Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York

Consumer sales of diamond jewelry so far this year are stronger than in 2005, but the cutting and manufacturing sector is sluggish partly due to a De Beers price hike on rough diamonds in February, officials of the diamond giant said on Tuesday.

The first several "sights" -- sales of rough diamonds to De Beers selected clients -- have been lower than at the same time last year, Managing Director Gareth Penny told one reporter.

"On the sales side, the first three sights have been a bit behind last year," he said in an interview in Botswana as the firm signed a new agreement with the government.

DTC boosted the price of the rough diamonds it sells by just under 2 percent in February and this may have weakened sentiment among cutters and jewelry makers, said Varda Shine, managing director of De Beers marketing arm, the Diamond Trading Company (DTC).

Ancient beads that may represent the oldest attempt by people at self-decoration have been identified from sites in Algeria and Israel.

The beads, made from shells with holes bored into them, date to around 100,000 years ago, some 25,000 years older than similar beads discovered two years ago in South Africa, researchers report in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

"Our paper supports the scenario that modern humans in Africa developed behaviors that are considered modern quite early in time, so that in fact these people were probably not just biologically modern but also culturally and cognitively modern, at least to some degree," said study co-author Francesco d'Errico of the National Center for Scientific Research in Talence, France.

For more than 30 years in jewelry design, John Atencio has built a reputation for heavier rings, necklaces and earrings.

So when gold prices topped $730 an ounce earlier this year, he became more conscious of how thick his pieces are - and the accompanying higher costs. Still, while retailers like Helzberg Diamonds say they've seen some designers using less gold in each piece, Atencio has been reluctant to change his style.

"When it got over $700, then the red lights were going off," Atencio said. "Then it was kind of like: 'God, how high is it going to go and are we going to be in business?'"

Gold prices have fallen 22 percent since May 12, when they reached a 26-year high of $732 per ounce, but are still close to $600 an ounce. Jewelers are accepting lower profit margins, feeling pressure to raise prices and sometimes tweaking their designs.

There are few magazines in this world that actually give me a hard on when I see them hit the stands. Can someone say jaded - jade a stone... speaking of stones; Jewelry W is however one of them! (that and maybe VMan) Yes I don't care if you are a man or women, bling bound or trinket found Jewelry W is one of those magazines you read and glare at over and over again. It also makes a great coffee table book when finished. The summer issue has hit the stands. Have you see in? I love it! Alison Burwell Editor knows jewelry! You can subscribe for your free issues here.

This summer diamonds are the most telling. And let's not forget gold; 18k+. With a full glossy ad coming in around 14 to 15k reaching around 75,000 subscribers. I hope Fairchild let's this publication last. As the Diamond industry booms and The World Diamond Congress comes to close. Let's reflect on The following speech that was delivered by Nicky Oppenheimer, chairman of De Beers, at the gala dinner at the World Diamond Congress in Tel Aviv on Wednesday June 28, 2006:

Like many women, shopping is my cardio. I feel a personal connection to every item I purchase and a pain in my heart anytime I happen to pass by a boutique or shoe store that has closed its doors forever. That said, imagine the agony I felt this morning as reports of Shop, Etc.’s closing rolled in. Apparently, an adoring readership and praise in focus groups isn’t enough. Advertisers are the lifeblood of most publications, and a circulation of 675,000 simply wasn’t impressive enough to the advertisers that would have kept them afloat.

For me, this closing is a double-pronged stab. First, as a shopper and confessed shoe-holic, the pages of Shop, Etc. provided me with eye candy even when I couldn’t leave my desk to go on a shoe binge. Secondly, as a beauty publicist who has to compete with advertisers for page space, the more mag pages out there, the better. Every time a publication shuts its doors, it lessens the opportunities for placements. I know what you’re thinking… how dare I lament the loss of placement space when there are people losing office space and very likely gaining more empty space in their bank accounts? My response: the space I occupy in my office is directly related to the amount page space I am able to acquire. Plus, the staff at Shop is so talented that I’m sure it won’t be long until I’m calling and bugging all the beauty girls at some other publication.

Pierce Mattie PR New York has been selected as the agency of record for Angara, and its new online jewelry retail site, Angara.com, boasting a wealth of fine jewelry, diamonds and accessories ranging from simple to opulent and all reasonably priced. With the philosophy and mission of affordable luxury, Angara provides customers with an easy and convenient shopping experience for superior quality jewelry at sensible prices.

“We are very particular in the pieces we choose to sell on the site,” says Chief Executive Officer, Ankur Daga, “Whether the items are bridal, engagement or in our exclusive Strong Box Collection, each piece is selected with the utmost care.”

Pierce Mattie PR New York has been selected as the agency of record for Angara, and its new online jewelry retail site, Angara.com, boasting a wealth of fine jewelry, diamonds and accessories ranging from simple to opulent and all reasonably priced. With the philosophy and mission of affordable luxury, Angara provides customers with an easy and convenient shopping experience for superior quality jewelry at sensible prices.

“We are very particular in the pieces we choose to sell on the site,” says Chief Executive Officer, Ankur Daga, “Whether the items are bridal, engagement or in our exclusive Strong Box Collection, each piece is selected with the utmost care.”

Last week I was out for cocktails with a few other business owners in the service industry. One was a skin care manufacturer, the second was a clothing line designer and the third was the owner of a large fitness chain of health clubs.

We got into an in depth discussion about managing client relationships

We were discussing how to repair a client relationship where things have gone wrong, for example clients whose expectations are unrealistic, clients who are abusive towards the staff and those clients who for whatever reason have become dissatisfied with their service.

The Wall Street Journal had run an article on entrepreneurs a few years back where I was quoted by saying “My New Year’s resolution as a business owner is to only work with people, places and things I really care about and that respect my team, work and over-all business ethics.”

1. Choose clients carefully

4. Live Up To Your Own Standards. Give What You Expect, Set The Example.

If you have done all your work working with your clients and have defined what you can achieve and there are still insurmountable problems, then it is time to re-evaluate whether that client is appropriate to have.

About a month ago we had a client call the office and demand that I get on a conference call. The brand was new to the market, had very little distribution (only one salon in New York) and the consumer awareness was simply not there (she refused to do salon events with us). The owner had worked with two other PR firms before us (our biggest competitors) for about two years who both did not secure the regional and national glossy press that the client was looking for. We were given about 3 months to change her entire media platform and correct the damage that the other PR firms had done during the course of two years. Naturally I slipped off my dress shoes, undid my tie, sat back in my chair practiced my breathing exercises and then took her call.

Beware Jewelers peddling AAAA cultured pearls! It's difficult to determine the true quality of a pearl in the bricks-and-mortar and online jewelry stores of today. So how do you know if you're getting your money's worth? Educating yourself about pearls before shopping will help.

Many buyers aren't aware that there is no internationally recognized standard for grading pearls. This leaves the door open for some sellers to stretch the truth – and sometimes quite a bit. The most common pearl, the one you think about in the traditional pearl necklace, is the Akoya pearl. These pearls, and freshwater pearls, which look similar to Akoyas but are rarely perfectly round, are graded by the A-AAA system by most reputable retailers. A is the lowest quality acceptable in jewelry. AA quality is very fine, and AAA is considered gem-quality or flawless.

Actress Elizabeth Taylor has signed a deal to give Christie's exclusive rights to handle future sales of her jewelry, art work, memorabilia, clothing and other personal possessions, the auction house said on Wednesday.

"When the items I've collected are cared for by other people I hope they will be loved and respected in a sharing way,"

"Eventually, they will be passed on to others ... but not too soon!"

The deal

"marks a fantastic continuation of our many years of work with this stunning film legend, humanitarian and designer,"

From around the blogosphere, here's what everyone is talking about:

Fashion: From The Blogosphere's "Best" Fashion Blogs

+ Fashiontribes offers offers tips on how to create Antonio Berardi’s Fall Runway Show for less.

