ONLY HER JEWELER KNOWS GEM CHAIN THRIVES ON FABULOUS FAKES.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

HOLLYWOOD - In a town where style usually beats substance, a jeweler has found a market for high-tech diamond knockoffs that are a step beyond dime store cubic zirconia and one-tenth of Tiffany's price.

``We get a lot of men who come in and ask whether they could give it as a diamond, but I tell them not to,'' said Jeff McCloskey, president and chief executive of Fort Knoxx Designer Copy Jewelry.

``They should just be honest and never try to pretend that it's something it's not. We're not in the business to fool anyone, except for maybe the friends at the country club who you don't have to confide with.''

Knoxx deals in synthetic stones named Moissanite with much of the brilliance and attraction of diamonds, and it takes an expert to tell the difference.

The store, which opened in November at the Hollywood & Highland mall adjacent to the Walk of Fame, specializes in reproducing the expensive jewelry worn by Hollywood's elite. The settings are mostly gold and sterling silver, but the stones are knockoffs.

McCloskey said his chain experienced 400 percent growth last year, and he expects this year will be even better.

Bright window displays recently drew in Wayne Bergeron, a trumpet player from Studio City, but it was the price tags that made him stay.

``I was down here for a premiere and just stumbled in,'' he said as he bought $70 earrings. ``It looks pretty nice, and the prices are fantastic, obviously. My wife's got enough real diamonds, but she loves jewelry, both real and fake.''

Saleswoman Angela Meckbula said most people react the same way.

``They like the fact that it looks real. The only way they know it's not is when I tell them the price.''

Launched in 1998 in Palm Springs, the chain banks on shoppers' desire to look good without paying out.

Moissanite and other diamond alternatives, like the less-brilliant cubic zirconia, provide an option to consumers unable to afford the high price of the real deal, according to Bill Herbert, manager of distance and extension education for the Gemological Institute of America.

``They're products that make jewelry available to more people,'' Herbert said. ``If the only jewelry that people could buy had to have diamonds, not too many people would be wearing it right now.''

The industry at large remains suspicious of Moissanite's impact.

``The jewelry industry's take on it is that it's not a big threat,'' said Michelle Orman, a spokeswoman for the New York-based trade association's Jewelry Information Center. ``It might be a hot seller in niche markets, but for high-end stores that carry it, it tends to take up less than 1 percent of their business.''

McCloskey's goal was to create high-quality jewelry copies that affluent customers can wear without associated security worries.

``No one wants to lose a piece of Moissanite jewelry, but if you do, you don't have to call your insurance agent,'' said Bob Thomas, whose Raleigh, N.C.-firm Charles & Colvard Ltd. manufactures the synthetic gem-material. ``If you lose a pair of earrings, it's not going to break you. It's not cheap, but you can still rest a little easier.''

CAPTION(S):

5 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Fort Knoxx, which opened in November at the Hollywood & Highland mall, has been doing a booming business in gold or sterling jewelry with fake diamonds.

(2 -- color) Wayne Bergeron shops for earrings. He bought a pair for his wife after the price at Fort Knoxx pleasantly surprised him.

(3 -- color) A sterling-heart necklace, $128, or bracelet, $89.95, may be popular Valentine's Day gifts.

(4) Fake gems mounted in real gold or sterling silver are the stock in trade of the Fort Knoxx jewelry chain.

(5) At $800 each, jeweled handbags at Fort Knoxx resemble some even costlier ones carried by Hollywood celebrities.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer