Space Age Jewelry Creations

Tampa Necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels, white and yellow gold, diamond, sapphire, garnet, spinel and beryl. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

Lately, my inbox has been filling up with jewelry inspired by the heavenly bodies in the universe. As if aliens entered my e-mail, dropped off these images and left just as mysteriously. Why this is happening at this time I can’t say for sure. But these beings left behind some interesting jewelry as well as a notice of an upcoming exhibition at Forbes Galleries featuring jewelry influenced by outer space.

Pair of earclips by Tiffany & Co., 1962, gold, red coral. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

The exhibition titled, Out of This World! Jewelry in the Space Age, at the gallery on 60 Fifth Avenue (at 12th Street) will open March 16 and run through September 7. Curated by Elyse Zorn Karlin, co-director of The Association for the Study of Jewelry and Related Arts, It will include objects from more than 100 designers and lenders.

The Love that Moves the Sun & the Other Stars ring by Donna Distefano, 22k gold, meteorite and diamond. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

The images in this story include items that are part of the Forbes Galleries exhibition along with other pieces that have crossed my desk under the same theme. 

Moon landing pendant by Van Cleef & Arpels, 1969, yellow gold, ruby. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

Covering a variety of space-related themes through the context of materials and design, the exhibit includes vintage memorabilia and art objects relating to space. Jewelry with space motifs from the Georgian period through contemporary work as well as jewelry made from materials that come from outer space, such as: tektite, meteorite, pallasite, moldavite and moissanite. It will include works by Van Cleef and Arpels, Cartier and Tiffany & Co., along with established jewelry artists. 

Time Traveler Constellation cuff by Jason McLeod, 14k yellow, 18k yellow gold, platinum and turquoise. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

Among the exhibition highlights is the Van Cleef and Arpels’ Tampa Necklace, featuring detachable space-themed component parts, from a private collection. Another item from the famed Parisian luxury jewelry house is the Lunar Landing pendant, which was made to commemorate the first walk in space. Sputnik, Halley’s Comet, moon, star and planet-themed jewelry will also be seen, with abundant examples in fine and costume jewelry.

Horizon Pendant by Jacob Albee, 18k gold, 24k gold, ibeon meteorite, Tahitian pearl, white diamond, champagne diamond. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

There also will be other items that straddle the boundaries of art, jewelry and thematic objects. Among them is an an 18K gold Lunar Landing Module replica created by Cartier, designed to celebrate the first walk by man on the moon. Three of them were created for the astronauts that flew on the Apollo 11 mission and were gifts from Le Figaro newspaper. The one in this exhibition was given to astronaut Michael Collins. 

Rocket ship brooch, unknown maker, 1960s, platinum and diamonds. Lang Antiques, San Francisco. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

There will also be a unique watch on display made for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which tells the time on Mars. 

Shooting Star by Parulina, champagne diamond pave and 18k gold.

Jewelry that has been flown in outer space includes Ed White II’s West Point ring, worn in space, which will be donated to West Point after the exhibition ends. White is the first person to walk in space. Jewelry worn and flown in space by astronaut Cady Coleman will be on view. Coleman has flown in two space missions, which includes spending 159 days on the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 27. 

Milky Way Collection pendant by Nina Basharova, 18k gold. $2,150 retail.

On loan from Beads of Courage, will be "flown in space" beads. The organization is dedicated to providing programs and support for children coping with serious, life-threatening illnesses. 

Stargazer Pendant by What's Your Sign? 12 diamond "starz" surrounded by a universe of brilliant sapphires (2.2 ctw.) on a sapphire strand. $2,849 retail.

Other items include Donald Claflin’s Man in the Moon clip earrings for Tiffany & Co., which once belonged to Gloria Vanderbilt, as well as Bjorn Weckstrom’s “Princess Leia Necklace,” named because Carrie Fisher wore the same one in the awards ceremony scene in the first Star Wars movie. There also will be jewelry fashioned from materials created for the space race, including pieces made of: polymer, nitinol, dichroic glass, titanium and fiber optic glass.

Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes Website.

