News and Announcements from WJA members
Please submit publication-ready press releases and announcements to info.wjala@gmail.com.
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WJA DIVA and D.E.F. Give Back in Las Vegas
June 2009
Las Vegas, NV—Industry leaders, media, designers and manufacturers attended the WJA “DIVA Gives Back to D.E.F.” press conference on Monday, June 1 at the JCK Las Vegas Show as the winners of the 13th installment of this annual design competition were announced. Also in attendance were leaders from within both Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA) and Diamond Empowerment Fund (D.E.F.) who spoke to this newfound partnership.
“The DIVA competition gives women across the country an opportunity to showcase their design skills and win some money to support their craft,” noted WJA President Yancy Weinrich, “This year, by partnering with the Diamond Empowerment Fund, we’re also providing women with the additional opportunity of making a difference in the world.”
Co-Presidents of D.E.F., Dr. Benjamin Chavis and Neal Goldberg were also in attendance as well as Executive Director of D.E.F. Ellen Haddigan and several members of both the D.E.F. and WJA Board of Directors.
“Thank you all for coming out today to witness this great event, DIVA Gives Back!” bellowed Dr. Ben Chaviz, inspiring the crowd with his enthusiasm, “As the Co-President of the Board of D.E.F., I am excited to witness and be partners with the Women’s Jewelry Association, Rio Tinto and GIA in this groundbreaking event. Men are always known to play a major part in this industry, but here today, you are the leaders, you are the DIVAS! So give yourself a round of applause!”
The main focus of the press conference and the celebratory cocktail party that followed later that evening at LAVO at the Palazzo was, of course, the design competition, “We had a great assemblage of talent this time; designers from as far away as Bangalore were moved by the mission of D.E.F. and felt inspired by this year's theme,” enthused Cindy Edelstein, DIVA Design Competition Chair, “We saw designs that had deep explanations on how they could represent D.E.F.'s mission. It was a very heartfelt design contest and that sentiment was evident in the quality of submissions we received.”
This year’s competition had three categories. The first category, Canadian Diamond DIVA, required designers to create a unique piece of jewelry that incorporates Canadian Diamonds. The winning piece in this category will be manufactured by Waldman Diamond Company and auctioned off at the star studded Dallas Rocks: The Diamond Dinner and After Party gala benefit and auction to benefit D.E.F. in November, with the proceeds going to DEF.
- Honorable mention, Killian Rieder of Chamilia Inc.
- Honorable mention, Manya Tessler of Manya & Roumen.
- Winner, Susan Shannon of Lim Studio.
The second category was Red Carpet DIVA and the winning rendering from this category is going to be manufactured by the winning designer, again to be auctioned off at the Dallas Rocks event with the proceeds going to DEF.
- Honorable mention, Pallavi Foley of Tanishq
- Honorable mention, Yutao Liu of YL Consulting Designs
- Winner, Evelyn K. Huang of EvelynH Jewelry
The third category was the DIVA Gives Back category, where the designers were challenged with creating a piece of jewelry that will be mass manufactured and distributed through DEF, with a retail value of under $500, and the proceeds benefiting DEF.
- Honorable mention, Killian Rieder of Chamilia Inc.
- Honorable mention, Amy Levine of Amy L. Designs.
- Winner, Pamela Froman of Pamela Froman Fine Jewelry.
The winners in each category received $750 from the WJA Scholarship Fund as well as $200 worth of personalized cleaning products from Kingswood Company.
After the winners were announced at the press conference, Miss Africa U.S.A., Nyasha Zimucha, took the opportunity to address the crowd with some of her priorities as a representative of Africa in the United States, and how important it is for an industry such as the fine jewelry industry to embrace the initiatives put forth by both the WJA and D.E.F.
“I’ve always considered myself a DIVA,” quipped Ms. Zimucha to the eagerly listening crowd, “It’s nice to see the word associated with something as positive as this design competition and giving back!”
