Jewelry Business Guru by Cindy Edelstein

See You In NYC at MJSA Expo next Monday, April 14th

Join me for some great brainstorming and networking at the MJSA Expo in NYC next Monday, April 14th... we're sure to come up with something that can make a difference for you in your business right now.

I'll be on two panels during their education sessions:

MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2008 

9:30 – 11 A.M.

M1:  75 Business Tips in 75 Minutes Panel
Cindy Edelstein, Jeweler’s Resource Bureau; Chris Ploof, Chris Ploof Designs; Mark Shipman, Rio Grande; and Andrea Hill, Hill Management. Moderator: Rich Youmans, MJSA.
Business knowledge can be less than riveting, but when it’s delivered in 60-second sound bites, you’ll find yourself truly engrossed! Business experts will give you power-packed, solid business advice you can apply and benefit from right away. This panel is sponsored by Clasp.

2 – 3:30 P.M.       

M5: Design Track: Profiting By Design Panel

Marlene Richey, author, designer, and business expert; Cindy Edelstein, Jeweler’s Resource Bureau; Chris Ploof, Chris Ploof Designs; and a representative from Jeweler's Mutual Insurance Co.
Learn how design can promote your bottom line from industry experts who will discuss web building, promotion, legal issues, and more.

There's time in the middle of those two sessions for a coffee or two -- email me if you want to have a free 5-minute personal brainstorm session. Members of our  jewelersresource.com  JRB Network get the first shot at these  opps but everyone's welcome! I'll be happy to book as many brainstorms as possible!

See you next week at the Javits Convention Center in NYC. Learn more about Expo at the mjsa.org website.

[TIP: Getting out and meeting peers and industry leaders at trade shows and seminars are invaluable opportunities to meet helpful folks, learn something new and gain valuable insights. You've got to get out as often as you can because your business needs you to make connections. MJSA Expo is a trade show of suppliers for you to shop as well as a chance to network and learn during the seminars. GO!]

Deadline for WJA DIVA Design Contest Online Entries is April 18th

For the second year in a row the Platinum Guild International is the sponsor of the Women's Jewelry Association's DIVA competition will celebrate the cool beauty of platinum. One category adds the excitement of natural color diamonds, too.

See the website for the 5 categories you can enter (online) with either a rendering or a finished jewel.

New this year is our online entry system -- which only has 1 requirement. You must enter a specifically sized digital image of your design. It's easy. Don't let techo-phobia keep you from entering!

For information please contact DIVA Competition Chair, Cindy Edelstein at 914-738-8485 or cindyedelstein@aol.com.

[TIP: Design competitions help you garner free publicity for your name, business and designs. Take every opportunity you can to get your name out there -- it can only help!]

Couture Pavilion Hosts High Tea for Editors

At the JA NY Winter Show a few weeks ago we had a great time organzing a High Tea for editors and industry VIPs.

It was a great event where over 70 Couture show designers debuted their new Spring Picks for the crowd. Most of the items were on display for the editors while many more were in the handout.

Trends that emerged were:

Rose gold
dangling earrings
big gemstone pendants
floral themes
brushed metal
hammered textures

Couture and the Couture Pavilions is the destination for high-end jewelry design and is the perfect confluence of the best brands shopped by the best retailers in the best environment. 

Colored diamonds were also seen often -- browns, champagne, pink, yellow and some greens and blues, too! The Natural Color Diamond Association brought along a great collection that showcased simple little stud earrings all the way up to major society jewels in all the warm shades. Rob May of NCDIA gave a great talk, too, about the emerging trend for color in diamonds.

earrings by Shaesby -- cool colors and  great dangling scale!

Ethical Jewelry Handbook Now Available

Reflective Images, a designer jewelry firm, announces the free Ebook for the jewelry trade entitled:  THE ETHICAL JEWELRY HANDBOOK:  A Resource Guide for the jewelry sector wishing to adopt exceptional standards and radical transparency:  Fair, Responsible, Ecological (FRE) System.

The book provides articles and information for those in the jewelry sector wishing to be more ecologically and socially responsible in their business practices.  It is also a handbook which explains how any company can implement the FRE System, which offers customers a detailed insight into the supply chain, from the mine to the showroom, for all components of every finished piece of jewelry the company sells.

