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Going inside a strong heart

Ingrid Bergman once said that “Happiness lies in good health and a bad memory.”

Yesterday, I met a young woman who has as much reason as anybody to wish for a bad memory. But she doesn’t, because she views sharing her story as both a form of therapy and a way to help others.

When Grace Freeman was eight months old, civil war forced her family, which included her mother and three siblings, to flee their native Liberia and resettle in a camp in Ghana that was home to some 47,000 refugees.

Grace wanted to go to school but it wasn’t free and her family had no money to send her. So they struck up a deal with a local woman: Grace could live with her and go to school but, in return, would have to do all of the housework.

The 7-year-old left her entire family behind in the refugee camp to move in with this woman who promised her an education. It wasn’t too long after, however, that Grace discovered she essentially had been sold into slavery.

She never got to attend school and, instead, was awakened as early as 3 a.m. to do a list of chores that it would take a normal adult a week to complete. She was beaten regularly.

One day 11 years later, an 18-year-old Grace was outside working her way through a pile of laundry when she heard a voice intoning her name, telling her, “Grace, go inside.” Though she knew she risked a beating by leaving her work, the internal guidance was too strong to ignore.

She trusted her instincts and entered the house, only to find her United Nations identification card on the table, documents her captor had hidden years earlier in order to claim Grace was her daughter and keep her as a slave.

Grace snatched up the documents and ran to a neighbor’s house, begging the neighbor to hide them for her until she escaped. This act of bravery resulted in a beating that almost ended Grace’s life.

But it also marked a new beginning.

Using the ID card, Grace was able to escape and eventually was reunited with her family. Through her twin brother Gabriel, Grace became involved in The Strongheart Fellowship Program, a non-profit that gives young people who have been displaced or orphaned by conflict a safe place to heal, a chance to get an education and, hopefully, return to their communities to become leaders. As part of the program, all participants design a product or a service.

Grace, along with fellow Strongheart Lovetta, chose to create a piece of jewelry that is part  self-expression, part fund-raiser.

The piece is a tiny replica of an old door that stood in the house where she was held captive for 11 years inscribed with the phrase that launched Grace to freedom, “Go Inside.” Off its hinges and leaning on the wall, the door was a place where Grace used to take refuge.

Today, its reproduction on a necklace is a reminder for her, and for anyone who wears the necklace, to look inside themselves for strength when the situation is bleak.

I had the opportunity on Monday to speak at length with the now 22-year-old Grace about her experiences. To say she is remarkable young woman does not do her justice. There are simply no words to describe a person like Grace, who endured more pain and suffering in a decade than most people will experience in a lifetime.

I had to ask her, though, if it ever gets old sharing her story, if she ever gets tired of telling the tale. The answer is yes, sometimes it is difficult. But that doesn’t mean she’s doesn’t keep it doing it, because she sees value in it for other young people around the globe who find themselves in similar situations.

“If the message is good,” Grace said, “You’ll always like to share that message.”  

The pieces designed by Grace and Lovetta are on display at the designLab through today at the JA New York Winter Show, with their sales benefitting both the individual designers and the Strongheart program as a whole.

All members of the jewelry industry, from retailers to designers to wholesalers, also are being invited to become part of Strongheart’s new “Inner Circle of Guardians” program, being organized with the help of Beth Anne Bonanno.

To begin the program, Bonanno said they are designing a free widget retailers can place on their websites that will open up a second window displaying the Strongheart website. There, users can purchase jewelry and learn more about Grace, Lovetta or any of the other Strongheart fellows.

In exchange, the company will be listed on the site as being in the organization’s Inner Circle of Guardians.

For more information on becoming involved with The Strongheart Fellowship Program, contact Beth Anne at eab@elizabethannebonanno.com or call (646) 528-8299.

Making sense of the holiday sales

As any retailer would tell you, it is difficult anymore to predict the ebbs and flows of the economy. This was as evident as ever on Tuesday, when three of the industry’s largest chains reported sales for the all-important months of November and December.

News from Tiffany & Co. that “sales weakened markedly in the United States and Europe” over the holiday season surprised me. Tiffany has been one of the strongest performers in the market in recent years, seemingly one of the first jewelry chains to begin showing signs of economic recovery after the global meltdown.

Overall, same-store sales in the U.S. were up 2 percent for the chain. Sales declined 1 percent in the brand’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York, with foreign tourists accounting for the bulk of the sales there. Same-store sales were up 3 percent in Tiffany’s branch stores.

Also interesting to note were the results from Zale Corp., where holiday comps were up 6 percent but there was a marked difference between the months of November and December. The chain’s comps climbed 10 percent in November but only 4 percent the next month.

