Success Stories: The Skill Behind the Sparkle at Altantis Jewelry Studio

Arsham Bekarian is a jewelry maker and designer, and he is the co-owner of

Atlantis Jewelry. His jewelry designs grace the city’s best artisan and design markets.

Atlantis Jewelry is distinct in that they create many different styles — “Something for everyone,” says Arsham. All of the designs are clearly linked by warm colored stones, textured metals and high quality craftsmanship. The pieces feel distinctly natural and organic, and yet refined and just sparkly enough. I love exploring all their collections they have on display in the markets.

What makes Arsham and Atlantis Jewelry my first subject in this series of Market Success Stories is the fact that this business sells exclusively in markets and online and employs 7 people plus seasonal sales staff. I hope you find these facts as inspiring and remarkable as I do.

I wanted to learn more about Arsham’s relationship with the markets, and he invited me to visit his studio in the Diamond District, which he manages with his brother and business partner Arakel Bekarian. The brothers entered into their first jewelry apprenticeship together when they were 10 and 12 years old. I loved seeing the contrast of this gritty, busy workspace, filled with metal, torches, drills, chemical baths, and colored stones strewn about in mid-production, with the serene, beautiful collections I see in the markets.

Workbench at the Atlantis Jewelry St

Arsham set up his first market shop in the former Young Designers Market in 2005, where his business thrived in the market environment. He sold in the 2008 Madison Square Market when it featured artisans as well as food. In 2009, he decided to open a booth in the grand holiday market at Columbus Circle, and he added a booth in the Union Square Holiday Market as well in 2011. He decided to do only Columbus Circle in 2012 and 2013 because it was such a good event for him, and he didn’t have to cover the overhead opening and staffing two hugely busy holiday markets.

He truly enjoys selling in the markets. “There is a sincerity in those venues,” he said. “People are buying for themselves or for friends or families. It is nice to engage with shoppers from all over the world over the things we make.” He also loves talking to people and hearing feedback and in-person.

For Arsham, selling in the city’s markets is not unlike selling in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. “Imagine coming all the way to New York and having a similar experience as the ones from my childhood in Turkey.” He enjoys getting to know the other vendors as well, and he has become an important part of the creative community in New York City.

Newly Made Rings by Atlantis Jewelry

Arsham’s jewelry designs are inspired by people: his family, his children and his clients. You will also see how nature influences both his jewelry and his market displays, which features wooden slabs, stones, and metal trees. He has started using 3D printing to create some of his daintier pieces, and he is excited to see where the technology will take his work.

Atlantis Jewelry frequently participates in the ID Pop Shop events, including the one going on this week through Sunday, February 9, 2014. After that, they will have a semi-permanent boutique with Artists and Fleas in Chelsea Market.

Arsham hopes to do more markets and craft shows in the east coast this year, and he is excited about his shop with Artists and Fleas. “Whatever the future holds, we will always be selling in the markets,” he said. “We would not be where we are today without them.”

And I, for one, am very glad to hear it.

~Karen Seiger, Markets of New York City