You have till Jan. 15th to come up with an entry in the MJSA 18th annual Vision Awards design competition.Entries must be postmarked by JAN. 15, 2009. For
submission guidelines and further information, visit http://www.mjsa.org/about_ava.php.
In addition to the overall Professional and Student Awards, the
competition features special Distinction Awards that allows recognition of designers using specific materials or technologies in new and
creative ways. This year’s featured Distinction categories include:
Enamel Distinction, sponsored by Rio Grande
Laser Distinction, sponsored by Crafford–LaserStar Technologies Corp.
Mokumé-gane Distinction, sponsored by Shining Wave Metals and Reactive Metals Studio
Palladium Distinction, sponsored by Hoover & Strong
Platinum... Read More
Archive for 2008
Jewelry makers "are providing more marketing assistance to create interest in
their products, switching from 14k gold to mixed metals and sterling
silver, and investing in internal systems to—as one put it—“position
the company for success when the market turns,” said a report on JCKonline entitled "Recession has Already Hurt Half of the Jewelry Industry Businesses in U.S."JCK polled retailers and manufacturers in November and December and found that about half say they've been affected by the economic crisis thus far. You can read the whole survey here on JCK's website. At this point we're all weary of the bad news and statistics; more importantly is what you decide to do about it. Reports keep saying an upturn... Read More
“I am committed to destroying the myth of the starving artist,” stated Larry Thompson president of Ringling College of Art and Design
in Sarasota, Fla., in a New York Times article recently. Thanks to Connie Mettler's blog, www.artfairinsiders.com, that alerted me to this article. Students at this school can now major or minor in a program called
“The Business of Art and Design.” Thompson, the school’s
president, said he was inspired to create the program when he read
about Dan Pink’s book,
“A Whole New Mind,” which popularized the notion that artists,
especially those who can marry left and right brain skills, the
analytical and the creative, will be in high demand in the coming years.Rather than seeing art as something to pursue in the... Read More
I get this question a lot -- and we go in to depth on the topic (plus dozens of others) on our website at www.jewelersresource.com.But here's a quick primer:ArtFairSourcebook.com is a great resource for finding detailed, ratings and information on events. The Harris List lists far fewer than ArtFair Sourcebook but they concentrate on the "top rated" events.Some of the best craft fairs for fine jewelry are:Smithsonian Craft ShowPhiladelphia Museum of Art Craft Crafts America showsParadise City fairsThe Long’s Park Art & Craft FestivalSausalito Art Festival But if you're work isn't of the "top 1% in the country level" then you should cast a wider net than those events. There are plenty more that are good. Search the web for your... Read More
Just in time to target the rising number of style-conscious "recessionistas," the Silver Institute is rolling out a marketing campaign to promote silver jewelry as a fashionable and affordable choice, reports NationalJeweler.com."The Silver Institute has marketed silver jewelry in the past, but the
new Silver Marketing Initiative marks the first time since 2001 that
there has been a full-scale effort in place for promoting sterling
silver jewelry. It comes at a time when more designers--including some
who haven't used the metal in the past--have been playing with the
possibilities of sterling. With demand from consumers and retailers
rising, according to the Silver Institute, some designers have been
crafting edgier pieces with oxidized and blackened... Read More
