I love Sue Simmons!

So, what makes New York "New York"? Is it the Empire State Building, Central Park, or the Statue of Liberty? Maybe. In my mind one of the things that has defined gotham's "personality" is Sue Simmons.

You know Sue, the groundhog wannabe, smart, funny and unpredictable. How could anyone be so good at what she does that I plan my day so I can spend some time with Sue each night at 11?

Native New Yorker!

It's not just me, countless New Yorkers felt the same way for over 30 years, through how many hair styles and outfits, watching whatever the headlines may be, but really just spending a good half hour with a friend. Well, those days are over now, WNBC decided to thin the ranks of beloved newscasters and so Sue is gone.  Last Friday was her last day, there were some compilations of what NBC thought were her highlights and there was a going away party at the Sea Grill. Thankfully some of Sue Simmons best (for me) moments are preserved around the internet- her 'falling off the chair' segment, her wildlife impersonations that were an annual treat on groundhog day and some other clips (you know which ones!) that made Sue the one to watch on TV.

I was worried last year when Sue had to take some time off for surgery and was so happy to see Chuck went to visit. We got to see Sue's apartment! How great was that!  Over the years, thanks to well-timed visits with Janice Huff I have seen Sue in her element and always felt inspired. How many women make it to the top of their profession, in New York, at the flagship station, for years and years? Watching Sue charm and educate New Yorkers of all ages makes me proud, New York women have got what it takes!

New York is not like anyplace else, it's not. I've sampled the evening news in countless cities and it is often hard to tell what city you are in because the newscasts are more or less the same. Fires, floods, scandals, weather and sports, in that order. We have those things here too, but Chuck and Sue made it interesting, classy and fun! It has been fun spending evenings with Sue (and Chuck and Janice) for so many years, we got the kind of news that only a New Yorker could give us and I am truly sad the party's over.


Thank you Sue Simmons, I had a great time. See you around!
Ciao,
Roberta

Sue Simmons

New York City Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is the day after thanksgiving and one of the biggest shopping days of the year. From my window on the upper east side of Manhattan I can see people on their way to fifth avenue, dressed in casual "I'm ready to buy anything" outfits, no coats needed on this beautiful fall day. There are also people already on their way home, shopping bags and boxes on their arms.

For us, orders are coming in like crazy, I guess lots of people are shopping from the comfort of their homes, buying online and having it shipped to them. Hey, just saving sales tax (sorry, NY customers) makes it worth it for most of us. Today we've gotten 4 orders for the Chunky Necklace, featured in InStyle this month! We've got different colors and this necklace is so beautiful (and not too heavy) it is a must have this season.

New York City is getting ready for Christmas, er, the holiday season. Rockefeller Center has put up lots of decorations and the trees are full of new high-tech LED lights. The toy soldiers are one of my all-time favorites and they're everywhere around the ice-skating rink.

Last night my husband Brian and I had dinner with NYC's favorite meteorologist, Janice Huff, and her husband. The WNBC-TV studios are high above the Rockefeller Center plaza (right near Saturday Night Live's studio) and we all met up between newscasts. As they say, a great time was had by all. Have a wonderful weekend and happy shopping. Ciao!

it's too darn hot!

Our heat wave continues in New York. Down in the subways, it's unbelievably hot, and you have to feel for the people who work down there. It's bad enough being a passenger, although the cars are nice and cool the subway platforms and stations are sizzling! Look at the poor pup, even though he's one of New York Finests bomb-sniffing killing machine, he takes a few minute break on the cool tile floors at Penn Station.

Check out Us Weekly!

I was down there to hit the news stands and pick up the magazines that have featured jewelry from robertachiarella.com this week. We've gotten some good press, take a look at these!

From 'The Insider', the Dolcetti Necklace

Us Magazine is showing RC2 brava earrings, which is not only in stock and ready to ship, you can also get a FREE item from our 'under 25 section with your purchase.

Plus, we're on TV with a segment on 'The Insider' and one on "Entertainment tonight", as well as a few flashes of RC2 from my good friend Janice Huff, New York's best Meterologist. She's on WNBC TV, Channel 4 every night in nice summery outfits trying to look cool while the weather is hot.

So, do what we are doing, stay indoors and play games on the computer. I also signed up for technorati, 6HY26TWVXDMC  is my code. I've been shopping online, renting movies and try to drink plenty of water. Ciao!

it's a Wendy day!

I'm too excited to go to sleep, and have gotten so many emails after being on the Wendy Williams Show that it would take me all night to answer them. All I can say is if I was going to come back in another life, being a daytime TV star wouldn't be too bad!

The Wendy show is great, it was so exciting to be a part of it today. The audience is hyperactive and went wild when they found out I'd brought a gift of new crystallized Swarovski Elements for everyone there, and they cheer and applauded when Wendy showed off the "Wendys Waterfall" earrings I gave her on the show.

The format was cool, I was the announcer and got to lead off the show, giving it my best Queens accent (cousin Donna calls it the 'native tongue') so everyone in the world knows this is a New York show! It was an unexpected treat to get so much air time, and we both enjoyed the reaction of the audience to the jewelry. The camera's not always on, there are some moments in the studio that aren't on TV, they are filled with fun, showing off my jewelry and Wendy telling some Tiger Woods stories and other hot news items. Ms. Williams is just a delight, it was just an unbelievable day!