+ She Finds talks about the latest trend; leggings.

+ The Manolo offers a reader a recommendation on which boots would look best with her sexy witch costume.

+ Almost Girl reports on Fashion Group International Night of Stars. In attendance: James LaForce of Laforce and Stevens, Constance White Style Director of ebay, Valerie Steel and Linda Fargo of Bergdorf Goodman

Beauty: From Bloggers Who Are Passionate About Beauty

+ A Girl's Gotta Spa! reviews Joico's K-Pak Liquid Reconstruction.

+ Dorit Baxter New York Day Spa Blog tells you how to create your own Pumpkin Beautifying Mask.

+ Bon Bons in the Bath gives you step by step instructions on how to achieve the No Makeup--Makeup Look.

Jewelry: Jewelry Industry Posts

+ The Bling Blog talks about the lucky vacationer who found a Canary Yellow Diamond.

+ The Jewelry Weblog wants to know what you think of the new Ethnic Collection from Ethos.

+ The Jewelry Blog talks bracelets.

Opulent, sophisticated, romantic, glitzy, glamorous – Art Deco style epitomizes a sense of youthful and lavish aspirations. The style was bold and beautiful with a sense of sophistcated geometric order; it pushed the limits in it's day as ultra modern and today the hot style being very popular with celebrities and jewelry collectors.

It has always been, in terms of design, architecture, fashion, etc., among my favorite periods. That said, I am ecstatic this season’s jewelry and accessory trends seem to be taking cue from the art deco, Jazz Age with daring geometric lines and angular shapes, brilliant opaque stones, and plenty of crystal and black lustery detail.

Even the November cover of W Jewelry features a model with a bold 1920s-esque bob. While platinum blond, she could certainly be the striking, edgier 2006 version of Louise Brooks. The November issue of Elle Accessories featured more razzle dazzle deco details than I’ve seen in quite some time. It made me dizzy. I loved it.

How many of you have purchased something that was a knock off? I admit it, I purchased knock off Chanel sunglasses this past summer from a vendor next to me at a local fair. Imagine my surprise when I came across this blog and the video it shows.

The buying and selling of counterfeit products is costing American businesses $200-$250 Billion dollars a year and the loss of 750,000 jobs according to The U.S. Chamber of Commerce. This is not only the knock off of sunglasses, purses and watches you can find on any New York City street corner, but it also carries over into cosmetics, movies, music and even clothing and footwear like Air Jordans.

Pearls Of Joy is considering an update of it's header. I can relate to this as I am in need of some updating on my other blogs. Which header do you like best and why? (Vote by commenting)

Here is a larger image of version one of pearlsofjoy.com. I like that it's simple and clean, not too "glossy," but I do favor version two, I think it reads better upon quick scanning of the header. They could move that burst in my opinion, perhaps all together and have the 800 number in the blue bar top left, but what do I know?

Don't get me started about pearls, young and old, most of the female population shares the endearment with pearls (men, listen up). I believe it is a right of passage when you are a little girl and get into your mother’s jewelry during dress up. The thing most girls want to wear is a set of pearls. Pearls are classic and refined, but exhume simplicity.

On my wedding day, my mother gave me a set of pearls to wear with my wedding dress. Somehow those pearls just added to the elegance of my dress and made me feel like the little girl playing dress up had now grown up.

As we are now going into Holiday mode, the one thing that comes to mind for dressing up for Holiday parties, is wearing pearls with my outfit. It will take me from my normally casual mom look to an upgrade in style.

Still warming up to Second Life? I am asked about it almost daily and wanted to get some basic info posted for those friends who read our blog consistently. Backstory is here. Follow the links.

New World Notes

From April 2003 to February 2006, I was a contract writer for Linden Lab, creators of Second Life, primarily hired by the company to cover SL as an embedded journalist in an emerging society-- its controversies, its personalities, its innovations and ambitions, along with larger themes of identity, social norms and organization, and cultural expression important to online worlds in general.

That contractual relationship has ended, but the story continues here. -Wagner James Au

Second Thoughts Do's and Dont's for Big Business.

"Every human being is interested in two kinds of worlds: the Primary, everyday world which he knows through his senses, and a Secondary world or worlds which he not only can create in his imagination, but which he cannot stop himself creating." W.H. Auden

Second Life Herald The Second Life Herald was founded on October 23, 2003, by philosophy professor Peter Ludlow. Its mission, as described the next day, was to observe, record and study "the legal, social, and economic implications" of life in the virtual world. Originally established as the Alphaville Herald and reporting for the most part on life on the Alphaville server of The Sims Online, the Herald soon branched out into coverage of other massively multiplayer online games and virtual worlds -- helped along by the murder of Herald publisher Urizenus (Ludlow's avatar) after Electronic Arts got wind of the stories the newspaper was printing about the scams and cyber-prostitution that were taking place within its game, and the company's indifference to reports of real-world violence.

From around the blogosphere, here is what everyone is talking about:

From those who live for Fashion:

Kristopher Dukes is talking about the Christian Louboutin Ankle Boot (that seem vaguely familiar from that of my youth).

The Bag Snob shows you a great little black dress for the Holiday's.

The Budget Fashionista exposes Isaac Mizrahi's Holiday 2006 line at Target.

From those who live for Beauty:

The Mineral Makeup Blog reviews Monave Mineral Cosmetics.

Hello Dollface discusses her review of Scott Barnes Beauty.

Beautiful Makeup Search lets you know that Covergirl Outlast, outlasts them all.

From those who live for all things perfume:

The Scented Salamander talks about Eau D'Italie Le Sirenuse Positano's Italian land and history's inspired scents.

Perfume Critic reviews Tom Ford's Black Orchid.

Indie Perfumes discusses the upcoming movie "Perfume, the Story of a Murderer."

Do you know of a great beauty, fashion, jewelry or perfume blog that deserves a little attention in the Weekend Pulse? Post me a comment so I can check them out!

There are all sorts of buy/sell sites out there these days, but none as unique as Ruby Lane. While many buy/sell sites offer a wide variety of products to choose from, Ruby Lane is very specific to those who love Antiques, fine art, collectibles and jewelry, thus making sure that their site not only offers high quality products, but gives the advantage of having high quality sellers as well.

Purchasing products online from an individual can be tricky and involves a lot of trust. Ruby Lane insures nothing but trustworthy sellers by having a rigorous Quality Assurance program in place. Each seller who wants to set up a shop on Ruby Lane is pre-screened by their in-house arts and antiques professionals and must meet specific quality and professional standards before they can open their shop, unlike other sites where anyone can simply give themselves a screen name and start selling products.

I love Diamonds. Whether or not Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, I'll leave that up to you. I'd take a true best friend over a diamond any day, but diamonds are "cravable" so it is important to be choosy and educated when picking out a diamond when you are ready to take that big step in your relationship. When my husband and I got engaged, he let me come with him to the jeweler to pick out my diamond. I had never purchased a diamond before, so I didn’t know what to expect and I certainly didn’t have any idea about color or even the terms used for clarity. I just knew I wanted a Princess Cut diamond that wasn’t cloudy looking.

I know this isn't exactly breaking news for everyone. However, for those who have lives and don't live and shop online exclusively, this may be news to you, it was to me. Many "recommendation" sites are popping up all over the Internet, yesterday a Fashion blogger referred me to one that is getting kudos in the New York Times; ThisNext.com. I was impressed just how organized this site was and even more impressed to find fashion and beauty bloggers I know doing Shopcasts there, such as Kristopher Dukes, The Jewelry Weblog, and Lola is Beauty.

What's a Shopcast? It's basically shopping and broadcasting combined. It's a playlist of products you recommend and you run them on a badge on your site and they also run on the ThisNext site, as well. You can create wishlists and also make recommendations by downloading a few buttons for your browser.

