Merry, Merry, Ho, Ho, Ho!

Macy's Herald Square

Wheeee, I'm an elf! In Santas workshop you will find me- with Elizabeth, Jose, and Taylor, our new intern. We're stringing Swarovski baubles onto wires, setting beautiful jewels into gold and silver fittings and drinking eggnog all day long. Why? It's Christmastime, and we've got to get those gifts ready for the big day.

Lord & Taylor'sss

I know, many of us don't have chimneys, but we've all got mailboxes, and hey, it's 2010 and I saw on TV that even Santa uses UPS to make sure all the gifts are where they should be.

Christmas in New York is always fun and hectic at the same time. I didn't make it to the Rockefeller Center tree-lighting ceremony, where the star on top is a giant Swarovski crystal, because there was so much security they had to move the jewel display out of the plaza and have the ceremony down on the ice-skating rink. I know the thousands of folks who went had a great time, and it is a really beautiful tree this year.

We went to see the department store windows yesterday. My favorite will always be Lord & Taylor, with their intricate miniature christmas and holiday scenes in every 5th avenue window. Just look at these guys, they are really cute! Inside the store, a recent renovation has turned it back into the masterpiece I remember, everything is so white, so bright, and the place was packed with shoppers. Then, it was over to Macy's on 34th street, where you can now stop for a hot chocolate in the giant plaza the city has created where Broadway and 6th avenue cross. When you are in your car you'll curse these silly plazas, our Mayor has decided that traffic will somehow flow better if you close most of the street, but when you are on foot they give you a place to slow down and enjoy the views. The Empire State Building is blue for Chanukah, and looks great from this part of town.

We had some great food at Seven Bar and Grill, it's a secret spot right near Madison Square Garden serving wonderful fish and a great thin crust pizza appetizer. I highly recommend this place if you're nearby, though most nights a reservation is in order. Full and happy, it was back home to work a bit more, today we filled a dozen orders so they can go out first thing Monday morning.

Fashionistas from everywhere love the jewelry featured in People StyleWatch- Zoe is wearing our Crystal Mosaic Earrings which we've got in 10 colors. Check out the link, and enjoy! This weekend it's an encore presentation of the black-friday free shipping event, People StyleWatch has a promo code and we've got our BOGO sale running till the end of the year, so you and a friend can get a pair if you like.

the Angie Earring

Another hot, hot item is the Icy Cool Earring, it's a 2 1/2 inch long Swarovski piece in the nicest shade of aqua, they are literally flying out the door after being featured in Self Magazine. Another favorite is the Angie Earring, created for Angelina you-know-who! This brilliant pear shaped crystal is on sale at only $68, they look great with practically anything. So if you want some twinkle, some bling, some ice, and some sparkle, robertachiarella.com has what you desire. And your faithful elves will pick and pack and ship until the last moment to make sure you get your jewelry in plenty of time for the holidays. Ciao!

Emmy Awards and Pigs and Goats

OK, how do I put both in one post? Tonite is the Emmy Awards, and as usual there are just so many beautiful gowns, hairstyles, jewelry on display by our favorite TV stars it will be hard to pick a 'winner'. I caught a glimpse of the walk down the red carpet, and can't wait for the actual show to start. I know who I want to win, Toni Collette has worn some great clothes and jewelry so I'll root for her. Of course, Edie Falco has had her hair up on her show, 'Nurse Jackie' and has had so many great earrings on that I am sure if we judged actresses by earrings, she'd win.

OK maybe I don't know who'll win but that is why we watch. One thing is sure, I'm going to try out the 'still picture' setting of our TV set so I can get a good look at the clothes and jewelry, I've got a date with the Today Show staff on Tuesday to prep for the "Emmy Award Look" segment that Jill Martin will host on Thursday.

Yes, we've got the look once again, robertachiarella.com will be providing as many great emmy award looks as we can and it'll be an absolute thrill to do this show again. I love the fact that in just a few days girls who really wouldn't even be able to buy any of these stars outfits will see how they can get the look of this fashion and glamour from regular stores, at normal prices. It's where you look- the fashion is out there and we've got plenty on our website.

