not bad, for a girl from queens - roberta chiarella jewelry blog

Welcome 2012 (and Thank You 2011)

2012-01-02T14:39:00.003-05:00

2012, 2012, 2012. I have to teach myself to stop using our old friend 2011 and embrace our new year. First, a big thank you to 2011, you were good to us. It was a great jewelry year with so many hot trends and some successful products made even better by great press in magazines and on TV. Our customers are savvy and made a couple of items best sellers and some even sold out.

I hope to bring you more in 2012, we've got some great designs in the pipeline and spring is just around the corner. But why wait- this is the time of year to take advantage of sales and specials!

At robertachiarella.com we have our ever-popular winter sale going on where everything (yes, everything) has a lower price. Just enter the promo code and enjoy some new earrings or a necklace!

Sometimes jewelry design is the best job in the world, I've enjoyed the holiday break doing research in order to bring you the best new trends.

To do this I have seen every new movie to check out the fashions, read a few dozen magazines and scoured the internet for celebrity stories and photos. I checked out aunt Lorraine's antique jewelry and made notes of every stunning outfit worn by family and friends at holiday gatherings. Tough work, but somebody's got to do it!

My friend Binty asked me the other day how do I name all of our jewelry? Well, the items shown in this post are named for people who are near and dear to my heart. I cherish my friends and family and love to put a familiar name on a nice ring or necklace, it makes me smile every time we ship one out. I've also named some pieces for folks who send in a story or a picture, feel free to send me something for our gallery!

Mi Prima- My Cousin

Now let's get 2012 off to a great start, work hard, enjoy your family and friends and give thanks for all of your blessings. Ciao!

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong.

2011-12-23T23:25:00.004-05:00

It's New York, we don't all have chimneys!

Here's a piece that is one of my favorites, I am re-posting it from a couple of years ago. Leave your skepticism at the door and enjoy!

From the New York Sun, Sept. 21, 1897

DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.

Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN, it's so.' Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

VIRGINIA O'HANLON

115 West 95th Street

New York City

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus.

It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

My brother Joe says Santa has a Corvair!

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! ! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

I rediscovered this famous letter when it was read by Marty Keating at his fabulous holiday party held in New York City this week. It comes from Newsman Francis Pharcellus Church, who wrote The Sun's response to Virginia in 1897. The New York Sun ceased publication in the fall of 2008, but lives on thanks to the internet.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Roberta Chiarella Jewelry!

Just back from the North Pole, Chicklet checked in on Santa!

Comin' down a chimney near you

2011-12-17T19:36:00.002-05:00

It's almost time! Robertacharella.com has broken records with our 'embrace' collection and we're just thrilled. So many people ordered some items they literally sold out. But fear not, one of our best sellers, the chunky necklace, is available and ready to ship. You've got just a couple of days, we will rush out our orders on Monday 12/19 to get it to you before Christmas. After that, well, in a pinch I've wrapped up a photo of the item and given it when the actual gift is late so I'll leave it to your imagination.

The Swarovski Star at Rockefeller Center NYC

But you've probably gotten cousin Diane and her beautiful daughter Carly their gifts, the presents for your friends Linda and Binty are already in the mail to their homes. So treat yourself to something while it's on sale! In the winter you have so many opportunities to wear great earrings and necklaces, think bold when it comes to jewelry.

Get some sparkly big jewelry to go with this sweater!

If you've got a reindeer sweater to wear (thanks, aunt Elsie) get something colorful and sparkly to draw attention to your jewelry! Nobody will notice a tiny delicate earring, so get something fantastic like the 'larger paisley' or angie earring. You don't want a little necklace to hide under your scarves, your winter fashion jewelry ought to be big to be seen, so take a look at a statement necklace. You can wear the Brava Bib necklace with a red blouse and look festive and fantastic!

Chunky Necklace featured in InStyle!

When you gather with family, antique and estate jewelry always looks great, especially when Aunt Lorraine will be wearing a bracelet she bought in 1955 that looks amazing. What you can do is pick up our Moonstone Earrings, these beauties are made from stones I found in the basement of our jewelry factory which has been in the same family for generations. These beautiful stones were probably purchased in 1950 and there weren't a lot of them so I took them all. When these sell out that's it so get a pair today.

New York City Christmastime

When you're done shopping take a deep breath and relax. Soon it'll be Christmas and hopefully you've been invited to spend some time with family and friends. It's been a long year and finally we get to enjoy a couple of quiet weeks and holidays. May you and yours enjoy good health, peace and prosperity in the coming year, thank you all for your support. Ciao!

Santa's on his way!

2011-12-04T13:33:00.004-05:00

It's almost here! Christmas is really coming and New York City is all decked out in lights and decorations. There are trees everywhere, lights on every lamppost and storefront, and I'm loving it. We went for a walk last evening and took in some of the sights as the weather is just perfect with just a little bit of chill in the air.

That's as much free time as I allowed myself in order to take care of jewelry orders. You know that everyone wants their Christmas presents on-time and so we've got lots of jewelry in stock along with boxes, wrapping papers and for the indicisive among us, gift cards! If you're not sure, pick up a gift card on our website, everyone likes a robertachiarella.com gift card.

From the volume of orders so far I can tell that people are loving the jewelry shown in InStyle Magazine. The Chunky Necklace and Rain Drop Earrings are hot! We've got plenty and with our Promo Code you can save big.

The OMEGA Necklace

Another magazine feature (People Style Watch Magazine) is the Omega Necklace. This one is new and different, a great gold necklace that we make right here in the United States! This beauty is also on sale with a Promo Code, after all who wants to pay retail for anything this time of year.

I just love this one, the gold is shiny and looks perfect for a fantastic neckline at your office holiday party. Of course it goes well with nearly everything and leaves room for a nice pair of earrings!

Before you know it it'll be time for an office party or a dinner with friends. You want to look good, and perhaps bring a nice gift or two, and we're happy to help. Browse our site robertachiarella.com and enjoy! Santa Claus is watching. Ciao!

New York City Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T12:57:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is the day after thanksgiving and one of the biggest shopping days of the year. From my window on the upper east side of Manhattan I can see people on their way to fifth avenue, dressed in casual "I'm ready to buy anything" outfits, no coats needed on this beautiful fall day. There are also people already on their way home, shopping bags and boxes on their arms.

For us, orders are coming in like crazy, I guess lots of people are shopping from the comfort of their homes, buying online and having it shipped to them. Hey, just saving sales tax (sorry, NY customers) makes it worth it for most of us. Today we've gotten 4 orders for the Chunky Necklace, featured in InStyle this month! We've got different colors and this necklace is so beautiful (and not too heavy) it is a must have this season.

New York City is getting ready for Christmas, er, the holiday season. Rockefeller Center has put up lots of decorations and the trees are full of new high-tech LED lights. The toy soldiers are one of my all-time favorites and they're everywhere around the ice-skating rink.

Last night my husband Brian and I had dinner with NYC's favorite meteorologist, Janice Huff, and her husband. The WNBC-TV studios are high above the Rockefeller Center plaza (right near Saturday Night Live's studio) and we all met up between newscasts. As they say, a great time was had by all. Have a wonderful weekend and happy shopping. Ciao!

Louise Vava Lucia Henriette de la Falaise- RIP

2011-11-13T23:35:00.001-05:00

That's LouLou, the 'muse' of YSL. LouLou was a friend of mine from when I worked for Yves St. Laurent; I worked on the brand 'YSL Beaute' and Lucie de la Falaise was the face of the brand. She passed away last week at only 62 years old after a long illness. She was famous for Yves St. Laurent's womans tuxedo, a look that was her signature. Always impeccably dressed, she wore incredibly tailored pants, often in bright colors. She loved to wear the big, beautiful YSL jewelry that was so popular at the time, jewelry that I could occasionally buy for myself when I was in Paris.

Lou Lou with Yves St. Laurent

Working for YSL often meant commuting to Paris on the Concorde, getting to europe in 3 hours and just in time for a business meeting was an experience of a lifetime. I learned so many important lessons about style, design and business from the wonderful people at this famous design house, helping me make the leap to my own jewelry collections when the job ended. Imagine the thrill of launching your own jewelry line after a Henri Bendel trunk show and using skills and techniques you learned in Paris! Today the big 'signature' designs are better than ever, and thanks to lightweight resins, don't weigh you down when you wear them.

Kaleidoscope Necklace

LouLou might have liked the Kaleidoscope necklace if it was bigger, or maybe she would have worn 2 or 3 of them at once! The brilliant Swarovski crystals in different shapes and sizes make quite a show, and you can get it on sale with our 'Fall10' promo code.

I was really lucky to have met her when I worked there, and also worked with her niece Lucie de la Falaise. Years later she designed a line of jewelry and clothes for HSN, and just like myself made the pilgrimages to Florida to show her collection. We ran into each other a few times there and it was a thrill to see her again. We talked about our lines for HSN and how different this was from the way jewelry and fashion was presented in Paris.

It's funny, working on a collection for HSN is similar to the work we did for YSL, the most important thing is to have a good design. Good design is always good, the challenge is to make your vision at a price and quality that your customers can appreciate. We both knew that it takes all of this to make your product a success, and I'm thrilled to have craftsmen, factories and suppliers who can help me get the very best look for prices we can afford. Take a look at our Winter Style collection now on sale and you can see that we're bringing great style to you. Ciao!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T21:15:00.000-04:00

Check this out! I did the jewelry for NBC's Weekend Today show! There's the lovely Janice Huff on the right, meteorologist extraordinaire! Is this cool or what? Ciao!

Baby it's COLD outside (good thing!)

2011-10-30T10:15:00.001-04:00

Perfect for fall

Snow! In October! In Central Park! Oh, I never knew global warming was going to be like this, we've barely had time for fall and all it's fun.

New York City is the place to be in fall, tourists love the fact that the weather is (usually) beautiful and the museums, theatres and cultural institutions roll out their new productions this time of year. And so do we, check out our Superstar earrings which are featured in Glamour magazine. We looked around the studio and realized how many of these we had in stock and decided to have a sale! Yes, for a short time the price is reduced to $74- no it is not a halloween trick- buy two and get free shipping!

Want more? Our super fall sale is going on and we've added some really great items to intice you. How about the semi-precious waterfall earrings, or the Bright Betty Girl earrings (perfect this time of year!) and the antique enamel cuff bracelet- all on sale at the lowest prices they have ever been listed for. Shopping for the holidays (already?) is no problem because our gift wrap is here and shipping is fast.

Swing Dancer Earrings $48!

Right now in New York the sun is shining on the icy rooftops and there are icicles on the window sill right in front of my desk, making it feel like february. I've got a nice cup of coffee and am reading some emails and orders that have come in for jewelry. It seems that many of us were stuck indoors thanks to this freak storm, or hadn't even gotten the winter coat and boots out yet so stayed home! That means shopping online and taking advantage of our great features and sales. Thank you, mother nature. Ciao!

"O" my! The Hottest fall trends

2011-10-16T12:12:00.003-04:00

Hello, we're back! Thanks to everyone who emailed after the last post, happily our hurricane repairs are going well and the house is coming back together. Our first priority was to make sure every order is filled and shipped and our fall collections and upcoming holiday jewelry launches are going according to schedule, and I am thrilled everything is going well.

Everyone loves our fall collection, the Embrace look is a must-have and has gotten great press. Our friends are the first ones to "Embrace" the best fall looks for 2011 and it's no surprise that people who write about the trends include robertachiarella.com for our hot and trendy necklaces.

Your fall look should 'sing the blues' and we've got some great choices for you! The Rockstar necklace is my favorite, a perfect style for fall with great colored resin pieces. Sit by the fire and the polished lightweight resin stones just glow!

I think the best fall looks embrace the season, and so put away the brightly colored summer outfits and tops and choose colors that are subdued and not flashy. That does not mean boring, I love lavender and honeydew and burgundy, midnight blue looks great this time of year and if you can wear it, dark orange hues can give you a wonderful seasonal appearance. Jewelry should complement the softer colors of your clothes and be a bit brighter to provide that 'wow' factor.

Take a look at O, the Oprah magazine on the newsstands right now. They chose our LaStrada Bib Necklace and the Dolcetti Necklace as the perfect accent pieces for a great fall look. You can get these for a super price on the website. The Superstar Earrings, in great fall colors, are featured in Glamour, you have to own these sparkly, beautiful Swarovski Elements earrings. We've got a wonderful blue, a cool grey and a great black for you to choose from, you can take $10 off with the FALL10 promo code and maybe buy more than one!

We're always available to answer questions, or you can send me a pic and we'll help you choose the right accessory in the perfect color to complement your wardrobe. Fall is a cool season but your look should stay hot, and we're here to help! Ciao. . .

Thank you 'Mother Nature'

2011-09-05T21:06:00.005-04:00

My friend Binty asks, so where have you been? Ask 'Irene' I say...as in Hurricane Irene! Casa Chiarella sustained some nasty damage, with a hole in the roof and a chimney that's about 3 feet shorter than it was 10 days ago. The insanely tall (over 100 year old, says the tree surgeon) pine tree in the back yard is no more, felled by the wild and crazy winds that spared Manhattan but caused lots of damage elsewhere.

Joe and Chicklet in the aftermath of Irene

Thankfully the robertachiarella.com gift boxes and supplies were not touched by the hurricane; like Dorothy's family in Kansas, the basement/storm shelter served its purpose. Insurance adjusters swarmed the neighborhood and quickly authorized emergency repairs, helped get an army of tree cutters and giant trucks from Michigan to come to Queens and get all these fallen trees out of the way. We thank every single person who worked day and night to restore power and repair the broken windows and roofs that came from this storm.

And despite all this, we shipped every order! Even today (they don't call it Labor Day for nothing!) over 65 orders were packed and will be shipped in the morning. The first delivery after the hurricane was not food and water but a UPS truck with a new supply of 'think pink' goldtone earrings! These are sooooo popular after they were featured in Glamour and were on the verge of selling out. If you'd like a pair order now while our super sale is going on.

Sofia's Earrings

What else is hot? Sofia is hot, featured in People StyleWatch along with our Sofia's earrings which are some of the most beautiful Crystalized Swarovski Elements in the world. With a Platinum finish and deep ruby red stones, your eyes will pop when you see them. Thanks to a People StyleWatch promo code, they're 20% off the usual price! You can see the beautiful Sofia Vergara on Modern Family, she's got unbelievable style and wears earrings like there's no tomorrow!