Tampa Necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels, white and yellow gold, diamond, sapphire, garnet, spinel and beryl. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

Lately, my inbox has been filling up with jewelry inspired by the heavenly bodies in the universe. As if aliens entered my e-mail, dropped off these images and left just as mysteriously. Why this is happening at this time I can’t say for sure. But these beings left behind some interesting jewelry as well as a notice of an upcoming exhibition at Forbes Galleries featuring jewelry influenced by outer space.

Pair of earclips by Tiffany & Co., 1962, gold, red coral. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

The exhibition titled, Out of This World! Jewelry in the Space Age, at the gallery on 60 Fifth Avenue (at 12th Street) will open March 16 and run through September 7. Curated by Elyse Zorn Karlin, co-director of The Association for the Study of Jewelry and Related Arts, It will include objects from more than 100 designers and lenders.

The Love that Moves the Sun & the Other Stars ring by Donna Distefano, 22k gold, meteorite and diamond. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

The images in this story include items that are part of the Forbes Galleries exhibition along with other pieces that have crossed my desk under the same theme. 

Moon landing pendant by Van Cleef & Arpels, 1969, yellow gold, ruby. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

Covering a variety of space-related themes through the context of materials and design, the exhibit includes vintage memorabilia and art objects relating to space. Jewelry with space motifs from the Georgian period through contemporary work as well as jewelry made from materials that come from outer space, such as: tektite, meteorite, pallasite, moldavite and moissanite. It will include works by Van Cleef and Arpels, Cartier and Tiffany & Co., along with established jewelry artists. 

Time Traveler Constellation cuff by Jason McLeod, 14k yellow, 18k yellow gold, platinum and turquoise. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

Among the exhibition highlights is the Van Cleef and Arpels’ Tampa Necklace, featuring detachable space-themed component parts, from a private collection. Another item from the famed Parisian luxury jewelry house is the Lunar Landing pendant, which was made to commemorate the first walk in space. Sputnik, Halley’s Comet, moon, star and planet-themed jewelry will also be seen, with abundant examples in fine and costume jewelry.

Horizon Pendant by Jacob Albee, 18k gold, 24k gold, ibeon meteorite, Tahitian pearl, white diamond, champagne diamond. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

There also will be other items that straddle the boundaries of art, jewelry and thematic objects. Among them is an an 18K gold Lunar Landing Module replica created by Cartier, designed to celebrate the first walk by man on the moon. Three of them were created for the astronauts that flew on the Apollo 11 mission and were gifts from Le Figaro newspaper. The one in this exhibition was given to astronaut Michael Collins. 

Rocket ship brooch, unknown maker, 1960s, platinum and diamonds. Lang Antiques, San Francisco. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

There will also be a unique watch on display made for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which tells the time on Mars. 

Shooting Star by Parulina, champagne diamond pave and 18k gold.

Jewelry that has been flown in outer space includes Ed White II’s West Point ring, worn in space, which will be donated to West Point after the exhibition ends. White is the first person to walk in space. Jewelry worn and flown in space by astronaut Cady Coleman will be on view. Coleman has flown in two space missions, which includes spending 159 days on the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 27. 

Milky Way Collection pendant by Nina Basharova, 18k gold. $2,150 retail.

On loan from Beads of Courage, will be "flown in space" beads. The organization is dedicated to providing programs and support for children coping with serious, life-threatening illnesses. 

Stargazer Pendant by What's Your Sign? 12 diamond "starz" surrounded by a universe of brilliant sapphires (2.2 ctw.) on a sapphire strand. $2,849 retail.

Other items include Donald Claflin’s Man in the Moon clip earrings for Tiffany & Co., which once belonged to Gloria Vanderbilt, as well as Bjorn Weckstrom’s “Princess Leia Necklace,” named because Carrie Fisher wore the same one in the awards ceremony scene in the first Star Wars movie. There also will be jewelry fashioned from materials created for the space race, including pieces made of: polymer, nitinol, dichroic glass, titanium and fiber optic glass.

Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes Website.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Product Review: 1 Step Lopper by Beadsmith

As most of you know I am a big fan of tools!!!!  I especially love tools which make beading easy, and give me more time for creativity.  I heard about this tool a few weeks ago and was very anxious to try it out to see if it really worked.  I am not a fan of wire work, but I love making things with wire (go figure!).  Loops on earrings and connectors is something I have always had a problem with.  Just getting them to be uniform and 1 size is always a problem.  to remedy this Bead Smith has created a tool called the 1 step looper.  In 1 swift motion you can cut and create the perfect loop.

After watching the video, I was anxious to give it a try, but it was extremely expensive...$50 and upwards in some online stores.  So I went down to the bead district where my husband gifted it to me for around $28 dollars.  To date it is still one of my most expensive tool, so I expect to get some use out of it!!!

I expected it to be much bigger, because the ads make it look huge and heavy!!! But as you can see from me holding it, it is about the size of a normal handheld tool.  It is the same size as my needle nose pliers.  According to my husband I have child size hands, so you can see from the pic below its not as large as the ads portray it to be, which is great!

This tool can....

Trim and Loop in One Step

• Create & trim eye pins in one motion!
• Works with dead-soft or half-hard precious metal wire; craft wire; and copper or brass core wire
• Consistent size loops every time
• Bends & trims wire between 26-18 gauge
• Customize the length of eye pins

I began using it right away and I have mixed reviews on it.

PROS

• The loops come out perfect every time.  
• It is very easy to use and the tool is light weight
• After it is sized, it cuts the loop perfectly
• used it with 20 gauge wire , which is pretty thick and it worked with no problem.

CONS

• loops have to be pinched closed after you make them.  
• I know I am still working and learning the tool, but the loops did not come close to the bead like I want them to, and there was a little space ( see pic below).  This can probably be adjusted in its use after I play with it for awhile
• As with anything, there is a learning curve.

Overall, I would suggest this to be a good buy for all of you serious beaders.  It will save time, especially if your project involves a lot of loop making.  

Below are 2 videos which will give you more insight as to how to use it.  Please feel free to SEND ME YOUR FEED BACK and let me know how it is working for you as well.  I would like to hear from you out there!

Happy Beading!!!!

As most of you know I am a big fan of tools!!!!  I especially love tools which make beading easy, and give me more time for creativity.  I heard about this tool a few weeks ago and was very anxious to try it out to see if it really worked.  I am not a fan of wire work, but I love making things with wire (go figure!).  Loops on earrings and connectors is something I have always had a problem with.  Just getting them to be uniform and 1 size is always a problem.  to remedy this Bead Smith has created a tool called the 1 step looper.  In 1 swift motion you can cut and create the perfect loop.

After watching the video, I was anxious to give it a try, but it was extremely expensive...$50 and upwards in some online stores.  So I went down to the bead district where my husband gifted it to me for around $28 dollars.  To date it is still one of my most expensive tool, so I expect to get some use out of it!!!

I expected it to be much bigger, because the ads make it look huge and heavy!!! But as you can see from me holding it, it is about the size of a normal handheld tool.  It is the same size as my needle nose pliers.  According to my husband I have child size hands, so you can see from the pic below its not as large as the ads portray it to be, which is great!

This tool can....

Trim and Loop in One Step

• Create & trim eye pins in one motion!
• Works with dead-soft or half-hard precious metal wire; craft wire; and copper or brass core wire
• Consistent size loops every time
• Bends & trims wire between 26-18 gauge
• Customize the length of eye pins

I began using it right away and I have mixed reviews on it.

PROS

• The loops come out perfect every time.  
• It is very easy to use and the tool is light weight
• After it is sized, it cuts the loop perfectly
• used it with 20 gauge wire , which is pretty thick and it worked with no problem.

CONS

• loops have to be pinched closed after you make them.  
• I know I am still working and learning the tool, but the loops did not come close to the bead like I want them to, and there was a little space ( see pic below).  This can probably be adjusted in its use after I play with it for awhile
• As with anything, there is a learning curve.

Overall, I would suggest this to be a good buy for all of you serious beaders.  It will save time, especially if your project involves a lot of loop making.  

Below are 2 videos which will give you more insight as to how to use it.  Please feel free to SEND ME YOUR FEED BACK and let me know how it is working for you as well.  I would like to hear from you out there!

Happy Beading!!!!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Book Review: Color Sense: Creative color Combinations for Crafters by Susan Levin

Color Sense is a wonderful book when you want to experiment with colors and add new combinations to your palate.  As a beader you can sometimes get into a rut and fall into using the same color schemes over and over again.  In steps this books so you can make your work exciting! 

This book not only includes a color wheel (see below), but has hundreds of pages of color combinations you can choose from as well.  If you have a color you don't know how to match up, thumbing through the pages of this book will give you many suggestions on how to combine it to make it pop.

The book is sectioned into monochromatic combinations, two-color combinations, three-color combinations, and four color combinations. There is also a section of color swatches you can tear out and play with to create different combinations before you buy.  If you want to experiment with color or just shake things up a bit in your work, then this book is definitely for you.

If your still confused about how to use the color wheel, then check out this quick tutorial by Auntie's Bead designer, Karla Schafer.

Happy Beading!

Color Sense is a wonderful book when you want to experiment with colors and add new combinations to your palate.  As a beader you can sometimes get into a rut and fall into using the same color schemes over and over again.  In steps this books so you can make your work exciting! 

This book not only includes a color wheel (see below), but has hundreds of pages of color combinations you can choose from as well.  If you have a color you don't know how to match up, thumbing through the pages of this book will give you many suggestions on how to combine it to make it pop.

The book is sectioned into monochromatic combinations, two-color combinations, three-color combinations, and four color combinations. There is also a section of color swatches you can tear out and play with to create different combinations before you buy.  If you want to experiment with color or just shake things up a bit in your work, then this book is definitely for you.

If your still confused about how to use the color wheel, then check out this quick tutorial by Auntie's Bead designer, Karla Schafer.

Happy Beading!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Swiss Watch Industry To End Association with Swiss Business Federation

The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry said it will end its association with the Swiss Business Federation (economiesuisse) at the end of the year because the business federation, which represents the diversity of businesses in Switzerland, will not support the watch industry’s definition of “Swisness.”

“By failing to support the Federal Council’s proposal for industrial products, which sets at 60 percent the minimum rate of Swiss value in a Swiss product, economiesuisse not only stands in the way of strengthening the protection of this label, but raises the likelihood of it becoming weaker than it is at present,” FH said in a statement.

One of the primary tasks of the FH is to ensure that watches, clocks and other timepieces meet a series of requirements to ensure the product was built within the borders of Switzerland. Those that meet those requirements display the “Swiss made” or “Swiss” label. Among the requirements are that the timepiece movement is made in Switzerland, the movement is “cased up” in Switzerland and the final inspection is done in Switzerland.

FH is also active in protecting the industry and its label from counterfeiters.

The FH in its statement says that the Swiss Business Federation “runs counter to the interests of the Swiss watch industry.”

“The watch industry is certainly the industrial sector most affected by this subject, considering that nearly 100 percent of its products carry the label,” the statement read. “The latter contributes to the attractiveness of Swiss watches and their psychological appeal.”

They argue that “strengthening of the Swiss-made label generally promotes industrial activity in Switzerland and job creation.”

Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes Website.

The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry said it will end its association with the Swiss Business Federation (economiesuisse) at the end of the year because the business federation, which represents the diversity of businesses in Switzerland, will not support the watch industry’s definition of “Swisness.”

“By failing to support the Federal Council’s proposal for industrial products, which sets at 60 percent the minimum rate of Swiss value in a Swiss product, economiesuisse not only stands in the way of strengthening the protection of this label, but raises the likelihood of it becoming weaker than it is at present,” FH said in a statement.

One of the primary tasks of the FH is to ensure that watches, clocks and other timepieces meet a series of requirements to ensure the product was built within the borders of Switzerland. Those that meet those requirements display the “Swiss made” or “Swiss” label. Among the requirements are that the timepiece movement is made in Switzerland, the movement is “cased up” in Switzerland and the final inspection is done in Switzerland.

FH is also active in protecting the industry and its label from counterfeiters.

The FH in its statement says that the Swiss Business Federation “runs counter to the interests of the Swiss watch industry.”

“The watch industry is certainly the industrial sector most affected by this subject, considering that nearly 100 percent of its products carry the label,” the statement read. “The latter contributes to the attractiveness of Swiss watches and their psychological appeal.”

They argue that “strengthening of the Swiss-made label generally promotes industrial activity in Switzerland and job creation.”

Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes Website.

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New In My Etsy Store: GOLD!!

This week I went through my bead stash and found some unique shades of gold to bead with.  I created these two pieces below;

https://www.etsy.com/listing/125086412/gold-pearl-long-lariatrope-1920s-flapper

https://www.etsy.com/listing/124945212/gold-netted-tila-beadwoven-necklace

This week I went through my bead stash and found some unique shades of gold to bead with.  I created these two pieces below;

https://www.etsy.com/listing/125086412/gold-pearl-long-lariatrope-1920s-flapper

https://www.etsy.com/listing/124945212/gold-netted-tila-beadwoven-necklace

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A Sneak Peek At New Montblanc Jewelry

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your golden hair.” Braided yellow and white necklace from the Preuve de L'amour (Evidence of Love) collection, based on the famous German fairy tale. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, held Jan. 21 – 25, is first and foremost a luxury watch tradeshow. However, nearly a third of the 16 brands who exhibit at this intimate and luxurious event also produce jewelry.

New additions to the Pétales de Rose line of the “Princess Grace of Monaco” collection, made of white gold and diamonds. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

One of those brands is Montblanc, which provided a glimpse into what it will be releasing by French jewelry designer Susie Otero, Montblanc’s managing director of Jewelry. The pieces include new additions to the Collection Princesse Grace de Monaco and the 4810 Collection as well as new collections, including a men’s line. After all Montblanc, known for its luxury writing instruments, is traditionally a masculine brand.

Various renditions of gold and diamond boule rings in gold and diamonds from the Montblanc 4810 collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Materials include rose and white colored 18k gold, colorless diamonds, colored gems and sterling silver. The accompanying slideshow gives a glimpse on what Otero and Montblanc displayed during the event in Geneva. The new pieces are scheduled to be released as early as April.

New additions to the Pétales Entrelacés line of the “Princess Grace of Monaco” collection, made of rose gold and diamonds. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

More new items from the Preuve de L'amour collection, this time taking its direction from the Roman goddess, Venus. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Cufflinks made of stainless steel and ornamental stones from the Stripes collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes Website.

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your golden hair.” Braided yellow and white necklace from the Preuve de L'amour (Evidence of Love) collection, based on the famous German fairy tale. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, held Jan. 21 – 25, is first and foremost a luxury watch tradeshow. However, nearly a third of the 16 brands who exhibit at this intimate and luxurious event also produce jewelry.

New additions to the Pétales de Rose line of the “Princess Grace of Monaco” collection, made of white gold and diamonds. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

One of those brands is Montblanc, which provided a glimpse into what it will be releasing by French jewelry designer Susie Otero, Montblanc’s managing director of Jewelry. The pieces include new additions to the Collection Princesse Grace de Monaco and the 4810 Collection as well as new collections, including a men’s line. After all Montblanc, known for its luxury writing instruments, is traditionally a masculine brand.

Various renditions of gold and diamond boule rings in gold and diamonds from the Montblanc 4810 collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Materials include rose and white colored 18k gold, colorless diamonds, colored gems and sterling silver. The accompanying slideshow gives a glimpse on what Otero and Montblanc displayed during the event in Geneva. The new pieces are scheduled to be released as early as April.

New additions to the Pétales Entrelacés line of the “Princess Grace of Monaco” collection, made of rose gold and diamonds. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

More new items from the Preuve de L'amour collection, this time taking its direction from the Roman goddess, Venus. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Cufflinks made of stainless steel and ornamental stones from the Stripes collection. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes Website.

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Luxury Jewelry Brands and Students Learn From Each Other

Ketty Pucci-Sisti Maisonrouge, Luxury Education Foundation president, addresses attendees prior to student presentations.

It’s a common scene played out in universities throughout the world: Final presentations. Uris Hall in Columbia University in early December was no different with students hurrying in and out of lecture hall 301, dealing with technical issues and making final adjustments to their proposals.

It all seemed typical but yet different. For one thing many of the students were carrying Loro Piana shopping bags. They also seemed remarkably well-dressed for students, with some in proper business attire and others wearing designer outfits, in a few cases sporting serious looking jewelry. The auditorium was filled with fashionably dressed adults who were obviously not instructors or parents.

In the middle of it all, greeting everyone by name and giving direction to the students, perfectly poised and displaying a permanent warm smile was Ketty Pucci-Sisti Maisonrouge. She is an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, but more importantly, president of the Luxury Education Foundation, which runs and funds this program. The majority of those in the audience were executives from the world’s top luxury brands.

Established in 2004, LEF is a public, not-for-profit organization focused on educational programs for undergraduate and graduate students in design and business students related to the creation and marketing of luxury goods. It is unusual and perhaps groundbreaking in several ways, most noticeably because it combines students from two distinct universities whose intellectual paths at first seem far different: Columbia MBA students and undergrad students from Parsons The New School for Design. It is this combination of business and creative skills that make luxury and fashion so different than other industries and it is the main reason why this program has had a great deal of success.

Amir Ziv, vice dean of the Columbia Business School, talks about integration and education. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

“Many times we talk in Columbia about integration, but we are talking about integration between accounting and finance, or economics and marketing,” said Amir Ziv, vice dean of the Columbia Business School, during opening remarks. “But this is a different level of integration. This is integration between two schools that are very different in their nature. Actually they’re coming from two different universities…. They are in a completely different stage of their life and career.”

In addition to academic integration, there’s the involvement of luxury businesses. Approximately 30 luxury brands, nearly all of them household names, participate. There are a number of educational components to LEF but the main program is the “Master Class,” where teams of eight students (four from each school) are given a direct problem from one of the brands to solve for them. These are real life challenges and they work directly with the executive staffs of each luxury brand. It’s a semester-long program that culminates in the final presentation, such as the one held in December 2012 where teams of students presented solutions to problems proposed by luxury brands Hermès, Van Cleef & Arpels, Pomellato, Loro Piana and Chanel.

LEF is certainly a group effort, but the person who makes this complex, convoluted engine hum is Ketty Pucci-Sisti Maisonrouge, president of the Luxury Education Foundation and adjunct professor at Columbia Business School. Her duties include designing the course, personally attending every meeting between the brands and students, teaching classes and choosing the Columbia MBA students who will participate and for which brand. She says her main job is making sure the brands, in particular the CEOs, put the work in.

“The reality is yes I work hard on it but I make the CEOs work harder than they ever thought they would,” the French native said. “The more time they give the more they will get back.”

Maisonrouge’s counterpart at Parsons, Jessica Corr, an assistant professor and a product design consultant who is new to LEF, selects students from the design school based on their skills. For example, the Hermès project required students with creative technological ability.

The final presentations for public viewing are 15-minute versions of approximately hour-long proposals that the brand executives saw. In addition to time constraints, the reason for this is so brands can maintain an advantage over what Maisonrouge describes as their “friendly competitors.”

“What you saw is what I call the politically correct version,” she said.

The brand executives choose the topics or challenges for the students to solve but Maisonrouge “tweaks the problem” to ensure that everyone benefits. The students benefit through real life implication of what they learned in the program. The luxury brands benefit through the ideas generated from young consumers, particularly through the use of technology, and they gain a better understanding of what young consumer expect from a luxury brand. 

An image from the Hermès presentation titled, "The Living House."
Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

For the Hermès presentation titled, “The Living House,” one of the challenges the students faced was how to make entering an Hermès store a less intimidating experience. The answer they presented was to use technology to engage pedestrians. They built a storefront window with handprints that looked as if they were created by light or frosted glass. This invited pedestrians to place their hand over the handprint. Doing this activated a holographic image of a Hermès craftsperson at work behind the window.

“They come up with many things that we never thought of and that’s what’s so refreshing and rewarding,” said Robert Chavez, Hermes USA president and CEO, who has been involved with the program since the beginning. “I thought it was just genius. I give them a lot of credit.”

He said during the course of the semester, there were about five meetings with the students. The initial presentation where they receive in-depth knowledge about the brand and a “rough guideline of the general theme,” then follow up meetings to determine the progress.

“We don’t really have input into their presentation,” Chavez said. “What we do is we guide them. They ask us a lot of questions and we’ll answer all of their questions. We always let them do the actual presentation themselves. What they come up with are their ideas and concepts.”

The Van Cleef & Arpels team presenting their pitch. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

For Van Cleef & Arpels, it was the first time they participated in the program. The brand asked the students to come up with a marketing strategy for a new bridal line for the U.S. market.

