The August place to be!

In our family, that means SARATOGA! The race track is probably one of the prettiest in the country, and both women and men are expected to dress up for the races, so it's my kind of place.

The women even wear hats, not that you'd see me in one! Years ago it was only open for August, some of the richest people in the world had a mansion somewhere nearby in upstate New York so as to attend the Whitney stakes and get out of overheated Manhattan for the month.

Now, the track is open almost 2 months, and the town is lively and filled with restaurants and fun things to do. There are art galleries, and lots of little boutiques, and I even bought a pair of earrings! It's hard to even think about jewelry when the buy one, get one free has been doing so well- we even added 2 more weeks thanks to the great response. One person was stocking up and bought 6 items and got 6 free 'pony balls' for her hair (or perhaps her friends hair as well).

We saw real ponies at the track, or tracks as there is also a harness race track in Saratoga that now has (Yippee!) slot machines and gaming. For me, it's a family tradition to go to the harness race track and have dinner at the track-side restaurant. Unlike regular horse racing, harness racing is unpredictable and my betting strategy is to bet on the cutest horse!

Then, after dinner, it's off to play for a while and then go to the racetrack again the next day. At Saratoga, they walk the horses in a beautiful park and you can see them up close, then watch the jockey get on and go off to race. Sometimes, if the horse is really jumpy or nervous I figure they are in a hurry to get back to the stables so that's the horse who will win. I know, not much of a strategy, butit works once in a while.

Mom and Roberta at Lake George

So, if you are in the mood for a little get-away, check out this beautiful town, and the nearby attractions like Lake George. We've been coming here since we were kids, here's a picture to prove it!

The lake is beautiful, the water fresh and cold. Considering all the heat in New York, a break from the weather does wonders. Please don't think I've stopped shipping, after the fantastic response to all our new friends on the "O" list, the Oprah customers are enjoying their purchase, and there is still a (small) backlog for some colors.

People have really enjoyed the RC2 Brava Bib Necklace, and the Dolcetti necklace is an unbelievable hit, we've just received another shipment from the factory and these are already mostly spoken for. Necklaces are big this summer, so we added some more to the "get one free" part of the website. I keep looking at the Millifiore and the La Luna Necklaces and think, WOW these are good buys!

One of the fun things we do at

robertachiarella.com is play with the selection of free gifts, adding things daily or giving people a special treat, at either 'under $25' or as the free gift you can't go wrong. Our postage meter is on it's second ink cartridge, the packages are flying out the door, and it's 6:00 so time to go out to eat.

 There's a great mexican 'super trendy' restaurant called 'dos caminos' and my brother is waiting so I can't be late. Ciao!

Jewelry Overboard!

Just my luck! Today was our day to visit our dear friends who live on Staten Island. It was a beautiful morning, but I was dressing in layers, cause the ferry ride across New York Harbor can be breezy and the water is still pretty cold this

time of year. Imagine my surprise when we heard the ferry had crashed
into the dock, and there were injuries too. I pictured myself swimming to shore, although they do have lifeboats and there were a million rescuers who were at the scene immediately.

And the jewelry! I was carrying some really nice gifts, who'd want them at the bottom of the sea?

Thankfully it wasn't a huge disaster. The Staten Island Ferry is one giant operation, and there are a number of boats, some seem like they can hold a couple of thousand people. There are a series of piers or docks on the New York side with a terminal, shops and waiting rooms that are brand new and a great place to take out-of-town visitors.

The free ferry ride passes right by the Statue of Liberty and you have a fantastic view of Manhattan, the harbor with all it's giant cargo ships coming and going, and you can see coney island on a nice day, too. So, by the time we got there, the unfortunate ship that had crashed was off to the side, and some other boats from their fleet gave us a safe, swift ride, complete with a perfect landing! I feel bad for those injured in this crash, thankfully they saw it coming and the crew made the people back up to the rear of the boat, which is gigantic and could absorb some of the force of the crash. Needless to say, we weren't riding in the front on our journey.

It's mother's day today, and to all you moms out there, enjoy your day! I know a few hundred of you will be opening up a nice package containing jewelry from robertachiarella.com, we shipped countless packages and as is our practice, hand write the gift notes and messages our customers want to send to their mothers. One of the most popular mother's day gifts was the medium Sarah, a great CZ earring that can be worn by anyone, it is so sparkly and hangs just right on your ear.

With our special promotion that we were running, customers could also get one of our new rc2 Trend Collection pieces for 30% off, and we sold plenty. I am so glad I ordered a lot of statement necklaces, ours is called the Brava Bib Necklace and has been well-received, with people ordering all 3 colors, turquoise, coral and jade.

The other rc2 Trend Collection neclkace we call Dolcetti, and boy is it sweet! It's available in fuschia and blue zircon, and comes with a bonus- matching earrings! We've priced this one low so you can get these as a set for $68. There's an introductory promotion going on at robertachiarella.com, see the site for your promo code and you can save $10. Buy yourself another couple of items and you'll get free shipping too!

If you like the luxurious CZ look, the petite Sarah, baby sister to the medium Sarah is $10 off this month. You can't go wrong with these jewels, just picture yourself cruising on the open water, safely tucked away at the back of the Staten Island Ferry, (near the lifeboats) with lots of people admiring your look. 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!