Archive for December, 2007
New Mexico-based Jewelry Manufacturer finds Room to Grow
Send2Press (press release), CA
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Dec. 27 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Relios, America’s largest manufacturer of natural lifestyle designer jewelry has more than doubled its size with a move into a 25,000-square-foot facility in Albuquerque. The move also means that Relios has also more than doubled its production capacity - allowing the major jewelry supplier to expand services to its more than 500 customers.
“We had really outgrown the 11,000 square-foot space we’d been working out of,” says company President Bill Pollack. “It’s amazing how a building like this gives us the ability to better assist our customers in the areas of production, distribution, quality, and dependability - not to mention gives us room to grow!”
The company’s new home is located at 6815 Academy Parkway West in Albuquerque. It boasts a large well-lighted factory space, along with offices, conference rooms, and a design studio to accommodate its 140-employees.
“Our new space allows us to better serve our customers,” says Pollack. “It gives us an opportunity to be better organized and efficient in our manufacturing processes. Now we can handle more of the distribution for our customers - including merchandising, labeling, and drop-shipments.”
“Our ability to be creative has expanded tremendously with this move,” says Vice-President and Lead Jewelry Designer Carolyn Pollack. “We have literally quadrupled the number of new designs since moving to the larger space.”
The company has been nationally recognized for its customer focus, merchandising teamwork, innovation, and operational excellence. More recently, Relios was honored by the City of Albuquerque for its efforts to reduce waste, and its dedication to pollution prevention practices.
“Corporate responsibility is not just a nice catch phrase to get people to think we’re doing the right thing - at Relios, we’re actually doing it,” says Relios President Bill Pollack. “Every piece of jewelry we manufacture is lead-free and nickel-free, and we use only recycled precious metals. It’s a commitment we’ve made to our customers, as well as our environment.”
Relios, which has been designing and manufacturing jewelry from real silver and stones in the USA since 1975, will go through seven tons of silver this year, and ship more than 700,000 finished pieces of jewelry throughout the world. That’s three pieces of jewelry for every woman in Albuquerque!
Relios Jewelry designs and manufactures more than 100 new items per season from their Albuquerque, New Mexico factory. Their moderately priced, American jewelry styles can be found online at www.relioswholesale.com.
Contact: Kelly Walter, Relios Marketing and Creative Director, (505) 345-5304, ext. 201
Relios Jewelry, 6815 Academy Parkway West NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109. ReliosJewelry.com.
*(PHOTO 72dpi: Send2Press.com/mediaboom/07-1227-ReliosTeAmo_72dpi.jpg)
*(Photo Caption: Sculptural silver heart pendant on colorful beaded necklace.)
*(LOGO 72dpi: Send2Press.com/mediaboom/07-1211-Relios_72dpi.jpg)
December 28th, 2007
Jewelry down, furniture up this season
United Press International
RESTON, Va., Dec. 25 (UPI) — Early online shopping statistics suggest this year’s U.S. holiday shoppers bypassed jewelry, watches and flowers in favor of furniture and appliances.
Andrew Lipsman, an analyst with comScore Networks, which analyzes online shopping by U.S. consumers, said holiday season furniture and appliance sales rose about 70 percent over last year’s levels, while sales of holiday mainstays such as watches and jewelry fell, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
Lipsman did not say how far jewelry sales slipped from last year’s levels because he said the figure could be changed significantly by a few large purchases.
“Some of the bigger losers were luxury goods,” he said. “In better economic conditions, that category was growing faster.”
Carl Prindle, chief executive of Waltham, Mass., based Furniture.com, which oversees online sales for regional furniture companies, said holiday season sales this year rose 110 percent over 2006 levels.
“It’s certainly counter to our expectations,” Prindle said. “Maybe it’s people within a family saying we’re not going to waste money on things that aren’t meaningful.”
December 26th, 2007
Magnetic jewelry an overlooked danger
Chicago Tribune, United States
By Maurice Possley | Tribune staff reporter
December 20, 2007
The federal government brands magnets in toys a deadly hazard to children because the tiny, powerful objects can fall out and cause serious, even fatal, internal injuries when swallowed.
Yet the Consumer Product Safety Commission has not taken steps to regulate even more powerful magnets when they are sold in loose form as backings on children’s earrings, the Tribune has found.
The earrings consist of a small decorative part — such as a cupcake, a faux diamond, a dolphin — with a magnet inside. They are held in place by putting a loose magnet behind the earlobe.
