Neither Fish Nor Fowl

One of the conundrums I’ve encountered as a jewelry designer is ‘where do I fit in the retail world’?

My dad thought being ‘different’ was a good thing – so that’s the way he raised us. Let me tell you, as a kid that is not a good thing. However it does make for interesting adults sometimes.

I’ve always been a bit of a misfit in the bigger picture, not easily categorized, so I guess it’s no surprise that that paradigm extends to my jewelry and its fits in the retail market.

I’ve been told that I’m ‘too arty,’ not ‘fine jewelry’ enough, and that I’m ‘too fine jewelry’, not ‘arty’ enough and everything in between. But the most common comment from my customers is “ I’ve never seen anything like that before,” which, to me, tells me I’m in a good spot.

Interestingly, Nordstroms told me they loved my work but they “don’t do one-of-a-kinds because it wouldn’t be fair to their big vendors like John Hardy or David Yurman.” Not bad company to be in, eh? Even if you’re being turned down.

So, now what?

Jewelry Design: To Trend or Not To Trend

Whoa! That’s an easy one: I pretty much wouldn’t know a trend if it bit me in the butt. Well, I take that back – I’ve recognized a trend from time to time. But that’s usually because its run its course and anything vaguely having to do with it is on sale or at EBay.

So, never having been “cutting-edge” anything, I choose to create by inspiration and intuition, leaving the trends to those who can do them well.

But regardless of whether you are investing in an Elle Schroeder piece or a Glimmerdream piece, all my designs share the same attributes:

• intrinsic beauty: a natural flow and superb color combinations
• originality: non-derivative designs found no where else
• quality: high-end precious and semi-precious gems and high carat precious metals
• value: ageless beauty (not just this year‘s trendy look)
• perfection: exquisite attention to detail
• generosity: longer lengths and lavish use of materials
• versatility: can be dressed up or worn casually
• exclusivity: one-of-a-kind designs & limited editions

Stand Out From the Crowd

Given that glass ceilings have been shattering at a record rate throughout the business world, isn’t it about time for smart women to move on from the simple ‘Dress for Success’ credos of the 80’s and 90’s?   

Now that we’ve gotten past all that silliness and women no longer have to mask their gender to appear competent or demonstrate leadership at the highest level, what’s the next frontier, fashion-wise? We’ve learned that femininity is a plus, to make color and fun -- even  fashion forward -- pieces work for us, but are we still wearing the same old ‘safe’ jewelry? 

Without a doubt, the one area in business attire where women have a striking competitive advantage over men is that they can sport drop-dead gorgeous conversation-starting jewelry, the one-of-a-kind pieces you can find at Glimmerdream and Elle Schroeder.

My friend and client, Karen, owns a consulting company that works with top management in Fortune 500 companies to help them achieve breakthrough performance in their organizations. She recently told me that at an East Coast convention last month she met a CEO whose company she had targeted as one who could use her firm’s services. The first thing he commented on as they introduced themselves to one another was her stunning necklace.

Let Elle Schroeder and Glimmerdream start the conversation. You get to finish it.

Color is Transformative

It is magical. It is transcendent.

Ask anyone who's lived in the Pacific Northwest or New Zealand's South Island about the effect of color on mind and spirit. Listless flat gray skies move in like not-so-welcome houseguests who come for three days but stay for a month -- not only sucking color out of the atmosphere but our psyches as well. Days, feet and minds drag.

But, oh...when those gray skies decide to pack up and catch the next 'Greyhound' outta' town -- and the sun deigns to show its face once again -- we are warmly reminded that the reason nature has provided us with color is to feed our bodies and our spirits.

Color... the effect produced when lights strikes an object and then reflects it back to the eye... energies of differing light frequencies that the eye perceives as nerve impulses -- which our brain then translates into colors -- so simple, yet so complex.

Whether we think of in this way or not, each one of us has a personal relationship with color. Color can make us feel happy, glad, joyful, giddy, wistful, melancholy, sexy, pensive, wicked, tranquil, somber or at peace.

For example, warm colors -- those with longer wavelengths such as red and yellow -- stimulate the heart and nervous system, so we feel excited or anxious. Cool colors -- those with shorter wavelengths such as green or blue -- ease the brain, so they're more restful.

"There is conclusive medical evidence that color affects all our vital functions, biorhythms, body clock, hormone levels and ability to deal with stress," says Suzy Chiazzari, color therapist and author of The Complete Book of Color."

Color nourishes our whole system, supplying a vital energy that is an essential and wonderful part of life. Most of our reactions are, however, unconscious and it is only when we start to use the qualities of color in an informed way that we can harness this wonderful vital force to improve the quality of our life and our well-being.