Jewelry robber sentenced to 28 years
A 20-year-old Orlando man convicted of robbing a tiffany jewelry store and then taking part in a running gun battle with Seminole County deputies was sentenced Wednesday to 28 years in prison.
Joshua Bouie was wounded in the foot during the gun battle Nov. 6, 2007, near Altamonte Springs. He apologized for what happened, but Circuit Judge Marlene Alva said he had behaved like a gangster and put innocent people in danger. No one but Bouie was hurt that day.
A jury convicted Bouie last month of armed robbery, attempted armed burglary with an assault and aggravated assault on a law-enforcement officer.
Credit crunch puts the squeeze on jewelry chain sales
For a growing number of conpaying for tiffany jewelry on credit isn’t as easy as swipe, sign and smile anymore.
The credit squeeze that has been plaguing a U.S. economy in the midst of a recession is now having a significant impact on jewelry chains and their customers, industry experts say. Not only are the chains dealing with increases in bad-debt levels from strapped customers struggling to make payments, they are also seeing sales shrink as plastic becomes more elusive to consumers who were previously deemed credit-worthy.
The third-quarter report filed by Signet-which operates Sterling Jewelers in the United States-provides a case in point. The chain’s net bad-debt charge for U.S. operations for the 39 weeks ended Nov. 3, 2008, was 4.8 percent of total sales, up from 3.3 percent for the same period in 2007.
“Obviously, Zale and Signet have been hit hard by the credit crunch; you can see it in their sales numbers,” says industry analyst Ken Gassman, president of the Jewelry Industry Research Institute in Glen Allen, Va. “Ninety-day delinquencies are up significantly at Signet. Many [public jewelry chains] don’t report bad debt because they use third-party credit providers. But all jewelers are saying that more credit applications are being rejected now [than was the case before the economic downturn].”
Gassman estimates that as much as 50 percent of all fine Christmas Tree jewelry sold in the United States is financed through some type of in-house, monthly payment credit plan, making the industry extremely vulnerable to any type of credit squeeze.
“The biggest problem with the credit squeeze is that customers coming in to use our private-label credit card are finding that their credit limit has been lowered or their account has been closed,” says Donald Weinberg, vice president of 16-store chain CR. Jewelers, based in Boca Raton, Fla. “The worst part about that is, we find out the account is closed after our associates have helped a client for an hour or so. A big waste of time, frustration from our associates who work partly on commission, and infuriation from our customer who might never come back.”
Gitanjali USA, an Austin, Texas-based chain of some 150 stores that includes the Samuels and Rogers Jewelers banners, has a third-party credit provider that handles its primary credit business, and a secondtier company, Salt Lake City-based Retail Credit Solutions (RCS), that deals with private-label credit decisions.
Bret Levy of RCS says the goal for the private-label credit decisions is to “capture any good sales that the banks are not approving for one reason or another.”
RCS looks at the 52 percent of credit applicants that were turned down and approves about 34 percent of them, Levy says. Write-offs in 2007 totaled 5.6 percent of sales, and they were expected to rise to 6.2 to 6.3 percent in 2008 – but that’s still dramatically lower than the bad debt levels the banks are seeing, Levy says.
“We’re seeing more mid-level or even better deals coming to us because the banks are tightening up so much on both approvals and credit lines,” he says.
Gitanjali’s best customers have reduced or even cut out tiffany bracelets jewelry purchases altogether this year while mid-level and lower-level credit would-be customers are having tremendous trouble getting credit, setting the stage for one of the “toughest Christmases in our lifetime,” Levy predicted in an interview before the holidays.
For Jensen Jewelers, a 15-store chain based in Twin Falls, Idaho, that manages its own in-house credit, bad debt levels in 2008 were in line with the company’s historical average of about 4 percent of total sales.
“Doing our own credit has been a big advantage for us, because it helps us produce cash flow in the spring when business slacks off and bills are due from the holiday season,” says Tony Prater, chief executive officer.
Jensen might have been hit harder by the credit crunch if not for its aggressive credit promotion program, strong collection efforts and the chain’s location in a fairly stable region where unemployment is relatively low and housing values are relatively stable, Prater says.
