Houston’s Tenenbaum Scores a Majestic Haul of Jewels From a Beverly Hills Magician — The Wonders Of Robert Procop

From the moment that Tenenbaum Jewelers’ Tony Bradfield had his first look at the magnificent jewels created by Robert Procop, the discerning Houston jeweler knew that his clients would be enraptured by the colorful gemstone pieces. Bradfield himself admits to being “gobsmacked” by the beauty of the creations from the Los Angeles based jeweler, considered one of the most knowledgeable diamond and gemstone experts in the world.

Bradfield was so enchanted with the collection simmering in colored sapphires, rubies and diamonds that he won the bidding to carry the jewels and has now dedicated a boutique inside his Westheimer salon to Procop pieces. The first selection from the master jeweler will arrive in Tenenbaum on November 21, available for viewing by appointment. It’s a coup for Bradfield as Robert Procop Exceptional Jewels deals only with select luxury retailers and private clients.

Tenenbaum is the only Houston jeweler to carry the collection. Among the 30-plus limited edition pieces coming to Houston are the ones in the photographs with this story.

Before making his bid to carry Procop, Bradfield charged Lindsay Pomphrett, Tenenbaum chief brand officer, and Cristina Mattern, Tenenbaum gemologist and director of acquisitions, to accompany him to meet with the jeweler in his Beverly Hills salon. They were instantly sold on what is a dazzling collection of feminine pieces that feature the most brilliant of stones.

Procop’s work is recognized not only for its artistry, but also for the unique beauty of the stones. At age 19, he trained under master cutters and later traveled to Columbia to study the art of cutting emeralds. He credits his father, an engineer with General Electric, with his understanding of using light to maximize the beauty of each stone.

Procop mines the stones and cuts the stones. Unlike other jewelers’ processing, his stones are not treated with oil, heat or radiation. The natural color speaks for itself in the stones that are of the finest saturation of color, clarity and brilliance. Further, every aspect of the manufacturing — design, cutting and setting — is closely monitored in-house.

Bradfield describes Procop’s collections as a “fusion of art with quality and value.” That value is another point that captured Bradfield’s attention. He says that similar pieces from any other house would cost three times the Procop price.

“This is livable, usable, accessible, wearable, enjoyable,” Bradfield notes.

A third element of the Procop house also attracted Bradfield — philanthropy. Tenenbaum Jewelers is known citywide for its philanthropy donating numerous pieces to gala auctions and providing support to Houston nonprofits in other ways. Procop supports Los Angeles’ House of Ruth for homeless women and children and the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict.

“It’s great to have someone who speaks our language on so many levels,” Bradfield says. “And then, yes, the cherry on top is the philanthropy aspect and he’s very sincere about it.

“I think it absolutely fits into exactly what we do, what we specialize in — the rare and the unique and the unique, not only to the market, but unique in the world, We’re not everybody’s jeweler. We’re just the best jeweler.”