Now's your chance, says our website- the Labor Day Super Sale is being held over. Some of our most popular styles are literally selling like hotcakes, in this economy we all appreciate a good sale, so check it out soon. After threats of floods, subway shut-downs and wicked storms, who doesn't need a jewelry treat for fall? We'll always ship for free if you spend more than $75, and considering the great variety and the ready-for-fall items popping up on robertachiarella.com, how can you not shop! Ciao.

Are you SIRIUS?

2011-08-14T22:45:00.002-04:00

Have you been listening to Sirius Satellite radio? Yes, that was me on the Martha Stewart Living Radio show. The 'Living Today' show has a great lineup of fashion and lifestyle news and it was great to be asked to speak and take questions about jewelry trends.

Kerry Nolan is the host, and I went down to 6th Avenue near 49th St. in Manhattan to work at the Sirius studio. I haven't been in a state-of-the-art radio studio before, it was quite impressive and very well organized. So was our host, Kerry. She was warm and welcoming and prepared, while we were on the air she had robertachiarella.com on monitors to refer to the items we were talking about.

We talked about current trends including large statements necklaces like the People StyleWatch featured Chunky Necklace. Everyone agreed how great they are to wear but can be heavy. I discussed how popular they've become now that I am using alternate materials like resin, which save weight but give the look of heavier polished stones. The Chunky Necklace has sold like hotcakes because it is light and priced right.

The Chunky Necklace- 2 colors available

Other new trends that help large pieces look great include personalizing the necklace with colored cords to make your own jewelry newer and jazzier. Hey, it's Martha Stewart Living, a place where it is cool and fun to be 'craft-y' and update some things you already own to get a fresh look from a piece you already own. Radio gives you the chance to explain and discuss jewelry in a different way than television. The show is longer, there are less breaks and you don't need layers of makeup! I loved it. You should check out this show whenever you can and I hope they ask me back!

After the show I went back to work to get ready for our newest feature in People StyleWatch. We've got three pieces in the September issue, and of course the magazine has a great promotion. With their Promo Code you can get 20% off Sophia's Earrings. These modern sparklers are made with Crystalized Swarovski Elements and are simply beautiful. Perfect for fall, they are now in stock and ready to ship. Another super StyleWatch feature is Roberta's Favorite Ring.

Roberta's Favorite

Named because this 50 karat zircon really is, you can get it in beautiful black, hematite or clear. It's a knockout and affordable at only $58 (before the promo code, but two and get free shipping!). The magazine is out this week, so don't take my word for it- go out to your newsstand and buy a copy. Ciao!

Fun in the summertime

2011-07-17T13:31:00.001-04:00

Wow, summer is so much fun! Even though I meant to put some new stuff here, there were barbecues, vacations, out-of-town guests and walks through Central Park. We have had a great month in the magazines with People StyleWatch featuring our new Chunky Necklace and the ever-popular Potato Chip Earrings. The necklace is lightweight hand-poured resin and comes in 2 colors. If you act fast, we've got a promo code where you can save 20% and of course, if you spend $75 or more the shipping is free.

So, what is your favorite summer hideaway? One of mine is Lake George, N.Y. where you can stay in the Sagamore Hotel. It's on an island in the lake, and you have the cool fresh water at your feet. Of course, there is a great staff to bring you drinks and snacks while you are enjoying the view, and lots of restaurants and activities if you are so inclined. We always rent a motor boat to cruise the waters and explore some of the little teeny islands that dot the lake everywhere.

Fort Ticonderoga, New York

We also visited Fort Ticonderoga, namesake of the famous Dixon Ticonderoga Pencil. They have a museum in town devoted to the (long gone) graphite industry and the Dixon mines and factories that made this pencil years ago.

We were delighted they have a few advertising and promotional pieces designed by my father when Dixon was his account. His drawings of the fort and revolutionary war hero Ethan Allen were right there, and the ladies running the museum were very happy we told them our stories about how these pieces were created.

When I got home, we received news from Japan that one of their hottest magazines, Classy Wedding, was featuring Roberta Chiarella Jewelry.

The diamond cut CZ is a real wedding favorite and is a hot seller in Japan, so it was great to see it on the cover. It gave me an idea to feature it and offer a discount, it's not every day we get Japanese magazine coverage, although Japan is our second biggest market and we ship there nearly every day.

Another great CZ earring, the Perfect Stud, was featured in Good Housekeeping. This dazzling earring is always in demand and is an unbelievable buy at $28! You've got to check out People StyleWatch, we've had such a great feature in this magazine with the Chunky Necklace and to top it off we are running a special promotion with them to offer 20% savings with the People StyleWatch promo code. This is a must-read for summer and belongs in your tote bag when you go to the beach or the park.

You'll want to relax and go slow in the hot weather we've been having, and sometimes a simple white outfit is the best thing to wear. But, to look good on hot summer nights you need some summery accessories, and we've got them all for you. Resin jewelry is bright, light and easy to own. You can check out the featured Trend RC2 collection and lots of other great pieces at robertachiarella.com. Please sign up for the mailing list and you'll get a weekly email with specials and features. Have a great summer! Ciao.

No color? That's the trend!

2011-06-19T15:56:00.001-04:00

WHITE. Technically it's not a color, but it is the summer trend style for 2011. Designers and stylists have shown us the beauty and purity of all-white ensembles, and at robertachiarella.com we do our part too! Take a look at our white earrings, featured in People StyleWatch. These beauties are just the ticket for your summer sunny-weather outfit.

Check out People StyleWatch Magazine

Everywhere you look there are all white summer collections. Michael Kors showed one on the runway, as did Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren.

White is the preferred choice this season to create a powerful but simple look. Summer designs are simple, use easy to care for fabrics and you can complete the look with some fantastic white stone jewelry. The Mosaic Crystal Flower earrings are super hot this summer and they are a great buy with our promo code. Made with Crystallized Swarovski Elements, these are also available in many fun colors. If these aren't the right size, check out the small Art Deco Earrings, a great buy at $88.

Saks Fifth Avenue

We checked out our favorite Fifth Avenue department stores to be sure, and Saks has white, all white, nothing but white on the first floor. Lord & Taylor displays everything you need including white shoes and hair accessories. Bendel's (where our jewelry is on display for you) has plenty of super hot white accessories you can check out on the way to the Roberta Chiarella Jewelry display.

Mosaic Crystal Flower Earrings

So, if you want to dazzle on the beach, on the street and in a nice restaurant or club, choose a white summer look. Leave your red and green outfits for later and go for simple, elegant white clothes and accessories. Use your imagination to accent your look with some hot colored jewelry or more white. You can't go wrong this summer and we've got lots of great looks and great buys available for you. You'll get speedy shipping (free if you spend more than $75). Send us your pics and we'll show everyone how cool (or hot) white can be. Ciao.

Welcome Summer!

2011-05-27T22:18:00.002-04:00

It's here- Memorial Day weekend! The unofficial beginning of summer has finally arrived and that's a good thing. After the winter of 2010-2011 with monumental snow and bone-crushing cold, I almost didn't remember what shorts and flip-flops looked like, so the thought of lounging around in summer attire is nice.

We'll be enjoying New York City, where it's Fleet Week, our wonderful military men and women come into town in their planes, on their boats and get a taste of New York City hospitality. You'll see New Yorkers walk right up to soldiers, marines and shake their hands, pat them on the back, because we all appreciate what these young men and women do. The United States is protected and defended by a volunteer army, our own citizens, our own families have patriotic (and brave) individuals who volunteer. It makes me proud, and gives me a good reason to go to our local treasure, the Douglaston-Little Neck Memorial Day Parade. The weather should be good and it's a great way to appreciate all our armed forces do for us by honoring our troops, especially those who died in wars.

Summer, Memorial Day, the end of May and the Solstice, we don't need much of a reason to have a big sale, so we've got a great selection of jewels at an incredible 60% off the original price for the weekend. Go out and buy a nice summer dress or top and plan to wear it in style with the La Strada Bib Necklace. It'll probably never be more affordable, and has been featured in magazines and on TV. If you like a simple and elegant piece for your hair, check out the pave hair stick which I just love. This one's a close out and when the last one is sold, that's it. We get so many orders for weddings, the hair stick is just the right accessory.

La Strada Necklace

No weddings? Still need an excuse to get some jewelry, hmm. Well, it was graduation day for lots of students, and New York City schools will graduate their high-schoolers in just a couple of weeks. Here at the jewelry studio, we've had our own little graduation too. I participate in internship programs with FIT in New York and have been so lucky to get wonderful students who come in and learn and work, learn and work with us. Going to college isn't easy, and internships are part of getting that edge, the experience of being in a real business doing what you went to college for, fashion!

Thanks, Abie Angelillo and Candice Roselli, their help has been amazing and I hope you've learned a thing or two as well. Candice excelled in adobe photo shop and will take her skills to her new career once she's come down to earth after she graduates. She should get off to a good start, with a professional resume and some direction we enjoyed providing.

It is a way to give back and that's why I support FIT and it's programs. I was privileged to talk to the Direct and Interactive Marketing Club, where students really want to listen and learn. It's a pleasure to share my experiences in buliding a business from a dream (and a severence package) and work for yourself. There is no better way to create jobs than to join the workforce in private enterprise and start a business. If you take that risk you will get rewarded many times over. You make your future, no unions, no guarantee of a pension but plenty of excitement and lots of happiness if you get it right and find success. Our interns learned this every day, and our customers know it too- they deal with me, the owner, with our great staff, they buy from a first-class website or in a high-end store or boutique. It is the American Dream, made possible by our constitution and the service of our troops. Happy Summer! Ciao.

Gift with Purchase!

2011-05-15T12:33:00.002-04:00

the Queen that Queens is named for

Hi, everybody. Finally blogger's recent 'technical difficulties' have been resolved, and I am the new owner of a 'password recovery system' so if this problem happens again, I won't lose access to this blog. Hopefully! I also backed it up, which I never knew I could or should do. Just in case you lost access, it's easier when you're a follower- so I suggest you join, and get as many friends to join to as you can.

It's been a Queens weekend, after all the royal wedding stuff I just felt like I ought to spend some time at the old homestead in Queens, NY! Our county is actually named for an english Queen, Catherine of Braganza, who didn't spend a lot of time on the throne with her king, Charles II in the late 1600's. I didn't find too many images of her, and so we're not getting a Queen Catherine necklace any time soon! The Kate's necklace is a genuine hit, those earrings she wore during the royal wedding are available on the website now too!

Our super-hit this week has been the vintage look, People StyleWatch features Blake Lively in our Vintage Fan Drop Earrings, a wonderfully sparkly, fun earring we've got in three colors. It's in the 'under 100' collection and qualifies for FREE SHIPPING, so take a look!

The rest of my vintage items this weekend were all sold yesterday, at the annual Douglas Manor all-neighborhood mega garage sale! This is a once-a-year event, all the neighbors put out their finest new and old garage sale stuff and part of the proceeds goes to the garden club to help keep the neighborhood looking pretty.

Follow the signs on every tree in town!

I couldn't resist making sure OUR sale was the best, so we whipped up some Swarovski Crystal earrings to give to each customer as a gift with purchase. Yes, if you bought my brothers old soldering iron from the 1970's, or my Mom's ancient (and sort of funny looking) horse statue, you got some roberta chiarella earrings with your purchase!

It was a great way to spend a nice spring day, meet the neighbors and chat and eat pizza and sell and sell and sell. I just can't figure out why nobody bought the wine glasses but they fought over the purple and green picnic table plates, but hey, I only try to guess hot jewelry trends, not people's taste in garage sale stuff. It was a great day and we all had fun. Bye-Bye, Schwinn Bicycle, I enjoyed owning you for so many years!

Blakes earrings- much better than garage sale vintage!

We capped off the day with a great dinner at BKNY, our bestest, tastiest, spiciest thai restaurant in town. Thanks to Joe, Thomas, Donna, Denise and my honey, Brian, it turned out to be a surprise birthday party for yours truly. Yes, Friday the 13th is a lucky day in the Chiarella family and I was so happy we all had such a good time. Ciao!

Congratulations Kate and William- a Royal Job well done!

2011-04-29T23:18:00.005-04:00

God save the Queen! I've always wanted to say that, so there! It's not every day New Yorkers sit about watching the goings-on across the pond, so we have to make the most of it. A Royal wedding is not something you see every day, and what with twitter and the internet, we get to see everything. Look at this, early this morning Times Square in NYC was closed, with crowds standing there on a beautiful spring night as the entire wedding was shown on the giant monitors of Broadway. It was incredible.

Times Square's Royal Wedding displays

Of course, New Yorkers have to ham it up, and re-enact every possible famous scene, but it was all in fun. I think today the whole world stopped for a second or two to celebrate with Catherine and William. I really enjoyed it all.

Did you see the hats? I've never seen such a display of haberdashery, Westminster Abbey was just filled with Englands most fashionable women with hats. I guess it is a tradition or something, and it seems like the hats made up for the fact that we didn't see too much elaborate jewelry. The Queen did not dissapoint with her pearls and smart brooch, and the men, well one has to wonder how long it took to pin all those medals on.

So there we have it, new heirs to the throne, young and pretty. For Kate, it was a long courtship but in the end, she got her man. Here in New York it is clear the Royal wedding was also a marketing success, giving the dynasty some new spark and exciting jewelry designers like myself and dressmakers across the globe.

Thanks to all this pomp and circumstance, I was on the Today Show! Not my jewelry but me, right there on the set. I felt like I needed one of those royal carriages to carry me home, it was such an experience. We've been celebrating the Royal wedding all week and to be part of it, in even this little way, was wonderful. To think that people looking for designs and jewelry got to see some of my things on television is an incredible honor, and was a lot of fun to be a part of.

WNBC New York Today Show Royal Wedding Makeover

We had an 'ambush makeover' segment the other day, and one of my favorite necklaces (the My Fair Lady) made the final cut for our royal wedding for less segment. Next week, we've booked a few shoots and photo sessions to demonstrate some of the jewelry seen at the reception, the after parties, and on the fashionistas of London.

And, to make sure you can get some of these 'royal' looks, our incredible spring sale is going on.

