ROBERTA DOES TIMES SQUARE!

well, isn't this too much? I got a call from People StyleWatch today, the editor was in Times Square looking at their full-building billboard that was flashing the cover of the magazine featuring two, yes two of my creations! Just take a look!

Broadway and 44th street, in Times Square, NY

Here's another shot when the billboard zoomed- I love these interactive billboards, they show both the purrr-fect earring and the great brava bib necklace. If you want to get a laugh, look at the 'red things' below the billboard.

If you happen to traverse Times Square as a tourist the vendors and bus-guides will spot you, trying to get you to buy a t-shirt or take a tour bus. Chinese artists will draw your portrait (and you'll be thinner, instantly!) and now, they have these giant flowers set up on the sidewalk.

Stick your face in the red thing, they'll snap your photo and voila, you are a star in Times Square. I usually run in the other direction when I see these guys, but it was fun watching them while we waited for the billboard to come back up. The city is full of tourists, and when a nice couple saw me taking pictures, they dutifully did the same, so I know their friends will be asking them why they shot that picture of a billboard. And they'll say it had famous Roberta Chiarella jewelry on it, pointed out by the artist herself! Ciao.

Happy Summer!

It's the start of the Memorial Day weekend so I hope you've made plans to enjoy the holiday. We've sold a lot of our Brava Bib Necklaces, and I know it's styles like these that make girls look summery and super-chic! Another great choice is the crystal coin cascade earring, filled with sparkly crystals in so many colors. Our summer jewelry has been a hit with jewelry editors, appearing on TV, in the New York Daily News and lots of fashion magazines. People Style Watch is a must read, it is on newsstands right now, and there's a special promotion going on with them, so it's worth a look!

We're planning to go to the Douglaston-Little Neck Memorial Day parade, billed as the largest memorial day parade in the country! I know the president is skipping out on the traditional ceremonies and heading back to Chicago, but you can participate in the holiday and see this spectacle for yourself on Monday. We've got Mayor Bloomberg and city officials and soldiers and bands, and we'll even bring Chicklet, Lulu and Boomer! What more could you ask for.

Take a moment of your weekend and say a prayer of thanks for all those in our armed forces who give years of their lives, and sometimes make huge sacrifices to protect our country and the freedom we enjoy every single day. If it wasn't for our great military men and women we would not be safe and feee, especially with all these crazy things going on around the world.

And if you can't come to Queens to watch our parade, check out their website (link above) and consider a contribution to help this organization make it possible. I'll be there to cheer on the troops and thank any soldiers or sailors that pass by, you can be sure of that. Ciao!

Where's the FASHION, where's the STYLE?

It's right here in the big apple! When you're designing and producing jewelry, you've got to know who is wearing what, and there is no better way to see what is in style all around the world than to stroll the streets of Manhattan.

The city is never prettier than it is on a friday evening, the weather just right, and people are all in a relaxed mood. New York City is an amazing tourist destination, and it really inspires me. There's no need to journey to Paris or Berlin, just walk the streets that the tourists tend to visit. Want to see what's popular in Brazil- head over to "little brazil" on 46th street in Manhattan and see what the women of brazil are wearing right in your own back yard.
See my Greenwich Village Slideshow

I had to run some errands and decided to pick up some food for dinner. Yes, in a city with a million restaurants I do cook dinner at home, at least once in a while. In Greenwich Village, you'll find plenty of "old italian stores" that still make suasage in the back, and import cheese from Italy you can't get in a supermarket anywhere. I love Faicco's and remember when we had a latticini on our own block in Queens. This storefront might look familiar, it's been in lots of movies and TV shows, but I go for the sausage and the rice balls. On the way back, you can buy some pickles right on the sidewalk, now tell me where else you'll see this?

I took my little camera and had my iphone too, so I could snap discrete photos of women on the street who were wearing jewelry that I thought was interesting. It's so nice to see a group of french women on the street, waiting for their tour bus, and check out what they've got on. Of course, not everybody likes being photographed, so I have to be careful. The New Yorkers don't mind, and unlike the people in some foreign lands who ask for money after you've taken their picture, our people smile and pose for you!

Every now and then, I'll see an earring from robertachiarella.com, and that always is a treat! There was an elegant lady on the corner of Bleeker Street today who seemed to be wearing my Brava Bib Statement Necklace, but the traffic light changed and she disappeared before I could cross the street.

