Lighting gem

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Lighting gem
An indie jeweler lights up with LEDs

By Janet Groeber
July 01, 2010

Ron Gushue

A mainstay on tony Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich, Conn., Manfredi Jewels has catered to discriminating buyers (like commuting Wall Street executives) as a full-service jeweler and watch shop for two decades. Owner Roberto Chiappelloni originally opened to sell the works of jewelry designer Guilio #Manfredi, both of whom hail from the same village in northern Italy.

Manfredi offers GIA-certified diamonds and other gemstones, but is possibly best known for new, vintage and rare timepieces�some commanding upwards of a half-million dollars. Renowned for customer service and expert watch repair, along with its memorable ad campaigns, Manfredi also serves watch-loving and -collecting clients beyond metro New York.

To celebrate his 20th anniversary, Chiappelloni commenced an expansion and redesign of the prestige brand-studded store. He hired Ron Gushue, principal of Greenwich-based ERG Architect, to more than double the original store�s size by expanding into adjacent space, elevate merchandise displays and enhance the #lighting plan.

Now measuring 3,300 sq. ft., the enlarged and redesigned space recalls a European-style salon. Manfredi�s elliptical layout is ship-sleek and cohesive. A large, glass jewelry island that houses fine jewelry is central to the design, and is echoed above in a ceiling treatment. The store is warmed by rich walnut millwork covering opposing walls, punctuated with a double row of eye-level, illuminated showcases. Each case is devoted to one of Manfredi�s coveted watch brands, which are easy to spot as brand logos have been lasered into the millwork.

The renovated Manfredi Jewels store sparkles thanks to LED lighting sourced from Westlake Village, Calif.-based Journée Lighting. �We chose LED lighting for its energy savings, low heat build up and color rendering,� Gushue explains. LED was also chosen for its flexibility, since the lighting scheme was to consist almost exclusively of LED throughout, including two decorative chandeliers.

Gushue�s plan called for a new angle on lighting each of the perimeter cases. �Most jewelry is lit from above,� he says. �Here, we mounted the LED at a 45-degree angle on the sides behind the door hinges and the light�and that makes everything in the case sparkle.� The store�s remainder is illuminated with 38 Journée �Lotus� LED luminaries, spread across 96 linear ft. of ceiling-mounted LED �Monorail� track echoing the elliptical layout. �Illumination inside and outside the cases offers the same quality and color temperature (4,000K),� Gushue explains. �When a watch or piece of jewelry is removed from the case for the customer to try on, it pops because the lighting outside the case is also LED.�

The store�s new LED luminaries are environmentally friendly, boasting a 40,000-hour lamp- life rating, and containing no mercury or lead. �The store will be consuming less than half the energy required by similar incandescent lighting systems,� explains Clayton Alexander, Journée�s founder and CEO.

With a sophisticated new look and sparkling lighting, the new Manfredi Jewels boutique makes a sleek, elegant home for its luxurious merchandise offering.