For example, the Angie Earrings are enjoying their biggest sales of the year (though maybe the buy one, get one free sale helped a bit) because they are timeless and beautiful with so many of the outfits you already own. Keep your eyes peeled and see what your favorite stars are wearing, then come back and I'll show you what we've got!  If you can't wait till the next post, be sure to check out The Today Show on thursday.

Tonite we'll be eating salads while we watch the show, thanks to a food overload from the amazing Dutchess County Fair, one of the largest fairs in the east coast. Over 100,000 people show up to this 'salute to agriculture' which is funny when you think that you walk from the 'deep fried oreo' stand to the fried dough and funnel cake booth in between the diving dog contest and the goat milking jamboree (yes, I milked a goat, but my brother was too busy with his goat friend to take a picture of me doing it).

 There is something wonderfully relaxing about leaving Manhattan, travelling to Rhinebeck (where Chelsea Clintons wedding just took place) and seeing prize winning corn, the state's largest pumpkin and play some games to win little stuffed dolls. It is always a blast and we got home exhausted. I wouldn't want to be checking my cholesterol today, though.

They even have a 'hall of commerce' where things made in NY were all on display and for sale. There were cowboy boots, log homes, beautiful handmade shoes and linens, but no jewelry. I took home an application for a booth...

Can you imagine a week at the fair- how much fried dough and corn dogs you could eat? Of course, I certainly won't run into Brad and Angie at the fair, and it runs the same week as the Emmy Awards, so it might be a bit much, and I've never been one to live in a camper, which is where the fair exhibitors hang out (not that there's anything wrong with that!). Well, maybe I'll just think about it while I watch the Emmys. Ciao!

it's a whopper

It's been a busy few weeks at Roberta Chiarella jewelry. Mother's day is always one of our busiest times, this year we were not disappointed. I am so happy to see so many sons and daughters buying some jewelry for their mom. I even saw a few sons-in-laws and daughters-in-law purchase things, that must mean there are families where the in-laws have a good relationship! We sold a lot of rings, and have found that rings are more popular accessories this season than they have been in a while.

For a small company, rings are tough to sell, you have to make all the sizes but who knows what sizes the customers will order. Hopefully people with both smaller and larger fingers will order our new rings. People asked me for a "whopper", so we created the Iceberg ring, a real looker (it's a CZ, the equivalent of 44 carats) that is selling like hotcakes. And, once the factory can get the prototypes into production, more varieties are on the way.

In our studio, we also do a lot of work with a lot of fashion magazines, and one of our favs is InStyle Weddings. This issue, they featured one of our necklaces "the unbelievable necklace". We always jump for joy when womens fashion magazines use our designs and pieces for their articles. I am still amazed that Angelina Jolie's Academy Awards photos made our Angie earrings so popular. We can tell that the magazines use the photos in foreign editions when an order comes in from Manila or Milan. The internet is an amazing thing, my friends.

Back in town, the stores have put all the newest spring and summer fashion items in their windows and on the shelves. With the economy the way it is, they want us to see as many great things as they can fit in the windows, so maybe we'll come in and buy them. Our 5th Avenue home, Henri Bendel, has announced that they will actually drop apparel so they can focus only on accessories and beauty products. The top floor will close, and it will be a smaller store soon. They said, in a Times article, that "there is no sign of a turnaround in the sale of high-ticket apparel".

Well, it's a good thing they are keeping third-party vendors like myself, it is always fun to go to the store (I go at least once or twice a week) and work behind my counter. The looks you get from the customers who realize they are being shown jewelry by the designer herself is so rewarding. I've made lots of friends here, and hope this move by Bendel's can keep it a viable concern on 5th avenue.

Sometimes, you meet famous people, sometimes they send their stylists and wardrobe personnel to shop for them, this is how more than a couple of fashion icons have come upon my jewelry. Of course, we reach out to them too, and I'm thrilled to see that Rachel Ray will be featuring my jewelry on her show, it's already on her website rachelrayshow.com and look for "what's Rach wearing?"

