Jewelry Navigator™ Podcast

Emma Hoekstra of Emma Elizabeth Jewelry Shares Her Story and the Challenges that Led Her to Winning the 2019 Halstead Grant

Emma Hoekstra is my guest this week on Jewelry Navigator Podcast.
 
Founder of Emma Elizabeth Jewelry, and winner of this year’s Halstead Grant, it seems everything is going well for her.
 
While we hope joy and celebration prevail in our lives, loss, grief, healing, and discovery remain unavoidable to the human experience.
 
After the loss of her boyfriend in a tragic car accident, Emma reclaimed her joy and purpose through a process of healing through jewelry design, which eventually led to the winning submission of this year’s Halstead Grant.
 
Using metal smithing and jewelry fabrication as forms of expression and cathartic therapy, Emma worked through her grief, and emerged with an ability to intertwine feeling, aesthetic, and dimension into jewelry collections defined by her signature tagline,, “Confident - Edgy - Unique”.
 
Emma’s courage and focus are inspirational, and her jewelry is unique and captivating.
To see her latest collections and bespoke creations, visit emmaelizabethjewelry.com, her Instagram page is @emmaelizabethjewelry
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
 
Emma Elizabeth Jewelry
https://www.emmaelizabethjewelry.com/
 
Grand Valley State University
Allendale, MI
 
Halstead Grant
https://grant.halsteadbead.com/
 
Halstead Bead
https://www.halsteadbead.com/
 
Lisa Lehmann Designs
Grand Haven, MI
 
Julie Sanford Design
Grand Haven, MI

Steve Moriarty Shares His Gem Adventures, Jewelry Journey, Expertise on Gemstone Faceting, and What to Look for When Shopping for Colored Gemstones

This week’s Jewelry Navigator Podcast is unique and exciting!
 
If you love colored gemstone, or want to learn more about them from source to store, you’ll be mesmerized what today’s guest shares on Jewelry Navigator Podcast.
 
My guest has an established gem and jewelry store as well as a successful online gemstone and jewelry business.
 
Steve Moriarty is an accomplished gemstone cutter and jeweler in Crown Point, Indiana, about an hour southeast of Chicago.
 
His story begins with early childhood memories of collecting rocks in his wagon near railroad tracks close to his home.
 
His interest and passion in rocks and gems continued into college, when he took jewelry arts classes at Ball State University, then joined his older brother in a small gemstone importing business serving fine jewelry stores.
 
The quality of faceted goods they imported were often poor, so he learned how to cut and facet them himself.
 
From there, he began wholesaling to the industry for twenty years, and has a total of forty years in the business.
 
As his passion and expertise grew with gem cutting, he began sourcing the gem material by traveling to the exotic and far away places, like Bangkok, Ethiopia, and Tanzania.
 
His specialty is colored stones, which thrills me, and even more so, tanzanite.
He shared that 40% of his stone business comes from the fine and tanzanite gemstones he facets and heat treats in his shop in Crown Point.
 
He is a generous source of gemstone and faceting information, sharing his  expertise on their YouTube channel, More Gems.
 
His legacy will continue, as his family joined him in the business with custom jewelry design, repair, fabrication, marketing, and online services.
 
I loved hearing his adventures in discovering the gemstones he takes home to facet, which you can find on their websites, moregems.com and tanzanitejewelry.com.

Catering to Established & New Clients in Q4 (and Beyond) for Jewelry Sales Success With Kathleen Cutler - You’ll Be Surprised How Simple It Is!

Now that we’re in the last quarter of the year, we need to capture the attention of our clients and customers to optimize income potential as jewelry brands and businesses.
If you haven’t kept ahead of your marketing plans, it’s not too late!
Kathleen Cutler of Bespoke Commerce, and CEO of Kathleen Cutler Strategy shared valuable strategies that will be easy to scale to the time and client list you already have.
 
Kathleen is a former bench jeweler and has worked in a myriad of roles within the jewelry industry.
 