'Royal' Crystal coin cascade

We've placed dozens and dozens of items on our 'flower power' sale section, all 50% off. Did I say half price? You can get the popular crystal coin cascade (very, very similar to the earrings worn by a certain Dutchess just this morning) for less than 15 pounds sterling, or $25.00. If you pick up a few items, you'll get free shipping if your total is more than $75. We even ship to England! Ciao.

P.S. Sign up for our mailing list on robertachiarella.com and become a blog follower to enjoy some 'secret specials. Click on this to see the today show appearance- Roberta

Happy Royal Easter

2011-04-24T23:23:00.009-04:00

Happy Easter everybody! Our family celebrated today at my brothers house, enjoying traditional easter foods, roast lamb, pizza rustica and sweets, oh lots of sweets. We have a lot to celebrate this week so we made sure to do it in a 'royal' fashion.

I'm sure you all are following the fashion feeding frenzy surrounding the royal wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William, which will take place next week. It's a big bang to start one of our busiest seasons in the jewelry business- bridal season. So, to get into the spirit I called my friends over at Buckingham Palace, and sure enough, the Queen was so stressed out with what's going on in her house, she readily accepted our invitation.

The Chiarella Easter Dinner

She is actually quite nice in person, and thought former commonwealth subject Thomas Nguy's famous mashed potatoes with garlic were better than what her chef serves up over in London. She even made her coachman drag-race down Manor Rd. against esteemed poet and author Eric Thomas Norris, who narrowly beat the royal carriage with Joe's corvair. It was a sight, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes!

Seriously, this year is obviously starting out with some spectacular jewels, and I'm lucky enough to be right in the middle of some of the festivities. We made a wonderful necklace to celebrate the one worn by Ms. Middleton the day Prince William asked for her hand in marriage. Us magazine did a feature on this and used our 'Kates Necklace' for the shoot. It came out fantastic, and it's now on sale for you at only $68. I love it, made with Swarovski Elements and a great 16" chain.

Kate's Necklace, the royal one!

If that isn't enough for you, keep an eye out every day this week for the Today Show's daily coverage of the Royal Wedding. I had the pleasure of working with the ever fabulous Jill Martin as we filmed a piece showing my version of some royal jewels you can expect to see (if you're willing to get up at 3:00 AM next friday).

I am not sure which day we'll all get to see what we put together, but there are going to be a lot of great pieces on display at this affair,

and you can bet I'll be whipping up a few that will give us commoners the royal look you'll see in London next week. We'll post up the jewelry for you the minute the royal family steps in front of the cameras, so you can get the look you want with Roberta Chiarella quality and prices that will make the royal jewelers faint. Ciao!

A picture's worth a thousand words

2011-04-10T11:07:00.003-04:00

People in my family know that it takes a lot to make me speechless,but when I opened up the April issue of ALLURE- I was overwhelmed by this beautiful photo. This Moonstone Bracelet was featured with a beautiful model wearing them! There's an interesting story behind this item, is made with vintage Swarovski stones that date from the 1950's. On a visit to our factory in Providence, RI we always wander around the storage rooms and other nooks and crannies. The jewelry factory has been in the owners family for many, many years and they've accumulated a few stones that were never used by designers, or ordered because they were too nice to pass up, but nobody designed the right setting for them. Well, I saw these crystals and knew that they'd make a great bracelet.

Moonstone Bracelets

They were expensive back in the '50's but they're worth it, being of the highest quality and in perfect condition (sitting in a padded box for over 40 years. Like diamonds, they certainly just get more beautiful with age. It turns out there were enough to make bracelets in 4 colors, we decided to use a hinged bangle so it would fit right, and made the drawings and prototype so the amazing artisans in Rhode Island could turn them into the beauties you see here. They are obviously available in limited quantities, we're not gonna get these stones again so if you want this beauty, now's the time. Of course we'll ship them free and I'm sure you'll love them as much as the Allure editors did.

checkerboard necklace- $58

You know, even though I have been designing for a while I still get very emotional when I see my work in a magazine. It is such an honor to be picked, here in New York magazine editors have dozens of designers to choose from, they can walk down Fifth or Madison Avenue and see a hundred bracelets in shop windows on the way to get coffee. So, when they called and asked to borrow a couple for this photo shoot, and featured us with a credit, I needed more than coffee!

Dorothy

The other thing you've got to see is the new RC2 Escape Collection. These are going to be the hottest things as the weather is heating up! Look at the necklaces, they are beautiful, and in both gold and silver so you can choose your favorite look. We've got many affordable pieces, one of my favorites is the Dorothy earring, amazingly priced at $28 and available in 3 colors.

Of course we've got a promo code, just type in ESCAPE10 on our new shopping cart and any one item will be reduced by $10! For orders over $75 we ship free, too. Many of these pieces were inspired by the trend, or craze that's going around the fashion world of using these lucite-like resins, they are shiny, easy to take care of and the colors are just brilliant. Enjoy! Ciao.

It's in the bag!

2011-03-24T17:00:00.005-04:00

Where have I been? No new blog entries? Is everything OK? Did you hear about Elizabeth Taylor?

These are some emails we got the last week or so, and it's due to the fact that our website, http://www.robertachiarella.com/ has started to introduce some new features. Now, some might not get excited about this, but around here it is cause for joy! We've got a new shopping cart, and life is good.

What does this mean to us and our customers? Finally we can offer multiple promotions at the same time, promo codes have their own little box and once you enter it the site will instantly tell you if it's good or not, and also calculate your savings. If it's on sale, or even free, the price will show up as such right away.

Screen Shot of the new cart, sign up today!

The shopping cart is the heart of a good website, and now you'll be able to create your user ID and your own password, you can store your payment info if you wish so you can buy any time you like even if you don't have your credit card handy.

Gift wrapping, messages, even buying a gift card will be easy as pie, and you will always see your actual total right there when you are ready to press the button. If you've qualified for Free Shipping, it'll say so right there and your shipping price will drop to $0 (for US customers). Of course it's a secure site, the symbol is at the bottom and it is tested daily to make sure we are all safe. So far, people have found it easier and better than ever to buy from us, and we're happy the feedback is so good.

Taylor bib necklace, only $68

So, if you ever needed to try this out, now is good. We've got some great features, our People StyleWatch promotion is still going on and we've got reduced prices on the resin jewelry featured in Redbook and Real Simple Magazines.

The Taylor Bib Necklace is hot this week, and now that it's featured at $68, lots of people want this beautiful piece for their spring wardrobe.

When I put that one up on the site, we were watching the news of Elizabeth Taylors death, and it made me shiver.

She was one of my all time favorites, she could be serious, she could be funny, she was always beautiful. Hollywood lost a great star this week but we've got so many great films to remember her by. I can't imagine what it was to have been her, described as 'too beautiful' to be taken seriously as an actress. Like so many really cool people, she was haunted by paparazzi and denounced by the vatican. A funny lady, she was asked about who'd play her and here's her twitter response: "No one is going to play Elizabeth Taylor, but Elizabeth Taylor herself. Not at least until I'm dead, and at the moment I'm having too much fun being alive...and I plan on staying that way. Happiness to all."

She was known as a kind and genuinely nice person, her generosity to charity, especially HIV/Aids is well known and greatly appreciated. Later in life, Elizabeth Taylor became a social activist and a longtime friend and supporter of Michael Jackson. We found this picture of her and offer a very similar necklace on the website. I've renamed it the 'Dame Elizabeth' in her honor. Buy one, and let me know if you like the new shopping cart features. Godspeed, Elizabeth. Ciao!

Oscar, Oscar!

2011-03-05T23:09:00.007-05:00

Wow, what a week- I've got Academy Award fever! Our jewelry was featured on the "Today Show", just click on this to see our segment!

I'll defer to all those who had issues with the hosts, the quips and comments, the girl from Queens is here for the fashion, the red carpet and the glamour that you always see during an Academy Award Presentation.

We weren't dissapointed this year, some great dresses, Reese Witherspoons will be at stores everywhere in a few weeks, it was so elegant and well, wearable! Did you see those earrings? When they said how much the diamonds and emeralds cost, I nearly fainted. Even on an actresses salary, that's a lot of money for jewelry that you can (as they point out) get the 'look for less'.

I was delighted that we were engaged by our great fashion editor Jill Martin from US magazine for the Today Show presentation 'Oscar looks for less'. Did you know we literally hand made some of the baubles just for the show, sketching during the awards and putting the jewels together in the studio the next day. By now, they are in production at our factory and can be on their way to your house if you order some today.

We were on the edge of our seats for the Oscar segment of the Today Show, I did the jewelry for all 4 models.
Can you imagine Jennifer Hudson wore a MILLION dollars worth of jewelry, and then take a look at our Academy Award section of robertachiarella.com and see what it'll cost you!
It is so exciting to make this jewelry, and it is even more fun when we look at what we already had on sale, in stock and see that maybe (yeah, right) Harry Winston copied OUR look for the show!

Our jewelry on the Today Show

I hope you take a look, we've got a great promotion that'll get you 20% off thanks to our People StyleWatch promo code. The magazine is still on sale, and you can see the featured jewelry at your convenience. It's all right there for you, ready to ship. And on Sunday, she rested. Have a great weekend, ciao.

Get it while it's HOT!

2011-02-24T22:49:00.004-05:00

How you doin? Today, the Wendy Williams show's 'bling of the day' contest is at robertachiarella.com.

It's always a treat to be on the Wendy Williams show, she has a great personality, the guests are great and there is always an enthusiastic audience. That probably comes from the fact that it's such a New York crowd and experience, the studios are on the west side and live TV is just so amazing.

I love Wendy, she's always 'doin' the coolest things, this is a daily contest and it's fun for all. I love contests cause I love to win presents. It must go back to when I was a child and my parents took me to the race track at Saratoga, buy a ticket and hope to win! The substantial Wendy's Waterfall is a super hit at weddings, is great for an elegant date, and it wonderfully made. Totally Swarovski, we've got a bunch of colors, blue, clear, platinum and others. It was fun to make these, we did them just for her and got rave reviews. Check 'em out! Hopefully you'll follow Wendy as she does Dancing With The Stars, with any luck we can hope to showcase some roberta chiarella jewelry for her. The show'll be great with her on it for sure.

I'm glad I was on the show, and getting ready to be on the other side of the TV this weekend to watch the Oscars! This year I actually saw a lot of the nominees, but there seem to be so many more each year.... I can't wait to see who wins and what the stars will be wearing, but that's for next week. Ciao!

ROBERTA DOES TIMES SQUARE!

2011-02-18T18:37:00.001-05:00

well, isn't this too much? I got a call from People StyleWatch today, the editor was in Times Square looking at their full-building billboard that was flashing the cover of the magazine featuring two, yes two of my creations! Just take a look!

Broadway and 44th street, in Times Square, NY

Here's another shot when the billboard zoomed- I love these interactive billboards, they show both the purrr-fect earring and the great brava bib necklace. If you want to get a laugh, look at the 'red things' below the billboard.

If you happen to traverse Times Square as a tourist the vendors and bus-guides will spot you, trying to get you to buy a t-shirt or take a tour bus. Chinese artists will draw your portrait (and you'll be thinner, instantly!) and now, they have these giant flowers set up on the sidewalk.

Stick your face in the red thing, they'll snap your photo and voila, you are a star in Times Square. I usually run in the other direction when I see these guys, but it was fun watching them while we waited for the billboard to come back up. The city is full of tourists, and when a nice couple saw me taking pictures, they dutifully did the same, so I know their friends will be asking them why they shot that picture of a billboard. And they'll say it had famous Roberta Chiarella jewelry on it, pointed out by the artist herself! Ciao.

Whatever happened to style?

2011-02-12T18:54:00.017-05:00

I have a thing for American Made products. I make nearly all of our jewelry in a factory in Rhode Island, and our offices and studio are in New York City. Does this cost more, sure. But we're worth it! Our collection is critically acclaimed, and folks write me all the time about the quality and the value, even though similar foreign made stuff is 'almost' as good.

American style is what they want. Just check out the Today Show, which features our jewelry as key looks for 2011. Ask the editors who want high quality photos of the elegant, classy jewelry that we make for stories or fashion layouts. Our La Strada Bib Necklace (above) is incredibly sophisticated but cool and elegant, now it's on sale and we've got a promo code and you'll get free shipping. Whew.

I love the commercial above, it was made just for the Golden Globes show. There's a feeling about it that makes you feel cool and classy, they use footage from my parents era, when (according to our family photos) people walked around dressed like this all day long, and they drove these huge chromed and jeweled sculptures around, even to the supermarket.

My dad had a fondness for Chryslers, I took my road test in one of the largest cars I've ever driven in my life, a Chrysler New Yorker (natch!) and passed. There is something to be said for elegance, for getting your look just right, with the perfect accessories, even if you're only going to work or to get some shopping done. I don't remember what I wore in the Chrysler on road test day, but it had to be stylish if I was going to drive a car like that! I never post 'other people's products' but hey, it's a car. My mom and my brother Joe Chiarella (whos office is in the Chrysler Building, those gargoyles are right outside his window) both always had Cadillacs, and this commercial brought back memories!

The desire or need for style is not lost on some of our most famous Americans; take a look at the First Lady, Martha Stewart and Oprah, it's hard to picture them 'casual'. Oprah is always on the lookout for fashion trends that are affordable, she picked our social stretch bracelet for her magazine this month, we were delighted!

When you look good, you feel good, even if it's just a good pair of shoes or a super-sparkly earring. We've got plenty of those at robertachiarella.com and I'm sure there are lots of Chrysler stores that'll have today's version of a stylish car if you're so inclined. It's hard to believe that so many people have never owned or even ridden in an american car, but there are so many good ones out there these days and well done commercials like this one might entice you into a store. However, remember that our jewelry is much more affordable! Ciao.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-11T19:05:00.002-05:00

Katy Perry's purrrfect earrings

It's that time again, you can't walk 20 feet in New York City without flower salesmen, chocolate vendors and plenty of others selling treats for your sweetheart. It's good to be a florist this week, have you seen the price of a dozen roses?

We've got it going on at our website, too. Check out all the great specials and sales, and pick out a valentine present for yourself. Jewelry is sexy, feminine, alluring and doesn't have a single calorie!

Our key look is catching on, and we've got some great things to show this week. Just look at People Style Watch, where Katy Perry is wearing our purrfect pink crystal earrings, now on sale with the mag promo code! The magazine is gigantic, showing so many great spring looks, and I'm proud to have a couple of them. I love the fashion editors at People StyleWatch, they are hip and savvy, choosing great looking outfits that fit well and are affordable.

