Author: Michelle

Why starting a Project because you have the time is a Bad Strategy

Michelle

It’s hard to avoid the topic of the current events taking place. Many of you reading are probably in the same situation as I am requested to stay in to ‘flatten the curve’. I’ve enjoyed saving time by not commuting to work but I’m not embracing it as much as others. I have noticed several businesses trying to update their Instagram accounts more, email messages of how they are responding to Covid-19 etc. It’s good to see businesses trying to adapt but what will become of these strategies once the quarantine is over?

If you are thinking of starting a new project something to think about; is it because you have the time now? If it deals with your business … Read the rest

Why doesn’t the Jewelry Industry put out a Superbowl Ad?

Why doesn’t the Jewelry Industry put out a Superbowl Ad?

Michelle

Last month roughly 102 million people watched the Super Bowl and 23.6 million tuned in to see the glamour, gowns and winners of the Oscars. Town and Country put out it’s February 2020 edition with the 3rd Annual Jewelry Awards and after the first two events I thought, who is this really reaching, and should the Jewelry Industry think about a different strategy to reach consumers?

I’ve done a more detailed analysis on the last two awards issues here and here last year. This time I’m going to ask some bigger questions that might get you thinking about how you want to market your company. Let’s first look at how Town and Country presented the awards this year.

Town … Read the rest

What would you do with an extra day?

Michelle

For some there are not enough hours in the day and others need a day to catch up. So, what would you do with an extra day? On February 29th I went to New York City to see the Dresden Green Diamond at the Metropolitan Museum of Art before the exhibit ended on March 1st. I was cutting it close but I’m glad I went. It gave me time to think about what I love doing.

Dresden Green Diamond at the Met

Walking around New York I was excited and curious to see all the changes that were talking place with some of the stores. Bulgari looks to be expanding, Piaget moved, and Tiffany renovated their flagship … Read the rest

An Unsold item at the Elizabeth Taylor Auction

Michelle

When I heard over the summer that another auction of Elizabeth Taylor’s possessions was taking place in December I was elated! I remembered her last sale and the fun I have had since see her jewelry reappear on the auction block.

This sale was a little different. It was suppose to show the star’s fun side. So when the catalog appeared on Julien’s Auction website I combed through looking at the history and for the jewelry. There were a few pieces but not to the level of her last sale.

The Piece That Didn’t Sell

I did think that most if not all pieces would sell. So I wasn’t surprised to see a few unsold items but did wonder why … Read the rest

Summer Jewelry Books- 2019 Edition

Michelle

As people plan vacations, I look at what interesting books are out that I can read over my summer. I periodically check Amazon to see what books are coming out.  I have 5 picks for summer jewelry books that are coming out this summer or came out less than a month ago.

History is something I have always enjoyed learning about whether it is about a person, place or time period. I have read several books on Faberge and what I love about how people write about the master jeweler is all the techniques and details.

Books focusing on Techniques and History

Looking at Jewelry by Susanne Gänsicke & Yvonne J. Markowitz -June 18, 2019

This offers explanations of jewelry … Read the rest

Cartier Tiara: The Journey from NYC to Beijing Exhibit

Michelle

One of my favorite activities in NYC is looking at the jewelry store windows. There are so many beautiful objects from different time periods and places that it feels like you are taking a trip to many exotic locations. On one of my trips I came across a window with a beautiful diamond Cartier Tiara. The tiara was stunning with perfect details in platinum and diamonds. What really made this piece special was a note accompanying the tiara. A representative of Cartier had reached out to the store owners asking to borrow the tiara for an exhibit May-July in Beijing.

This exhibit is a follow up to the 2009 ‘Cartier Treasure’ exhibit, the second Cartier exhibit held at the Forbidden … Read the rest

Diamond Shoes: Stuart Weitzman Marketing Genius

Michelle
Weitzman being introduced at Mass Art for talk held April 2, 2019

What would you think if you saw a pair of shoes designed with one million dollars’ worth of diamonds walk across a stage? You might be clapping or oohing and awing, but if you were me, you’d thought what a great way to market to a younger group! Stuart Weitzman visited the Massachusetts College of Art & Design yesterday to give a talk about himself and his company. I want to look at a few topics dealing with Stuart Weitzman’s marketing strategy that can apply to all industries!

Weitzman’s beginnings

Weitzman talked about taking a more traditional path with plans to go to school and heading to Wall … Read the rest

Restraining Order on Auction from Elizabeth Taylor and Eddie Fisher Divorce

Michelle

Recently I saw an Instagram Ad by the company Invaluable, about looking at some of their auction pieces. They picked a few pieces from the estate of Elvis Presley to display to me. I have looked at some of Presley’s estate pieces on auction before. I looked at the auction in total and saw an interesting article from the past, a restraining order given to Eddie Fisher by Elizabeth Taylor! A little bit of research had me discovering that 55 years ago this month Taylor and Fisher were finally divorced. The exact date is March 6, 1954.

I’m going to look at some of the jewels Eddie Fisher bought for his second wife, Elizabeth Taylor. The story behind the … Read the rest

Boston-Arts-and-Crafts-MFA

Boston Arts and Crafts: Focus of MFA Jewelry Exhibit

Michelle

Paris, New York, London, these are cities you might think of when you think of jewelry being created. The kind of jewelry that withstands the test of time that you see when you look at exhibits in a museum. If you read my 4-part series on the Evolution of the Jewelry Industry in America that covered the Colonial Era through the late 19th Century. I looked at the listing of jewelers and manufacturers in Boston and talked about how this helped fuel the Boston Arts and Crafts movement. And how Boston was a one time know for its jewelry

If you enjoyed those posts then you should visit the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) at Boston. The exhibit on … Read the rest

Marina B adds E-commerce to their Website

Michelle

Luxury and e-commerce have always been a little tricky. The brand wants to retain some mystery but still be visible to customers and aspirational buyers. Apparel has done better with adapting to social media and online sales, jewelry again has been slow to adopt new ways of doing business. Last month though Marina B updated their website and added e-commerce! If you follow David Webb, they also updated their website increasing their pieces offered that can be bought online. JCK covered it in an article from late January.

In this post I will look at some of the features on Marina B’s website, the product offerings and where they may move towards in the future with e-commerce.

The Website

… Read the rest