There are some really great recommendations just waiting for you to discover them, or if you feel so inclined, for you to make them at ThisNext.com

Do you seem to be losing customers lately? Is your customer base and sales simply not increasing? Consumers are telling you all of the time what they want, but are you paying attention? Do you genuinely listen to what they want? Or do you feel comfortable with the way things are?

Here are five things that consumers want from a business both online and offline:

Any woman can tell you the color and scent of a Victoria’s Secret store. Branding a business by color has been around forever, branding a business by scent deliberately is a rather new practice.

We have become inundated with never ending commercials, advertisements, pop-ups and infomercials, smart, progressive businesses realize that the use of scent is another way to make their business or brand not only stand out, but be remembered and associated with a certain positive experience or product.

While color may be an easy branding tool and will surely distinguish you from your competitors, such as that yummy, chocolate brown trademarked as "UPS Brown", scent can be a little touchier. Scent can either turn someone away or reel them in. It's a scientific fact that women are attracted to an ever so slight smell of skunk. Too much, and they are repulsed. Repulsion can be a good thing if your an international airport and you need to clear a building fast. Scents of danger need no interpretation. The scent of coffee can calm people, the new car smell increases sales of vehicles, Victoria’s Secret puts you in the mood the minute you walk into their store with the scent of a woman (or a man in drag) that remind you of romance and desire. Pierce Mattie's Media Oasis has a branded scent, complete with a high tech scent delivery system. Scents that relax you and put you in the mood to shop can increase a businesses bottom line.

I often get asked where my phone skills come from -- as a publicist, I can pitch over the phone like no one's business (toot-toot, goes my horn). Little do some know that I spent my senior year of high school as a telemarketer selling timeshares on the beach over the phone. Yes, in less than two minutes, I would talk, pitch, book and invite you to come to a new condo complex on the Gulf of Mexico to meet with a realtor. Today those phone skills are used daily and I encourage our team to "get on the phone." Email over the years has replaced the pitch calls.

However, trends come and go and this season, the phone will re-establish itself to become "the new email." This holiday season, the next marketing call consumers receive may not be from a credit card company or a politician. A growing number of apparel chains are making personal-sounding phone calls to tout sales events or the arrival of new merchandise, according to Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at NPD Group Inc., a market research firm.

Automated calling services or store clerks who might otherwise be folding sweaters are dialing past customers - using phone numbers gleaned at the cash register - in an attempt to woo them back, he said. Some might even address the former customers by their first names to establish a kind of pseudo-familiarity. Cohen noted that the number of retailers vying for customers by phone has risen from about six to more than two dozen in the past year and a half. Chain stores such as Victoria's Secret, Limited Too and Lane Bryant started adopting the approach during the back-to-school period last year, he said.

Cohen said he expects a flurry of retailer calls after the holidays, when they will be trying to draw consumers into their stores to use gift certificates. "The bad news is the more stores that do this, the less effective this becomes" because customers may stop answering the phone or simply run out of money, Cohen said.

I often get asked where my phone skills come from -- as a publicist, I can pitch over the phone like no one's business (toot-toot, goes my horn). Little do some know that I spent my senior year of high school as a telemarketer selling timeshares on the beach over the phone. Yes, in less than two minutes, I would talk, pitch, book and invite you to come to a new condo complex on the Gulf of Mexico to meet with a realtor. Today those phone skills are used daily and I encourage our team to "get on the phone." Email over the years has replaced the pitch calls.

However, trends come and go and this season, the phone will re-establish itself to become "the new email." This holiday season, the next marketing call consumers receive may not be from a credit card company or a politician. A growing number of apparel chains are making personal-sounding phone calls to tout sales events or the arrival of new merchandise, according to Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at NPD Group Inc., a market research firm.

Automated calling services or store clerks who might otherwise be folding sweaters are dialing past customers - using phone numbers gleaned at the cash register - in an attempt to woo them back, he said. Some might even address the former customers by their first names to establish a kind of pseudo-familiarity. Cohen noted that the number of retailers vying for customers by phone has risen from about six to more than two dozen in the past year and a half. Chain stores such as Victoria's Secret, Limited Too and Lane Bryant started adopting the approach during the back-to-school period last year, he said.

Cohen said he expects a flurry of retailer calls after the holidays, when they will be trying to draw consumers into their stores to use gift certificates. "The bad news is the more stores that do this, the less effective this becomes" because customers may stop answering the phone or simply run out of money, Cohen said.

There is a new cult brand that launched about two years ago that has tech gurus and bloggers talking: Nooka. Marshall Sponder of Techcrunch 8 is one of Nooka's many fans.

Last night, my neighbor John Owens asked me to go to The Chelsea Art Museum for the launch of a new collection of timepieces from Nooka. Not expecting to buy anything, I went with an open mind. What did I find? The perfect gift for my best friend Shane Powers.

Shane is the hardest person on the planet to shop for. He never wears the conventional: no watches, jewelry, shirts with patterns, etc. Nooka is the ideal gift for that person who has everything. What are you giving them? A new way to tell time. Could Nooka be the next hot thing? I think so. On the design blog Core 77, Nooka is sponsoring a giveaway of 100 limited edition watches. Nooka watches work by battery operation and are largely made of steel or plastic. Nooka is made in the USA and starts at $175.00. What makes Nooka so special is the way that they tell time, by counting little blocks from left to right.

As the Holidays are fast approaching, the one item most girls wish for are diamonds. Diamond jewelers know this and you can see it through the increase in commercials as gift giving season quickly falls upon us.

While most men give the basic colorless diamond (which if my husband is reading, I would not mind at all), why not be unique and set yourself apart from the status quo with a Natural Color Diamond? A Natural Color Diamond is one that contains color and its value is not placed on its carat weight, shape or clarity, but in the richness of its hues. The deeper the color, the rarer the stone. When you give a Natural Color Diamond you are making a statement to your giftee that she herself is a find.

These diamonds have been made popular in recent years by celebrities trying to impress their counterparts. Two that stand out are when Ben Affleck gave Jennifer Lopez a yellow canary diamond and Kobe Bryant gave his wife a purple fancy diamond.

Color in your diamonds can also have a different effect on your giftee (besides complete giddiness) when it comes to the color you chose:

Red, which in a diamond is the rarest of all colors, also conveys passion, optimism, vitality and self confidence.

Blue, second rarest in color, conveys serenity, calming and harmony.

Pink exudes femininity, comfort and relaxation.

Which color best describes the person you intend to give the diamond to? It is something to consider when making such a purchase. To shop for one, be sure to visit Angara.com or visit Fantasy Diamond online or ask your local jeweler to see fantasy diamonds or endless diamonds.

I’ve honestly never paid much attention to products that were celebrity endorsed, in high school, maybe a little, however there have been plenty of my friends who live by what products “Celebrity A List” says are the best. There was a time, back when I was very young, that I did follow what my favorite celebrities endorsed. One such product was Pepsi, simply because I was a very big Michael Jackson fan. Luckily, I wised up.

So when I saw one of my favorite fashion designers, Isaac Mizrahi, pitching StriVectin-SD in a commercial the other day I felt such utter disappointment. Strivectin-SD, which claims to be an anti-stretchmark cream turned anti-wrinkle cream, is trying to pitch their product to men through Mizrahi's popularity. Isaac is a talk show host and thus a "lifestyle advocate" however, as a person who admires Mr. Mizrahi for his outstanding fashion, I wonder why he had to go this route. Seeing him in a commercial promoting an anti-wrinkle cream made me lose a little bit of respect for him and I didn't want too. I'm sure I am not alone.

I believe there was a time when celebrity endorsements held clout, but the times have been changing, most especially as blogs have become more and more popular. There are so many blogs out there that review products and I am more apt to listen to the average Joe tell me their likes and dislikes over a product than to run out to buy a product because Mischa Barton has been using it. According to a survey done by Allure and Essence, the same holds true for many of their readers.