You can actually get an ensemble right from the pages and not spend your paycheck, which is great with me! However, if you have desires for more luxury, more crystals and want the necklace that looks like Natalie Portman's, we've got that too! Check out Us Style issue for the Golden Globes, then browse the ritz necklace and see for yourself. It's a stunning necklace that has been popular for weddings, it is so elegant and fabulous you have to have one.

Still reading, well go and get More Magazine, and see our super size crystal earrings, a great round brilliant Swarovski crystal dangling from a little one on a post. These don't hang too long and are perfect at work or after work (go ahead order some and see, we've got many colors available) and your friends will surely complement you. They are just over 1 1/2 inches long and the way they move is just perfect.

So, if you're in New York City and would rather see some bling then get hit on the head by an actor from Spider Man, come over to Henri Bendel and check out our retail counter. If you are getting married and want to bring your bridesmaids over for a personal consultation, we're right here on the upper east side of Manhattan.

And read the reviews before you see the above mentioned play- we went and I have to say the critics are right. Sure there is a lot of 'flying' but the circus does that without crashing every day. The special effects are OK, but the movies make Peter Parker look so much better on film. The money you save can be used for life's little pleasures, like jewelry. Ciao!

It's a Winter Wonderland in NYC and in US Magazine!

2011-01-30T17:27:00.011-05:00

Crocheron Park, Bayside Queens

Just a few days ago, the word snow made us all want to cringe. But, today is not too cold, the sun is out, and we spent the afternoon frolicking in Queens (Crocheron Park, to be exact) with Chicklet and her friends. After being cooped up the whole week, with nothing to do but watch TV and eat, it is nice to be able to enjoy a beautiful Sunday.

We made sure to ask how the sales of US Magazine were at Murray's candy store- he said they were selling just fine, and that made me very happy. Just check out the site, we got a great feature in US Style for our super-hot Golden Globes Collection.

After a week where everything looked like an icicle, just tell me that the Starlight Clip Earrings don't look like a winter winner! I can't believe how many orders have come in for these, and they are a great buy, with beautiful Swarovski Elements and free shipping.

Not to be outdone, the Say Yes Ring is another Golden Globe favorite, and it really looks like the 'real thing' that probably cost a couple of years pay for most of us.

Which Icicle would you pick?

Not that beautiful CZ's aren't the real thing to most of us to begin with. I was wearing Angie's Emerald Stud today, cause it could still be seen between my jacket collar and my hat (it is still wintry despite the sunshine) and got more than a few comments on the paths of the park.

The Snow Family, Bayside NY

I never travel without my camera and some robertachiarella.com cards, just in case people want to rush home and make a purchase.

Joe Chiarella and the Snowmen

It was fun to wander around the park today and watch the kids having so much fun. Can you imagine that I was sledding down these exact same hills when I was a little kid.

Of course we had sleds with sharp metal rails on them that you had to wax, these would scare the heck out of todays parents but they went fast and you didn't get cut up too bad when one ran over you!

isn't that Linda Schraufnagl over there?

Chicklet had a blast, she ran up to every kid she could, secretly hoping someone would take her down the hill with her. Take a look at my brother with the snowmen build by the children of Bayside, so cute! Thats it for now my friends. Ciao!

Hot jewelry on a freezing cold New York day

2011-01-23T18:03:00.003-05:00

The Jets will play in the playoffs today, think of all those people out there in the cold! Maybe the players will be warm running around, but I am glad I am indoors on the couch with some tea than out on the streets of New York City. It's 23 degrees here, and although that's not much if you live in Alaska, we are cold!

Featured in O

I ran out early this morning to pick up a couple of extra copies of O the Oprah Magazine because I wanted some souvenirs. It's amazing people have called from all over asking how I got the jewelry in it, in the front of all things, too. I am so happy with my jewelry, the design turned out to be a hit and people, especially some stylists and editors think it's a keeper!

So, we've got lots in stock and you can see the social stretch bracelet in a copy of O or on the website. If you're just reading cause it's cold out, get a copy of Real Simple Weddings and check out the Giant Swarovski Earrings, a great buy for a crystal like this.

Our studio has shipped a lot of new stuff this week, it is a great chance to buy something new and reward yourself with something free from the sale section thanks to the Buy One Get One Free Sale that is now going on. I put some really expensive jewelry in the sale section so it's eligible for being a free item, cause we do have a lot of Golden Globes Collection jewelry arriving and the place is just so big.

I was lucky enough to have my jewelry shown on the today show, it'll make an appearance in US Magazine this week too. We had fun watching, and my jaw dropped with Angelina Jolie wearing a great green earring that we have featured in the Golden Globes Collection. If you saw the Today Show segment, you really can buy a look that cost actresses thousands at a reasonable price, using great clothes and our hot jewelry.

So, we have some great new items now on sale, and our email list will feature more great items and bargains this week. Watch for more exciting developments as we look at some more magazine features coming up. Next item on todays list is to make some nice warm dinner and stay indoors, waiting for what the weather folks say is another snowstorm coming in a day or two. Ahhh, winter weather. Ciao!

Happy New Year- Buy one, Get one FREE!

2011-01-09T19:21:00.002-05:00

Welcome to 2011! It seems like yesterday that we were celebrating Christmas and wishing each other a Happy New Year, wait, oh, um, it was only last week, but time flies! The tree is gone, the decorations in the boxes till next year, and the pecan cookie recipe is tucked in mom's old cookbook once again. I have heard from more than a few customers about their holiday festivities, and it looks like we all had a good time.

I have to thank my team, we gave our all to make sure customers got their jewelry and they loved what they got. Many folks were thrilled with our 'secret santa' gifts we put in some orders, it's actually a tradition that I treat some facebook friends, some blog followers and some long-time customers with a nice 'extra' piece of jewelry once in a while. Like the 'birthday club', robertachiarella.com gives you goodies just for fun. One day I'll post some emails from people who were pleasantly surprised. Hint- if you aren't a facebook friend and we don't have your birthday (when you sign up for the email list we ask for the month and day) then you'll never know what others are getting...

Now, on to fashion! Our newest items are trickling in from the factory, we've launched a great swarovski piece, the moonstone bracelet, that has vintage stones from the '50's to make the most beautiful bracelet ever! I had the opportunity to score these amazing stones, they're literally one-of-a-kind. The colors are unique, they literally glow as the techniques to make them were different 60 years ago, so you will be amazed when you are wearing this bracelet.

Unbelievable Earrings

Hoops are still selling like crazy, you can't go a day without seeing them on TV or on a fashion model, so we've got a few choices. So many people bought the Hippie Hoops and some people shied away because they were too big for them, so we now have the perfect hoop earrings for you. Take one look at the Perfect Hoops and you'll see for yourself. You can't do better for the amazing price of $38, why not get two? We've also got the Unbelievable Earrings on sale cause it's featured in this months Inside Weddings, so take a look at that beautiful magazine piece to see the key look.

We're gearing up for the awards season, it'll be another thrilling year for us as I've been asked to work on the post-Golden Globes shows, to recreate (affordably!) the dazzling looks you'll see on the red carpet. The show is the 68th Annual event, it'll air LIVE on Sunday, January 16, 2011 on NBC from 5:00-8:00 p.m. (PST) /8:00-11:00 p.m. (EST). It comes from Hollywood, of course, from the Beverly Hilton Hotel and the host is Ricky Gervais. After it's aired, we'll be presenting our jewelry to the stylists and hosts who help you re-create the stars looks at a down-to-earth price. I get to watch the show, select beautiful jewelry and offer it to TV shows, stylists and magazine editors everywhere. Wow! I love my job! Ciao.

It's a wrap! Merry Christmas to everyone

2010-12-23T21:04:00.011-05:00

The holiday shopping season is drawing to a close and we watched frenzied last-minute shoppers running all around the city today, buying a gift here, some goodies there, all in preparation for Christmas.

Our family members are all off on holiday adventures, others are gathering for Christmas dinner. The traditional gift of the fruit basket arrived today, so we're trying out some tasty pears and apples right now.

Greetings from Mr. Spock!

Holidays are a combination of rituals and customs and festivities, and for this season we get to top it all off with gifts. Tokens of appreciation for being a great friend, a smart child, a thoughtful neighbor or co-worker or even a mailman who brings your letters when you are home and holds them when you are away.

We've given tributes to the staff at our apartment house, thanking the doorman, the porters, the folks who shovel the snow and fix little things, and we rewarded our staff with presents and dinners. As always, I made sure our customers got a little something extra too, by cutting prices, using lighter packaging so shipping could be cheaper, and making some jewels that look like they cost far more than they really do. 

Boomer relaxes on the couch

We took every order, included free gifts to our long-time customers, and gave lots of discounts and promotions. I'm happy to say that lots of folks were happy with our jewelry and ordered like crazy. I really thank each and every customer and appreciate your business. I tried to visit our retail store, Henri Bendel a few times to wait on customers and thank them in person, because it helps me design better things for you when I can chat and see what people like and what they desire.

At home, we've decorated my brothers house with zillions of ornaments, trinkets and lights, while our faithful doggies Chicklet and Boomer looked on in amusement.

My brother Joe celebrated the season with a christmas toy he bought for himself, a 1969 Chevy Corvair. Yes, it's an old car but if it makes you smile, then why not! I can't wait for a ride in it, maybe we'll drive around the neighborhood and look at some of New Yorks super-duper christmas houses, where the owners put up enough lights to make it look like Times Square.

So, we're ready. Our last 'rush' package went out the door, but orders are still coming in for New Year's eve so we'll be back to work packing soon. We've handed off our giant red bag of jewels to Santa, who flew by earlier today, because even elves can't make jewelry the way we do at robertachiarella.com. And Yes, Virginia, there IS a santa claus. Here's proof, from a letter in the New York Sun from 1897. Ciao and Merry Christmas everyone!

Click to make it bigger!

Only in AMERICA!

2010-12-09T22:38:00.006-05:00

Artist's booth

It's holiday time and I am happy!

Soon, we'll get a few days to celebrate with our families and friends, to enjoy some good company, good food and catch up on all those things we were 'too busy' to talk about during the year. I did a bit of shopping today in Bryant Park, where they cover the park with an ice skating rink and a wonderful christmas 'village' filled with little booths.

Each vendor stays there for these few weeks to sell their goods to New Yorkers for christmas gifts. Some of the booths are little one-person operations, but Kate Spade has a whole igloo!

Staffed by college kids, or sometimes the artist, these booths are such an inspiration to me. They remind me what makes life in our country so great- anybody (yes ANYBODY) can start their own business, make a product, a food or provide a service and you can get customers.

Bryant Park Ice Rink

These customers buy your stuff, which makes you smile. The customers give you the cash to pay your workers, pay yourself, feed your family and pay your taxes (ugh!), and they give you feedback and tell you if they like your product or if they hate it. When they do so, you go home and work harder to make sure they love it, so more people will buy your jewelry and you will smile even more.

I was told by our factory in Providence, Rhode Island that all the workers are working one extra day per week this season in order to make enough Roberta Chiarella jewelry for us to meet all of the orders. Can you imagine, you guys are buying enough to enable all these workers to get a nice extra paycheck this holiday season. Isn't that totally wonderful!

Bob, who owns the factory was smiling when he told me this today. The workers themselves are smiling as they work, knowing they will be able to buy more gifts and toys for their kids and make their families more proud of them. This is so much better than a 'government stimulus', it is the way the country should be, every day. Thanks to free enterprise and competition, we do our best so that you buy our stuff. This year, you are buying- and I sincerely thank you. Our staff thanks you. The hard-working folks at our factory in Rhode Island thank you, too! Ciao!

Merry, Merry, Ho, Ho, Ho!

2010-12-04T18:24:00.005-05:00

Macy's Herald Square

Wheeee, I'm an elf! In Santas workshop you will find me- with Elizabeth, Jose, and Taylor, our new intern. We're stringing Swarovski baubles onto wires, setting beautiful jewels into gold and silver fittings and drinking eggnog all day long. Why? It's Christmastime, and we've got to get those gifts ready for the big day.

Lord & Taylor'sss

I know, many of us don't have chimneys, but we've all got mailboxes, and hey, it's 2010 and I saw on TV that even Santa uses UPS to make sure all the gifts are where they should be.

Christmas in New York is always fun and hectic at the same time. I didn't make it to the Rockefeller Center tree-lighting ceremony, where the star on top is a giant Swarovski crystal, because there was so much security they had to move the jewel display out of the plaza and have the ceremony down on the ice-skating rink. I know the thousands of folks who went had a great time, and it is a really beautiful tree this year.

We went to see the department store windows yesterday. My favorite will always be Lord & Taylor, with their intricate miniature christmas and holiday scenes in every 5th avenue window. Just look at these guys, they are really cute! Inside the store, a recent renovation has turned it back into the masterpiece I remember, everything is so white, so bright, and the place was packed with shoppers. Then, it was over to Macy's on 34th street, where you can now stop for a hot chocolate in the giant plaza the city has created where Broadway and 6th avenue cross. When you are in your car you'll curse these silly plazas, our Mayor has decided that traffic will somehow flow better if you close most of the street, but when you are on foot they give you a place to slow down and enjoy the views. The Empire State Building is blue for Chanukah, and looks great from this part of town.

We had some great food at Seven Bar and Grill, it's a secret spot right near Madison Square Garden serving wonderful fish and a great thin crust pizza appetizer. I highly recommend this place if you're nearby, though most nights a reservation is in order. Full and happy, it was back home to work a bit more, today we filled a dozen orders so they can go out first thing Monday morning.

Fashionistas from everywhere love the jewelry featured in People StyleWatch- Zoe is wearing our Crystal Mosaic Earrings which we've got in 10 colors. Check out the link, and enjoy! This weekend it's an encore presentation of the black-friday free shipping event, People StyleWatch has a promo code and we've got our BOGO sale running till the end of the year, so you and a friend can get a pair if you like.

the Angie Earring

Another hot, hot item is the Icy Cool Earring, it's a 2 1/2 inch long Swarovski piece in the nicest shade of aqua, they are literally flying out the door after being featured in Self Magazine. Another favorite is the Angie Earring, created for Angelina you-know-who! This brilliant pear shaped crystal is on sale at only $68, they look great with practically anything. So if you want some twinkle, some bling, some ice, and some sparkle, robertachiarella.com has what you desire. And your faithful elves will pick and pack and ship until the last moment to make sure you get your jewelry in plenty of time for the holidays. Ciao!

