Communique Newsletter
Meet the Retailers
(12/15/2011) Be On Park: When Janice Blumberg and her longtime friend Matina Saltsman decided to open a store together, they turned to a book with a simple name for inspiration, “Be.” Read the Full Story
(10/12/2011) McCaskill & Company: Like so many other retailers, Bill Campbell, president of McCaskill & Company in Destin, Fla., is “cautiously optimistic” about the upcoming holiday season. Read the Full Story
(9/14/2011) Stanley Korshak: It’s been a fabulous fall in the jewelry department at Stanley Korshak, a high-end, independent department store located in Dallas. “Right now, business is really good,” said the store’s jewelry buyer Melissa Geiser, who said she’s noted a definite shift in sales from less-expensive fashion pieces to one-of-a-kind, high-end designs. Read the Full Story
(8/11/2011) Tilden Ross Jewelers: Sales in May, June and July were unusually strong for Tilden Ross Jewelers in Sarasota, Fla., coming on the heels of a January-March period that was weaker than expected, said Richard Ross, who co-owns the store with his wife Gail. Read the Full Story
(7/13/2011) Landsberg Jewelers: Even though it’s located in one of the country’s richest counties, Westchester, Landsberg Jewelers wasn’t immune to the ills of the recent economic downturn. Just like so many other retailers, co-owners Jonathan and Jeffrey Landsberg had to take a step back and re-evaluate their jewelry store. Read the Full Story
(6/1/2011) Ylang 23: Even when times were tough, Joanne and Charles Teichman, owners of Ylang 23 in Dallas, stayed focused. The company closely monitored overhead expenses but opted not to cut back on either staff or advertising. Charles Teichman says they viewed the recession as an opportunity to gain market share. Read the Full Story
(5/10/11) Butch Hoffer's: Butch Hoffer’s in Beaumont, Texas, isn’t your typical jewelry store. In fact, it’s not a jewelry store at all but, rather, a clothing store that happens to also carry fine jewelry. Read the Full Story
(4/25/11) Squash Blossom: Patti Cogswell and her husband John opened their first store in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 1973 following an afternoon by the pool in which Uncle Wilton Cogswell pulled up in his fittingly colored turquoise Cadillac, his trunk full of pieces from his collection of Native American jewelry. Read the Full Story
(3/15/11) Reinhold Jewelers: In the downturn, Marie Helene Morrow saw opportunity and the chance to project a sense of optimism. Morrow, president of Puerto Rico’s Reinhold Jewelers, doesn’t deny that times were tough at her store when the economy was in crisis. Read the Full Story
(2/10/11) Bigham Jewelers: At Bigham, the big tickets are back. In Kathy Bigham’s mind, buying habits are all about the customers’ psychology. And, as of late, that mindset has shifted from unsure about the economy—and unwilling to spend money--to decidedly positive. “They’re sick of not spending,” she said. “[Their attitude is,] ‘The market is up, it’s time to go out and treat ourselves." Read the Full Story
(1/11/11) Newton's Jewelers: Every New Year millions of Americans craft a list of resolutions, goals they’ve laid out for themselves to achieve in the next 365 days: lose weight, find a better job, get out of debt, spend more time with the family. Read the Full Story
(12/14/10) The Diamond Cellar: When customers walk into a jewelry store these days, they enter with a different mindset from the pre-recession consumer of three years ago. Read the Full Story
(11/16/10) Twist: If someone had pulled pottery artist Paul Schneider aside 40 years ago and told him one day he’d own three stores stocked with fine jewelry, it would have seemed like a strange prophecy. Read the Full Story
(10/21/10) Bhindi: Brothers Vinod K., Jayent K. and Dhanesh K. Bhindi started relatively small when they came to the United States in 1986, opening a 690-square-foot space in Artesia, Calif., where they sold mostly 22-karat gold jewelry to Indian families for weddings. Read the Full Story
Meet the Exhibitors
(12/15/2011) Syna: Established in 2003, Syna has a knack for capturing vivid color with cabochon jewels set in 18-karat yellow gold. Here, founders and designers Dharmesh and Namrata Kothari reveal why gemstones are the basis of the brand, new introductions to their designs and how ordinary and everyday happenings play a role in their inspiration. Read the interview
