Palm Beach Daily News: The House of Kahn Estate Jewelers’ Legacy Continues… January 21, 2020 – Posted in: Press – Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

KAHNS ANNOUNCE RETIREMENT WITH A NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN-JEWELRY SALE

By: Carla Trivino
Published on: Jan. 13, 2020

Tobina Kahn is the company’s president and will be the new face of the jewelry business with the retirement of her parents.

Edward Kahn started his legacy with less than $100 in his pocket, which he turned into a profitable jewelry business with the help of wife Adele. Over half a century later, the couple who founded The House of Kahn Estate Jewelers have retired, and the news comes with a sale of never-before-seen jewelry.

“It took them a long time to get to this point, to turn a new page,” daughter Tobina Kahn said.

Adele and Edward Kahn, circa 1980s.

Since opening the first House of Kahn in Chicago in the 1960s, the jewelers have come across the estates of royals and celebrities including Queen Isabella II of Spain, Gloria Swanson, Myrna Loy, Greer Garson and Terry Moore. A wall inside Adele’s office is covered with the portraits of its most memorable acquired estates. Among them is Swanson’s gold manicure set and a Middle Eastern prince’s bracelet he lost gambling in Monte Carlo. The bracelet, which can also be used as a brooch, features 59 karats of round, emerald-cut diamonds in a retro style from the 1940s.

Inside Adele Kahn’s office at the House of Kahn, the family keeps portraits of its most memorable acquired estates including celebrities and royals.

“If you had to commission this today, you couldn’t find the diamonds or craftmanship for it,” Tobina said. Adele has had the bracelet for 20 years with no intent on selling, but that’s changed now.

Starting Monday, Adele’s favorite pieces including the bracelet, a 24-karat clutch, Swanson’s gold manicure set and tiaras will be part of the Retirement Sale.

“My mother looks at it as collections,” Tobina said. “I look at it as valuations.”

Actress Gloria Swanson’s gold manicure set, circa 1920s.

As the patriarch and matriarch step down, Tobina, the company’s president, is the new face of House of Kahn. And she’s ready to sell her mother’s precious collection. Her motto is to find value, especially on the unique pieces her mother’s been sitting on for more than 40 years. Tobina looks at how much she can offer clients while making a profit when selling, and selling it quickly — a practical business mentality she learned from her father.

“He’s also very knowledgeable with stones,” Tobina said. “Back then, there wasn’t any gemological equipment, there was no machinery to detect fake versus real. So, you really had to have a good eye for that.”

In 1951, Edward, a Romanian immigrant, arrived to New York with less than $100 in his pocket. Soon, he began working as a jeweler, buying and selling one-of-a-kind pieces. Adele lived in Toronto and worked in her family’s clothing business. He married Adele in 1957 before starting his business in Chicago. Together, they traveled selling jewelry.

Edward Kahn inspects a jewel. He started his jewelry business in Chicago in the 1960s.

In 1971, the second House of Kahn opened in Palm Beach, on a piece of land they purchased a block from Worth Avenue. The House of Kahn is hard to miss. The blue building with gold letters has a parking lot adjacent, a luxury in Palm Beach nowadays, and sits on 231 Peruvian Ave.

“We still do business with people we knew 50 years ago,” Adele said. “Or their sons and daughters.”

The House of Kahn has been on 231 Peruvian Ave since 1971. The lot has its own private parking.

As a young adult, Tobina would deliver jewelry to clients around town. Her favorite delivery runs were to cosmetics mogul Estée Lauder.

“I used to go there after school to deliver jewelry,” Tobina said. “One day it was cloudy and she told me to come back when it’s sunny because she couldn’t see the true colors. So I knew to always go when it’s sunny.”

As a licensed gemologist and auctioneer, Tobina can spot a good collection quickly. According to her, an estate with pieces from every single period has a better value than one focused solely on the art deco, retro or modern period. Signed pieces such as David Webbs and older Tiffany’s are valued well too.

“You know how people say diversify in stocks; I say diversify in your jewels,” Tobina said. “You’ve learned the business well,” Adele noted with a laugh.

According to Adele Kahn, this bracelet was once owned by a Middle Eastern prince who lost it to a gambling debt in Monte Carlo. The bracelet has a versatile design that can turn into a brooch.

As Edward reaches 103 years of age and Adele 86, the torch is passed on to their daughter. And while Tobina loves the jewelry business, she says she’ll be the last generation of the House of Kahn since no other family members have shown an interest in it. Adele has even toyed with the idea of selling.

“We’re really the last of the Mohicans,” Adele said.

Many of the pieces that will be part of the Retirement Sale have been kept from the world because Adele Kahn was not ready to part with them. Now, she’s putting her most precious pieces up for sale.

A 24-karat clutch, the epitome of elegance in Palm Beach, according to Adele Kahn.