Macy's Partners with Jewelry.com for Iconic Manhattan!

I just got the following invite in my email and I have to say I almost didn't click through...that is why I am posting this!!!

WOW - I don't want you to miss this! Take a minute and flip through these amazing Jewelry Designs - you will NOT reqret it - wonderful interpretations of Iconic Manhattan!

-------------------------------------------------

Jewelry.com and Macy's invite you to the launch of the Manhattan Collection of couture jewels.

Thursday, September 10, 2009
6:00 - 9:00 pm
Macy's Herald Square, NYC

The exhibit features 12 iconic hand-crafted works of bejeweled art inspired by the riches of Manhattan. Be the first to buy one of the exclusive gallery designs created around the art collection.

Receive the stunning Manhattan book as a gift with anyManhattan Collection purchase.

To tempt you to Click Here - a few of the featured designs (click photo for a larger view):

St. Patrick's Cathedral: Famed for its purity of style and harmony of proportions, St. Patrick's Cathedral is an international icon signifying how seamless the accord between spiritual respite and urban perpetuity can be. Inspired by this monument of Manhattan tranquility, this pendant by designer Lili Chu is one of eleven iconic jewels that form Jewelry.com's Manhattan Collection.

Specifications: The pendant is crafted from 22k yellow gold featuring 80 round and oval cabochon cut emeralds weighing 10.84cts.

Grand Central Terminal : A gold and opal clock with four faces greets every passenger embarking or alighting at Grand Central Terminal. A yellow gold chain studded with 14 diamonds holds this bejeweled icon by designer Maria Canale. The pendant, one of eleven jewels from Jewelry.com's Manhattan Collection, features an enamel clock face etched with celestial representations from which 107 freshwater pearls flow with grace.

Specifications: The pendant features an enamel clock face etched with celestial representations, 107 freshwater pearls of 3mm to 5.25mm and a 18k yellow gold chain studded with 14 diamonds totaling 0.70cts.

Wall Street: Whether the markets are bullish or bearish, Wall Street stands firm as an iconic symbol of American aspirations with a global reach. Inspired by the Street, that in 1789 saw George Washington become the first President of the United States, Evert DeGraeve, for Jewelry.com's Manhattan Collection, created this 18k white gold bangle featuring 781 diamonds totaling 21.27 cts.

Specifications: This 18k white gold bangle is set with 781 diamonds including; 439 orange cognac diamonds weighing 10.85cts and 342 black diamonds weighing 10.42cts, for a total carat weight of 21.27cts.

JRB Announces Second designLAB...

Such a GREAT concept - seen through by Cindy Edelstein at JRB (Jeweler's Resource Bureau)! ...and now JRB announces a second designLAB following the huge success at the JANY Show earlier this year...if you aren't already a member click here for more info.

Last Minute Sales to a Motivated Audience -- designLAB at JA Special Delivery Show

At the last JA Show we invented something new... a co-op booth where designers get one showcase at a great price. This October 24-27 we're going to do another one in the JA Special Delivery Show. This is not a brand-building event but a get-stuff-sold-at-the-end-of-the-year event. Know what we mean?

This was a big hit -- designers said:

"I Thought it was a fabulous opportunity to try out the trade show in a very low-pressure environment, and I was very grateful to participate."

The majority of our past event survey responders wrote more than $15k in sales.

The Special Delivery Show is likely to have higher results due to it's cash-and-carry last minute nature.

Click on the picture to get a better, larger view.

You won't believe the low price of this opportunity!

Gen-Next: For the Next Generation of the Jewelry Industry

The latest buzz in the Jewelry Industry is Gen-Next! This is social networking on a new level - as this group goes beyond socializing. Formulated by a group of Industry leaders from various backgrounds this is your opportunity to bridge the gaps - retailer to manufacturer - and when you see who is sitting on their Executive Board - you KNOW this group is going to stay in the news!

Executive Board

Erik Halfacre - Traditional Jewelers
Jennifer Weinman
Josh Weinman - Tache
Lisa Nikfarjam
Matthew Rosenheim - Tiny Jewel Box
Michael Schechter - Honora
Russell Kwiat - Kwiat
Sean Moore - Borsheim's

The Gen-Next Story

Gen-Next Jewelers is the brainchild of a small Executive Board of Members who devised the

initial concept during the 2008 Centurion Show. While there were several social networking options available, no formal venues had been created for the next wave of industry leaders to connect and exchange ideas. This board felt it was essential to bridge the gap between retailers and manufacturers in order to encourage the open communication and develop initiatives necessary to effectively address the many challenges this generation will encounter. With these ideals in mind Gen-Next Jewelers was created to give opportunities to the next generation of current and future industry leaders.