Independent tests of more than a dozen magnetic earrings done for the Tribune showed that the earring magnets all were at least as powerful as magnets found inside toys that have caused the death of one child and scores of other injuries. Some of the magnetic earrings were more than five times more powerful.
But because the earrings are not considered toys, new regulations for magnets do not apply. If they did, the jewelry could not be legally sold, according to a CPSC spokesman, Scott Wolfson.
The Tribune found reports of more than two dozen instances in the U.S. and Europe in recent years where magnets from earrings have been swallowed, aspirated into the lungs or become stuck together on either side of a child’s nose cartilage. Those youngsters had used the earrings to mimic nose, tongue and even navel piercings.
Most of these injuries did not result in hospitalizations. But, given the precedent of serious injuries caused by magnets in toys, some leading physicians are wondering why the CPSC is not taking action anyway.
“It’s clear what the risks of magnets are,” said Dr. Garry Gardner, a physician from suburban Darien who is chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ committee on injury, violence and poison prevention. “I don’t care whether they call it a toy or not, these are still a risk. Any magnet that can be aspirated or swallowed is dangerous.”
But the CPSC says it has not received enough reports of injuries linked to magnets in jewelry to warrant further action at this time. The agency’s national injury database shows there were seven such incidents from 2002 to 2004 and none in the following two years. (Data for 2007 are unavailable.) One incident in 2003 required the child, a 2-year-old boy, to be hospitalized.
“The number of incidents compared to the number of products is very low,” said Julie Vallese, spokeswoman for the CPSC. “The known risk has not risen to a substantial product hazard.”
But even a toy industry official expressed concern about the jewelry.
“We should not have to wait for catastrophic incidents to address it,” said Arthur Kazianis, vice president of quality assurance for Hasbro Inc. and the head of a private panel that is developing standards for magnets in toys.
For years the CPSC had received reports of children injured after swallowing magnets that fell out of toys, but not until a child died in 2005 after ingesting magnets from a Magnetix building set did the agency move to recall the product and push for tougher standards. Following a Tribune investigation of Magnetix and the agency’s slow response, published in May, the CPSC expanded its recall and in August added magnets as No. 1 on its list of top five “home hazards.” Its news release noted that such magnets “can be very small and powerful making them popular in toys, building sets, and jewelry.” But that’s as far as the agency has gone to address magnetic jewelry.
In that release, the CPSC also noted that injuries from ingesting magnets are “hard to diagnose. Parents and physicians may think that the materials will pass through the child without consequence, but magnets can attract in the body and twist or pinch the intestines, causing holes, blockages, infection, and death, if not treated properly and promptly.”
Doctor: ‘It is a hazard’
Dr. Marsha Kay, a pediatric gastroenterologist at The Cleveland Clinic who has written about the dangers of magnets, said she considers magnetic earrings to be as big a threat to child safety as magnets in toys.
“These things are marketed for kids, and it is a hazard,” she said. “How many kids have to get hurt before someone pays attention to it?”
Just as with magnetic toys, Kay said, a danger is that older children will play with the product and leave behind magnets that younger children can swallow.
A new industry standard taking effect next month calls for warning labels on toys that include magnets and are small enough to be swallowed. Already, many magnetic toys include warnings about the danger of internal injuries. In addition, the new standard requires all toys with magnets to undergo tests to ensure the magnets won’t fall out with regular use.
The new standard does not apply to magnetic jewelry, even if it is marketed to children
“Magnetic jewelry has come up and we have talked about it, but our commission is focused on toys,” Kazianis said. “A toy has play value. A piece of jewelry does not. It appears to fall through the cracks.
“It’s possible that the jewelry industry could follow our standards for toys,” he added. “I have repeatedly stated we need to figure out a way to communicate to them.”
Michael Gale, spokesman for the Fashion Jewelry Trade Association, said he did not believe magnetic jewelry is dangerous.
“Anything that could affect the safety of children is a concern to the fashion jewelry industry,” he said. “I am not aware of any cases of magnets associated with jewelry” causing any injuries.
The new magnetic toy standard applies to magnets that have a “flux index,” the measure of its power, of 50 and higher.
The Tribune asked Joe DiMarco, an engineering physicist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, to test the magnetic earrings as well as the type of Magnetix toys blamed for the death of Kenny Sweet on Thanksgiving Day 2005.
