The History of A. Jaffe

Abraham Jaffe founded the company in 1892 as a twenty six year old with a passion for anything and everything that glittered – particularly diamonds. While he was young, he was determined, and with a special talent for gorgeous design, he established a name for himself in the jewelry business. He started out on Maiden Lane in Manhattan, where business slowly grew to booming, before moving to an up and coming new part of town for jewelers: West 47th street, what is now the most famous Diamond District in the world.

What drew customers from around the city, the state, and even the world, was the special A. Jaffe difference. These rings stood out from their peers thanks to design that closely mimicked art. Jaffe paired cutting edge innovation and the best in the day’s technology with time-tested craftsmanship. He was a pioneer of the American engagement ring, and some of his solitaire and three stone creations paved the way for the future of the bridal industry in the United States. To this day, the name A. Jaffe represents elegant sophistication and trade secrets combined with the newest in technology. It also remains synonymous with comfort-inspired design, and for good reason.

Jaffe designs are different, not only because of their artistic design, but because of their structural elements. Especially the shanks. The patented, signature shank is the ultimate in comfort, with a subtly squared base. These corners help balance the ring and prevent spinning, so it remains centered on the finger at all times.

The brand’s newest collection, the Quilted line, is designed with the same principle in mind. A quilted pattern is sculpted on the ring’s interior, creating peaks and valleys that let air flow through and allow your finger to breathe. This design philosophy, with the wearer’s comfort as first priority, doesn’t mean A. Jaffe sacrifices any beauty when designing their rings. Rather, the A. Jaffe design process is highly detailed and every ring is customized to the woman who will wear it. Whether it’s a contemporary, classic, or cutting edge design, the rings are meant to be admired from every angle.

Design Process

First, an A. Jaffe designer is inspired to create something sophisticated, and elegantly simple. This is the brand’s hallmark, and whether the style is contemporary or vintage-inspired, every detail – no matter how small – needs to be executed perfectly. The first step is sketching out the design. It might take the designer days or weeks to nail their vision correctly.

Next, the sketch is translated into a Computer Aided Design, or CAD, rendering. This is a 3D model on screen that allows the designer to work with A. Jaffe artisans to see what needs fine tuning, how the ring will look from every angle, and whether or not every design detail will be structurally sound.

Next, this is turned into a wax model, which will be used to cast the ring in precious metal, whether that’s 14 karat gold, 18 karat gold, or platinum.

Once A. Jaffe’s proprietary gold alloy or beautiful platinum is crafted into the perfect setting, it’s burnished to create a precious metal less porous than the industry standard with a more substantial heft. The ring actually undergoes six different polishing stages to ensure maximum brilliance from every angle.

Meanwhile, A. Jaffe diamond experts are hard at work hand selecting the perfect mix of diamonds to accent the setting. From shared prong to channel set, and even micropave, every single prong is hand crafted. Even the itty bitty ones that hold small mellee diamonds. This creates a perfectly smooth setting that won’t catch on delicate fabrics.

Every diamond is hand set, in a process that can take 80 hours to complete. Every A. Jaffe ring undergoes that six stage polishing process before it’s whisked off to the autorized retailer of your choice.

We offer a beautiful selection of loose diamonds to complement your A. Jaffe setting, and they can be chosen ahead of time and set by the experts at A. Jaffe, or mounted by our own master jewelers once you’ve seen your ring and chosen the center diamond with it in mind.

Materials

All A.JAFFE gold rings are hypoallergenic, 100 percent nickel-free and enriched with 40 percent more palladium than the industry standard to create a ring with unmatched strength, durability, and luster. This special alloy means your ring will stay bright white for longer without rhodium treatments.

The diamonds A. Jaffe uses are meticulously chosen for perfectly matched beauty and brilliance. Every setting uses diamonds G/H in color and VS- SI in clarity.

When it comes to the diamonds, A. Jaffe is committed to jewelry as ethical as it is stunning. This means that every diamond they source comes only from diamond mines in countries that adhere to the Kimberley Process. The Kimberley Process (KP) is a process established in 2003 to prevent “conflict diamonds” from entering the mainstream rough diamond market by United Nations.

It is designed to allow diamonds into the trade that come from legitimate sources, and that contribute to the local economy and mine workers. It is meant to halt the flow of diamonds that fund violent rebel groups seeking to undermine legitimate governments.

Lifetime Warranty

When a brand has had over one hundred and twenty years to perfect its craft, you can rest assured knowing they stand by their name. That means that every single A. Jaffe setting comes with a guarantee of its value, craftsmanship and beauty for a lifetime.

A.Jaffe stands behind all products sold through an authorized retailer, and guarantees that your product is authentic and free of defects in materials and workmanship.

Collections

Each individual A. Jaffe collection has its own distinct style and detailing. But each line has one thing in common: a New York state of mind. Drawing inspiration from the brand’s headquarters, every collection features a different facet of New York ingenuity and spirit. Whether it’s a callback to the roaring 20’s evident in so many Art Deco skyscrapers, an ode to the beautiful seasons of Central Park, reminders of the stately Metropolitan (and ultimate metropolis), or simply chic – and classic NYC.

