Jewelry Business Guru by Cindy Edelstein

Our book launch party at Belenky Gallery NYC

Our book launch party at Belenky Gallery in Soho was amazing!

People were out in the street because we filled the gallery with so many friends -- designers, editors, gem dealers and other movers and shakers.

It was a blast!

Everyone got to see more than 40 pieces from various projects from the American Jewelry Design Council's Museum Collection (that's what I've dubbed the 12 years worth of thematic projects the designers of the AJDC have created).

AJDC designer members in attendance were: Jane Bohan, Whitney Boin, Michael Bondanza, Chris Correia, Henry Dunay, Sarah Graham, Susan Helmich, Jose Hess, John Iversen, Scott Keating, Christo Kiffer, Alan Revere, George Sawyer, William Schraft, Tina Segal and Diana Vincent.

You can see all the party pictures on www.manhattan.smugmug.com.

Seth Bloomgarden, co-owner of Belenky Bros. Gallery doing the press thing

Publicist Mitzi Zieve Creates a Fantastic Event for Us

We've been having a crazier time than normal  (if that's possible!) around our offices as we prepared for a week of trade shows, publicity events and even a few parties thrown in. This weekend was the JA NY Show -- the fine jewelry trade show in NYC that showcases over 1000 companies from gem dealers to suppliers and fine jewelry manufacturers and our favorite, the designers.

On Tuesday evening, 29th, we had a launch party for our book "BRILLIANCE! Masterpieces from the American Jewelry Design Council" (available through our website www.jewelersresource.com) and it was quite an event!

See the next entries above.

The party was an amazing orchestration which began  --- a year ago while we were writing the book -- with Seth Bloomgarden of Belenky Brothers Gallery in NYC saying he'd love to host a party for us when our book is done. So we called him when the book was done! The gallery had just moved to a new space last month so to host a party while the contractors were finishing up was quite a feat. The new  space at 91 Grand St. is gorgeous and a  lovely  place to launch our book.

Then we spoke to our friends at the Platinum Guild about our book -- they had sponsored one of the AJDC projects in 1997 called Wheel --- and they wanted to be a part of the celebration, too. What better sponsor could you have than the Platinum Guild?

Next piece of the puzzle was the promotion. While I've got lists and lists of industry VIPs and designers, an event like this needs even more buzz. And that's where Mitzi Zieve came in. Her PR firm specializes in the jewelry and fashion industries and her connections go far in this town. So when she agreed to work with us we knew it would be a great event.

Mitzi invited Social Life Magazine to help sponsor our party and to cover the event with their papparazzi.

See the photos at www.manhattan.smugmug.com.

Mitzi then turned to her friends at Roots & Vines wine bar (409 Grand St. bet. Attorney & Clinton Sts.) who sent us cases of delicious Proseco and chardonnay. I can't wait to go to the bar to try their other specialities.

We had great press about the event, too, before it even began. Wanda Mann, fashion journalist, wrote about our book and came to the party, too. And JCK editor extraordinaire Bacilio Mendez liked the book, too.

So, when you're planning an event make sure you get someone like Mitzi on your team if you want it to turn out well.

Mitzi Zieve, publicist, Frank Stankus and Cindy Edelstein, authors

Saul Bell Award Winners Feted in Las Vegas

Another great event during the Las Vegas Market week last month was the 8th annual Saul Bell Design Awards. No other design competition honors it's winners quite like the folks at Rio Grande, the sponsor of the Saul Bell Awards.

The awards ceremony is a lovely, long dinner with a great video created of and by the winners. The star is the editor of the film who pieces together great responses to pendantic questions. What's your inspiration? How do you describe your hands?

The competition invites designers to create original jewelry designs in seven categories. Rio Grande annually awards nearly $30,000 in prizes.

This year’s categories and finalists are as follows:
Gold/Platinum —Thomas Dailing, Thomas Dailing Designs; Sowon Joo; James Kaya, Solair Jewelers; Patricia Madeja, Patricia Madeja Studio Jewelry; and Kim Yanke, Yanke Designs.

PMC —Dina Alexander; Claudia Atkins, Handmade Metals & Gems; Barbro Eriksdotter Gendell, Eriksdotter Design; Elizabeth Hall, Lizard’s Jewelry; and Donna Lewis, Belladonnasilver.

