Jewelry PR Division

This month Heidi Klum had her first appearance on QVC to launch her collection for Mouawad. This highly anticipated debut certainly got a big piece of the QVC pie. Her appearance was well received and everyone loved her pieces as the collection sold out of 14 of 16 styles in the first 36 minutes. Klum’s collection is inspired from a four leave clover as well as the pattern from the Duomo in Milan. (Duomo is the Italian word for the church in the middle of the city/town. Most Italian cities have a Duomo—Milan’s is the most well known for its gothic architecture.)





Personally, I really like this collection. I love the playfulness of the shamrock but I love that it can also be dressed up (ie. Heidi at the Emmy’s this year.) It could also be that I love Heidi Klum and everything she does! The nice thing is that, if one can’t afford the pieces from Heidi’s collection, there are options with similar designs and styles. My favorite kind of steal is from Endless Diamonds. They have similar pieces with a diamond in the center of the pendant.





Either way, we can all look beautiful in diamonds! After all, they are a girl’s best friend!

A favorite line of accessories editors the world around is "and then take one piece" off referring to the rule of removing one piece of jewelry after you are fully dressed and prepared for the day.

Of course another editor tip through the ages has been stretching a wardrobe of basics through clever jewelry usage. But if you are instructed to constantly downsize your accessorising options for day is it possible that you need a wardrobe of jewelry basics too?

Given the classic popularity of a string of pearls, diamond stud earrings, and the tennis bracelet it seems that jewelry lovers the world over agree. This makes discovering the right pieces of jewelry for your even more critical. Even the classics make different statements. Pearls make any outfit more conservative whereas a diamond stud is a classic touch that ups the elegance factor on any outfit. The same principles of choosing basics in clothing applies to jewelry.

But remember even when the editors appear to know better than we mere mortals do it can be good to break the law sometimes and throw it all on. You can always take a few pieces off at the end of the night. That is still technically following the laws of accessorising right?

STORM Watches is a proud sponsor of this year's EMA's, MTV's European Music Awards has especially commissioned 4 Unique Limited Edition watches that will be your access all areas pass to the legendary MTV Europe Music Awards 2006, being held in the Scandinavian party town of Copenhagen on November 2nd.

You will get the full VIP treatment at the pre-party and then get to see the main event itself, where some of the biggest names in music are performing. Finish the night off in style dancing until the early hours at the VIP after show party.

To enter the competition you must be 18 or over. Competition closing date 14th October 2006.

Please read The Terms & Conditions and enter to win!

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."

With statement rings being one of the jewelry trends this Spring, David Lundahl has designed a collection that will leave you humming the tune, “I want candy.” These oversized crystals come in a variety of colors set in gold or silver toned metals.

For more information about David Lundahl:

Jewelry PR Division Christina at piercemattie dot com

Via National Jewelry Network: New York—Two iconic Japanese design forces, Mikimoto and clothing designer Yohji Yamamoto, will collaborate on a fine jewelry collection set to launch this fall. Three groups of designs will comprise the Yamamoto-designed collection of about 20 pieces, which will make its official debut in Paris during Couture Week this July.

Mikimoto and Yohji Yamamoto stores worldwide will begin selling the designs in November. "The pearl is a symbol of feminine perfection, and, in the quintessential universe of fine jewelry, it stands alone," reads a Mikimoto statement. "Its perfect form, the subtlety of its irridescence, its refinement singularly unique ...the pearl radiates magnetic attractions. For these reasons, Yohji Yamamoto has decided to design a jewelry collection focused on the pearl.

Mikimoto's incomparable reputation for designing, producing and selling the world's finest cultured pearl jewelry made it a perfect choice for Yohji Yamamoto." Yamamoto, who rose to prominence with his bold designs in the 1980s, is famous for clothing featuring glossy textures and dramatic silhouettes.

Frederique Dessemond is a talented painter turned jewelry designer hailing from France. After studying art history and working as an interior designer, Dessemond felt there was more out there for her and in 1999 she landed in New York. After getting her feet wet in the fashion industry, she began to design her own jewelry and now eight years later; ginette_ny has its first one of a kind jewelry boutique in New York’s West Village.

While her jewelry can be found in Henri Bendel’s and Barney’s, the ginette_ny jewelry bar offers customers a different jewelry buying experience. Dessemond wanted to provide her customers with a personalized sense of customer service with a unique way to shop for jewelry. One can sit and have something to drink while perusing the display stands on the bar and received personalized service from Dessemond herself. In a time when engaging with customers seems to be more product-focused than customer service-focused, ginette_ny offers something unique that is not merely “shopping,” but instead an experience.

