whats new?

New York is starting to heat up for summer, although you'd never know it from the weather. It's been so rainy we all feel moldy! I've been spending as much time outside as I can, getting some exercise and taking long walks with my pups all over manhattan. It is one way for me to get some inspiration- New York is full of tourists and you want to see what they are wearing. It's funny, in the past you could tell who the tourists were by the fact that they were so well dressed, in smart, modern european fashions.

These days, the guidebooks must be telling potential tourists that baggy pants and t-shirts are just fine. Maybe on the weekends, or at the Bronx Zoo, but midtown Manhattan is full of business people who, for the most part are a pretty fashionable bunch.

I just love meeting people visiting the city, so many come to my jewelry counter at Henri Bendel, we get some time to chat and I can show off my newest designs. I've met a few brides-to-be, thanks to the great press from Brides Magazine, The Knot and Modern Bride; my jewelry is featured in the issues on the newsstands today. Brides today want something 'super special' for themselves and their bridal party, and I've just started selling the grand super nova earring that really fits the bill.

It's an elaborate earring made with a micropave treatment of the swarovski crystals on the cage of the earring and it is stunning. These tiny swarovski crystals are so beautiful and sparkly, and micropave is a technique that you won't find from many designers, it is quite hard to make. The larger stones are inspired by the current trends in wedding and engagement rings, these are the most popular cuts and shapes out there today.

So, whatever ring the bride might be wearing, these earrings will complement it for sure. There are also some fun new items now available, the lucky 7 bangles is the perfect summer bracelet and comes as a set of 7 to give you the look that is so hot these days. We made it with many colors of stones so it's impossible not to find one you'll just love.

If you want to see some really outlandish beads and stones, be sure to head over to Coney Island. Today is the annual Mermaid Parade, it's sort of our answer to Mardi Gras. You won't believe the costumes, and the crowd goes wild when they see so many people dressed up as exotic sea creatures. There are lots of floats too, as it is undeniably hard to walk when you have fins where your legs would normally be! Check out this only in New York event, today at Coney Island, Harvey Keitel is the parade king this year. We hope to be out there with our cameras, see you there! Ciao.

a memorable memorial day

Today is Memorial Day, and I hope you took a moment out of your day to remember those brave men and women who gave their lives so that we may live in freedom. We should never forget the sacrifices that our soldiers made for us and our country.
We were lucky that what is said to be the largest Memorial Day parade in the country is just down the road from my brothers home in Douglaston, Queens.

The weather was perfect and the parade route was packed. The mayor was there, along with all the local politicians, marching bands, and veterans from all branches of the military.
The local cub scouts marched, and chicklet, who never met a kid she doesn't want to run towards, had to be kept under close supervision! After most of the marchers passed our observation post on Northern Boulevard, we headed over to the house for "the first barbecue of summer". It was a beautiful day, with great food and good company.

I was happy to have some time to relax, it has been such a busy week (in a really good way). Our trip to Florida to show my HSN collection was a success, and I have to say it is always a pleasure to work with the HSN staff. Rachel Huber is a great host, we had super models on the set. I was worried about the time slot, it was pretty late for the east coast, but the orders came in like crazy.

You'll never know how exciting it is to be sitting there when the last item of the batch has been sold. There is a bell that rings, the lights flash, the people taking orders have to stop in mid-stream and start saying "I'm sorry, the item has sold out" and my heart just skips a beat. I love what I do, and like most artists and designers, there is no greater validation of your work than to have people want to buy it. The feeling that came over me when I saw so many of my pieces sell out on the HSN show was one of pure joy. I hope every person who bought some of my jewelry is as happy as I felt during that show when their order is delivered!

Designing this collection was a challenge for me, as we don't usually have to make a design for a specific price. The whole idea of working with HSN is to offer people a high fashion item that is affordably priced. Sometimes, when you have an idea in your head about what a bracelet should look like, you are not always worried about how many stones to use, how thick the metal should be, what type of clasp will you use, because the idea is to design from the heart. Of course, this means that the design might end up to be more costly, and I'll sell less of them, but when we work with HSN the concept is a bit different- we want to give the best design money can buy, but carefully choose the stones, settings, and manufacturing process so that the jewelry will be reasonably priced. In this case, I think everyone connected with the collection agreed it was a hit.

I love a challenge, and making this collection with specific prices in mind was a biggie, but it worked out well in the end. I was thrilled to see the "Best Dressed" earrings sold out even before they got a chance to air and they were made a customer pick. That was so exciting and I am still smiling, I really liked designing that one, and to see that so many people liked it is amazing. The show went so well that we've booked a few more later in the year, and I've got to go back to the studio to get the designs firmed up so they will be ready in time.

But, that is for tomorrow. Today was a day for relaxation and family, enjoying each others company, taking the pups for a walk down by the water, and seeing the flag draped on houses and cars, and carried by little kids or tied to their bicycle handlebars. And, as they say- a good time was had by all. Ciao!