The tests showed the magnets from a Magnetix toy had a flux index of just above 50. The tests of the magnetic earrings showed a flux index on all of them above 50, and most were above 100 — more than twice as powerful as the Magnetix.
Magnetic earrings sold by Schylling, a Massachusetts toy firm, had a flux index of more than 100, the Fermi tests found. The magnetic earrings carry a choking warning for children under age 3, but no other warnings. The earring packaging states that they are for ages “5+.”
Schylling did not return telephone calls.
Earrings sold by Claire’s also tested well above the toy standard of 50 and in one case was more than five times higher than the toy standard. Claire’s did not return calls seeking comment.
DiMarco noted that the flux index increases when more than two magnets get stuck together. “If you combine more than a couple of these together, you could easily get something much worse.”
One brand, Magna Stud, sold by BeWild.com, carries a warning against use by anyone under age 13 and warns specifically that the jewelry poses “an inhalation and aspiration hazard. … Keep out of reach of infants.” The jewelry also warns against wearing more than one magnet in the nose.
Brian Cohen, owner of BeWild.com, said he had never noticed the warning until the Tribune brought it to his attention. “Somebody wanted to make sure nobody got injured,” he said. “Anything small like this should be kept away from kids, and magnets make it worse.”
Complaints to the CPSC about magnetic jewelry include one incident that sent a 2-yar-old boy to the hospital after swallowing a magnetic earring. Other incidents involved boys and girls ranging from 8 to 13 years old. One 13-year-old boy used magnet jewelry to mimic a tongue piercing and swallowed the magnet. A 13-year-old girl “sniffed magnet earring backs into nose,” according to the agency’s database.
Dangerous inside nose
Dr. Anthony Magit, a pediatric otolaryngologist in California, described how quickly a child can be injured.
“The magnets are fairly strong and instead of just holding the earrings on the outside of both sides of the nose, they pull together and get embedded in the septum and they can’t get them out,” he said. “It can happen in a day. The magnets burrow into the septum and cannot be pulled apart. They are so strong, you have to take them to the hospital to get them removed.
“There needs to be a warning.”
The CPSC was informed earlier this year of the medical community’s concerns about magnets — in toys as well as jewelry — when Dr. Alan Oestreich, a pediatric radiologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, addressed an agency symposium.
“I emphasized that it was not just magnetic toys, but magnets in jewelry,” he said in an interview. “I think people should be informed that this is a danger.”
Doctors aren’t the only ones pressing the CPSC to take further action. When U.S. PIRG, a federation of state public-interest research groups, issued its 2007 toy safety report in November, some magnetic earrings were on its list of dangerous products.
“Our contention is that magnetic jewelry poses the same hazard to children as magnetic toys,” said Edmund Mierzwinski, consumer program director and author of the report. “Just because something is not a toy does not mean it’s not a hazard. If it’s cheap children’s jewelry, it’s a hazard.”
That also is the conclusion of at least one retailer. In the pre-Christmas rush in 2006, Diana Nelson, owner of Kazoo & Co. , a Denver toy store, enthusiastically sold magnetic jewelry, telling an industry publication that magnetic earrings were a top-selling item.
A year later, after becoming aware of the dangers of magnets in toys, Nelson has concluded that magnetic jewelry should not be sold to children.
“We sold a lot of them, but when we sold out, I decided I wouldn’t order them again,” she said in a recent interview. “They shouldn’t be anywhere near little ones.”
December 21st, 2007
More women buying jewelry
Annapolis Capital, MD
BY KATIE ARCIERI, Staff Writer
Published December 18, 2007
Pam McGinnis didn’t hesitate to drop $1,000 on a Lecil Henderson necklace from Sanders Jewelers in Pasadena. Nor did she flinch when buying a new wedding band with diamonds for her husband after he lost the first one.
That’s because if something catches her eye, the 48-year-old is not afraid to splurge.
“I figure that I’m working, I like this piece, I’m going to buy it,” said Ms. McGinnis, who has worked for the Department of Defense since 1980.
Over the past two decades, as women take on a greater role in the work place, they are pulling more cash out of their handbags for diamonds and gold, experts said. And local jewelers said they are benefiting from the trend.
“They buy across the board, it goes from pearl strands and earrings to buying diamond studs, a lot of right-hand rings,” said Bruce Chance of WR Chance Jewelers in Annapolis, who estimates that about 30 percent of his sales came from self-purchasing women last year. “She can afford it and she’s not going to try to drop hints, hints, hints when they can go and get it.”
