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Q & A: Catching up with Cassy

A little while back, I received an e-mail about Cassy’s Sassy Jewelry, a company run by a young woman who had established her business at the age of 12. Since then, Arizona-based designer and owner Cassy Saba has been featured in a segment of The Montel Williams Show about “Teen Millionaires in the Making” and has been highlighted in magazines such as Elle and Teen.

Now on the verge of her 19th birthday, Saba juggles all the duties of running a jewelry business: designing, fulfilling orders and marketing, while also hitting the books as a college sophomore.

Saba’s designs and uber-professional Web site were what first caught my eye and, after checking in with Cassy, I can’t get over her entrepreneurial spirit.

Above: Cassy Saba with designer Stephen Webster. Below: A model wears designs from Cassy's Sassy Jewelry in the designer's lookbook, available online.

National Jeweler (NJ): How did you get started?
Cassy Saba (CS): It started as a hobby when I got my first bead kit, which was of plastic beads. I had my mom wear [one of my designs] to work one day and her clients really liked it. I started getting into glass beads and started approaching stores, doing trunk shows and developing a clientele.

NJ: What was it that made you decide to approach stores with your jewelry?
CS: I just kind of realized, go for it. It’s a little intimidating at first, but the worst they could say is no. They didn’t really consider my age, they were more impressed by my work. They would first put pieces on consignment and then just buy them. Lots of times, one customer would buy one piece and then come back for more.

NJ: Where are your designs sold?
CS: They’re mostly on the West Coast, mostly in local boutiques. I have one boutique in New York, and I have a rep trying to get me into [L.A.’s] Fred Segal.

NJ: How hard has it been to balance school and work?
CS: It’s been very difficult. I’m a sophomore at ASU [Arizona State University] and my major is marketing. I wish I could work all the time. I got a BlackBerry, so it’s a little easier now. I can do e-mails throughout the day and do orders.

NJ: Did you take any classes or have you taught yourself?
CS: I’ve pretty much taught myself, and now I’m doing semiprecious and metal. I try to keep up with the trends but still have my own work.

NJ: What are some of your favorite materials to work with?
CS: I really love mixing smooth stones with rough, bulkier stones. I like a lot of garnets, amethyst. I love pearls.

NJ: Who handles all the orders and behind the scenes?
CS: It’s solely me. I’ve marketed and networked myself. I have a MySpace page that I started and a Facebook page, and the company that designed my Web site found me through Facebook.

NJ: Your jewelry has been on a number of celebrities, Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Brandy, to name a few. How did they find out about you?
CS: Brandy purchased a necklace at a boutique in Scottsdale that sold my jewelry (her boyfriend had played for the Phoenix Suns at the time, so she went on some shopping sprees when visiting Arizona). And Beyonce is a fun story...her and her mom were in Women’s Wear Daily on the page before me in 2007 featuring their line, House of Dereon. After the release of that magazine, I sent them a letter with the article and our relationship went from there.

Next up for Saba? Phoenix Fashion Week, where she’ll be creating pieces to accessorize the gowns of a local bridal designer. Her latest collection features chunky statement necklaces that are right on trend. I'm looking forward to what this bright young thing will come up with next.

To check out more of Cassy's designs, visit her Web site, CassySassyJewelry.com.

Photos: Courtesy of Cassy’s Sassy Jewelry

Create buzz around the cash register

One idea that popped into my head during Tuesday's eco-luxe event (other than ‘I am a wasteful human being who needs to recycle more’) is that it's probably not a bad time to invest in some socially conscious, lower-price-point pieces to stick by the cash register.

Case in point: a new line called "Let it Bee." 

This line of bee-themed jewelry is attempting to create buzz around an issue that maybe doesn't get as much play as larger environmental issues, such as the plight of the polar bears, but is a big problem just the same: Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD.

Not to be confused with the awful Catholic version of Sunday school I was forced to attend every Sunday of my young life (thanks, Mom), CCD refers to the unexplained phenomenon of workers bees abandoning their hives, leaving the other bees behind. Without the workers, the hive collapses and the majority of its occupants die off.