FRE empowers customers to make decisions based on a product’s: F= Fair labor; R= Social Responsibility and E=Ecological impact.  It’s an "open source" model, said Marc Choyt, President of Reflective Images and author of the work.  "If the Fair Labeling Organizations (FLO) are analogous to a closed operating system, such as Microsoft, our FRE system is analogous to Linux. Any jewelry company can make it their own,” said Choyt.

Marc Choyt writes about ethical jewelry issues at www.fairjewelry.org/. 

Henri Bendel Open Call

We tried something new here -- we spread the word last Friday about famed fashion mecca Henri Bendel's Designer Open Call that was happening today (Monday). I did a mass email to our Inner Circle just in case anyone might be interested -- even at the late date. Figuring New Yorkers could turn on a dime for this kind of opportunity to meet the buyers of Bendel's.

However, one of our Nashville members took the bait, used her miles and flew up to NYC. The next few posts detail her adventure. If you want to read it as it happened then scroll down to #1 first.

I'm sure there will be more to come of Judith Bright's Bendel's triumph.

Henri Bendel Open Call - part 5

9:29am:

So it took all of 3 minutes & I've got a trunkshow!  Whoooohooooo! I'm coming back for accessories circuit & we are doing it Thursday, Friday, Saturday of that week.  (My feet will hate me!)  'm so thrilled that I came up & took the chance!  Xx, jb

Henri Bendel Open Call - part 4

     Hey.  Got really busy chatting with my line mates.  The gals on my right are purse designers.  Awesome- one of a kind hand-painted box purses.  Breathtaking. They've been here twice before in this line so they were letting us know the scoop about what to expect once we got in there. 

"You get about a minute & sometimes less."  great, we first-timers think! 

The gals to my left are first-timers like me.  They are New Yorkers who have been making jewelry for about 2 years.  They use beautiful vintage filigree findings made or brass & copper with semi-precious stones.  They are mainly hobbyists but definitely have potential.  The line is now around the block from 56th where it begins to all the way around the block down 55th.  There are people with dress racks- hatboxes- shoeboxes - everything you can think of.  People passing by on the street have repeatedly come up asking us what we are doing. People have been pulling out their stuff & showing it to one another. We have been helping eachother with our presentations.





The glamorous life of a designer! By the way, that HW they're sitting in front of is the storefront for HARRY WINSTON! Ironic, huh?

Henri Bendel Open Call - part 3

Email #3:

Ok.  It's a little after 5am & I'm here.  It's cold but I'm sitting on a ledge & in front of a grate so it's ok!  I've also come prepared with a good wool coat, gloves & earmuffs.  Some people  have been smart enough to bring chairs.  If someone was selling chairs- I'd buy!  Oh, the Glamorous life of a designer!  I just noticed a huge pile of throw up right in front of me - streetside.  It has just garnered a lot of attention from the line dwellers.  Some good guy just went across the street for a trashbag to put on top of it.  More later from the line.
xx,
jb

Here's Judith sitting -- guess she made friends with someone who had brought a chair!

Henri Bendel Open Call - part 2

Suday's email from Judith Bright, 36 hours after deciding to fly up to NYC for the Bendel's Open Call:

I'm about to get on the plane.

i'll keep you updated by email on my phone tomorrow morning.  I'm going to try to get there at 5am so I can be done as early as possible!  then I'll go cruise some jewelry stores to see what they are carrying.

i've worked my bootie off in the last 24 hours and i'm definitely as ready as I can be for  them. 

wish me luck!!!

Henri Bendel Open Call - part 1

Last Friday I sent an email to our Inner Circle reminding them that Monday is the Henri Bendel Designer Open Call  -- the day when their buyers will see ANYONE that comes by and check out their line. Many new designers have been discovered over the years with this event.

One of our Inner Circle members, Judith Bright, emailed me and said, "I'm flying up to NY tomorrow to get in line for the open call.  What the heck- right?!!" I was impressed she'd use her frequent flyer miles for this! On such short notice. So we decided to blog her adventure for you all. You can read more about this wild event at http://www.henribendel.com/happenings/open_see.