After 108 years of serving the jewelry industry, Modern Jeweler is suspending publication. We’d like to thank all the people who worked hard over the years to make every issue worth reading. We’d also like to thank the retailers and manufacturers who shared their time and expertise with our readers each month. We hope to find a buyer who believes in the future of the jewelry industry as much as we do. But even if we don’t and the August issue of Modern Jeweler is truly the last, we are sure that the jewelry industry’s strong community and generosity of spirit will ensure its recovery is swift and its future is bright. We’ll certainly miss being there to cover it.
- Tim Murphy, Publisher, and Cheryl Kremkow, Editor-in-Chief
Custom jewelry design is about to get much easier. Stuller, the jewelry industry’s largest just-in-time supplier, has partnered with Gemvision, the company that created Matrix, the most popular jewelry CAD-CAM program, to create new software that enables salespeople to create true custom designs at the counter that Stuller will then manufacture and deliver in less than a week.
“This is a tool to make custom design possible for the sales associate,” says Matt Stuller, founder, president, and CEO of Stuller. “When the customer is part of the design processes it fuels the passion and excitement of jewelry. It’s not a commodity anymore.”
The new software, tentatively called “Counter Sketch” was previewed for 50 select retailers at the inaugural Stuller Owner’s Conference in Lafayette, Louisiana on July 14. A beta version will be released to 100 retailers on October 12 this year and the software will be available in wide release in January 2010. Pricing hasn’t been set yet.
“We want to create an experience where the customer doesn’t have to ask for custom design, it becomes part of the shopping experience,” explains Jeff High, founder and president of Gemvision. The design process in the new software starts with existing models of popular jewelry styles. According to Stuller, the goal is to launch with 1,000 to 1,500 different initial models. Each model can then be modified and adapted to suit the customer’s needs through an intuitive easy-to-use interface, creating an infinite number of possible customized designs.
Take a three stone ring design, for example. A salesperson, or even a customer, can use simple sliders to change the finger size, the center stone size and type, the size and position of the side stones, the angle and height of all the stones, the width and profile of the shank. As one attribute of the piece changes, all the others seamlessly adjust proportionately in real time to change the look of the piece to suit the customer’s requirements.
Once the customer is happy with the design, the sales person can calculate pricing and send the model to Stuller for manufacturing. Stuller offers the design as a casting, as a polished mounting, or set with gemstones from Stuller’s inventory, delivered in 5 to 7 days.
Although Counter Sketch allows jewelers with little or no custom design experience to offer the service, even jewelers who specialize in CAD CAM said the new program would improve the custom design experience for their customers. “It’s a game-changer that makes custom the new normal: the biggest change the jewelry industry’s seen since the introduction of CAD,” says Jim Tuttle of Green Lake Jewelry Works in Seattle, the largest Matrix user in the country. “This is the beginning of the mass customization revolution. In what other industry can you essentially design something yourself and get a good quality product? Who would have thought that the jewelry industry would lead the way in the democratization of design?”
Jewelry designer Sarah Graham is known for hand-crafting natural forms, from seedpods to coral, in the most urban of materials: blackened cobalt chrome steel and gold. The inspiration for her new men’s collection, Mr. Graham, which will be launched at the JA show at the end of the month, comes from the sea: tiny radiolarian, a single-celled marine organism.
“I have been doing lots of reading on Darwin, drawing a parallel between the ‘evolution’ of art and fashion as a result of major shifts in society like war and economic swings,” Graham explains. “I foresee great opportunities and exciting design and marketing developments related to earth and nature conservation as we emerge from the current economic downturn with a new consciousness.”
The blackened steel and sterling silver Mr. Graham collection is targeted to the style-conscious man. “There is a whole generation of guys who wear jewelry as a matter of course and it is just a matter of time before their earning potential allows them to trade up to fine designer jewelry,” Graham says. “Historically high end purchases by men have been limited to traditional offerings such as wedding bands and cuff links. While we certainly will be offering those, I also want to focus on nontraditional items with an emphasis on functionality, hence the moniker gear rather than jewelry. A great example is our carabineer – a new take on the traditional key chain – a functional tool that can be used to fasten all kinds of items for both urban and outdoorsman alike.”
