Congratulations Kate and William- a Royal Job well done!

God save the Queen! I've always wanted to say that, so there! It's not every day New Yorkers sit about watching the goings-on across the pond, so we have to make the most of it. A Royal wedding is not something you see every day, and what with twitter and the internet, we get to see everything. Look at this, early this morning Times Square in NYC was closed, with crowds standing there on a beautiful spring night as the entire wedding was shown on the giant monitors of Broadway. It was incredible.



Times Square's Royal Wedding displays



Of course, New Yorkers have to ham it up, and re-enact every possible famous scene, but it was all in fun. I think today the whole world stopped for a second or two to celebrate with Catherine and William. I really enjoyed it all.

Did you see the hats? I've never seen such a display of haberdashery, Westminster Abbey was just filled with Englands most fashionable women with hats. I guess it is a tradition or something, and it seems like the hats made up for the fact that we didn't see too much elaborate jewelry. The Queen did not dissapoint with her pearls and smart brooch, and the men, well one has to wonder how long it took to pin all those medals on.

So there we have it, new heirs to the throne, young and pretty. For Kate, it was a long courtship but in the end, she got her man. Here in New York it is clear the Royal wedding was also a marketing success, giving the dynasty some new spark and exciting jewelry designers like myself and dressmakers across the globe.



Thanks to all this pomp and circumstance, I was on the Today Show! Not my jewelry but me, right there on the set. I felt like I needed one of those royal carriages to carry me home, it was such an experience. We've been celebrating the Royal wedding all week and to be part of it, in even this little way, was wonderful. To think that people looking for designs and jewelry got to see some of my things on television is an incredible honor, and was a lot of fun to be a part of.



WNBC New York Today Show Royal Wedding Makeover



We had an 'ambush makeover' segment the other day, and one of my favorite necklaces (the My Fair Lady) made the final cut for our royal wedding for less segment. Next week, we've booked a few shoots and photo sessions to demonstrate some of the jewelry seen at the reception, the after parties, and on the fashionistas of London.

And, to make sure you can get some of these 'royal' looks, our incredible spring sale is going on.

'Royal' Crystal coin cascade



We've placed dozens and dozens of items on our 'flower power' sale section, all 50% off. Did I say half price? You can get the popular crystal coin cascade (very, very similar to the earrings worn by a certain Dutchess just this morning) for less than 15 pounds sterling, or $25.00. If you pick up a few items, you'll get free shipping if your total is more than $75. We even ship to England! Ciao.

P.S. Sign up for our mailing list on robertachiarella.com and become a blog follower to enjoy some 'secret specials. Click on this to see the today show appearance- Roberta 

Oscar, Oscar!

Wow, what a week- I've got Academy Award fever! Our jewelry was featured on the "Today Show", just click on this to see our segment!
 

I'll defer to all those who had issues with the hosts, the quips and comments, the girl from Queens is here for the fashion, the red carpet and the glamour that you always see during an Academy Award Presentation.

We weren't dissapointed this year, some great dresses, Reese Witherspoons will be at stores everywhere in a few weeks, it was so elegant and well, wearable! Did you see those earrings? When they said how much the diamonds and emeralds cost, I nearly fainted. Even on an actresses salary, that's a lot of money for jewelry that you can (as they point out) get the 'look for less'. 

I was delighted that we were engaged by our great fashion editor Jill Martin from US magazine for the Today Show presentation 'Oscar looks for less'. Did you know we literally hand made some of the baubles just for the show, sketching during the awards and putting the jewels together in the studio the next day. By now, they are in production at our factory and can be on their way to your house if you order some today.

 We were on the edge of our seats for the Oscar segment of the Today Show, I did the jewelry for all 4 models.
Can you imagine Jennifer Hudson wore a MILLION dollars worth of jewelry, and then take a look at our Academy Award section of robertachiarella.com and see what it'll cost you!
It is so exciting to make this jewelry, and it is even more fun when we look at what we already had on sale, in stock and see that maybe (yeah, right) Harry Winston copied OUR look for the show!

Our jewelry on the Today Show

I hope you take a look, we've got a great promotion that'll get you 20% off thanks to our People StyleWatch promo code. The magazine is still on sale, and you can see the featured jewelry at your convenience. It's all right there for you, ready to ship. And on Sunday, she rested. Have a great weekend, ciao.

The girl's got BIEBER FEIVER

95th caller, you're our winner! Yes, that was me on WPLJ a couple of weeks ago, your girl from queens won 2 tickets to see Justin Bieber perform in Rockefeller Center when he was appearing on the Today Show on June 4th.

We usually keep PLJ on in the studio all day, music keeps you happy at work and so, when you've got the phone right in front of you and they announced this contest, why not? We all know what that busy signal sounds like, bzzz bzzz bzzz you are way too late, but for once the phone was ringing! The person was shouting that I won, and I was in shock.

