Fine Jewelry Expertise for 75 Years
In l937, Selim Abounayan became the first European diamond trader to enter West Africa. He shipped the rough gems to Belgium, where he earned a reputation for his remarkable precision in cleaving the largest possible high quality diamond out of every stone. Hollywood celebrities and European aristocrats were among those who wore his finished jewelry.
Today, as the owner of Kristof’s Jewelers in the Sherman Oaks Fashion Square, Michael Abounayan honors his father’s expertise with his own. Able to identify the highest quality fine jewelry available on the wholesale market, he thoroughly inspects each and every piece before adding it to the store’s inventory. That’s one reason why Michael and his wife Maral have built-up a loyal customer base who value their dedication to exceptional product and service.
“We appreciate style and elegance,” Michael explains. “We want our customers to feel glamorous when they wear our fine jewelry. We also want them to be confident their investment will retain its value.”
Previously, Michael earned a degree from the Gemological Institute of America, and followed that up by working in the wholesaling and manufacturing end of the jewelry business in New York’s 47th Street diamond district. After he met and married Maral, they opened a retail store in the Detroit area, naming it Kristof’s after the eldest of their three children. In 1986, the family moved to the San Fernando Valley, relocating Kristof’s in Northridge and now at Sherman Oaks Fashion Square.
