Game, Set, Sparkle: How Martin Katz Turned Collaboration into an Art Form

As the world’s top tennis players prepare for the start of the US Open on 23 August, guests at the Lotte New York Palace have the chance to experience the tournament in extraordinary style. An exclusive ‘Game, Set, Sparkle’ package at the Manhattan hotel includes a stay in a Jewel Suite designed by Beverly Hills jeweller Martin Katz, VIP access to the US Open and a diamond tennis bracelet created especially for the occasion.

At first glance, this might seem like an unlikely partnership. What does one of America’s foremost high jewellery designers have to do with elite tennis? As it turns out, quite a lot. For more than 25 years, collaborations have formed a fascinating subplot in Martin Katz’s career, encompassing fashion, fragrance, hospitality, art and now sport. From Ray-Ban and Victoria’s Secret to DKNY and the Lotte New York Palace, each collaboration has explored a different creative avenue, and ‘Game, Set, Sparkle’ is no exception.

Different though they are, they are united by the same motivation: to test the boundaries of jewellery design. “For me, it is less about standing out simply for the sake of being different and more about the creative challenge,” says Katz. “I am drawn to projects that allow me to apply the language of jewellery design in an often unexpected way.”

The first opportunity came in 1999, when Ray-Ban approached Katz to reimagine one of its most iconic designs. Katz admits he was initially reluctant. “I said, ‘Why would I want to put diamonds on sunglasses?’” he recalls. Yet the challenge soon won him over, and he transformed the classic Wayfarer with pavé-set white diamonds. The sunglasses attracted widespread attention, not least when Céline Dion wore them with her now-iconic backwards white tuxedo to the 71st Academy Awards.

The years that followed brought an increasingly eclectic mix of collaborations. Victoria’s Secret commissioned Katz to create its Black Diamond Fantasy Miracle Bra, DKNY invited him to transform its Golden Delicious fragrance bottle into a million-dollar jewel, and Lotte New York Palace became home to his opulent Jewel Suite.

One of Katz’s most artistic collaborations began in 2023 with the Italian sculptor Andrea Roggi. The pair combined their respective disciplines for Energy of Life, uniting Roggi’s bronze Tree of Life sculpture with a jewelled sphere representing Mother Earth and the work’s life force. Crafted in 18K white gold, the sphere was set with more than 2,000 gemstones, including blue sapphires, Paraíba tourmalines, tsavorite garnets and diamonds. Following its debut in Florence, the installation travelled to Venice and Paris, introducing Katz’s jewellery to a new audience of art collectors.

Katz’s longest and most successful collaboration is his partnership with the Lotte New York Palace, one of Manhattan’s landmark luxury hotels, which began in 2013. Opposite St Patrick’s Cathedral on Madison Avenue, the hotel is home to Katz’s Jewel Suite, a three-storey residence that immerses guests in his aesthetic. The 5,000 sq ft suite pairs Art Deco-inspired interiors with sparkling vitrines showcasing more than $1.5 million worth of Martin Katz jewellery.

This summer, the partnership takes on a new sporting dimension with the ‘Game, Set, Sparkle’ experience at the Lotte New York Palace. Priced from US$100,000, it combines a minimum two-night stay in the Jewel Suite with VIP access to the US Open and four tickets to the annual Palace Invitational. The experience also includes a private consultation with Martin Katz, a pre-event meet-and-greet with participating Palace Invitational athletes, and a Champagne and canapés reception for up to four guests on the suite’s rooftop terrace.

Guests will also receive the new ‘Palace’ Tennis Bracelet to take home with them, set with 84 round brilliant-cut diamonds totalling 12 carats. Instead of a traditional single line of stones, Katz has arranged the diamonds in diagonal pairs. Supported by a bold geometric gallery inspired by New York’s skyline, it gives the classic tennis bracelet an unmistakable New York identity.

It is hard to imagine a more memorable way to experience the US Open, yet the ‘Game, Set, Sparkle’ package is about more than courtside seats or a remarkable keepsake. It is simply the latest example of how Martin Katz’s imagination has never been confined to the jewellery box.