I gave them the information, and was told to show up at the NBC entrance very early, as the today show starts its schedule at something like 5:00 AM. We had to go to a 'secret' entrance to bypass the thousands of  people who had lined up to be part of the audience two days ago. I hope these kids had sympathetic teachers, considering it was a school day, but cutting school for a free concert is not the worst thing in the world, I did it when I was 16 myself!

As a winner, I got to be in a special section with all kinds of VIP's (and their teenage daughters) and had the opportunity to be literally just a few feet away from him, next to the cameras.
You can see where the 'audience' was mostly to the side and behind Justin, but I was up close and personal! These are actually my photos, no Getty Images here!

We always chuckle when Carly Frank goes on and on about how great he is, but I have to say it was a thrill to see this guy in person! He has dancers that are amazing and he does sing more or less on-key most of the time. Unlike a lot of Today Show 'performances' this one was not lip-synced at all, he was really singing and the audience was loving it.

 They allowed a few thousand people (mostly Carly's age) into the Rockefeller Center Today Show courtyard, and they were all rocking and jumping and really got into it. Being Live TV, the show stops and starts, but he got in a medley of his hits with somebody to love and one time in there. He also did a short version of his Karate Kid song, Never Say Never. 

In between commercial breaks he smiled and chatted with Al Roker, and as it was really hot this day everyone was dripping with sweat before too long. Even Justin was sweaty, and his fans thought that was just fine. I kept thinking, I really do have the fever! Ciao.

bye, bye, 2009!

Wow, the year is just about over. Can you imagine we are going into 2010. Do you remember 10 years ago we were staring at out (tube) monitors, wondering if our computers were going to blow up or shut down for "Y2K"?  It didn't happen, and now we have way more stuff to stay connected. This little blog, facebook, our robertachiarella.com website, all a product of the broadband era. I can't say I miss paying all my bills with my checkbook, and mailing letters to my friends, twitter and webcams are more fun.

So, as we get ready for a new year, I just OK'd some new jewelry designs and sent the last signed contract of 2009 to our jewelry factory in Providence, RI. Yes, there are still factories in the US, and ours is really special, where third-generation jewelry-makers fashion our products with care. I also just made the last changes to our website for 2009, as the christmas gift-box special is history and we got some great end-of-the-year press. Take a look at InStyle Weddings, they have an annual feature "the best of the web" and picked me to be in it. It's nice to be recognized, and we get a lot of referrals from loyal customers, as well as beauty editors and fashion designers across the country.

It's been a great TV year, too- Wendy Williams wears my jewelry a lot, and it was so much fun to go on her show and introduce her a few weeks ago. To all the folks in the audience who received a free pair of earrings I made just for the show, I got your comments and really appreciate your kind remarks. (I did have a problem posting the comments, somehow the computer erased a bunch of them, sorry) We have been so honored to be featured so frequently on the today show, they are always asking for high-quality, affordable jewelry to use in their fashion segments, and it is great fun working with them. Jill Martin (fashion for dummies) is an emmy-award winner, and is so fantastic to be able to supply her with lots of jewelry for her today show segments.

There have been so many milestones in 2009- we had a contest on the website that had thousands (and thousands and thousands) of entries, the winners all loved their prizes and we had fun working with our partners to offer the prizes. I showed a new collection made for HSN, and it was an amazing success, selling out and getting great reviews. Being on HDTV at the HSN studio was a first for me, and I still remember the makeup they used! I hope to continue the relationship, and expand the jewelry line to offer people the more affordable things that we all love, along with our wedding line, which is more intricate, beautifully crafted with swarovski crystallized elements and is just much prettier than the photos can show. When we have bridal parties come to our studio, the first thing they say is how much shinier, how brilliant the stones are, so until we get 3-D computer monitors, just take my word for it, the stuff sparkles!

I wish you all the best for a happy new year, we'll celebrate it in New York City by watching the ball drop from our living room TV- times square is for the truly brave, or people from very cold climates! To all our dear readers, Happy New Year!  Ciao.

we're HOT HOT HOT!

It may be frosty in old New York, but I'm sweating because we're on our annual rush towards the holidays. People want gifts, and nice ones! People want to know where to get them, where the good values are, and can it be delivered in time. Sometimes folks just have to have what they've seen in a magazine, or they want what a celebrity is wearing. Well, it just so happens that my answer to all of the above is YES!

The place to get your holiday jewelry gifts is robertachiarella.com, because we've got the hottest jewelry in town. We were on the Today Show twice this week, with my jewelry featured on the 'plaza ambush makeovers' segment. It is amazing to watch as the hosts choose women in the Rockefeller Center plaza in front of the christmas tree, and treat them to a hot new look. I love this segment, the gal's husband does a double take! Check it out: plaza ambush makeover .

Ok, on to the next item, you want your gift to be something special, perhaps worn by a celebrity or featured in a magazine, right? Stylists at Family Circle and People Style Watch have picked up on the Angie Earring (and it's little sister, the starlet ) and my mi prima ring, and customers are picking these for gift-giving.