What this means, in the long run, is fewer busy bees to pollinate crops, which, in turn, has an effect on the food chain.

Feel like the only thing we'll be missing if honeybees disappear is, well, honey? Consider a 2008 report from Congress that shows that honeybees are the most valuable economic pollinators of crops worldwide, contributing to the production of many fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, forage crops (plants eaten by grazing livestock) and some field crops (plants we eat).

I don't want to turn this jewelry blog into a biology lesson, so if you want more information on CCD, click here, or to download a PDF of the report just mentioned, click here.

In any case, “Let it Bee,” which consists of two distinct collections, features unique designs and is priced very well.

Pieces in the basic “Honey Bee Line” start at $15.99, while the more upscale pieces in the “Colony Culture Collection,” will run customers a max of $160.

(The “Apiary” bracelet pictured here is part of the Colony Culture Collection.)

Of course this isn’t fine jewelry (though the line's creator Meg Bryson wouldn't object to crafting a few high-end pieces), but it's cute, the designs are great and I could see the line having mass appeal to a number of age groups, from grandmas to young girls.

So would it be such a crime to place it by the cash register and sell it as an add-on?

It's for a good cause, as 5 percent of the proceeds from each sale goes to the CCD Research Team at Penn State.

Carrying the jewelry helps spread the word about CCD, giving life to the old adage "you learn something new everyday," and conveys a message of being socially responsible to your customers.

This is a line you can carry in good conscience, even if you hate bees because you've been stung too many times.

Behind the scenes at Tacori

Early last week, I spent some time at Tacori's Los Angeles headquarters, where the brand was hosting a "Club Tacori" event for some of its best retailers (more on all the goings-on to come). 

I kicked off Monday morning in my rental car—driving between appointments in L.A. is quite a different beast than the usual New York subway trips—and soon after embarked upon a tour of the brand's expanded facilities.

Shortly before the Las Vegas shows this year, Tacori opened a new 5,000-square-foot wing. Now, with a total of 16,000 square feet, the brand has a showroom for celebrity visits (fans include The Bachelorette's Trista and Ryan, Jessica Alba and Brooke Shields, among others), new offices for all the customer service and quality control reps, and separate spaces for the diamond setters and goldsmiths hard at work.

Tacori truly made the event a family one, and I could see how exciting it was for the retailers and buyers to put names to faces and meet some of the people they've spent so much time with on the phone, not only the Tacorians themselves, but all the individuals who handle marketing and orders and make the company run on a day-to-day basis.

Check out some of these images for a few highlights. To see a larger view, just click on the photos:

“The Tacori Boutique”
A small boutique, like the branded ones some retailers have in their own stores, is where celebrities visiting the Tacori headquarters can check out jewelry privately.

The diamond room
It’s the place where the diamonds are matched and selected, from large stones to the tiniest of sparklers.

Goldsmith design studio
Craftsmen here bring all the details of the brand’s wedding bands and engagement rings to life. The studio includes a large room where all the metal work takes place, and there's also a connecting design library of archives, a CAD/CAM laboratory where the designs and plastic molds are created, and the central casting room, where all the baking and casting happens.

    

Diamond-setting studio
Craftsmen here set the tiniest of diamonds into Tacori’s pave bands and engagement rings, making for pieces like this partially completed ring seen above. Forensic goldsmiths work here as well, inspecting pieces in need of repairs, and polishers work on the final buffing at a special shine station. In addition, the space houses Tacori's "Quality Excellence" team, where each order is passed from hand to hand, reviewed and approved before being sent out. 

 '18K925'

From sketches to finished pieces, the “18K925” collection of silver and gold designs was years in the making. The collection is available only to Tacori’s "Passion Partner" retailers through the holidays, but will be opened up early next year for wider distribution.

Do shoppers enjoy coming to your store?

Last week, I attended the Rapaport Diamond Conference, which concluded with an interesting discussion on the Kimberley Process.

