Ekaweeka | jules smith's EkaBlog : jules smith ***** luxe resort jewelry, jewelry designer, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, Virgin Islands US : Ekaweeka - The Small Business Community - Artists, Crafters, Painters, Designers, Small Businesses, Show, Tell, Shop, Sell Unique Handmade, Independantly Crafted.

life of a jewelry designer

June 16, 2008 5:07pm

SUMMER SALE !	Views: 293
shop online @ www.julessmithdesigns.com enter code: jules20 at checkout save 20% - NOW!
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April 07, 2008 4:45pm

SPRING IS IN! perez hilton & much more.....	Views: 326
spring is IN and we've had tons going on in '08 check out our latest collections @ www.julessmithdesigns.com. * skin city * * kiss off * * solera * we've been spotted in celebrity rags: InTouch, Star, OK!, Life & Style, US Weekly, People's StyleWatch Issue fashion magazines: InStyle, Lucky, Jezebel, Peace, WWD Japan, Gotham websites, blogs, TV, newspapers: amNewYork, The Today Show, KristopherDukes.com, Star.com, the almighty VOGUE.com, OK.com, HollyScoop.com, and attached the very latest greatest celebrity blogger PEREZHILTON.COM !!!
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December 17, 2007 10:20am

MTV's AUDRINA of The Hills rocks 'kiss kiss petite' necklace	Views: 353

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December 09, 2007 7:30pm

Bloggipops and candy canes!	Views: 324
Well, it's that time again. I love the holidays! I know that the holidays mean different things to everyone, family time for some, vacation time for others, get really, really lazy time for many, and for us at Jules Smith, it means crazy time. BUT…crazy in a good way. We want to thank everybody who has supported us this year and we are super duper grateful for your time and thoughts. Even if you consider yourself a grinch, there is something about the holidays that makes you smile…come on…admit it. We have some great stuff coming up!! So keep your eyes peeled. Look for us in OK Weekly Dec 12 and the January issues of InStyle! If you're still looking for that special gift for that special someone…. here's the first part of our holiday gift guide. Of course, we are a little bias… Kiss Kiss Petite Studs - two kisses are always better than one! Anchors Away – quite possibly the best necklace for spring! Moscato Bricco Quaglia - mmmmmm Peter Island Paradise Now Vacation - ahhhh Built to Spill "Keep it Like a Secret" Bulgari Eau Perfumee – Green Tea blended with Jasmine, Rose and Citrus. Stay tuned for part deux!
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November 30, 2007 9:07am

the Today Show!! kiss and tell...	Views: 303
we made it on to the Today Show this morning! the Makeover Section was styled with jules smith jewelry... YAY! check out our SNEAK PEEK at our new super fun little line 'kiss and tell' www.julessmithdesigns.com happy holidays!
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November 19, 2007 1:06pm

*SALE SALE SALE*	Views: 313
Monday Nov 26th ONLY 20% off use code jules20 @ www.julessmithdesigns.com * midnite to midnite * MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!
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November 19, 2007 12:57pm

are we crazy??	Views: 285
You would think we have our shiz together by now…great accounts, international press, celebrity clients...these guys got it going on…nope!! I’m sure we aren’t that far off in terms of startups, but sometimes this entrepreneurial mind game gets to be a bit much. Are we crazy to do this??…. What is sweat equity really worth??? And are you supposed to literally sweat??? Scene: my husband and I both reading self help books in the VI and our third wheel, our lifeline in Boulder, she’s reading one too! We need self help books, this is not a choice. Scene: Me in line at FedE x in the USVI, disgruntled rasta in front of me and big ole’ security guard pressing up behind me and Joni fighting with the mean, superficial, plastic UPS psycho in Boulder who has been banned from other locations. Simultaneously experiencing the woes of customer service… Scene: Joni hidden under a pile of baggies, looking like Pablo Escobar in her apartment desperate to get our holiday orders in store by black Friday. Me stuck in town because my island heap broke down, another disgruntled rasta begging me for change and I can’t get back to my house because “all circuits are busy” and I can’t call for a ride. Scene: an UBER important order arrives and the clasps for the necklaces are on the wrong side. Joni has blisters on her fingers from the sweat shop that used to be her apartment and I have some crack head in NYC order the wrong stones and my orders get pushed until after Thanksgiving. Thus, negating all of the blood, sweat and tears that went into getting the order in early in the first place. Scene: Thanksgiving falling early and our steeze being totally crunched because 11/30 cancel dates seem soooo much closer and the stress of it making us all sick to our stomachs. At least we have self help books to read. Our first busy holiday is crazy and we’re going to make it through….we have one piece of good news. We hired an intern!!!! She is a lovely girl from LA and we like her lots. WELCOME DALIT!!!
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November 08, 2007 9:18am

