Feature

Is Stephen Silver transforming Silicon Valley into the next luxury landmark?

by Allyson Klass . Jan 23, 2024

Feature

Is Stephen Silver transforming Silicon Valley into the next luxury landmark?

Through over four decades of dedication and innovation, Stephen Silver, founder of his eponymous company, together with his son Jared, has built a vertically integrated jewelry and watch empire that now stands as a vanguard in the industry, offering a trove of services that cater to the connoisseurs of exclusivity.

Located in the luxurious Rosewood Sand Hill resort in Menlo Park, just across the street from several of the most powerful venture capital firms in Silicon Valley,
Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry’s salon and boutique is a sanctuary where aficionados of fine watchmaking and lavish jewelry converge. The independent luxury boutique
is a haven for the tech hub’s power players, who eschew conventional or mainstream luxury brands for the crème de la crème or rare timepieces with extensive complications.

Here, the boutique boasts an impressive array of limited production watches from avant-garde watchmakers to storied horological houses. Stephen Silver’s popular brands, such as MB&F, Greubel Forsey, H. Moser & Cie, Urwerk, and Laurent Ferrier, each cater to different facets of its unique and very affluent clientele. The store’s repertoire also extends to a curated selection of investment-grade gemstones, original high jewelry designs, as well as artifacts of such caliber they would not be amiss in the vaulted halls of museums.

Additionally, the company also operates a private showroom and offices in Redwood City.

At the company’s strategic core are Stephen Silver, the CEO and chairman, and his son Jared Silver, the president, both heralded as visionaries with deep-rooted expertise and an enviable track record in the luxury watch and jewelry sectors. The Silvers’ network is as expansive as it is elite, encompassing influential names across venture capital, industry, tech and charitable spheres.

Additionally, Stephen and Jared’s perspectives are sought after by media giants, who tap into their knowledge for commentaries on market trends and industry insights.

The Silvers as a father-and-son visionary duo

Stephen himself is a gemologist, geologist and a diamonteer, his name synonymous with Silicon Valley’s innovation in luxury gemstones and jewelry. His over 45-year tenure in the industry is marked by an acclaimed reputation as an authority on asset-class colored gemstones and museum-quality jewelry.

His academic pursuits in geology and subsequent graduate gemologist qualification from the Gemological Institute of America laid the foundation for his return to the San Francisco Bay Area to establish an estate jewelry business renowned for its antique treasures and precious stones. There, he gained access to a number of history’s most important colored gems, including the famous Cullinan Blue Diamond necklace he went on to purchase and donate to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, as well as the transformation of the Pink Promise Diamond, which he recut and improved, resulting in a record price per carat at auction in 2017.

Stephen Silver, CEO of Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry

President of Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry, Jared Silver

Prior to joining Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry, Jared honed his strategic acumen at Ernst & Young (EY), where his contributions were pivotal in shaping the company’s strategy and innovation practice. Imbued with the quintessential Silicon Valley spirit of innovation and armed with a wealth of experience with high caliber clientele, Jared is the driving force behind Stephen Silver’s day-to-day management, while also steering the brand’s evolution with an eye firmly on crafting a futuristic customer journey.

He explains, “I’ve always been drawn to creativity and entrepreneurship. My career started as a college intern working for BBDO New York on the Red Stripe Beer, Gillette and General Electric accounts.

“My career started as a college intern working for BBDO New York on the Red Stripe Beer, Gillette and General Electric accounts. As a student, I co-founded a media company specializing in content for students. We connected companies with the student bodies in the greater Los Angeles area, printing over 60,000 units and achieving a 75 percent advertiser renewal rate.

“After USC, I traveled the world extensively as a consultant. Ultimately, I ended up joining EY Strategy and helped build that practice and the EY Wavespace Digital Innovation network.”

In fact, it was under Jared’s keen business acumen and strategic leadership that the company ventured into new territory in 2014 with the launch of its dedicated
timepiece division, which showcased rare, collectible luxury watches from some of the world’s most creative and conceptual watchmakers. With this move, Stephen
Silver Fine Jewelry became one of the world’s first retailers to specialize in timepieces from independent brands — and the very first jewelry store in the world to accept cryptocurrency payments.

“As president of S.H. Silver Co., I guide us to embrace technology and design to drive growth into a traditional business. We launched a new retail concept, expanded our product mix from high jewelry into rare Swiss watch brands, and became the first jewelry store in the world to accept Bitcoin in 2014,” Jared adds.

Angelus collector's dinner

Indeed, this visionary early adoption underlines the Silvers’ business acumen and agility — a reflection of the bootstrap mentality so evident in the company’s Silicon Valley home base, the cradle of innovation. It’s also little wonder that in the years that followed, Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry emerged as one of North America’s key players in ultra-luxury watch and jewelry retail, offering California’s most extensive curated timepiece collections of visionary independent watchmakers and heritage brands.

Stephen Silver’s philanthropic responsibility

The ethos of Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry is deeply rooted in philanthropy, a testament to the family’s dedication to the greater good. For over 40 years, the Silver family has generously supported the San Francisco Bay Area community, donating significant funds to local charities.

Jared reveals that the company deploys USD 1 million a year on behalf of the Silver family’s philanthropic efforts. These significant efforts are magnified through partnerships with esteemed brands and charitable organizations, enhancing community welfare while elevating brand consciousness.

V Foundation for Cancer Research event

The Silvers have not only expanded their footprint in the world of luxury goods, but have also become pivotal in shaping the landscape of luxury consumerism. Their vision is manifesting in a monumental retail development, which promises to redefine luxury lifestyle experiences in the Bay Area.

Set to be Silicon Valley’s answer to Rodeo Drive, this ambitious undertaking will see a colossal 35,000-square-foot sanctum featuring a mix of flagship mono-brand boutiques, a unique members’ club-like showroom, Michelin-starred gastronomic experiences, and more.

This landmark development, the largest in the company’s 44-year tenure, symbolizes not just growth, but a legacy of innovation, philanthropy, and a relentless pursuit of the extraordinary — hallmarks of the Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry ethos and the embodiment of Silicon Valley’s pioneering spirit.

The Silvers as a father-and-son visionary duo

Stephen Silver’s philanthropic responsibility

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE