Episode 172: Guests Lorraine Schwartz and Ofira Sandberg

The Jewelry District

JCK

Business News, Fashion & Beauty, Business, Arts, News

4.9 • 50 Ratings

🗓️ 20 May 2026

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Hosts Victoria Gomelsky and Rob Bates interview a pair of high jewelry designers who also happen to be sisters: Ofira Sandberg and Lorraine Schwartz. The women share their family’s history going back three generations in the jewelry industry, and tell how they ended up in the business despite their childhood vow not to. Lorraine and Ofira also talk about where they got their keen eye for design and how it helped their star rise as jewelers and led to relationships with several entertainment icons—including Barbra Streisand, Elizabeth Taylor, Beyoncé, and David Bowie. Finally, Ofira reveals what we can look forward to seeing on view during the pair’s first time exhibiting at JCK Luxury. Title sponsor: De Beers (adiamondisforever.com)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Jewelry District, a podcast by J.C.K. brought to you by De Beers. Today, Rob Bates and Victoria Gamalski talk to fine jewelry designers and sisters, arranged shorts, and
0:21.7	Ophira Sandberg.
0:29.5	Hey everyone, welcome to the jewelry district.
0:32.8	This is Victoria Gamelski, editor-in-chief of JCPay and JCPayonline.com, calling in from Los Angeles.
0:40.4	And I'm with...
0:41.1	Rob Bates, contributing editor to JCPay and JCPanline.com, calling in from New York City.
0:49.5	How are you? You look, you're... You seem smiley and good?
0:53.8	I'm smiling and good.
0:55.0	Yeah, we're thrilled to have Lorraine Schwartz and Ophira Sandberg, some of the best designers
1:01.0	in our business.
1:02.0	And one of the reasons we're talking to you, many reasons, but is because we're going to be
1:06.0	seeing you at the luxury show in Las Vegas in a week's time.
1:10.2	This is, we're recording this obviously earlier in May,
1:12.7	but when this airs, it's just about seven days out before we all gather in Vegas. We're thrilled
1:18.8	to have you. Ophir and Lorraine, welcome. Hi. We're excited to be here. We're thrilled. It's so,
1:25.4	it's so wonderful. So we'll get to the Vegas bit, but we always
1:29.7	start out with background questions, and we want to hear, and I don't think I really know,
1:34.7	know much about your origins. Tell us about where you grew up and, you know, how you got
1:40.3	eventually into jewelry, I think, and then we'll, we'll inch our way forward from there. But, yeah, where'd you, where are you both from into jewelry, I think, and then we'll inch our way forward from there.
1:45.7	But, yeah, where are you both from?
1:47.8	So I was born here.
1:50.5	In New York.
	...

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