And, to wrap it up, it's off to Florida this weekend for an appearance on HSN, where we are featuring a new collection I designed just for them. Working with HSN is a great experience, it lets people who may not have access to stores where my jewelry is sold buy the pieces. And, being HSN, the prices are unbelievable. Check your local listings or set the DVR, we are on pretty late at night, but their website will have all of the new designs. I'll be back next week, no rest this weekend! Ciao.

Happy Spring

It's april 16th, and the annual income-tax-filing ordeal is finished. I always try to file early when I am expecting a refund, and file on the last day if I have to pay. This year, it's a refund, and I actually got my little check a couple of weeks ago. The amount wasn't enough to save, so I spent it on our easter dinner.
We had a great family affair, lots of food and good company. The easter bunny made an appearance, and my brother baked an easter cake. This cake mold belonged to either my grandmother or my great-aunt, and had been gathering dust for eons, but thanks to the internet he found the perfect recipe and the lamb cake, sitting on green coconut grass, was a big hit!

New York is greening up, the flower bulbs on the park avenue islands are starting to bloom, and the pear trees that line so many of our streets are covered with pretty white blossoms. The stores are having sales like you wouldn't believe, trying to get some business even though most of us are scared to spend. The tourists visiting manhattan have another view, and see the city as one big bargain. I always wonder how they can buy so much, unless they fly an airline that doesn't charge outrageous fees for extra suitcases!

We've been working overtime in the studio, shipping out our "angie" earrings and rings as fast as the factory gets them here from Rhode Island. Bob is doing such a great job with these beautiful swarovski crystals! Who would have thought these items would be so popular, but considering the images we have of Angelina Jolie at the Academy Awards, I am not surprised.
Of course, it's a new season now, and the spring jewelry has gone out to the stores and the website is featuring the newest items, along with our mother's day collection. My mother always told me to 'watch your money' but never followed her own advice- you should have seen her jewelry box! In that vein, I wanted to offer really nice stuff at a price that makes it easy to buy something great for mom. At these prices, you can buy a few things and treat yourself as well as mom.

In my family, we don't really go for the idea that "it's the thought that counts", our moms want presents! This is not exactly in keeping with the origin of mothers day. In 1912, a woman named Anna Jarvis trademarked the phrases "second Sunday in May" and "Mother's Day", and created the Mother's Day International Association. Ms. Jarvis used her powers as the creator of the modern mother's day to travel around the country and give speeches against the commercial nature of the day.

She sounds like a real grouch, and was against most of the mother's day things we do now, saying that sending a greeting card "means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world". She wasn't keen on candy either, saying "you take a box to Mother—and then eat most of it yourself". She didn't mention that giving jewelry was a bad idea, so that's what I recommend. You can't eat it, it won't get thrown away a few days later and it will make your mom (or yourself) look and feel great on May 10th. You know, Anna, I'm fine with that. Ciao.

Oh, Oscar!

I've been behind on my posting, thanks to the academy awards. You know, any designer worth his (or her) salt follows the activities with great passion, in order to spot trends and see what the celebs are wearing. Like everyone else, I sat down in front of my TV to watch the academy awards, but as a designer I have my sketchpad, my computer, and my remote control all in front of me. When a star walked down the red carpet, or came up for an award, or was just photographed in the crowd, I look at their jewelry.

Do I have something in my collection that looks like what a movie star has on? Can I produce something to complement one of the many beautiful gowns I saw? Once I fix on a superstar look, i hit the pause button and draw. Then I try to take a snapshot of my TV screen, and make my husband search online to see who made the gown or the jewelry. Only then can I let go of the pause button. So, if you think the oscars were a long show, I can assure you it was a lot longer in the Chiarella household!

Of course, the thing I really wanted was a repeat of the fantastic luck I had at the Golden Globes, and I was not disappointed. When I saw Angelina Jolie come out with those emeralds, I almost fell off the couch. These 2.5 million dollar earrings were nearly identical to a set of beautiful Swarovski crystal earrings I was still in the process of manufacturing. So, faster than you could imagine, I sent off an email to Elizabeth so she could christen these "angie's earrings" and write some copy to put on the website.