brooklyn	Views: 348
We’re in NY again..starting our new collection and meeting with our new PR firm SHADOW PR!!! Brad Zeifman and Lisette Sand-Freedman just launched Shadow and they have already acquired the likes of Victoria Secret, Armani Exchange and Intermix. We are very excited about moving forward with them and hope this is a step in the right direction for Jules Smith. We have been staying in Brooklyn with our dear friends Sasha and Nick...Fort Greene to be exact, and we love it!!! The streets are riddled with a healthy blend of bohos, hippies, hipsters, native Brooklynites and of course your token NYC freaks (those which don’t fit in to any category), that always give the neighborhood so much flavor. The streets are painted with trees, and the residents have little planters outside that make the streets colorful and welcoming. It is pretty damn cold for us islanders, but with a November as mild as this one, we really can’t complain. GOD FORBID we curse the New Yorkers into another brutal winter. We like Brooklyn and we think we may be able to hack it, which is GREAT news because it is soooo much more affordable than Manhattan and the vibe is a lot more island style. (Which we at Jules Smith are unfortunately codependent on at this point). Tonight we are actually chilling in Brooklyn for dinner, so that will be the real test...we really, really, really want to like it!!! Our friends tell us they don’t think we can do it....we’ll have to see... what do YOU think of brooklyn??
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October 24, 2007 2:27pm

GO SOX!	Views: 376
Slowly but surely Jules Smith is growing…we have a sales showroom, we have a few more people helping out with the day to day (bookkeeper is next – YAY!!!!), and most importantly, we just hired a very powerful and reputable PR firm to help us expand our brand. GO SOX!!!!! We are looking to open an “official” office in NYC and we are currently tossing around the idea of applying to a few of the jewelry trade shows in addition to the fashion and accessories shows we are already participating in. GO SOX!!!!! Our sales have expanded globally and we have many of the key boutiques across the globe carrying our line. With growth comes many ups and downs, a lot of stress and anxiety, but many doors open and it’s only a matter of time before we force ourselves to walk through them. GO SOX!!!!! All of the key people involved in Jules Smith right now are experiencing an array of emotions, a lot of that has to do with the anxiety surrounding the pressures to have a kick ass holiday season like we did last year!!! GO SOX!!!!! Right now our organization is a little bit all over the place, as any start-up business should be, but with my husband and I residing in the Caribbean and our #1 girl living in Boulder, CO, things are truly a trip! GO SOX!!!!! It’s amazing to me that I can spend my Sunday on a yacht in the BVI, while someone I work closely with every day, sits at her house telling me about the snow storm she experienced the night before. GO SOX!!!!! She has a cat, we have a dog, but they don’t fight because they’ve never met… GO SOX!!!!! We spend so much time on our computers that we have a nickname for them, which makes us laugh really hard every time we say it and we all have perma brain fry, from typing on these bad boys all day. GO SOX!!!!! Ok, I’m not sure where any of this is going, but i guess my computer brain led me to write this boring ass blog, that speaks of nothing worth speaking about really. GO SOX!!!!!
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October 17, 2007 3:57pm

fall collections + INTERMIX !	Views: 389
hey there! our fall collections are up for you to check out! www.julessmithdesigns.com we also mentioned some upcoming BIG BIG news a while back..... we're excited about ALL of our new retailers, but... -INTERMIX- will now be carrying jules smith in ALL of their locations! you can check out this AB FAB boutique at www.intermixonline.com. that's all for now.... happy fall from jules smith!
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October 10, 2007 8:43pm

