Get it while it's HOT!

How you doin? Today, the Wendy Williams show's 'bling of the day' contest is at robertachiarella.com.



It's always a treat to be on the Wendy Williams show, she has a great personality, the guests are great and there is always an enthusiastic audience. That probably comes from the fact that it's such a New York crowd and experience, the studios are on the west side and live TV is just so amazing.

I love Wendy, she's always 'doin' the coolest things, this is a daily contest and it's fun for all. I love contests cause I love to win presents. It must go back to when I was a child and my parents took me to the race track at Saratoga, buy a ticket and hope to win! The substantial Wendy's Waterfall is a super hit at weddings, is great for an elegant date, and it wonderfully made. Totally Swarovski, we've got a bunch of colors, blue, clear, platinum and others. It was fun to make these, we did them just for her and got rave reviews. Check 'em out! Hopefully you'll follow Wendy as she does Dancing With The Stars, with any luck we can hope to showcase some roberta chiarella jewelry for her. The show'll be great with her on it for sure.

 

I'm glad I was on the show, and getting ready to be on the other side of the TV this weekend to watch the Oscars! This year I actually saw a lot of the nominees, but there seem to be so many more each year.... I can't wait to see who wins and what the stars will be wearing, but that's for next week. Ciao!

Brrrrrrrr!

Our blog and website are hot, but not much else is here in the big apple. It's been a cold snap that is affecting the whole country, and we saw TV clips of the poor farmers working night and day to keep their oranges from freezing down in Florida. Here in Manhattan, you need your warmest clothes and your hat, scarf and gloves to keep warm, the wind howls through the streets and tries to blow you over.

I usually take this as a message from the powers above to stay indoors, and so my house is cleaner, my closet is organized and our jewelry inventory is ahead of schedule. I am glad we schedule the inventory this time of year, if it was in the summer, we'd be griping that we had to stay indoors counting the jewels when it was so nice outside. Speaking of inventory, when we count, people save!

Our january sale is in progress, and the best way to reduce the number of pieces to count is to have a sale and move them out from my studio to your home! I took a peek behing a large plastic box and found a bunch of glacier cz rings we thought had sold out, they went into the sale section right away.


So, to that lady who called before christmas asking if we had the purple ones in stock and I said I thought I did but couldn't find them, here they are!

And to the customer who wanted to know when the bean earrings would go on sale so she could have a 'spare pair', now's your chance, they are reduced to $25 for the sale.

I've also put the fried egg necklace on sale for because I accidentally ordered extra, our boo-boo is a bonanza for anyone who wants a fantastic piece made of tiger eye glass beads, natural shell with a dramatic center, now only $25 for our sale.

We hope that you've been watching your morning TV, our favorite editor Jill Martin has been busy as usual with her fashion segments, and has been wearing some of my favorite earrings as well as using roberta chiarella jewelry for her makeovers and 'ambushes' that make the Today show fun to watch. I got a DVD from the Wendy Williams show where I introduced Wendy, and we watched it today, I was amazed at the audience reaction when Wendy said every member of the audience would get a pair of my earrings.

The studio lights are bright and there are loudspeakers right in front of you, so you can't really see the crowd when you are on stage. I appreciate Wendy's staff for sending this to me, I watched it 4 or 5 times until my brother made me take it out. Happy birthday, BRIAN!!!   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.

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!

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!

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.

what i did on my summer vacation

Isn't that what your teacher asked you to write about the minute you got back to school in september? If I was going back to school in a few weeks, I would be able to write a nice book report, it's been an action packed couple of weeks. We have some great new items in the pipeline, we're shipping our fall merchandise and even though we just got finished with a great show for HSN, we have penciled in design time for my next appearance, tentatively scheduled for October.

One of the most exciting things going on in New York this summer is Wendy Williams! You know, as a girl from queens, it made my ears perk up when she describes herself as a girl from New Jersey. We 'outer borough' girls stick together! I first heard her years ago on the radio, there was a time when everyone listened to KISS-FM, and she was on WBLS most recently. Well, she is back, with a great TV show, she's literally exploded onto daytime television with a great talk show. And, she's a great dresser- so many tv personalities these days come on the set in god knows what, so I can tell you that ms. Williams has style. If you check out the "wendy's wardrobe" section of her website, she puts up a pic of what she was wearing on each show.

.

And that's right folks, more than a couple of those lines pointing to her jewelry have my name on the other end, as Wendy is fond of some of my designs. She had on a wonderful print dress by Adrianna Papell the other day, which made my crystal earrings look great! Last week, she wore a beautiful Ralph Lauren polka dot dress, and my secret garden mosaic crystal earrings. Check it out !! I've put a link here so you can go directly to the site, the show's staff were so helpful they supplied the info and her promo photo, but don't take my word for it, watch her show!"

Even though we've not had much of a summer, with rain and cool weather most of the time, it was a beautiful day today to visit the beach. Jones Beach, on Long Island is the place I love to go to hit the waves. The best time to go is mid-afternoon, after the most-burning rays of the sun have dissipated, and armed with a SPF 50 sun blocking umbrella (only $29.95, what will they think of next) I had a great time with no sunburn whatsoever. We took in the sun and surf at Field 5, directly across from the Jones Beach Theater, where we saw Jason Mraz last week. I love this guy, the show was great, and Donna, Denise, Brian and I all had a great time.

Today we will stop by Henri Bendel to check out the retail jewelry counter, with New York City filled with tourists, I like to spend time there, making sure we have lots of jewels and to meet a customer or two. New York City has made some roads car-free, and people are really taking to them during this whole summer- it is nice to walk a whole block without having to jump to escape a flying taxicab, and you don't have to stick to a crowded sidewalk, but can walk from one side of the street to the other, or even walk right down the middle, just for fun. Thanks, Mayor Bloomberg, being able to walk or bike on these streets is a great way to see the city, and I am liking it. 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!