Just in time for Christmas!

2010-11-19T12:00:00.003-05:00

OK, I know it gets earlier and earlier every year, but I see Santa everywhere and it's not even thanksgiving yet. The men on the street corner are building their little wooden hut to sell christmas trees (they are bought on the curb in Manhattan from guys who come down from Vermont or Canada for a few weeks just for this) and the store windows have been unveiled.

The christmas issues (pardon me, HOLIDAY issues) of your favorite magazines are out, and this year, thanks to the recession (that the president promised us is over, finito, done with) we're all still in, bargain hunting is the rule this season. I've even seen Lay-a-way plans in some stores!

Our big score this season is People StyleWatch- you've got to go and buy a copy today. You'll see some great robertachiarella.com features, they are really thrilled with the Crystal Mosaic Earrings, just look at the variety of colors, the beautiful Swarovski Crystals, and the free shipping!

The mag is also featuring the NEW Hippie Hoops, at 2 1/2 inch diameter, these beautiful crystal encrusted earrings are a real holiday value for $48. You can get both colors, and be one happy girl! Big hoops are so incredibly trendy, just look at TV, check out the prettiest girls out and about, and you know that hoops are IN.

You'll also find a beautiful bracelet, our Colore Confetti Bracelet in the magazine, it's a stunning piece and available right now! We've already gotten some orders from folks taking advantage of the promo codes put into the magazine by People StyleWatch so their readers get an extra discount on holiday fashions.

Go and check it out! You'll see a matching necklace and many colors of both necklace and bracelet to choose from. Plus, we've got an amazing number of new items in the sale section. The sale items are non-returnable, but they are so pretty and so sparkly you won't even think about it. Nearly all of them are UNDER $25. so it's practically impossible not to find gifts for friends and co-workers.

Check em out, supplies on many of these these are limited and will be selling out! If you want to be informed of all of our holiday specials and promotions, sign up for our mailing list and get our weekly email from robertachiarella.com. Ciao.

Running a Marathon

2010-11-07T17:22:00.003-05:00

It's Marathon Sunday in New York City. Millions of people watch on TV, the runners and their families and friends all come for a big weekend in the Big Apple, and the prize winner gets a $130,000 prize.

Crossing the 59th Street Bridge

It's absolutely amazing that so many people come here to run over 26 miles. Do you have any idea how long that is! If I drove around the city in my car sometimes it takes longer than the 2 hours and 8 minutes it took this years champion. Our hats are off to every single runner who enters this race. Bravo!

The other side of this festive day is that the residents of Manhattan are mostly trapped in their homes during the race.

Bubble Cuff featured in UPTOWN

The 'official' finish time is 7:00 PM, so for all of the day our street is closed, there are a thousand or so people on the corner cheering their runners on, and no traffic is permitted. The New York Times ran an article about moving it somewhere else, church attendance is down, shopping is a real pain and god forbid an ambulance had to get somewhere. So, we stay inside. It's time to re-arrange the closet, watch some movies on TV and relax. There are always things to do, the studio is filling up with orders (it's funny how a 20% discount motivates you to buy something) and I am carefully unpacking some of our Bubble Cuff Bracelets that were delivered on friday but the box was so heavy I decided to tackle it today.

The Bubble Cuff is a fantastic piece, it's been featured in a few magazines already, and is so sparkly and shiny it will go with practically anything. I think people are so happy to have a stretch cuff, sometimes smaller ones are hard to get on, and bigger ones fall right off.

This one has just the right amount of stretch and will fit practically anybody. We're going to begin flat rate shipping and have reduced the price on this and other 'customer favorites', so you should check these out! Uptown Magazine featured it in their latest issue, and I just sent a couple over to another magazine so I hope it gets another appearance!

Dolcetti Necklace featured on TV

Another piece you have to check out is the Dolcetti Necklace. You may have seen it on ET the other night, people literally stop me on the street when I wear it, it is so luxurious.

Plus, we are giving the matching earrings with each necklace, so how can a girl go wrong? They also right on with the trends, everyone wants 'dangly' pieces that swing to and fro when you walk. The movement makes the facets of the crystal reflect light, and makes you the sparkly center of attention.

Look at what is in this month's issue of Glamour Magazine, when the editor called and asked "what do you have that dangles" I knew this would be the one they wanted.

The Glamour Dangly Earrings are a reddish-dark pink color with gold wire and it looks stunning. Put on a pair and your friends will be asking you about these Swarovski gems in 5 minutes. Which is a good thing, cause then you know what to get them for a christmas gift. We'll be waiting by the phone at robertachiarella.com for your call. Ciao!

Brandy

2010-10-24T01:12:00.009-04:00

Are you OK? We're just fine, thanks- gazing at Brandy in OK! Magazine wearing my favorite Noble Necklace! This is one of our best pieces, pure crystal bling, with three large Swarovski crystals, a handful of slightly smaller ones, and a sparkly crystalized border around the crystals to make it look really elegant. She wore in on 'Dancing with the Stars' how cool is that! She did the theme song from Friends, I liked it. So, to celebrate, we put the necklace on sale so more people can acquire this wonderful necklace. It's a lot of Swarovski Crystals, made in the U.S.A. with pride!

The Chickie Girl Earrings

My mailbox is filling up with political campaign material, our election is coming up and we've all got to go out and vote. In New York, it's our chance to get some new leaders, the state is running out of money and they want to raise taxes-again. Oh, wait one of the candidates is expecting us to cheer because he's going to 'cap' tax hikes... the other fellow promises a 10% tax cut. It's going to be interesting.

This year we're happy to see the pamphlets designed by our very own 'art director to the stars' Thomas Nguy, so I don't throw them out till I check if any are from his candidates. You know, when you know people in the industry, you know who will win the election cause studies show that the winner of the election will be someone who has the best jewelry! We're open 24/7 on the web, plenty of Sarahs, Angies and Chickie Girls are available.

There are some more videos from my TV appearance on HSN. The Roberta Chiarella for HSN collection is bigger, there are unbelievable bargains, and they ship really fast, it's all in stock.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ-es2hvJGs It was a nice trip, we went to a family wedding on the way home! Good luck, Alison. Ciao.

Roberta Chiarella on HSN

It's shopping season!

2010-10-19T11:50:00.016-04:00

We're back from Florida, where (can you imagine) they are already putting up Christmas decorations in the stores! It's not even Halloween yet, please. Our trip was a success, even though the show was on a bit late for east coast viewers, we sold a lot of jewelry and some of the items sold out! It's amazing to be there, people call in and tell me how happy they are with their jewelry, and it's really easy to work with the HSN staff, their website is great, the shipping and returns are easy to handle, and we all had a good time!
Like always, they post the TV segment on Youtube- here we are!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ-es2hvJGsNow, it's time to focus on the next season. Fall merchandise has been doing well even though in New York the fall weather is barely here. The fall colors are selling, so you fashionista girls who own an olive drab top, or a brown/yellow pattern will be really happy we've got accessories for you! Check out the super hot LaStrada Bracelet, in gold (shown) and hematite finish.

If you plan to be a high-fashion trick-or-treater, we just go a great new color for the Sparkle 24/7 bracelet, that will dazzle and amaze your friends.Don't forget to sign up for our mailing list, you'll get a weekly email with coupons, promo codes and special deals. It's easy to sign up, just click here for the email sign-up page. Or just look around the site, we've got lots of new items added to the 'sale' section, and we've got a free CZ ring promo that is, well, FREE! Ciao.

We're Florida bound!

2010-10-11T22:02:00.004-04:00

I'm putting the finishing touches on our Roberta Chiarella Collection which will be presented this week on HSN. We've got some absolutely fabulous pieces this time, but I won't spoil the surprise by putting them here. You've got to watch your local HSN channel to see me and our collection. Here's a hint-

We're flying to Tampa tomorrow, hopefully the weather will co-operate and it'll be a smooth trip. And it's just in time, as the temperature in New York has cooled with the first days of fall. No more shorts and sandals in the city, which is a welcome relief. Now, it's time to wear some of your great fall fashions- accented with oversize 'statement' pieces that are all the rage right now. Just take a look at the statement necklaces at robertachiarella.com and you'll see what I am talking about. Olive green, sometimes called drab, is the color to have, perhaps as a sweater or jacket with a crisp white shirt. Fall prints are oh-so popular, some great 60's retro pullovers are on sale in Soho boutiques.

We've got some perfect bracelets to go with these, and of course they are on sale! The sparkle 24/7 bangle bracelets come in practically every color you'll need for your fall wardrobe, these beautiful bangles are featured this month, and after they were worn on the 'real housewives of New York' show, we still can't keep them on the shelves.

This popular item is a 'one size fits most' piece, made with beautiful Swarovski crystals, and we've gotten a lot of requests for something a tiny bit bigger. So, cause we never know everyones wrist size, our bangle that I will show on HSN will be a stretch. We'll have it in a blue multicolor and a pink multicolor as well. Take a look and you'll likely see it on TV wednesday night. If you like it, you might like the other two bracelets that we've got in our HSN collection, but if you really want lots more to pick from, head on over to robertachiarella.com for the largest selection.

So stay up late, call in sick the next day if you must, but be sure to catch our show! It's so much fun to be in the HSN studios, and they put on such a jewelry spectacular, you have to check it out. Ciao!

RC2 is NEW

2010-09-26T11:49:00.007-04:00

It seems quiet here in New York City on this Sunday morning, the pups are snoozing and it's a nice fall day. After the last two weeks, it's a welcome relief. Our newest collection for the RC2 Trend Collection (our super trendy line for fall) has been launched and seems to be a hit with our Fashionista customers.

I am happy to see that the La Strada bracelet is already half-way sold out, and we've already reordered from the factory. This is a great piece, available in 2 colors and is so great for your fall wardrobe. We've also got a great Bib Necklace, and many other great fall pieces on the website. The Crystal Coin Cascade Necklace is also very popular, it was featured on The Today Show as part of the "Emmy Award Look for Less" segment, hosted by our dear friend Jill Martin.

Our jewelry is featured in InStyle this week, the Award winning CZ Stud earrings are right in there for everyone to admire. If you're on the E-mail list, you will have gotten a promo code to get a discount this week, so that'll help you buy lots of our great items.

Joe Chiarella and Chicklet wait out the Tornado in NYC

I'd hoped to put up some pics from Fashion Week in Lincoln Center, but you may know that New York was hit with a couple of tornados (yes, in NYC!!!) which headed right towards the family home in Queens. That caused a few days of no power, and one of the computers gave up it's life in the power failure.

My brother had to evacuate with Chicklet, who had a great time eating at a sidewalk cafe in Manhattan while they fixed the power lines. Hopefully we'll get the pics out of the hard disk, once my brother puts down the chain saw that he's been cutting down branches with and gets back to the computer. Fortunately nobody was hurt in the storm, so we are all grateful. The house was not damaged, so the shipping boxes, gift wrap and assorted necessities for robertachiarella.com weren't harmed.

So, you can see why I am happy it's a quiet day. We've got a bunch of orders to pack and ship tomorrow, you can't underestimate the power of a super sale, the CHA CHA CHA bracelet (featured in BRIDES) is going to be discontinued soon so we're giving an incredible discount to make sure these great bracelets find nice homes!

Next on the list is getting ready for HSN, we've got a great new collection to show on TV coming up soon.

We've got to get the jewelry ready, then hit the hair stylist, manicure, dress shoppe and shoe store before the trip down to Florida. See you on TV! Ciao.

Fashion's Night Out

2010-09-12T01:54:00.009-04:00

What a great idea- get the entire fashion industry, from Macy's to Henri Bendel to that little boutique in Greenwich Village to stay open till midnight on a friday night. Have all of these places provide music, food, drinks and display their newest, hottest and most fashionable attire in a coctail party setting. It sounds like a movie, but it was REAL, and (of course) we were there!

In Queens, the stores of the Queens Center Mall were all participating, of course you've got to take the subway to get there, so the models have their subway maps in hand to navigate their way over.

Models on their way to the subway!

Last year saw Anna Wintour over there, this year the Swarovski shop had a great event along there. In Greenwich Village, the fashionistas spilled out onto the sidewalks, so many boutiques were packed with happy shoppers and folks enjoying the festive atmosphere. I was at our flagship outlet, Henri Bendel on Fifth Avenue, where the place was decorated and oh-so wonderful. Even though people came to see me, I got to see some of my favorite designers as well. Do I look happy to be with Allison Overbeke and Alex Woo or what!
And, the hit of the evening was the Ken doll collection, except those hot guys in the windows weren't dolls! They were probably not too comfortable in those boxes but they were really cute. After a couple of glasses of wine, the photo could be sharper, but you get the idea. Unbelievable!

The Roberta Chiarella design counter is on the second floor, and in Bendel's it is a big atrium, here's the view from my perch! We had a great time, and our jewelry was admired, desired, and purchased by lots of happy fashionable New Yorkers.

Then, before you knew it, it was midnight and time to go home. Much to our surprise, the models escorted the partiers and shoppers down Fifth Avenue in a parade of umbrellas!

It was a really great night, coming in the middle of Fashion Week (now at Lincoln Center) and on a beautiful summer evening. I hope you enjoy the pics, and we'll have more fashion week items in the next post. Ciao!

and now, ladies and gentlemen, Roberta's Jewelry on 'The Today Show'

2010-09-03T00:20:00.002-04:00

Whew! It's been an 'emmylicious' week, and today we were on the today show. Jill Martin produces the Emmy Look For Less segment, and I got the call this year. As in years past, they find up-and-coming designers to rush the stars great looks to market ASAP after the Emmys, and I got to use my jewelry on the models to accentuate the elegant red carpet looks.

It was so exciting, to work with the staff, the models, messengers running back and forth with the material, travelling from our upper east side studio to the NBC studio where this segment was shot. The Today Show takes up all kinds of space in Manhattan, from the street level studio facing Rockefeller Center Plaza to other newsrooms and studio space throughout 30 Rock and some of the other buildings. It was hot as blazes the last few days, I felt bad for the hair stylist but the jewelry was a hit! See robertachiarella.com for all the pieces used on the show.