The growing demand represents a societal shift as more women move up the corporate ladder and bring home higher salaries. By next year, women are expected to make up 48 percent of the labor force, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s up from 45 percent in 1988.
The trend is also driven by companies marketing jewelry not just as a gift but as a fashion item, said Hedda Schupak, editor-in-chief of JCK Magazine, a leading trade publication for retail jewelers in New York.
“Frankly, a lot more jewelry is fashion-focused now,” she said, citing designer David Yurman as a trailblazer in fashion jewelry. “In the past 20 years, jewelry has really developed a nice designer movement, which tends to be more fashion driven.”
“If a woman is spending $2,000 on a Prada handbag, there’s no reason she can’t spend $2,000 on a ring,” she added.
Larry Sanders, president of Sanders Jewelers, which sells designer brands by Denny Wong, Cherie Dori and Alwand Vahan, estimated between 30 percent and 40 percent are self-purchasing women.
“The men say there’s my money, there’s our money, and then there’s her money,” said Mr. Sanders, whose store recently moved from the Lake Shore Plaza to its current Magothy Beach Road location and holds trunk shows where customers can buy jewelry from such designers such as Lecil Henderson.
“Now women are buying men nice gifts, a lot of high-end watches,” he said. “They like to treat themselves. So if they are working professionals they want to look good.”
Ruby Singleton Blakeney, the city’s director of minority and small business enterprise development and an art consultant, said she’s always considered jewelry an essential part of her wardrobe. And she’s willing to spend the money on quality pieces - “I don’t settle for anything.”
For example, she said she bought a pair of Paul Klecka diamond earrings on sale from Nordstrom that were appraised for $9,500 five years ago.
“We get what we want,” she said. “I don’t want to wait for anyone.”
Ms. Schupak said the tradi-tional perception has been that men buy jewelry for women, period.
But women are a fast-growing group of consumers in general, making 85 percent of household purchases and influencing 95 percent of them, she said.
“I don’t know too many guys out there that are going to buy the car without the women saying ‘that’s the car,’” Ms. Schupak said.
Even going back to the late 1980s and early 1990s, women were purchasing two-thirds of all gold jewelry and 90 percent of all sterling silver, she said. But a larger number of women are buying diamonds now and plenty of colored gem jewelry, she said.
According to MVI Marketing’s Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council survey, in which 84 percent of respondents were women, more than two-thirds of respondents bought jewelry for themselves in the past. Fashion rings, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets were the top styles respondents planned to purchase, according to the survey.
Ms. Schupak said $3,000 seems to be the price threshold for women jewelry purchases, although that can be more depending on the market, she said. After that price, it becomes “more of a family decision.” The “sweet spot” price point for women seems to run between $300 and $1,500.
WR Chance, which carries 90 percent of products for women, recently had designer Amy Levine in the store and women bought five or six items ranging in price from $300 to $5,000, Mr. Chance said. The store recently held a “ladies night” event to help women develop a wish list of things they want their significant others to buy them.
But 90 percent of the sales that night were purchases from women buying for themselves, he said. Women are having a bigger influence in purchases, even “paying a portion of the engagement ring,” he said.
Steve Samaras, owner of Zachary’s Jewelers in downtown Annapolis said about 20 percent of his sales were from women last year. He too has seen more women influencing jewelry purchases, whether it’s style, branding or the size.
“Going back 25 years, no purchase was made unless it was made by a gentleman,” he said.
He attributes the trend to more reasonable price points for fashion jewelry.
“You can get top name brand designer like John Hardy and Charriol and David Yurman for a few hundred dollars,” he said.
—
karcieri@capitalgazette.com
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December 19th, 2007
Byeon Admits Jewelry Gifts in Shin-gate Trial
Chosun Ilbo, South Korea
Former chief presidential policy secretary Byeon Yang-kyun admitted he gave jewelry worth tens of millions of won to his mistress Shin Jeong-ah, the disgraced curator at the heart of a fake-degree scandal. The admission came on his fourth trial on charges of influence peddling and bribery in connection with the scandal Monday. But Byeon said Shin had paid part of the costs with gift certificates. According to prosecutors, Byeon gave Shin a diamond ring, a luxury-brand watch, a necklace and a ring worth W47 million (US$1=W934) in total. Byeon said the jewelry was a return present for a painting Shin had given him.
