A Palm Beach County-based jeweler and art dealer is set to mark 30 years in business with a new, larger space on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach.
Provident Jewelry and Fine Art opened Nov. 6 in its new home at 226A Worth Ave. The boutique brings Provident’s two arms — fine art and high-end jewelry — into one space, where previously they were separate.
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“We’re very excited about the new location,” said Rob Samuels, Provident Jewelry’s president. “With Gucci right across the street, I think the traffic will be stronger, and we were looking for a larger, more useful space as well.”
For the past six years, Provident Jewelry was in a 480-square-foot space next to Starbucks in the Esplanade on Worth Avenue. Provident’s fine art collection had been across Worth Avenue in an 850-square-foot storefront, also for about six years.
The new space marries the two in a 1,800-square-foot space.
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“Art has really become part of our DNA,” said Samuels, who also co-owns the Palm Beach Jewelry, Art and Antique Show with business partner Scott Diament. “In the shows, you have jewelers and art dealers side-by-side. It kind of inspired us. … There were all sorts of interesting synergies.”
Combining the art and jewelry in a singular space creates a new experience for potential customers, Samuels said. “This will be very interesting to diverse collectors,” he said. Much of the jewelry featured in Provident’s store could be classified as “wearable art,” Samuels said.
Among the new offerings Provident is bringing to the Worth Avenue boutique: Time pieces by Swiss clockmaker L’Epée. Samuels described the pieces as “kinetic,” with incredibly detailed clocks made to look like anything from airplanes to robots.
“It’s a really unique thing, and it’s going to bridge the gap between jewelry and paintings,” Samuels said.
The store also will have an expanded collection of Franck Muller watches. “There’s nothing in Palm Beach like these,” Samuel said, noting that the price point for the watches range from about $16,000 up to $100,000 or $150,000 apiece. “For the Palm Beach clientele, for the men that have everything already, it’s a great self-gift or a gift from their spouse.”
Provident’s Palm Beach store also will feature the unique, high-end jewelry for which the company is known: “We just set into a ring a 100-carat, antique cushion-cut diamond, and we’ll have that at the store,” Samuels said days before the opening.
The new boutique integrates elements of Provident’s “Dream Factory,” a semi-separate space that debuted at Provident’s Jupiter store and has become a popular feature. At Jupiter and three other Provident stores, the Dream Factory includes a full bar for entertaining and events, Samuels said.
While there isn’t enough room for a full Dream Factory at Provident’s new Palm Beach store, elements of the concept have been incorporated. There is a wet bar, and the space can play host to events, Samuels said.
“We consider this whole space a Dream Factory,” he said. “It’s like we put a Dream Factory on Worth Avenue.”
Much of Provident’s current momentum can be credited to the influx of wealth to the Palm Beach area following the COVID-19 pandemic, Samuels said.
“I actually started looking for a better space on Worth Avenue almost two years ago,” he said. “Finding key locations proved to be difficult,” he added, noting demand and competition as major luxury brands also sought space on the iconic shopping street.
“Many of the landlords were keen to bring big international names back, so it took a little while before I found the landlord that wanted to work with a really strong local company,” he said.
The new boutique’s address, 226A Worth Ave., previously was occupied by Danieli Fine Art, which closed when federal investigators charged its owner, Daniel Elie Bouaziz, with money laundering in a scheme to sell counterfeit artwork. Bouaziz earlier this year pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison. He also owned Galerie Danieli at 230 Worth Ave.
Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.
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