You can also see Tatiana's Favorite CZ ring, which was featured in Glamour's latest issue. We were pleasantly surprised to find it's one of their most visited links, meaning lots and lots of Glamour readers frequent our site. It's so amazing, we had to offer a promotion, so make sure you're on the email list so you can get weekly notices, with promo codes good for discounts.

Tomorrow is the start of the Labor Day Weekend for us, taking orders but not really 'working', then going for some barbecue and the US Tennis Open in Flushing Meadows to see some celebrities in the crowd,or, er, tennis. Both are nice to see, and you can only go once a year. Have a great holiday weekend. Ciao!

Emmy Awards and Pigs and Goats

2010-08-29T21:07:00.001-04:00

OK, how do I put both in one post? Tonite is the Emmy Awards, and as usual there are just so many beautiful gowns, hairstyles, jewelry on display by our favorite TV stars it will be hard to pick a 'winner'. I caught a glimpse of the walk down the red carpet, and can't wait for the actual show to start. I know who I want to win, Toni Collette has worn some great clothes and jewelry so I'll root for her. Of course, Edie Falco has had her hair up on her show, 'Nurse Jackie' and has had so many great earrings on that I am sure if we judged actresses by earrings, she'd win.

OK maybe I don't know who'll win but that is why we watch. One thing is sure, I'm going to try out the 'still picture' setting of our TV set so I can get a good look at the clothes and jewelry, I've got a date with the Today Show staff on Tuesday to prep for the "Emmy Award Look" segment that Jill Martin will host on Thursday.

Yes, we've got the look once again, robertachiarella.com will be providing as many great emmy award looks as we can and it'll be an absolute thrill to do this show again. I love the fact that in just a few days girls who really wouldn't even be able to buy any of these stars outfits will see how they can get the look of this fashion and glamour from regular stores, at normal prices. It's where you look- the fashion is out there and we've got plenty on our website.

For example, the Angie Earrings are enjoying their biggest sales of the year (though maybe the buy one, get one free sale helped a bit) because they are timeless and beautiful with so many of the outfits you already own. Keep your eyes peeled and see what your favorite stars are wearing, then come back and I'll show you what we've got! If you can't wait till the next post, be sure to check out The Today Show on thursday.

Tonite we'll be eating salads while we watch the show, thanks to a food overload from the amazing Dutchess County Fair, one of the largest fairs in the east coast. Over 100,000 people show up to this 'salute to agriculture' which is funny when you think that you walk from the 'deep fried oreo' stand to the fried dough and funnel cake booth in between the diving dog contest and the goat milking jamboree (yes, I milked a goat, but my brother was too busy with his goat friend to take a picture of me doing it).

There is something wonderfully relaxing about leaving Manhattan, travelling to Rhinebeck (where Chelsea Clintons wedding just took place) and seeing prize winning corn, the state's largest pumpkin and play some games to win little stuffed dolls. It is always a blast and we got home exhausted. I wouldn't want to be checking my cholesterol today, though.

They even have a 'hall of commerce' where things made in NY were all on display and for sale. There were cowboy boots, log homes, beautiful handmade shoes and linens, but no jewelry. I took home an application for a booth...

Can you imagine a week at the fair- how much fried dough and corn dogs you could eat? Of course, I certainly won't run into Brad and Angie at the fair, and it runs the same week as the Emmy Awards, so it might be a bit much, and I've never been one to live in a camper, which is where the fair exhibitors hang out (not that there's anything wrong with that!). Well, maybe I'll just think about it while I watch the Emmys. Ciao!

The August place to be!

2010-08-04T19:25:00.001-04:00

In our family, that means SARATOGA! The race track is probably one of the prettiest in the country, and both women and men are expected to dress up for the races, so it's my kind of place.

The women even wear hats, not that you'd see me in one! Years ago it was only open for August, some of the richest people in the world had a mansion somewhere nearby in upstate New York so as to attend the Whitney stakes and get out of overheated Manhattan for the month.

Now, the track is open almost 2 months, and the town is lively and filled with restaurants and fun things to do. There are art galleries, and lots of little boutiques, and I even bought a pair of earrings! It's hard to even think about jewelry when the buy one, get one free has been doing so well- we even added 2 more weeks thanks to the great response. One person was stocking up and bought 6 items and got 6 free 'pony balls' for her hair (or perhaps her friends hair as well).

We saw real ponies at the track, or tracks as there is also a harness race track in Saratoga that now has (Yippee!) slot machines and gaming. For me, it's a family tradition to go to the harness race track and have dinner at the track-side restaurant. Unlike regular horse racing, harness racing is unpredictable and my betting strategy is to bet on the cutest horse!

Then, after dinner, it's off to play for a while and then go to the racetrack again the next day. At Saratoga, they walk the horses in a beautiful park and you can see them up close, then watch the jockey get on and go off to race. Sometimes, if the horse is really jumpy or nervous I figure they are in a hurry to get back to the stables so that's the horse who will win. I know, not much of a strategy, butit works once in a while.

Mom and Roberta at Lake George

So, if you are in the mood for a little get-away, check out this beautiful town, and the nearby attractions like Lake George. We've been coming here since we were kids, here's a picture to prove it!

The lake is beautiful, the water fresh and cold. Considering all the heat in New York, a break from the weather does wonders. Please don't think I've stopped shipping, after the fantastic response to all our new friends on the "O" list, the Oprah customers are enjoying their purchase, and there is still a (small) backlog for some colors.

People have really enjoyed the RC2 Brava Bib Necklace, and the Dolcetti necklace is an unbelievable hit, we've just received another shipment from the factory and these are already mostly spoken for. Necklaces are big this summer, so we added some more to the "get one free" part of the website. I keep looking at the Millifiore and the La Luna Necklaces and think, WOW these are good buys!

One of the fun things we do at

robertachiarella.com is play with the selection of free gifts, adding things daily or giving people a special treat, at either 'under $25' or as the free gift you can't go wrong. Our postage meter is on it's second ink cartridge, the packages are flying out the door, and it's 6:00 so time to go out to eat.

There's a great mexican 'super trendy' restaurant called 'dos caminos' and my brother is waiting so I can't be late. Ciao!

it's too darn hot!

2010-07-25T02:06:00.000-04:00

Our heat wave continues in New York. Down in the subways, it's unbelievably hot, and you have to feel for the people who work down there. It's bad enough being a passenger, although the cars are nice and cool the subway platforms and stations are sizzling! Look at the poor pup, even though he's one of New York Finests bomb-sniffing killing machine, he takes a few minute break on the cool tile floors at Penn Station.

Check out Us Weekly!

I was down there to hit the news stands and pick up the magazines that have featured jewelry from robertachiarella.com this week. We've gotten some good press, take a look at these!

From 'The Insider', the Dolcetti Necklace

Us Magazine is showing RC2 brava earrings, which is not only in stock and ready to ship, you can also get a FREE item from our 'under 25 section with your purchase.

Plus, we're on TV with a segment on 'The Insider' and one on "Entertainment tonight", as well as a few flashes of RC2 from my good friend Janice Huff, New York's best Meterologist. She's on WNBC TV, Channel 4 every night in nice summery outfits trying to look cool while the weather is hot.

So, do what we are doing, stay indoors and play games on the computer. I also signed up for technorati, 6HY26TWVXDMC is my code. I've been shopping online, renting movies and try to drink plenty of water. Ciao!

"O" what a feeling! I'm on the O list in Oprah Magazine!

2010-07-17T16:35:00.009-04:00

Wow! This is so exciting- the latest issue of O, the Oprah Magazine is on the newsstands, and guess what is part of the O list? The Sensational Statement Earrings and the Dolcetti Necklace are featured, and it is a real thrill, for me and all of our customers.

The earrings were featured as a deal of the day, which means Oprah's staff scour all the stores and websites and work with designers to get a great product at a super price. In our case, I was able to offer the earrings at 1/2 price to Oprah Magazine readers, and so we're part of the '31 days of absolute steals' in July!

The statement earrings are fab, nice big earrings of the highest quality, they are available in 4 colors. We knew about the O list in advance, and ordered lots and lots of each color in anticipation (Oprah's readers know a bargain when they see one) but I have to say we're exhausted from shipping and shipping and have actually sold out a couple of the colors already.

But, plenty more are being made as I type this, so the wait won't be long at all if you want your very own! Of course, with our 'buy one get one free sale' going on, you can get lots of great summer jewelry at reduced prices.

The Dolcetti Necklace is from the RC2 collection, and we've lowered the price for the whole month in order to participate in the Oprah Mag promotion. You also get the bonus, matching earrings with the necklace, which also comes in many colors. These are hand-poured resin pieces, much like the resin jewelry we made in the past that became a famous sensation. Now, at these prices, the necklace and earrings can be in your hands pretty quickly!

New York is in the midst of a heat wave, and for once it is a good thing. Because it's literally too hot to spend much time outside, we are staying indoors packing and shipping jewelry late in the day and on Saturday too. I took a little time yesterday to go down to the farmers market at Union Square, the fruits and veggies are the freshest and we support local NY farmers by buying direct from their trucks that line the park.

Of course, it's a circus atmosphere in the summer, and we had a great time just checking out the people before we bought our corn and fruits! Now, it's time to go and prepare a nice summer salad before checking our Oprah orders again. Ciao!

Roberta visits the High Line

2010-07-03T02:05:00.003-04:00

OK, with our bogo sales through the roof, I had to get out and see what the Real housewives of New York City were doing over in the meat packing district. I had my copy of the New York Post showing they were nearly all out in the Hamptons, so I went to check out the area they were visiting a few episodes ago.
Perhaps a couple of our housewives remember the area when, well, it was a real meat-packing district and the only decent food was at Florent. Now, he's gone but replaced by dozens of super trendy restaurants, there are hotels, watering holes where the Bentleys are lined up down the block on a nice weekend like tonight.

After visiting one of our magazine editors we went for dinner at Bagatelle, a french bistro in the heart of the meat-packing district on west 13th St. I had a lobster and macaroni dish that was amazing, the wines were great and it was a really good meal. It was still light out, so we went for a walk on the High Line.

This former railroad line was elevated to carry freight trains from the area of Pennsylvania Station all the way downtown. Before that, workers walked in front of the trains telling people to get out of the way. Modern trucks and the relocation of most of the shipping piers to the other side of the Hudson made this line fall into disuse, and it became a park.

And what a park it is! Filled with trendy tourists, my favorite venue- when I want to see what the brazilian hipsters are wearing, well they are on the high line. What do french woman have on their ears that they bought in Paris- you can see those styles too. Not to mention the great variety of our New York women, the clothes, jewelry, shoes, etc. are styled for the moment!

I had my little camera, my sketch pad and my nikon to make sure I got the shots I need. I brought my ace stagers and people spotters Joe and Thomas. Unfortunately, dogs aren't allowed up there so we lost the opportunity to attract NY hipsters- chickie has that 'cutest dog in the world face' that gets people to stop and say hi. Our trip was a success, the views are superb, the light on a mid-summer evening brings out the best in the old buildings and the crazy new ones. When you're up close to the Standard Hotel, you want to look at the windows as there have been sightings of nudity and "more" being shown to tourists strolling along as an extra only-in-NY attraction. The management now tells the guests to keep the curtains closed, but we all look anyway! Here are my High Line pics for you to see!

Over towards the river, there's the IAC building, which frankly didn't look like much when you are on the street, but from the High Line it's superb! From this wonderful vantage point, tourists and New Yorkers have a great second and third-story view that really can't be beat. It's a wonderful addition to our city and I thank the housewives for hanging out in the area with Jill wearing my bangle bracelets!
They've sold out in a couple of colors, but there are plenty more, and with our buy one, get one free summer sale going on, I am sure you'll find some baubles to tickle your fancy. Enjoy Independence Day on sunday and celebrate our American freedoms. Ciao!

The girl's got BIEBER FEIVER

2010-06-13T19:51:00.006-04:00

95th caller, you're our winner! Yes, that was me on WPLJ a couple of weeks ago, your girl from queens won 2 tickets to see Justin Bieber perform in Rockefeller Center when he was appearing on the Today Show on June 4th.

We usually keep PLJ on in the studio all day, music keeps you happy at work and so, when you've got the phone right in front of you and they announced this contest, why not? We all know what that busy signal sounds like, bzzz bzzz bzzz you are way too late, but for once the phone was ringing! The person was shouting that I won, and I was in shock.

I gave them the information, and was told to show up at the NBC entrance very early, as the today show starts its schedule at something like 5:00 AM. We had to go to a 'secret' entrance to bypass the thousands of people who had lined up to be part of the audience two days ago. I hope these kids had sympathetic teachers, considering it was a school day, but cutting school for a free concert is not the worst thing in the world, I did it when I was 16 myself!

As a winner, I got to be in a special section with all kinds of VIP's (and their teenage daughters) and had the opportunity to be literally just a few feet away from him, next to the cameras.
You can see where the 'audience' was mostly to the side and behind Justin, but I was up close and personal! These are actually my photos, no Getty Images here!

We always chuckle when Carly Frank goes on and on about how great he is, but I have to say it was a thrill to see this guy in person! He has dancers that are amazing and he does sing more or less on-key most of the time. Unlike a lot of Today Show 'performances' this one was not lip-synced at all, he was really singing and the audience was loving it.

They allowed a few thousand people (mostly Carly's age) into the Rockefeller Center Today Show courtyard, and they were all rocking and jumping and really got into it. Being Live TV, the show stops and starts, but he got in a medley of his hits with somebody to love and one time in there. He also did a short version of his Karate Kid song, Never Say Never.

In between commercial breaks he smiled and chatted with Al Roker, and as it was really hot this day everyone was dripping with sweat before too long. Even Justin was sweaty, and his fans thought that was just fine. I kept thinking, I really do have the fever! Ciao.

Happy Summer!

2010-05-29T11:25:00.005-04:00

It's the start of the Memorial Day weekend so I hope you've made plans to enjoy the holiday. We've sold a lot of our Brava Bib Necklaces, and I know it's styles like these that make girls look summery and super-chic! Another great choice is the crystal coin cascade earring, filled with sparkly crystals in so many colors. Our summer jewelry has been a hit with jewelry editors, appearing on TV, in the New York Daily News and lots of fashion magazines. People Style Watch is a must read, it is on newsstands right now, and there's a special promotion going on with them, so it's worth a look!

