Me, myself and Rhode Island

It might be the smallest state in the U.S.A but little Rhode Island is a state that plays a BIG role in my life.

First, in an all girls school in Newport and then in Providence, designing and working in one of the famous jewelry factories of Rhode Island.

I started working in a Woonasquatucket factory supervising a production of

crystal buttons for Yves Saint Laurent Beaute -where i worked at the time.

It took me forever to actually learn how to spell Woonasquatucket

and i had a cheat sheet with the city name on it for the Fed-Ex driver.

The button project lingered and i had alot of time on my hands in the factory.

I asked if i could make design and make something while i was waiting.

They ask if i knew anything about making jewelry and i said "No".

I sketched some pieces and worked with a model maker to make what became

my first collection. 

I truly believe that things work out better when you do not know what

you are getting into- your more open and willing to make mistakes.

That month my line was born and i went from VP of Creative to Designer/Owner

of Roberta Chiarella,Inc.

In 2012- I was asked by the Acessories Council in NYC to join a group of Designers
called" USA Made".
I am so proud of my work and the amazing people that i work with-
I was thrilled to participate.
It brought me back to my companies roots and mission-
Designed in NYC and Made in the U.S.A.

Fashion week has now ended in New York and my work begins.
This week i will start creating jewels to work with the collections that just
walked down the runways.
My Fall 2013 collection will be born in NYC and made entirely in Rhode Island.

So once again,i am back near the Woonasquatucket River in Onlyville digging through boxes of vintage beads and crystals.It is a great place to be.

A picture's worth a thousand words

People in my family know that it takes a lot to make me speechless,but when I opened up the April issue of ALLURE- I was overwhelmed by this beautiful photo. This Moonstone Bracelet was featured with a beautiful model wearing them! There's an interesting story behind this item, is made with vintage Swarovski stones that date from the 1950's. On a visit to our factory in Providence, RI we always wander around the storage rooms and other nooks and crannies. The jewelry factory has been in the owners family for many, many years and they've accumulated a few stones that were never used by designers, or ordered because they were too nice to pass up, but nobody designed the right setting for them. Well, I saw these crystals and knew that they'd make a great bracelet.



Moonstone Bracelets

They were expensive back in the '50's  but they're worth it, being of the highest quality and in perfect condition (sitting in a padded box for over 40 years. Like diamonds, they certainly just get more beautiful with age. It turns out there were enough to make bracelets in 4 colors, we decided to use a hinged bangle so it would fit right, and made the drawings and prototype so the amazing artisans in Rhode Island could turn them into the beauties you see here. They are obviously available in limited quantities, we're not gonna get these stones again so if you want this beauty, now's the time. Of course we'll ship them free and I'm sure you'll love them as much as the Allure editors did.

checkerboard necklace- $58

You know, even though I have been designing for a while I still get very emotional when I see my work in a magazine. It is such an honor to be picked, here in New York magazine editors have dozens of designers to choose from, they can walk down Fifth or Madison Avenue and see a hundred bracelets in shop windows on the way to get coffee. So, when they called and asked to borrow a couple for this photo shoot, and featured us with a credit, I needed more than coffee!

Dorothy

The other thing you've got to see is the new RC2 Escape Collection. These are going to be the hottest things as the weather is heating up! Look at the necklaces, they are beautiful, and in both gold and silver so you can choose your favorite look. We've got many affordable pieces, one of my favorites is the Dorothy earring, amazingly priced at $28 and available in 3 colors.

Of course we've got a promo code, just type in ESCAPE10 on our new shopping cart and any one item will be reduced by $10! For orders over $75 we ship free, too. Many of these pieces were inspired by the trend, or craze that's going around the fashion world of using these lucite-like resins, they are shiny, easy to take care of and the colors are just brilliant. Enjoy! Ciao.

Whatever happened to style?