Fantasy Football & St Barth’s	Views: 315
Computer backlash… is my celebrity obsession being replaced with sports? My name is Gina and I’m an addict. A fantasy football addict. A few weeks ago, (6 to be exact) my brother invited me to join a Fantasy Football league. Thinking nothing of it, and really just doing it as a favor to him, I signed up. After a few wins (actually a 4 week undefeated streak!!!) and a few smack cards from other players, I’m nothing short of obsessed with the game. Just as I used to bust tail to the computer to check Perez Hilton, I’m now spending my free time on Espn.com. I’ve become completely engulfed by my fantasy team, so much that I watch sports center to keep up with injury reports and league predictions…scary thoughts when the main thing on my mind right now should be designing our next collection…anyway these next events led me to believe that my addiction is bad and I may need help. I can list my malady in a few simple steps… Step 1, wine tasting. Step 2, invite to St Barts from a fabulous couple we hang out with, Step 3 more wine tasting, Step 4 drunken purchases, Step 5 call to airline begging them to change my ticket without a change fee because I was so drunk I booked tickets for the wrong day, Step 6 fabulous weekend in st barths, step 7 broken winning streak on fantasy football because I had no computer access in st barths, step 8 MAJOR remorse and party guilt, step 9 flight home, step 10 still upset, step 11 write a blog in a feeble attempt to get over my loss…
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September 26, 2007 10:52am

so you think you want to work in FASHION?	Views: 305
the not so glamorous side... you work in fashion. it's all very glamorous. until you have a day like this. actually it starts the nite before. a very late late nite leading to so few hours of sleep i could cry just re-living it now. we finish some very very very long days at Fashioin Coterie in NYC which i must say was a great success. again, they came, they liked. we are stoked! another couple days of doing the jules smith shuffle from one place to another....little sweaty sweatstoffersons working the streets, and then busting back to the apartment to ship orders, catch up on a week's worth of emails all on our saturday day of shopping. the shopping only lasted a couple hours anyway as we hit the wall which was good since our credit cards hit it a long long time ago. sunday is hungover with movies until it's time to run to JFK. gina barely makes it and i'm just on time. we board. i fall asleep. only to wake up an hour later staring at the same patch of concrete......still in nyc. those of us with connecting flights de-plane to re-schedule, then board again. the plane had mechanical problems. (same as my trip in.) then as soon as it's almost fixed, the jet blast from another plane fires a luggage carrier into our right wing. not going anywhere. so we de-plane. we sit. and sit. and sit. finally another plane shows up but we still might not be able to make it happen due to rules and regs on how long the pilots can work....so now they are getting short with us, the customers, on being quick about boarding. hmmmmm. finally i arrive in Dallas well past midnite when i should have been there MUCH earlier. we are handed these little pieces of paper in the most unorganized fashion i've ever seen. i actually got "fussed" at for asking for one oh-so-politely. we are to take the shuttle to the Ramada for 4 hours of sleep. simple right? get down there and every other frickin' hotel van passes, but no Ramada. i call the hotel and he says, oh we don't use our own vans, we use a service. you think American could have informed us?? or someone? how were we to know the van would say RC1748???? so we finally get an RC whatever and just as we are loading 17 people into a 7 passenger van, the police show up and arrest our driver. this dude on my flight was SO enraged (we saw him freak out earlier with every right to do so) that apparently they got into it and the driver sucker-punched him! by this point, it's well after 1am and my beautiful mexican friend i be-friended (and have guided throught the hassles) in the madness are like: WTF????? call the ramada to send another driver. this "business" man offers to pay for a cab for all of us but of course there are no cabs at that hour. a random car service guy shows up so we hop in with him. the guy doesn't have enough cash (WTF?) so i pay for my friend and i, and we finally get into the hotel lobby where another woman from the flight is freaking out on the poor desk clerk cuz there is no ink in the printer to print her complaint letter to American Airlines. i won't get into the security line issues the next morning, but i will add that in the meantime i'm getting a little worried that The Boy (boyfriend) hasn't returned any of my calls to pick me up or what have you.......turns out that saturday nite he hopped into someone's yard on his bike (ex pro show style?) and ran into some wall and busted his head open, hospital, stitches, semi-unconcious. sweeeet. i shuttle from the airport. then i walk home. it's cold and raining. i'm carrying heavy bags of jewelry. a day later i still don't feel quite up to par as a sinus infection has set in and i want to remove my head from the rest of me. "the glamorous, glamorous glamorous life" yeah right, fergie. BUT - as we always say - at least we can laugh!!!!! xoxo jones guest blogger
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September 21, 2007 7:50am

