MJSA ConFab 2013 - Profit Lessons for Jewelry Designers

Are you registered?  2013 MJSA ConFab looks like THE event for Designers!

Get ready to be ConFabulous! MJSA will present its second annual MJSA ConFab conference Nov. 3 at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Offering a full-day of "profit lessons" for jewelry makers and designers, this year's event will feature some of the industry's top designers, marketers, contractors, and consultants, offering insights that get to the heart of what it takes to run a successful business.

Topics include targeting niche markets, creating a digital marketing plan, developing sales skills (even if you're selling challenged), working with subcontractors, and maintaining margins with low-cost metals. Presenters range from business gurus Andrea Hill and Cindy Edelstein to such acclaimed designers as Alex Woo and Lisa Jenks. (Actually, we have a dozen experts who will share what they know; while we can't list them all here, you can read all about them by clicking here. Believe us, you'll be amazed at how much talent we've assembled.)

Attendees will also be able to access the ConFab Online Extras, a collection of articles, videos, and other resources that extend the ConFab experience. As a special preview, we're offering a video flashback of last year's ConFab: Watch Andrea Hill, Cindy Edelstein, Bree Richey, and Malak Atut discuss what it takes to run a successful business. Just click here to get started.

MJSA conFab - Profit Lessons for Jewelry Designers

SERIOUSLY - if it is being presented by MJSA - it is always worth the time...and Members get some pretty great perks!  ;)

Only 9 Days Left until MJSA conFab--Have You Registered?

This is your chance to make a better living doing what you love! Thanks to some conFabulous presenters (see list at left), you'll get to the heart of what it takes to create a successful business:

* Sit in as Andrea Hill leads Cindy Edelstein, Malak Atut, and Bree Richey on a freewheeling discussion about strategicplanning, marketing, branding, and other business topics in The Business of Design. After this session, you'll find that making a profit just got a whole lot easier.

* Watch as Arthur Skuratowicz and Gary Dawson address the crucial issues of pricing jewelry, game-show style, in The Price Is Right. Plus, as an added bonus, you'll receive theconFab Pricing Checklist--formulas, factors, and other considerations that you can apply when pricing your own work!

* Play along as Andrea Hill conducts From INventory to OUTventory: The Game, in which the winners will be able to better control their inventory and speed stock turns. The best part: Everyone who attends this session will be a winner.

* Listen as Lee Krombholz describes how you can Put the "Custom" in "Customer" and deliver personalized designs that not only meet but surpass customer expectations.

* See Gary Dawson and Eugene Brill critique some of the many websites submitted by fellow conFabbers, in their Websites That Work for You session. Discover what you can do to make your site more effective.

The Best Part--Every Day Can be a conFab Day, All Year Long

Thanks to our conFab Online Extras, which we'll keep adding  to all year long, you'll be able to continue the conFabexperience. The conFab ID and passcode you receive upon registering will enable you to view articles, interviews, web apps (such as our Inventory Analysis Aide), andeven videos of all the 2012 conFab sessions, whenever you want.

New Online Extra: The Designer as Entrepreneur

An interview with designer Bree Richey, winner of the 2012 Future of Design competition, on what it takes to get a jewelry design business to the next level. (You'll need to be a registered conFabber to access this article; if you're not, click here to register and receive your conFab login and passcode.)

Source:  MJSA Email Reminder...

MJSA New “conFab” to Help Designers Profit

MJSA Launches New “conFab” 

to Help Designers Profit

ATTLEBORO FALLS, MA—MJSA, the association dedicated to professional excellence in jewelry making and design, will this fall present the first MJSA conFab, a one-day event focused on “profit lessons” for jewelry makers and designers. Sponsored by the MJSA Education Foundation, it will take place Oct. 14 at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

The MJSA conFab will feature a range of sessions covering such key areas as strategy and planning, digital marketing, inventory control, and pricing. In addition, attendees will be able to access special password-protected pages on the MJSA website (mjsa.org), where they can find additional information. New articles, videos, and other resources will continue to be posted to the pages following the event, creating a digital extension of conFab.

“Our goal is to help jewelry makers and designers make a better living doing what they love,” says MJSA president/CEO David W. Cochran. “The event will offer best business practices in a way that’s memorable, rewarding, and even fun. We’ll present pricing strategies by staging a game show—our own version of ‘The Price Is Right’—and invite attendees to submit their own jewelry creations for the contestants to review. They can also submit their websites for critique during the ‘Websites That Work for You’ session, or post their favorite ‘words of wisdom’ on our Board of Best Advice. It truly will be an event to which everyone can contribute.”

The scheduled conFab presenters include:

Andrea Hill, owner of StrategyWerx, a consulting firm focused on helping small business owners succeed and prosper.

