Jewelry Business Guru by Cindy Edelstein

notes on Green Jewelry aka Eco, Recycled, Reclaimed, Clear Concscious, Conflict Free Jewelry

My memory is lapsing as I try to recall all the who, what and where we stand on green, eco, recycled, reclaimed, clear conscious, conflict free  gems and jewelry. So, I think in order to help me and you all keep track I'll just put some notes here and update as necessary.

Please feel free to add more in the comments section and I'll repost as we build new info. This is not intended to be the full explanation and source (so no snarking if I missed something!) but rather a primer and list of resources for us all to be able to refer to quickly.   

Fine Jewelry Designers making big initiatives in Green Jewelry:

• Marc Choyt, Reflective Images Jewelry, founder of  www.fairjewelry.org/
• Lori Bonn & Bill Gallagher of Lori Bonn Jewelry, launched Clear Conscious Jewelry
• Jennifer Dawes, www.dawes-design.com
• Sarah Perlis, 18K to 22K recycled gold sold at ABC Home
• Go Green by GeoArt Accessories by Cynthia Gale

 

Good Articles & Sites to Visit:

• http://www.bestgreenblogs.com/
• http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/abc_home_strike.php
• http://sparklesmart.blogspot.com/
• www.lucinajewelry.com/blog/
• www.columbiagemhouse.com/
• www.madisondialogue.org/
• http://www.clearconsciencejewelry.org/
• http://www.modernjeweler.com/print/Modern-Jeweler/Green-Silver

How the Red Carpet Jewelry Game is Played

Okay..... here's my last red carpet post for the week:

"Admit it; hardly anyone watches the Oscars or the Emmys to see the awards being doled out (Best Lighting anyone?). No, we mostly watch because we love to see the pre-show action on the red carpet. While the viewers tune in for the entertainment value, for many companies, the red carpet can translate into lots of greenbacks. A celebrity who wears their product, and who gets a close up on E!, an interview with Joan or a write-up in the papers the following day can be worth millions to a firm. But just how do these products end up adorning the necks, arms and ears of the stars – and is it all it’s cracked up to be? IDEX Magazine Editor-in-Chief Danielle Max talks to three experts about the big name game."

Read full article on IDEX Magazine's website.

Diamonds at the Emmys - a scorecard

The Diamond Information Center tallied up the celebrities wearing diamonds at the Emmys this past weekend and broke the list down into statement necklacess and bold bracelets and drop earrings. According to their list (you could read the whole list on the members-portion of our website) the Jeweler's Scorecard looks like this:

Erica Courtney - 2 (really 12)
Fred Leighton  -- 8
Kwiat - 7
Chopard - 7.
H. Stern -- 6
Neil Lane - 3
Martin Katz - 3
Lorraine Schwartz - 3
Hearts on Fire - 2
Cathy Waterman -- 1
LILY et Cie - 1
Tiffany & Co. -- 1
Jude Frances - 1
Bochic - 1
Cartier - 1
Bulgari - 1

We know there was more at the event because by Erica Courtney's report she dressed 12 stars that night -- but I supposed Diamond Info Center only counted their own version of an A List.  I wonder where's the colored gem tally, the pearl tally, the YOUNG, HIP DESIGNER tally?????? sigh.

Comments?

Went to the Launch Party for Collective-E -- something good to know for women entrepreneurs

My friend Beth Schoenfeldt, who was a founder of Ladies Who Launch, is on to a new, great idea to help women entrepreneurs of all kinds. It's called Collective-E (E for Entrepreneur, Excitment, Energy, Excellence....Etc.) and it's going to offer networking, education and more.

Their site will be live in a week or so http://www.collective-e.com/ -- but now you can go there to sign up for their free, helpful enewsletter.

The party was hosted at a great space on 23rd Street in NYC called In Good Company which offers shared workspaces for women entrepreneurs. They also offer seminars and networking, too. What a great idea if you need infrequent desk space or meeting room space in NYC.

If you get lonely in your solo studio -- these are two great ways to get out and connect!

Hunting Down Chocolate Gold

I've been talking about chocolate gold for a year now -- seeing it in more European lines like the luscious Mattioli brand from Italy (gorgeous designs!!!). And of course, designers are asking where can they get it.

