Slight Drop in 2nd Quarter Sales for Finlay

Finlay Enterprises, Inc., a leading retailer of fine jewelry and the largest operator of licensed fine jewelry departments in department stores in the United States, said sales for the second quarter ended Aug. 4, totaled $148 million compared to $149.3 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2006.

The sales results are on a continuing operations basis, which exclude the sales in the current and prior year periods from the Parisian store group whose remaining departments closed in July 2007, as well as sales from discontinued Macy's and Belk's stores in the prior year period, the New York-based jeweler said.

Specialty jewelry stores Carlyle and Congress contributed sales of $27 million in the quarter, compared with $20 million in the same period last year. Total sales, including sales of the Parisian store group, for the second quarter were $154.4 million compared with $153.6 million in the prior year.

Same-store sales for the second quarter decreased 3.6 percent. As previously disclosed, the company estimates the calendar shift associated with Mother's Day coming a week earlier this year had an approximate 3- to 4-percent negative impact on second quarter same-store sales. Same-store sales for the second quarter including discontinued stores decreased 1.3 percent.

Sales for the six months ended Aug. 4, increased 5.9 percent to $311 million compared to $293.6 million in the first six months of 2006. Specialty jewelry stores contributed sales of $54.2 million for the six month period, as compared to $37.5 million in 2006. Total sales, including sales of the Parisian store group, for the six months increased 5.9 percent to $320.8 million compared to $302.9 million for the comparable period in 2006.

Same-store sales for the six months increased 2.4 percent on a continuing operations basis. When including discontinued stores, same-store sales increased 3.3 percent.

"Year-to-date, we are pleased with our solid top line and comparable store sales growth," said Arthur E. Reiner, Finlay Enterprises chairman and chief executive officer. "We experienced an improved sales trend as the second quarter progressed. Further, our Carlyle specialty jewelry stores have continued to perform particularly well."

The company said it expects to report full financial results for the second quarter on Aug. 29.

Finlay Enterprises, Inc., through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Finlay Fine Jewelry Corp., operates luxury stand-alone jewelry stores primarily located in the southeastern United States. The number of locations totaled 725, including 33 Carlyle and five Congress specialty jewelry stores.
Source: jckonline

Jewelry booth sparkles at Emmanuel fair

The Jewelry Boutique at the Emmanuel Church Country Fair — being held this year on Saturday, Sept. 15 — is a success story that rivals anything on Wall Street.

What began nine years ago as a tiny corner of the “Flea Market,” has grown to a full-scale boutique of e-Bay proportions. Thanks to variety, value, and unbelievable bargains, word of the boutique has spread quickly. It is now one of the most popular booths at the fair.

At first one display case was enough for the better jewelry. Now there are five. This year, fair-goers will find quality earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings, as well as costume jewelry and everything in between.

The rest of the booth will be devoted to scarves, purses, belts, gloves, sweaters, hats, hand mirrors, perfume bottles, and most surely a few surprises.

A special carton of 10-cent and 25-cent articles is always available for the children, with little bags and boxes for those who are buying gifts.

Jewelry Boutique Co-chairmen Dede Anderson and Nancy Odden are proud of their motto: “We treat every jewel as precious.” Before the fair, they put in weeks of washing and polishing. Everything is carefully examined — and if it warrants appraisal, it gets it. Even the broken pieces are sold at a special price to a puppeteer for her costumes.

Tax-deductible donations are welcome. Call the parish office at 227-8565.

Emmanuel Church’s 101st Annual Country Fair will be held Sept. 15, open until 4, rain or shine, at 285 Lyons Plain Road.

The day will feature hayrides, games, face painting, a country kitchen, quilt show, holiday crafts and handmades, plants, a good-goods flea market, collectibles, jewelry, books, a chocolate chip cookie contest, and a silent auction. And, there will be plenty of food.
Source: acorn-online

Big, scary jewelry not so scary

Somewhere in one of the bottom drawers of my jewelry chest, my dainty jewelry from years past is waiting for its comeback. But those tasteful silver studs and little dangling charms might as well resign themselves to a life of boredom in the pink-velvet lined box. Their return isn’t happening anytime soon.

My obsession with big, scary jewelry was encouraged, of course, by the fashion industry’s dedication to larger-than-life accessories. It started about five years ago with chandelier earrings — which at the time seemed dangerously large and dangling. In truth, we hadn’t seen anything yet.

When the chandeliers grew bigger, the rest of earrings followed — and now there’s no going back. I have some white shell earrings with a three-inch diameter. My husband says they look like something out of National Geographic. I wore them to an Astros game and my dad thought they were supposed to be baseballs.

But beginning last season and coming full-force this fall, the earrings aren’t the only accessories liable to frighten small children.

For years, I’ve considered the most essential accessory to complete an outfit to be earrings. Now, you can let your ears relax and let your neck do the work.

This season, layered necklaces — even those that aren’t designed to be worn together — are a sure way to update your look. If you’re aiming for a formal look, choose delicate chains or beads, but lots of them.