(10/12/2011) Stephen Webster: Stephen Webster’s interest in jewelry was first sparked when he showed up to the wrong class in college. More than 30 years later, the designer is calling on his innovation to push the boundaries in fine jewelry in terms of materials and design. Read the interview
(9/14/2011) Jemma Wynne: Jewelry designers Jenny Klatt and Stephanie Wynne-Lalin both began experimenting with jewelry making in college, finding themselves with small followings that helped to fuel their craft. Read the interview
(8/11/2011) Anne Sportun: Anne Sportun took a chance when she opted to take a year off before college to study jewelry in Toronto. Today, she’s a successful designer under her own name, taking pride in her craftsmanship and traveling for inspiration. Sportun spoke with National Jeweler about her journey and her fresh ideas for her fine jewelry collection. Read the interview
(7/13/2011) Rodney Rayner: English designer Rodney Rayner speaks with National Jeweler about the evolution of his jewelry, the importance of quality in his pieces and the art of design. Rodney Rayner is a Coterie member, has won the Couture Design Awards 3 times, and a finalist for nine consecutive years. Read the interview
(6/1/2011) JFA Designs: National Jeweler spoke with Babs Albert, partner to JFA Designs designer Jean-Francois Albert, discussing the brand’s new gemstone lineup, what drives the designer’s choice in stones and what it is about his pieces that creates appeal. Read the interview
(5/10/11) Irene Neuwirth: With Couture 2011 quickly approaching, Los Angeles-based designer Irene Neuwirth spoke with National Jeweler about the inspiration for her design directions--taking her collection bigger and bolder and stepping into the world of diamonds. Read the Interview
(4/25/11) Erica Courtney: Erica Courtney spoke with National Jeweler about the new stones she’s integrating into her design, introducing multi-dimensional jewelry to her collection and why her mom is her biggest inspiration. Read the interview
(3/15/11) Aspects: Aspects, comprising six design companies, offers couture jewelry encompassing a broad range of materials. Sarah Graham, of Aspects member company Sarah Graham Metalsmithing, talks about the brand and the influences behind its designs. Read the Interview
(2/10/11) Armenta: Fine jewelry brand Armenta is steering its design in a new direction of creative expression, to be unveiled at Couture 2011. Emily Armenta, president and designer of the company, shared with National Jeweler the importance of “duende” in creativity, challenging the status quo via jewelry and the company’s new, unexpected collection. Read the Interview
(1/11/11) Roberto Coin: Since its launch in the mid-1990s, Italian jewelry brand Roberto Coin has built an international reputation for luxury, quality and innovation. Now, nearly 15 years since its debut, the brand continues to bring its Italian jewelry to the world, through 13 of its own stores and hundreds of retail doors worldwide. Read the Full Story
(12/14/10) Fragments: As Janet Goldman, founder and chief executive officer, explains, Fragments, a retailer and wholesaler located in New York’s hip Soho neighborhood, prides itself on being known as a “go-to showroom,” offering up the latest and greatest in design, with pieces rendered with unparalleled craftsmanship. Read the Full Interview
(11/16/10) Alex Sepkus: Alex Sepkus’ handcrafted designs are uniquely identifiable, standing out from the crowd via intricate carvings and bezel-set gemstones and diamonds set into patterns that are alive with energy. A true designer, craftsman and, as his managing partner Jeff Feero says, “eccentric,” Sepkus is the go-to designer for bridal and fashion jewelry that is anything but ordinary. Read the Full Interview
(10/21/10) Bulgari: Making their debut to Couture in 2011, Italian brand Bulgari has its white-gloved hands in a variety of luxury goods sectors, from jewelry and handbags to fragrances and even hotels. But when it comes to what keeps the brand’s timepiece business ticking, it’s a combination of three things: understanding what consumers want, staying true to an illustrious heritage, and forging ahead with fresh designs and new technologies. National Jeweler asked Bulgari to discuss its most classic designs, its latest offerings and what keeps consumers coming back. Read the full interview