Silver —John Casner; Jane Garibaldi, Garibaldi Designs; Chihiro Makio, 314 Studio; Carol Salisbury, Carol Salisbury; Andrea Lucille Shin, Andrea Lucille Designs.

Beads — Larry River, Heart of Gold Gallery; Jonathan Rutledge, Jonathan Lee Rutledge; Susan & Jeff Wise, Future Wise Inc.; Jennifer Wood, Riot Designs; Genevieve Yang, Genevieve Yang.

Hollowware — David Bausman; Charles Funnell; Leslie Laine-Lewis; Joy Stember; Sadie Wang, Sadie Wang.

Swarovski — Beth Kraft, Nordic Gypsy Beads & Jewelry, Yutao Liu, YL Consulting Designs; Kimberly Starbard, Cove Beads; Wendy Wallin Malinow, Wallin Malinow Design; Elizabeth Weaver.

Emerging Artist — Anne Tedesco, Chaparral High School.

[TIP: This is one of the great design competitions to enter -- the categories are diverse, the process very professional and the entrants are diverse, too. Everyone should enter; the publicity and exposure is a great marketing benefit. The 2009 application is online now -- click here to go to the Saul Bell Award website.]

Eight-Figure Independents - New Report on the Retailers That Sell Designer Jewels

National Jeweler does a great job with their industry research -- they publish several great reports for different industry sectors -- and they've just updated my favorite. The Eight-Figure Independents,  an elite club of American jewelers doing $10 million or more in a single store (provided they don't own more than seven stores, with one or two exceptions). These store owners -- who sell a lot of brand and designer jewels --  have reported in with unexpected results.

The first few months of the year were "surprisingly strong," says Hank B. Siegel, president and chief executive officer of Lawrenceville, N.J.-based Hamilton Jewelers. "I am quite happy to say that we are enjoying strong sales growth so far in 2008."

Others, while acknowledging the market is noticeably softer now compared with the same period last year, are in expansion mode.

"We don't just look ahead to the next 18 months," says Michael Pollak, CEO and co-founder of Denver-based Hyde Park Jewelers. "Our outlook has a five-year horizon."

.... read the rest of a NJ article on the study here.

Women's Jewelry Assoc. Celebrates DIVA Design Contest Winners in Las Vegas

The Women's Jewelry Association -- the greatest way to connect with other powerful, amusing, useful and fun women (and men) in the industry -- held it's annual party in Las Vegas during the JCK Show in June. It was a great networking bash and a chance to celebrate the winners of the annual WJA DIVA Design Competition.

This year's competition had a Platinum Diva theme with five categories -- bridal ring trio suite below $5k retail and over $5k as well as bridal fashions under and over the same retail pricepoint and a natural color diamond bridal fashion category, too.

The winning designs were gorgeous and the contest attracted more than 150 entries.

Check out the Women's Jewelry Association website at www.womensjewelry.org to learn more about all the great events the WJA hosts around the country in 12 chapters. Of course, I'm biased -- I've been on the national Executive Board for many years -- but that's because it's a great way to grow your career in this industry. WJA owns the word networking in the jewelry industry -- our events bring together the power, energy and fun that fuels this business.

Seen here are four DIVA winners with WJA President Yancy Weinrich at DIVA party at TAO in Las Vegas:   From left, Jill MacKay, Yancy Weinrich, Carley McGee-Boehm, Lisa Krikawa, Erica Courtney.

Gild - A new Trade Event to Help You Meet Fashion Buyers

The demand from the boutique, fashion and accessories market is growing for finer jewelry. The team that brought you Couture (I'm consulting for them) is working to put you in front of a new and exciting market – the thousands of fashion and accessory buyers and boutique owners who shop the Chicago and LA Fashion Weeks.

The new trade shows are called GILD and they're 3-day turnkey booths in the Mart buildings of those two cities.

Boutique buyers are learning how important jewelry is to their customers and their profits.  These two shows are perfectly timed to be a part of the LA Fashion Week (in Los Angeles) and StyleMax (in Chicago). 

I'm excited about this new venture -- it opens up new markets for the tradition designer jeweler -- and I'm looking forward to bridging the gap between boutiques and fine jewelry.

Visit the Gild website, or contact me for more information.