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.

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.