CMC Jeweler Launches New Line
Jewelry designer Raquel Alazraki spent years honing her skills as a jeweler from behind the counter at Eclipse, the fine-jewelry store located in the lobby of the California Market Center in downtown Los Angeles. Alazraki and her husband, Rafael, opened the store in 1996, but about five years ago, she began designing jewelry for her own use and to give as gifts.
Recently, the retailer-turned-designer launched an e-commerce Web site (www.raquelbdesigns.com) to showcase and sell her Raquel B collection.
The collection so far includes mostly necklaces made with semiprecious gems and reworked antique jewelry. One style features a large pendant in iridescent Roman glass; others feature antique beads and pendants from Tibet and Afghanistan. A long strand of freshwater pearls can be worn as a lariat, wrapped twice around the neck or worn as a belt.
Alazraki’s pieces are all one-of-a-kind and are sold at Eclipse and on her e-commerce site. Prices range from $185 to $1,500. Although she’s keeping distribution limited for now, the designer said she hopes to sell the pieces to a museum store.
“This is something I always wanted to do,” she said. “When traveling with my husband to the jewelry shows, he goes one way, and I’d go the other way to look.”
At Eclipse, Alazraki often helps customers redesign vintage pieces into something more modern and wearable. She has taken that concept to another level of personalized customer service with her own jewelry collection. Customers can bring in a specific outfit, and Alazraki will custom-design a necklace to coordinate with the look.
“We all have dresses in our closet we don’t wear,” the designer said. “If they bring me their dress, I’ll catch the idea and match the design of the necklace, and your dress will be like new. You have no idea how it enhances the outfit—and it’s personalized.”
For more information, call (213) 627-9446 or visit www.raquelbdesigns.com. —Alison A. Nieder
