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16 www.thejewelrybook.com L E T T E R E D I T O R ' S Editor's Letter I am a passionate storyteller. A deep listener. A picture painter in my mind's eye. As Editor, I get to hear stories and share language and create narratives, with you, about you, for you. This is a privilege. Words are my tools, my craft. They allow me to take your words, marry them with my gut instincts. There is no greater gift to me than hearing a designer or a retailer tell me that I got their story right. One of my goals as Editor is sharing language with retailers that allows them to talk about jewelry in a myriad of ways…notice it differently, categorize it differently, speak about it differently. As a trade magazine, helping retailers sell jewelry is our goal. Giving retailers rich and varied language that describes the history, process, philosophies and product of a brand, helps sell jewelry. When the designer is truly understood, the piece sells itself to the right customer. I believe that the richness of the language used to sell collections must be as beautiful as the designs itself! As I make my picks and share my vision of these works of art, it is my attempt at con- versation starting – about art and how essential it is to our humanness and the richness of this world. Each of you does this every day as you bring art into the lives of people who buy and wear jewelry. I enjoy being in conversation with you and I hope my choices add curiosity and excitement to your own brilliant ideas and personal tastes. In this particular issue, I have brought in other storytellers. Storytellers so powerful they knock my socks off. Michael O'Connor, of Style & Substance, gave me the most amazing Q&A ever! Part style log, part history lesson, part etiquette guide, part marketing strategy about men's jewelry. Retailers, you must read it! It will change the way you think about men's jewelry and I suspect, how you stock your cases. MaryBeth Bonfi glio has debuted as our new Gemscope advisor. She is a writer and intuitive guide with her own line of gemstone rosary beads. Let her open your mind to the planetary shifts calling the shots and the energetic power of the literal treasure that lies in heaps around you. She will give you new insights to expand your knowledge of the jewels you sell and a whole new aspect of gemstones to discuss with your clients! We are here for you. I guess that's mostly what I want to say. We are here to listen and to tell your stories to create a language around jewelry that is fresh and alive. To fi nd and unearth and to reveal beauty…much like the gemstones around which the industry orbits. Together, lets fi nd new ways to talk about such interesting treasures. Much love and big excitement. See you all in Vegas! 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! Jennifer Dawes

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