A life remembered

[caption id="attachment_2320" align="alignleft" width="150"] Robin Rotenier[/caption]

HCHannah Connorton hannah.connorton@nationaljeweler.com

“Passionate.” It’s the first word that comes to mind when I think of Paris-born designer Robin Rotenier, who died unexpectedly on Tuesday in New York, with various news reports citing he had taken his own life.

Robin had passion coursing through his veins like blood runs in all of ours.

He was passionate about his jewelry, namely his sterling silver cufflinks and the intricate detail he put into each one.

“(This) is a sterling silver French iconic car from the 60s you might have spotted on country roads,” he wrote to me in late April after he had finished a particular design. “I sculpted one side with the canvas roof closed, one with the roof rolled up, added many details like bumpers, seats, flipped front windows. The closure is actually the car’s steering wheel.”

When I saw the cufflinks in person, he showed me them with the excitement of someone who’s completed a very personal project in the most perfect way it could have been executed. The only thing better than the jewelry itself was how enamored Robin was with it.

Top, the finished French car cufflinks; bottom, Robin’s rendering and process of creating them

Robin also was passionate about his toy car collection, prominently displayed in his office in a shelved glass case, filled with nearly every type of miniature size vehicle you could imagine, from trolleys to buses to race cars.

“This is my favorite,” he would say, patting the side of the case.

Relationships were another passion of the designer’s. Yesterday especially, it became apparent how many friendships Robin had, how he had affected so many people’s lives in a positive way. JCK’s Jennifer Heebner published a story Wednesday afternoon that illustrated how his kind and upbeat personality touched so many people.

But even with the jewelry, the car collection, his friendships, what Robin always seemed to be most passionate about, from my perspective, was his family. He admired and adored his children, spoke of them in a way that emanated total and unconditional love.

It was all of this passion that made Robin a man to remember.

Just this past Tuesday, National Jeweler published a story featuring cufflinks of Robin’s that are now included in a collection that will benefit the Jewelers for Veterans Foundation.

Rotenier’s bald eagle and World War II fighter plane cufflinks, for the “Silver Salutes the Service”

Banner will be right here …

collection, the sales of which will benefit the Jewelers for Veterans Foundation

I never thought the next time I would be writing about Robin would be in the past tense.

Late April was when I saw him last. We would meet every few months; he’d invite me to his workshop to see his new designs, and then we’d grab lunch at the French restaurant next door to his office, where he was a local celebrity. We sat at the same table each time--his favorite, I assume--and the staff would make a point to come over and greet him. He was the most polite and gracious person you could ever hope to dine with, to have the company of.

I’ve always thought the saddest part about someone’s death is the fact that life goes on without them.

Now, most of us will go on to enjoy Memorial Day weekend, then ship off to Las Vegas, where we’ll be consumed with buying, selling, writing, networking and attending events. Good times will be had; we’ll make new memories and laugh remembering old ones. This year, and hopefully for every year to come, we’ll remember Robin--his talent, his passion, and his wonderful personality.

Thank you, Robin, for making our lives a brighter place.

Hannah Connorton