Although Blogging has been around for years, approaching Bloggers to review or pitch your products is fairly new and growing in momentum. If you are thinking of approaching a Blogger to review your products, there is a protocol that sometimes many companies do not invest their time to understand and follow.

As a beauty Blogger, I receive many emails on a weekly basis from companies and PR firms big and small to find out if I am interested in reviewing their products on my two beauty blogs. There are some that exude professionalism both in the way they approach me through their emails, through the way the package is sent and in their follow up. Then there are the mass emails, lack of PR materials with the product, presentation of the product and lack of follow up. The difference between the two potentially means your emails go in my trash folder.

Things you should not do when you approach a Blogger:

Send out a mass email, most notably saying “Dear Bloggers” or having no greeting at all. While some newer Bloggers may respond to this, many seasoned Bloggers won’t. It is the sign of a company simply harvesting your contact information and not taking the time to personally contact you, as they want you to personally review their product. It is a two way street.

Have the expectation that the Blogger will want to review your product simply because you offered it for free. Bloggers know their readers and most will only review products that are 1. Related to their blog and 2. Something that would be of interest to their readers.

Insincerely attempt to flatter them. So many companies do it and many times I receive the same email to each of my accounts for my blogs when the company doesn’t even realize they are sending it to the same person. Bloggers can read between the lines.

The area in which I live is known to have character. Each house is different, or has historic presence, and stands out among other places nearby. There really is no “big business” in our area overcrowding every street corner and making their over domineering corporate-America presence known. This is a place that embraces entrepreneurs.

So when driving down a road I haven’t traveled in a while, I noticed something out of the ordinary; cookie cutter houses. A new development was being built and each house looked exactly the same. Their yards were the same, with the same tree in the same spot, and the grass all the same length. Nothing about these houses or this development had anything exceptional to them. They lacked character.

Blood Diamond, the movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio with several Academy Award nominations, is based on the violent civil war in the 1990’s in Sierra Leone in which the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels attempted to overthrow the government, and an illicit diamond trade was used to fund the war effort. The movie has brought attention to the diamond trade and many times what is involved in mining diamonds that are the most sought-after gem in the world.

So it’s no surprise that there are laboratories out there, such as Apollo Diamonds and Gemesis, that are perfecting on creating real diamonds in a lab setting. Not your typical chemically produced Cubic Zirconia, but diamonds created through a process involving real diamond seeds that come together under pressure to create a diamond that matches or exceeds a mined diamond in quality and brilliance. Same natural diamond, only it takes 2 weeks to produce one in a lab setting versus billions of years in the earth. Obviously it is also much safer to create than the risks involved in mining and what it does to our environment.

Creating and mimicking what is real is nothing new. It’s in how man-made products are taking its toll on the industries that produce the real deal. Cultured Pearls are almost indistinguishable to the naked eye compared to its natural counterpart. Fake fur, really well produced pieces, can often be mistaken for the real thing. While the industry that brings you the real products is beginning to feel its effects, it tries to counteract the new demand for man made quality copies by stressing the importance and value on their non-synthetic product.

Super Bowl XLI takes place this Sunday when the Indianapolis Colts take on the Chicago Bears, but the spending and the hype have already begun. With 90 million people predicted to be watching the big game, half of which are women, electronic stores, grocery stores and yes, even florists and jewelry stores can expect an increase in sales this weekend.

According to Visa, sponsor of the NFL since 1995, florists and jewelry stores alone saw a 30% increase in spending on Super Bowl weekend in both 2005 and 2006. Visa suspects it is either consumers getting a jump-start on Valentine’s Day gifts or out of guilt from all of the spending on electronics and food for the big game. If this is the case, honey I would like those diamond earrings I have been eyeing up and I like Tulips not Roses.

Commercials this year continue to increase in popularity, especially with You Tube offering continued viral marketing and buzz by hosting SUPERVOTE. Not only will those watching the game be able to talk around the water cooler about which commercials they loved or hated, but they will be able to vote at You Tube giving advertisers some tangible data as to who was successful with their advertising campaign. Sports blogs and advertising blogs are also sure to keep the buzz going about which brand was most successful with their commercial. It will be interesting to see if anyone is collecting data on how much a brand’s sales increase due to all of the above.

Looking for the next big thing for Spring? Then make sure to check out Maryam & Kims "confessions post" on the fashion PR division blog "The Fashion Rag" (now being edited by Jason Jobson) for links to the top 10 best trends for Spring and the designers who make that trend stand out.

With so many social networking sites beginning to dominate the internet, it’s about time there was one that had one main focus to bring people with the same interest together to connect and network. IQONS is to fashion what MySpace is to music. Created by Rafael Jimenez and Suran Goonatilake with co-mentor Diane Pernet, they bring experience to the table that will see this new social networking site blossom.

IQONS is the global social network where designers, fashion labels, magazine editors, models, stylists, fashion PR professionals, fashion enthusiasts and the like can connect and network with each other. IQONS only launched last month, but it is already building a presence online with 820 designers with an online profile. Through their profile you can get a more in depth look into who they are and browse through their “showcase.” A showcase is where you can upload your work for the rest of the network to see.

IQONS has a few ways that members can connect and promote their work through the site. Influential and highly respected fashion industry professionals, referred to as Iqons, review and comment on work showcased by members on the site; IQONS features one Iqon each month; they also give members 15 minutes of fame by spotlighting a member profile every hour on the hour. IQONS also creates projects with influential fashion industry professionals for members to take part in. The first one is with online fashion retailer Yoox.com for a design competition.

I think this a great way to network with others in the industry and I’ve already started to create a profile, or “Portrait” as they call it, there myself. If you are already on IQONS, tell us what you think of the site.

Congratulations to the many stylists, designers and publicists involved.

* Best Picture - The Departed
* Best Director - Martin Scorsese - The Departed
* Best Actor - Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland
* Best Actress - Helen Mirren - The Queen
* Best Supporting Actor - Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine
* Best Supporting Actress – Jennifer Hudson - Dream Girls
* Best Foreign Film - The Lives of Others

We are all familiar with all the various bidding sites that are out there that bring consumer and seller together such as the highly popular website Priceline.com and of course its now defunct name your price grocery website WebHouse (which I sadly miss). Of course there are other variations of sites that look to capture an audience by allowing various businesses to compete for your business such as with Lending Tree and RentalCars.com (owned by Priceline). As more and more consumers are always looking for the best deals, a new trend has been emerging that Doc Searls dubbed last year as the Intention Economy.

The Intention Economy grows around buyers, not sellers. It leverages the simple fact that buyers are the first source of money, and that they come ready-made. You don't need advertising to make them. The Intention Economy is about markets, not marketing. You don't need marketing to make Intention Markets.---Doc Searls”

With this idea in mind, it opens another market and another way for brands to think outside of the box when it comes to getting exposure for their product. This is a market that is virtually untapped and one that many are beginning to see as a golden opportunity to connect in another way with their target market. One such example is in a specific part of the travel industry: cruises. Cruise Compete is a website that is similar in notion to Lending Tree in that Travel Cruise Agents compete to offer you the best deal on a cruise package. Although sites like Lending Tree, Priceline and Cruise Compete work with a limited amount of businesses to offer you the best deal, these sites still remain popular in this niche of price competition and continue to have a small amount of rival sites.

Mother’s Day is only a few short weeks away and happens to be, in my opinion, a day that all mothers look forward to for the pampering, the gifts and demonstrations of love by her family. With consumer spending for Mother’s Day gifts expected to be $15.73 billion, these last few weeks before the big day are a fantastic opportunity to get your brand noticed, especially online.