However, Jensen’s hasn’t dodged the credit squeeze altogether. Prater acknowledges that bad economic news has customers pulling back on luxury items, including jewelry, even if their income has remained stable. He also notes that because many credit cards and third-party lenders have tightened credit, customers are finding that their available credit for jewelry purchases has shrunk.
Goldenwest Diamond Corp., a 17-unit chain based in Tustin, Calif., faces a similar dilemma. While the company does not issue any in-house credit on its own, it has seen an increase in chargebacks from customers trying to reverse sales transactions, says Sylvia Trujillo, Goldenwest’s chief financial officer. The company is also struggling to get many customers through its third-party credit provider approval requirements.
“Customers with credit scores of 700 are being turned down,” Trujillo says. “Also, larger transactions are not being approved by the customer’s credit card provider.”
Goldenwest is trying to help ease the credit crunch for customers by accepting as many payment tiffany rings options as possible, including national credit cards, PayPal, Google Checkout, layaway, privatelabel credit cards and “Bill Me Later” options. To reduce chargebacks, the company is working more closely with customers on settlements, payment plans, discounts and even returns in extreme cases.
Highlighting the tightrope that jewelers are walking between the need to tighten credit in the current poor economy and the need to keep sales growing, Gassman says credit is simply too important for jewelers to just cut off the spigot.
“However, they have gotten more particular about who is offered credit, how much is offered and at what interest rate,” he says. “And the lack of credit availability has really hurt industry sales.”
Useful Tips for Selling Jewelry at Online Pawn Shops
Online pawn shops are popping up all over on the internet these days. With the current state of the economy, a record number of consumers are opting to go with an online pawn shop instead of a traditional pawn shop.
With pawn shops across the US reporting record traffic to their stores, hopeful sellers are looking to cash in on the selling gold necklaces jewelry phenomenon. Over the past 90 days, the price of gold has ranged from $910 to $750 an ounce.
“No longer does a consumer need to drive to a part of town that may be unsafe to pawn or sell gold jewelry. Using an online pawn shop is just another example of how the internet has made our everyday lives easier,” said Ian Shiell of GoldPawnShop.com.
GoldPawnShop.com, the leading online Tiffany and co jewelry pawn shop has put together a list of 5 useful tips for consumers who wish to sell jewelry online:
1. Make sure the website has a phone number and contact form. This
information is important in case you need to speak with someone.
2. Only deal with online pawn shops that offer a money back guarantee. This
provides security in case you are not satisfied with your payout.
3. Ask about adding additional insurance for high ticket items.
4. Current market value for gold fluctuates on a daily basis, so
today’s price of gold may not be the same tomorrow.
5. If you need cash in a hurry, ask about direct deposit.
The retail markup on jewelry can be upwards of 300% to 400%. When you want to sell gold jewelry for cash, remember that the payout offered is based on wholesale gold prices, not retail. “Consumers should not expect to get anything near what they paid retail for their gold key rings jewelry,” said Mr. Shiell.
About GoldPawnShop.com
GoldPawnShop.com was created to help consumers generate cash from unwanted gold jewelry or broken jewelry. Our easy website takes the stress and aggravation out of finding a traditional brick and mortar pawn shop to sell jewelry and offers a money back guarantee.
Russell Simmons, Founder of Simmons Jewelry Co., Presented the 2009 GEM Award for Style
The 2009 awards drew hoards of industry leaders and professionals to recognize companies and individuals whose work promotes the visibility and status of fine jewelry and watches to consumers. The JIC, the consummate authority on these products, specifically praised Russell for his Simmons Tiffany and co. collections that effortlessly fuse urban concepts with chic, of-the-moment design elements. LL Cool J emphasized Russell’s connection to numerous charitable endeavors worldwide. Stemming from his passion for both the jewelry industry and the development of underprivileged communities, Russell founded the Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF) in 2007. Funds from Simmons Jewelry Co.’s “Green Bracelet” provide crucial support for this educational initiative in Africa.