The two were revealed to have frequently discussed what to do after Shin’s forgery of her academic credentials were revealed. Byeon admitted exchanging 63 phone calls and text messages with Shin between July 12 and 16, saying they communicated that way since they rarely met face-to-face. Shin secretly returned from Europe on July 12, shortly after the forgery was exposed and she was stripped of the art directorship at the Gwangju Biennale, Korea’s leading contemporary art event. Four days later she fled to the U.S.
Defending herself on the issue of expensive jewels she received from Byeon, Shin issued an emotional appeal for people not to denounce her “as a prostitute.†She added her relationship with Byeon had been “beautiful.†Byeon said the two went for romantic walks in Mt. Namsan.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
December 18th, 2007
Wheeler jewelry finds value in prairie location
Rapid City Journal, SD
LEMMON — Success is in the details, especially when you compete in the tourism jewelry industry, according to Brad Wheeler, president of Wheeler Jewelry Manufacturing, located in this remote prairie community of about 1,400 people.
Providing customers with quality, low-cost jewelry items is the company’s specialty.
Wheeler Jewelry products are found at tourist and other outlets in all 50 states, according to Wheeler.
“We have a good business in airport gift shops and good business in casinos right now,” he added.
The business was started by Wheeler’s father R.B. Wheeler, who bought a Montana agate-jewelry business in Lemmon in the mid-1940s because he thought the area would be a good place to raise a family.
“He paid $5,000 for it, and the rest is history,” Brad Wheeler said.
Wheeler Jewelry started out selling to jewelry stores, then gradually migrated to where the bulk of the business is — tourist and gift shops.
Brad Wheeler and his brother, Rob, have operated the company since 1979, but their 90-year-old father still takes an occasional walk through the manufacturing plant.
The family owns about two-thirds of the business. The remaining one-third is owned by seven company supervisors, a policy implemented by the elder Wheeler who recognized the value of having employees with a vested interest in the company.
“That’s been a very good move for us,” Wheeler said. “It makes them part of our team. When you get into a tough situation and need to get something done, you can get it done because they’re involved. They own the business.”
In an era where cheap, foreign labor has allowed overseas manufacturers to swallow huge segments of the jewelry market, most of Wheeler’s jewelry is still produced in Lemmon.
“It’s a real anomaly in the jewelry business to have 75 percent of your volume where you’re actually making it in the states, Wheeler said.
The Wheelers clearly believe the global pressure, especially since the company serves a clientele that wants inexpensive jewelry, he said.
“Our big customers need products under $10 and $20,” Wheeler said. “You either provide it or someone else will.”
Wheelers sell directly to gift shops and emphasize their flexibility in filling small orders, which limits the company’s ability to automate production.
Shop orders typically average between 50 and 300 pieces. A 300-piece order is a big order, Wheeler said.
Wheelers pride themselves on their customer service. If they need it, customers can order one of an item.
“We treat our customers very well, we have very good relationships with them,” Wheeler said.
That’s important in a business where there is not a lot of room for growth.
The company recently introduced a new line of imported poua shell and bone jewelry that is going to be popular. Since September, more than 350 customers have placed orders.
“About 750 will get you most of the tourist gift shops,” Wheeler said.
The Wheelers work with several jewelry designers to try to stay ahead of market trends.
Brad Wheeler’s daughter, Jacey Messer, is about to begin designing jewelry for the company from her home in Bozeman, Mont.
“That will be neat to have her on board, taking over some of that,” he said.
The Wheelers recognize their role in the local economy, but have to balance that with the need to stay competitive in the industry.
So far, the company has avoided layoffs by growing the business and trading out-sourced production positions for packaging and customer-service jobs.
Production costs are much lower for Chinese jewelers paying employees 35 cents an hour, Wheeler said.
Wheeler Jewelry employs approximately 120 people, making it a vital part of the community’s economy, according to Mayor Walter Dauwen, who works at Wheeler Jewelry.
“It’s something that keeps Lemmon on the map,” Dauwen said. “It’s something that’s definitely needed here in Lemmon.”
Not only does the company contribute to community activities, but having a stable employer has helped the community continue to thrive, the mayor said.
In the past five years, Lemmon has seen a return of young families and several new businesses have opened.
“The economy is on the right track to getting back to where we want to be,” Dauwen said.
And, part of the community’s success is due to Wheeler’s work force and the money they spend in the town, he said.
The average hourly wage at Wheeler’s is more than $10 an hour with benefits.
Wheeler’s health insurance and other benefits attract many farm and ranch women to the company.