So I made a few calls to United Precious Metals & David H. Fell (where you can buy all colors of gold) and to the U.S. office of Mattioli and confirmed that it is NOT an alloy but a surface treatment. It's a very high tech metallurgic magic (PVD or physical vapor deposition) that turns titanium a rich chocolate color (actually can turn it lots of different colors) that is added to a gold design.

Yummy!

In a related color story we saw bronze alloys in play this past fine jewelry market. Similar warm tones but way cheaper material. Think fine jewelers will go for this?

Erica Courtney, Kwiat, Neil Lane and others Rock the Emmys

The Primetime Emmy Awards were fun to watch this year (what to say about Jennifer Love Hewitt's look?)

I was going to blog about all the great jewels but... JCKstyle has beat me to it! They've collected most of the jewelry shots in their 60^th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards coverage!

Missing from those pages though are all the celebs dressed by the goddess Erica Courtney! So here you go... the endless list of stunning celebrities who wore Erica Courtney:

Jenna Fischer from “The Office”, Lisa Edelstein from “House”, Kathy Griffin from “My Life on the D- List”, Michael Emerson from “Lost”, Carrie Preston from “True Blood”, Kathy Joosten from “Desperate Housewives”, Katee Sackhoff from “Battlestar Galactica”, Lauren Velez from “Dexter”, Marin Hinkle from “Two and A Half Men”, Kate Flannery from “The Office”, Tricia Helfer from “Battlestar Galactica”, and Kristen Dos Santos “E! News red carpet host”

Raw Diamond and Green Jewelry Trend Quotes in Epoch Times

I met with a reporter for The Epoch Times during the JA New York Show and we talked trends for quite a while.

"According to Cindy Edelstein from the Jewelry Resource, the trends that we see today are mimicked throughout the industry. Designs are using different textures, mixing different metals, and presenting new stones.

Hoops are popular, earrings are getting bigger, and bangles and cuffs are a must. Stack rings are still going strong, but this is the year of the cuff!

For a while jewelry was tiny, but now it is scaling up. Wear an armload of bangles or a big cuff. Add movement—wear a waterfall on the ear rather than a shield."

Read the whole jewelry trend article in Epoch Times....

Time for Remembering

[This post was written on 9/11 but I was trying the iphone software and somehow it published late. Guess the sentiment is good for any day, though.]

Every year on this day I listen to a long list of names being read aloud. I know only a very few ( as many, many New Yorkers do) and then only tangentially. So this day is not too personal to me - except how it is to every New Yorker and American.

But every year on this day I am compelled to make my own list. A long list of names of those whom I would miss if they were gone. A list of people who have touched my soul (even tangentially or a long time ago) and for whom a smile of gratitude should be spent.

I hope you too make time to honor those names -- those lives -- for whom you are grateful for in your own life. And not wait until it's just on a list or eulegy. In fact, why not call a few today?

Research says Online Business is Resilient

Despite a struggling economy throughout most of this year, the majority of online retailers continue to be cautiously optimistic about how their businesses will perform during the next 12 months, according to a Shop.org annual survey.

A total of 72 percent of online retailers believe that the online channel is better suited to withstand an economic slowdown than offline channels, according to The State of Retailing Online 2008: Profitability, Economy, and Multichannel Report.

        read the rest of this article on JCKonline.com

GIA NY Career Fair -- Designers Mentoring other Designers

Every summer I volunteer at GIA's Career Fair to mentor and lend advise to budding jewelry designers. It's always such a great day -- and this year was no exception. The room is always packed for my sessions because there's no better way to learn than from those who have walked the walk before you. And I always get such great volunteers!

This year's generous, informative panelists are seen below from left: Sandy Baker, Alex Woo and Joseph Murray. These designers have been running their own businesses for years and they shared sage advice, tips, tricks and wisdom with the crowd.

TIP: If you're in need of mentoring, advice or information on running a designer business you can always email me a question or two AND read the open pages on our website, www.jewelersresource.com.

And you can find more advice by joining your local chapter of the Women's Jewelry Association (www.womensjewelry.org), going to trade shows like MJSA Expo (www.mjsa.org) and finding business  support groups like the new Collective-E. These are all favorites!

from left: Sandy Baker, me, Alex Woo and Joseph Murray.