Parisian designer, Robin Rotenier, 51, whose jewelry designs were retailed at department stores, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, committed suicide by jumping out of his window in his luxury Manhattan apartment, located on the tenth floor.
According to reports, on Tuesday afternoon, Rotenier smashed out the window of his Upper West Side apartment on West End Avenue, near West 97th Street, with a hammer in hand.
Born in Paris, the third generation designer then attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, as well as the Gemological Institute of America. He went on to create his own line of jewelry in 1993. Rotenier was best known for his luxurious cufflinks, priced from $395 to $9,800. Most items fall between $400 and $600.
Those who knew the talented designer, dubbed the ‘King of Cufflinks’ expressed their sadness at his passing.
“Heartbroken. Rest in peace my dear, dear friend. I will miss you tremendously. Your smile will never fade from my memory,” tweeted Amanda Gizzi, of the Jewelry Information Center, who worked with the designer through JIC for 13 years.
Others in the industry expressed their sadness at the artist’s passing, including jewelry PR associate Helena Krodel, who asserts that Rotenier, “Was a man of style, a man of grace, a man of loyalty, and a man of creative beauty.”
“My wonderful, talented, loving kind brother left us yesterday forever. Thank you all for the many messages of support. We are devastated,” brother Rémy posted. “He was a treasure, I will miss him terribly.”
According to officials, Rotenier did not leave any type of note behind.