Health insurance is probably the most significant, but the company has 401(K) and profit-sharing plans.
“We have quite a few people that come quite a distance,” Wheeler said. “A group of ladies come from Elgin (N.D.).”
So many employees have been with the company for more than 25 years that the company has the anniversary celebration down to an art, Wheeler said.
“But that tells you a bigger story,” Wheeler said. “People don’t turnover a lot.”
Cathy Rook has been with the company for 30 years. Lemmon is fortunate to have the company, she said.
“They’re very good to their employees,” Rook said.
Employee work ethic and careful management continue to be the key to the business’ success, Wheeler said.
In an industry that uses gold and silver in the manufacturing process, watching inventory and buying tends is critical.
“We have some really good people that run a really sophisticated computer system. We make very few inventory mistakes,” Wheeler said. “That can be significant.”
Being located “out in the middle of nowhere” is an obstacle for the company, according to Wheeler. So finished items are small and relatively easy to ship.
Items manufactured overseas usually take about four days to arrive in Lemmon once they are shipped.
“There was a time when we thought of going to the Hills,” Wheeler said. “I don’t see that happening. The cost of our buildings and the taxes are a clear advantage.
“Plus, I have a lot of shareholders that like to pheasant hunt,” he added with a wink.
Contact Andrea Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com
Dakota Gold
Wheeler Manufacturing’s line of gold jewelry is branded Dakota Gold because it is not manufactured in the Black Hills.
The company catalog now features 3,500 products including lines of Austrian crystal, copper, gemstones, gold and silver.
Customers can choose from jewelry items such as earrings, pendants, bracelets, charms, pins and rings.
December 17th, 2007
East grad makes mark in jewelry industry
Wausau Daily Herald, WI
For those who knew her when she was growing up in Wausau, it’s no surprise that Tracey Mayer has become a top jewelry designer.
It’s taken about eight years for the 1977 graduate of Wausau East High School to develop a reputation as both a designer and producer of high- end jewelry. Her creations for men and women have been spotlighted on the Home Shopping Network and in magazines such as People Espanol and Cosmopolitan. She has a line of men’s jewelry sold at Nordstrom, and she expects two other major retailers to begin selling her work in fall 2008.
None of it has come easy for Mayer, 48, now of Chicago, but an artistic bent with a stubborn business temperament has brought her this far.
Baby steps
“It just takes so much perseverance to try to get somebody to take notice,” Mayer said. “In my case, we’ve taken many baby steps as we’ve grown.”
She really took the first steps here.
“I got interested in fashion when I was 10 or 12 years old. I don’t know why or how it happened,” Mayer said.
She started sewing. She begged her parents to take her to Madison to shop for clothes, so she could develop her own sense of style.
“When Tracey was growing up, she always had a flair for looking good,” said Wendi Hall-Gonzales, 48, of Lutz, Fla. Hall-Gonzales, now an attorney, has been friends with Mayer since they were in first grade at Longfellow Elementary School. “She always had a love of jewelry. And nice stuff.”
After graduating from high school, Mayer earned a degree in fashion merchandising and business from the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
She moved to Chicago, and through the years has worked in retail and advertising. She has taught at the Illinois Institute of Art.
Cultural inspiration
But travel in Asia spurred her to design her own line of jewelry. She’s married to a native of India, and the colors and style of the region inspire her.
“My design ideas come from many sources, however, the underlying sense of peace I find while visiting Indonesia and India promotes a great deal of creativity,” Mayer said.
Her jewelry is “big and bold. Everything I do is big and bold,” Mayer said. “It’s not for everybody. … It’s for someone who doesn’t want to blend in with everybody else.”
It’s for someone such as the Porsche-driving Hall-Gonzales. “It’s big, bold and gaudy, like me,” Hall-Gonzales said. “I like statement clothes, statement jewelry. … And her jewelry makes a statement.”
Mayer uses raw materials such as high quality silver, native Asian stones, pearls and antique coins to produce the work. Asian artisans make her jewelry. It all means she has had to develop a reliable international business network. That’s not an easy task.
“When you see the finished product, (it’s like) ‘Oh, this is so beautiful.’ You have no idea what it takes to get it (there.) It’s extremely difficult,” Mayer said.
Persistence pays off
Marketing the product in the United States required just as much persistence. “I have busted my rear end for the last eight years, pounding the pavement,” Mayer said. “I’ve attended major trade shows throughout the country.”