LIVE from Coterie, NYC	Views: 280
ok. we were talking big about blogging LIVE from Coterie, but the world wide web wasn't on our side OR in our booth. a bit belated... We're at the Piers!! Pier 94 to be exact. A brief recap of what's happening right now. Our booth has yellow walls, the lights are frickin' hot and we just cleaned 1 zillion dust particles off our shelves. We've had a great few days, with our list of stores expanding INTERNATIONALLY!!! We had the privelege of seeing Lauren Conrad yesterday…her booth is right around the corner and we're lucky enough to be across the way from Rebecca Minkoff. The sales girls have been great and love our candy as much as our gems. The show is crowded with fashionable people, dressed to the nines. Some make you want to shop and shop and shop and others make you wish the industry would shrivel up and die. We saw this awesome poser yesterday wearing a bellhop hat in gold lame…oh yes we did. There are also so many beautiful women cruising the hallways that you could vomit all over yourself. There is a large contingency of Japanese buyers that are the most adorable and lovely people in the joint. Some of our editor friends have come by to say hi and we've met some new friends too! We're off to lunch…it's late and the lunch hour is coming to a close quickly. Not that we're worried about running out of food as we can readily assume that 90% of the people in here don't eat, but we have noticed that fat free half and half is a hot commodity. Good thing we wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. xo
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September 12, 2007 2:17pm

ATTN: RETAILERS and PRESS *** Coterie, NYC, Sept. 18,19,20	Views: 282
we'd love to meet you..... please stop by our booth at Coterie in NYC Sept. 18,19,20 Pier 94, 2818 with Cynthia O'Connor and Company If you cannot be at Coterie: GET YOUR ORDERS IN NOW FOR HOLIDAY!!! cynthia o'connor and company 141 w 36th st floor 12A new york, new york 10018 212.594.4999 sales@cocandco.com www.cocandco.com
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September 10, 2007 10:41am

brit banned! lindsay and kenny bloggins sittin' in a tree...	Views: 248
if you are easily offended, we are ranting here so beware! Britney Spears has revealed exclusively to the world that she no longer gives a shit. Her performance last night at the VMA’s was nothing short of despicable; with her beer belly and bad hair gleaming at all time highs. Amen, at least that wait is over! But the wait to see which doe-eyed pop star is vying her premier slot as Hollywood’s most loveable train wreck is a crown we think worth fighting for. Who is it, and who will father her first bastard child? (we’re hoping it’s that tranny teen heart throb Efron) Will Britney take one more stab at a priceless fire crotch shot or hotspot late night cocaine video? Or, could Lindsay’s purported blow habit be that fabled straw that breaks the camel’s back? Hmmm… We are starting to feel the same attachments to poor little talented Lindsay that we once felt for Spears. Lindsay is our new Britney and we are screaming that loud and clear. Lindsay’s come back is like having our cake and eating it too! Move over Spears, we are officially over the Sperderline spats and your shoeless gallops through Tinseltown. LiLo is our new ho!
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September 06, 2007 11:35am

stay tuned...	Views: 268
Today is one of those days…Computer is running slow, brain is running slow, and I’m feeling like I’m about to burst. Too much to do in too little time…and it’s only 7 AM. We have this enormous trade show coming up, and unlike the last show, things aren’t running smoothly…everything I ordered is late and i can’t find displays, but it will come together – it always does. BUT BUT BUT We have some REALLY big news coming up!!! REAL REAL REAL REAL BIG!!! It’s going to make Jules Smith available to many more people!!!! Hopefully we’ll start to get more celebrities too! SO stay tuned to our blog and myspace page and all the other places you usually go to read up on the latest JSD info…we have some other tricks up our sleeve too! Never a dull moment! Stay tuned to our myspace page for updates! We’re in New Hampshire right now, for a wedding, so no crazy island stories to tell…but next week our guest writer Kenny Bloggins will blog LIVE from our booth at Coterie in NYC. Oh yeah, our summer sale just ended....gotta stay tuned to find out when we SALE again! ox, gina
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August 27, 2007 11:35am

