Summer 2025

A t the elegant Shops at Pebble Beach Resorts, across from The Lodge, Marchesa Jewelry is celebrating 40 years of their family-run business. Started by Connie Teal with her mother, Louise Trout, the business is hallmarked by the friendships that have devel- oped between the owners and clients. Melissa Davis- Rozsa, Teal’s youngest sister, has recently taken over the reins but credits her sister and mother for their elegant taste and the exemplary cus- tomer service that endures today. Davis-Rozsa also shares her gratitude for all the employees that have served the store and cus- tomers throughout the years, from whom she learned everything from gift wrapping to customer serv- ice when she was a child vis- iting the store. “I have so much apprecia- tion for the women who worked with us,” she says. “I always called them my aunties. They taught me a lot. Some of my earliest memories are watching John Travolta fawn over my auntie M.C. Hudgens or the sounds of clinking bracelets on the wrists of my godmother, Marge Hannas, who also worked in the store. My memories of growing up in the store are of friendships with customers and with each other.” Clients like astronaut Alan Shepard pur- chased his 50th wedding anniversary gift for his wife at Marchesa, ordering a custom bracelet made with 50 diamonds, along with pendants for his daughters made from moon rocks he acquired on his Apollo 14 mission. Other clients over the years include country music singer George Strait, actor and comedian George Lopez, and legendary golfer Arnold Palmer. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Leon Panetta and his wife Sylvia, who together runThe Panetta Institute for Public Policy on the Mon- terey Peninsula, are longtime loyal customers. “It’s fair to say Marchesa has been part of our family for 40 years,” Leon Panetta says. “It goes back to Melissa’s mother, Louise Trout, who ran the store. She was a terrific person… [A good friend] introduced my wife Sylvia to Marchesa and that was the beginning of the long story of our family going to Marchesa for Christmases, birthdays and for anniversaries. Now, our three sons and their families are cus- tomers. We have six grandchildren, and all three girls are very big fans of the store.We’ve always worked with Louise, and then Connie, and now Melissa, closely on Christmas pres- ents. Most importantly, Marchesa not only has great jewelry, but they wrap a present better than anybody I know… nothing beats the per- sonal touch that all of them have provided in dealing with us.They are not just people who have serviced us, but Sylvia and I consider them part of our family. I can’t imagine having a birthday or an anniver- sary go by without me stopping by Marchesa to figure out what the hell I’m going to get! Their inventory covers a lot— they have great dishes and sculptures—I can’t think of how many of the cypress tree sculp- tures [by local artist Rob Holt] we’ve gotten and given as gifts. It’s really been a nice full- service jewelry store and both Sylvia and I really think very highly of the whole family.” Recently, a couple from out-of-town came into the shop with the original store receipt from purchasing their engagement ring at Marchesa 25 years ago. The husband then sur- prised his wife with new diamond earrings to 152 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 5 Photo: Courtesy of Marchesa Jewelry The store is full of an array of dazzling gems and home décor, with classic brands like Lalique and Norman Silverman along with designers out of Spain and Turkey. “Victoire” by Lalique, featuring a platinum fancy pink and white natural diamond collar necklace with an 8 ct colorless cushion cut diamond ring.