With Russell at the helm, the sophistication of the Simmons Jewelry Co. collections has drawn a new consumer to the jewelry industry — a consumer receptive and enthusiastic to his modern take on traditional jewelry. The embrace of Russell’s unique design will surely perpetuate the jewelry industry’s relevance for generations.
Jewelry, paintings, graffiti to line downtown streets
You can love or hate Valentine’s Day with its lacy doilies and sappy love notes, but most people look favorably on one aspect of the holiday — chocolate.
The Downtown Chandler Community Partnership is well aware of the sweet-tooth cravings that abound leading up to Valentine’s Day, and the organization is offering free chocolate to the first 50 people who come to their booth at the Downtown Chandler Art Walk on Wednesday.
Artwork featured will include photography, tiffany jewelry, paintings and more. Musicians will also provide entertainment.
“We will have the Brisas Mallets, which is a group of elementary school performers,” said organization member Eileen Brill Wagner. “They are very talented, and when they played last year they drew a huge crowd.”
Brill Wagner encourages all members of Chandler families to come out for the event.
“Kids can be dropped off at Mind Over Splatter, which is a downtown shop, for a free activity while their parents browse around the art walk,” she said.
Some of the art to be featured will include work by John Koleszar, who uses a spray-painting technique with handmade stencils, and urban graffiti by artists Brez and Closer.
“The group of artists who make up the art walk are a jury,” Brill Wagner said. “If other artists are interested in displaying their work on the art walk, they submit photos and the jury votes. We limit the number of artists in each category so that we don’t have too much of one thing.”
“It’s a wonderful evening to stroll along the downtown streets where the restaurants are open,” Brill Wagner said. “I can’t think of pendants a better family-friendly thing to do for free on a Wednesday night.”
Chandler Art Walk
When: 5-9 p.m. first Wednesday of the month
Where: Historic downtown Chandler
Admission: Free
Information: Downtown Chandler Community Partnership, (480) 855-3539
Jewelry is the ultimate discretionary purchase, so local retailers are getting creative to lure customers.
Freddy Strauss can gauge the economy by the decline in the size of the diamond engagement rings he’s selling at his store in Miami’s Seybold building.
These days, happy couples are opting for a diamond between 3/4-karat and 1 karat — half the size of the average ring during boom times.
“I’m probably selling a similar amount, but they’re Tiffany and co lower-priced,” Strauss said.
His business was down low double-digit percentages during the holiday season, normally one of the most popular times for engagements. But Strauss actually is in a better position than many in the jewelry industry. Couples still get married in recessions, and most guys wouldn’t think of skipping the engagement ring if they want a happy marriage.
Skipping the gold bracelet or pair of diamond earrings is a different story. As job losses and the stock market crash take their toll on consumer confidence, jewelry has become a luxury many people can’t afford. Even those who can are scaling back.
And while Valentine’s Day is a popular time for jewelry purchases, most retailers aren’t expecting a boom in business this week.
“The environment isn’t encouraging for people to go out and spend flamboyantly on a $10,000 tiffany necklaces ,” said Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing, a firm that specializes in luxury consumer behavior.
Local retailers are finding ways to cope. Some are bringing in new, lower-priced merchandise, while others are marketing heavily to the ultra-wealthy.
Nationally, the picture is not pretty. Holiday jewelry sales during November and December were down 31 percent at Mayors stores, the bulk of which are located in South Florida. Tiffany was down 35 percent, Zale 19.6 percent. Sterling Jewelers, which owns Jared the Galleria of bangles Jewelry and Kay Jewelers, was down 16.4 percent.
“This year’s holiday season has proven to be extremely difficult,” said a statement from Thomas A. Andruskevich, president and chief executive of Birks & Mayors, which has co-headquarters in Tamarac. “The losses suffered by investors in the equity markets, historically low consumer confidence and lack of visibility in the economic outlook resulted in a significant reduction in consumer spending.”
Between 1,500 and 2,000 jewelry store locations closed in 2008, including the bankruptcies of major mall-based chains Whitehall and Friedman’s jewelers. And the industry is bracing for another difficult year in 2009.