While both Tiffany and Zale comped positive, their overall results have sparked concern among analysts that consumer spending is on the decline heading into the new year.

During a conference call Tuesday morning, analysts asked executives Sterling Jewelers about the results reported by Tiffany and Zale. They wanted to know if Sterling was concerned about Valentine’s Day given what seems to be a pattern of waning consumer spending. (Sterling executives said no.)

Zale’s December comps were less than half of what they were in November.

And Tiffany noted that sales weakened at the end of the year after three “very strong” quarters of better-than-expected sales and earnings growth. In this article, Forbes contrasted the results of Tiffany with that of high-end athletic apparel retailer Lululemon, which had a strong holiday season and raised its guidance. Forbes wonders if consumers are “reigning in their spending on jewelry.”

In reading all of this news over the past couple of days, it brought to mind something I reported early on in the holiday shopping season, during one of our many Black Friday wrap-up stories. In this story, one analyst noted that while consumers flooded stores right after Thanksgiving to take advantage of deals, they were less enthusiastic about shopping thereafter. They were “tapped out,” the analyst said.

If consumers were “tapped out” in late November, how are they feeling now, as they sit amidst piles of bills that they accumulated buying holiday presents, throwing parties and traveling?

I think the answer is: Nobody really knows anymore.

Charles Stanley’s notes on Forevermark

After speaking with Forevermark CEO Stephen Lussier in London a few weeks ago, Charles Stanley, who heads De Beers’ branded diamond program here in the United States, took some time last week to provide more specifics on how Forevermark will work in the U.S. market.

This upcoming week marks a big one for the launch of Forevermark here, as De Beers will unveil the marketing plans for its branded diamond to retailers at the Las Vegas jewelry shows.

Forevermark already is available via pilot sale programs at two retailers, Borsheims in Omaha, Neb. and five San Diego-area Ben Bridge Jewelers.

Forevermark will launch in the fourth quarter. Though Lussier said that he’s more concerned with doing it right then rushing to market before the program’s ready, a Forevermark executive told me they are “definitely” launching in the United States at the end of the year and will be sharing their plans with Forevermark retailers in Las Vegas.

Retailers will be able to sell Forevermark jewelry online (and in fact they already are). But they won’t be allowed to sell Forevermark loose diamonds on the Internet, Stanley said. And the price of the online product has to be the same as what they are charging in the store. Stanley said he doesn’t seem inter-market competition as being a big issue because so much of what drives people to shop online over going to stores these days is price--which won’t be an issue here--and because retailers have the freedom to create their own designs. A customer that sees a piece they like at Jeweler A won’t necessarily be able to find that same design and buy it online from Jeweler B.

He added that the nature of the program, which includes a viewer customers can use to see the Forevermark inscription, lends itself to more in-store sales and that’s where he expects jewelers to do the majority of Forevermark business.

“We’re not frankly expecting a lot of diamond sales to be made online. We fundamentally believe that to get the full experience of buying a diamond it needs to be done in store,” he said.

Discounting is a no-no. Stanley said there are clauses in the retailers’ contracts that pertain to discounting. And though he wouldn’t say if markdowns are strictly forbidden, he did say this: “We don’t see this as a product that should be heavily discounted or marked down.”

The cost of the program is...$10,000 per year for a store.

De Beers doesn’t see Forevermark as conflicting with the De Beers Diamond Jewellers stores it operates through a joint venture with LVMH. Forevermark enables retailers to use the equity of the De Beers Group name and extend it to their customers through a separate brand, Stanley said. He said one element of the program that further sets Forevermark apart is the fact that each of these diamonds go through the Forevermark Diamond Institute (FDI) in Antwerp.

I actually had the chance to visit FDI while in Europe a couple of weeks ago, and it was an interesting operation to be sure. The Institute housed about 5,000 loose stones on two floors and about 500 a day go through the process of becoming Forevermark diamonds, complete with the brand’s signature inscription.

Each diamond goes through a total of 27 steps to make sure it meets Forevemark standards, is not treated and gets inscribed. Forevermark standards dictate that a stone must be at least very good cut, L color (all colors are accepted for stones that are two carats or larger in size) or fancy colored, and SI2 clarity. De Beers will supply a Forevermark-branded grading report to customers that want them though it is not mandatory.

Stanley said there is a “clear light” between De Beers-branded stores and its branded diamond. He also noted that Forevermark diamonds won’t be offered in De Beers’ stores.

Here’s one last item regarding the jewelers that are already carrying Forevermark. Lussier told me that’s it’s “just a coincidence” that both retailers currently carrying Forevermark--Ben Bridge and Borsheims--are both Berkshire Hathaway-owned jewelers. Just in case anybody was wondering...

