The diamond district in New York City is a little slice of paradise for jewelers and buyers alike. Some of the best suppliers, designers, and merchandise in the world can be found there. This is why Chandler’s Cassy Saba Shovak became an integral part of that community. Her studio, Cassy Saba Jewelry, is located right in the heart of it.
“There is nowhere else like it,” she says. “Just on this block [47th Street], there are over 1,500 small retailers, and hundreds of diamond and gemstone suppliers. It’s just amazing; I love it. ”
Shovak says she is able to charge wholesale prices for her engagement rings because the best of the best can be found right at her fingertips. She can go next door and find an exquisite stone, and then go a little farther down the block to have a setting made. Her personal connections allow her to find just the right fit for every one of her clients.
Cassy Saba Jewelry specializes in engagement rings, wedding bands, and anniversary gifts. A lot of millennials, she says, prefer custom engagement rings, so they’ll steer her to their girlfriend’s Pinterest or Instagram page, let her know their budget, and ask her to make something special and unique.
“Or, say you have your grandma’s stone and you want to get engaged but don’t have enough money for a ring,” she says. “I can create a ring around that stone. I want people to know how special they are no matter what their price range is. I offer collections at any price range, and many lower budget engagement ring options. It is such a stereotype that guys think they have to have a certain amount for a ring to get something nice.
“It’s interesting because this year, despite COVID, engagement ring sales have been up quite a bit, but I’m noticing it’s really non-traditional stuff,” she says. “They want me to use a lot of colored stones. And, I just did a ring with a raw diamond which had a really cool feel. The industry is always changing, which is fun, so you have to keep up with it but also be true to yourself.”
All her diamonds and stones are handpicked, and besides diamonds, she offers gems such as tanzanite, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and tourmaline. One thing she loves to do is mix gemstones with diamonds.
Shovak does a lot of custom work, which is one of her favorite things to do.
“I really like working one-on-one with a customer, making it a very special and unique experience for them,” she says. “The client is always part of the process.”
She gets a lot of her ideas from architecture, from living in New York City, and from traveling. A lot of times a client will send their own inspiration and ask her to turn their ideas into something amazing. Or, they’ll see a piece and like the basic elements, but want her to add her own special flair.
“I will do pieces for someone’s grandma, but also the granddaughter, so I kind of have to switch it up for every generation,” she says. “So, I can stay with the classic while also keeping up with the trends.”
She also recycles old jewelry that may have been handed down from loved ones or found in an attic somewhere. Shovak will redesign it and make it into something new and beautiful that someone will want to wear.
“So many older pieces are super dressy or outdated-looking, and we can put it in a simple everyday pendant or bracelet. It’s really fun to change things up, and that’s a big part of my business, too.”
Shovak has an interesting background. Shortly after arriving in New York nine years ago, and while managing her own business, she began working with Ivanka Trump's jewelry brand, where for five years she helped develop collections, source stones, and assist with marketing, production, and sales. Through that experience, she was able to form many close relationships with people in the Diamond District and develop a high level of expertise and top-notch customer service skills that enabled Cassy Saba Jewelry to flourish.
She also gets to work with some fun clients. One of them, Melissa McCarthy, had her design all her jewelry for her Ghostbusters tour.
Shovak is also a designer for E! News, and provides pieces for the hosts to wear, as well as for some of the celebrities featured on the show.
She and her husband, Joe Shovak, whom she met in New York and who is also in the jewelry business, used to do fun, educational videos on their YouTube channel as the “The Jewelry Couple.”
The videos are helpful for choosing and learning about jewelry, she says. For example, when a man is buying an engagement ring, but doesn’t know how to go about it or what kind of stone or shape to get, these videos can help guide him.
These days, Shovak splits her time fairly evenly between Chandler and New York City.
“But I have clients everywhere, not just in New York and Arizona,” she says. “I’ll make appointments in person if people are in one of those two states. If not, we can Facetime, Skype, or email.”