While my original article focused on that--journalists are suckers for a good debate--I felt I'd be remiss not to mention another topic that caught my attention during this all-day extravaganza: Other retailers leave jewelry stores in the dust when it comes to providing a relaxing and enjoyable shopping experience for consumers.

This is especially detrimental in an industry that's asking consumers to drop at least hundreds--more normally thousands--of dollars per purchase.

And while I hate to beat a dead horse, as this is a topic this magazine has covered time and again, it's probably worth mentioning at least one more time.

Just ask Chris and C.K.

--Chris Ellis, president of Consensus Advisors, talked about how jewelry stores are unnecessarily filled to the brim with product.

Ellis is definitely a man who understands where jewelry stores go awry. His Boston-based investment banking and financial advisory firm has been front and center for some of the industry’s most high-profile meltdowns in recent years, including L.I.D. Ltd. and Friedman’s Jewelers.

What he said, essentially, is that retailers need to quit worrying about filling every square inch of their showrooms with display cases--which are then, of course, packed with goods they don't actually own and have no motivation to sell--and put something different in their store, like a bar or children's play area.

Don't think anybody will sit at the bar and it'll be a waste of your time and money?

Talk to Cathy Calhoun at Calhoun Jewelers in Pennsylvania or Jeff Weiss at Glennpeter Jewelers in upstate New York.

Their bars are a hit and, according to both Calhoun and the folks at Glennpeter Jewelers, so were the articles we did on both of their stores.

Cathy Calhoun told me she's been getting tons of calls about how she set up her bar (pictured here), whether or ot people use it, etc., since the article on her space ran in our September issue.

(Sorry I can't provide you with a link; that story's not up on our site yet, but the Glennpeter story was an online exclusive you can check out here.) 

--C.K. Venkatraman, of Indian retailer Tanishq, questioned whether or not jewelry stores both in India and the United States were doing enough to keep up with the increasingly interactive world that revolves around things such as iPods and "e-books," a reference to the new Amazon Kindle.

Diamonds might be a girl's best friend today, but will that still be the case 15 years from now?

"Are the jewelry stores in the U.S. sanctuaries?" he said. "Are the jewelry stores in India designed for the women of 2025?"

Venkatraman also notes that in almost every retail store, people can interact independently with the products, citing in particular the experience people have when they go to an Apple store.

People probably get sick of hearing experts heap worship on Apple like it's a retail demigod--the product of a retail store that's mated with a super-hip hangout--but it's pretty obvious they know what they're doing.

This is not the case in the vast majority of jewelry stores where the high-priced merchandise is locked up, though it is worth pointing out that Tiffany & Co. now has two stores that offer lower price-point merchandise that's displayed so customers can try it on without assistance. It opened the first earlier this year in California and followed recently with a second store in Seattle.

Venkatraman said jewelry stores need to figure out how to make the shopping experience more fun for customers, citing his company's now-shuttered Tanishq boutiques as a good example of how jewelry shopping can be a "stress-buster,” a calming, relaxing experience, for women.

Can the same be said about your store?

Breast cancer awareness

As one of the leading forms of cancer worldwide, it's likely that a number of your customers have been touched by breast cancer in their own families or know someone whose life has been altered by the disease.

The sheer variety of jewelry designs available on the market is one testament to how much demand there is from customers wanting to do their part. Here are some designs that you and they can purchase to help out.

 

1. Mikimoto (Left)

Pendant necklace from the "Everything is Possible with Hope" collection; suggested retail price is $950, and 50 percent of proceeds go to the Young Survival Coalition. YoungSurvivial.org/Mikimoto

2. Diamonds For A Cure (Center)

"DFAC Diamond Logo" men's ring in 14-karat rose gold with 0.30 carats of diamonds from the "Lucky 7" collection; suggested retail price is $1,999 and a portion of proceeds benefit Stand Up To Cancer. DiamondsForACure.org

3. Dogeared (Right)

Sterling silver charm on pink silk thread; suggested retail price is $26, and a portion of proceeds benefit cancer research organizations. Dogeared.com

