Miami Jewelry District Sets Up Advisory Council

Miami—Miami’s jewelry district is expanding, and developer Yair Levy is looking for a group of jewelry experts to help guide its development.

Levy is the man behind the Time Century Jewelry Center, an up-and-coming development within Miami’s jewelry district.

New York-based real estate firm Time Century Holdings LLC purchased the Metro Mall building in downtown Miami in 2018 for $14.5 million with plans to transform it to a luxury destination for retail jewelers and wholesalers.

The Time Century Jewelry Center will feature four floors of wholesale and retail space and an additional four floors of office space.

The wholesale and retail spaces are set to open by June, with 65 percent of the spaces already leased, said a spokesperson for the project.

Levy is setting up an advisory committee to oversee the district, alongside the Miami-Dade Beacon Council and the Downtown Development Authority.

The committee will include local, national, and international experts that will join forces to welcome jewelry retailers, manufacturers, designers and diamond dealers to Miami.

Haygo Demir, CEO of consulting group DGI, will join the committee. 

Demir has experience in jewelry manufacturing and retail distribution in the Southeast U.S., the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, as well as retail tourism and cruise industry know-how.

“I am all about growth in the jewelry industry and feel that the Miami market is positioned for substantial growth and wanted to help develop this new opportunity,” said Demir.

Kirsten Darrow, the former group vice president for Fred Meyer Jewelers, will also join the advisory board, with a focus on developing industry relationships for the Miami market.

“Jewelry is universal, meaningful, and is an industry built on relationships. I am thrilled to help cultivate and bring new, valuable relationships and partnerships to this landmark opportunity that will benefit Downtown Miami, the jewelry industry and deliver an unparalleled customer experience,” said Darrow.

Deborah Scarpa of marketing firm DJS3 will handle the marketing and communication for the advisory board and the Time Century Jewelry Center.

The advisory committee will grow as invitations to join the board are sent to other jewelry industry leaders, said a spokesperson.

There’s no shortage of talent to be found right in Miami, according to James Kohnstamm, executive vice president of economic development at the Miami-Dade Beacon Council.

“Miami-Dade County is rich with talent and expertise in a variety of creative sectors, and there is a long history of jewelry designers, manufacturers, gemologists, and retailers that serve local, national and international clientele,” said Kohnstamm.

“Beyond the jobs this effort has the potential to drive, the collaboration between private sector business leaders, local government and organizations like ours, the Miami DDA and others is vital to the continued growth and success of this community; that dialogue and shared commitment to Miami’s success is what sets us apart and helps us capitalize on this momentum.”

The city will continue to grow, predicted Levy, noting the development of luxury condos and apartments close to the Time Century Jewelry Center.

The building will also house two upscale restaurants, and hopes to draw in the city’s tourist crowds.

For his own development, Levy is still on the lookout for a design school tenant, said a spokesperson.

He would also like to have a grading laboratory as part of the center.

“We need a top quality and prestigious diamond grading research laboratory here in the Time Century Jewelry District. This will be great for the whole district because of safety and convenience, but also because they act as an educational facility for gemology training and credibility monitoring of the industry in general,” he said.

“The public trust in diamond grading, certification and purchasing brings commerce,” he added.

For more information about the Time Century Jewelry Center, visit its website.