“It’s survival mode,” said Rob Bates, senior editor of Jewelers Circular Keystone, a leading trade publication. “Companies are just trying to get through this and hope to make it out the other side. In this environment, being big isn’t necessarily an asset. A lot of the independents are doing much better by comparison.”
Being smaller has proven to be an advantage for many of South Florida’s independent jewelers, particularly those who have been in the market for decades and built relationships with their customers. They’re holding on, refocusing their merchandise and in some cases even seeing increases in business.
Jeff Malvin, president of Beverly’s Jewelers, saw the economy slowdown coming last spring and started adjusting the merchandise at his three Broward County stores so he was ready.
By the time the fourth quarter arrived, Malvin had brought in new showcases of lower-priced silver rings jewelry and other alternative metals in fashion-oriented styles. For Valentine’s Day, he’s promoting these products with ads, “Look like a million for under $100.”
“You’ve got to pull your head out of the sand and adapt to what’s happening,” said Malvin, whose sales were flat for 2008, but down for the holidays. “You have to have your finger on the pulse of your local neighborhood. We adjust to the customer’s needs. Women still want jewelry, but at a price point they can afford.”
H. Bredemeier, owner of H&H Jewels in Coconut Grove, has been able to spur business by helping clients remodel old jewelry or trade it in for credit on a new purchase.
“The last six months I’ve done more trades then I’ve done in the last two years,” Bredemeier said. His sales for 2008 were down 30 percent, but that follows a 23.5 percent jump in 2007.
“We’re still doing numbers like 2005,” he said. “We were making a living in 2005. You just have to readjust.”
For Ed Dikes, owner of Weston Jewelers, the adjustment has meant shifting his business in a different direction — toward the ultra-luxury consumer. He’s added more high-priced watches and diamond jewelry at prices of $25,000 and higher. Dikes has found that most of his customer demand is concentrated in that area, as well as some demand for items between $500 and $1,500.
What’s disappeared for Dykes and others is the aspirational client, who a couple years ago was trading up and living off a big bonus.
“The high net worth client seems to always have the money; they haven’t been hit as much,” said Dikes, whose strategy helped his business finish 2008 with a sales increase. “The person who was the $10,000 buyer can’t afford to make purchases anymore because they’re worried about making ends meat.”
The economy didn’t seem to be putting a damper on the spirits of the luxury consumers who came to celebrate Levinson Jewelers’ grand opening last week on Las Olas Boulevard. They sipped champagne and checked out items like a 37-karat emerald cut diamond ring for $6 million.
Karon and Lew Cohen were thrilled the Levinsons had found them the 16-karat, three-stone diamond ring they had been searching for.
“Whatever is not here, they can find it for you,” said Karon Cohen, a Miami Beach resident who was proudly displaying her new purchase. “They sell you jewelry that suits your personality, not based on just making a sale.”
Levinson customer Robert Weinstein is actually buying more bracelets jewelry these days for his fiancee, Karina Modrin.
“It’s a good investment,” said Weinstein, a Boca Raton resident who recently purchased a diamond necklace, earrings and engagement ring. “It’s like buying fine art. These are all solid commodities. Diamonds are only going to go up. It’s better than putting your money in the stock market.”
Weinstein isn’t the only one. Jewelers in South Florida who cater to the ultra-wealthy say they’ve seen an increase in customers looking to buy collectable watches, diamonds and gold as investments.
But those customers are being very picky about what they buy, said Sandy Hequin, owner of Morays Jewelers in downtown Miami.
“Bling is out,” Hequin said. “Nobody wants to be flashy and call attention to themselves and make others feel bad. They want to be conservative. Classic, investment quality is what people want.”
The good news for South Florida’s jewelers is that even though buying habits are changing, many consumers are at least still spending.
“Miami has always been very different than any other market,” Hequin said. “We always have someone with money to spend.”
Keeping the sparkle in the fine jewelry business
Jewelry is the sort of purchase that promises a certain poignancy, the gift that often holds its value and can hold an emotional meaning for generations to come. Yet, in this economy, it’s a luxury many consumers have decided to forgo.
“Even with clothing, you still have to put something on, but for tiffany jewellery?” asked Deborah Cohn, an associate professor of marketing at Touro College Graduate School of Business. “It’s not food. It’s not clothing. It’s not shelter. You can just do without it.”