 

4. Ija Designs (Left)

Curved clasp bangle in silver; suggested retail price is $56, and 20 percent of proceeds will be donated to the Sara Fisher project. IjaDesigns.com

5. Joy O Designs (Center)

Rose gold-fill earrings; 20 percent of proceeds will be donated to Susan G Komen for the Cure. JoyODesigns.com

6. Kim Gilby (Right)

"Tiny Heart" necklace with pink Swarovski crystal; suggested retail price is $55, and 20 percent of proceeds will be donated to breast cancer research. KimGilby.com

7. Jessica Hicks (Left)

Silver and mother-of-pearl necklace with pink amethyst; suggested retail price is $110, and 20 percent of proceeds will be donated to breast cancer research efforts. JessicaHicks.com

8. Jill Alberts (Center)

Sterling silver hoop earrings with champagne citrine; suggested retail price is $80, and 10 percent of total sales for this and selected earrings will benefit the Lynn Sage Foundation. JillAlberts.com

9. Lana Jewelry (Right)

Large "Upside Down Hoops" in rose gold with diamonds; suggested retail price is $345, and 50 percent of proceeds benefit The Noreen Fraser Foundation. NoreenFraserFoundation.org

10. Jane Basch

"Tribute Collection" pendant necklace in 14-karat gold with diamond bezel; suggested retail price is $1,300 and 5 percent of the proceeds of each sale will go toward Susan G Komen for the Cure. JaneBasch.com

Pantone's picks for Spring

The color experts at Pantone completed a survey for Spring 2010 in which they asked fashion designers about their top color picks, inspirations and philosophies. Here are Pantone's top 10, plus jewelry evocative of each hue.

1. Turquoise (Left)
Necklace from Elizabeth Showers, ElizabethShowers.com

2. Tomato Puree (Center)
Earrings from Zeira, Zeira.com

3. Fusion Coral (Right)
Ring from Carla Amorim, CarlaAmorim.com

 

4. Violet (Left)
Earrings from Jewelmak, Jewelmak.com

5. Tuscany (Center)
Pendant from Vicente Agor, VicenteAgor.com

6. Aurora (Right)
Ring from Stephen Webster, StephenWebster.com

7. Amparo Blue (Left)
Pendant from Katherine Jetter, KatherineJetter.com

8. Pink Champagne (Center)
Earrings from Lori Bonn, LoriBonn.com

9. Dried Herb (Right)
Earrings from Nina Runsdorf, (212) 382-1243

10. Eucalyptus
Necklace from Shaesby, Shaesby.com

Would you wear a mustache?

After a few years in hipster-centric Brooklyn, I became well accustomed to ironic forms of fashion. One Bedford Avenue sighting that epitomized the trend in jewelry: a gold-plated retainer swinging as a pendant from a chain. Yes, that’s right, a retainer, like the kind you wear post braces.

But when it comes to Williamsburg's most famous street, the accessory of choice is the mustache.

While men, natch, make up the primary bearers, Los Angeles-based Rachael White, the designer behind Demitasse, has created a cheeky line of mustache jewelry that allows the ladies to dip into the facial hair fad.

Actresses Tina Fey, Isla Fisher and Lindsay Lohan have been spotted wearing the brand's pendants since the line's 2008 launch, but celebrity followers and even aesthetics aside, there's a new reason to wear them. Proceeds of sales from the "Urban Demistache" collection will benefit Movember, a global campaign that creates awareness around men's health issues and raises funds for prostate cancer research and treatment.

Pave diamond Demistache necklaces will be auctioned off at an October launch event, and $8.00 from the sale of each Urban Demistache piece purchased during the months of November and December will be donated to the cause. Crafted from base metals in rose, brass, gunmetal and silver colorways, the Urban Demistache pieces retail from $38 to $98.

So, would you wear one? After conducting an informal poll, I found that a fair amount of the ladies I know would. As one friend put it, "Sure, mustaches look like seagulls."

To see more, visit Demitasse online, or to read about Movember, click here.