We talk about what jewelry designers, brands and stores can do to navigate the current retail climate to merge independent jeweler’s efforts between online, location and connecting with their ideal clients.
Kathleen shares 5 simple actions you can take to have a successful holiday sales season to set yourself apart with loyal clients who are happy to provide referrals and return for future jewelry purchases.
The underlying purpose and focus of our visit is to show designers and brands how they can
 
- stand out in a sea of online and social media marketing
- use what and who is in their immediate circle to increase holiday and future jewelry sales
- bridge retail experience between online and brick and mortar
For the complete compliment of show notes for this episode, and for a FREE E-BOOK by Kathleen, 
Turn Window Shoppers Into Collectors - Free Ebook - 3 Key Emails to Send Today
visit the post on jewelrynavigator.com 

The Passion Behind Anastasia Simes’ Dramatic Jewelry Designs & How Her Frustration to Find the Perfect Gift Led to Her Jewelry Career

The Passion Behind Anastasia Simes’ Dramatic Jewelry Designs & How Her Frustration to Find the Perfect Gift Led to Her Jewelry Career
 
Anastasia is as lovely and captivating as her jewelry!
 
I found her background and story fascinating, and felt the dramatic aesthetic of her jewelry is a perfect fit for October!
 
I’m so grateful for her taking the time with me to visit for both the podcast and in person in her studio, because she’s a VERY busy woman!
For jewelry images and show notes to the show, be sure to find the blog post on jewelrynavigator.com
 
Besides her jewelry projects, Anastasia’s most recent costume and set design can be seen in a unique presentation of Synetic Theater’s wordless interpretation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest on a stage of water!
 
You have to see it to understand - so please see the links in bio for more, and if you’re in the DC area, and love dance and theater, consider attending one of the performances - through October 20.
 
Synetic Theater is in Arlington, VA, and I’ll post links and show notes in the blogpost, which will publish soon.
 
Thanks so much for joining me today for today’s Jewelry Navigator Podcast - I know you have a choice in podcast, and truly appreciate your support!
 
We’re getting closer to 10,000 downloads of the podcast, and look forward to celebrating that milestone, so would you be sure to share Jewelry Navigator with your friends, family and co-workers who would enjoy listening as much as you do?
 
And, if you’re a jeweler, jewelry designer, jewelry collector or fanatic, reach out to me on IG or through e-mail with questions, podcast topic suggestions, to be featured as a guest on Jewelry Navigator Podcast, or just to say hello! I love connecting with my listeners!
 
Next week, I’ll be back with Kathleen Cutler, a Business Mentor for Fine & Antique Jewelers with more tips for designers and jewelry brands on how to reach their ideal clients, while focusing  on catering to the consumer in and out of e-commerce.
 
So, until next time, cross check your sparkle, and now that we’re approaching coat and sweater weather, get your ring prongs checked!
 
Talk to you next time! bye bye!

Laryssa Wirstiuk of Joy Joya Jewelry Marketing Shares Tips for Successful Holiday Marketing For Jewelry Brands

Laryssa Wirstiuk of Joy Joya Jewelry Marketing Shares Tips for Successful Holiday Marketing For Jewelry Brands
 
 
Laryssa Wirstiuk of Joy Joya Jewelry Marketing is my guest this week on Jewelry Navigator Podcast.
 
 
She shares what small brands and designers can do to get in front of their ideal customers in time for the upcoming holiday gift season using tools and techniques you’re probably already using alone with others you may not have though of.
 
Laryssa shares the basics of what experiential marketing is, and what the main objective is.
Emerging designers often handle most of the day to day business tasks, including keeping up with social media.
Laryssa shares ways designers and brands can easily follow a schedule, making it easier to merge tasks and strategies.
To see some of the tools Laryssa shares in the podcast, visit the coordinating blog post for show notes including her recommendations, and where you can find her and her podcast, Joy Joya Jewelry Marketing podcast.
To learn more, see the show notes on jewelrynavigator.com

Tracy Trainor Sculpts Motion & Life Into Wearable Jewelry Art

Tracy Trainor became a jewelry designer and maker as she meandered across the globe, and uses inspirations from her formative years in Japan, to the countryside of Ireland, where she currently resides.
 