As the recession continues to pummel the big national and regional players in retail jewelry sales, many of Long Island’s independent jewelers say their revenues also have taken a hit. To stay alive, Long Island jewelry shops say they’ve adopted an array of strategies, from emphasizing their restyling and resetting services and buying old jewelry to flying to their best clients’ winter homes to stage jewelry shows.
“It’s not like we’re going to reinvent the wheel, but we are trying to do as much buying of old gold, diamonds and jewelry, whether estate or vintage, that we can resell in its present form and give people a better value because the costs to create it are less expensive,” said Len Margolis, owner of Le Joaillier Fine bangles Jewelry in Garden City and Locust Valley. “And we are stressing the repair business, because I think more than ever people are wanting to maintain the value of the jewelry they do have.”
Not a pretty picture
On many fronts, the picture hasn’t been pretty in the jewelry retail sector. In 2008, bankruptcies among retail jewelers and repairers jumped 21 percent from the previous year, according to the Jewelers Board of Trade, a Rhode Island-based credit reporting agency specializing in the jewelry industry.
Specialty jewelers, retailers devoted specifically to fine rings jewelry, account for 48 percent of the $64.7 billion U.S. jewelry market. The other half of jewelry sales are generated by multiline merchants such as Wal-Mart, Kohl’s, Sears and others.
The holiday season — when many jewelers record a significant portion of their annual revenues — was disappointing but not entirely unexpected, with sales for that period dropping 30 percent to 50 percent among the several local jewelers interviewed.
The big players like Zale Corp. and Finlay Enterprises Inc. reported large sales drops — 19.6 percent and 23.7 percent, respectively — for November and December. And others, like Whitehall Jewelers Inc. and Christian Bernard, filed for bankruptcy and decided to liquidate their companies.
But many local jewelry shops say they have been able to hold their own so far.
Toni Lea Corwin and Timothy Corwin, a husband-and-wife team, are the fourth-generation owners of Corwin’s Main Street Jewelers in Southampton. The shop has been in operation since 1879, and it’s not unusual for their clients to approach them on the street or in another Southampton store with questions about jewelry, they say.
The Corwins, whose 2008 holiday sales were down about 30 percent, own the building where their shop is located, so they are able to keep their overhead costs down. And like other smaller jewelry retailers, they provide repair and restoration services, which help draw in foot traffic.
“Once you have the foot traffic established, while they are getting their ring sized or repaired, they see something they like, and then I get the sale,” Toni Lea Corwin said.
Many jewelers said they adopted a more proactive style, using advertising, direct calls to longtime customers and their Web sites to make sales. At the same time, they have turned to highlighting some of their less expensive options, a necessary strategy in this economy, Cohn said.
Jewelers have to find a way to offer the gift “that says ‘I love you’ without breaking the bank,” she added.
Spending less
Geoffrey Nance, 51, of Huntington is one of those jewelry customers who is spending less but is continuing to buy.
“When it’s a special event, jewelry usually has a lot more meaning than buying a sweater or perfume,” said Nance, who was in Maddy’s Fine Jewelers in Syosset looking at bracelets as a seventh wedding anniversary present. “. . . And you’ll have a much better chance of getting her something she will like.”
Negotiating an 8 percent discount in his rent for six months helped lower expenses for Emanuel Sofiev, owner of Maddy’s, but he also has geared his marketing toward the price-sensitive customer.
For the Christmas holidays and Valentine’s Day, he sent out mailers to customers, promoting options such as resetting and restyling older jewelry to get a fresh look, or trading in their old gold and diamonds to offset the cost of a new piece of bracelets jewelry. He said he is able to keep expenses down because much of the labor is done in-house, and his family has a diamond wholesale business.
“They were able to get a fresh look with something modern without spending thousands,” Sofiev said of his campaign.
Freedman Jewelers in Huntington has a factory and a service department that does jewelry and watch repairs for other jewelers, said owner Eric Freedman. Freedman also is a partner in a ruby and sapphire trading business and is involved in a Colombian emerald mining operation, he said, so he was able to make a good profit from selling the stones.
