Valentine's Day is like the Super Bowl of love. There of plenty of other days to show your affection, but none are as over the top and high stakes as Valentine's Day.
No matter how good you've been all year, if you fall short on the Big Day no one will remember. And truth be told, Valentine's Day is pretty lopsided. One significant other will always bear the greater weight in the gift-giving calculus and if you are the designated grantor, it's best to put your best foot forward.
Chocolates, flowers and cards are great; and, if you are under the age of 21, a stuffed animal might touch your beloved's heart. But if you really want to do it up, nothing says "I love you" better than a bauble.
"This will be our first Valentine's Day," said Debi Giner as she arranged engagement rings in the display case of Rye's newest jewelry store Isabelle's.
If you're shopping in Rye, Isabelle's may be just the place to get the perfect statement piece for your beloved. Open six months, the new boutique actually has more than 35 years of experience behind it. Owner David Kirschenbaum has fittingly named his first retail venture after his mother. In fact, Kirschenbaum's parents were Manhattan jewelry manufacturers, according to Debi Giner.
Launching a retail jewelry store might seem daunting while the economy still wobbles on tentative legs, but Giner says Isabelle's is already on a positive track. "We're starting to build a clientele," she said. Some people, she said, come in to get pieces they already own re-designed.
The stores offers a range of pieces from fine gems to trendier gold notions, casual touches and watches.
But unique jewelry is the heart of Isabelle's inventory. Keeping family first, the store features the Martin Kirschenbaum, Inc. collection. The line includes finely crafted diamonds, many with stand-out yellow diamonds in contemporary and modern settings.
Besides the Kirschenbaum family jewels, the store also features the work rising star jewelers Betty Lou Moscot and Elizabeth Buenaventura.