According to the National Retail Federation’s 2007 Mother’s Day Consumer Actions and Intentions survey, 20% of consumers are expected to do their Mother’s Day gift shopping online, which is a 3.1% increase from last year. Although the other 80% do their gift buying offline, many still use the internet to research and look for gift ideas. While Mother’s Day shopping and gift research typically begins at the beginning of April, far more consumers make their purchase much closer to the holiday, which occurs on May 13th this year.

By utilizing the internet to spread the word about your product(s) as great gift ideas for mom, your advertising costs will be much less versus commercial and print ads and more likely to spread the word faster due to viral marketing. A few ways to utilize the web to get your products before Mother’s Day gift searchers are:

Press Releases
Advertisements on targeted websites
Advertisements on targeted blogs
Promoting them to blog owners

Online press releases are great for search engine optimization and will quickly get you picked up by the likes of Google and Yahoo when consumers do an online search. Using keywords in the title of your press release is a key factor. Key phrases to use are “Mother’s Day gifts” and “Mother’s Day gift ideas.” Some online press release services are PR NewsWire, Send2Press and PRWeb Direct. You can also use these same press releases to email to blog owners, but make sure to include links to your products (if you have an online site) and pictures as well.

Fashion:

+ SporkFashion posts about David Lundhal’s Fire Element Necklace.

+ J’adore Couture discusses the success of Gap’s newest Designer additions, the book “Falling into the Gap” and ponders if Gap Inc. has learned from its past as sales are up 4% at Gap and 10% at Old Navy. I vaguely remember *someone* saying that Gap Inc. would make a comeback this year.

+ Fashionista has a great series called “Adventures in Copyright Infringement.” In adventure #10 she compares a pair of Manolo Blahnik’s to an exact copy by J.Crew.

Beauty:

+ Hello Dollface reviews a number of beauty products from NYX Cosmetics (of which I am also a fan!)

+ Modern Atelier review’s two products from Stila’s Summer Collection.

+ Perfume-Smellin’ Things reviews La Base For Her.

An array of “Blushing Baubles” sparkled across USA TODAY’s Fashion page last Wednesday, including a pink and white Swarovski crystal rose gold ring by one of our clients, David Lundahl. It could have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in advertising to gain this kind of publicity for Lundahl, but our brand advocates, Serge Gurin and Erin Haggerty made the placement with just a few phone calls.

I sat down with Serge and Erin to learn more about their success and how they did it.

How do newspapers differ from magazines?

Serge: Newspapers, being short leads, are focused on the season at hand. Therefore everything we pitch has to be fast breaking. Additionally, newspapers are less inclined to simply put product placement—it has to fit a larger story.

Erin: Newspapers also work on a much shorter lead time than magazines. Normally editors only work about two weeks out. Also, national newspapers generally insist that products be sold online so that people everywhere can purchase them.

What are newspapers specifically looking for?

Serge: As above, dailies are looking for stories more than products. They want to know what is going on in the world that the product is a part of.

Erin: Newspapers, similar to magazines, appreciate good packaging. Bright, bold colors that will photograph well generally get the most attention. Most newspaper pitches are very time sensitive. You need to be aware of the local happenings and holiday schedules so that your pitch fits into what they are working on.

What is the best way to peak an editor’s interest, especially at a daily?

Serge: Do your research. If you have a product that you want to pitch, find 3 or 4 other corollary products that match and create a trend piece. For example, if you have a product that comes in topaz, find celebrities and influentials who are wearing products that come in topaz. Then source complementary products that use topaz and script up a story on how topaz is the hot new stone.

Erin: Find out what the editor is working on and make your product fit into it. Also, create unique pitches that they haven’t seen used in other places before. Editors don’t want to cover the same trend everyone else is writing about. Give examples of other companies, products, etc. following the trend to show that you aren’t just pushing your product.

How long does it take for a pitch to come into fruition?

Serge: It depends on the story and the daily. Some stories hit immediately if it fits the angle the writer is working on. Longer trend pieces with larger outlets such as the NYT and WSJ can take up to 6 months to pitch—just like a glossy.

Erin: Anywhere from 1 day to several months. If you are pitching a story to an editor they may need to think about it for a while before deciding whether to do it or not. Unlike magazines, newspaper dates get changed all of the time depending on the current news. A story may be slated for May and not run again until June because they only run 1 fashion page (for example) per week.

What obstacles do you face in getting products placed in short leads?

Serge: The product must be available in the region of the daily. Websites are acceptable, but if you have a product sold only in NJ, you can’t pitch an LA newspaper. Additionally, short leads are not interested in things that are happening in the future. Save the holiday pitches for when it’s actually a holiday.

Erin: Distribution is a large obstacle for many companies and products. You need to have national distribution as well as good images. Newspapers generally do not photograph your product so you need to provide top quality stock photography. Also, newspaper editors are extremely busy meeting all of their daily deadlines so reaching them to pitch a story or follow up can be a big challenge.

For gifted jewelry designer Carolyn Rafaelian, a career in the jewelry industry was never a question as she was born into a family of jewelers; her father having a jewelry company of his own. She grew up in Rhode Island, well-known for it's leadership in jewelry, and still maintains her headquarters there. Her jewelry company, Alex and Ani, came to be in late 1993 after her second daughter, Ani, was born. Alex and Ani was created as a vehicle to enhance human consciousness and is an effortless mix of uptown elegance and downtown cool, ethnic chic and causal couture.

The Alex and Ani expandable wire bangles are the concept product which launched the brand and are the signature jewelry in her collection. The expandable wire bangles can be easily adjusted to fit wrists of any size. All of Alex and Ani's expandable wire bangles are eco-friendly, as they are made from recycled metal scraps.

You can tackle two trends in one design this Fall with Alex and Ani's Free Bird Collection. The cuff bracelet and feather trend merge in this Phoenix Striped Cuff.

Carolyn Rafaelian doesn't follow trends, she creates them. Her jewelry designs stay one step ahead and are unique in their innovative design. Alex and Ani jewelry can be found at Fred Segal, Henri Bendel's, Nordstroms, Bloomingdale's and online at alexandani.com.

Pierce Mattie Public Relations' innovative "Media Oasis" in Times Square has been tagged by Beauty and Fashion editors as an environment that promotes a unique learning experience, crossing and connecting the media and client in one versatile location of beauty and serenity. The Media Oasis' tranquil atmosphere sets a new standard in the industry by allowing brands to showcase their products and services to the media in an intimate setting fostering more in-depth communication between the two.

The origin of the Media Oasis stemmed from our clients asking us to provide services in a controlled environment where the brand's integrity would not be compromised with the media present," said Joanna Roche, Executive Vice President of Pierce Mattie PR.

"My vision of the Media Oasis was to have the feel of a very modern day resort, while still maintaining the function of a large corporate office. Pierce Mattie and I transformed what would normally be a nicely decorated corporate office into a retreat, not only for the many magazine editors that visit the New York office, but also for the employees of Pierce Mattie Public Relations. The results of which we are very proud of; part work, part relaxation, less stress, better living and going home with a peace of mind," said Edward Thornton, chief designer from Thornton & Associates; the architectural firm responsible for creating the revolutionary Media Oasis.

The Media Oasis is a 4,000 square foot custom built retreat designed to harmoniously blend the media and our luxury lifestyle clients. "The majority of our brands do not have corporate facilities in Manhattan. This often presented a missed experience when our team would go to pitch a brand to the press. We found ourselves renting hotel suites and taking over spas and hair salons to do events with beauty editors and shoot TV shows with segment producers. We wanted to bring this experience in-house. We are confident that Media Oasis is the right tool to maximize their media exposure," said Lance Buckley, Account Director at Pierce Mattie. Guests of the Oasis can receive exclusive facial treatments, body massages, manicures and pedicures, aromatherapy sessions, chemical peels and body treatments based on what brand is being pitched at that time. The clandestine milieu is also outfitted with a shampoo room fit for scalp treatments and hair processing.

