Struggling NYC jewelers unite for Sparkle Week

Independents

Save

E-mail

Struggling NYC jewelers unite for Sparkle Week

By Teresa Novellino

April 21, 2009

Similar Stories | Topics

STORIES

'Sparkle Week' to include luxury watch exhibit

DMIA holding legal program Oct. 27

Annual Rap conference slated for September

Boucheron follies

Diamond District tenants worried about rent increase

TOPICS

Van Cleef and Arpels' "Snowflake" watch in platinum with white mother-of -pearl dial is on display at the Forbes Galleries in Manhattan, as part of an exhibition that opened Monday to kick off "Sparkle Week."

New York--From the boutiques in SoHo to the 47th Street Diamond District, New York City is an international shopping destination for luxury goods, but the recession has been hard on Big Apple jewelers.

Everything from a shakeout on Wall Street to a drop in the number of money-spending tourists strolling along Fifth Avenue has hurt the bottom line for jewelers, big and small. So about six months ago, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg approached Judith Price, founder of the National Jewelry Institute, to see if the organization might be able to help unite the city's retailers and stir consumer interest in jewelry.

The result: the city's first Sparkle Week, which launched on Monday and continues through Sunday, April 26, at small and large jewelry boutiques as well as specialty and department stores across New York City's five boroughs.

"These are real tough times and everyone knows it," Price said, speaking on Monday during a press preview of a luxury timepiece exhibition at the Forbes Galleries, one of the Sparkle Week destinations. "The whole idea is to get people to feel good again, to get them to laugh. We have to at least go into the stores to at least start looking."

For the next week, retail jewelers throughout the city will be offering special promotions and discounts. In some cases, that means slashing prices on particular merchandise categories such as sterling silver or pearls--and in other instances, it can be a free gift with purchase.

Zales Jewelers on 34th Street is offering discounts of 10 percent off merchandise storewide, with some restrictions. In the Wall Street area, Greenwich Jewelers is hosting a "Make Life Sparkle" silent auction for charity, and providing 10 percent discounts on several new bridal collections, while William Barthman Jewelers is holding a tasting event and raffling off New York Yankees tickets with purchases. In midtown, Michael C. Fina is offering 30 percent off fine-jewelry purchases, no sales tax from 11:00 a.m. to noon, various discounts on semi-mounts and a buy one, get one free wedding band offer, among other promotions.

To kick off the Sparkle Week lineup, Forbes Galleries opened its doors to a luxury timepiece exhibition, "Time and the Jeweler's Art," which runs from April 24 through June 27.

"The mayor asked us to do something that would be understandable to both men and women, and something that would not be too 'rich'," Price said.

Included in the exhibit is everything from historic pocket watches to everyday watches to diamond-encrusted ladies' timepieces. Display cases showcase offerings from participating brands including Berard, Dior Watches, H. Stern, Harry Winston, Patrizzi and Co. Auctioneers, Piaget, Tiffany and Co., Timex, Valentino Timeless, Van Cleef and Arpels and Vincent.

Save

E-mail

More Independents

JCOC: 11 percent to purchase jewelry this holiday

Paso Robles, Calif.--Eleven percent of Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council (JCOC) panel members plan to purchase fine jewelry or watches as a gift this holiday season, with 82 percent of this group believing they are either somewhat or extremely likely to do so, according to the JCOC's Pre Holiday study. Read More

JA offers grant fund for state association partners

Jewelers: Win Platinum Points over the holidays

More Independents

More Like This

'Sparkle Week' to include luxury watch exhibit

March 31, 2009 | National Jeweler Network

DMIA holding legal program Oct. 27

September 30, 2008 | National Jeweler Network

Annual Rap conference slated for September

August 04, 2008 | National Jeweler Network

Boucheron follies

July 23, 2008 | National Jeweler Network

Diamond District tenants worried about rent increase

July 11, 2008 | National Jeweler Network

TOPICS

Design Portfolio

BROWSE

Video

Retailer Toolbar

America's Best Jewelers
Join the ONLY Social Network for Jewelry Retailers. Get access to expert content, peer best practices, and more.
Start networking today.

Newsletters
Topic-specific newsletters that deliver the latest news on jewelry, diamonds, wholesale operations and high-volume buying directly to your in-box.

ReaderConnect
Supplier information presented with every article, bringing you related, actionable content on every topic.

Yellow Pages
A comprehensive listing of associations, organizations, suppliers and services for the jewelry industry.

Classifieds
A comprehensive listing of job postings, product offerings and other materials for sale for the jewelry industry.

CustomerConnect
The most sophisticated suite of marketing services available for jewelry retailers, from Internet tools to data marketing.