Mi Amor

Raising the emotion out of jewellery

Photography by SkyVisions VI

The title ‘Mi Amor’ immediately evokes warmth; as a phrase often said and heard, it truly summarises what Tortola’s boutique Mi Amor Jewellers in Road Town stands for.

Interviewing CEO Eileen Bourke, the innovator who has been motivated to create a unique jewellery store capable of providing new lines of accessories, she stated that, “Jewellery isn’t political…it’s about catering to each individual taste for every occasion and Mi Amor’s mantra is ‘your celebration is our inspiration.”

Two years since Mi Amor first welcomed BVI residents and visitors through its doors, has seen the retailer’s consistent improvement in service. Simultaneously, the boutique has sought to differentiate its products from other jewellers; therefore, granting customers an attractive purpose for selecting the store to quench their thirst for the more extravagant accessories.

Eileen has introduced a new concept in its administration labelled Trilogy: Mi Amor Luxury, Mi Amor Fashion Jewellery, and Mi Amor’s Shop ‘n Shop, with an idea that the boutique in its entirety will fulfil every possible jewellery/watch request. Further, are the exclusive products that the owner has solicited.

“Prior to now, brands of watches have been Scuderia which is a Swiss line, the best of all worlds – it’s Italian designed, the leather is from Ferrari and Aston Martin cars…with a Swiss automatic movement,” said the boutique owner in reference to watches that are uniquely different in the BVI. “We don’t want to repeat what you can already access in St Thomas and St Martin. We want to give our local customers something different.”

Examples of the new pieces that will be on display at Mi Amor this season are the aviation time piece Abingdon, Philip Stein’s lady’s and gentleman’s diamond watches, Ingersoll freshly designed time pieces, Bulova lady’s diamond watches, Frederick Sage’s ‘I Do’ series of 18kt gold diamond engagement rings, Fope’s unique gold jewellery, and the new Lauren G Adams boutique for girls and their mothers.

Eileen’s incentive for acquiring these treasures, was to fulfil the goal of bringing individuality to the BVI when compared to surroundings islands in the region: “I’m introducing concepts and pieces from places abroad, not to be found in the Caribbean. I work very hard with my buyer Mia Chalik, who was originally the diamond buyer for Columbian emeralds for 15 years. Mia opened doors for Mi Amor into extraordinary diamond collections.”

In the CEO’s due diligence, she has secured the Californian brand Mark Patterson, who fashions 18ct gold VS 1 clarity G coloured diamonds in contemporary pieces that retain a classic appearance, transcending both casual and formal functions. The aforementioned famed name Frederic Sage, has exclusively favoured Mi Amor because as couture, they seek family-owned boutiques to heighten the luxury and exclusive nature of their productions. Eileen elaborated on this trend, “the look and feel of fashion luxury today in watches and jewellery is the family owned boutique business… they have chosen Mi Amor because they like that…and want to be represented well,” detailing that these businesses appreciate that her boutique will attend jeweller functions and exhibit with smaller collections, breeding exclusivity.

“It takes experience, contacts, know-how, and hard work,” said the boutique owner, commenting on her reliable relationship with the manufacturers for the larger brand names like the Mémoire collection by De Beers Diamond jewellers. This has allowed the CEO to grant identical craftsmanship to the high end brands for custom orders desiring peak quality and a stunning finished look. “It’s about the four C’s,” said Eileen, which are diamond colour, diamond cut, diamond clarity, and diamond carat weight.

Another exclusive line that Mi Amor provides is J B Star – Israel’s global leaders in magnificent jewellery, catering to royalty like the Aga Khans and the Sheikhs. Their product starts at $50,000 and reaches the millions. They have selected Mi Amor to carry their creations.

The boutique will be hosting trunk shows at Peter Island and Oil Nut Bay to exhibit their opulent collections. Yewn Dickson will be the name they intend to showcase– the very same line worn by Michelle Obama and Princess Kate when they met each other for the first time; a symbol of how two individuals from opposite sides of the world can have the same jewellery taste, transcending social, cultural and national boundaries – a concept that gives Eileen further inspiration in her role at Mi Amor.

Passionate in her position with a successful sales pitch, the CEO is grateful for the tastes that have emerged from BVI residents and visitors to steer Mi Amor in the direction the boutique has taken.

“Other islands feed their customers the commercial brands that are safe,” she said, but she opted for an audacious approach that is seeing reward in repeat business.

“I knew what my market was and what it was missing,” said Eileen. “If I don’t have it, and I can’t get it, I’ll make it,” she continued with reference to exceeding her customers’ expectations.  “Bring me in your dream and I will make it a reality,” the CEO challenges in promotion of her custom jewellery creations.

In the two years Mi Amor has been in service, they have been able to accomplish every single request that has arisen at their boutique.

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