Prom season is upon us again and as this billion dollar industry continues its surge in growth and popularity, many brands are often wondering how to reach out to the teen market and get exposure for their product. Teens are becoming savvier and demanding more than just being told the latest trends, so I've compiled a list of tips that I hope you find helpful on how to get exposure for your brand during this momentous time of year.

1. Target long lead glossy magazines. In order to have your product considered for editorial in any of the teen-specific magazines, you must send your press release to the editors 3-4 months in advance. Editors are overwhelmed with product pitches daily, so make yours short & sweet and copy in an image of the product that you want to capture their attention with. Hot Prom Magazines: Prom, Your Prom, Seventeen Prom, Cosmogirl! Prom, Teen Prom.

2. Create buzz that drives teens to your website with a unique angle or spin. A fantastic example is Duck Brand Duct Tape’s Stuck at Prom contest (www.ducktapeclub.com/contests/prom). Duck Brand Duct Tape came up with the unique idea to let creative teens design their prom attire and accessories completely out of Duck Brand Duct Tape for a chance to win a scholarship and money for their school. The result? Amazingly innovative prom gowns and tuxes that resemble realistic theater-looking attire. Duct Brand took a product that may have not otherwise been associated with Prom and presented it in a way that got teens excited, interested and spreading the word about the brand.

3. Offer prom advice. This opens the door for just about anyone to enter the Prom arena. Whether you are a dermatologist, a hair stylist, Prom gown and accessory brand such as Jovani or Alyce Designs, makeup artist or relationship expert, teens are always looking for advice and tips on everything from taking care of their skin leading up to prom, having the gown, hair style, accessories and details that best suits their personality to Prom date advice. Whether you host the advice on your own website, promote it to online communities whose readership is the teen demographic or offer yourself up to the media as an expert, getting your name out there as a trusted source for Prom advice will drive traffic to your website and improve your brand awareness. www.PromAdvice.com, an extension of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, is a great point of reference to start. Websites with great Prom advice: Promgirl.net, Sydney’s Closet, ThePromSite.com, PromSpot.com

Ethnic Rocks is an online jewelry boutique that features some of the best designers in their niche. You can find the ethnic designs of Amrita Singh, Allison Daniel Designs and Dagmar by Pavan Anand, among a few others in this eclectic mix of semiprecious gemstones geared towards ethnicity and era.

Read the complete post on our Jewelry PR blog.

PR has long misused and misunderstood pitching to Bloggers, most specifically, mommy bloggers. Yesterday I caught the segment of the Today Show featuring mom bloggers Mir, Kristen, Jill and a live interview with Heather B. Armstrong. After watching Hota Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford totally miss the boat with "air quotes," backhanded compliments and asking Heather, "Is it all moms who are on your blogosphere," it basically solidified for me, if the media doesn't "get" mommy bloggers, how can PR expect to understand how to reach out to them either? Well, being a mom myself, I decided to do something no one else has seemed to do before--I asked them.

Erin Kotecki Vest who writes Queen of Spain, Elizabeth Thielke writer of Busy Mom and Jenn Satterwhite who writes Mommy Needs Coffee all graciously took the time to answer my questions when it came to pitching mommy blogs. If you are thinking of pitching your products to mommy blogs, it's definitely best to hear the right and wrong way to do it and avoid your pitch hitting the spam folder.

Shannon: How do mom blogs differ from a tech blog, beauty blog, foodie blog (besides the obvious niche differences)? Is there a difference in who the audience is?

Erin: We're not selling anything and odds are we don't review products or services. Normally we are discussing our lives. It's much easier to connect with a site that is in the business of discussing an 'industry' or category.

Jenn: I think every blog is going to have an audience that finds interest in the main topic of the posts. I think with mom blogs there is more of an interest in community and stories. However, there is a lot of cross over. Not all of my readers are parents. And not all the blogs I read are mom blogs. I just think people gravitate to what interests them most. Whether it be a narrow group or a large array or interests. Mom blogs are not the big influencers when it comes to products because many are now talking about them. Similar to the playground of our day when our moms would share opinions. We just share them online.

Elizabeth: A "mom blog" can be defined many different ways, the common factor is that they are written by a female who is a parent, but the content can vary widely. Many are exclusively about parenting, while others a more of a reflection of life in general, comedy, tech stuff or other topics mixed in the conversation. The audience is the same in that they are people who are interested in the writer and the topic. But, they are perhaps different in that a mom blog's audience is often people who are having or have had the same types of life experiences as the writer, where that's not usually a factor in other niche blogs.

Shannon: Why do you feel that PR firms and various brands are pitching mommy blogs and placing more value on them than the average niche blog?

Erin: There are many reasons-most of which have to do with stats. Women control .83cents on every household dollar. Women are now the heaviest web users. Women are turning off the TV and putting down the magazine in favor of being online. Women are the best word of mouth advertisers in the world.

Jenn: Two reasons: First: Moms do the majority of the household spending and are the ones who are going to go out and purchase most of the things that we are being pitched. We are the ones who are making most of the house hold purchases. Secondly, many women/moms look to each other for advice and recommendations on products before they buy. I will definitely take the word of a mom blogger I trust over any pitch, advertisement or branding tactic that comes my way.

Elizabeth: Moms often make everyday purchasing decisions for wide variety of items and aren't limited to a niche. With growing children, they will be making kid related and household purchases consistently over a long period of time. Additionally, moms are perceived as people who will talk to their friends about products and the reach is extended.

The Indian Diamond and Colorstone Association will host its Annual Gala Awards Night on Saturday, May 31, 2008 at the Venetian Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada during the JCK Las Vegas Show, one of the most important jewelry trade shows in the world. The awards to be presented include the Retailer of the Year, E-Tailer of the Year, Doyenne of the Year, given to an influential woman in the industry each year, as well as the Pioneer Award which is given to an important figure in the Indian community whose leadership was instrumental in the industry's success.

Pierce Mattie PR recently submitted an article to the Bulldog Reporter, which has been published in their Barks & Bites column, below is a preview:

PR has long misused and misunderstood pitching to bloggers. While it has long been the status quo of PR to send blanket impersonal press release type pitches to media outlets, blogs and social media are reshaping the way we pitch. Unlike print publications, blogs do not have advertisers to answer to and their blog is, in essence, their brand. PR has to invest the time to peel back the layers and research who they are, what they talk about and who their audience is before sending a pitch—or take the chance of their pitch hitting the spam folder (or worse, appearing as a slam on their blog).

There is no doubt that the social media scene is not going away. In fact, it continues to grow and become more influential. While print publications still lead the way as a client's preferred method of securing coverage, blogs and social media outlets tend to offer instant results with measurable ROI. While the initial results of a blog writing about your client may be fleeting, eventually that write up gets indexed and lives online in the search engines. In print, once you've had your moment in the spotlight, the next month it turns to someone else and that mention is long forgotten by the consumer.

As advocates for our clients, it is in our best interest to come to understand and navigate this often slippery slope of the blogosphere where one minute you may hit a homerun and in the next, strike out. In the new world of Communication 2.0, if PR hopes to find any success in securing publicity for their client on the web, then they need to devote themselves to reshaping the way they cast their net.

To read the complete article please check out the Bulldog Reporter. To see the original post that the article was summarized from please check out PR Tips: How to Pitch Mommy Bloggers.

Pierce Mattie PR is now hiring for our New York and Los Angeles offices. Please feel free to forward this post to anyone that may be interested. 

Open Divisions:
• Beauty
• Jewelry
• Women's Fashion
• Men's Fashion
• Food & Beverage
• Home Furnishings
• Resort & Travel
• Fitness
• Men's Lifestyle
• Women's Lifestyle

Open Positions:
• Account Supervisors
• Account Directors
• Account Manager
• Sr. Account Executives

Read more on how you can join our award winning team! 