I have a thing for American Made products. I make nearly all of our jewelry in a factory in Rhode Island, and our offices and studio are in New York City. Does this cost more, sure. But we're worth it! Our collection is critically acclaimed, and folks write me all the time about the quality and the value, even though similar foreign made stuff is 'almost' as good.

American style is what they want. Just check out the Today Show, which features our jewelry as key looks for 2011. Ask the editors who want high quality photos of the elegant, classy jewelry that we make for stories or fashion layouts. Our La Strada Bib Necklace (above) is incredibly sophisticated but cool and elegant, now it's on sale and we've got a promo code and you'll get free shipping. Whew.


I love the commercial above, it was made just for the Golden Globes show. There's a feeling about it that makes you feel cool and classy, they use footage from my parents era, when (according to our family photos) people walked around dressed like this all day long, and they drove these huge chromed and jeweled sculptures around, even to the supermarket.

My dad had a fondness for Chryslers, I took my road test in one of the largest cars I've ever driven in my life, a Chrysler New Yorker (natch!) and passed. There is something to be said for elegance, for getting your look just right, with the perfect accessories, even if you're only going to work or to get some shopping done. I don't remember what I wore in the Chrysler on road test day, but it had to be stylish if I was going to drive a car like that! I never post 'other people's products' but hey, it's a car. My mom and my brother Joe Chiarella (whos office is in the Chrysler Building, those gargoyles are right outside his window) both always had Cadillacs, and this commercial brought back memories!

The desire or need for style is not lost on some of our most famous Americans; take a look at the First Lady, Martha Stewart and Oprah, it's hard to picture them 'casual'. Oprah is always on the lookout for fashion trends that are affordable, she picked our social stretch bracelet for her magazine this month, we were delighted!

When you look good, you feel good, even if it's just a good pair of shoes or a super-sparkly earring. We've got plenty of those at robertachiarella.com and I'm sure there are lots of Chrysler stores that'll have today's version of a stylish car if you're so inclined. It's hard to believe that so many people have never owned or even ridden in an american car, but there are so many good ones out there these days and well done commercials like this one might entice you into a store. However, remember that our jewelry is much more affordable! Ciao.

Only in AMERICA!

Artist's booth

It's holiday time and I am happy!

Soon, we'll get a few days to celebrate with our families and friends, to enjoy some good company, good food and catch up on all those things we were 'too busy' to talk about during the year. I did a bit of shopping today in Bryant Park, where they cover the park with an ice skating rink and a wonderful christmas 'village' filled with little booths.

Each vendor stays there for these few weeks to sell their goods to New Yorkers for christmas gifts. Some of the booths are little one-person operations, but Kate Spade has a whole igloo!

Staffed by college kids, or sometimes the artist, these booths are such an inspiration to me. They remind me what makes life in our country so great- anybody (yes ANYBODY) can start their own business, make a product, a food or provide a service and you can get customers.

Bryant Park Ice Rink

These customers buy your stuff, which makes you smile. The customers give you the cash to pay your workers, pay yourself, feed your family and pay your taxes (ugh!), and they give you feedback and tell you if they like your product or if they hate it. When they do so, you go home and work harder to make sure they love it, so more people will buy your jewelry and you will smile even more.

I was told by our factory in Providence, Rhode Island that all the workers are working one extra day per week this season in order to make enough Roberta Chiarella jewelry for us to meet all of the orders. Can you imagine, you guys are buying enough to enable all these workers to get a nice extra paycheck this holiday season. Isn't that totally wonderful!

Bob, who owns the factory was smiling when he told me this today. The workers themselves are smiling as they work, knowing they will be able to buy more gifts and toys for their kids and make their families more proud of them. This is so much better than a 'government stimulus', it is the way the country should be, every day. Thanks to free enterprise and competition, we do our best so that you buy our stuff. This year, you are buying- and I sincerely thank you. Our staff thanks you. The hard-working folks at our factory in Rhode Island thank you, too! Ciao!