Vardy’s Story
Staff Profiles
Community Involvement
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About Vardy’s Jewelers
Staff Profiles
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Vardy Shtein
Founder & President
Vardy is a master European goldsmith and a designer who strives to combine artistry with his passion for customer service to create a unique shopping experience. Vardy takes pride in his family-run store with old fashion principals, an extraordinary selection of styles and the best values in the industry.
Vardy began his career working as an apprentice to several fine jewelers in Estonia while attending University to study electrical engineering. He fell in love with jewelry making, and after 11 years of designing in Europe, immigrated to the United States to achieve American dream. He arrived in this country with just $500 and his family, and began making repairs for jewelers in the area. His impeccable work and technical ability soon caught the eye of the more discerning jewelers, and before long he possessed the funds and the confidence to establish his own store. Vardy’s Jewelers opened in Cupertino in 1981.
Today Vardy is an active member of the Cupertino community. Supporting numerous non-profit organizations and local charities is his way of thanking the community as a whole for the support his young family received when they immigrated to this country. Vardy is a dedicated Rotarian, and has sponsored the Canary Fund, the Cupertino Educational Endowment Fund, Diabetes Society, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Child Advocates, Alliance for Community Care, St. Joseph’s School and Jewish Community Services.
Fanya Hull
Marketing Manager
Fanya Hull was born in Tallin, Estonia and moved with her family to Cupertino, California in 1980. As the daughter of store owner and master goldsmith Vardy Shtein, Fanya’s dream has always been to partner in the family business. Fanya studied in Cupertino schools and graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Finance and International Business. She is also certified as a Gemologist.
Becoming involved in the family business was perfect choice for Fanya, allowing her to pursue her passion for business and fashion and at the same time, and to work alongside her family. She is able to use her business prowess and her innate fashion sense to creatively combine traditional and beautiful jewelry in keeping with the latest trends. Because the philosophy at Vardy’s Jewelers is to create long lasting relationships with customers is based on trust, quality and value, Fanya takes a personal approach to customer service and says, "I have become close to many of our customers. I treat them like I would like to be treated and as a friend."
Fanya also believes in giving back to the community, and her professional affiliations include the Junior League of San Jose (a professional women’s volunteer organization), the Jewish Community Center, and the Women’s Jewelry Association. Fanya has been professionally employed at Vardy’s Jewelers since 1997. Her contributions are evident in marketing, public relations, sales, purchasing, and design efforts.
Misha Shtein
Manager
Misha Shtein, son of store owner Vardy Shtein, was born in Tallin, Estonia and moved to Cupertino with his family in 1980. He attended Cupertino Schools and became involved with Interact, a Rotary-sponsored service club for young people. The program provided Shtein an opportunity to participate in meaningful service projects while developing leadership skills that would prepare him for the future management of a high-end jewelry store.
Misha continued his education in Santa Barbara where he earned his degree in sociology and became EMT certified. Working his way through college as a finish carpenter, and working evenings at a notable winery in explaining fine wines to discriminating customers, he honed his eye for detail and learned the finer points of customer service.
Misha enjoyed working with his hands in the construction trades, but missed the creative excitement of metal work and the jewelry store in which he grew up. He still fondly remembers making his first ring at nine years old. So after college, Misha followed in his father’s footsteps to learn the highly skilled art of European Goldsmithing. A European Goldsmith is both an artist and engineer, with a deep understanding of metallurgy and gemology. Misha is a certified GIA Graduate Gemologist (G.G.) and AJP.
Today, Misha Shtein takes a customer oriented approach to management. "My management style is that of making everyone as happy as I can. I want to be treated the same way that I treat people. I want everyone who talks with me to leave our conversation feeling happy or very satisfied."
Jay Liu
Pearl Specialist
A fifteen-year veteran of the jewelry manufacturing industry, Jay Liu Drake joined the Vardy family in 2009 as our in-house pearl specialist. In addition to her work promoting Tahitian pearls worldwide, Jay's experience includes actually living on pearl farms in Manihi and Rangiroa, cultivating and harvesting Tahitian pearls from the farmers.
Her first project at Vardy's will be creating an exclusive "Mothers are our Oysters" event that will incorporate her own design: a "Mother pearl bracelet" that allows a Mom to create her own bracelet using the unique characteristics of each pearl to match the unique personalities of her children.
In her free time, Jay enjoys teaching Chinese to children and getting involved at her daughters' schools. Utilizing Vardy's Education Fund, she will be exploring ways to contribute to our local schools. "Improving Education is my #1 priority in life; our public schools are in need of support from everyone."
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