Then I saw this artist, and he was quite involved in his work to see me and my camera. He might be the last of the Greenwich Village street artists. When we were kids, there were summer weekends devoted to art festivals on these streets, with countless artists showing their stuff. My father, who was a painter and sculptor, would take us and walk the streets till we were exhausted.

He'd always buy a painting or two, and if it was an amateur artist, he'd put it on HIS easel when we got home and set about 'improving' the painting.  We've got a couple hanging on the walls to this day, dad was never satisfied with the improvements, and was constantly re-painting a shadow or the color of the sky on his acquisitions. They don't have these festivals any more, and it's too bad. I guess if they had one for digital pics I could enter the shots I've posted here, so tourists could take home a bit of Roberta's Manhattan. Ciao!

It's Tax Day

Are you getting a refund? I wish I was, but unfortunately I've got to pay more taxes. It seems like no matter how you figure out your finances, the government always wins. Despite presidential promises, we haven't seen any tax cuts at all. It's expensive enough to live in New York, and it's hard to maintain our commitment to produce our Roberta Chiarella jewelry Collection here in the United States. Our factory is in Rhode Island, and we're proud to say the Roberta Chiarella jewelry collection is designed right here in NY and produced entirely in the USA. Whether you owe money or are getting a refund, make sure your return is filed by midnight tonight. Penalties and fines can be painful, you could have used the money on a necklace instead!

If you're getting a refund, rejoice! Treat yourself to a reward for your good bookkeeping skills and buy yourself something nice. Our spring collection is super special and one item in particular, the remarkable earrings are a great seller. This piece is hard to tell apart from Rachel MacAdams earring as seen at the Academy Awards, and it's part of our spring special, meaning you can get free shipping plus choose an item from our new RC2 Trend Collection at 30% off the price! One item you should really see is the Brava Bib Necklace, it's perfect for warm weather and believe me, it's simply stunning. Hand poured resins, beautiful colors, it's a keeper for sure.

It's been a great week for the press, the Brad and Jen stories never end, but inside InTouch Magazine you'll see the Chunky Crystal Bracelet featured, and it's really a great piece. Crystallized Swarovski Elements, beautiful shiny finish and great colors, this one's a great buy at $78, plus free shipping.

Be sure to check out robertachiarella.com to see more jewelry featured in the magazines, we love working with the fashion and beauty editors who have an eye for whats hot and what pieces are good value and wonderfully stylish too.

If you're not a fan, please go to facebook and sign up at our roberta chiarella jewelry page, in the upcoming weeks we'll have some special offers for facebook fans that will bring a smile to your face.

Speaking of  smiling faces, here is my mom, Dorothy with my aunt, Frances LaPerla in a picture taken a long time ago. Aunt fran passed away this week, after a long courageous battle with breast cancer. Our families are inseparable, she was my brothers god-mother and one of the best cooks in the world! Aunt Frances patiently tried out every piece of jewelry I made when I was starting my business, and wore my jewelry everywhere with pride. She joins my mother in heaven, where the two of them are together in a casino somewhere in the clouds. I will miss her friendship and unselfish love that she always had for so many people. Rest in peace, auntie. I love you. Ciao!

Oscar winning looks- look no further

Well, another academy awards show has come and gone, and the winners aren't all the same movies that I would have picked, but with 10 movies nominated for every category, it makes for more exciting balloting. One thing that we like even more than who wins is what the stars are wearing. At my academy awards party we check out every dress, every hair style and every bit of jewelry to see who is a best-dressed celebrity and who should have stayed home.

We're thrilled Precious won, it was a pleasure working with the folks on this movie. I was lucky enough to have been selected to supply some jewelry for not only some actresses publicity appearances, but for use on film too! At the Academy Award show itself, some actresses wore jewelry that is virtually indistinguishable from a piece from the Roberta Chiarella collection, look at ths shot of Sandra Bullock! We took one look at the earring Reese Witherspoon was wearing and realized we had all the crystals in-house to create our own version, so it is up on the website and ready for you to purchase! Some of these items have already been featured in the "get the actresses academy award look at an affordable price" shows and magazine articles that follow the show each year. I have to say, there are a few pieces that are so close it's amazing.

My good friend and emmy-award nominated TV personality Jill Martin will host a show tomorrow night, and you'll get to see some of our pieces as part of some red carpet ensembles. And, you will see, for the first time on TV, the RC2 Brava Bib Necklace! I love the way it looks on her, the turquoise color is really nice, and it also comes in Coral and Jade. It's up on the website now, at great introductory prices. Take a look at the collection at robertachiarella.com along with all the academy award look jewels we've featured on the site. Ciao!