it's beginning to look a lot like "christmas"

Yes, that's the word. I think there's entirely too much of this "happy holidays" and "season's greetings" stuff going on! Who cares if Santa goes and stands on the steps of City Hall, after all, we have separation of church and state and all that! To me, it's still christmastime, and 'old Saint Nick' really is not a religious fellow to me at all, it's just an excuse to have some fun!

I think, what the season is really about is gift-giving and parties! It's all sales, festivities and fun activities, to help us enjoy the time of year where it is dark in the morning, dark at 4:00 in the afternoon and the weather is cold. This year, preparations for christmas have started long before the traditional black friday beginning to the holiday season. Trees are up, stores are decorated, and the Rockefeller Center tree will be lit in a week. They are working like crazy to get it ready, here's a sneak peek!

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Businesses take this all very seriously, after all, retailers depend on the holiday season for a big portion of their business, us included! If you take a look at robertachiarella.com, you'll see all kinds of promotions and discounts to help people acquire some great jewelry at more affordable prices. In these tough times, who wants to cut back on jewelry?

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So, we went through our list, checked it twice, and rolled back prices on over 100 items, taking $10 off here, $20 off there, to give customers some great bargains for gift giving! We'll also gift wrap your jewelry, and a big shipment of boxes and ribbons has been delivered to the studio. We've got a holiday "2 for 1" special, so if you buy 2 items, we'll buy you a christmas present from our special section. The new 'mi prima' bangle is selling quickly, people loved it when I first made this piece years ago, the re-introduced bracelet is available in three colors and is makes a beautiful gift!

If you're in town, make sure to check out the store windows, we walked past Saks the other day and the windows were covered over while the elves prepare another beautiful display, I think it'll be unveiled next week. So, even though I haven't even gotten ready for thanksgiving, the whole city is preparing for christmas! It's a good thing we're all going over to cousin Diane's house to enjoy the day with the whole family. By the time I get back, Santa will have taken up his seat on the sleigh and the christmas season will be in full force! Ciao.

It's my lucky day

Friday the 13th. I was born on Friday the 13th, so it's not unlucky for me. But for lots of people it is a day to worry about. I went to a meeting today, the office building I visited did not have a 13th floor. At my brother's hospital, there are no rooms with #13. In Paris, if you are at a dinner party in a restaurant, the place will supply (for a fee, I suppose) a 14th guest!

I checked and checked our website, robertachiarella.com to make sure no jewelry is priced at $13. We haven't checked all the inventory, but if you have concerns, Elizabeth or Jose will be happy to count the number of Swarovski crystals on whatever you've ordered, if there are 13 we can always change to a different style. Our Flower Bud bracelet is in Bridal Guide (on the cover no less!!) and has 28 beautiful crystals, so it' safe.

So don't worry too much about the day, it's the third friday the 13th this year, which is unusual. We were too busy laughing to be afraid of the day once we saw what you call people who have a fear of friday the 13th. It's called friggatriskaidekaphobia! Ciao!

Hug a Veteran today!

Awww, go ahead! On Veteran's day, there are parades, celebrations and memorial services, to honor and give thanks to the men and women who have served our country. I know a few veterans, and sincerely and honestly thank them for volunteering to be part of our military forces.

It's not an easy decision to join the army or navy, the commitment is intense, there is always the danger of going to war. But, some people find it in themselves to make the sacrifice and volunteer, and we are all thankful.

And of course, to celebrate veterans, New York City has a parade! It's one of our grandest parades, marching north on 5th Avenue past all the shops and St. Patricks cathedral. There are over 20,000 marchers, countless floats and bands, and it's a work day for many, so the city will be crowded. If you are in town, come on over, try to stand just north of St. Patricks, on the west side.

This will put you in the vicinity of Henri Bendel, so you can come in and check out the jewelry! We've got some cool new pieces, including Mi Prima bangle bracelet. This one is a faithful re-creation of one of my very first pieces and is brought back in some great colors. The originals were "bakelite" an early plastic, these are a newer, lighter plastic with a rich color and shine. The crystals are beautiful, and gigantic! If you've got a veteran who wears jewelry in your family, they would sure make a nice present. Ciao!

mo'nique, you're a star!

I'm back from Florida, where I had a great time promoting my jewelry line, Roberta Chiarella for HSN. We had two live shows, and as usual, it was a great experience, with the lights, the sets, and most of all, the call-in segments. Viewers call in not only to inquire about the jewelry, but to say 'hi' or to say how they like the products, or that they've visited the store in NY (henri bendel) to see if I was there.

It is fun interacting with customers, and oftentimes people who live in NYC or are visiting want to come up to the studio and meet us. We enjoy helping people get the look they want for an event like a wedding, or just to pick the right jewelry for a job interview or to go with a particular outfit. Elizabeth and I love it so much, we're going to put some additional time on our schedules to do these style consultations, so visit robertachiarella.com to look for the announcement. And we always love to see pictures of people wearing our jewelry, so if you have a nice photo, don't be shy, send it to us at the website or here at the blog.

Sometimes, we get pictures when real live stars are wearing Roberta Chiarella jewelry, I am thrilled to share this- Actress-Mo'Nique walked the red carpet at Grauman's Chinese Theater on Sunday, November 1 wearing my Crystal Flute Earrings.

She's starring in the film “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire” which opens nationwide November 6. It's a real honor when people (especially famous people) choose my jewelry and then wear it for a special occasion. You can be sure I'll go see this movie when it opens in NY later in the week.

The only thing cooler than seeing this was the sight of thousands of runners going by my house on 1st avenue yesterday, and seeing an american win the NY City Marathon. It's a crazy day cause you are literally trapped in the neighborhood, but at least it was a nice day to go down to the corner and watch the runners. It's inspirational seeing all those people running, I always say maybe I'll start training for next year. Yeah, right. Ciao!