Arthur Skuratowicz, co-founder of the Jewelry Training Center (JTC) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he serves as director of education.

Gary Dawson, owner of Gary Dawson Designs, an internet-only business that was recently named among the “Best of the Best” by Instore magazine.

Lee Krombholz, owner of Cincinnati-based Krombholz Jewelers and Just Like You Designs, which specializes in personalized jewelry.

Eugene Brill, online marketing manager with industry supplier Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico; he has more than 20 years of experience and expertise in internet marketing communications (search engine optimization, search engine marketing, social media, etc.).

Tina Snyder, editor in chief of MJSA Journal and MJSA Journal Online.

The event’s registration fee of $125 includes unlimited access to the online conFab pages. To learn more or to register, go to mjsa.org.

#WordlessWednesday - Vendor Spotlight on MIIORI

#WordlessWednesday is reserved for the few elite DesignLines that have that distinct look - when you see a piece you know immediately who designed it.  When Jewelry is this beautiful - words get in the way! 
MIIORI is one of those brands. The name is a play on the Latin for My Love and MIIORI is my newest love...Enjoy!

         

JCK Luxury...Have You Made Plans To Attend?

For more information on LUXURY by JCK visit http://www.luxurybyjck.com

The LUXURY by JCK salon floor this year will be shared by over 130 of the jewelry industry's most respected manufacturers, brands and industry supporters. We have previewed a sampling of the collections that will be shown and they are truly breath-taking. Including collections from:

Alwand Vahan
Bastian GmbH & Co
Charles Krypell, Inc.
GN Diamond/Alito Collection
Gregg Ruth & Co.
Jack Kelege
Jewels by Star
Mémoire
Royal Asscher
Sylvie Collection/Spectrum Diamonds Corp.
William Levine Fine Jewels

To view the full list of 2010 LUXURY by JCK exhibitors click here.

Additionally, Thursday, June 3 - Monday, June 7, LUXURY by JCK Retailers will have access to over 25 of the world's most illustrious & legendary Swiss Watch brands including Bedat, Bulgari,Chopard, Harry Winston, TAG Heuer

2010 MJSA Expo New York

Sunday: Not Just Surviving, but Winning. If you want to walk away from Expo with a notebook full of applicable business and marketing strategies, don’t miss this day. "Surviving the Great Recession: Proven Ways to Deal with Challenging Times" (11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) and "What You Can Do Now: Winning Strategies for a Changed World" (2:30 to 4 pm.) will each be moderated by one of the industry’s leading consultants: Ben Janowski, president of The Janos Group Ltd. and Andrea Hill of Hill Management Consulting. Janowski has spent more than 20 years working with such prominent organizations as Golay-Buchel, Frederick Goldman, and De Beers. Hill is the former CEO of The Bell Group/Rio Grande, where she integrated strategic planning and designed organization and control systems to align the company. Janowski and Hill will lead a cross-section of industry executives, from major suppliers to designers to banks and financiers.

Monday: Focus on the Future. If you still don’t know the benefits of "tweeting" and "friending" on social media sites, or you want to tap into the trends of customized design and virtual inventory, you’ll want to attend the Monday sessions. "From Old Media to Social Media: Promoting Product in the 21^st Century" (11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) will feature Peggy Jo Donahue, MJSA’s director of public affairs; Carrie Soucy, a veteran journalist and current owner of Miamore Communications; and experienced marketers Ann Arnold of Lieberfarb, Veronica Wei Sopherof Ben Bridge Jeweler, and Michael Schechter of Honora. Later, from 2:30 to 4 p.m., hear from some of the industry’s leading CAD suppliers and custom jewelers-including Doug Kern of Gemvision and noted designers Lee Krombholz, Jim Tuttle, and Lisa Krikawa-as they take you into the world of "Future Stock: Putting the ’Custom’ in Customer."

Tuesday: Profiting by Design. To put it bluntly: If you want to meet world-class designers, you need to be here. Presented in partnership with the American Jewelry Design Council, the presentation features a partial "who’s who" of the jewelry design world: Consultant Marlene Richey (author of the MJSA Press book Profiting by Design), Cindy Edelstein of the Jeweler’s Resource Bureau, and AJDC members Jose Hess (moderator), Michael Bondanza, Barbara Heinrich, William Schraft, and Diana Vincent. (Yes, it’s name dropping, but they’re good names.)

MJSA’s At the Bench Live: The association’s signature hands-on demonstrations return to Expo with sessions by JCK Rising Star Chris Ploof ("Working with Alternative Metals," Sunday) and the award-winning Krombholz ("Creating Custom Finishes," Monday). Both sessions start at 1 p.m. The Bench and Tool Sponsor is Stuller.

Press Release available at from MJSA

Full Seminar Schedule available here

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.