“J.Crew Teams With Miriam Haskell for Wedding Jewelry - Limelife” plus 2 more

J.Crew Teams With Miriam Haskell for Wedding Jewelry - Limelife
From JCK Magazine: Retail Jewelry Innovators - Jewelers Circular Keystone Online
Turkmenistan and Ashgabat, the city of love - Today's Zaman

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J.Crew Teams With Miriam Haskell for Wedding Jewelry - Limelife

Posted: 16 Apr 2010 06:52 AM PDT

More wedding fun at J.Crew

We've been loving J.Crew's wedding collection ever since it first launched. With everything from bridal gowns to beautiful bridesmaid dresses and shoes, J.Crew makes it easy to plan a perfectly preppy and not too expensive wedding. And now they're teaming up with Miriam Haskell with a line of wedding jewelry.

Could you put two more perfect companies together? We actually love J.Crew's jewelry as is, but we think Miriam Haskell is going to put a whole new fresh breath of air into J.Crew's wedding line. If you don't already know Miriam Haskell, she designs couture costume jewelry, with a vintage feel to it.

You already know J.Crew is known for their preppy stylish clothing and their wedding line is perfect for a bride who wants to look casually elegant. Now that J.Crew and Miriam Haskell have teamed up to make wedding jewelry, J.Crew really is becoming your one-stop spot for wedding planning.

The pieces in the collection will range from about $150 to $1,400 and will include everything from necklaces to brooches, bracelets, and earrings. Many of the pieces are quite ornate and will add a whole new look to your dress for your big day.

We still don't have many details, but we're still hearing about J.Crew's bridal only store, which is set to open on New York City's Madison Ave. in May. We can't wait to see what it's all about!

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From JCK Magazine: Retail Jewelry Innovators - Jewelers Circular Keystone Online

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 08:01 AM PDT

There's plenty of talk about the downturn and no shortage of survival stories, but these tips from innovative jewelers are smart business practice for any economic environment.

Paul Holewa, Senior Editor -- JCK Online, 4/12/2010 10:54:34 AM

Make It Convenient

Ronda Daily, owner of Bremer Jewelry, with stores in Bloomington and Peoria, Ill., wants to make jewelry shopping convenient for "guests." (Daily doesn't use the "C" word-customer). In 2008 she opened her Peoria store on Sundays from noon to 4:00 p.m., but later discontinued the Sunday hours for six months. "That's what we call our stupid phase," says Daily. "We noticed a 5 percent drop-off in our business during those six months."

The home page of the Bremer Web site promotes the Sunday hours, and a large banner outside the store also gets the word out. Other conveniences include providing progress reports for repair customers via their medium of choice, including e-mail, cell phone call, or text message.

Keep Them Informed

Thirteen months ago Mark Motes, chief operating officer of Smyth Jewelers, Timonium, Md., gave each sales staffer a BlackBerry. At one time customers were reluctant to give cell numbers to merchants. "But when we specify that our staff can contact them by e-mail or text to let customers know when a repair is done or a ring is finished, people more freely give out their cell phone numbers," says Motes.

The BlackBerries also give management control over the content of e-mails exchanged between staff and customers. "This information is downloaded daily to a central computer system that allows us to track such e-mail correspondences so we know how sales staff are assisting customers," says Motes.

Texting is also popular. "About 90 percent of my staff text with customers several times a day," says Motes. "We've found it's the most direct way to contact customers, who respond quickly no matter what they're doing, be it in a meeting or during dinner. Texting is a very discreet, informal, and fast way to communicate."

Motes has received hundreds of compliments from customers regarding the speed and efficiency of BlackBerry communications-even when a staff member is off.

Bridal Savings

Bridal engagement customers who spend $5,000 or more at Montica Jewelry, Coral Gables, Fla., receive a savings package valued at $1,000. It includes a $200 gift certificate for a wedding band, the first year's insurance, annual in-house appraisal, annual ring sizing (up or down one ring size), annual refurbishment, in-house safety checks, engraving service, and unlimited cleanings. "Conservatively speaking, about seven out of 10 engagement customers come back for their wedding bands with us mainly because of the perceived value of this savings package," says owner John O'Rourke.

The gift card provides incentive for couples to purchase bands sooner rather than later. "Many couples put the wedding bands purchases off by a year, but we're finding with the gift card people don't wait as long to buy their wedding jewelry," O'Rourke says.

