Gift Shop Plus Summer 2023

Behind the scenes: Anne Koplik Designs By Carly McFadden

For millennia, humanity has looked to the sky for fundamental truths, and Anne Koplik Designs’ jewelry line aims to bring a piece of that celestial beauty down to Earth.

Anne Koplik founded Glassworks Studio, since renamed, in 1981. The New York-based company, now owned by Koplik’s two daughters — Kara Garecht and Jill Koplik Tellerman — creates jewelry for women that is both fashion-oriented and timeless while remaining affordable.

“From the beginning, my mother has always said that her mission has been to create jewelry that is affordable and that will make women feel as beautiful on the outside as they do on the inside,” Garecht said.

She added: “We’re your classic American small business. We’re family; we’re women-owned. We’re ‘The Little Engine That Could.’”

The company has created a variety of lines — such as garden- and vintage-inspired — but its celestial line is a must-have for space-lovers. The line began with the Man in the Moon Necklace, a top-selling item that existed for years on its own. The high demand for that item helped to inspire an entirely celestial- themed line with several items at a variety of price points.

Possibly the most extravagant piece from the line is the Celestial Bodies Necklace. The necklace is handcrafted and directly inspired by the solar system. It features a figaro chain with an antique finish, glass-stone planets and a sun charm, as well as star charms and thoughtfully placed crystal accents.

Tellerman designed the piece herself and drew inspiration from her deep-rooted appreciation for the night sky.

“Since my dad explained the stars and the moon to me when I was four years old, looking up, it’s just always been a fascinating thing for me,” Tellerman said. “What we look to are the things that we like and we love. So I said, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to do a [solar system] necklace?’ How I did it was I made the sun, of course, the center. And if we are the third rock from the sun, so going on either side of the actual sun, I did it in order for each of the planets going all the way out.”

Tellerman’s attention to detail was in no shortage when designing the Celestial Bodies Necklace, working to make the planets as accurate as possible when it comes to proportion, details and colors. She even placed a small crystal next to the Earth to represent the moon.

The Earth charm features a cobalt backing with flecks of silver, gold and greens. Meanwhile, Saturn’s coloring is designed to reflect its rings, and Tellerman chose to work off of the latest photos from the highest-powered telescopes to reflect the colors of the planets in the most accurate way while also creating an aesthetically pleasing piece of jewelry.

“Sometimes the most beautiful color combinations are what we find in nature,” Tellerman said.

“When Jill designs, it’s been my experience, being her sister and working with her for all these years, that she goes deep into something [she loves],” Garecht said with a laugh.

Along with the Celestial Bodies Necklace are the Celestial Bodies Crystal Galaxy Earrings, featuring multicolored hand-polished glass cabochons and hand-enameled charms, representing both Earth and Saturn. Other items in the line include the Cassiopeia Celestial Crystal Necklace, Sparkle in Orbit Crystal Jumble Necklace and Stellaluna Celestial Bracelet.

BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Garecht is at the helm of Anne Koplik Designs’ business and sales ventures, and she has found success with the celestial line in planetariums and space museums.

In fact, the Celestial Bodies Necklace is  featured in the National Air and Space Museum’s Smithsonian online store.

“Jill just took it to a totally different level with that necklace,” Garecht said. “It blew me away, and most people that see it, it blows them away. Once I have something like that, I can then go to a Smithsonian with it … For an air and space museum or planetarium, it would be a really an appropriate piece.”

While the jewelry certainly presents a “wow” factor, Garecht said it’s important to Anne Koplik Designs to combine fashion with functionality — that any given piece of jewelry is comfortable, affordable and not too heavy.

“The word is practical,” she explained. “Something that is really giftable and everyday wearable. That’s where our mentality is and what we try to zero in on.”

THE ‘BIG PICTURE’

Ultimately, Tellerman hopes the heavens-inspired line serves as a reminder of how we as humans fit into the grander scheme of the world and galaxy.

“We all look up at the stars in such wonderment,” Tellerman said. “[Outer space is] so majestic, and we’re so small in comparison. It gives you a little bit of a perspective on where we fit in a certain way. People have hopes, wishes and dreams, and they always look up to the stars. I think there are enough people out there hopefully like me who just loved the idea of that and being able to carry a piece of it with you.”