Chunky, colorful beads can go with almost any outfit, layered or not.

I know the types of necklaces popular with the younger crowd — the bright circle beads that remind me vaguely of Betty Rubble. If you’re under 20, go for it. Every generation needs its own version of big and scary to designate itself from the one before.

If you’re too old for Flintstones, look for big beads that are dressed up a little more than the plastic ones. Try turquoise, enamel, tortoise shell or pearls. Even transparent plastic beads in different shades can look appropriate for women of all ages if it coordinates with an outfit properly.

While I won’t commit to forecasting a huge bracelet comeback — perhaps because I can barely stand to wear one because it interferes with my typing — I will say that wrist adornment is also becoming bolder. Think of chunky cuffs, textured metals and more enamel.

When you’re wearing whatever piece of big, scary jewelry that you decide on, you don’t have to scale down your entire look, but you shouldn’t wear more than one piece that makes a huge statement. In other words, the gigantic shell earings shouldn’t be paired with a matching necklace, watch and belt. You don’t have to go completely dainty, but let it be clear which item is the focal point. Too many things competing for the spot confuses the eyes.

Keep it in proportion, too. A tiny woman wearing a necklace that weighs more than she does will just look silly.

But above all, don’t be scared by the big, scary jewelry. Once you get used to the size — and clear the drawer space — the fashion fun will be addicting.
Source: galvestondailynews

Mark Silverstein Tattoo Jewelry

From Mark Silverstein

Handiwork more than tea cozies

Jewelry making often conjures up an image of middle-aged soccer moms selling crocheted frog earrings at the local senior center craft fair. I would know: I've seen it.

But nowadays handiwork is more than just tea cozies and hemp bracelets. It's a stylish way to accessorize yourself without emptying your pocketbook. After all, the price of one pair of earrings will get you enough beads and hardware to make at least three times that for you and anyone you deem worthy to give them to.

And they look fabulous.

So how does one get into the sometimes tricky art of making jewelry? To find out I talked to jewelry designer Tammy Powley (http://www.tammypowley.com/), from Port St. Lucie, Florida. Powley is the author of several books on jewelry design as well as a few popular beading Web logs, which she updates regularly.

She was also the creative consultant for "Jewelry Making and Beading For Dummies," part of the famous "For Dummies" series we all secretly read.

I was intrigued by a series of accessories she had designed based on characters in some of Jane Austen's famous novels.

"I'm a huge Janeite," Powley said, "so I thought it would be fun to create jewelry around her novels and sort of connect her characters' personalities to the jewelry pieces."

Definitely better than crocheted frogs.

So what exactly is the benefit of making your own jewelry? First of all, you don't need to have mastered biochemistry to start it up.

"It's a hobby where anyone can pick up the basics pretty quickly," Powley said. In fact, she has a series of step-by-step "how-tos" on her Web logs — which made my first attempt a lot easier.

Colleen Evans of Prunedale, who works at Avalon Beads in Salinas, said she loves having unique adornments, which is why she makes almost all her own jewelry.

"You can design whatever you want and nobody else has it," Evans said. "I love that no one's going to have it but me."

It's also about the reward of creating something beautiful. If you're like me and can't draw or sew clothing worth a half-penny, jewelry-making is a great way to express your artistic side. Not to mention be able to make jewelry that perfectly matches your bag and shoes. Ultimate accessorizing!

"It's really a way to incorporate your artwork into the everyday, because you can wear it," Powley said. "A painting you hang on the wall and appreciate, but then at some point you have to leave the room."
Source: thecalifornian

Tiffany to Open Boutique in Nagoya

Tiffany & Co. on Thursday announced plans to open a new boutique in Matsuzakaya Nagoya, in the Nagoya flagship store. The 2,300 square-foot store is scheduled to open Sept. 26 and is located in Sakae, Nagoya-shi, an area with luxury shopping and restaurants.

The store will represent Tiffany's third Nagoya location and its 54th location in Japan. Customers will enter the boutique through a stone arch bordered by honey onyx. The interior is distinguished by a purple color palette, green sycamore stained hardwood, rice paper wall coverings, and custom furniture.

The boutique will include the collections of exclusive Tiffany designers Elsa Peretti, Paloma Picasso, Jean Schlumberger, and Frank Gehry; fine and bridal jewelry; sterling silver and gold fashion jewelry; watches; and gifts.
Source: jckonline

Car Slams Into Jewelry Store

A car slammed into an Akron jewelry store Wednesday.

Emergency crews said the driver blacked out just before crashing into Taylor Made Jewelry on Wedgewood Drive at about 7 p.m.

The store's owner said the accident caused at least $50,000 in damages.

The driver is OK. He refused to go to the hospital.