By the time I got home, we already had some requests for the earrings, such is the power of daytime television! I hope you got to see the show, it really was a unique, fun experience for me.

When we left the show, I was on cloud 9, it was that cool!

As luck would have it, I'd made plans to meet up with WNBC's Janice Huff for dinner between newscasts. Nobody does the weather like Janice, she's a really skilled meteorolgist and NY's favorite weather-caster, in our house nobody's allowed to watch anyone else!

We met at Rockefeller Center, which is filled with holiday shoppers and tourists, catching one of New York's other great spectacles. Can you imagine, hanging out in my town with 2, yes 2 super-cool TV personalities, in ONE day. And, it's only Monday....  Ciao!

who's that lady?

It's a dreary day in New York City today, so I spent some time putting together press kits with samples of our hottest fall earrings to send to some magazines. Right now, I can't say which ones, but you will see for yourself in the upcoming weeks. Fashion editors who are familiar with my collection sometimes call or just come over, but we like to send out some gifts and samples once in a while. You never know when they need a particular style or color for a photo shoot or story, and I like to be prepared. Of course, there are some celebrities who have seen my jewelry and actually just bought it, and then, when they were photographed wearing it, sales went through the roof.

Sometimes, the stylist for a particular celebrity has an earring or bracelet in mind when they are working with their clients, so we'll get a call asking for a particular piece, and we are more than happy to send it over. Rachel Ray showed up in People this week, wearing my Goddess earrings along with a great outfit to show off her new "2 jeans sizes smaller" figure. InTouch has shown some of my rings, I love the caption that says "J. Lo hates to leave it home" shown with my Iceberg ring, which is on sale at robertachiarella.com for $58. I have some doubts it's my ring that she is wearing in the picture, she certainly could afford a diamond that size.

There are some real, honest-to-goodness famous people who shop for my jewelry and wear it in public. Wendy Williams has been on TV wearing some of my pieces, and Janice Huff, meteorologist at WNBC-TV here in New York can often be seen wearing some of my jewelry. We get both excited and exhausted when the request comes in for Deal or No Deal, as they need enough of the same item for all the models holding the cases. Luckily, we usually have enough in stock, or have enough time to frantically call the factory, in Rhode Island, to make some right away!

A great photo shoot came out in Vogue Patterns, people who sew were thrilled to see them re-issue some vintage patterns for dresses that Lucille Ball or Rita Hayworth might have worn back in the day. I love the way they presented this jewelry, the way they used my earrings on these women, it just looks so cool and well, vintage! This magazine really knows how to use photography and accessories to show you an elegant, expensive look.

We've got our own vintage thing going on right now, with the re-issue of Mi Prima bangle, which was one of the first items I ever made. Back in 1991 I found a Bakelite bracelet in an artesan gallery in Manhattan. While chatting with the owner, I learned there was a man who had some stock of bakelite from the 1940's, and I was able to buy it and make it into bracelets. If you need to know, Bakelite is the first plastic ever produced, having been invented by a chemist named Baekeland in 1909! Anyway, the original bangles were noticed by Womens Wear Daily in 1992 when they put my first collection in their magazine, and the rest, as they say, is history! Ciao.

July 31- the last entry has been recorded

and the summer of luxury contest entry period has ended. We are amazed at the response, so many entries have come in, I worried that the database would fill up. Fortunately, it did not, and we have heard from the hosting service that the final entry was recorded at 11:59:23 tonight. The excitement of the contest has livened up what has been a strange summer in new york.

My friend Janice Huff, meterologist at WNBC TV tells me there has been almost 20 inches of rain in june and july, which is not a record, but it is a lot of rain. There have been floods, and if I was in the umbrella business I'd be a millionaire. You see these guys all over manhattan the moment a drop of rain starts to fall, with their cries of "ummm-brella, ummm-brella 3 dollars, 3 dollars". Rain does keep you indoors, so that means my place is cleaner than usual, we've watched countless netflix, read every book on my reading list, all the things one does when they are not outside enjoying summer.

But, being August, we're happy that the horses are running at Saratoga Race Course. Our favorite race track is known as "the august place to be". I didn't get any reservations this year, though, so likely won't be going up- this is a track where you really want to have reserved seats and have your meals planned well ahead of time, otherwise you sit on benches and eat hot dogs. If you plan ahead, it is so much fun as it is one of the few race tracks I've been to where you can walk right up to the horses and say hi to them before the race. As a handicapper who decides who's going to win by the cuteness of the horse or the color of the tail, Saratoga is really the perfect track for me.

So, we will be staying close to home for a while, maybe visiting friends and relatives and just enjoying new york city. Next week, I've got an appointment with the folks from the Wendy Williams show, she is coming on strong and it seems she likes my jewelry. If I get the chance to work with her that will be really exciting. Meanwhile, check out this week's issue of OK magazine, they are featuring my medium emerald CZ earring, one of my favorites. I've got my magazines and am going to relax, waiting for the sun to come out. Ciao!