Articles and News
Brand News From Gumuchian, Hearts On Fire, MaeVona, Rahaminov, ViewPoint, Jewelers Mutual, More February 03, 2015 (0 comments)
Gumuchian Introduces Ice Cream Rings
New York, NY—Inspired by the Belgian waffles of her childhood, designer Patricia Gumuchian pays homage to her home country with four whimsical new rings (left).
"Being from Belgium (where waffles originated) we loved to eat ice cream in the summer. But it couldn't just be any ice cream on any cone. It had to be really good ice cream on a hand-crafted waffle cone. These rings are made with just as much attention to beauty and detail, but the best part is, you can indulge in these goodies without worrying about the calories!"
The Ice Cream Collection is carefully "churned" and "scooped" in Gumuchian’s New York City atelier. The collection uses a variety of rare gemstones to represent the four most popular ice cream flavors: vanilla features a cacholong center with diamond accents, chocolate is made up of an obsidian center with cognac diamond accents, strawberry combines a rhodochrosite center with pink sapphire accents, and the pistachio boasts a chrysoprase center with tsavorite accents. All are crafted in Gumuchian's traditional 18k; retail prices start at $4,400.
Pat Henneberry Named Hearts On Fire Global Learning and Development VP
Boston, MA—Hearts On Fire has named Pat Henneberry, founder of The Jewelry Coach, as vice president overseeing all global learning for its organization and retail partners.
In her return to the brand, Henneberry will oversee the strategic direction, operation and expansion of all retail sales coaching, training, and development. Since its inception in 1996, Hearts On Fire has led the jewelry industry with its innovative approach to sales training and its renowned Hearts On Fire University, a 1,000-person sales training and motivational event for retail sales associates, held in Las Vegas.
“The Hearts On Fire Company has always been known for its exceptional and innovative approach to training,” said Gilly Strauss, the brand’s executive vice president of sales. “We are all incredibly excited for Pat to return to HOF. She shares our brand values, a focus on technology in training, and like Hearts On Fire, places a strong emphasis on the customer experience and our retail partners. She has shown herself to be an extraordinary leader throughout her career and has a proven track record.”
Added Henneberry, “I have always admired the impact Hearts On Fire’s training programs have had on people’s lives, both personally and professionally, and hope in some small way I can help contribute to the company’s continued success and leadership in changing the way people buy and sell jewelry.”
As founder and CEO of The Jewelry Coach, Henneberry led the company through a period of outstanding growth. Prior to The Jewelry Coach, she served as a global trainer for Hearts On Fire, was a director at The Diamond Promotion Service (DeBeers), and held sales positions at ArtCarved and JCK.
“It’s a great feeling to be part of this team,” continued Henneberry. “I feel like I’ve come home.”
MaeVona Introduces Raw Diamond Collection
Scottsdale, AZ—Bridal designer Maeve Gillies introduces a new Raw Diamond collection to her signature MaeVona brand of Celtic-inspired bridal designs. The new collection features kite, pear, and baguette designs in the designer’s signature metalwork.
Rahaminov Offers Diamonds by the Yard
Los Angeles, CA—Rahaminov Diamonds, a supplier of rare and large white and fancy colored diamonds with exquisite cuts also is known for its “diamonds by the yard” necklaces. Designer Tamara Rahaminov Goldfiner understands what women want in their jewelry wardrobe: jewelry that is classic but has a stylish edge and is versatile enough for day and evening wear.
“Diamonds by the yard are the most wearable pieces of jewelry and every woman should have at least one to keep as a staple piece. They can be worn from day to night, casual or dressy, and I love that they can be layered as many times as you would like,” she says.
Every stone in a Rahaminov “diamonds by the yard” necklace is wire wrapped by hand, and styles available include double-sided rose cuts, mixed fancy shapes, fancy colors, different lengths, and different type of metals in all price ranges.
ViewPoint Adds Efva Attling
New York, NY—Swedish jewelry designer Efva Attling, known for her modern organic shapes in sterling silver and 18k gold, is now available from New York-based sales and marketing firm ViewPoint. The firm, which also recently added Syna to its offerings, will debut the Efva Attling collection at Centurion Scottsdale. ViewPoint also distributes Shinola and Philip Stein watches, among other brands.
Alex Soldier Makes Neiman’s Debut Online
New York, NY—Designer Alex Soldier's latest gold collection that carries his signature aesthetic of refined style and signature metalwork made its debut at Neiman Marcus online earlier this week. Handmade in New York City, the collection features 20 different styles with price points starting at $1,340. Rich in colors and textures, the pieces can be intermixed and layered to enhance all types of individuality: from casual chic to classic elegance.