We had to stop and repeat the moment a few more times on Oscar night, as out comes Kate Winslet in another pair of earrings that were nearly identical to ones I sell. If anyone reading actually knows Kate, please tell her about me, after all it seems she loves designs just like mine, having won her golden globe wearing another earring almost identical to my "baby a's jewel earrings". When we saw Penelope Cruz come out with a necklace that is really similar to my true passion necklace, I almost had a dizzy spell!

I felt so unbelievably excited, knowing that hollywood stars (or their stylists) choose baubles from places like Harry Winston that I sell every day in stores and on my website. If that wasn't enough excitement, the Today Show ran a segment on the "oscar knockoffs" and showed the stars on Oscar night paired with designer knock off gowns that will give you the look for much, much less. When it came to accessories, thanks to Jill Martin from Us Weekly Magazine, who wore both the Angelina Jolie gown and my emerald earrings. On the segment, anchor Natalie Morales noted that my jewelry was a similar look but cost a lot less than 2.5 million! If you want to see the clip, head over to youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UL40pgt2AQ and take a look.

Believe me, it is so amazing to get publicity like that, and we were all ready for the orders to come in due to everybody loving my jewelry enough to even compare to the million dollar jewels the stars were wearing. And it looked great! You know, even in a recession girls want to look good, and when you see what we have to offer (made right here in the USA) in an affordable price range, you might find a way to squeeze the budget to get yourself an earring or necklace. We shipped the jewelry out to the customers who ordered right away, and the feedback is fabulous. People really love the jewelry, and we're thrilled that the pieces are so popular.

Us Weekly did it's post-academy-awards issue noting the same thing, that there are american designers who make affordable, high quality versions of the couture gowns and precious stone accessories you saw on oscar night. It is such a thrill to get recognized by Hannah Deely, the Us Weekly accessories editor who was responsible for the today show segment featuring 'oscar looks for less' and the coverage in the magazine itself.

The response has been incredible, and has kept me busy in the studio, answering questions, reading emails and filling orders! It's so inspirational, I have a dozen new designs in my head and on paper, which will be made into prototypes to show around and see if I've captured the look people want. Maybe I'll send some to Kate and Angelina, to see what they think. Ciao!

I got the look !

So, what do you think jewelry designers do when they watch television? We keep one hand on the pause button of the remote control, and have a pencil in the other. Watching the golden globes, I tend to make quick sketches of what the stars are wearing, and then go through my jewelry inventory to see if I had anticipated what the look might be at an event like this. This year, I can't tell you how many women wore jewelry that was so similar to some of my creations.
For starters, we saw Angelina Jolie not win anything but she wore the most beautiful cream colored versace dress. Under her long hair were earrings that could very well be my 'pick a pear' cubic zirconia earrings, though I'm reasonably sure hers were diamond creations made or lent for the night. Next, I almost fell off the chair when I saw Eva Longoria Parker wearing an earring that was a dead ringer for my "rocky road" earring. I was delighetd when my favorite actress, Kate Winslet, comes out to accept her golden globe for 'the reader' wearing a drop earring that looked amazingly like my "Baby A's jewel earrings". They sure looked so great on her.

She wore an Yves Saint Laurent beatifully simple black dress (I'm always on the lookout for YSL, having worked for him for many years) which looked great when she held a golden globe in each hand! I also spotted Penelope Cruz wearing a stunning version of my "island pearl earrings".

It's apparent to so many women that you can get the look without having to spend the big bucks, visiting outlets and keeping an eye out for sales. It was apparent to the folks at Us Weekly that you could get the golden globe look without going broke. They put together a great spread in their Us Style section of this weeks issue, letting you enter to win a "star-inspired gown from Hollywood's big night". And, because the Us fashion editors are so fashion-savvy and know what readers want to see (and just maybe because I sent them a 'hint'), the star inspired gowns are paired with my jewelry.
So, you don't have to hope you are the winner, you can get the jewelry tomorrow from robertachiarella.com, and my sources tell me the dresses will be on sale in various stores soon. And to think, some people think the golden globes are boring ! Not me. Next up are the academy awards, if you want to have fun like I do, just bring a sketch pad and keep a firm grip on the remote. Have fun! Ciao.