This New Experiential Jewelry Store Lets You Watch Designs Come to Life
The relatively quiet Carmel, California is buzzing about the new Fourtané Jewelers flagship, a stylish two-story location with exclusive designer collections, a workshop where its resident master jeweler creates custom designs, an expansive lounge, and a colorful Carolina Bucci in-store shop.
“I’m bringing the Florentine spirit to Carmel,” said the Italian-born, London-based Bucci, who attended the store opening. She created unique pieces for her first in-store shop, including a flexible diamond bracelet with Carmel spelled out in colored gemstones, which can be customized with any words, and accessories she had made by her favorite Italian artisans, including Murano glasses and a home fragrance. But the main attraction is Bucci’s Forte Bead bar, which offers her vibrant beads, including turquoise, malachite, and coral, in glass candy jars for clients to customize their bracelets.
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The Forte Bead bar was an instant hit, said Josh Bonifas, a second-generation owner of Fourtané, who wears a Bucci bead bracelet stacked with his gold Audemars Piguet watch. “Our clients want wearable, fun jewelry, and I can’t think of a better brand for that.”
Fourtané has been part of the Carmel community for more than 70 years. Josh’s parents, Sandy and John Bonifas, purchased the original store back in 1987, the year Clint Eastwood was elected mayor of Carmel. What started as a vintage jewelry shop evolved into a nationally known destination for watch enthusiasts looking for hard-to-find vintage Rolexes and coveted new Patek Philippe timepieces. The expanded watch presence, with Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Cartier in-store shops, prompted the Bonifas to open a dedicated jewelry store.
In the close-knit Carmel community, new retail space rarely becomes available so when the storefront came on the market, Josh Bonifas said, “I went to the ends of the earth to get it.” The Bonifas worked with the Swiss-based architecture firm Studio Tonic to design a contemporary space in neutral colors with Calacatta marble, white oak herringbone floors, and modern architectural details. That includes a specially designed, light-filled workshop for master jeweler Juan Da Silva on the second level, which also hosts a VIP lounge designed for clients to linger over Champagne and jewelry.
It’s that personal attention that matters most in a community like Carmel, where everyone knows each other, says Bonifas. That’s why there is always a Bonifas family member in the stores, including Josh’s brother Kris. “We are creating experiences for our clients,” said Josh Bonifas. “They like the fact that they can sit down with Juan, who will draw out a design, and handmake it.”
The new location has an expanded selection of its vintage jewelry, which includes a curated selection representing every period, from Georgian and Art Deco to mid-century, including rare finds like an Aldo Cipullo necklace of carnelian and 18-karat gold with more than 6 carats of diamonds ($185,000) and Tiffany’s iconic Sea Horse brooch made in carved angel skin coral with emeralds and diamonds ($38,000). New to the store is a unique selection of Messika diamond jewelry, along with collections from Roberto Coin, Robert Procop, and Mikimoto.
With the jewelry store open, Bonifas, who also manages Fourtané’s watch store in San Diego, has started construction on a vintage watch lounge in his Carmel location, which he says will resemble a cigar lounge with custom wood cases and a warm inviting feeling. Among his most popular vintage models are, not surprisingly, Rolex Submariners, GMTs, and Daytonas. His assortment includes a 2007 Rolex GMT Master II with what’s known as an “Error Dial” due to the unusual Roman style numerals in the model name and a transitional caliber 3186 movement ($20,000), and a 1950s “James Bond” Submariner Ref. 5508 with an original dial ($30,000).
One of the hottest new models, he says, is Patek Philippe’s women’s Nautilus with a purple dial. “The purple dial is so cool and exciting.” It’s already sold out.
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