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Industry News: JFC To Honor Mellier, Burger; JA Honors Retailer Design; More February 03, 2015 (0 comments)
JFC to Honor Philippe Mellier, Scott Burger at Annual Facets of Hope Event
New York, NY—Jewelers for Children has announced that Philippe Mellier (left), CEO of De Beers Group and Scott Burger, CEO of the Americas for Pandora, will be honored at its annual Facets of Hope dinner, set for Sunday, May 31, 2015 at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
The annual event celebrates JFC's fund raising efforts throughout the year, and announces the commitments it will make to its charity partners. More than 1,800 guests attended the 2014 event.
Both Mellier and Burger have agreed to serve as guests of honor at the event with the responsibility of assisting JFC in raising funds to benefit children who are the victims of catastrophic illness or life-threatening abuse and neglect.
“Philippe and Scott are so well deserving of this very special honor," said JFC chair Ruth Batson of the American Gem Society. "Their commitment to giving back, particularly when children are involved, is commendable.”
Philippe Mellier began his career at the Ford Motor Company, where he spent 19 years in various senior management positions. He joined Renault as a senior vice president and in 2001 moved to Volvo AB to become chairman and chief executive of Renault Trucks and a member of the Volvo Group executive committee. He was appointed chief executive of De Beers Group in July 2011.
Scott Burger serves as president of the Americas for Pandora, leading strategy development and overseeing all aspects of the business for the company’s largest market, accounting for approximately 50% of sales.
Since assuming the role of president of North America in 2012 and then the Americas in 2013, Burger’s goal has been to guide Pandora’s evolution to a major global player in fashion and retail. His previous roles there included vice president of finance and operations, chief operating officer and chief financial officer. During this time, he played an integral role in helping the company go public in 2010, led market development strategies in Canada and Brazil, and supported other aspects of the company’s globalization strategy.
Scott Burget
Burger previously held management roles at Dormia, a mattress manufacturing and wholesale company, and various leadership positions for Royal Ahold companies, Giant Food, and U.S. Foodservice.
For more information, contact JFC at (212) 687-2949 or info@jewelersforchildren.org. Details and participation forms are available at the JFC website.
Jewelers of America Announces Winners of National Retailer Design Competition
New York, NY—Jewelers of America (JA) announced the winners of its CASE Awards, its annual national retailer design competition. The event, held at the JA New York Winter Show, January 18-20, recognizes JA retail members who exhibit creativity, artistry, style and excellence in jewelry design. Many of the winning pieces of the 2015 CASE Awards were hand fabricated with intricate designs reflecting current trends such as mixed metals, nature-themed elements. and fancy cut stones.
There were 54 entries in five categories. Four are based on retail value: up to $2000, $2001-$5000, $5001-$10000, over $10,000; and one is Buyers’ Choice.
“Each year, Jewelers of America uses the CASE Awards retail design competition to shine a national spotlight on the craft and creativity of independent jewelers,” says JA president & CEO David J. Bonaparte. “The jewelry entered into the CASE Awards highlights the fine craftsmanship that consumers can find in Jewelers of America-member stores nationwide.”
Winners were determined by a judging panel of industry experts who judged the entries in a specific area of concentration. Voting in the category of Buyers’ Choice was open to all JA New York attendees with a separate ballot. Winners receive a trophy from JA.
The awards were sponsored by Synchrony Financial and Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co. The competition is open only to JA retail members and their employees. For more information about the competition and to view the Winner’s Photo Gallery, click here.
Left to right above: first Place, Jewelry up to $2,000: 18k yellow gold pendant featuring two moonstones and a pear shape labradorite, by Dianna High, Dianna Rae Jewelry, Lafayette, LA; first Place, Jewelry $2,001 to $5,001: 14k white gold “Zephyr” necklace with channel set round brilliant diamonds (0.55 ctw), by Susan Drake, Spectrum Fine Jewelry, Wilmington, NC.
Left to right, above: first Place, jewelry $5,001 to $10,000, platinum and 18k rose gold ring featuring 48 diamonds and fancy brown diamonds (0.87 ctw), by Sarkis Sarkissian, Giraux Fine Jewelry, San Francisco, CA; first Place, jewelry over $10,000, 14k gold wedding ring with a 2.02 carat Asscher-cut diamond and 40 baguette & brilliant cut diamonds, by Lisa Perantoni, Khamis Fine Jewelers, Indianapolis, IN.
Buyers’ Choice: Carved butterfly pin with watermelon tourmaline wings and 84 accent diamonds, by Kiera Baines, Dianna Rae Jewelry, Lafayette, LA.
Rémy Design Releases Jewelry Counter Sketching and Color Rendering Courses on DVD
Santa Fe, NM—Paris-trained jewelry designer and teacher Rémy Rotenier of Rémy Design has introduced two DVD courses. The first, Counter Sketching Jewelry, teaches how to make black and white custom design sketches on paper in front of a client. The second, Color Rendering of Jewelry, instructs how to render jewelry designs into finished paintings that can be presented to customers. The two courses encapsulate classes that Rotenier has taught at jewelry and design schools for years.
In Counter Sketching Jewelry, Rotenier teaches pencil and paper sketching to quickly capture ideas and bring to life a design concept in front of a client. He explains the materials jewelers need to sketch, and how to organically draw gemstones and jewelry in three dimensions. He also teaches how light hits opaque, metallic, and transparent objects as they are drawn and covers c concepts such as perspective, values (shades of color from light to dark), and shadows.
In the second course, Color Rendering of Jewelry, Rotenier teaches the classic European tradition of color hand rendering. The course takes students though basic techniques and on to the higher level art of rendering metals and gemstones into professional-quality gouache presentation paintings.
"It's really important if you sell custom jewelry to learn how to draw a little bit," says Rotenier. "Even in this era of so many digital design options, the ability to free-hand draw is impressive. When you sketch in real time, you gain customers’ trust and it will help you close more sales.
“Though CAD renderings are amazing, there is something romantic about having the ability to design a painting of exceptional realism, vitality, and sparkle," he adds.
A special section of the DVD offers Rotenier's advice on working with custom clients, with insight into many customers' fears and worries about the design process and costs. He coaches custom jewelers in how to subtly observe a customer's style, talk about budget, and listen carefully.
Each DVD can be purchased for $175 through the Rio Grande catalog here and here.