Henry Dunay remembers Elizabeth Taylor

Earlier this week Christie’s confirmed what had been circulating around the World Wide Web already for weeks: that the auction house would be the one to sell the historic collections of the late, great Elizabeth Taylor, including her millions in jewelry.

While no details are available at this time regarding the specifics of the auction--what pieces will be sold, estimates, etc.--iconic New York designer Henry Dunay reached out shortly after Taylor’s death last month to tell me about his experiences with the Oscar-winning actress.

In the early 1990s, Dunay said he was tapped to design a diamond mask for a charity function for the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR). It took him eight months to craft the mask, which he dubbed “The Lachrymosa” (a word that relates to tears and weeping) to remind those who see it of the suffering AIDS has caused globally.

Taylor, the founding national and international chairman of amfAR, donned The Lachrymosa in a 1993 photo shoot (right) designed to generate publicity for the event. A touching tribute to Taylor can be seen here on amfAR’s Web site and, though it hasn’t been confirmed, numerous reports have circulated that the money garnered from the Christie’s auction will go to AIDS charities.

Dunay, a designer to the stars who has mingled with his fair share of celebrities, said he met Taylor on three separate occasions and described her as being gracious and beautiful in person, and very dedicated to her cause. “With the passing of Elizabeth Taylor we have lost an icon of beauty and a lover of fine jewelry,” he said. “She will be missed for her elegance, her beauty and her humanitarian work.”

The diamond mask logged quite a few travel miles in the time it belonged to Dunay. In 2008, The Lachrymosa went on display at The Antwerp Diamond Museum as part of “Diamond Divas,” an exhibition of jewelry donned by famous women, including screen sirens Marilyn Monroe, Gloria Swanson and the jewelry-loving Taylor.

Sadly, after Dunay filed for bankruptcy in June 2009 the mask, along with the rest of his jewels, were sold at auction.

I’m not sure of the mask’s journey since then, but not even 24 hours after my correspondence with Dunay last month, I spotted The Lachrymosa in the display window of the Scarselli Diamonds booth at BaselWorld, accompanied by a picture of Taylor.

I never heard back from Scarselli regarding the mask but I know what Dunay would like to see done with his diamond-encrusted creation. It’s a tribute that would make Taylor-- who spent the latter part of her life using her fame and beauty to draw attention to what was then a cause few celebrities were willing to stand up for--proud.

“It would be ideal to be able to have a piece like that at the Smithsonian, saying what it was made for and why it was made,” Dunay said.

Designer Spotlight: Elisa Solomon

In my job covering the fashion side of jewelry for National Jeweler, I see more than my fair share of pieces so it's always a pleasure to come across designs that stand out and show a unique perspective.

The latest fine jewelry designer to catch my earnest eye: Elisa Solomon. The New York City-based designer, who launched her first collection in 2004, juxtaposes sterling silver and 18-karat gold with precious and semiprecious stones and beads to create a look that's organic and luxe at the same time.

Check out this bracelet below, one of my favorites from the line, and one that I think perfectly sums up Elisa's aesthetic, which is influenced by a combination of The Sixties and Native American spirituality.





I love how the bracelet combines fine gold and cut gemstones with beads that look like they've just been unearthed. These "ancient beads," as Elisa calls them, are hundreds of years old and most are Djenne beads, a type of bead that is found in Africa. They are primarily made of glass, but the designer also uses carnelian, coral and chalcedony versions. "We fell in love with the way that they age," Elisa told me in a phone conversion earlier this week. "They have a really unique look when combined with gold and metal."

The bracelet features small gold bands reminiscent of this ring above. Called the "Tie Dye" band, the 18-karat gold ring is set with multicolor precious and semiprecious stones, and is one of Elisa's most popular pieces. "It's a nice mix of bohemian, crafty and luxurious," Elisa said.

The bracelet and Tie Dye band retail for $2,400 and $1,090, respectively.

Scroll below for a few more of my favorites and visit the designer's Web site, ElisaSolomon.com, for even more.

Above: I'm a sucker for tiny pendant necklaces, and this 18-karat yellow gold heart halves necklace is no exception. Featuring white opal, and blue and pink sapphire, it retails for $1,230.




Above: A great stacking piece, this sterling silver ring features a fun detail: a moveable arrow. It retails for $45.




Above: Studs are major fashion dos right now. These 18-karat yellow gold "Newflower" earrings feature black and colorless diamonds and retail for $310.