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WJA Los Angeles congratulates Pamela Froman on her MJSA Vision Awards win and on taking honors in AGTA/JCOC's recent Consumer Choice Awards
Los Angeles, CA – March 16, 2009 – Los Angeles based fine jewelry designer Pamela Froman has been honored with 2nd Place in the Professional Category of the 2009 MJSA Vision Awards!
The annual MJSA Vision Awards Design Competition “recognizes the talent and innovation of designers whose work will have a profound influence on the future of jewelry design.” Each year, professional jewelry designers and jewelry design students (competing in the Student Category) enter what they feel is their best work, to be judged by leading manufacturers, jewelry designers, and other industry experts on the basis of creativity, presentation quality, effective use of materials, wearability, and the design's perceived manufacturing and marketing potential.
This year, Pamela Froman's one-of-a-kind "Sentimental Crush" Locket caught the judges' attention! This unique 18k "Crushed" Yellow Gold piece features a Deep Pink Tourmaline cabochon on the front, and 18k White Gold inlay highlights Pamela Froman's signature scrolly "PF" on the back. The Locket opens to reveal two small frames holding pictures of Pamela's son Hudson, whom she calls her Most Precious Creation.
As well, as a part of this year’s AGTA Spectrum Awards, in conjunction with the Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council (JCOC), AGTA introduced the new Consumer’s Choice Honors Awards, and the results are in! One winning style, selected by JCOC consumer panel members, was identified in each of the five categories of the traditional AGTA Spectrum Awards. Pamela Froman won top honors in the Business/Day Wear category which, with over 120 entries, was the largest and most competitive.
The winning piece was Pamela’s stunning one-of-a-kind “Pearl Melange” Slide Necklace, a creative combination of 18k Pink, 18k White, and 18k Green “Crushed” Gold, featuring beautiful natural-color Tahitian and South Sea Pearls with Diamond Accents. Pamela’s signature colors of 18k Gold perfectly complement the blue-grey, green-grey, and blushing-gold colors of the pearls, and the diamonds “dripping” down the sides of each pearl add a glamorous sparkle. Due to the popularity of this piece, Pamela is hunting for the perfect pearls to make a new version, which will also be a one-of-a-kind.
“The consumer is the most important voice in the jewelry industry and their opinion affects everything we do,” MVI President Liz Chatelain said. “We are excited by the choices our JCOC panelists have made and we congratulate the creative minds behind the winning jewelry designs.” “The addition of consumer research to the Spectrum Awards has provided us with insight into what consumers desire,” added Douglas K. Hucker, CEO of AGTA. “We are thrilled with the results and look forward to presenting the Consumer’s Choice Honors award to our talented winning designers.” The Consumer’s Choice Honors award will be presented this Saturday, at the fabulous 25th Annual Spectrum Awards Gala in Tucson, AZ.
Pamela Froman began her career in Paris, designing jewelry for top European couturier salons, including Courreges, Cacharel, Carita, Guy Larouche, and Valentino. In 2004, she felt the time was right to unveil her personal definition of exceptional jewelry, and began work on her signature line. Pamela hand-selects exquisite diamonds, unique gemstones, and rare pearls, pairing them with Platinum, 22k, and distinct colors of 18k gold to create her unique pieces. “I feel strongly that individuality is the underlying theme of beauty,” the designer explains. Pamela received her first award, the title of “Rising Star”, when she debuted her collection of fine jewelry at the 2006 JCK Show in Las Vegas. She has since been honored to receive the prestigious Town & Country Couture Design Award for Best of Gold, as well as the Spectrum Awards’ Consumer’s Choice Honor, and the MJSA Vision Award.
Congratulations, Pamela!
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WJA member and past president Claudia Endler is honored to be chosen as the 2009 Recipient of the Phyllis Morris Award in Design from the West Hollywood Women in Leadership Council.