Even so, Freedman traveled out of the state to hold jewelry parties at his friends’ winter homes in North Carolina and Palm Beach and Boca Raton, Fla., to keep his 2008 holiday sales consistent with the prior year’s revenue.
“They had their girlfriends over like a Tupperware party, except this was the real deal,” Freedman said. “We offered some good prices to buy there, and they did.”
Check out ‘Project Runway’ winner’s collection, Dallas designer’s jewelry, and the latest trends in fashion and hair
Project Runway season four winner Christian Siriano brings his “fierce style” to McKinney Avenue’s Tiffany and co Forty Five Ten today and Saturday. Stop by the store from 12 to 4 p.m. both days to shop from the fall collection and order looks from spring 2010.
Dallas jewelry designer Elizabeth Showers celebrates her new open-to-the-public showroom at 3131 Turtle Creek Blvd., Suite 1118, from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday. While there, shop her fall 2009 18-karat gold collection, enjoy Champagne and desserts, and use your Partners Card. For more information, call 214-879-9944.
See the latest trends in both fashion and hair at 6 p.m. Sunday when Lovers Lane neighbors Osgood-O’Neil Salon and Elements collaborate on a fashion show. Seating is limited at the salon-hosted event, which includes nibbles from Bolsa, so get your $20 ticket at www.osgood oneil.com. The evening benefits children’s charity Variety.
New York’s Wilhelmina Models (home to Halle Berry’s baby-daddy Gabriel Aubry) is sending representatives to Dallas in search of six-packs. More specifically, the Wilhelmina Hot Body Model Search invites nonmodest hard-bodies age 18 and up to Plano’s Gold’s Gym to show off their healthy lifestyles to a trainer and a camera. Five male and five female finalists from across the nation will head to New York later this year, where two winners (one male, one female) each will receive a five-year modeling contract and some glossy love in Shape or Men’s Fitness magazines, co-sponsors of the contest. For details, go to www.wilhelmina modelsearch.com.
Louis Vuitton hits NorthPark Center in a major way on Monday, with the opening of a 6,200-square- foot location between Montblanc and the forthcoming Bulgari store. The free-standing emporium is Dallas’ second LV location, joining Galleria Dallas, and offers a two-story glass facade opening directly onto CenterPark — a second entrance through which to nab leather goods, men’s and women’s shoes, watches, textiles, sunglasses, jewelry and other logo loo
Pranaa Ayurveda Spa & Yoga celebrates a second anniversary this month and will host an open house from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. bangles Stop by to check out Dallas’ only Ayurvedic spa. See www.pranaa.com for info.
Stop by Victory Park’s VOD Thursday to check out the Mad Max-ish shoes from LA-based LD Tuttle, which will be in the boutique as part of a one-day trunk show. The Italian-made but Belgian-looking designs were featured in the spring 2010 runway shows from Victoria Bartlett and Dallas model turned brand builder Erin Wasson.
Nordstrom NorthPark previews spring 2010 looks from Jason Wu from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. rings today. The New York designer’s director of sales will be in the Collectors department on level two to assist with your selections. To schedule an appointment, call 214-231-3900, ext. 1350.
Sierra Leone-born, Finland-trained textile designer Elizabeth Anyaa is an artist-in-residence at Southside on Lamar and will host a trunk show there Saturday, featuring her handmade pillows, throws, jackets, capes, scarves, skirts and dresses. The show and sale will be in studio 104 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., with a portion of sales benefiting the projects and programs of Dallas-based nonprofit Today Marks the Beginning (www.todaymarksthe beginning.org). LD Tuttle “Moon” open-toe calf-skin boot, $570, VOD18-karat gold Madeleine ring with diamonds, quartz and mother of pearl, $1,705, Elizabeth ShowersLV opens at NP.
Jewelry store robber arrested at downtown hotel
A 19-year-old man is under arrest after police say he stole a watch from a downtown tiffany jewelry story Sunday after he told an employee he had a gun.