What captures my attention with Tracy’s jewelry is the movement she coerces from wax carving, to casting, down to the texture.
 
When challenged to make a butterfly ring unique to her own aesthetic and creativity, she crafted a 3-dimensional butterfly that appears to be taking flight from one’s finger, complete with subtle veining in wings, to slight wind adjustments.
 
I’m delighted to share Tracy’s story today on Jewelry Navigator Podcast, and also, that she’ll be featured in Milan Jewelry week in the prestigious Artistar Jewels Show October 24-27.
 
You can find Tracy’s jewelry on her website, tracytrainorjewellery.com as well as on Facebook, and Instagram.
 
I wish Tracy a wonderful time and best of luck in Milan!
Be sure to keep watching my Instagram feed for posts sharing Tracy’s jewelry, including personalized photos of her Equus horse pendant with me!
 
Also, do you like to know how jewelry like Tracy’s is created?
On Tracy Trainor’s IG feed, she often shares behind the scenes while creating a piece of her jewelry, as well as explaining the processes she uses.
 

Nayla Shami Shares Life’s Experiences Through Her Jewelry Designs

Nayla Shami Shares Life’s Experiences Through Her Jewelry Designs
 
In last week’s episode, I mentioned a few jewelry destinations for upcoming podcast stories.
 
Today’s jewelry designer’s story is influenced by traditional hand fabrication methods passed down from generation to generation of Lebanese goldsmiths and jewelers.
 
Nayla Shami is a delightful jeweler and designer based in Lubbock, Texas.
 
Originally from Lebanon, Nayla’s jewelry story grew from her appreciation of jewelry gifts received as a child, then later, as the designer.
 
I met Nayla almost two years ago at a Metal and Smith Show in New York.
 
Her selection and use of colorful gemstones set in her unique animal and nature inspired jewelry commanded my attention.
 
In today’s conversation, Nayla shares stories of A Burro, A Herd of Goats, Dancing Jeweled Flowers, and Marbles Encaged in Gems, all from her collections inspired by joyful childhood memories, and return visits to Lebanon.
 
Nayla also shares how she nurtures trust and loyalty in the relationships she forges with her retail store and boutique clients.
 
 
Drest by Scott Malouff in Lubbock, TX
 
Telluride, CO Slate Gray Gallery
 
Malouf on the Plaza, Santa Fe, NM

ABCs of Jewelry Selection, Care, Alternatives to Class Rings, and Upcoming Jewelry Arrivals

Even though it’s small, jewelry carries big meaning and represents connections from our past, into our present, and future.
 
In this episode of Jewelry Navigator Podcast, I talk about showing your school spirit with jewelry, and I shared how I wear  color and theme relevant jewelry to the Penn State football games with pieces by CRASH Jewelry, Emily Kuvin Jewelry, and
Mary van der Aa.
 
Staying with the school spirit theme, and for those who want alternatives to traditional class rings, we talked about the importance of choosing gemstones with high hardness to withstand long term wear, and we also talked about how quality speaks to the importance of the longevity of the piece.
 
I shared tips on jewelry wear and upkeep, like cleaning, care, and ring sizing.
 
Jewelry doesn’t last forever, but by choosing well made pieces, and making wise choices for stones, settings, and metals, jewelry can sustain wear for multiple generations.
 
I’m so grateful for all the artists, designers, and jewelers who graciously visit with me, virtually, and in person.
 
You all inspire me, and it brings me so much joy to share what you create with those of us who appreciate jewelry that stands out to celebrate what makes us unique.
 
Designers mentioned in this episode of Jewelry Navigator Podcast:
 
Mary van der Aa
CRASH Jewelry
Emily Kuvin Jewelry
Petite Baleine Jewelry
Elizabeth Moore
DRU Jewelry
Feral Jewelry
Anastasia Simes
Nayla Shami Jewelry
Tracy Trainor Jewellery
Shout outs to some awesome fans!
@iomoon000
@onza
@rosashearin
@bossgirlcreative