Independents

Amir Mozaffarian Fine Jewels To Close After 42 Years

IndependentsDec 27, 2019

Amir Mozaffarian Fine Jewels To Close After 42 Years

The fourth-generation jeweler will close his San Francisco store and spend retirement with his family.

20191227_Mozaffarian_header.jpg
Amir and Cynthia Mozaffarian are closing their store in San Francisco’s Union Square shopping district after 42 years in business.

San Francisco—Amir Mozaffarian Fine Jewels will close its doors after 42 years in business.

Amir Mozaffarian opened his eponymous store in San Francisco’s Union Square shopping district in 1978.

He is a fourth-generation jeweler whose family has been in the business for more than 135 years.

Though a descendant of a long line of jewelers, Amir and his wife, Cynthia Mozaffarian, both have backgrounds in engineering.

Amir has a master’s degree in aerospace engineering while Cynthia holds a bachelor’s in mechanical and civil engineering.

“Engineering is a frame of mind where you solve problems and come up with solutions,” Amir said in a press release announcing the store’s closure.

“That, along with paying close attention to even the finest of details, has helped us greatly in the jewelry industry.”

Cynthia worked for years as an engineer, helping her husband when she could, but later devoted herself to the family business.

“We just partnered to make our business stronger,” she said in the release. “That was what mattered the most to us.”

Over the last four decades, Mozaffarian traveled the world to hand-select jewels for his creations, like rubies from Burma and emeralds from Colombia.

“It’s a labor of love,” said Cynthia, noting how special a signature piece can be to their customers.

Jon Omer, a former Fabergé executive, said he knew from his first visit that the store was special and would be the perfect fit to be the brand’s exclusive retailer in the San Francisco area.

“Amir built the store’s success on three principles: building personal relationships with clients, an unparalleled collection of jewelry you won’t find anywhere else, and the ability to be one step ahead of the industry,” Omer said in the release.

Amir described his retirement as a bittersweet, emotional time and said his clients echoed the same sentiment, sharing memories of shopping in the store.

“We have such wonderful memories with so many fine people that we have been fortunate to meet. Some families we have served for three generations,” he said.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to meet a wide range of wonderful, interesting, talented and accomplished people. It’s been a pleasure being part of their lives,” said Cynthia.

However, retirement will mean the couple has more time to spend with their family, which includes their two sons, two daughters-in-law, and six grandchildren.

Their sons work in finance; they will not be taking over the store.

The store’s exact closing date will depend on inventory levels.

“We

hope people will visit the store to celebrate with us,” said Amir. “And share some happy memories.”
Lenore Fedowis the associate editor, news at National Jeweler, covering the retail beat and the business side of jewelry.

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