I first became aware of Ryan, a third-generation jeweller, when I interviewed his wife Lisa, who makes the coolest and most affordable jewellery (I wear her tennis necklace almost everyday and am coveting her new Smiley Face bracelets). While Ryan helps Lisa run her eponymous business on a daily basis, he also creates and manages his own line of fine jewellery, an area in which he excels. The interesting point of difference is that Ryan’s handcrafted collections cultivate a contemporary vibe – yes, there are necklaces with 11.56 carats of Russian-cut brilliant stones, but they look cool and effortless, never over-the-top. I was thrilled to get a chance to interview the hard-working (and very handsome!) entrepreneur.
Jewellery designing power couple Ryan and Lisa Gozlan.
What’s your first jewellery memory?
Going to visit my dad, Alan Gozlan, at his factory when I was a little kid. He was a mass producer of jewellery in Canada and the US and had a 16,000-square-foot facility with about 220 craftsmen working there.
Wow!
You can imagine I was so intrigued by everything that was going on. It was an operation! He was mass-producing rings for the US market, so seeing all the different sections of his factory and his workers in action was really something to experience. I guess you could say I saw what a big business was like at a very young age.
Did that make you want to design jewellery?
I don’t think I ever knew exactly that I wanted to design jewellery. As a matter of fact, it took me a long time to even figure that part out but I would say I have always been fascinated by it: the craftsmanship, labour and the amount of time it takes to make that one perfect piece.
That makes sense given that you saw the entire process.
Yes… I always saw such beautiful pieces my father would make for his clients, and my mom, and it just resonated with me from a young age. I always felt like a creative person and I’ve found my niche in designing jewellery.
I love that you design for men. What percentage of your clientele is male?
I mean, jewellery is a predominately female industry, however times are changing and I have a lot of male clientele as well. I’ve designed pieces for professional athletes, big-time influencers and friends. I’d say my male clientele is around 20% now, whereas a couple of years ago 99% percent of my clients were female.
That’s a pretty significant leap.
I think so… men are becoming more and more interested in clothing and accessories and the same goes with jewellery. Guys want to be decked out in designer labels and sneakers but also want to add something to accessorize them, whether it’s a Cartier nail bracelet or a diamond Cuban-link necklace, you see more and more guys these days going for gold (literally). Wearing jewellery sort of gives that status symbol for guys, that “OK, I am iced out or I’m fly” kind of feeling. And as well as shopping for themselves, they’re ordering gifts for their wives or their girlfriends - I’m already taking holiday orders!
Is it mostly young men?
Yes, they love wearing chains and bracelets and diamonds, and they flock to yellow gold.
You also do a lot of custom work – what’s the most elaborate piece you’ve created?
Tough question! I’d like to think all my pieces are elaborate but I do remember one. It was a tennis necklace, handmade piece-by-piece in platinum and it literally took two weeks just to cast because of how many pieces there were (a process that usually takes only a day). It then had to be put together by our modelmaker and the 119 full-cut diamonds had to be hand-set one by one, which took another week. It had a rounded-illusion setting so it didn’t look like the straight-line tennis necklace you usually see, but more curved so you really noticed the diamonds in it.
That sounds like a process.
The trickiest part was including a mechanism for each piece so the chain didn’t turn, which is the biggest issue when crafting a tennis necklace. You have to make sure everything is perfect so the necklace never flips as that will drive the customer nuts.
Have you seen any changes in requests since Covid?
For sure! So many customers want more sentimental pieces and are asking me to reset their grandmother’s or mother’s stone into another ring or into a necklace. Another big request is from women who want to reset their engagement rings, taking them out of their traditional mount and putting them into a chunkier bezel-set style, which is an older look that’s really making a comeback.
Smiley Face bracelets from Lisa Gozlan.
What jewellery do you wear?
Usually my two Cartier bracelets, one of Lisa’s Smiley Face bracelets and my watch. I will throw on a paper-clip chain occasionally but usually when I do I end up selling it because people love it so much, they buy it right off my neck! A simple chain, Cuban chain or ball chain is something that can suit any guy, any age.
And what’s trending for you now?
Right now, customization is HUGE! I’m getting tons of requests for nameplate necklaces and bracelets. People want to put their own twist on things. My job is to design and walk my clients through the process from start to finish to make sure what they get in the end is the highest-quality piece and the best price. To me, when a customer writes me saying how happy they are, that is the perfect end to my busy day.
