Scott Kay, owner, founder, artisan, jeweler, and leader of Scott Kay, Inc. has long been committed to changing the industry, by playing by his own rules. Since exploding on the scene 25 years ago, the Scott Kay brand has come to mean many things – arbiter of platinum jewelry in the United States, palladium advocate, bridal jewelry advertising revolutionary, men’s fine jewelry pioneer and perhaps above all else, a passionate artist committed to his craft as an impeccable jeweler.
A pioneer in his field, Scott Kay has carved his own path in the jewelry industry as an innovative jeweler and set himself along with his unique business philosophy, a part from the rest of the crowd.
With a simple motto to live and work by: “Never Compromise,” Scott Kay has been the guiding light of his own success, and has created an empire of products and designs within the Scott Kay brand.
Jewelry is an old business –and has been in existence since the beginning of time. Men and women all over the world have always come to appreciate adornments of unparalleled beauty. Perhaps that is why Scott Kay’s dedication to hand-drawn, hand carved, hand-cast and locally manufactured products is to be expected– especially since the brand is now the best-selling and most recognized men and women’s luxury jewelry in the country.
Scott is most famous for his vision of seeing the profound impact bringing platinum to the forefront of the bridal realm of the industry. Shortly after platinum exploded as one of the most popular metals to be used in almost all jewelry lines that exist today. This has served the brand and the industry well, says Platinum Guild International USA President Huw Daniel. “Scott was very smart to see that by using platinum as an ingredient to support the positioning of the Scott Kay brand he was able to differentiate himself as a jeweler in the marketplace at that point in time,” Daniel says. “Now, he has been able to ride the white wave.”
Not only did Scott Kay see the relevance of Platinum as an integral part of conceptual design, he also realized that Palladium, too, could revolutionize the way the business functions. Platinum prices were at record highs, as was the public’s appetite for high-quality white metal. Scott Kay says palladium is a major asset in the jewelry industry.
It is nearly identical to platinum in appearance and other properties, but costs a fraction of the price and is 40 percent lighter. The labor involved in his palladium pieces is the same as that of their platinum counterparts, but the material makes it more affordable and yet far superior to white gold, he says.
Scott Kay’s men’s fashion line – which quickly became the top-selling brand in the category at Saks Fifth Avenue – is another example of Scott Kay’s forward-looking business sense. It has become clear that men are interested in expressing themselves through fashion and jewelry, and they’re willing to spend on bold accessories. Scott Kay first acknowledged this when he bucked the tradition of matching his-and-hers wedding bands by rolling out several lines of unique men’s bands. “I was the first one to suggest 20 years ago that men and women’s wedding rings don’t have to match,” he says. “Do couples go out dressed alike like nerds? Each person should express themselves through their jewelry.”
Throughout Scott’s jeweler career is a recurring theme, being the best of the best. This includes choosing the best materials for his work as well as the best people to work with. Scott’s choices of partnerships—design and material, business and people—have driven not only his own success but also that of the people he has touched and worked with over the past quarter century. Ultimately, this story is one of shared success, a celebration of these partnerships. Scott’s first 25 years give us all an example of how industry comes together to combine business and creativity, and with the influence of a true King in his field, we look forward to the future of Scott Kay and his revolutionary mind of artful conception.
