AMERICAN HISTORY
Founded in 1810, Black Starr
& Frost Chose The One (Road)
L
Less Traveled
W
Certified Master Watchmaker Don Loke at the bench.
48
WRISTWATCH | 2016
ith deep roots reaching into the early part of the
19th century and beyond, Black Starr & Frost
has a legitimate history that is hard to match.
Celebrated in song, on screen and stage, the
reta
retailer
was once, and remains today, synonymous with the highest
leve of luxurious jewelry and accessories. Perhaps less well known
level
toda than the fabled houses Cartier and Tiffany, these three brands
today
histo
histories
are woven together here in America - but that topic is a
book of its own.
F
Formally
opened 1810, the familiar name of Black Starr &
Frost has gone through evolutions that saw partnerships develop and
fade with some of the most famous branded watch & jewelry names.
Today, not only is Black Starr & Frost one of the longest lived retailers, it also holds a unique place in the luxury market. Where almost
all independent retailers ply the wares from a variety of well and
lesser- known brands, Black Starr & Frost has eschewed the temptation of competing in an ever more discount-driven market to create
and offer only their own in-house expressions of elegant jewelry.
Now, after more than a 30-year hiatus, BS&F has also brought back
its own collection of fine timepieces.
Black Starr & Frost’s current owner, Alfredo Molina, has his
own amazing back-story and curriculum vitae that’s hard to fathom
in today’s world; starting at the tender young age of eight years old
when his grandfather sat him at the jeweler’s bench to begin his apprenticeship. Suffice it to say he knows what he’s talking about when
it comes to making, buying, and selling fine jewelry and watches.
Molina (also owner of Molina Jewelers in Phoenix) recently
challenged Master Watchmaker Don Loke to revive BS&F’s timekeeping traditions – not that either one of them had that in-mind
when they first met. Originally the pair had developed a rapport
while exploring proprietary surface polishing techniques that bring