We're planning to go to the Douglaston-Little Neck Memorial Day parade, billed as the largest memorial day parade in the country! I know the president is skipping out on the traditional ceremonies and heading back to Chicago, but you can participate in the holiday and see this spectacle for yourself on Monday. We've got Mayor Bloomberg and city officials and soldiers and bands, and we'll even bring Chicklet, Lulu and Boomer! What more could you ask for.

Take a moment of your weekend and say a prayer of thanks for all those in our armed forces who give years of their lives, and sometimes make huge sacrifices to protect our country and the freedom we enjoy every single day. If it wasn't for our great military men and women we would not be safe and feee, especially with all these crazy things going on around the world.

And if you can't come to Queens to watch our parade, check out their website (link above) and consider a contribution to help this organization make it possible. I'll be there to cheer on the troops and thank any soldiers or sailors that pass by, you can be sure of that. Ciao!

Turn off the computer, go watch TV!

2010-05-19T00:38:00.001-04:00

Make some coffee, and get ready for our spring spectacular HSN show. Conveniently scheduled for 4:00 AM eastern time, you west coast gals should see some great jewelry at prices that only HSN can do! Once these pieces are sold out, and we expect them to go quickly, the jewelry that insipired this collection is on our site http://www.robertachiarella.com/ , where the american made, swarovski crystallized elements and stunning CZ come out to play. So, no matter what your budget, we've got the goods!

Take a look at these beautiful earrings and necklaces, specially made from high quality stones and fittings, giving you the luxury and quality at this unbelievable price point. It's worth staying up to see your's truly on TV, but the items are available for purchase now, if you've got to get to bed.

So, you may have bought directly from us at the website, or at a retail store, and may be seeing if HSN is a good place to get our merchandise. Remember, they back the product, they accept returns, and they've bought in quantity so they can get the best price. Don't be afraid of the low prices, the quality and value and style are all roberta chiarella trademarks and are in there!

Don't take my word for it, see what the buyers said:

Anyway, the jewelry goes on tonight on HSN, if these pieces sell out, the original collection on which the HSN collection was based is always availbale on our website. Ciao!

Where's the FASHION, where's the STYLE?

2010-05-15T14:12:00.005-04:00

It's right here in the big apple! When you're designing and producing jewelry, you've got to know who is wearing what, and there is no better way to see what is in style all around the world than to stroll the streets of Manhattan.

The city is never prettier than it is on a friday evening, the weather just right, and people are all in a relaxed mood. New York City is an amazing tourist destination, and it really inspires me. There's no need to journey to Paris or Berlin, just walk the streets that the tourists tend to visit. Want to see what's popular in Brazil- head over to "little brazil" on 46th street in Manhattan and see what the women of brazil are wearing right in your own back yard.
See my Greenwich Village Slideshow

I had to run some errands and decided to pick up some food for dinner. Yes, in a city with a million restaurants I do cook dinner at home, at least once in a while. In Greenwich Village, you'll find plenty of "old italian stores" that still make suasage in the back, and import cheese from Italy you can't get in a supermarket anywhere. I love Faicco's and remember when we had a latticini on our own block in Queens. This storefront might look familiar, it's been in lots of movies and TV shows, but I go for the sausage and the rice balls. On the way back, you can buy some pickles right on the sidewalk, now tell me where else you'll see this?

I took my little camera and had my iphone too, so I could snap discrete photos of women on the street who were wearing jewelry that I thought was interesting. It's so nice to see a group of french women on the street, waiting for their tour bus, and check out what they've got on. Of course, not everybody likes being photographed, so I have to be careful. The New Yorkers don't mind, and unlike the people in some foreign lands who ask for money after you've taken their picture, our people smile and pose for you!

Every now and then, I'll see an earring from robertachiarella.com, and that always is a treat! There was an elegant lady on the corner of Bleeker Street today who seemed to be wearing my Brava Bib Statement Necklace, but the traffic light changed and she disappeared before I could cross the street.

Then I saw this artist, and he was quite involved in his work to see me and my camera. He might be the last of the Greenwich Village street artists. When we were kids, there were summer weekends devoted to art festivals on these streets, with countless artists showing their stuff. My father, who was a painter and sculptor, would take us and walk the streets till we were exhausted.

He'd always buy a painting or two, and if it was an amateur artist, he'd put it on HIS easel when we got home and set about 'improving' the painting. We've got a couple hanging on the walls to this day, dad was never satisfied with the improvements, and was constantly re-painting a shadow or the color of the sky on his acquisitions. They don't have these festivals any more, and it's too bad. I guess if they had one for digital pics I could enter the shots I've posted here, so tourists could take home a bit of Roberta's Manhattan. Ciao!

Jewelry Overboard!

2010-05-09T11:29:00.013-04:00

Just my luck! Today was our day to visit our dear friends who live on Staten Island. It was a beautiful morning, but I was dressing in layers, cause the ferry ride across New York Harbor can be breezy and the water is still pretty cold this

time of year. Imagine my surprise when we heard the ferry had crashed
into the dock, and there were injuries too. I pictured myself swimming to shore, although they do have lifeboats and there were a million rescuers who were at the scene immediately.

And the jewelry! I was carrying some really nice gifts, who'd want them at the bottom of the sea?

Thankfully it wasn't a huge disaster. The Staten Island Ferry is one giant operation, and there are a number of boats, some seem like they can hold a couple of thousand people. There are a series of piers or docks on the New York side with a terminal, shops and waiting rooms that are brand new and a great place to take out-of-town visitors.

The free ferry ride passes right by the Statue of Liberty and you have a fantastic view of Manhattan, the harbor with all it's giant cargo ships coming and going, and you can see coney island on a nice day, too. So, by the time we got there, the unfortunate ship that had crashed was off to the side, and some other boats from their fleet gave us a safe, swift ride, complete with a perfect landing! I feel bad for those injured in this crash, thankfully they saw it coming and the crew made the people back up to the rear of the boat, which is gigantic and could absorb some of the force of the crash. Needless to say, we weren't riding in the front on our journey.

It's mother's day today, and to all you moms out there, enjoy your day! I know a few hundred of you will be opening up a nice package containing jewelry from robertachiarella.com, we shipped countless packages and as is our practice, hand write the gift notes and messages our customers want to send to their mothers. One of the most popular mother's day gifts was the medium Sarah, a great CZ earring that can be worn by anyone, it is so sparkly and hangs just right on your ear.

With our special promotion that we were running, customers could also get one of our new rc2 Trend Collection pieces for 30% off, and we sold plenty. I am so glad I ordered a lot of statement necklaces, ours is called the Brava Bib Necklace and has been well-received, with people ordering all 3 colors, turquoise, coral and jade.

The other rc2 Trend Collection neclkace we call Dolcetti, and boy is it sweet! It's available in fuschia and blue zircon, and comes with a bonus- matching earrings! We've priced this one low so you can get these as a set for $68. There's an introductory promotion going on at robertachiarella.com, see the site for your promo code and you can save $10. Buy yourself another couple of items and you'll get free shipping too!

If you like the luxurious CZ look, the petite Sarah, baby sister to the medium Sarah is $10 off this month. You can't go wrong with these jewels, just picture yourself cruising on the open water, safely tucked away at the back of the Staten Island Ferry, (near the lifeboats) with lots of people admiring your look. Ciao!

It's Tax Day

2010-04-15T00:23:00.002-04:00

Are you getting a refund? I wish I was, but unfortunately I've got to pay more taxes. It seems like no matter how you figure out your finances, the government always wins. Despite presidential promises, we haven't seen any tax cuts at all. It's expensive enough to live in New York, and it's hard to maintain our commitment to produce our Roberta Chiarella jewelry Collection here in the United States. Our factory is in Rhode Island, and we're proud to say the Roberta Chiarella jewelry collection is designed right here in NY and produced entirely in the USA. Whether you owe money or are getting a refund, make sure your return is filed by midnight tonight. Penalties and fines can be painful, you could have used the money on a necklace instead!

If you're getting a refund, rejoice! Treat yourself to a reward for your good bookkeeping skills and buy yourself something nice. Our spring collection is super special and one item in particular, the remarkable earrings are a great seller. This piece is hard to tell apart from Rachel MacAdams earring as seen at the Academy Awards, and it's part of our spring special, meaning you can get free shipping plus choose an item from our new RC2 Trend Collection at 30% off the price! One item you should really see is the Brava Bib Necklace, it's perfect for warm weather and believe me, it's simply stunning. Hand poured resins, beautiful colors, it's a keeper for sure.

It's been a great week for the press, the Brad and Jen stories never end, but inside InTouch Magazine you'll see the Chunky Crystal Bracelet featured, and it's really a great piece. Crystallized Swarovski Elements, beautiful shiny finish and great colors, this one's a great buy at $78, plus free shipping.

Be sure to check out robertachiarella.com to see more jewelry featured in the magazines, we love working with the fashion and beauty editors who have an eye for whats hot and what pieces are good value and wonderfully stylish too.

If you're not a fan, please go to facebook and sign up at our roberta chiarella jewelry page, in the upcoming weeks we'll have some special offers for facebook fans that will bring a smile to your face.

Speaking of smiling faces, here is my mom, Dorothy with my aunt, Frances LaPerla in a picture taken a long time ago. Aunt fran passed away this week, after a long courageous battle with breast cancer. Our families are inseparable, she was my brothers god-mother and one of the best cooks in the world! Aunt Frances patiently tried out every piece of jewelry I made when I was starting my business, and wore my jewelry everywhere with pride. She joins my mother in heaven, where the two of them are together in a casino somewhere in the clouds. I will miss her friendship and unselfish love that she always had for so many people. Rest in peace, auntie. I love you. Ciao!

It's that time of year!

2010-03-27T15:35:00.004-04:00

No, not Santa Claus. It's wedding season and I'm lucky enough to be involved in both planning and attending some great affairs this spring and summer.

Lots of brides-to-be visit us for help with their wedding party jewelry, it's a lot of fun to meet the brides and bridesmaids, look at the gowns, check out the venue and pick the nicest jewelry for the affairs. Jewelry from robertachiarella.com is featured in current issues of The Knot, Bridal Guide and Brides magazines.

My jewelry also was featured at the totally fabulous wedding of Kim Solow and Adam Pomeranz, held at Temple Israel on Long Island a few weeks ago. My whole family was there to see this wonderful couple get married, and we had a terrific time.

Kim looked great, and so did the whole wedding party. I was thrilled to help with the jewelry, though you can't see much in these pictures, the bridesmaids were wearing some special items from my collection.

The reception was unbelievable, the facilities were totally magnificent and the food was superb. They had a great band, which is so much better than a DJ, and we literally danced the night away while sending all our love and best wishes to the newlyweds.

Kim and Adam will be living in California, where there are plenty of great places to get married- but I am really glad they had their wedding here. You never know when you'll see so many cousins, aunts and uncles together again, it was a really enjoyable affair.

I just finished looking at some photos that another bride-to-be sent me to help plan her wedding at another great place, the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel. I think that's the most wonderful place, I've stayed there a few times and nearly every time the hotel was gearing up for a wedding. They have the most beautiful set-up high on a cliff over the ocean, and when there is an outdoor service it is so exquisite.

The bride wanted jewelry that would sparkle in the sunset- can you imagine how nice that's going to be! We're happy to oblige, I suggested the red carpet couture collection earrings, the crystals will reflect the lights and hopefully bounce the colors of the sky and the bridesmaids gowns for all to enjoy.

Another wedding we are working on is going to be held right in our own back yard, at Leonard's of Great Neck. Home of many family weddings, and the setting for a "Sopranos" wedding on TV, this over-the-top place is always a great choice for a wedding.

The bride has 5 bridesmaids, so we chose Lucy in the Sky hoops and a complementing bracelet and they got our wedding party discount! I hope they send me some photos and I'll post them so you can see the look. Hoops are one of the hottest trends these days, and they are not those giant things we wore years ago, new designs are elegant and sophisticated and almost anyone can wear these. If you're getting married give us a call or send an email, I love to help with your jewelry and any advice I can give. We offer appointments for consultations if you are in NYC, so feel free to take advantage of it. Ciao!

Oscar winning looks- look no further

2010-03-14T17:08:00.003-04:00

Well, another academy awards show has come and gone, and the winners aren't all the same movies that I would have picked, but with 10 movies nominated for every category, it makes for more exciting balloting. One thing that we like even more than who wins is what the stars are wearing. At my academy awards party we check out every dress, every hair style and every bit of jewelry to see who is a best-dressed celebrity and who should have stayed home.

We're thrilled Precious won, it was a pleasure working with the folks on this movie. I was lucky enough to have been selected to supply some jewelry for not only some actresses publicity appearances, but for use on film too! At the Academy Award show itself, some actresses wore jewelry that is virtually indistinguishable from a piece from the Roberta Chiarella collection, look at ths shot of Sandra Bullock! We took one look at the earring Reese Witherspoon was wearing and realized we had all the crystals in-house to create our own version, so it is up on the website and ready for you to purchase! Some of these items have already been featured in the "get the actresses academy award look at an affordable price" shows and magazine articles that follow the show each year. I have to say, there are a few pieces that are so close it's amazing.

My good friend and emmy-award nominated TV personality Jill Martin will host a show tomorrow night, and you'll get to see some of our pieces as part of some red carpet ensembles. And, you will see, for the first time on TV, the RC2 Brava Bib Necklace! I love the way it looks on her, the turquoise color is really nice, and it also comes in Coral and Jade. It's up on the website now, at great introductory prices. Take a look at the collection at robertachiarella.com along with all the academy award look jewels we've featured on the site. Ciao!

"I'm so excited"

2010-03-03T22:42:00.003-05:00

"and I just can't hide it" said the pointer sisters way back when. It's not every day a box arrives at the studio (well, actually a large crate) that's come half way around the world and contains our new jewelry collection. It really, really is exciting to be able to bring a new collection from sketches to real live jewelry so I hope you will like it too.

A lot of people love our HSN collection, and as some of the pieces were made exclusively for them, we don't sell them on the website, and retailers can't order them for their stores. I think its a trade-off, HSN reaches lots of people and it's so affordable, but people want new jewelry more than a few times a year that I'm on the network. There are other shopping networks in Europe and Asia that we obviously can't sell this collection on, as it is named for HSN. So, what to do? Why not make a new line, super trendy, super affordable and with the same quality you know and desire and sell it alongside our full jewelry line?