The other shoe dropped at Scott Kay. We mentioned in an earlier post that Scott Kay’s new SK Cobalt diffusion line of men’s bands in a cobalt alloy that was being shown at Couture this year looked a lot like the CobaBlu patented cobalt alloy from Spectore’s Edward Mirell. Well now it’s official: Scott Kay is the new exclusive distributor for CobaBlue which will be marketed as SK Cobalt. I have to admit that SK Cobalt is a better name than CobaBlu, so maybe it’s all for the best.
Modern Jeweler has covered a lot of jewelry trends from the Vegas shows, and jewelry with personal significance remains important: initial pendants, jewelry with spiritual and religious symbols, birthstones, engraved messages, lockets, and so on. Our June 2009 issue, for instance, showed off an amazing variety of initial pendants (page 62).
Initial pendants came to mind when I visited Italian designer and artist Fabio Cammarata at the Couture show. I like the unity theme of his “Stories” collection. It has a kind of “We Are the World” peaceful feeling to it. (Apologies if you have that song stuck in your head like me, but it just can’t be helped after all the Michael Jackson media coverage.) The 18k gold and gemstone collection includes initial pendants as well as rings, earrings, and cuffs. Sculptural jewelry features carved gold people wrapped around the designs; others feature a “shadow” effect with people silhouettes carved into the gold.
Cammarata, based in Milan, has some impressive jewelry credentials, both in the academic and business worlds. And like many Italian master designers, he has a long family history in the trade, too. Cammarata Gioielli offers a variety of classic and contemporary designs, including the “Manhattan” line with designs in opal, plus an exclusive collection sold at several Barney’s stores in the U.S. For more information, visit www.fabiocammarata.it. — Matthew Kramer
Looking for some time away from the shop this summer? After all, it’s July, it’s 80 or so degrees out and (mostly) sunny. Perhaps it’s a good time for a little jewelry education and networking, plus an event benefiting a worthy cause, too. Check out these jewelry industry events (and head for the beach soon because you deserve a break, too).
If camping is your thing, the 31st annual Antique Jewelry & Art Conference, known as “Jewelry Camp,” will be held July 17-19, 2009. Learn from the experts about buying, selling, appraising, and collecting estate jewelry. Speakers include Ulysses Grant Dietz, Michael Goldstein, Christie Romero, Gary Roskin, and Janet Zapata. The conference will be held at Hofstra University, Long Island, New York. For more information, call (631) 471-1922 or visit www.jewelrycamp.org.
Meanwhile, the New York State Jewelers Association will host its centennial anniversary with a gala dinner on July 25, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City’s Columbus Circle. Proceeds from silent and live auctions will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit organization which assists veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in overcoming injuries and returning to civilian life. New York Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon, national spokesman for Wounded Warrior Project, will also attend. For more ticket or sponsorship information, visit www.newyorkjewelers.org. — Matthew Kramer
In Vegas this year, Modern Jeweler had the chance to talk to Agostino Magni, the president of Testi USA Inc, the company behind the red-hot Rebecca brand. Rebecca is relatively new to the U.S. market but is growing fast. Magni says sales were up 325% from 2007 to 2008, and doubled again in the first quarter of 2009. Most of the collection is in bronze with an 18k gold overlay but, unlike most bridge brands, Rebecca is targeting fine jewelry stores, not department stores.
“Our philosophy is that we want to be the first price points in the best jewelry stores,” Magni says. He says Rebecca offers those stores something new and fresh. “First of all, we attract new customers, customers who might be scared to be in a store where they sell Patek. And there are customers who will buy Rebecca at $400 who will buy more expensive items also. Everyone is considering price-points now. Men today will decide not to buy a new suit but they will buy a new tie. Then Rebecca also offers the opportunity for multiple sales. Everything is in sets for add-on sales.”
Magni says that Rebecca’s marketing strategy is innovative too. None of the brand’s significant marketing budget is allocated for national consumer advertising. “America is a big market,” he explains. “In Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar you can’t compete with David Yurman. Aside from trade advertising, we invest all our marketing budget in our retail partners’ marketing programs.”