The ginette_ny line of jewelry consists of signature gold disc necklaces, custom monogrammed necklaces, keys, coins, chains, rings and earrings. Besides the new jewelry bar, ginette_ny jewelry can be purchased at a variety of locations, all of which are listed on her website. Her jewelry collection is also available for purchase online at ShopBop.com

ginette_ny Jewelry Bar
172 West 4th Street, NY

As I sit buried under 12 inches of snow and another Northeast blast on it's way, my mind wandered towards Spring and anything associated with the season's newness and fresh color palette. I found myself perusing various jewelry designers websites and came to a screeching hault when I happened upon Alexis Bittar's Ruby Drop Branch Necklace.

Delicate like a young sapling extending its branches with fragile small flowers on its tips ready to bloom, Alexis has created a necklace that speaks to Spring's soft and gentle feel. Embellished with rubies, garnets, aquamarine and dark citrine drops, this necklace has an understated elegance that provides sparkle without being overdone.

Are you already thinking Spring? Which designers do you admire that have pieces that speak to the season?

* Photo Credit: alexisbittar.com

If there is one jewelry designer who can take my breath away and leave me stunned, it's Chi Galatea Huynh. His amazing jewelry will leave you in awe of his craftsmanship, but also of his innovative thinking. Huynh gets his inspiration from nature's beauty and forges his designs with masterfully skilled hands. It is Huynh's out of the box thinking and humble spirit that are the true factors in his success.

The magnificent Mercy Pearl is Huynh's signature piece of jewelry formed from a natural black pearl carved away to reveal the nucleus--exposing a gemstone. There is nothing out there like it and it is an amazing work of art.

My favorite is his DaVinci Cut gemstones and diamonds. It was again Huynh's innovative thinking that brought to life a gemstone that could change colors at different angles and points of view. Pictures of the DiVinci Cut stones does not do it justice, you should see the video on Modern Jeweler's Jewelry Video Network to get a true feel for how exquisite this design is. Find it under Trunk Shows>Davinci Cut.

Chi Galatea Huynh's jewelry is available on his website, at various tradeshows and retail outlets around the country.

* Photo Credit: ModernJewelr.com

Simplicity and grace is what defines Rita Fusaro's jewelry. These estate-inspired pieces speak to those who love the look of formality in a one of a kind design. With platinum being the metal that the Fusaro Jewelry Company has best become known for, all of her jewelry has an air of luxury and elegance.

Rita loves creating one of a kind jewelry and buying unsual stones. She creates her pieces to be timeless, so that whether you purchased her jewelry today or several years from now, they will never look outdated by the latest trend.

These are some of my favorite pieces:

Ridotta Drop Platinum earrings with two 1.50ct. round diamonds dangling from 1.00ct. of full cut micro pave set diamonds.

18kt. white gold earrings with pave set diamonds (0.45ct.t.w.) with oval yellow sapphires (4.75ct.)

18kt. white gold pendant style necklace with 0.50ct. of full cut diamonds and 8.37ct. vivid oval green tourmaline.

Fusaro Jewelry offers private consultation services at its showroom in Greenwich, Connecticut for clients who prefer to work closely with the designer to create a custom-designed piece that reflects the owner's individual taste and style. You can contact Rita at 1-800-258-0385. To see all of Rita's exquisite jewelry, visit her online at www.fusarojewelry.com.

* Images copyright Fusaro Jewelry, published with permission.

Jewelry, to me, is always breathtaking and intriguing. Sometimes, however, there are those designers whose pieces just jump out at you above all others and you revel in their ingenuity and splendor. David Yurman's Renaissance collection captures your imagination and leaves you feeling like a child coveting your most prized possession. Radiant, captivating and elegant, you may have just found a new love in your life.

I am definitely a purveyor of colored gemstones and my favorite by far is Blue Topaz. It's deep blue hues create the feeling of relaxing waters of tranquility and serenity. Blue Topaz is calming, peaceful but also understatedly elegant. The sterling silver used in combination with the Blue Topaz in David Yurman's Renaissance collection almost gives it a mythological presence. Citrine, Black Onyx and Smoky Quartz are stately and immediately bring forth images of taking their rightful place on the hands of Medieval scholars.

If the Renaissance was about rebirth, David Yurman's Renaissance is about the rebirth of luxury.

* Photo Credit: www.DavidYurman.com

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!