The owner is busy cleaning up Thursday.
Source: yahoo

Get crafty with fun and unique D.I.Y jewelry

While diamonds may be every girl’s best friend, handmade jewelry is unique and personal, making it every bit as precious. Crafting your own keepsake is not only fun and cost-conscious, but your creation is sure to make a great conversation piece. And it’s easier than you think! Whether you want a rainy-day activity or need a last-minute update for your outfit, Bobbie Thomas, Today Style editor and author of the Buzz for “In Touch” weekly, shares some do-it-yourself inspiration.

More and more fashionistas are brushing their bling aside for cool, one-of-a-kind creations. Trendsetters are always in search of ways to express their individual style, and are eager to embrace innovative designers such as Venezuela’s Guadalupe Gehrenbeck ($75-500; 646-541-2685). Her use of common goods, such as trimmings and men's ties, in unconventional ways, is a great inspiration for your own project!
Source: msnbc

Jewelry sale benefits Safe Harbor

A jewelry company that uses direct sales plans to have a special sale from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday at The Kensington. Two local Silpada Designs sales representatives said Monday that 10 percent of Thursday's sales will be donated to Safe Harbor Family Crisis Center.

Silpada Designs After Dark at The Kensington Garden Room also will feature wine tasting and appetizers. The public is welcome.

Jennifer Gramey, a local "star leader," or team leader, said products will be displayed Thursday. Discontinued items can be purchased at the sale. Other items will be ordered.

"There are a lot of jewelry direct sales companies out there today," Gramey said. "The difference between Silpada and the other companies is we sell the highest grade of sterling silver (.925 purity) and natural gem stones. It's fine jewelry, not costume jewelry."

"During the Oscars, some of the stars were wearing Silpada," Allen said.

Gramey and one of the members of her team, Anna Allen, also will be willing to talk to people interested in becoming a sales representative.

"It's really stress-free for us and the customers," Allen said.

Gramey said Thursday's event is meant to introduce the 10-year-old company to the community. She said it is just beginning to make inroads here, after being popular mostly in Iowa and on the East Coast. She said most of the sales are done in homes.

"This is actually the first big event we have done here," Gramey said. "We hope to make it an annual event. It is definitely Anna and my desire to help the community."

Gramey said plans are to donate a portion of sales to a different local organization each year.

Jennifer Gramey, left, and Anna Allen display some Silpada Design Products.

Source: register-mail

Handicapped Jeweler Survives Bridge Collapse

A disabled jeweler narrowly escaped death, again, on Aug. 1, when Minnesota’s Interstate 35W bridge collapsed beneath his van.

Marcelo Cruz, 26, is paralyzed from waist down since being shot while aiding a friend seven years ago. He was driving his specially equipped van across the 40-year-old bridge in downtown Minneapolis, above the Mississippi River, on his way to wheelchair-marathon training, in bumper-to-bumper evening rush hour traffic. Suddenly, at 6:01 pm, he later told reporters, the bridge “started shaking like an earthquake.” The section ahead of him collapsed, throwing almost 20 cars in front 60 feet down into the fast-flowing Mississippi.

Cruz tried to apply his van’s brakes, but the vehicle wouldn’t stop and kept rolling toward the edge of the broken bridge. “I thought I was going to die,” Cruz said to reporters.

Thinking quickly, he turned his steering wheel hard right, crashing the van into the bridge’s outer barrier and stopping only 15 feet from the broken edge over the river.

As people screamed for help, two men who saw what happened yelled at him to get out of the van. “I can’t,” Cruz told them. “I’m in a wheelchair.” Without hesitation, the two ran down the steep slope to the van and hauled him and his wheelchair out of it. Police and bystanders then pulled him up onto the riverbank.

“God saved my life a second time,” said Cruz later, recalling the time years earlier when he was shot.

Cruz, a resident of Crystal, Minn., has worked for two years as an apprentice goldsmith to the senior goldsmith at Arthur’s Jewelers in Roseville, Minn., an award-winning family-owned business and the largest jewelry store in the state of Minnesota.

Since the incident, “we’ve had many local and national news reporters call or come in [the store],” said Marilyn Nogai, co-owner of Arthur’s Jewelers with her husband Frank, to JCK. “Katie Couric, of CBS, sent someone [to interview Cruz] and the Make-a-Wish Foundation wants him to speak to children on how they can turn their lives around despite their disabilities,” Nogai said.

“Repairs are piling up in the store” while the media pull Cruz away from his work, she said, laughing, “but we don’t mind. He’s a wonderful, humble young man, who supports his mother. He has a good personality, a deep faith in God, and a positive attitude, even though he has no use of his legs, which he lost trying to help a friend years ago. The bullet from that is still in his spine. But he says, ‘This is what life dealt me and I have to make the most of it.’”

Though Cruz survived the bridge collapse, the catastrophe cost him his used Plymouth minivan, modified for handicapped drivers, which he had bought only last December for $14,000, and the custom-made racing wheelchair, which was in it. (Cruz competes in wheelchair marathons and is training for the Twin Cities Marathon in October.)

“He really needs a van modified for wheelchair users,” said Marilyn Nogai, “to get around and to get to work, especially now, because he is the sole support of his mother.”
Source: jckonline