Alon Ben Joseph,owner Ace Jewelers

Can you tell us more about the history of this family business?

My father started the company in 1975 in the Kalverstaat in Amsterdam. He explicitly did not want his name on the façade, which everyone was doing back then. He wanted to do it differently and chose the name Ace, which stands for the highest level of excellence. My father is originally a master diamond cutter & setter plus master goldsmith and he is crazy about watches. From the Kalverstraat we expanded to the Heiligeweg, Koningsplein and the van Baerlestraat.

Creating a living room feel

Here, in the van Baerlestraat, we also fulfill a community role. We focus on the neighborhood of ‘Oud Zuid’ as well as the international visitors of the musea in this area. We explicitly want to create a living room feeling. We want people to feel at home. Our customers often just visit for a quick coffee. I believe that jewelers should be a playground for adults where they like to dwell.

What about you?

I was born and raised in Amsterdam. I love people, jewels and watches. My brother Amir and I have been working in the company since 1998 and we had the honor to take over the business in 2012. Amir is a goldsmith. I have a background in marketing and I also design jewels.

Translate moments into something tangible

What I enjoy so much in this profession is that we turn the important moments in time into something tangible. We get to transform the most precious moments into a product. Like marriage, birth or anniversaries. We really build a relationship with our customers. For many of my clients, I cater to three three generations of one family.

You design and create the jewels yourself?

That’s right, we make the jewels ourselves, here in Amsterdam. We have an atelier under our boutique and we work with a network of goldsmiths working from home. Real specialisms such as invisible diamond settings, we do in Tel Aviv. Then we choose the best possible atelier. The same goes for our tennis bracelets, they are made in Milan.

Making watches is difficult. There is more complexity in that process. We started collabs three years ago in which we work with brands that match our mission & vision. We design watches together, for example the special Amsterdam series in the colors black, white and red with Saint Andrew's Crosses with the premium German watch manufacturer NOMOS Glashutte.

We also make tailor made jewels on request. For example engagement rings are often fully custom made.
We also re-make heirlooms, of if someone wants something really special, we make a 3d drawing. Based on that we make a sample in stering silver. If the client is happy with the design, we make it in gold or platinum.

Can you give is one last advice when looking for a piece of jewelry?

Follow your heart. Buy what you love. That is the most important thing. Jewels are emotions.