20% OFF SALE ENDS LABOR DAY + ANGELINA JOLIE + NEW DESIGNS	Views: 260
NEW DESIGNS: website is updated with new goods - www.julessmithdesigns.com ANGELINA: rocks 'star struck' necklace with her kids' initials 20% OFF - HERE'S HOW: sign up for our blog @ www.myspace.com/julessmithdesigns and receive the code for 20% savings at www.julessmithdesigns.com SALE ENDS LABOR DAY. here comes fall! thanks for your support, ekaweeka!
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August 17, 2007 4:52pm

trade shows and tropical storms	Views: 265
Let me star by saying one thing WAAAHHHHHHHHH WAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Ok just had to get that out… I haven't blogged in like forevs, I know, but I've been running around new york city, sweating like a little piglet trying to get my shizz together for our first TRADE SHOW. Yup, Jules Smith is official…we showed at Intermezzo and we were received with smashing successes. We got an account in Canada and a few in my old stomping ground Chi-Tizzy and even one in Miami and Los Angeles and New Jersey and Brooklyn….and you see, people did like us!! Just before the trade show we signed on with a new showroom, Cynthia O'Connor and Co and we have about 1 million new designs that you haven't yet seen and judging by our preliminary responses, people LOVE them. The new designs will be live at the start of next week, so check out the website! I'm in the middle of Tropical Storm Dean right now. Tomorrow we are supposed to have 50mph winds! Our plan is to infiltrate our friend's house, watch movies and drink margaritas. At our little apt, we don't have a generator…we just sold our house with a generator and now are LIVIN' island style a cute little apartment. As we have power outages when it is sunny out, we know the power will be out when we wake up tomorrow and we're lucky if we get it back on Sunday… Monday is the start of a crazy week because I am showing at another trade show in NYC in September!! Which means more new designs!!!! More deadlines and more running around New York like a sweaty sweatofferson. CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY… my GF Joni, las jonitas, (pronounced las yonitas) is coming to NYC with me, and she will experience the joys of hanging out in the Javitz center for 3 days, rocking out jewelry. OK, the wind is ripping and the power is officially off……2 hours on a battery pack and it's the weekend!!! OK, this is what I feel like When I should feel like this…
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July 31, 2007 6:29pm

lindsay lohan rocks 'life saver' bangles	Views: 263
HOW IRONIC ok....the "upload photo" isn't working at the moment so see our images...it's the latest addition. thanks!!!!!
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July 18, 2007 11:51am

since the ekaweeka blog is new....	Views: 302
you can catch up on our most recent posts by designer, gina nigrelli, at www.myspace.com/julessmithdesigns here you can also find out about on-going sales etc. which will now also be posted here on ekaweeka! thanks for adding the blog !!!
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July 18, 2007 11:46am

how did i get here?	Views: 249
so there i was in my first year of business as a photo rep (photographer's representative) and a long comes one of my most bestest favorite friends asking me to rep her jewelry line. now she means rep- as in sales rep. i'm like: i don't wanna be no salesperson. what do i know about jewelry? nothing. what do i care? even less. much like clothes, i have a severe appreciation for all things creative, well-made with great attention to detail. but there is something to be said for being stylish using your own creative juices instead of what the media is telling you should be wearing, using, eating, consuming, consuming, consuming. and i will throw down for the right items... especially shoes. now THAT is where my addiction lies. but jewelry? isn't that something someone else is supposed to GIVE ME? so i'm puttering along in my first year of business which is to be expected, yet frustrating and very solo with no one to vent to about the unbelievable egos of some of the "artists" i represent... i decided, why not? gina and i had spoken in passing of other things we coud do together, but never seriously, we were never physically in the same place, and never jewelry. a year later, i find myself essentially working in fashion PR with jules smith designs as my primary client. what a trip, right? i LOVE the challenge of developing a brand and working with reliable, ambitious, creative, accountable, FUN people who actually think the same way i do!! sometimes you just have to follow the flow of your life and not resist what is actually happening and RIDE THE WAVE. joni media/marketing/PR ...guest blogger
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