When Michael Fitzgerald first came to New York 21 years ago, he didn’t give the Big Apple much of a chance.
“I had studied jewellery design at NCAD and ran a successful business with a couple of other jewellers on George’s Street while throwing myself into Dublin’s nightlife with great enthusiasm,” he recalls.
“It was 1996 and Dublin was an amazing place. But I thought I’d extend my horizons and try New York on a six month holiday visa. I had been to the World Cup in 1994 and loved NYC,” he says.
Where better than New York to kick start a career in this industry?
New York was just recovering from the ravages of a crack epidemic, which was rampant during the 1980s, so there were cheap rental opportunities across the city.
It was here that he met his wife, also a jewellery maker, with whom he now runs his business. Fitzgerald Jewelry was founded by Fitzgerald and his wife Hiroyo, originally from Japan, as a small studio and workshop in 2001.
The couple generated a buzz around their unique rings early on, propelled by an endorsement from New York magazine which said they offered the best wedding and engagement ring jewellery for any budget.
“I also opened a school as part of the business where I taught ring making, stone setting and casting,” he says.
“We started to employ people and, in 2009, we opened our first ground floor space in Williamsburg, converting an old button factory into a workshop and gallery combined.” The gallery quickly established itself and grew so big, that a larger venue was required in 2015.
Fitzgerald says he works six days a week, but also finds the time to hang out with his 14-year-old daughter.
However, he says, life is expensive and he can’t afford to stand still.
Rents on the Lower East Side start from €2,000-€2,500 a month for a studio, he says, while in Brooklyn you pay around €800 upwards for a room in a shared house. “In certain parts, you can get a two-bed flat for €1,800 if you’re lucky which, as it turns out, is not much more expensive than Dublin.
“Like any other city, New York has been gentrified and has lost its edge, but in return it’s a much safer, albeit more expensive place.
“If anyone is thinking of coming to live in New York and work in jewellery design, do. The luxury goods market is doing extremely well, so there’s lots of work within the industry and you will find opportunities,” Fitzgerald says.
He adds that his company is also very open to hiring Irish people for paid internships.
The worst part of being away is missing family and friends in Ireland, Fitzgerald says.