Effy

Effy (Est. 1979) Fatollah Effy Hematian, founder of the Effy Company, arrived in New York in 1979 with his wife and son Benny after operating a small business in Aruba and emigrating from Iran. His early background is in Electrical Engineering.

He’s been quoted multiple times stating that he always had a passion for jewelry and began designing pieces to sell from a suitcase. Nearly forty years later, he is still designing and Effy stores can be found from the Caribbean to Alaska as well as among major retailers around the world including Macy’s.

Effy’s lifelong muse is the panther. The animal’s beauty, grace, and power have inspired bold designs for Effy’s Signature Collection. He displays his love of color in vibrant, dazzling gemstones and elegantly spirited pieces.

Effy’s jewelry fuses this adventurous sensibility with meticulous craftsmanship. His flawlessly made, trend-driven pieces are instantly recognizable thanks to the vivid gemstones. Exotic touches and global influences make each piece of Effy Jewelry special and Effy’s vision allows for endless mixing and matching.

Effy uses more than 150,000 carats of precious gemstones each year. The company’s gem-sorting room is exclusively dedicated to rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. Each stone is hand-selected.

Effy uses what is known as the lost-wax process to create each piece. In this method, artists create wax models of jewelry, then plaster is poured over them and put into a kiln overnight. The wax burns and leaves a hollow image. Gold is then poured into the image to cool and solidify. The gold is polished before gems are hand-set. Once the jewelry is set, it goes through a final polish, wash and stain that creates a high shine that enhances the brilliance of the piece.

From classic three-stone rings to Effy’s signature leopard design featured on brooches, rings, necklaces and bracelets, the brand has garnered a lot of attention for offering a wide variety of styles frequently sold at highly discounted prices.

The pricing of Effy Jewelry is as diverse as its inventory: Earrings in green amethyst or citrine cushion cut studs are available for $95 while a pair of three-tiered emerald drops can sell for more than $15,000.

Despite nearly four decades of garnering an almost impeccable reputation with aficionados and celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift, Zoe Saldana, and Miranda Kerr, one incident – which has been resolved – does keep appearing in Internet searches about Effy.

According to an undated report on the website HIGHYA – which claims to be an “Online Community for Consumers To Research Products” – Effy Jewelry came under attack when a gemologist contracted by Macy’s noticed that the stones being sold under the Effy Jewelry brand were sub-par.

According to the site, “The initial focus was on Effy Jewelry’s rubies. Rubies are the second hardest stone, only slightly less so than diamonds, and have become increasingly rare since Burmese mines were shut down in the early 2000s. Gem dealers found an alternative source of rubies in Africa, but the stones were of lesser quality than Burmese rubies, filled with fissures.”

The site goes on to write, “Effy Jewelry was accused of adding leaded glass to poor quality stones, then treating them with heat to enhance their color and presentation. The Jeweler’s Association stated that these rubies are not “real” [and] fall short of the durability offered by a genuine stone and clarified the matter further by going on to say, “… when these artificially enhanced stones, called “treated rubies” “enhanced rubies,” “composite rubies,” or “hybrid gemstones,” are heated, the filling may leak out, causing the composited shards of inferior ruby to shatter. To the naked eye of an ordinary consumer, there is no visible difference.”

In a piece exploring the topic of composite rubies, Good Morning America interviewed experts who said … composite rubies are too fragile to … clean using normal methods and may also experience color fading over time.”

However, in an August 2016 posting on the website, Diamonds Peace Army, the following appeared:

“In … recent times, there have been many allegations against Effy:

First allegation happened when a gemologist who is a contractor of Effy noticed that Effy stones were underrated. Reports suggested that Effy procured inferior quality rubies as well as faking rubies in some cases by adding glass. These were branded under enhanced rubies, composite rubies and hybrid gemstones.

Second allegation [was] that Effy sold gems called ‘black diamonds’, which are actually black sapphires.

Third allegation was the faux heating that induced artificial colors to make the gem look naturally procured.

Fourth allegation against Effy Jewelry was that the artisans even filled diamond cavities with other hard substances through laser filling techniques.”

The site went on to say that Effy duly cleared its name of the allegations by resolving consumer complaints and compensating the rest.

In November 2015, Effy debuted a new gemstone collection. Called, Effy Hematian – New York., The collection ranged in retail price from $3,000 to $50,000. The line featured one-of-a-kind jewelry with specially cut, hand carved gemstones for those looking for unique pieces. The line included gemstones such as morganite, aquamarine, fire opal, tanzanite, topaz and others.

In June 2017, the Alaskan branch of Effy announced three new collections:

The Watercolor Collection showcases a rainbow display of multi-colored sapphires and diamonds. The collection features arrays of gemstones combined vibrant designs.

In the Diversa Collection, innovation meets design. The collection is created in 14k white and yellow gold. Each of the pendants, bracelets, rings and earrings are two styles in one and are made to have more than one look.

Finally, the Signature Collection was inspired by the beauty and power of Effy Hematian’s favorite animal, the panther. Crafted in 14k white, yellow, and rose gold with white, black and cognac diamonds, it is a statement collection for those who want to wear pieces that stand out.

In addition to jewelry creations, Effy also sells bold and stylish watches that meld meticulous craftsmanship with quality and fashion. These trend-driven pieces are instantly recognizable thanks to their vivid gemstones. Exotic touches make each unique watch stand out and allow mixing and matching for all style types. Effy Watches can be found across the globe thanks to boutiques aboard luxury Princess and Carnival Cruise ships.

Today, Effy Hematian’s family business has grown to include his three sons and Effy remains highly involved. Effy is dedicated to keeping the majority of manufacturing in the U.S. to maintain the highest level of involvement and promote a strong sense of community.

Although there have been allegations regarding the credibility of Effy Jewelry, the truth is that, Effy is a trustworthy and reputed name globally in wedding and diamond jewelry. While some argue against the fidelity of Effy Jewelers, nothing has been proven legally.

According to many diamond experts, Effy has provided amazing jewelry for millions. Although a company can rise and fall due to bad staff, in the case of Effy, such a glitch appeared only once in its history and Effy jewelry is fully insured and guaranteed by its maker.

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