Like the love of fashion, Mayer’s business drive had its roots in her childhood, too.
“She was always very independent. She sets high goals for herself, and she doesn’t stop until she reaches those goals. … I kind of marvel at her myself,” said her mother, Gail Mayer, 72, who still lives in Wausau. “I do remember her telling me, I’m never going to work for somebody else. I’m going to work for myself.”
For Mayer, it’s a matter of striving to provide something that people love to wear.
“That’s what keeps me going, people coming back to me, saying how much they like it,” Mayer said. “That’s what really energizes me, keeps me going and makes me want to create more.”
December 17th, 2007
Toxic lead found in children’s jewelry, state says
San Francisco Chronicle, USA
(12-13) 12:15 PST Sacramento - –
State health officials have found that one-third of 125 items of children’s jewelry that investigators purchased in stores across California contained illegally high levels of lead, despite a new state law banning the toxic metal in children’s jewelry.
Lead, which is particularly harmful to children, was found in mood rings, crosses, crystal decorations on necklaces and bracelets, pendants and leaf charms, officials from the state Department of Toxic Substances Control said.
A pendant from a gumball machine at a Church’s Fried Chicken in Oakland contained the most lead of any of the items tested by state investigators - 368,000 parts per million, which is more than 600 times the limit of 600 parts per million under a state law that sent into effect Sept. 1.
Officials have ordered the stores, including Marshalls, Gap Kids, Macy’s, Universal Studio Store and Jeffrey’s Toys, to remove the tainted jewelry from the shelves. No penalties were issued.
Investigators for the agency selected the stores randomly. The state plans to test another 250 items from a total of 162 stores.
Online resources
For more information on the law and a list of 16 items with the highest levels, go to:
links.sfgate.com/ZBUB
E-mail Jane Kay at jkay@sfchronicle.com.
December 14th, 2007
Tainted kids’ jewelry ordered off shelves
Los Angeles Times, CA
Lead-laced items are found in 11 California stores, including Macy’s and Gap Kids. State regulators tell the retailers to remove the products.
By Marc Lifsher, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
1:22 PM PST, December 12, 2007
SACRAMENTO — Children’s jewelry with as much as 600 times the legal limit for lead contamination was found at 11 shops around California, including at Macy’s and a Gap Kids store, and ordered off the shelves — at the peak of the Christmas shopping rush, state toxic regulators said today.
FOR THE RECORD:
An earlier version of this story misstated the amount of lead contamination found in children’s jewelry at 11 shops.The most found was as much as 600 times the legal limit, not more than 600 times the legal limit.
Lead-laced rings, bracelets, barrettes and necklaces were among the items purchased in recent weeks by secret shoppers from the state Department of Toxic Substances. In addition to Macy’s and the Gap Kids stores, regulators also found items at “Hello Kitty” outlets, Dollar Tree, Marshalls, and at a shop at Universal Studios.
All retailers were contacted last week and ordered to remove the tainted items from shelves and display racks as part of a crackdown authorized by a new state law that took effect Sept. 1.
“Exposure to excessive amounts of lead poses serious health risks to children,” said Maureen Gorsen, director of Toxic Substances Control. “Lead in jewelry is a particular concern because children often place jewelry in their mouths.”
Public health officials warn that the ingestion of even minute quantities of lead can cause development defects and serious health problems, especially for children.
The first phase of the new enforcement program was put into action quickly to provide parents with a warning before the end of the Christmas shopping season, Gorsen said. “We focused on retailers who sell a lot of children’s jewelry, and obviously we are finding levels that are somewhat alarming.”
Lab tests of the items bought by random state shoppers found unsafe lead levels in about one-third of 375 items. Six hundred parts per million is the threshold of safety, the state says.
Lead content ranged from a low of 686 parts per million in a barrette-bracelet set at a Dollar Tree store in Rancho Cordova, a Sacramento suburb, to a high of 368,000 parts per million in a necklace with pendant that was a prize in a gum-ball machine in a Church’s Fried Chicken store in Oakland.
In Southern California, inspectors purchased a number of the lead-laced bangles at stores in the Glendale Galleria: Sanrio Surprises, Macy’s and Gap Kids.
People who have purchased lead tainted jewelry from any of the stores should return them for a refund, Gorsen said. More information on the lead jewelry is available at www.dtsc.ca.gov/LeadinJewelry.cfm.
