Something to Covet
Monday, May 12th, 2008This past weekend, my father put a twist into my meticulously planned West Village Shopping Tour when he announced that we (he) still needed a Mother’s Day gift for my notoriously difficult-to-shop for mom. While a quick taxi ride to Bergdorf’s might have been a simpler strategy, I was determined that we would find something suitable downtown.
While our Store Adore writers had been raving about jewelry store Covet, this was my first visit to the recently opened shop. The overly friendly black lab that greeted us at the stairs almost made it a quick one, but co-owner Alexis Mack was gracious enough to spirit him away so that my father would agree to come inside. With the kind of friendliness that has sadly been supplanted with snobbiness in much of the rest of the now tour-bus-filled neighborhood (they bus people in to Magnolia Bakery–I swear!), Mack introduced us to her mother (up from Florida), and several friends who were taking advantage of the free manicures (not to mention a 20 percent discount!) she was offering for Mother’s Day.
It wasn’t hard to understand that Covet is exactly the kind of store about which Store Adore was created. Just half a block, yet a world away, from oft-traveled Bleeker Street, and down several dark stairs, this diminutive shop easily goes unnoticed. Yet for those savvy enough to stumble upon it (or discover it on Store Adore!), a visit here proves why good things often come in small packages. Designed by Mack’s business partner Alexa Garner Sidaris, the Covet collection of highly original precious metal pieces, often with tiny sprays of diamonds, is delicate with a downtown of-the-neighborhood vibe. These are the kinds of elegant personal treasures that you might never take off–seamlessly incorporating a a marquis crystal pendant, a sliver of an arc necklace, or a pink beryle cocktail ring into your style uniform. Attainable prices that range from about $300 to $3,000 are in that hard-to-find middle ground between costume jewelry and once-in-a-blue moon heirlooms.
My father, a jewelry lover himself (yes, all my mom’s friends are jealous), was as enchanted with the store as I was. We pored over a collection of single stone necklaces, like the crystal baguette at left ($391) (Mack’s mom even brought us outside to see the stones in the light) and finally chose an emerald cut blue topaz set in gold. Were it Daughter’s day, I would have gone for a leather bracelet with a diamond tapered bar ($381). Mack says she has worn hers for over a year, and I loved how the tough leather has softened with age, yet the subtle diamonds still shine bright. It’s my 30th birthday in less than a month…I know what I’m coveting.
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