Click here to see more.
Stuller Announces 2015 Bench Jeweler Workshop
Lafayette, LA—Stuller Inc. will host its 2015 annual Bench Jeweler Workshop March 27-29 at its Louisiana headquarters.
Jewelers around the country will share tips, learn from each other and industry pros, and network with peers, experiencing the latest tools, equipment and techniques hands-on. Demonstrations and in-depth seminars will focus on continuing education and current issues pertinent to owners and sales teams.
“There’s something here for everyone, from novice to pro,” says Darrell Warren, Stuller’s vice president of merchandising. “Take classes that interest you, visit skill and product demos, talk shop with other jewelers, and be among the first to handle new products and technology debuting in the industry. It’s all here at the Workshop.”
The event will host popular seminars like Basic Diamond Grading, and new ones focused on assembly and findings, plating, and polishing, and more. One new class, jewelry photography, will discuss how to take better images for use on a website, and also emphasize the importance of photography during the repair process.
For information, log onto www.benchjeweler.com/Workshop.
Jewelers Mutual Sponsors Event at Denver Art Museum
Denver, CO--Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co. sponsored a special event, The Art of Brilliance, at the Denver Art Museum (DAM) January 24. The event was hosted by DAM's young philanthropist group, CultureHaus, and featured an exclusive showing of the museum's Brilliant: Cartier in the 20th Century exhibition.
400 attendees at the event viewed striking Cartier jewelry, timepieces, and other precious items created between 1900 and 1975 and worn by such famous clients as Dame Elizabeth Taylor and Princess Grace of Monaco. Throughout the evening, Jewelers Mutual hosted jewelry giveaways, including a diamond pendant from Hyde Park Jewelers valued at $990, as well as a costume necklace valued at $230.
The evening's event raised $15,000 to benefit and assist future DAM programming. For more information on the Cartier exhibition, which is on display through March 15, 2015, visit BrilliantInDenver.com. For additional images and details on Jewelers Mutual's involvement in the Art of Brilliance event, please visit the firm’s Jewelry Box blog.
Alpina, Frederique Constant, Launch New Models
Geneva, Switzerland--Swiss luxury sports watch manufacturer Alpina has launched two new versions of its iconic Startimer Pilot line, the Pilot Big Date models.
The new Startimer Pilot Chronograph Big Date features the highlyreadable aviation dial design for which the Alpina Startimer range is known. For this new version, with contrasting silvered chronograph counters, the inspiration has been drawn from Alpina pilot dials of the1970's. The unmistakable red Alpina triangle signature is found in its traditional position at the base of the central chronograph hand and a military green technical leather strap, perfectly fitting the military spirit of the watch, completes the "ensemble". The watch is also available on metal bracelet.
The 44mm diameter stainless steel case features a scratchproof sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating and is water-resistant up to 10 ATM (100M or 330feet.) The Startimer Pilot Chronograph Big Date encases the AL-372 high precision Swiss quartz chronograph movement, which drives every model in the range.
The two new watches of the range display a new dial design with a deep navy blue sunray finish, a contrasting silvered seconds counter and white dial indexes.
Frederique Constant, meanwhile, has combined both Western and Chinese influences in its new Manufacture Zodiac 24-hour limited edition, to celebrate the Year Of Goat.
The ancient Chinese divided a day into 12 even periods, represented by the 12 Chinese zodiac signs (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig). Called the 12 terrestrial branches, each period is equivalent to the present two hours. Each period is evenly divided into eight quarters, equivalent to the present quarter hour.
Frederique Constant launched Manufacture Zodiac 24H limited edition with the coming of the Year of the Goat in 2015. A 24-hour watch, the hour hand runs 24 hours (the common watch runs 12 hours a circle) and the minute hand turns a circle and runs 120 minutes (the common watch runs 60 minutes a circle).
On the dial plate, the scales of the twelve terrestrial branches replace numerals; the outer ring is evenly divided into eight scales. The six o'clock position is marked the "Year of the Goat", and all Chinese characters are shown in small seal script.
The Manufacture Zodiac 24H has Frederique Constant’s in-house movement FC-724. The 24-hour full-automatic movement is inset with 26 gems and has 42-hour power reserve. Stainless steel and polished rose gold plated steel are available, and each type has 888 limited editions launched globally. For more information, please click here.