieren hacer las cadenas ya más personalizadas. Cada quien inventa su modelo de cadena ahorita.

¿Qué debe chequear el cliente antes de comprar una cadena de oro?

El cliente, lo primero que tiene que chequear es la calidad de oro que le están vendiendo. Yo pienso que joyeros honestos acá son muy pocos, y pienso que el joyero más honesto es Trax, brother, para mí. Se debe chequear lo que está dentro de la cadena, el oro que está dentro de la cadena: qué oro es el que le están vendiendo.

¿Cuál es el error que más cometen los clientes?

El mayor error que cometen los clientes es querer hacer las cosas apresuradas, cuando las hacen sin tiempo. Porque lo primero es que tienen que mandar a hacer el diseño, el diseñador se toma un tiempo, luego mandan al casting y todas las cosas. Entonces, cuando las cosas se hacen apresuradas, no salen como ellos esperan. Pero nosotros resolvemos todo.

¿Una pieza que nunca vas a olvidar?

Son muchas piezas, brother. Pero algo loco que se hizo fue... yo creo que las botellas de Prime fueron uno de los impactos más grandes que hicimos.

Translated from Spanish and lightly edited for length and clarity.

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Before you buy

The chains in this issue, and the guides from the store

Michael
Next · No. 05Michael: When Gold Was $65 an Ounce

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