Gen-Next held its first official event during the JCK Las Vegas Show. A select group of retailers and manufacturers were invited an informal gathering. These standout leaders within our industry were asked to be the Gen-Next Launch Membership. These Launch Members along with The GNJ Executive board reflect the multi-generational nature of the jewelry industry as well as the wave of leaders who have come to the jewelry world after experience in other industries. The expectation is that the GNJ membership will form a tight-knit group that will work closely to lead the jewelry industry into the next generation.

There was clear interest in Gen-Next Jewelers' desire to develop a community where the next generation of leaders can connect and act as a resource for each other. The response from both Launch Members as well as other Industry members who heard about the group was overwhelming. The ideal of bringing out-of-the-box and out-of-industry thinking to the jewelry world has connected with both active and perspective Gen-Next members.

For more info stop in at the Gen-Next website.

MJSA Expo West Returns to AGTA GemFair Tucson

MJSA and the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) announced that MJSA's EXPO West will be returning to the AGTA GemFair Tucson, Feb. 2-7, 2010. The EXPO West Pavilion will be housed in the Ballroom on the Galleria level, along with the Spectrum of Design Pavilion. Exhibitors will feature manufacturing equipment, tools, supplies, contract services, and the latest in new technologies. The pavilion will also include MJSA's At the Bench Live, a series of bench demonstrations showing the latest techniques for bench jewelers. "Many of our GemFair attendees are manufacturing jewelers," said Douglas K. Hucker, CEO of AGTA. "So, it is important to ensure that they have products and services available at the show and live demonstrations to help them work more efficiently." "We are delighted to have EXPO West return to the AGTA GemFair Tucson," said David Cochran, President and CEO of MJSA. "It's an important venue for our members in that region, and we look forward to further developing it and expanding the rich blend of tools, technology and information available for manufacturing jewelers there."

Lattis Designs wins "Best Gold"...

Gina Pankowski - Lattis Design Jewelry

The pictured bracelet "Verve" was chosen by a panel of judges as a finalist in the June "Best of Gold" jewelry contest sponsored by National Jewelers Network.

"Lattis Design was named a finalist for it's "Verve Bangle Bracelet" an 18 karat adn 14 karat gold design accented with channel set rings of yellow and blue sapphires. Inspired by aerodynamics and patterns in nature, the design is a complex system of moving links." View the full article: http://.nationaljewelernetwork.com/njn/contentdisplay/fashion/jewelry-reports/e3i449839ed4a8362b6f85e844f08932e9e

Hope Diamond Anniversary Marks New Chapter...

Today marks a new chapter in the history of the famous diamond. The New York-based jeweler Harry Winston, the firm who donated the Hope to the museum, has drafted three new, modern settings for the stone. All three designs, exquisitely rendered by two of the firm’s top designers, illustrate the Hope enshrined in baguette diamonds.

The decision to reset the diamond came on the heels of the 50th anniversary of Harry Winston’s donation. “As we were thinking about the anniversary, we came up with a theme of giving the public a chance to see the diamond in a way they’ve never seen it before,” says Jeffrey Post, curator of gems at the National Museum of Natural History. “How often do you have a 50th? We needed to have a celebration.” The celebration, they decided, would be to display the Hope in a new way.

The museum announced today that just one of the three Harry Winston settings will be crafted. The Hope will be temporarily housed in the new setting and put on display this spring for a limited time, after which the setting will return to Harry Winston.

But which setting will be chosen? In an unusual move, museum officials say, the selection will be decided by the public, in a first-ever popular vote.

Between now and September 7, visitors will vote for one of the three designs through an online poll, hosted by the Smithsonian Channel, whose new documentary “Mystery of the Hope Diamond” is in production and due out next spring.

Alas, the new setting, unlike the diamond, isn’t forever. After a limited-time, the diamond will be returned to its original, historic setting. Even the team at Harry Winston can’t argue with that logic. “I think the setting is part of the heritage, it’s part of what the Hope diamond is today,” de Laage says.

Read more:http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/A-New-Chapter-in-the-Hope-Diamonds-History.html?c=y&page=2#ixzz0Oetev8SJ

New Interactive Site Celebrates the Hope Diamond!

The Science of the Hope Diamond

The Curse of America's Crown Jewel

Design your own Hope Diamond