On Friday, jeweler Mayors marked its 100th anniversary with a gala in the grand ballroom at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Coconut Grove. The event, dubbed “an evening of brilliance,” incorporated diamonds into most elements of the production.
Aside from commemorating its own milestone, Mayors—which was founded in 1910 as a family-owned and operated boutique and now operates 29 stores across Florida and Georgia—used the opportunity to shine a light on the role vendors play in the company’s growth. “Mayors has been a landmark in South Florida since that first store opened,” said Thomas A. Andruskevich, president and C.E.O. of Birks & Mayors Inc., the company that acquired Mayors in 2002. “The brand has gained solid partners over the years, making its reputation as an industry leader.”
More than 200 people attended the event, including folks from 17 of Mayors’ vendors, such as Breitling, Damiani, Montblanc, Tag Heuer, and Rolex. Each vendor had its own individual station in the cocktail reception area, showcasing fine jewelry and watches from that particular brand alongside vases, red roses, and tea lights. The same idea was implemented in the ballroom, where each brand's table had decorative touches that spoke to the type of relationship it has with Mayors. The creative team at Mayors, working with Richard Randall, creative director of A Joy Wallace Catering Production & Design Team, incorporated diamond jewelry (necklaces and bracelets) as part of the overall centerpiece design on a few of the platinum tables. Sponsorship levels ranged from platinum to gold, each with their own distinctive branding. Silver tables with no branding were reserved for clients invited by Mayors and the company's vendors.
One of the concerns when designing the event, Randall said, was that it would feel “too much like advertising.” Subtlety was key, he explained, as in omitting labels near the jewelry. “There was quite a bit of discussion about how to display the jewelry,” said Randall. “Almost everyone would be wearing their own pieces, but we wanted guests to feel like they could interact with the jewelry if they wanted to, put it on or have conversations about it," rather than simply looking at it as merchandise.
Randall placed jewelry only on dinner tables where Mayors felt it made sense, so although Rolex was a sponsor and has the longest relationship with the company (dating back to 1963), he opted not to include a timepiece in the centerpiece design because “it would look too much like you were trying to sell a watch.” The same applied to Breitling's table. Both brands had a presence in the cocktail area, however; Rolex even had branded pillows on certain couches. The organizers added other decorative touches to the sponsorship tables “to make them feel special,” such as napkins embroidered with that particular company’s logo.
Throughout the dinner, two large screens in the ballroom ran congratulatory messages and testimonials from the different brands about their relationship with the retailer. The event also featured a proclamation by Miami-Dade county commissioner Joe A. Martinez and a performance by Cuban American recording artist Jon Secada, followed by dancing. Guests parted with a gentlemen's Italian leather valet tray, a ladies' leather jewelry roll, and signed copy of Secada's 2009 CD Expressions.
