The release date for the film “The Great Gatsby” (originally set for Christmas 2012) is approximately 10 days away and those of us in the jewelry industry who have been writing about it since we first got wind of Baz Luhrmann’s remake have witnessed a trend in the making. I do believe that this has set a precedent as the trend has spread long before the movie has even hit the silver screen. For over a year, we have seen this direction take shape on the runways and red carpets in fine and fashion jewelry, in gowns and ready-to-wear, hair accessories and hosiery. The styles of The Jazz Age are already in stores and at all different price points.
Just completed "The Energy Bus" by Jon Gordon, a book that obviously has reached a responsive audience, as it remains on the business best-seller charts six years after its publication.
Jason Young, leadership consultant, author of the book “Culturetopia,” and a keynote speaker at the 2013 American Gem Society Conclave, explained why creating a great place to work is the most valuable thing you can do for your business.
Before the SMART Show, the session I was most looking forward to seeing was the “Strategies for Advertising Fine & Designer Jewelry” panel with Dan Gordon (Samuel Gordon Jewelers, Oklahoma City, OK), Sean Moore (Borsheims, Omaha, NE) and Michael Finn (E.B. Horn, Boston, MA).
If you want to get a peek at what it will mean to be an “independent jeweler” in the future, at least from a global perspective, you could take a look around Hall 1, the premier exhibition venue at this year’s Baselworld. The area has now given over almost exclusively to global brands from multi-billion-dollar conglomerates such as Swatch Group and LVMH. A few independent brands remain including Patek Philippe, Rolex (yes, Rolex, an “independent” by Baselworld standards), and Ulysse Nardin. But many of the other small guys who have been fixtures in Hall 1 for years have been shunted off to less prominent exhibition zones, either at the decree of the organizers or because they didn’t have $5 million it effectively costs to display there. As Forbes reported here, many of them aren’t very happy about it.
PHOENIX – To grow your business, you first have to know what your business is about and built a culture around that ideal, says Jim Stengel, keynote speaker at the American Gem Society Conclave on Thursday.
I was just going over my notes from The SMART Show in Chicago and realized I had a veritable doggie bag of leftover tips to feast on upon arrival home. Here are three to whet your appetite:
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee kicked off the American Gem Society Conclave in Phoenix with the opening keynote address on Wednesday, advising attendees to “steer for the curve ahead” in uncertain economic times.
Okay, so some of you weren't able to get away from your stores for a day or two to come see us at the SMART Show Chicago. Tough luck, but we understand.
A gallery of retailer reactions to the education program at this year's SMART Show:
Monica Rich Kosann has always been one who believed in jewelry with sentiment and pieces that tell a story.
Engaging the New Affluence: 12 Ways to Stay Flexible
The Plumb Club hosted a webinar recently that examined today’s changing consumer, shifts in demographics and how jewelers can meet their customers’ evolving expectations. Panelists included luxury market consultants Pam Danziger of Unity Marketing, Kate Peterson of Performance Concepts, and Martin Hurwitz for MVI Marketing.
Are you a traditional jeweler who’s thought you might want to get into selling designer jewelry but you have no idea where to start? Tom Dougherty of Studio 2015 in Woodstock, IL was in that very position recently, and he shared his story at the SMART Show alongside consultant Andrea Hill of Hill Management Group and moderator (and designer advocate) Cindy Edelstein of Jewelers Resource Bureau.
One of the more interesting explanations I’ve seen for the recent volatility in the gold market came from English stockbroker Marcus Padley:
For quite some time, I’ve seen one article after another about the “Downton Abbey” effect on fashion. Yet, I haven’t seen anything pointing to the return of Y-necklaces. And, frankly, that surprises me. First, because Y-necks have been trickling back onto the jewelry scene and, second, because their very roots are believed by many to date back to the post-Edwardian era—yes, the time in which PBS’s popular British period drama series is set.
The fifth annual SMART Jewelry Show Chicago is now officially a wrap. The show set a new attendance record, drawing almost 10% more visitors than our previous high. Overall, it was one of those years when just about everything seemed to go right.
The debut of Generation Next's Sparkle Award was presented last night to Cassandra Erin. Her work takes parts of letters, notes or doodles written and drawn by loved ones and reworks them into jewelry. Each piece is completely handmade in her St. Louis studio.
Shane Decker's 28 Things You Should Be Doing with Every Client
Do all these all the time, every time, with every client, said sales trainer Shane Decker during his Monday keynote address at The SMART Jewelry Show:
“The day of putting out wine and cheese with some toothpicks is over,” said Terry Chandler of the Diamond Council of America, who was moderating a Sunday panel at The SMART Jewelry Show on store events.
After moderating a seminar on introducing emerging designer lines into stores with a panel of esteemed designer oriented retailers: Jennifer Gandia/Greenwich Jewelers NYC, Gary Thrapp and buyer Dana Friedman, G. Thrapp Jewelers, Indianapolis and Jaimie Geller/ Jaimie Geller, Pacific Palisades, our audience which filled the room, took a tour with me through our Generation Next section of up & coming and independent designers. As our tour group spread out to meet the 15 talents that comprise the Generation Next Pavilion of the show, The trends and hot items began to come into focus that you will be seeing at the show Here are my first picks and preview for my WHAT’S IN Tuesday Blog which will feature the most prevalent trends at the show