We are offering a gift wrap special to make life easier, with our black foam-lined boxes, silk ribbons and gift cards only $3 per item, and if you saw our work table, you would think Santa dropped his bag right there, we've got so many boxes wrapped and ready for shipping. It's actually still early, thanks to UPS and our free shipping for orders over $75 everyone can get what they desire in time for christmas. If you're the type that likes to touch and feel the goods, and save money, we are having our sample sale next week on Dec. 8th and 9th in Manhattan. Drop me an email at info@robertachiarella.com if you'd like an invite.

And if that's not enough, if you want to see me and my jewelry on TV, check out the Wendy Williams Show on Monday. Even I can't get over the fact that Wendy really enjoys wearing my stuff, and if you look at her website she posts a pic every day with each item in her outfit identified, so you can see who are her favorites. I've been having a blast working with her and all the wonderful people associated with this show, and to actually set foot on her stage is amazing.

There are days (or weeks) like this where I know I am blessed, and so lucky to be able to do what I do, and of course you can't take things like this for granted. Thats why I always thank every single customer from the bottom of my heart, I know that celebrities wouldn't wear something that wasn't the best, and you and I deserve no less.

Our company supports charities (there are charities where jewelry donations are appreciated, we've been involved in dress for success programs and the Step Up Women's network) and we pride ourselves on customer service and great design, quality and price. Sometimes I pinch myself to make sure it's not a dream, but from now till christmas, its really real, working like elves so everyone gets their gifts on time. Ciao!

Oh, Oscar!

I've been behind on my posting, thanks to the academy awards. You know, any designer worth his (or her) salt follows the activities with great passion, in order to spot trends and see what the celebs are wearing. Like everyone else, I sat down in front of my TV to watch the academy awards, but as a designer I have my sketchpad, my computer, and my remote control all in front of me. When a star walked down the red carpet, or came up for an award, or was just photographed in the crowd, I look at their jewelry.

Do I have something in my collection that looks like what a movie star has on? Can I produce something to complement one of the many beautiful gowns I saw? Once I fix on a superstar look, i hit the pause button and draw. Then I try to take a snapshot of my TV screen, and make my husband search online to see who made the gown or the jewelry. Only then can I let go of the pause button. So, if you think the oscars were a long show, I can assure you it was a lot longer in the Chiarella household!

Of course, the thing I really wanted was a repeat of the fantastic luck I had at the Golden Globes, and I was not disappointed. When I saw Angelina Jolie come out with those emeralds, I almost fell off the couch. These 2.5 million dollar earrings were nearly identical to a set of beautiful Swarovski crystal earrings I was still in the process of manufacturing. So, faster than you could imagine, I sent off an email to Elizabeth so she could christen these "angie's earrings" and write some copy to put on the website.

We had to stop and repeat the moment a few more times on Oscar night, as out comes Kate Winslet in another pair of earrings that were nearly identical to ones I sell. If anyone reading actually knows Kate, please tell her about me, after all it seems she loves designs just like mine, having won her golden globe wearing another earring almost identical to my "baby a's jewel earrings". When we saw Penelope Cruz come out with a necklace that is really similar to my true passion necklace, I almost had a dizzy spell!

I felt so unbelievably excited, knowing that hollywood stars (or their stylists) choose baubles from places like Harry Winston that I sell every day in stores and on my website. If that wasn't enough excitement, the Today Show ran a segment on the "oscar knockoffs" and showed the stars on Oscar night paired with designer knock off gowns that will give you the look for much, much less. When it came to accessories, thanks to Jill Martin from Us Weekly Magazine, who wore both the Angelina Jolie gown and my emerald earrings. On the segment, anchor Natalie Morales noted that my jewelry was a similar look but cost a lot less than 2.5 million! If you want to see the clip, head over to youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UL40pgt2AQ and take a look.

Believe me, it is so amazing to get publicity like that, and we were all ready for the orders to come in due to everybody loving my jewelry enough to even compare to the million dollar jewels the stars were wearing. And it looked great! You know, even in a recession girls want to look good, and when you see what we have to offer (made right here in the USA) in an affordable price range, you might find a way to squeeze the budget to get yourself an earring or necklace. We shipped the jewelry out to the customers who ordered right away, and the feedback is fabulous. People really love the jewelry, and we're thrilled that the pieces are so popular.

Us Weekly did it's post-academy-awards issue noting the same thing, that there are american designers who make affordable, high quality versions of the couture gowns and precious stone accessories you saw on oscar night. It is such a thrill to get recognized by Hannah Deely, the Us Weekly accessories editor who was responsible for the today show segment featuring 'oscar looks for less' and the coverage in the magazine itself.

The response has been incredible, and has kept me busy in the studio, answering questions, reading emails and filling orders! It's so inspirational, I have a dozen new designs in my head and on paper, which will be made into prototypes to show around and see if I've captured the look people want. Maybe I'll send some to Kate and Angelina, to see what they think. Ciao!