When I was asked that question, the answer was the same, why not! So, let me introduce to you the RC2 trend collection, featuring necklaces, earrings and rings made with the highest quality and ready for spring. The bib necklace comes in six colors, including coral and jade for spring. The earrings are just beautiful and are made from the same hand-poured resin that we love to use because it is light, has a real solid feel and beautiful color and shine. Resin is not like other materials, it is always shiny, needs no care and is not heavy.

The necklace is perfect for springtime, is so vibrant and makes you smile when you wear it. The earrings are perfectly sized and anyone can wear them, they are not heavy and hang nicely from your ears. If you are even remotely concerned if they might pull, then you'll want to try another product we sell, the Lobe Wonder. These little thingys make sure you can wear larger or heavier earrings with ease, they are really a miracle product that we all use with ease.

So, even though the new RC2 collection is not on the website yet, it will be officially launched in the next few days. I'm thrilled to be launching a new line, it's the first time we've done this as a web only collection although once retailers get their samples and style sheets it will be carried alongside our complete line of earrings and other jewelry. Keep your eye on the website, and be the first girl on your block to own some! And, by popular demand, it's time for Roberta's spring surprise- we'll send you a surprise gift from our collection when you spend $48 or more. Ciao.

It's still fashion week around here!

2010-02-19T08:22:00.004-05:00

Yes, fashion week comes to a close today, but robertachiarella.com has been coming on strong in the press. Beauty editors, movie stars, actresses have been seen around town wearing some of my jewelry. We've got Mo'Nique pictured with some nice earrings in Ebony, and Whitney Houston is ON TOUR wearing my cuff bracelets.

We were intrigued when the order came in, after all, when you get an order from Whitney Houston, wouldn't you be in shock? Turns out she wanted enough of our Cha-Cha Licious Bracelet for her tour and we were so happy we had them all in stock. These beauties are made with Crystallized Swarovski Elements (tm) and are beauties, click the link and see for yourself!

Essence magazine has a fashion spread showing our crystal mosaic earrings, they look great on the models ear, just as they will look great on yours. I love the crystal mosaics, they are one of my favorites and look so great as they dangle and sparkle.

Redbook is showing Scarlett's necklace, a really spectacular necklace that photos just can't do justice to. This is a really great necklace and we're thrilled it was featured!

Another magazine, Shape Bride features the petite sarah earring, this beautiful favorite is a real popular choice for sparkle and elegance! You know how the petite sarah got it's name, and we made it in a smaller size cause the original is a pretty large CZ. The petite sarah is a 2 karat size earring that's one of our best sellers for weddings. Our studio loves to help with wedding planning, we offer appointments in NYC most days, so if you and your wedding party are in or around the area, give us a call!

And, we're still in awe over our coverage in Vanity Fair, it's so wonderful to see the award winning stud earrings was given the right name when we made it! Lots of people, including some famous ones, are wearing this beautiful piece.

So with the end of fashion week, you'll have to wait till next year to see the gowns, suits and glamor. But, the robertachiarella.com fashion show is still going on! And, for a week longer, we have our amazing sale, just buy two, get one free from our under $25 section of the website, so go and check it out today. To spice up your winter blues, there are plenty of new items, more earrings, more bracelets and more bling! Ciao!

It's a wrap! Fashion Week says goodbye

2010-02-18T19:04:00.003-05:00

It's fashion week (or week and a half) and New York is filled with designers, models and lots of fashionistas. Magazine editors, web and other media reporters wait on line to get into the tents, set up at Bryant Park for the spectacular Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Today we saw the Tommy Hilfiger collection presented, and some interesting fashion- body painting!

The major collections have all been shown, Justin Timberlake showed his collection yesterday and it was quite the scene. There are a few final presentations and shows tomorrow, and the people associated with making this all look so good are still here, with the hair stylists, seamstresses and accessories designers and merchants all around the area.

I love to be there, I love the excitement and fun of the crowd and the reporters and photographers huddled everywhere, studying everything that is going on.

You have to laugh when photographers swarm some smartly dressed guy or gal, snapping a million photos, then they go up to the person and ask "are you anyone famous". I was just as guilty, pointing my camera at someone here and there, then asking who was that? Other photographers stalk the limos, stand on tables, chairs and fences hoping to get a shot of some hot model or wealthy runway patron. Of course, it's not hard to find some famous people, it's New York!

The shows end each day with a bittersweet announcement, once the tents come down this year, they won't be back. The shows will move to Lincoln Center next year, and leave Bryant Park. It is a huge change for the industry, as the park is at the edge of the garment center, a district that produces some of our most famous clothing lines, and is home to Fashion Institute of Technology, the home of Project Runway and the source of lots of talented future designers. There are less and less fashion houses in the area these days, so many jobs have gone overseas and real estate prices force little merchants out of business or onto the internet.

So, next year we'll be hanging out in front of the Metropolitan Opera house, hopefully still enjoying the magic of viewing the collections that will be worn by movie stars, millionaires and fashionistas everywhere. Ciao!

get your NEWS here!

2010-02-04T23:43:00.009-05:00

New york is a newspaper town, but the number has dwindled over the years. We used to have many, many more papers years ago, and they published multiple editions each day, all packed in giant bundles and thrown out the doors of speeding trucks in the general direction of the newsstand. Thankfully, with no blackberry and no ipod, your eyes were generally open and you could get out of the way, lest a 40 pound bundle of papers knock you over.

We read a lot of papers cause we didn't have blogs then, and you had your morning papers like the Wall St. Journal, NY Times and the Daily News, and your afternoon papers like the Post. My father sent me out for the Racing Form, a daily newspaper about horses. There was even a news stand for foreign papers near Bryant Park, you could get a paper from paris the same day. It seemed amazing at the time!

We had the New York Sun, the Daily Mirror and others. The newsstands around Grand Central Terminal had lots of papers to sell, and they employed newspaper "boys" of all ages who stood there yelling at the top of their lungs to get you to buy their paper.

The folks who sold the Daily News would shout at you in their inimitable New York accents what sounds like: Get ya NOOOS HEAH! DAILEEEE NOOOS! I think the paper cost a dime back then, and they didn't have a single page in color. So fast forward to the Daily News of today, in full color, the valentine's guide. And look at what they are showing in the guide, our cuff and ring!
I was surprised and thrilled, it was unexpected to say the least. Sometimes you have to really work to get some press, and sometimes you don't! Either way, we've got 'em in stock and ready to ship, in case your valentine would like a bauble or two. Ciao!

SyFy in Manhattan, microsoft style

2010-01-31T00:41:00.007-05:00

There comes a time in every girls life when you've got to upgrade the computer. At robertachiarella.com we've got a bunch of them, with our wireless this and that, a few blackberry's, laptops and a macbook pro.

Some of our computers are pretty old and won't allow us to run the UPS shipping program we use to make sure our jewelry gets to your house on time. So, it's upgrade time in the office. I got myself the biggest, fastest, coolest looking shiny black machine HP had to offer, stuffed with memory and windows 7 "64 bits", which (I am told) is the way to go.

The programs open faster than I can figure out how to use them, which is a lot better than watching the little hourglass on the screen.
Of course, you don't just plug it in and go! We had to make all new network connections, and copy all the files from the server that has had Windows 2000 since 2000! Then, you test the whole thing to make sure we're good to go.
It's fun using windows 7, in some ways they have outdone the mac operating system, it's so easy a dog can use it (that's the assistant webmaster in the photo) once you master the learning curve.

And that wasn't easy- trying to learn a new computer this week. Our golden globes work paid off with a great photo shoot in Us Magazine, and some pretty good press. It's amazing that our designs were such good matches for the beautiful (and expensive) diamonds and emeralds that we saw on the red carpet last week. Penelope Cruz and Meryl Streep were pictured wearing some great looking outfits, with earrings that were hard to tell apart from ones at http://www.robertachiarella.com/. Penelope wore earrings similar to "j's jewel earrings" that we feature on our internet store,

Meryl Streep wore an earring nearly identical to a piece we are just introducing, so guess what we called it? Meryl's earring, of course and I'm sure you'll love it. Sales have been great, we're packing and shipping like crazy. One of our brides-to-be used our bridal party discount to outfit her bridesmaids in the J's Jewel earrings, they are certainly elegant enough for a wedding.

You had to cheer for Mo'nique, she had the real things, actual roberta chiarella "unforgettable teardrop earrings" that retail for $98 on our site. I had so much fun working with her on her movie, Precious, and to see her wear my earrings was a real thrill. And we've done a lot of TV watching, renting movies, and reading books thanks to old man winter hitting New York yet again.

It's cold out there, too cold to spend much time outside. Maybe it's just as well, I can work on some new designs and play with my new computer. If I can get the I tunes playlists back, my new internet experience will be complete. Ciao!

The Golden Globes

2010-01-17T20:14:00.004-05:00

It's a perfect night to watch TV after we had the most dreary, rainy day I can think of. Every New Yorker is secretly thinking "at least it's not snowing" but it was positively yucky out today.

My only trip outside was to go the grocery store to get our provisions for the evening.Tonight, I'm going to be camping out on the living room floor, pencil and paper at the ready, to see who wears what at the Golden Globe Awards.
Already it seems some actresses are wearing jewelry that is familiar to girls who frequent robertachiarella.com.

Look at Sandra Bullock, those earrings look awfully familiar. Last year, we had so many pieces that resembled what stars wore to the awards that the jewelry was used on the Today Show and in some magazine spreads about how us regular folks could get a superstar look without paying Tiffany's prices.

I hope to be able to do the same tonight, and am taking notes, checking the stock room and I have our factory on call (that would be exciting, wouldn't it!) to make those golden-globe-look pieces that we'll see tonight. Enjoy the show! Ciao.

Brrrrrrrr!

2010-01-10T23:51:00.004-05:00

Our blog and website are hot, but not much else is here in the big apple. It's been a cold snap that is affecting the whole country, and we saw TV clips of the poor farmers working night and day to keep their oranges from freezing down in Florida. Here in Manhattan, you need your warmest clothes and your hat, scarf and gloves to keep warm, the wind howls through the streets and tries to blow you over.

I usually take this as a message from the powers above to stay indoors, and so my house is cleaner, my closet is organized and our jewelry inventory is ahead of schedule. I am glad we schedule the inventory this time of year, if it was in the summer, we'd be griping that we had to stay indoors counting the jewels when it was so nice outside. Speaking of inventory, when we count, people save!

Our january sale is in progress, and the best way to reduce the number of pieces to count is to have a sale and move them out from my studio to your home! I took a peek behing a large plastic box and found a bunch of glacier cz rings we thought had sold out, they went into the sale section right away.

So, to that lady who called before christmas asking if we had the purple ones in stock and I said I thought I did but couldn't find them, here they are!

And to the customer who wanted to know when the bean earrings would go on sale so she could have a 'spare pair', now's your chance, they are reduced to $25 for the sale.

I've also put the fried egg necklace on sale for because I accidentally ordered extra, our boo-boo is a bonanza for anyone who wants a fantastic piece made of tiger eye glass beads, natural shell with a dramatic center, now only $25 for our sale.

We hope that you've been watching your morning TV, our favorite editor Jill Martin has been busy as usual with her fashion segments, and has been wearing some of my favorite earrings as well as using roberta chiarella jewelry for her makeovers and 'ambushes' that make the Today show fun to watch. I got a DVD from the Wendy Williams show where I introduced Wendy, and we watched it today, I was amazed at the audience reaction when Wendy said every member of the audience would get a pair of my earrings.

The studio lights are bright and there are loudspeakers right in front of you, so you can't really see the crowd when you are on stage. I appreciate Wendy's staff for sending this to me, I watched it 4 or 5 times until my brother made me take it out. Happy birthday, BRIAN!!! Ciao!

bye, bye, 2009!

2009-12-30T12:30:00.001-05:00

Wow, the year is just about over. Can you imagine we are going into 2010. Do you remember 10 years ago we were staring at out (tube) monitors, wondering if our computers were going to blow up or shut down for "Y2K"? It didn't happen, and now we have way more stuff to stay connected. This little blog, facebook, our robertachiarella.com website, all a product of the broadband era. I can't say I miss paying all my bills with my checkbook, and mailing letters to my friends, twitter and webcams are more fun.

So, as we get ready for a new year, I just OK'd some new jewelry designs and sent the last signed contract of 2009 to our jewelry factory in Providence, RI. Yes, there are still factories in the US, and ours is really special, where third-generation jewelry-makers fashion our products with care. I also just made the last changes to our website for 2009, as the christmas gift-box special is history and we got some great end-of-the-year press. Take a look at InStyle Weddings, they have an annual feature "the best of the web" and picked me to be in it. It's nice to be recognized, and we get a lot of referrals from loyal customers, as well as beauty editors and fashion designers across the country.

It's been a great TV year, too- Wendy Williams wears my jewelry a lot, and it was so much fun to go on her show and introduce her a few weeks ago. To all the folks in the audience who received a free pair of earrings I made just for the show, I got your comments and really appreciate your kind remarks. (I did have a problem posting the comments, somehow the computer erased a bunch of them, sorry) We have been so honored to be featured so frequently on the today show, they are always asking for high-quality, affordable jewelry to use in their fashion segments, and it is great fun working with them. Jill Martin (fashion for dummies) is an emmy-award winner, and is so fantastic to be able to supply her with lots of jewelry for her today show segments.

There have been so many milestones in 2009- we had a contest on the website that had thousands (and thousands and thousands) of entries, the winners all loved their prizes and we had fun working with our partners to offer the prizes. I showed a new collection made for HSN, and it was an amazing success, selling out and getting great reviews. Being on HDTV at the HSN studio was a first for me, and I still remember the makeup they used! I hope to continue the relationship, and expand the jewelry line to offer people the more affordable things that we all love, along with our wedding line, which is more intricate, beautifully crafted with swarovski crystallized elements and is just much prettier than the photos can show. When we have bridal parties come to our studio, the first thing they say is how much shinier, how brilliant the stones are, so until we get 3-D computer monitors, just take my word for it, the stuff sparkles!

I wish you all the best for a happy new year, we'll celebrate it in New York City by watching the ball drop from our living room TV- times square is for the truly brave, or people from very cold climates! To all our dear readers, Happy New Year! Ciao.