ROMANCING THE STONES

LUGANO DIAMONDS FOUNDER MOTI FERDER HAS A MULTIFACETED APPROACH FOR LURING ULTRAWEALTHY CLIENTS WITH A PRIVATE CLUB, AN EMPHASIS ON PHILANTHROPY AND, ABOVE ALL, NEVER SPEAKING ABOUT PRICES.

- BY CHRIS HELMAN

In the vault at Lugano Diamonds' headquarters in Newport Beach, California, CEO Moti Ferder unlocks one of dozens of drawers holding millions of dollars of jewelry to reveal a stunning necklace featuring 168 carats of diamonds cut to resemble snakeskin. "You need the light to break exactly the same from every direction, creating something that's comfortable to wear, doesn't catch on your hair," he says. "All that needs to be planned." No one custom-ordered this $1.3 million necklace, which Lugano jewelers spent some 400 hours creating. It's one of those pieces that the 55-year-old Ferder refers to as a "yellow Lamborghini," meaning it's never the first vehicle a person buys. He knows that finding the right buyer may take years of nurturing, which is why Lugano's approach is low-key, in which “crafting exceptional experiences" is the secret to success.

Those experiences often begin at Privé, Lugano's private club where members (a.k.a. customers) lounge and dine. The elegant 8,500-squarefoot Newport Beach club features black walnut floors, ornate ceilings, furniture by Ceccotti Collezioni and Poltrana Frau and paintings by noted contemporary artists, including Barbara Kasten and Jorge Pardo. For the wealthy Orange County families who drop by for a quiet dinner made by Privé's private chef or a bottle of wine from its vast collection, "it's meant to feel like an extension of your home," says Lugano president Josh Gaynor, who spent years as the head of high jewelry at Bulgari North America.