Prestige Promenade pearls and sweets
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/629289
16 www.thejewelrybook.com l e t t e r e d i t o r ' s Editor's Letter After the holiday frenzy, a quiet descends. Time for one big inhale and exhale before the hard-working months of January and February begin. Building our foundation for the coming year, we plan and schedule. We predict and forecast. We make our best guess and put our best foot forward. And then we hope that the coming year will be our best one yet. The new year is a season of taking stock. We've passed the season of reflection and have plowed straight into the season of resolve. It's time to set our pace for the coming year. Time to pick ourselves up or urge ourselves forward. Time to refocus. Our planning and hard work begin to pay off. Collections are com- pleted. Our cases are brimming with merchandise. Tradeshows are lined up. Client orders filled. We look ahead toward building our own empire – however grand or modest it may be – and these visions keeps us going, keep us energized and focused. As we enter the Year of the Monkey there is a spirited, confident, driven trend towards success painting the landscape of 2016 in our favor. If this good-natured, likable zodiac sign is any indication, we are all in for a fun ride in the year ahead! This is also the time of year for eye candy – for Hollywood award shows and red carpets littered with the glitterati. It is the gateway to forecasting and trends, the roadmap for stocking jewelry cases and expanding your selections. With a fresh eye, an invigorated spirit and a renewed vision, it is time to tackle 2016! Wishing you all a year of good health, prosperity and joy. Brooke l e t t e r e d i t o r ' s Editor's Letter Brooke Conner Sevenau Senior Editor This issue of The Jewelry Book marks my third year with the magazine and in the industry. Even with my fairly recent involvement, I'd venture to guess that the jewelry industry is as exciting this year as it has been in a long time. Why? Because I hear it from all of you! Not only are sales up for retailers, but there is a renewed enthusiasm in the ranks of designers as well. Trade shows are a great indication of industry trends and 2014 has clearly started off with a driving force. At home and abroad trade shows seem to be buzzing with energy and the inspired collections being exhibited are proof that people are buying again. The article on Luxury Brand Group's hosted buying trips for retailers at VincenzaOro is a great peek into this trend. If you haven't considered an international trade show, this just might inspire you. As always, I'm looking forward to the upcoming Las Vegas extravaganza. Returning to the Couture and JCK shows is a homecoming of sorts for me. Vegas was my first introduction to the industry and what a start it was! I'll never forget the overly ambitious list of designers I mapped out for myself without knowing a single person there. Luckily I was greeted warmly by so many of you and quickly found myself among friendly faces. I was so inspired by that first tradeshow I came home with a list of top picks I hoped to cover. Luckily, Nicole Bromstad (publisher of the The Jewelry Book and The Wedding Ring Book), encouraged me to take a risk and start off with an Editor's choice column. It was so much fun, I've done it after every show since then. And I hope that these picks are inspiring to retailers as they consider trends that might be a good addition to their inventory. The design awards are a highlight of the shows for me. I'm always happy for the winners and it is fun to see how my favorite pieces stack up against the finalists. Mostly I look forward to identifying new trends, rediscovering favorite brands, meeting with retailers, and finding a few new designers I haven't met yet. Looking forward to seeing you all in Vegas! Brooke Rudolf Friedmann www.rudolffriedmann.com