Milwaukee police said the suspect entered the Gold’N Jewels store at 275 W. Wisconsin Ave. about 2:30 p.m. He initially asked to see a ring but then asked to look at a $150 Super Techno-brand watch, which he put into his pocket as he claimed to have a gun, according to Milwaukee police Sgt. Mark Stanmeyer.
The suspect threatened to shoot the employee as he demanded money, but then ran off.
Security workers from the Shops at Grand Avenue ran after the man and flagged down two key rings Milwaukee police officers, Nathan Jurvelin and Timothy Ptaszek, on Wisconsin Avenue.
The officers caught the suspect inside the Doubletree Hotel, 611 W. Wisconsin Ave., where he was arrested. No gun was found.
Credit: Milwaukee Journal necklaces Sentinel
Elle Macpherson Donates the First Timepiece in the Aspen Jewelry and Watches Collection to Challenge Aspen
“Challenge Aspen was honored to be a co-beneficiary with AVSC from the generous gift of the Aspen One watch given by Elle Macpherson and Rene van Ass, CEO of Aspen Jewelry and Watches,” says Cowan of Challenge Aspen. “The proceeds from this watch will scholarship more than 50 families with disabilities to enjoy Challenge tiffany Aspen’s winter and summer programs. Elle and Rene have truly helped us take the ‘Dis out of Disability’ for some very special young people.” As a result of the donation, the Aspen One watch will be presented in Washington DC at the Kennedy Center for the launch of Challenge America on June 8th, 2009. Vince Gill and Amy Grant along with other entertainers are hosting the event and Honorary Chairs are Former Presidents Carter, Bush Sr., Bill Clinton, along with Colin Powell, Bob Woodruff, and former Senator Bill Frist. Challenge America is a national movement to initiate and support programs and services to meet the needs of our returning wounded warriors and their families. “Aspen One is honored to be a part of this challenge and participate in this very important cause,” states Rene van Ass.
Mark Cole states, “As a mother and skier, Elle knows how important it is for all children in the valley to have the opportunity to experience our mountains in winter. Her wonderful generosity and the amazing cooperation from Aspen Jewelry and Watches means AVSC can help the many families who need support this year. What a beautiful way for them to give back to the community which has become special to them.”
The second watch will be given to the Quality of Life Foundation, based in the Netherlands, which has already raised more than $10 million for children’s cancer research. The trip ended with lunch at Sneaky’s Tavern in Snowmass and dinner at the Hotel Jerome.
Aspen One Launch
Press from countries including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia bracelets, Italy and the US documented Aspen One events at a plethora of local establishments. The itinerary Press were the first to see the Aspen One timepiece at a media-only unveiling of not only Aspen One, but of the new http://www.aspenjewelryandwatches.com at Meridian Jewelers, the first of fifty exclusive retailers worldwide. Press then visited the Aspen One monument, which was placed on Aspen Mountain’s Black Diamond Lode, designed to display the names of each buyer, along with their number, which represents one virtual foot of Aspen Mountain’s 3,276 feet.
Aspen One-The Timepiece
Founder and CEO Rene van Ass states, “Aspen is internationally known for its natural beauty, perfect slopes and the glamorous appeal of its famous visitors. Aspen is a brand…a very strong brand. Aspen Jewelry and Watches has been granted the worldwide license to use the Aspen name for the collections we are introducing, the first being Aspen One. By marketing this collection, we are marketing Aspen as it is…and what it was. We will emphasize Aspen’s rich history and we want people all over the world to fall in love with Aspen even more.”
The precious Swiss-made timepiece, offered in four-color combinations of 18 kt white or rose gold cufflinks, carries unique features that communicate elements specific to Aspen. A specially-designed compass shows you where you are once on top of Aspen Mountain, and the watch tells you when it is time to change your ski-strap to your apres-ski strap (done in a few seconds with a patent-pending technique similar to removing a ski from a boot) at four o’ clock. Orange is the color of the number four on the dial, which in the tradition of the Ute Indians, indicates prosperity, and it would be later known to represent mountain safety. Four is also the time that Aspen Mountain closes its lifts, marking the time for apres ski. On the mountain and around town, Aspen One also presents gloves, specially designed to showcase the face of the watch.