Designer Spotlight: Nolan

Teeny-tiny stacking rings, pendant necklaces and stud earrings have been jewelry tradeshow staples over the last few seasons, and it's no wonder. The small size of these pieces means the price is often right for cost-conscious shoppers. In addition, the designs tend to be über versatile, easily stacked and layered with one's existing baubles.

I'm definitely a fan of diminutive designs, so it was a pleasure to check out the latest offerings from Los Angeles-based Stacy Nolan Kottle, the designer behind Nolan. A Tulane University and Gemological Institute of America-educated designer who cut her teeth working with designer-to-the-stars Chris Aire, Kottle debuted the first pieces from her Nolan collection just last year.

The latest designs include bold cuff bracelets and shoulder-grazing earrings featuring the designer's signature heart, flower and star motifs. But among my favorite pieces are those smallest of designs, including miniature peace sign and star-shaped earrings (like these above), plus flower stacking rings (below, click on the photos for a closer look).

 


Also, check out these mini "Wildlife Charm" pendants with diamond accents (below), which range in price from $225 in sterling silver to $488 in 14-karat gold.

From simple, streamlined designs to those packed with detail, it's obvious that good things come in little packages.

For more, visit the designer's Web site, NolanLA.com.

Breast cancer survivor Applegate designs for the cause

Breast cancer awareness month kicks off today, and for jewelry lovers looking to give back, there's no shortage of ways to do so (click here to jump to NationalJeweler.com for a story about timepiece and jewelry designers supporting breast cancer awareness and research.)

This week, I found out about a new jewelry piece co-designed by a star that has a very personal connection to the cause. Actress Christina Applegate, a breast cancer survivor who underwent a double masectomy last year, has partnered with Alex Woo on a "tree of life" pendant to benefit Applegate's nonprofit foundation Right Action for Women.

For Woo, the creation of the pendant--which features a tree and branches meant to evoke the feminine curves of a woman and signify balance, peace and harmony-was a personal undertaking as well, as the designer's mother passed away after battling breast cancer.

The designer will donate net proceeds from the pendant, which will retail for $198 in silver and $998 in 14-karat yellow gold, and the funds will be used to support Right Action for Women, the foundation Applegate founded in 2008 after receiving her breast cancer diagnosis. The nonprofit's mission is to educate women about what it means to be at "high risk" for breast cancer and encourage them to talk to their doctors about appropriate screenings. In addition to its advocacy efforts, the nonprofit also provides aid to individuals who are at increased risk for breast cancer and do not have the insurance or financial flexibility to cover the costs associated with breast screenings.

For more on Right Action for Women, visit RightActionforWomen.org. To purchase the pendant, visit AlexWoo.com.

Fragments pulls it all together

Fragments—a wholesale jeweler that also operates a boutique in New York’s hip SoHo neighborhood—is a good place to mine for jewelry trends and discover those brands you might not have heard of…yet. 

One warning: visiting the showroom’s fully stocked cases as I did for a recent press preview induced sensory overload.

From a playful infinity sign-shaped Moritz Glik ring that allows the wearer to shake up the small diamonds inside to a pair of tear-shaped sapphire hoops by Shery Shabani (above, featuring 8.10-carat blue sapphires in 14-karat gold and silver; suggested retail price is $5,210), the designs ran the gamut from funky Lower East Side trendy to uptown, headed-to-Lincoln-Center glamorous. 

The trends that seem to have legs for upcoming seasons: Darkened metals often paired with gold; pavé gemstones, including colored gemstones and diamonds in shades of champagne, black and gray; antique-y looking designs featuring rose-cut diamonds; and nature motifs (frogs, ladybugs, lizards and snakes were all welcome in the Fragments jungle).

Note that the showcases were viewed by editors aplenty, so don’t be surprised if some of these brands show up in pre-holiday issues of your favorite fashion magazines.

Below is a small sampling of some of the names and styles in the showcase (simply click on the image to see it at a larger size). For details on any of the designs seen here, contact the Fragments showroom at (212) 226-8878.

Moritz Glik ring featuring 1.14 carats of diamonds and 0.60 carats of black diamonds, each enclosed in double white sapphires set in 18-karat white gold and sterling silver; suggested retail price is $4,760.

Sethi Couture paisley earrings feature diamonds, green and colorless, set in 18-karat white gold with black rhodium finish; suggested retail price is $3,600.

Wendy Yue’s 18-karat gold earrings feature wood, 3.55 carats colored sapphires, 1.71carats smoky quartz, 1.12 carats brown diamonds; suggested retail price is $10,600.

Colette’s 18-karat rose-gold bracelets feature pearls and diamond bangles, range in suggested retail price from $1,040-$2,480 for pearl bracelets and $2,190 to $4,170 for diamond bangles.