“The entire process from choosing an engagement ring to walking down the aisle is a very sociological process and one that varies even within cultural subsets by age,” Nicolas Bos, CEO Van Cleef & Arpels Americas. “The opportunity to work with students was particularly intriguing because this is a generation who consumes incredible amounts of information from all different types of media in virtual real-time; who are both influenced and influencers within their social and familial networks.”

Bos said the brand had five meetings with the students and spent a great deal of time educating them on the history of the brand. Bos said the students “got it” almost immediately.

“What was especially surprising and exciting about the student team was their capacity to work at a very fast pace, to understand our Maison and values in the space of not only the luxury world but also the fine jewelry world, and their agility moving forward quickly through the project without delays or confusion,” he said.

The team developed a story telling strategy that focused on two-way communication between the brand and customer. “Where Van Cleef could reach into their rich history and tell their stories to the customer, but also hear from the customers themselves and take those stories on board,” one of the team members said during the presentation.

The story they told was the love story of Estelle Arpels and Alfred Van Cleef who married in 1896 and established the first Van Cleef & Arpels boutique on Place Vendôme 10 years later. They presented as a video with music in storybook form but it is designed to be used for all media purposes. They also used the story in a window display at the Van Cleef New York boutique.

The second part of the strategy is a call for the general public to present their love stories through Facebook. The winner will receive a free trip to Paris to have a custom ring designed at the Place Vendôme boutique.

“While this information is historically a part of who we are and why we are here, the students’ reactions to and inspiration from this information reinforced this story of love, family and legacy, to reposition it from unique backgrounder to impactful messaging points—particularly as it pertains to the bridal market,” Bos said.

In others words the students were able to bring a new perspective to a timeless love story.

Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes Web site.

Ketty Pucci-Sisti Maisonrouge, Luxury Education Foundation president, addresses attendees prior to student presentations.

It’s a common scene played out in universities throughout the world: Final presentations. Uris Hall in Columbia University in early December was no different with students hurrying in and out of lecture hall 301, dealing with technical issues and making final adjustments to their proposals.

It all seemed typical but yet different. For one thing many of the students were carrying Loro Piana shopping bags. They also seemed remarkably well-dressed for students, with some in proper business attire and others wearing designer outfits, in a few cases sporting serious looking jewelry. The auditorium was filled with fashionably dressed adults who were obviously not instructors or parents.

In the middle of it all, greeting everyone by name and giving direction to the students, perfectly poised and displaying a permanent warm smile was Ketty Pucci-Sisti Maisonrouge. She is an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, but more importantly, president of the Luxury Education Foundation, which runs and funds this program. The majority of those in the audience were executives from the world’s top luxury brands.

Established in 2004, LEF is a public, not-for-profit organization focused on educational programs for undergraduate and graduate students in design and business students related to the creation and marketing of luxury goods. It is unusual and perhaps groundbreaking in several ways, most noticeably because it combines students from two distinct universities whose intellectual paths at first seem far different: Columbia MBA students and undergrad students from Parsons The New School for Design. It is this combination of business and creative skills that make luxury and fashion so different than other industries and it is the main reason why this program has had a great deal of success.

Amir Ziv, vice dean of the Columbia Business School, talks about integration and education. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

“Many times we talk in Columbia about integration, but we are talking about integration between accounting and finance, or economics and marketing,” said Amir Ziv, vice dean of the Columbia Business School, during opening remarks. “But this is a different level of integration. This is integration between two schools that are very different in their nature. Actually they’re coming from two different universities…. They are in a completely different stage of their life and career.”

In addition to academic integration, there’s the involvement of luxury businesses. Approximately 30 luxury brands, nearly all of them household names, participate. There are a number of educational components to LEF but the main program is the “Master Class,” where teams of eight students (four from each school) are given a direct problem from one of the brands to solve for them. These are real life challenges and they work directly with the executive staffs of each luxury brand. It’s a semester-long program that culminates in the final presentation, such as the one held in December 2012 where teams of students presented solutions to problems proposed by luxury brands Hermès, Van Cleef & Arpels, Pomellato, Loro Piana and Chanel.