Rachel Bravman: Publicist turned Jewelry Designer

Everything Rachel Bravman touches turns to gold. Yes, most of the fashion jewelry she designs for her line Rachel Leigh is already a gold color, but her finishing touch turns the celebrity coveted baubles into editorial gold.

Bravman was working as an Yves Saint Laurent publicist when she launched her jewelry line in the fall of 2004. The line was a direct answer to demands for luxury fashion jewelry that could compliment designs featured in the best fashion editorials. What resulted was a fun yet fashion forward jewelry empire worn by all the Hollywood "It" girls.

Read the complete post on our Jewelry PR blog.

History Repeats itself with Archival Inspired Fine Jewelry Lines

Designers in general often look to their predecessors’ work for inspiration.  This is clearly evident in a number of fine jewelry lines popping up around the world lately.

One example of this window to the past is Van Cleef and Arpels nod to a past collaboration with George Balanchine. Ballet master Balachine’s mystification by the Fifth Avenue Van Cleef and Arpels window display of rubies, diamonds and emerald was the jumping off point for collaboration between dance and precious stones in the 1960s. 

New York City Ballet dancer Suzanne Farrell models Van Cleef - Arpels jewelry with Claude Arpels and George Balanchine in 1976

The result was a ballet designed by Balanchine in collaboration with Claude and Pierre Arpels called Jewels that was meant to evoke the quality of the precious stones Balanchine found so inspiring.  “Jewels” now re-appears on the drawing board of inspiration for the luxury jewelry house with a line of bespoke pieces called Ballet Précieux, such as tiny ballerinas, all given the emerald, ruby and diamond treatment.

Read the complete post on our Jewelry PR blog.

Any bride-to-be knows that their wedding gown is a piece of art that makes for the centerpiece for their big day. There are so many things to consider when choosing the perfect gown to reflect your personality and that to me lies within the details. Pierce Mattie recently attended the WeddingChannel Couture Show at the InterContinental-Barclay Hotel which showcased Spring 2009 bridal gowns from some of the top brands in the industry. Simone Carvalli was one such brand in attendance and Pierce was able to capture the intricate details of her couture wedding gowns up close and personal.

Read the complete post on our Fashion PR blog The Fashion Rag.

Dolce & Gabanna and Chanel, watch out! Prada has answered your costume jewelry lines with one of its own and it's just as brand laden as yours!  

Women's Wear Daily reported that Prada "commissioned an exclusive shatterproof material that is cut to resemble a precious stone and is set in metal bezels" in order to replicate the stones that compose the desired color scheme of  kiwi green, teal blue, purple, black and copper.

Read the complete post on our Jewelry PR blog

Pierce Mattie recently attended the WeddingChannel Wedding Couture show back in October where he saw some ordinary wedding products dressed up to be amazing show pieces thanks to the crystals from Swarovski Crystal Lized.

Ordinary petite fours and truffles can be extraordinary when befitted with sparkling Swarovski crystals, which makes it a doubly nice treat for your guests!

Continue reading this post on our Jewelry PR blog

Good will towards men. It's at this time of the year that no matter what is going on in your life, that one sentence always resonates when you hear about or see someone less fortunate than yourself. With the current economic crisis the U.S. is experiencing, Project Angel Food's Divine Design is brilliant. Not only do you get enjoyment from purchasing products from your favorite designers, but all of your hard earned cash goes to men, women and children who have HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.

Typically I would've been putting out this forecast on PR trends last month, but I think it's safe to say that the economy is turbulent and therefore what may be a great business and PR strategy one day may not necessarily work months down the line. While everyone may be all doom and gloom about the current state of public relations, I remain an eternal optimist and think that success lies in being educated, creative and having a willingness to let the diversified background of your team make you collectively stronger to meet your clients needs.

1. The spotlight can no longer shine on just one star, 2009 is about teamwork. Sure, we all have that one employee who is so amazing that everyone wants to emulate them, but look close enough, and you will find that each one of your staff has incredible talents, that collectively, make your firm a powerhouse. Find ways to help your staff let those talents emerge and yes this may take some investment of time by upper management to really identify each of your team members strengths (and weaknesses), but in this economy our best weapon is from within our own resources.

2.  Education equals vitality. No one can be ignorant any longer to the shift in the way the public consumes news and researches/purchases products. Everyone everywhere is looking to make cuts in their budgets, but educating your team should be considered a priority and not something that can be put on the backburner until the economy pinks up. Our industry will need to keep up to speed on how to work with and remain flexible during this time of transition.

With the current state of the economy, companies may be questioning the value of PR and how publicity can directly translate into increased sales. I understand this and all too often our industry sees clients cutting PR from their budgets when it is the one thing that is most important in an economic downturn. The economy has caused the priorities of public relations to begin a seismic shift and our main focus is no longer solely about consumer awareness, but now includes the added challenge of positively impacting the bottom line. For the industry to remain afloat here are some public relations strategies we implement here at Pierce Mattie PR that we've found to be successful:

A recent study showed that American consumers are 90% more apt to purchase from a company that mirrors their conscience in both the company's social responsibility and philanthropic efforts. Due to the economic downturn, however, companies are looking to cut costs from all non-essential areas. While it may seem like an easy line item to remove, several jewelry companies have continued to embrace philanthropy.

In Town & Country's June Issue, companies such as Montblanc, Roberto Coin and Joan Hornig were highlighted for their charitable work. They were just part of a group that ran the gamut from luxury to wallet-friendly designers.

For smaller companies, putting dollars towards good causes can be challenging...

What the report revealed is:

• Jewelry chain stores are having the worst impact in this economy by over 13%
• Sales at independent high-end retailers were down slightly but not as steep
• Mid-range retailers were down 5.5 percent
• 2008, the diamond category (loose and set) remained the majority, with 49 percent of sales
• Timepieces saw growth, up from 3 percent of sales in 2007 to 6 percent in 2008
• Repair sales remain an important category, bringing in 10 percent of sales

How does this translate to Jewelry Public Relations and Marketing?

Can you really own a clover? As jewelry designers attempt to trademark more and more designs I have to wonder, can you really say you own the clover? According to New York Magazine, Heidi Klum elected to shut down her jewelry line over the legal pursuits of Van Clef & Arpels. So this I feel brings up a good question, can you really own these designs?

Doesn’t this remind you of two other design symbols that are very overdone, the bumble bee used by everyone from Joan Rivers Jewelry on QVC to Mary Kay Cosmetics and also the Butterfly coined by Neiman Marcus but so loved by Mariah Carey, enough to inspire her Elizabeth Arden fragrance. So why can’t we just let Heidi have the clover? I seriously doubt the consumers who buy into her brand and image are the same that shop at Bergdorf Goodman. Thoughts?

Related post: Nude Skincare and Nude Fragrance with Stella McCartney

Photo Credit: About.com

The results are in! The team at Pierce Mattie Public Relations has compiled their annual "What’s Hot, What’s Not" list for 2010 pertaining to all things beauty, fashion, lifestyle and media. What’s in? The stiletto heel, Jeggings, Minx Nails, diesel fuel and the use of condoms have made a major come back over the pill. And what’s out? Skinny jeans, Starbucks, Hybrid Technology and Zoloft just to name a few.