Rebecca is known for its special events. “We are aggressive and like to play out of the box,” Magni says. “We’ll empty a store and bring 600 or 700 pieces in, partner with a salon and a restaurant. We’ll sell 127 pieces in a night.”
“Our best sales reps are our accounts,” Magni says. “At this price-point, in the kind of stores we are in, we need to turn six times a year. And we do.”
We are pretty sure actress and sex symbol Megan Fox is not a Transformer, Autobot, Decepticon, or any other kind of robot or clone. But during her whirlwind international tour to promote “Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen,” she seemed to be everywhere, from magazines to the talk shows to the red carpet. Fox certainly ramped up the frequent flyer miles—and brought plenty of Hollywood glamour, fashion, and jewelry looks overseas, too.
On June 9, for example, Megan Fox was at the premiere of “Transformers” in South Korea, and wore an Amrapali 22k gold mesh cuff. On June 15, Fox wore Siera diamond hoop earrings at the London premiere. Passport at the ready no doubt, she then jetted to Moscow June 16, and switched back to Amrapali gold and rose cut diamond earrings. On June 22, Fox was back in Los Angeles at the Mann Village Theatre and wore Siera’s black onyx and diamond cocktail ring.
“Transformers” has received pretty good reviews, but a few stars should be awarded to Siera Jewelry, which has become a favorite of celebs like Halle Berry, Debra Messing, and Mariah Carey. Amrapali, too, has received a lot of publicity with its modern Indian fine jewelry. It helps to have D’Orazio & Associates, Beverly Hills, in your corner. The private showroom caters to stylists, stars, and entertainment industry pros, and has a pretty impressive list of media placements. Special thanks, by the way, to D’Orazio for the original news items and photos. — Matthew Kramer
First the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series. Then the Pittsburgh Steelers won their sixth NFL Super Bowl. The Pittsburgh Penguins just won the NHL Stanley Cup. It’s a great time to be a sports fan in Pennsylvania (we’ll just overlook those always woeful Pittsburgh Pirates). Sports championship rings get a lot of publicity for their over-the-top designs. There are always private and public ring ceremonies, and what athlete doesn’t like to flaunt their victory with a big diamond ring?
The Steelers and Jostens collaborated on perhaps, as a football TV commentator would enthuse, the “greatest ring in NFL history.” To symbolize the team’s six Super Bowl victories, six round diamonds surround the Steelers logo, which sits atop a football-shaped diamond design. Other highlights include six Lombardi trophies carved on one side of the ring, while the other side is personalized with the player’s name and number. The 14k yellow gold ring weighs 104 grams (approximately 3.7 ounces) with 63 round diamonds totaling 3.61 carats.
Speaking of big sports rings, we have to mention that the Philadelphia Phillies celebrated their 2008 World Series championship, too, with rings created by Masters of Design. The 14k white gold ring features 103 diamonds, totaling 3.84 carats. The top is crowned with a ruby inlay and the Phillies’ signature “P.”
We wonder what the next championship ring will look like. What about the one for Kobe Bryant and the Lakers? That could top the Steelers’ ring. As for the rest of the country’s sports fans, there’s always next year. Just my vote, but hopefully the next championship ring will have a diamond studded interlocking “N” and “Y” and feature carats and carats of “pinstripe” white and black diamonds. — Matthew Kramer
The American Jewelry Design Council has selected Leila Tai as the winner of its prestigious 2009 new talent contest. Leila Tai is a jewelry artist, designer, and teacher who is known for her limited edition pieces and use of plique a jour enamel. From petals to butterflies, Tai’s nature-inspired collections such as “Spring” and “Wings” are one-of-a-kind with a focus on realism, movement, and flexibility.
Tai currently teaches jewelry design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Pratt Institute. The American Jewelry Design Council selects its winner based on originality, craftsmanship, innovation, marketability, and cohesiveness of design. Tai will receive a booth in the New Designer Gallery at the JA New York summer show, which will be held July 26-29. For more information, call (212) 757-2210 or visit www.leilataidesign.com. — Matthew Kramer