December 13th, 2007
Pedal to metal on gold jewelry prices
Boston Globe, United States
Uncertainty pushes prices up, but shoppers unlikely to be deterred
Holiday shoppers will have to pay more or settle for less when they buy gold jewelry as the price of precious metal surges in global commodity markets.
Gold has gained more than $150 an ounce, or 25 percent, since mid-August, boosting the price of jewelry by 5 to 15 percent, jewelers said. And bigger price increases are on the way.
Signet Group PLC, the British parent of the Kay Jewelers chain, said recently it will pass on a greater share of rising gold and precious metals prices to US customers after Valentine’s Day, another key selling period for jewelers. Signet said it absorbed much of those rising costs over the past several years.
“The recent sharp rise in the price of gold has not completely flowed through to the price of jewelry - yet,” said Kenneth Gassman, an independent jewelry industry analyst. “We are going to see significantly higher prices next year.”
Gassman said he expects prices to increase steadily as jewelers replace stock, most of which was purchased for the holiday season in the summer, before gold began its latest run. When manufacturers sell to retailers, the costs are based on the price of gold that day, said Curt Ley, president of Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America, a national trade group in Providence.
Gold rose $13.30 an ounce to $807.70 yesterday, down 5 percent from its recent intraday peak of $848 on Nov. 7.
Geopolitical and economic uncertainty are sparking the recent gold rush, analysts said. Although once branded a “barbaric relic” by the influential economist John Maynard Keynes, gold is still considered by many investors as a safe haven in troubled times.
And times have seemed troubled lately, from the spreading US foreclosure crisis to the falling dollar to the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program. As these and other concerns mounted over the past few months, investors pushed gold above $800 an ounce for the first time since 1980, when oil shocks, stagflation, and the Iranian Revolution shook investors.
“When folks are looking for a relatively safe place to invest,” said Mike Helmar, senior economist at Moody’s Economy.com in West Chester, Pa., “they buy gold.”
For jewelers, rising gold prices add another worry to a holiday season in which higher energy costs, falling home values, and a faltering economy weigh on consumer spending. November and December account for about one-third of jewelers’ annual sales, according to Gassman, the industry analyst.
So far, jewelers said, the season is off to a solid start. Jewelers of America, a New York trade group, projects national jewelry sales will rise 4 percent during the holiday season, compared to 3 percent gains in each of the past two years.
“People who want jewelry gifts are going to get jewelry gifts,” said Richard Finn, vice president at E.B. Horn Jewelers in Boston. “If you’re planning to spend $500 or $1,000 for a gift, $575 or $1,100 is not a deal breaker.”
Jewelry prices don’t track gold prices exactly, since they include other costs, such as labor. Often, gold represents only a small part of the cost of jewelry, particularly for pieces with precious stones, such as diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. Hence, rising gold prices have little impact on the overall cost.
How much more shoppers will pay this year depends on how much gold the pieces contain and when jewelers bought it. For example, a pair of small gold hoop earrings that cost $190 in June, now costs $205, said Susan Gustafson, gold and silver buyer at DeScenza Diamonds in Boston. On the other hand, a heavier gold chain that sold for $1,450 in October, cost $965 a year earlier.
In many cases, retailers are absorbing some of the costs, taking smaller profits to keep merchandise within popular price ranges, such as less than $1,000 and less than $500. Customers on budgets are also making adjustments, jewelers said, settling, for example, for silver instead of white gold.
Still, some people have to have gold. Last week, at Rogers Jewelry in downtown Quincy, Maralin Manning of Milton pored over gold earrings, bracelets, and necklaces before finding a chain of white and yellow gold, selling for about $1,300. Manning, director of the Quincy Business Association and an adjunct professor at Mount Ida College in Newton, didn’t buy it then but said in an interview later that she planned to go back for it.
“If you’re buying for yourself, the price point becomes less important,” she said. “I’m not trying to satisfy anyone else, I’m trying to satisfy moi.”
For many gold fans, said Jeff Bertman, manager of Rogers, rising prices underscore the value of gold, making it even more attractive. “There’s not a lot of consumer products that hold their value like gold,” said Bertman, whose family has owned Rogers since 1960.
Bertman’s father, Mark, added that certain gold products are immune to price volatility. He pulled out a catalog of wedding bands, pointing to a 3-millimeter gold band selling for $179, up from $139 a year ago.
“Is 40 bucks going to stop you from getting married?” he asked.
Robert Gavin can be reached at rgavin@globe.com
December 12th, 2007
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