Sami's at the Grammys!

Sami Fine Jewelry rocked out with famous electric bassist Nik West! She was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona along with her sisters. From a young age, her father taught her about music theory. When West was in high school, she discovered her love for the bass while listening to songs by Michael Jackson. Her gift for music and singing lead her to be noticed by a number of famous artists. She released her first album “Just In The Nik of Time,” which caught the attention of Dave Stewart from the successful duo Eurythmics. Since then, she has shared stages with John Mayer, Sugarland, Macy Gray, Bootsy Collins, George Clinton/Parliament Funkadelic, and Orianthi. She was also a bassist for Prince in his later years. In June 2016 Nik joined Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, and Slash as a musician to be featured on the cover of American Musical Magazine. She has appeared on the covers of virtually every bass magazine and has been featured in numerous publications for People Magazine, Vanity Fair, Teen Vogue, Rollingstone, Ok! Magazine, Billboard, Afropunk and more.

Arizona Four Peaks Amethyst at the 2019 Grammy Awards

Nik is not only awesome because of her great personality and impressive musical talent, but she is also the queen of all things purple! This includes her hair, which is styled to look like a purple bass clef. Naturally, this love for purple makes here right at home at Sami Fine Jewelry! She is now a solo artist and in addition to playing her bass, she sings. She has released a number of albums over the years and has even won some awards for her work. Most recently she released her album “Purple Unicorn,” which won the 2018 Independent Music Award. We are so honored to have her wearing our very own Arizona Four Peaks Amethyst  to the 2019 Grammy Awards! 

A Fan With a Vision

When one of Sami's designers, Lilly Kariotoglou heard that Nik West was coming to Sami's, she had the perfect idea in mind for a custom pendant. Lilly came up with a unique interpretation of a bass guitar, as unexpected and gorgeous as the star who would wear it! Showcasing a special "rockstar" cut 9.91ct Arizona Four Peaks Amethyst, this desert gem is surrounded by a diamond halo. This element of the necklace is the “body” of the guitar. Lengths of chain representing the strings connect the “body” to the “head” of this guitar - another Arizona Amethyst surrounded by diamonds. The funky design is one of a kind with specialty cut gemstones that can never be recreated!

Nik West at Sami Fine Jewelry

If you know about Nik West from her episode of "Say Yes to the Dress", then you know that she recently got engaged to Niko. Coming into the store for the first time, Nik and her finance were greeted by our beloved French Bulldog mascots, Gemma and Jewel. Niko especially loved hanging with our furry friends! The girls took to Niko and were very happy to meet him as well. He is an amazing and cool guy, and we are betting that he and Nik will grow old together (judging by his amazing capacity to love the dogs!). Together, Nik and Nico learned about all kinds of gems and jewelry, from our iconic Arizona Four Peaks Amethyst, to our Arizona Peridot and Anthill Garnet, American Gem Collection, and our diamond selection, discovering some special and unique pieces along the way. When Lilly got hold of them, Nik viewed the sketch of the pendant and heard about Lilly’s vision, and quickly fell in love with it. She grew more excited by the second, and could not wait to see the pendant completed. She mentioned that she would love to wear her new piece to the Grammy Awards... in just eight days! Our team was determined to make her wish come true and have the necklace finished and Grammy-ready in just one week.

The Grammy Debut

The sketches were transformed into a ready-to-wear necklace by out in-house master jeweler.  The very next week, Nik came in to pick up her pendant. She was stunned at how spectacular it looked and was thrilled that she would be able to show it off on the red carpet! Not one to under-accessorize, Nik also took some other Amethyst bling to debut at the Grammys. She borrowed a gorgeous Arizona Amethyst and diamond bracelet, adorned with over 15 carats of precision-cut Arizona Amethyst and over 2 carats of diamonds, an amethyst and diamond ring, and amethyst and diamond earrings to accent her pendant and make her sparkle at the Grammys. Niko loved the look of amethyst himself, and borrowed a yellow gold and Arizona Amethyst men’s ring so he could have a pop of purple, too. Needless to say, both Nik and Niko looked absolutely fabulous walking down the Grammy red carpet. Nik’s metallic one sleeve gown perfectly highlighted her vibrant purple jewelry. She strutted down that carpet feeling and looking like the rock star she truly is.

We were elated to have the opportunity to work with Nik, our local Arizona celebrity. From the moment she set foot into the store her personality and smile were infectious. The Sami Fine Jewelry team had a great time with her and her fiancé! We look forward seeing Nik in Sami’s again and making sure she always has some purple bling from her home state!