Jewelry Business Guru by Cindy Edelstein

Everyone Should Send an Image for the Next Lark 500 Jewelry Book -- Great Publicity for Jewelry Designers

Totally cool... I've been chosen to jury the next in the 500 Series by Lark Books!

They are seeking high-quality images of jewelry featuring gems and stones to publish in an international juried collection.

Diverse materials, from rough, natural stones to fully faceted precious gems, are desired. All stones, designs and setting styles are welcome. All jewelry forms, such as rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and brooches will be considered.

There is no entry fee.

Download Entry Form from the Lark Books website.

Don't miss out on this great, free opportunity to be part of this beautiful book. I'm really looking forward to seeing your entry when I go to Asheville to do the jurying.

 

Entry Deadline: December 12, 2008

Claudia Endler in USA Today - Jewelry in Support of Breast Cancer Awareness

Kudo's to designer Claudia Endler for being written about in USA Today for her jewelry in support of breast cancer awareness.

Marie Claire wrote about her pendant, too. You can see more on claudiaendler.com

Tell us your good PR news and we'll feature some of them here on our blog in the future.

Our Book Signing at BMAC -- a Family Affair

We spent 3 days at the Buyer's Market of American Craft signing books and talking about the American Jewelry Design Council ... and it was a family affair as our 11 yr.old daughter Remy helped "man" the booth and she even gave a few autographs, too.

For anyone paying close attention -- no she isn't that tall, she's standing on a stool!

My Designer Business Advice in Chicago Tribune

I admit it. I'm a joiner.

I like being a part of  of groups and communities. I contribute to online discussion groups;  serve on the board of the Women's Jewelry Association; work on committees of Jeweler's For Children and  other industry org's... and in my spare time I lead my daughter's Girl Scout troop, head a PTA committee and even make most monthly meetings of a wine-fueled book club. I find the cameraderie and brainstorming a great way to offset the sometimes limited socializing that comes from running a small business with my husband.

But even if you're not naturally a joiner, you need to get out. We can all benefit from a little help from our friends. In my workshop, "Tips from the Trenches: How to Grow a Successful Designer Business" I'm always encouraging introverts to train themselves to be extroverts. Those that "schmooze well" have a great business advantage. Contrary to popular art school advice,  art does not sell itself.  It is sold by people relating to other people. [TIP: Practice talking about your work so that you get comfortable mentioning it's features and benefits in a natural way with enthusiasm. Think about what excited you about the stones or the technique or how well it relates to a trend. SHARE not lecture!]

Today's Chicago Tribune includes an article on an artist's mall outside Chicago that is helping 50+ designers/artisans help themselves and each other. It's a great concept and one I wish would catch on in more cities. Artists' co-ops make a great retail environment for the customer looking for more unique products, and a mall or co-op makes it easy to find artisan goods. Read the article, and more advice from me, here.

There's a similar co-op in NYC called edge*nyNoho that features 65 fashion, product and accessories designers. Similar concept to feature young talent ... is there one in your town?

We're on .TV!

The folks at the Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council (an online site for consumers to give opinions about fine jewelry) has launched another site -- a YouTube for our industry called JCOC.tv.

And I've got a designer channel on it!

You can see my first roving designer reporter video at http://www.jcoc.tv/view_video.php?id=155 .

I've gone through the 4 trade shows in the past two weeks (JA Show, Buyer's Market, Accessories Circuit and NY Gift Show) meeting designers and taking video on some new collections. It's been a lot of fun. We've also taken video on their best business tips which will be going up on our site, www.jewelersresource.com, soon.

I'm also going to do Cindy's Top Designer News blog on JCOC.tv so please send me your press releases (email is best, snailmail is ok) for possible consideration on this new consumer-centric jewelry blog.

email: [email protected].

See you on the 'net!

Spring Trade Magazine deadlines

It's time to send current photos to the trade magazines to make sure you'll be seen in the May/June/July issues.

These are the most visible issues and the most useful to your year-long marketing efforts.

Write a simple press release on your new collection, new items or new design direction and email it with a 300 dpi image to all the trade editors interested in designer jewelry (listed here for your convenience).

Carrie Soucy at JCK Magazine ([email protected])
Jeff Prine at Modern Jeweler ([email protected])
Beth Braverman at National Jeweler ([email protected])
Paul Holewa at InStore ([email protected])
Amber Michelle at Rappaport Report ([email protected])
Cynthia Unninayer at JQ ([email protected])

Good luck!