Jewelry PR Division

Judith Ripka is a Award winning designer Judith Ripka creates jewelry of understated elegance that is meant to be worn everyday, from day into evening, from black tie to blue jeans and everything in between. Taught by her mother, a European couturier, to see the beauty in all the little things around us, each piece of jewelry Judith designs is an expression of that beauty as shared through the eyes of her mother.

Taking cue from her busy life as wife, mother, grandmother and business woman, Judith designs versatile jewelry with a special twist, ancient inspired, classically informed, timeless, yet modernized to complement today's wardrobe.

Amongst her many achievements and awards, Judith won the prestigious DeBeers' Award for Diamond Design and was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Please read the full interview on National Jeweler Network

Being persistent and surrounding yourself with positive, encouraging friends and associates can catapult your business into the big time, jewelry-design powerhouse Judith Ripka told attendees of the Women's Jewelry Association's Women in the Know Conference at the Fashion Institute of Technology on Friday.

Passion for creating jewelry can also take your business a long way, she added.

"Even if it had not become my business, I would still design jewelry," Ripka said. "Persistence is one of the keys to my success. I've sketched two days a week religiously for 34 years."

Ripka told the story of her business, the Judith Ripka Companies Inc., a multimillion-dollar wholesale and retail jewelry company that now employs 150 people (90 percent of whom are women) and is opening its 13th retail store in Las Vegas this year. [...]

But when Ripka started out, she was a struggling mother of three running her business out of the living room of her house in Long Island, where she was one of the few working mothers in her neighborhood at the time.

She balanced caring for the children with sketching during all of her free moments, initially selling jewelry out of her own living room from a $12 case she bought in the Bowery section of Manhattan.

Her business got off the ground with a $1,000 loan from a dear friend who was among those who encouraged her as she began making jewelry at a manufacturing facility in 1973, Ripka said. Other friends lent her cars to get around since she didn't own a vehicle.

"Don't have anyone around you who doesn't wish you well," Ripka said. "There were countless people along the way who told me to give up, that the chances were slim. But I am telling you, the chances are not slim."

Balanced style, balanced life. David Lundahl & Company Jewelers, purveyors of fine, custom designed jewelry, proves elegant pieces are more than accessories – they are personal reflections of style and character. With the introduction of the Feng Shui inspired Elements Collection, the signature pieces, representing the Fire, Water, Wind, Wood and Metal elements, offer a “balanced” sense of style

“The Elements Collection combines the basic tenets of Feng Shui with exquisite design,” said David Lundahl, designer, David Lundahl & Company. “In the practice of Feng Shui, harmony and balance are key to maintaining positive Chi energy. The Elements Collection is a fun, inspiring reminder of personal balance – and style. I believe that fashion and an individual sense of style are quite personal – it transcends trends. With that in mind, The Elements Collection matches the Feng Shui element that best connects with a client’s traits to offer a truly unique and memorable experience.”

The three-piece collection includes two pendants and a ring richly crafted in 18-karat yellow gold or glossy black lacquer detail, and feature bold interpretations of the Feng Shui symbols, including Fire, Water, Wind, Wood and Metal. Combining elegant sophistication with contemporary appeal, pave diamond accents offset the black lacquer detail to create a glittering, intense effect. The collection retails for $400 to $1700. A suite for men is also available which includes cuff links and oversized medallions for slightly higher price points.

Further accentuating a sense of individual style, David Lundahl & Company launched a section of its web site, www.DavidLundahl.com, to help clients determine the symbol that perfectly matches their personality. Whether it’s the intense energy of the Fire symbol or the wisdom associated with the Water element, the interactive questionnaire will determine the element that best corresponds with your character. Wear each piece individually, or combine elements to celebrate a multi-faceted mood. The Elements Collection is available on the David Lundahl & Co. online boutique.

Ever since Eddie LeVian joined the company in 1978, Le Vian® has grown and prospered through its entry into uncharted territory in the jewelry world, through Eddie’s eyebrow-raising marketing techniques, all to bring fine jewelry within reach of jewelry lovers – and would-be jewelry lovers – coast to coast. Today, Le Vian® collectors number more than 500,000, including royalty and billionaires but, more important to Eddie, jewelry lovers at middle income levels to whom he has opened a treasure trove.

Shannon: The Le Vian website is very unique with a great tribute to your father A. Le Vian and an all around feeling of warmth and love of family; I feel this sets you apart from other jeweler web sites out there. How did the concept of your website come together?

Eddie LeVian: The website is a collaboration of many areas within Le Vian including Marketing, Merchandising, MIS, Customer Service and more. My son Jonathan is the web master. My nephew Rafael is the graphic designer and web developer. Everyone involved in the web work knows the story of Le Vian first hand and maybe that is why the feel is more personal.

Shannon: You joined the family business in 1978, being surrounded by the jewelry business all of your life, was this something you had long wanted to do or was there a time when you wanted to venture out down a different career path?

Eddie: During college, I was not sure if this is what I wanted to do and in fact I was in search of my fountain of youth. Then I realized that of all of the things that you have in life, it is your jewelry that people keep from you and remember you by. So I realized that by having my name signed inside the pieces, my name will live on along with the jewel that is passed down the generations in the families. I realized that I had found my fountain of youth in my family business, where I have an excuse to see my brothers and sisters every single day. I decided to make the world’s most beautiful jewelry and make them available and affordable to everyone.

Shannon: Your website mentions that you have been responsible for many "eyebrow raising marketing techniques," can you share a few of them with us and explain how this has made Le Vian Jewelers who they are today?

Eddie: We made history with the first all precious tiara ever made for any pageant or parade, a $75,000 ruby and diamond one for the fiesta bowl that they used for 20 years. We have been the official designer for the Mrs. America Pageant for 17 years. We go to 1,000 cities and towns in the US each year with unbelievable trunk shows of the artist’s proofs and original pieces that are offered to our collectors. Our "Where to Buy" page can tell you every store we are in with maps to find the location. Each year we send personalized letters to our half million collectors at least twice a year and send roses and chocolates to the thousands of VIP’s. These letters give user names and passwords that allow our collectors to go to a private zone within our site called the Collectors Club where they can see the thousands of new designs a month that we do, as they come out. We even do a jewelry design competition with Jewelers for Children each year.

Please be sure to visit the NEW Pierce Mattie Public Relations blog on its new URL, just add the word "public relations" after Pierce Mattie and omit the word blogs: www.piercemattiepublicrelations.com


Other Pierce Mattie PR Division Blog Locations:
Beauty Pro A professional beauty and cosmetics industry blog.
The Fashion Rag Fashion, design and style blog co-written by Jason Jobson and Shannon Nelson.
The Jewelry PR Division Jewelry, precious metal and accessory industry blog.
The Fitness PR Division Our sports fitness, health and club industry blog.
The Industry Dirt Blog Media Industry Blog.

See you there!