Vibes one-of-a-kind 18-karat gold, Tahitian pearl pendant features 11 carats raw diamonds, .07carats cut diamonds, on leather cord necklace; suggested retail price is $8,490.


Gabrielle Sanchez’s  10 x 13.5mm natural color freshwater cultured pearl nugget earrings with blue marquis sapphires set in 18-karat gold signature wings, single seed  18-karat gold earwire; suggested retail price is $1,640.

Becoming jaded

At this year's Vegas trade shows, I was falling for luminous gemstones such as moonstone and labradorite, but lately, it's a more unassuming gem that has captured my attention.

At JA New York, I picked up a pair of beaded jade bracelets (above), not thinking much of the stones themselves, but rather imagining that they would be great pieces for layering with items already in my jewelry box, including thread bracelets accented with tiny charms and a long leather wrap bracelet.

I don't know whether the buy opened my eyes to jade, or if designers have recently found new inspiration in the stone, but it's probably a bit of both. Soon after I scooped up my beaded bracelets, a couple of unique, beautifully designed jade pieces caught my eye.

   

Check out these jade earrings above from designer Lina Rimor, worn by 90210 actress Jessica Lowndes at the Aug. 28 Art of Elysium event in Hollywood. Photos of celebrities wearing jewelry fill up my inbox all day long, but when this one arrived, I did a double-take. The bright green simply pops, and the carved stone juxtaposed with the diamonds and gold make for an interesting interplay of textures.

The earrings retail for $4,100. For more from the designer, visit RinaLimor.com.

I've also lately been super impressed by jade pieces from Chinese designer Yilin Choo, who's currently based in Thailand and designs under the brand Choo Yilin Artisan Jewellery. When I met her during JA New York, Choo explained to me that jade has a special place in Chinese culture and is believed by many to have almost mythical qualities. For the designer, it was important to integrate old-world Chinese culture with her own interpretation of modern luxury.

Take a look at these pieces below (click right on any of the images for a closer look). The bangles are among my favorite of Choo's designs. I think they're a clear example of her viewpoint in combining tradition and modernity.

Grade-A jadeite bangles woven with hammered vermeil strips and studded with silver dew drops and green and blue sapphires and tanzanite; suggested retail price is $353 each.

Grade-A jadeite bangle converted to a large pendant and accented with six gemstones set in hammered silver; suggested retail price is $480.

Grade-A jadeite rings with marquise-cut amethysts; suggested retail price is $206.

For more from the designer, visit ChooYilin.com.

A cool ring for a great cause

I was delighted Thursday afternoon when I received a package containing a Tagua ring by eco-friendly jewelry designer Lisa Linhardt, whose eponymous jewelry gallery coincidentally is located just blocks from my own apartment.

Ahhh, I've always loved getting fun things in the mail. What made this particular package even more special, though, was how I acquired it and who will benefit from this purchase (besides myself - I've been wearing the ring ever since I tore open the envelope early yesterday afternoon).

I won the ring at the recent Jewelers That Care silent auction, held during last month's JA New York  Summer Show. The super-cool piece, shown here (though the picture doesn't do it justice), is crafted from  tagua seed, a seed from the tagua palm tree that grows in the rainforests of South America. According to Lindhardt's Web site, most of her tagua originates in Ecuador and Colombia. It functions as a more eco-friendly and sustainable alternative to elephant ivory. You can read more about Lisa, her stance on sustainability and her jewelry by clicking here.

All funds raised by the Jewelers That Care auction will go toward building a water well for the Alasai village in Arusha, Tanzania. Gemologist and Jewelers That Care founder Alethe Clemetson, whose resume includes such prestigious names as Lazare Kaplan, Tiffany & Co. and David Yurman, said the organization needs to raise $28,000 to build the well, which will provide much-needed clean water to the residents of this rural village.

Clemetson acknowledges that Jewelers That Care is "not very close" to reaching its goal. The organization needs all the donations it can get.

If you want to help the cause along, you can donate online, at trade shows or by sending a check to: Jewelers That Care, P.O. Box 380-552, Brooklyn, N.Y., 11238. Retailers also can host in-store events, which are a great way to help out the organization while also sending a message to customers that you truly are a jeweler who cares.

Another and, to me, the most appealing option is the "Investors Trip" to Tanzania where visitors will have a chance to meet the villagers who are directly benefiting from Jewelers That Care donations and also take a little side trip for a safari. It is open to anyone who wants to go, and the cost is airfare and accommodations plus a donation to Jewelers That Care. Clemetson said the trip should be organized by years' end.

Want to lend a hand to Jewelers that Care, hold an event or travel to Tanzania? You can start by clicking here.