Redesign Kit

For the last three years, Stuart Benjamin and his staff have handed out 200 to 300 redesign kits. "Since we started the program we've had about a 50 percent return rate," says the owner of Stuart Benjamin & Co. Jewelry Designs, San Diego.

The kit contains a custom design information card, a $50 gift card, and a polishing cloth with the store's logo. When a customer returns the kit, it typically includes the item to be made into a new piece of jewelry, pictures from magazines or catalogs that best match the desired design, and any specific instructions. Customers may also see their custom jewelry rendered in 3-D before it's made.

Clients also can choose a finished piece of jewelry based on the value of the precious metals and gemstones exchanged.

Winning Endorsements

Jimmy Pesis and his wife, Helain, co-owners of Continental Diamond, St. Louis Park, Minn., have a testimonial Web page featuring local celebrities that has helped brand the store as the hometown jeweler. Sports legends such as former Minnesota Twins Tony Oliva and Paul Molitor endorse the store as does Brad Childress, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, and Flip Saunders, the former Timberwolves coach who was part of the University of Minnesota's famed basketball lineup in the 1980s. Local TV personality Tawnja Zahradka interviews the sports figures for the online testimonials.

"It means a lot to customers to know that local celebrities know us and trust us and that they buy from the same jeweler," says Pesis. Local sports celebrities are also part of Pesis's new ad campaigns, further cementing the hometown branding component. Twins first baseman Justin Morneau has been the store's spokesman for the last two years, and KFAN's Paul Allen, "the voice of the Vikings," is part of a new ad campaign that gives blow-by-blow calls behind a sofa while a young man proposes to his fiancée with a ring from Continental Diamond.

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Desert bazaar

I visited a famous desert bazaar near Ashgabat. The bazaar is open four days a week, with Turkmens crowding its stalls on Wednesdays, Thursday, Fridays and Sundays. It is one of the biggest outdoor bazaars in the world. Even people from Iran come to shop here. The bazaar's busiest day is Sunday. People can find everything here. The renowned Turkmen carpets capture our attention the most. These hand-woven carpets feature beautiful designs, with Turkmen women showing customers the carefully woven carpets. I found prayer rugs for $50. There are Turkmen carpets at the desert bazaar that sell for between $2,000 and $3,000.

I put on traditional Turkmen dress in one of the sections of the bazaar as well as a kalpak (a type of hat). Black kalpaks are generally worn by older people. White ones are worn on holidays. The summer months are very hot in Turkmenistan. Those in the market feel the scorching heat of the desert, when temperatures range between 45 and 50 degrees Celsius. But it can get even hotter sometimes.

Turkmen wedding

On one of these hot summer days I attended a Turkmen wedding. People rode horses in front of the wedding car. The bride was brought to the groom's house and people danced and had fun. Traditional wedding ceremonies are still held here, and the Turkmens are keen on keeping their customs and traditions alive.

The mother-in-law took the bride's hand and put it in flour and then oil so the marriage would be blessed. In line with Turkmen traditions, the bride also held a baby so that the couple will have many children.

The groom's name was Şahnefes, and the bride's name was Sülgün. Sülgün is the name of a bird. The bride kept part of her face covered throughout the wedding, but because the heat caused her discomfort, her friends and family tried to cool her down with a fan.

I approached them and congratulated the bride and groom. I was unable to see the bride's face. Her wedding dress, veil and jewelry weighed 40 kilograms. A Turkmen bride wears her wedding dress and veil for 40 days so that everyone knows she is a newly married woman.

Turkmen rice and tea are served at the wedding. Fresh Turkmen bread is also served while still hot. The locals call this bread çörek. Turkmen rice serves as the main dish and is offered to guests at all weddings. Of course Turkmen the rice comes with meat.

While at this wedding I learned that the Turkmens cook rice every Thursday evening. This is one of their traditions. They make the rice in large amounts and share it with their neighbors. After eating the rice on Thursday nights, they pray and remember the dead.

Is wrestling ever absent from a Turkmen wedding? Of course not. The field was prepared and the wrestlers took their positions. Turkmen wrestling is different from Turkish wrestling. A belt is tied around the two wrestlers, who try to bring each other down by holding on to the belts. The wrestling started in the heat of the day as curious eyes watched them. The wrestlers first try to figure out how strong their rival is, and then the match ends quickly.

This time the winner was Tahir. He is 30 years old and has been wrestling for 10 years. His father was also a wrestler. As the winner, his prize was a camel. In the final round, he quickly pinned his rival again.

Wedding Jewelry

Friday, April 16, 2010