Los Angeles based jewelry designer Claudia Endler, known for her distinctive, modern fine jewelry designs, will be honored by the community of West Hollywood on March 19th.
Created in 1996, the Women in Leadership Awards is a recognition ceremony acknowledging the achievements of local women in the professional and commercial/industrial business community. The Award was named after Phyllis Morris, a famous design pioneer in Los Angeles, California. She was an American furniture designer known for her colorful persona, her outspokenness on decorating and her distinctive furniture and interior designs.
West Hollywood Women in Leadership Council
The mission of the Women in Leadership Council is to provide a forum for our members to promote the exchange of ideas and experiences, provide networking opportunities, offer educational and cultural programs, enhance the growth of our members as leaders and decision makers and make a positive contribution to the next generation of women leaders and our community.
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ROBBINS BROTHERS ANNOUNCES WINNER
FOR RANDOM ACTS OF ROMANCE
Valentine’s Day marks the end of the “Random Acts of Romance” contest but the Street Team continues to surprise couples through the end of first quarter
LOS ANGELES – Feb. 25, 2009 – Robbins Brothers, World’s Biggest Engagement Ring Store® concludes its “Random Acts of Romance” enter-to-win sweepstakes and selects winner Lisa Choy of Rosemead, CA as the recipient of the $1,000 shopping spree.
The back-to-basics promotion honored couples in love by reminding them that it’s the simple and thoughtful things you do in a relationship that really matter. The engagement ring retailer teamed up with Panera Bread to surprise Southern California couples on a date with fun and romantic gifts including gerbera daisies, roses and Newport Beach Gondola cruise gift certificates. With a diamond engagement ring in its possession just in case, the Street Team also helped a young man in Old Town Pasadena propose marriage to his girlfriend on the spot.
As part of the “Random Acts of Romance” online contest, Robbins Brothers invited people to share their own personal random act. The 1500 submissions varied from funny and unique to heartwarming and sexy. Some of the entries included:
· “I wake up in the mornings making my sweetheart of 22 years breakfast in bed. He loves it.” Dreama
· “I handle things at home so she can have an evening to herself.” Ken Schaefer
· “Love notes on the pillow” Ivy Prestwood
· “We dance whenever and wherever we get the desire. We still dance without the music, just like we did when we got married.” Lori
· “I pack my husband lunch with 2 turkey and cheese sandwiches, a drink, yogurt, fruit rollup, Doritos and coupons to redeem when he comes to bed at night.” Kimberly Fisher
· “Proposed on a Venetian gondola ride.” Vincent
· “Write messages on the bathroom mirror that appear as a surprise after a shower.” Kimberly
· “Brushing the snow off my wife’s car before she leaves work on a snowy evening.” John
· “Take it all off!” Alfreda Holloway
· “She opened the door to the fresh scent of garlic and lemon (from the giant shrimp scampi in the pan), and me in a cook’s apron with nothing else on.” Robie
Winner Lisa Choy’s submitted entry reads, “My boyfriend loves to eat fruit. However, he is too lazy to wash and cut it up himself so he goes without it. At least once a week, I will cut up pieces of mango, pineapple or kiwi and arrange the pieces artfully and serve it on platter for him.”
Choy was thrilled to learn she won the contest. She admits, “I was prompted to browse the Robbins Brothers website because I realized giving my boyfriend such a generic statement like ‘I like jewelry’ would be like sending him on a wild goose chase.”
The “Random Acts of Romance” sweepstakes has ended but Robbins Brothers believes romance should not be limited to Valentine’s Day. The Street Team plans to surprise more couples on dates in the near future. Diane Ferraro, Director of Advertising for Robbins Brothers reveals, “Kind gestures in the relationship should be done 365 days a year! Surprise your sweetie any day with something totally unexpected and romantic.”
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For more information, call
Tracey Lyles, Media Services Manager, Robbins Brothers, 626.224.9400, tlyles@robbinsbros.com