LEF is certainly a group effort, but the person who makes this complex, convoluted engine hum is Ketty Pucci-Sisti Maisonrouge, president of the Luxury Education Foundation and adjunct professor at Columbia Business School. Her duties include designing the course, personally attending every meeting between the brands and students, teaching classes and choosing the Columbia MBA students who will participate and for which brand. She says her main job is making sure the brands, in particular the CEOs, put the work in.

“The reality is yes I work hard on it but I make the CEOs work harder than they ever thought they would,” the French native said. “The more time they give the more they will get back.”

Maisonrouge’s counterpart at Parsons, Jessica Corr, an assistant professor and a product design consultant who is new to LEF, selects students from the design school based on their skills. For example, the Hermès project required students with creative technological ability.

The final presentations for public viewing are 15-minute versions of approximately hour-long proposals that the brand executives saw. In addition to time constraints, the reason for this is so brands can maintain an advantage over what Maisonrouge describes as their “friendly competitors.”

“What you saw is what I call the politically correct version,” she said.

The brand executives choose the topics or challenges for the students to solve but Maisonrouge “tweaks the problem” to ensure that everyone benefits. The students benefit through real life implication of what they learned in the program. The luxury brands benefit through the ideas generated from young consumers, particularly through the use of technology, and they gain a better understanding of what young consumer expect from a luxury brand. 

An image from the Hermès presentation titled, "The Living House."
Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

For the Hermès presentation titled, “The Living House,” one of the challenges the students faced was how to make entering an Hermès store a less intimidating experience. The answer they presented was to use technology to engage pedestrians. They built a storefront window with handprints that looked as if they were created by light or frosted glass. This invited pedestrians to place their hand over the handprint. Doing this activated a holographic image of a Hermès craftsperson at work behind the window.

“They come up with many things that we never thought of and that’s what’s so refreshing and rewarding,” said Robert Chavez, Hermes USA president and CEO, who has been involved with the program since the beginning. “I thought it was just genius. I give them a lot of credit.”

He said during the course of the semester, there were about five meetings with the students. The initial presentation where they receive in-depth knowledge about the brand and a “rough guideline of the general theme,” then follow up meetings to determine the progress.

“We don’t really have input into their presentation,” Chavez said. “What we do is we guide them. They ask us a lot of questions and we’ll answer all of their questions. We always let them do the actual presentation themselves. What they come up with are their ideas and concepts.”

The Van Cleef & Arpels team presenting their pitch. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

For Van Cleef & Arpels, it was the first time they participated in the program. The brand asked the students to come up with a marketing strategy for a new bridal line for the U.S. market.

“The entire process from choosing an engagement ring to walking down the aisle is a very sociological process and one that varies even within cultural subsets by age,” Nicolas Bos, CEO Van Cleef & Arpels Americas. “The opportunity to work with students was particularly intriguing because this is a generation who consumes incredible amounts of information from all different types of media in virtual real-time; who are both influenced and influencers within their social and familial networks.”

Bos said the brand had five meetings with the students and spent a great deal of time educating them on the history of the brand. Bos said the students “got it” almost immediately.

“What was especially surprising and exciting about the student team was their capacity to work at a very fast pace, to understand our Maison and values in the space of not only the luxury world but also the fine jewelry world, and their agility moving forward quickly through the project without delays or confusion,” he said.

The team developed a story telling strategy that focused on two-way communication between the brand and customer. “Where Van Cleef could reach into their rich history and tell their stories to the customer, but also hear from the customers themselves and take those stories on board,” one of the team members said during the presentation.

The story they told was the love story of Estelle Arpels and Alfred Van Cleef who married in 1896 and established the first Van Cleef & Arpels boutique on Place Vendôme 10 years later. They presented as a video with music in storybook form but it is designed to be used for all media purposes. They also used the story in a window display at the Van Cleef New York boutique.

The second part of the strategy is a call for the general public to present their love stories through Facebook. The winner will receive a free trip to Paris to have a custom ring designed at the Place Vendôme boutique.

“While this information is historically a part of who we are and why we are here, the students’ reactions to and inspiration from this information reinforced this story of love, family and legacy, to reposition it from unique backgrounder to impactful messaging points—particularly as it pertains to the bridal market,” Bos said.

In others words the students were able to bring a new perspective to a timeless love story.

Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes Web site.

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