TEN Magazine January 2019 TEN January 2019 | Page 16

TROPHIES & AWARDS Bespoke trophies from Opulent Luxuries As we all know, the most sought after aspiration for every professional athlete is to present a Championship Trophy to the world. The current landscape for this coveted symbol does not truly embody the astounding accomplishment of the greatest competitors worldwide. Until now, the work of Tiffany, Waterford and Baccarat set the “Gold Standard” for our world’s elite by manufacturing accolades made from common place materials such as wood, metal and crystal (which is mere glass comprised of lead), typically bolted together using screws, etc., and therefore synonymous with the phrase – “lets bring out the hardware.” Jeff Rutstein spent more than a decade in professional sports on the marketing side (New Jersey Nets, US Soccer & Octagon) before creating his own company, Opulent Luxuries. Jeff’s adolescence comprised of trekking around the world with his father (who is a PHD Geologist/retired Professor of Geology) – venturing deep into the earth, in search of the most extraordinary gemstones. Jeff was able to combine both of their backgrounds and present a vision to not only raise, but set the bar and re-define the industry as well as the perception of the most treasured icons presented in the sports & entertainment industry. These bespoke creations are “Patent Pending,” made exclusively from the finest semi-precious gemstones extracted throughout the globe and designed by hand from the worlds’ most gifted artisans, which is an incredibly painstaking process. They present a remarkable provenance reminiscent of “Indiana Jones/Romancing the stone,” with a grading scale synonymous with diamonds (cut, color & clarity). For the first time ever, the amazing story of these rare treasures are on par with the journey/ accomplishments of the worlds’ most gifted athletes, entertainers and industry leaders. From the ESPY’s fashioned in Phantom Quartz (which derives its’ name from the Greek mythological word “Krustallos “ – meaning ‘Ice created by the Gods’) to the first ever football crafted from a single amethyst crystal (known for its’ spectacular purple tones) for New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft – Opulent Luxuries have the ability to yield virtually any design imaginable for the most discerning audience and VIP’s in the sports, entertainment and corporate industries. Opulent Luxuries do not feature a catalogue, as all of their work is customized for each client predicated on design, gemstone & budget. Each production piece begins with the extraction of the desired gemstone and concludes with an astonishing design that has its own signature of fractures and inclusions, which formed naturally over millions of years through a series of catastrophic geologic conditions during the formation of our planet’s continents. Jeff Rutstein, President, Opulent Luxuries 161 Little Hill Drive, Stamford, CT 06905 Telephone: [phone] Email: [email protected] Visit: www.opulentluxuries.com It was an arduous journey to perfect the etching process, which ultimately took many years to bring to fruition. It terms of production for the final design, it’s an absolutely grueling progression due to the meticulous nature of sculpting gemstone. 14 JANUARY 2019 twitter: @trophexlive