Quilted Collection

The newest addition to the brand’s range, these rings feature sculpted quilting detail on every setting’s interior. Designed with comfort and beauty in mind, this pattern allows airflow between the setting and the wearer’s finger, making it breathable and never trapping moisture.

Seasons of Love Collection

New York in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s was the epicenter for personal freedom and expression. Flower power in full force reigned supreme, with the Summer of Love at Woodstock and a golden era for romance film classics set in the big city. This collection draws inspiration from each of those decades, with nods to whimsical expression and unique creativity. Look for flowing, molten metal lines, unexpected prong placement, floral touches, and unmistakably 80’s-bold accents.

Classics Collection

Another line that honors a time gone by, but a very different era. Step back in time to A. Jaffe’s own founding, when New York was really new, and that skyline was just getting started. The simple designs reflect a simpler time, but in New York style, there’s more than meets the eye. Even solitaires are adorned with eye-catching structural accents that show the beauty in a little forethought, and the elegance in a simple design executed perfectly. These rings range from 3-5 stone classic settings, with plenty of solitaires on both plain and diamond accented bands to choose from. The occasional halo makes an appearance, though all are done tastefully, timelessly, and with impeccable attention to every detail.

Art Deco Collection

With WWII over and the Great Depression in the Model-T rearview mirror, the Art Deco period brought renewal, hope, and romance to New York. In this time, some of the most famous architectural feats of all time were going up, namely the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Tower. Those iconic, geometric designs sparked a creative firestorm reflected in everything from interiors, to cars, to art, to jewelry. These rings reflect those famous touches, like octagonal shapes, stacked bands in triple with open negative space, pave diamond accents, and perfectly symmetrical floral accents. Tapered shanks and baguettes abound, along with colorful halos, and perfectly symmetrical emerald cuts.

Metropolitan Collection

Just like the rings themselves, the design inspiration behind them has come full circle. Like the 20th century began with a return to classicism, so A. Jaffe wanted to return to the foundations of jewelry design in the 21st. century. This collection draws inspiration from every era of jewelry design in the 20th century, bringing it into a new era with eye-popping twists on bridal jewelry staples. Every piece has “an element of surprise” that adds modern edge to these timeless rings. Details like corkscrew heads, diamond scrollwork, abstract squares and organic swirls adorn ever gallery. Hidden diamonds are embedded in the rings’ undersides like secret love messages. Incredible tiered precious metal with diamond accents reveals a new depth to what at first appears to be a classic halo. Broad, sculpted shoulders with huge diamond baguettes. This line is a beautifully unexpected combination of elements from the past designed with a cutting edge contemporary spin.

A. Jaffe Forevermark

In a partnership of extraordinary beauty and excellence, A. Jaffe teamed up with Forevermark to highlight their beautiful diamonds. These rings place every emphasis on the stunning accent stones, with larger diamonds than in any of their other collections lining the precious metal settings. The style is contemporary classic, with halos, solitaires, twisted shank and stacked split shank settings catching the eye beautifully.

A. Jaffe Wedding Rings

For every A. Jaffe collection and nearly every individual setting there is a corresponding A. Jaffe wedding ring. These bands are designed with comfort as a priority, and to perfectly pair with your engagement ring. Beautifully sculpted shapes and delicate threads of diamonds alike fit snugly up against your ring for a seamless look that enhances the appearance of both rings separately and together. These wedding bands will never detract from the beauty of your engagement ring, and share the spotlight perfectly with their partners.

The A. Jaffe Difference

Exceptional design, the highest quality, and a tradition for nothing but the best all merge to create A. Jaffe rings. But the brand goes one step beyond, and provides a Quality Checklist.

• The signature squared shank on every A. Jaffe ring must be smooth and perfectly symmetrical, with its widened base and soft corners preventing the ring from moving. No matter how enthusiastically you show it off.
• Allergic to nickel? These rings are guaranteed to be nickel free. In fact, the alloy is superior in other ways too. It must be created with 40% more palladium than the industry standard to ensure it’s not only hypoallergenic, but that it will remain bright white longer than other metals that need rhodium more frequently.
• Every setting is burnished, for metal that’s less porous, denser, and heavier – and, of course, less susceptible to chemical wear and tear.
• Every prong is hand crafted to ensure a lifetime of security for every diamond on an A. Jaffe ring – not just the center stone.
• Every prong, even those minute micropave prongs, is checked and smoothed so that the setting will blend perfectly into your lifestyle, no snags allowed.
• Each ring is created by a master jeweler, but triple checked by others, all of whom have generations of knowledge passed onto them for combined decades of expertise.
• Every diamond must pass the tests of A. Jaffe’s diamond experts. They are specifically trained to choose the best, most perfectly matched diamonds for all-over consistent color, clarity, and shine.
• Every ring must undergo those six stages of polishing to guarantee the brightest, most dazzling final result.

After a minimum of two weeks spent on the creation of every single ring, it can seem like a long time dedicated to just one setting. But for designs built to last a lifetime – and very likely more – A. Jaffe as a brand believes it’s time well spent.