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In Canada, there are many beautiful places. Banff, Alberta is the one we
picked.
We saved a small amount of money and we had our mineral
collection, which Mike eventually sold. I went ahead in a big old van
with my potted plants in the back and it took me four days to get there.
At first, I rented a house and found a location for the store, off the
street, not a prime spot. We used
Stephen Campbell
, who also designed
How did you come to open Silverhorn in Montecito?
Branching out to California seemed a natural fit. We considered some
resort towns from Carmel to Newport Beach and we chose Montecito.
We didn’t think there was anything like us. We chose Coast Village Road;
people laughed at us (it was called “Ghost Village Road” in those days)
and told us we’d just die on the vine there. The other thing we heard was
that “you can’t sell anything interesting there. It’s very conservative and
they’ll only want the stone in the middle and diamonds all around it.
That’s all.”
our Montecito location. We met him through Mike’s job; he had been
designing temporary exhibits for museums and he did a great job.
And the name Silverhorn?
It was called Silverhorn after a mountain in Banff. We thought of the
Matterhorn in Switzerland, and it fit.
What was your guiding philosophy?
Our “guiding philosophy” was to offer classic and simple design with
a practical side: wearable jewelry in certain price ranges with a certain
variety. We wanted to make and sell something special that was well
made and that people would look twice at, not just a fashion statement
of the moment. We wanted to cater to collectors, but in a big price range.
We were, and still are, most fascinated with colored stones, although
diamonds have become an increasingly important part of our current
business. We still have those core values.
Did that prove to be the case?
I think both proved
not
to be true. The clients were out there and
they just needed something to attract them. We are very grateful for the
local enthusiasm for our product.
It has obviously worked out.
Sometimes a little knowledge is a good thing. We didn’t think it was
such a big deal to move here. We didn’t think, “Oh, it’s another country.
What does that all involve?” We simply had a good feeling about the
area.
So, how did you make the move?
We applied for and got an investment visa, and I came down as an
expert to open a branch of my Canadian business. After some years, I
applied for my green card. It was the beginning of 1984, and we opened
off the street, down where Petersfield’s [a long-gone deli-caterer] was. We
were next door.
This delicate carving of a Kodiak bear about to snag a salmon lunch (right)
was created out of a block of gem-quality root-beer-colored Citrine quartz (left)
by German craftsmen in Idar-Oberstein, working exclusively for Silverhorn