Happy Valentine's Day - Michele Lau

It is hard to believe that we are celebrating our first Valentine’s Day together at The Jewelry Channel. Things have moved so quickly since we first launched less than one year ago. I did not want this Valentine’s Day to go by without counting the blessings in my life and letting you all know what an honor it is to present our beautiful jewelry to you each day. From the heart, I love and appreciate you all.

Historians don’t know a lot about the early celebration of Valentine’s Day. There are records that people in England celebrated it as early as the 1400’s. In the early days, people chose their Valentines by getting together on the eve of Valentine’s Day, writing names on a slip of paper, then drawing them by chance from a vase. After the drawing, it was the custom that a gentleman would wear the slip of paper on his sleeve for several days. Now you know where the term: “He wears his heart on his sleeve” came from!

Different cultures all over the world celebrate differently, but here in the US we ladies often hold our breath and dream of beautiful jewelry from the men in our lives for Valentines Day. Most Valentine’s Day customs in the past and present are revolving around the idea of romance or the choice of a mate. If you want to impress us and ensure feelings of romance, jewelry from The Jewelry Channel is sure to set the proper mood.

If I can assist you in selecting the perfect Valentine’s Day gift to persuade Cupid to direct a gold-tipped arrow in the direction of the ones you love most, you can find me on Thursday through Sunday from 4 – 6 pm and 8 – 10 pm Central time.

Don’t forget that it takes around five to seven business days for your packages to get to you so be sure to make your selections early. And guys, she gets a 30-day money back guarantee so you cannot make a mistake!

P.S. I cannot let this special holiday go by without saying “Happy Valentine’s Day” and “I love you” to my husband, Ron. You are the best and I appreciate and cherish you every single day!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, HONEY!

2008 Trends - By Bonnie Stepp

Well friends, this is it, your personal guide to accessorizing in 2008! Now this will be a basic foretaste for the spring, but stay tuned for a peak at jewelry trends for fall 2008 to come later! And as I always say, keep in mind that trends in the fashion world are very subjective. Consider what is in vogue, and always make it your own.

It may seem a bit premature to think about springtime, but with Mardi Gras and Valentine’s Day just around the corner and Easter following closely behind that, it is indeed time to develop your fresh new look for the New Year. There are a couple of obvious tendencies and some that may surprise you. For example, we will of course see the return of pastels as the weather warms up, but will also notice some insanely unique and organically inspired pieces to take us back to Mother Nature.

As is the norm for this time of year pastels are all abound!! Luckily for all of us, the gem kingdom has plenty of that to offer and a little something for every budget! Imagine the possibilities. With the versatility of Aquamarine everyone can indulge in the fresh color of March’s birthstone, and can do it with their personal taste in mind. It is a gem considered to be a designer’s favorite because it is so easy to work with. Also keep in mind the affordability of stones like Lemon Quartz and Peridot. These are gems that we can all meet the expense of. Even in pastels, there is a wide variety of color choices too. Look out for lilac Kunzite, green Amethyst, sky-blue Topaz and many others. All of these stones and several others are readily available in fairly large sizes and that leads us to another look that will be all the craze in 2008, immense, chunky jewelry.

Whether it is a charm for a bracelet, pendant on the neckline, or a hefty cocktail ring, big is in! Elegance will not be understated. It is no secret that layering is one way to achieve an ornate and decorative look, but an easier means to that end result is to wear a single vast piece. I like to call these pieces my inspiration pieces too! I often choose one substantial piece of jewelry and build an outfit around it. I have a huge Brazilian Amethyst cocktail ring with loads of intricate gold-work on it, it is a story all its own, but it is the sort of piece that creates direction for an entire outfit. I choose my handbag and shoes according to the jewelry I’ve got on. It is a good thing that the pastel gems of the springtime are also quite affordable so that I can get bigger pieces to pursue this look.

Now I tend to talk a great deal on the show about the organic appeal in jewelry, but I must bring it up again for it is especially prominent this time of year. Designs are very inventive with constant nods to Mother Nature. Bracelets that look like vines, dangling earrings that mimic raindrops, and of course the floral cluster ring are going to take center stage this year. With the ease of shopping at TJC and the colossal variety we offer, incredible style is NOT out of your reach.

All of these are a bit of resort style for you, a peak at what is to come in the impending months. But keep in mind that style and fashion are constantly changing. I like to study the new ideas and trends, and just to ensure that I don’t get lost in the crowd, I always put my own taste into any development. I feel that in this way, we all decide what the vintage of the future is going to be…. on a daily basis. I would like to end this blog with a wonderful quote that I found from movie director Nicolas Roeg, “fashion reflects, just as much as a great painting, things that are happening in the world.”

Blue Santa - Dan Dennis

Can you imagine kids without Christmas toys? Moms without baby blankets and other needs for their infants? Poor people going hungry – at the holidays?

Well, it almost happened, right here in Austin, Texas – our home town, until the good people at The Jewelry Channel USA (and lots of others like us) came to the rescue.

Here’s the story:

I was sitting at home one evening, watching with my wife Linda our favorite news cast at 10pm, when on came a story about the good people of the Blue Santa Drive, and the terrible predicament they were in. Every year, these people give 14,000 toys, infant & baby needs and non-perishable food products to those in need. They get about 50% of their donations on one day from a parade that is held through the streets of Austin on a glorious Saturday morning. A long standing tradition, the children come to the parade and when the time is right, rush to special floats that accept the toys and other gifts and put them on display as the parade continues on its’ merry way. Problem was, this year, the weather for the parade was a not-so-glorious 42 degrees and raining. Oh and I do mean raining. They were hoping for at least 7,000 toys from the parade, but the weather being what it was, kept the attendance down to a minimum, and when all was said and done, the total toy donation was less than 2,000. Someone had to do something to help.

“Well,” I said to my wife, “The Jewelry Channel is not the biggest employer in the greater-Austin area, but we do have a great group of people working here, and if someone takes control of this effort, we can do our share.” The very next day, I knew what I had to do. Although I already have two jobs at the network, this one, was a labor of love. With blessings from above, and the help from our ever-helpful Human Resources department, I went to work, sending out emails and putting up posters that were dropped off by the Blue Santa Fund throughout our building. With approximately 180 employees, I decided, and HR agreed, that we should shoot for 200 toys, putting us to the challenge of more than one per employee.

We had just about a week or so to pull this off, so Linda and I went shopping that very next day at a local discount store, and filled a shopping cart full of goodies. Others chipped in with more than one toy per person also, and the toy donation box began to fill – over and over again. When all was said and done, the generous people of The Jewelry Channel USA had donated over 230 toys to the cause, and that didn’t count the food, and the big box of promotional products that the company itself kicked in as well.

Don’t you love happy endings? I hope so, because this one had a very happy ending. It turns out that a local wealthy financier gave a generous $10,000 anonymous check to the cause, and that alone bought a lot of things. Blue Santa ended up meeting and exceeding all of their goals for all of those in need, and everyone had a happy holiday indeed.

Although our part was a small part, The Jewelry Channel, and its’ employees should feel proud for what they did. It is much better to give, than to receive.

Happy Holidays!

More coming soon.

Dan Dennis