A shining tradition

Gary Michaels Fine Jewelry is built on more than 80 years of grandfather’s lessons

by Jessica Jones-Gorman Photos By Amessé Photography

When Gary and Michael Littman opened their eponymous fine jewelry shop on a busy stretch of Route 9 in Manalapan more than ten years ago, they were actually continuing a family tradition that has existed since 1928.

“Our grandfather, Hy Littman, was a watchmaker in Romania who bought a store in Brooklyn and went into business more than 80 years ago,” noted Michael Littman, co-owner of Gary Michaels Fine Jewelry, which prides itself on stocking one of the largest assortments of diamonds in the New Jersey jewelry marketplace.

“The first Littman Jewelers was formed when he moved the business to New Brunswick,” he continued. “Our fathers, Len and Herb helped take the business to the next level, building a strong following and a large client base, and by the time our family sold it in 1998, there were 130 Littman stores—from New Jersey to Florida…even in Ohio.”

The Littman chain, which was one of the largest family owned and operated mall-based jewelry companies in the United States at the time of its sale, built its name on a personalized form of customer service, and it’s that same principle that the Littman cousins strive to continue at their own modern, designer-focused shop today.

“Our grandfather was a straightforward and honest businessman; he always put his customers first and went above and beyond to satisfy,” Littman said. “He had wonderful values, and that is one tenet of our success that has never changed. Our customers always come first. They need to know that they can trust us just like they trusted our grandfather.”

That said, Gary and Michael have injected their own selling style into their grandfather’s traditional technique.

“We try to do things a little differently than the mall-based model,” Littman said. “We incorporate traditions with our own dynamic market skills, and I think that hybrid model gives us a nice advantage. We still have customers who bring in heirloom pieces for us to polish that our grandfather sold them. It’s clients like those who feel like a part of our family.”

After the sale of the original Littman line of stores, when Gary and Michael branched out on their own, the location of their 6,000-square-foot standalone—adjacent to a Wegman’s supermarket and a major shopping mall—was strategically chosen.

“We searched around a number of different markets in New Jersey: Paramus, Willowbrook, Bridgewater, and even further south,” noted Gary Littman. “But when we found this site and this shopping center, we just knew it was right.”

And while most jewelry stores are bridal- or watch-focused, the Littmans explained that their store offers a mix of items, both designer and custom made.

“We offer some of the top designers in the world and I think we have the largest diamond selection in New Jersey,” Littman said. “We sell brands like Cartier, Brietling, and David Yurman, and we’ve always been very bridal oriented, very fashion oriented and tend to merchandise a little ahead of the curve.”

Some of the best performing labels at the store include Michele, Tacori, Gabriel & Co., Verragio, and Di Modolo. The affordable, trendy Alexi and Ani bracelets were introduced in store earlier this year, and John Hardy’s Bamboo Collection, a fashionably “green” line of bracelets and rings (which donates a portion of its proceeds to plant bamboo seedlings in Bali, a resource which is steadily declining), is also a big seller.

The store boasts a wide array of loose diamonds and diamond engagement rings with which the jewelers educate customers on the clarity, color, cut and carat weight of pieces they choose to purchase.

“I remember being a kid, playing in my father’s office, and there were diamonds everywhere,” Littman recalled. “That’s something we wanted to continue here—providing a vast selection of only the best diamonds to those who count on our opinion and expertise in choosing the best and brightest.”

As fashion-forward jewelers, the cousins attend jewelry shows all over the world to always keep an eye on developing trends.

“Many designers are mixing stones now,” said Littman. “So you’ll see a lot of black-and-white and even champagne diamonds in the same piece.” Colored diamonds, particularly yellow, are also trending, he added, as are inside-out hoop earrings, stackable bangles, and eternity bands. When it comes to bridal, halo engagement rings continue to be very hot.

“We offer some of the top designers in the world, and I think we have the largest diamond selection in New Jersey,” Littman said. “We sell brands like Cartier, Brietling, and David Yurman, have always been very bridal and fashion oriented, and tend to merchandise ahead of the curve.”

“Ninety percent of engagement rings that go out the door here have a halo around the center stone,” the jeweler noted.

But the most dominant trend in jewelry has to be personalization.

“Custom jewelry is always a popular seller,” Littman said. “But now we’re moving beyond big extravagant patterns to more casual, custom pieces and we see that in brands like Alex and Ani that have become so popular over the past few years. They’re very simple items, personalized for whoever is wearing them.”

Those personal designs and custom service is what the Littmans continue to bring to customers.

“We want to continue the same trusted service and product that our grandfather launched this business with so many years ago.”