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Retail News: Corinne Jewelers; Tourneau Both Host Student Competitions April 22, 2015 (0 comments)
Corinne Jewelers Hosts Junior Jeweler Design Contest For Mother’s Day
Toms River, NJ—Corinne Jewelers, The Diamond Source, is sponsoring a Junior Jeweler competition at a local elementary school. The contest, open to fourth-grade students at North Dover Elementary School in Toms River, encourages participants to draw a piece of jewelry they would like to give to their mother or another special person in their lives on Mother’s Day. Corinne Jewelers’ staff will choose the winner, whose drawing will be recreated as a custom piece of jewelry.
“This is a fantastic way to get kids excited about design. They create something on paper, and then they see it brought to life,” said Ryan Blumenthal, owner of Corinne Jewelers. “The enthusiasm these kids showed when I announced the Junior Jeweler program was off the charts. Even while I was still talking to them, I could see they were already thinking about what they could make. I can’t wait to see what they come up with.”
Once a winner is selected, Corinne’s artisans will begin working on the piece, which will be presented at an assembly at the school on May 4. Blumenthal hopes to expand the program next year to include other area elementary schools.
“Our fourth-graders were absolutely thrilled to be given this opportunity,” said Colleen McGrath, principal at North Dover Elementary School. “It’s a great way for them to engage their imaginations, artistic skills, and problem-solving strategies. These types of programs that connect students with area leaders are so important to our community. They give the students a taste of what they might eventually enjoy as their profession, and the leaders a glimpse of the promising futures we see in our students.”
Read a profile about Corinne Jewelers' rebranding and reopening here.
Tourneau And New York School Of Interior Design Announce Winners Of Student Design Challenge
New York, NY—Tourneau, the largest luxury watch retailer in the United States, recently partnered with the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID) to host a real-world store design challenge. More than 20 NYSID students created design concepts for the new Tourneau store at 3 Bryant Park (which opened on March 16, 2015), and three winners have been selected.
The student winners, who won Tourneau TNY watches, are: Elisa Vincenti, who as first-place winner will also receive a summer internship at Tourneau; Vivi Rosenberg in second place, and Dana Margaret Koebbe in third place.
The winning students were selected by a jury of Tourneau executives and designers, including: Ira Melnitsky, CEO; Gretchen Matthews, SVP/Human Resources; Bill Matias, VP/Store Development; Brian Guze, Director of Store Design/Visual. Also judging was Christine Fiorella, designer, Kenneth Park Architects, the firm that designed the Bryant Park Tourneau store along with Tourneau’s in-house design team; and Ekaterini Konidari, Senior Designer, Gensler.
The project was integrated into the curriculum of the Contract Design II course in NYSID’s BFA program in interior design. The spring 2015 class, taught by NYSID faculty members and architects Joseph Goldstein and Barbara Weinreich, focuses on design projects such as showrooms, corporate offices, or retail environments, and integrating branding into interior design.
“We are thrilled to partner with Tourneau in this capacity,” said Dr. Ellen Fisher, NYSID’s dean and vice president for academic affairs. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for our students to design a project as if it’s a real commission and to receive direct feedback from the client. It’s the best way to prepare our students for professional success and we look forward to collaborating with Tourneau in the future.”
Below: the first place, second place, and third place Tourneau design winners, respectively.
