I used to live in Principauté de Monaco in the late seventies, early eighties working for Tabbah Joaillerie above the swimming pool of the Hotel de Paris/Hermitage. TABBAH HAUT JOALLERIE was run by mr Nabil Tabbah and mr Karkour. I loved the job because I could use my language skills and see the most gorgeous creations and even touch them or have them hanging around my neck because I had to show them to clients.
I had to put the stuff on display and tidied it up at night, I had to show gorgeous creations to men buying for their wives (plural), did part of the security and received the clients.
I am not talking about little earrings or a nice silver chain, but I am talking about great opulent jewelry pieces one would wear at Friday night Gala’s at the Summer Sporting at the Beach.
I have seen there more gorgeous and utterly expensive jewelry than one can ever imagine. I remember Lady Diana getting engaged and one of the Saoudi clients calling up and asking if we could arrange for his wife and her girlfriend (aka his second wife) to have the same ring with the same amount of stones and the same sapphire.. but not in (the poor) Ceylon quality as it was in her ring, but in (rich) Birma quality, much more fitting to the money these gentleman had.
I remember Pedro de Aranda (the stone expert) calling Horowitz – Geneva asking if they had anything in these carats, I remember the two designer trying to copy the ring from the English newspaper when it was finally arriving at Café de Paris and quickly picked up by me and our Sales Director The Hon. Rosamond Monckton, calling Gerrards finding out all the necessary information.
I do not know ho
w they managed but the drawings were then sent to Achrafieh, Beirut in Lebanon and made into two gorgeous improved copies of Diana’s ring, which was a huge achievement if you realised that Lebanon was at war at that moment.
Drawings were sent via a faxmachine to Beirut, where telephone lines fell out on a regular bases, The Dutch Army was even over there to protect.. and Bombs were an daily occurrence.
They then had to get through dangerous checkpoints while discretely carrying huge fortunes in stones to get to the maker/designer of the jewelry and then get back somehow without being recognised for being jewelry carriers.
Every time they arrived at Nice airport being picked up by one of our unmarked cars must have been a huge relief for them!
And I remember bringing the rings around to the client and him looking at them and sniffling acknowledging his accordance.
Another client satisfied!
They have such a nice way of showing their appreciation for all the work…..