What’s IN:

Fashion –

Annabel Tollman
UNIQLO
Velcro
Navaho Prints
Stiletto Heels
Tie Clips
The Boyfriend Jacket
Jeggings

Beauty –

Blushing Nails
Bouncy hair that is air dried
neuLash & Latisse
Fresh Cut Cedarwood
Injectables
Goth inspired makeup
Violet/Carnation Scents
Minx Nails
Invisalign
Push-up Bra

Accessories –

House of Harlow
Metal Statement Necklaces
Bib necklaces
Alexander Wang handbags

Lifestyle -

How To and DIY stories
Blog stories
Brewing your own coffee
Berlin
Diesel Fuel
Condoms
Farm Weddings
Vampires
Pilates
Your real figure
Wine
Life Coach

Media -

Oxygen
Open source
Helpareporter.com
Real Housewives Washington DC
iRex
Wendy Williams
Glee
Megan Fox
Alexandra Wentworth (comedian)
David Baldacci (novelist)
Roberta Gellis (romance)
Taylor Lautner
Katie Cassidy

What’s OUT:

Kate Moss seems to be everywhere lately; if she isn't aligning herself as a fashion designer for Top Shop, spokesmodel for David Yurman, muse or model, she is emerged in the beauty industry. Most notably are her recent fragrance launch for Vintage with Coty and advertisements for Parisienne with YSL. Is Kate Moss over exposed? Has she saturated every aspect of the industry to the point that we are getting tired of her?

It wasn't too difficult to notice a jewelry trend among celebrities last night at the Golden Globes as so many went sans necklace (although Julia Roberts' Van Cleef and Arpels necklace kind of made up the difference for everyone else.) However, no necklace meant giving way to larger statement earrings and they were something fierce. (My ear lobes screamed oh no, but my love of jewelry said oh yes!)

Inspiration is a funny thing. Designers at New York Fashion Week have been inspired by everything from Chinese zodiac (Vivienne Tam) to globe trotters (Elie Tahari). Jewelry designer Emily Armenta is no different. Her inspiration is Federico Garcia Lorca, a Spanish poet, known for his dramatic and passionate works.

Her duende collection is taken from the Spanish people’s name for Lorca. Duende is interpreted as a mystical concept with no definable definition. It can be “felt in the pulse of flamenco, in the wailings of lost lovers, and in the expression of unleashed passion.” And Emily’s jewelry line Armenta, captures this sentiment perfectly.

Inspiration is a funny thing. Designers at New York Fashion Week have been inspired by everything from Chinese zodiac (Vivienne Tam) to globe trotters (Elie Tahari). Jewelry designer Emily Armenta is no different. Her inspiration is Federico Garcia Lorca, a Spanish poet, known for his dramatic and passionate works.

Her duende collection is taken from the Spanish people’s name for Lorca. Duende is interpreted as a mystical concept with no definable definition. It can be “felt in the pulse of flamenco, in the wailings of lost lovers, and in the expression of unleashed passion.” And Emily’s jewelry line Armenta, captures this sentiment perfectly.

Inspiration is a funny thing. Designers at New York Fashion Week have been inspired by everything from Chinese zodiac (Vivienne Tam) to globe trotters (Elie Tahari). Jewelry designer Emily Armenta is no different. Her inspiration is Federico Garcia Lorca, a Spanish poet, known for his dramatic and passionate works.

Her duende collection is taken from the Spanish people’s name for Lorca. Duende is interpreted as a mystical concept with no definable definition. It can be “felt in the pulse of flamenco, in the wailings of lost lovers, and in the expression of unleashed passion.” And Emily’s jewelry line Armenta, captures this sentiment perfectly.

Inspiration is a funny thing. Designers at New York Fashion Week have been inspired by everything from Chinese zodiac (Vivienne Tam) to globe trotters (Elie Tahari). Jewelry designer Emily Armenta is no different. Her inspiration is Federico Garcia Lorca, a Spanish poet, known for his dramatic and passionate works.

Her duende collection is taken from the Spanish people’s name for Lorca. Duende is interpreted as a mystical concept with no definable definition. It can be “felt in the pulse of flamenco, in the wailings of lost lovers, and in the expression of unleashed passion.” And Emily’s jewelry line Armenta, captures this sentiment perfectly.

More and more men are throwing their preconceived notions aside and wearing fashion jewelry. And the jewelry line Alex & Chloe is making the job easier with their edgy, street wear inspired bling. Since their start in 2004, the company has been creating original jewelry, which is guided by their minimalist and humor approach.

The line isn’t divided into men's or women’s, instead Alex & Chloe takes a more unisex approach. For the rookie, we suggest the infinity link bracelet. It’s got street cred, but doesn’t scream “I’m wearing jewelry.” The oxidized silver look will blend in, day or night, and gives your wardrobe a finishing touch. For the veteran, the crown of thorns necklace is certain to attract attention. The opal triplet cabochon stone reminds us of a combination of middle Earth and flower child; think organic meets hippie.

As Nordstrom’s exclusive jewelry designer, Bony Levy understands contemporary luxury. His ten year industry experience has given Bony diamond knowledge beyond karats, which he proves within his designs. Nordstrom Carriere Jewelry by Bony Levy is the exclusive Nordstrom brand, and Bony has created designs that stand out from the pack. The brand mixes elegant and casual by using diamonds in unexpected ways.

Simplicity plays a large part in Bony’s design element and that ultimately makes the line the perfect companion to practically any get-up. The Flower Stack ring, which features three layers of diamond ring bling, combines fashion-forward thinking with an everyday approach. We love how easy the ring would pair with a pair or jeans or an evening gown. The fine jewelry line is, as expected, on the expensive side, with the line starting at $400. The line also features a bridal collection, promising bling until death do us part. If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, we may have just found a possible candidate for a new BFF. Combining diamonds and fun is definitely the way to our hearts.

It seems that more and more products coming out of China are not only becoming synonymous with the words cheap, but also toxic. And so here we go again as recent reports about children's jewelry retailer Claire's and Miley Cyrus' Hannah Montana jewelry line for Walmart are being pulled from shelves due to being made with cadmium. Cadmium, as you might recall, is toxic to both bones and kidneys. As stated in the Pocono Record sometimes, "A low price comes at too high a cost."

So what PR strategies can Claire's and Walmart do to regain parent's trust when it comes to their jewelry products?

The month of May makes me think of weddings, the most exciting part being the engagement ring. While you can go from store to store to see what they have to offer, I love that James Allen has a design your own ring component to his website. I have to admit, that while I am not in the market for an engagement ring, I sure had a fun time designing one!

You start by choosing a setting that best suits your style. You can pick anything from a solitaire to pave settings to Tension and more...just about 500 different settings to choose from. Once you know the setting you want, you can pick the diamond with an easy to navigate system that breaks down shape, clarity, color and carat.

Pictured is the diamond ring I designed which is 1.35 carats of baguette and pave set diamonds in 18K White Gold. There are 54 diamonds and the setting I chose was from the Meno Collection. The best part was seeing it in 3D (just scroll down to the bottom of the page!) The diamond is sold separately, but based on the center diamond being a round half carat, the total price for this ring is around $7,000. I think it is stunning!

Give it a try yourself! You can even connect the ring you design with your Facebook profile to let your friends and family weigh in the decision for the perfect ring!

JCK's June issue spotlights some up and coming jewelry designers that you should be paying some attention to. One in particular that caught my eye was jewelry designer Julie Liu, who is the creative force behind the MIA PEZZI Couture Jewelry brand. The cultural mix of Asian and Italian influences make for some splendid and unique designs.

What I find fascinating about MIA PEZZI is that each piece is unique and one-of-a-kind, made in small batches with an eye for perfection. Liu has no formal training in jewelry design, it was merely her creativity and keen eye that has helped her craft such beautiful works of art.

You can see MIA PEZZI Couture Jewelry at www.miapezzi.com. 

Good customer service has always been the sure fire way to land the best publicity on earth. When economic times were good, many companies bypassed emphasis on this principle and strictly built value based on which publications featured their products. Certainly if they had a showcase of magazine hits here and broadcast hits there, that certainly was enough to make people buy (and repeat buy), enough to make people trust and enough to get people talking about their brand...right?

Maybe this was the way before, but in a want-it-now generation coupled with a troubled economy, there is a shift back to the "old school" principles of listening to what your customers want, then delivering. Or in other words, putting the customer first again. And honestly, I for one, love retro business standards. We could argue that the fervor around social media + business along with the demise of our economic stability created the perfect storm.