Armenian heritage inspires the Kardashians

There were screams, shouts, laughs and lines of people anxiously waiting, some wearing flat shoes, but most with high heels. And there was talk of girls falling over for the three brunette sisters who have made it sexy to be curvy and who let it be known that it’s just fine for successful businesswomen to be fabulous and beautiful.

Kourtney, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, the stars of the E! reality television show “Keeping up with the Kardashians,” made an appearance Saturday at the Nordstrom at Fashion Island in Newport Beach for the launch of their new jewelry line, the Kardashian Collection by Virgins Saints & Angels.

“The three of us love to collaborate with each other and when we had the opportunity to create a design, Virgins Saints & Angels approached us, and we felt like they allowed us to express ourselves,” Kim Kardashian said about the collection.

The Kardashian sisters expressed themselves by channeling their ancestors.

The collection is inspired by the sisters’ Armenian heritage — from its religious cross to its cultural symbols, like the Armenian star. And it is done in honor of their late father, Robert, and their Armenian roots.

“Our father is Armenian; we are fourth-generation Armenians. We didn’t grow up speaking the language, but we had a strong Armenian presence in our lives,” said Kim Kardashian, whose website receives about 6.7 million views a month, according to a Los Angeles Times article.

And perhaps there was no better day to honor their ancestors than on the anniversary of a tragic time for their forefather’s country — the Armenian Genocide.

A day before their visit to Fashion Island, the sisters made an announcement on their websites.

“On the anniversary of such a tragic time in our history, we hope that we can honor those who died by celebrating our culture and sharing it with you guys,” wrote the eldest of the three, Kourtney Kardashian.

There’s a bit of Armenian history behind each piece of their collection, Kim Kardashian said.

By the time the sisters were ready to get out on the main floor for a meet-and-greet session with fans, the lines were out the door and hundreds waited in anticipation.

The Kardashians’ fans were not just women.

When Daniel Klingler found out that the sisters’ collection was being launched at Nordstrom in Fashion Island, he came all the way from Wisconsin.