Wedding Planning and Accessories

Amazon.com’s best selling wedding bands.

I guess when you look at what is currently considered best selling wedding bands on Amazon.com, it really is a sign of the times. There are a lot of tungsten and titanium wedding bands that are selling for less then what you might typically see in a brink-and-mortar jewelry store. And in the Top 100, you can see affordable precious metals such as sterling silver and 10kt or 14kt gold. And if you take a look at this titanium wedding band by a new designer, they are selling it for just $9.99! So that really tells you what the true cost of titanium might be. And also that  the American public is looking for great deals.

It’s a shame that when it comes to the Internet in America, precious metal wedding bands seem to be forgotten. And according to this article on NationalJeweler.com (Blue Nile bullish on U.S., eyes growth overseas), even a big online retailer like Blue Nile is looking to expand overseas for further growth. Hopefully that will help the precious metal wedding band market overall.

Why am I big on precious metals for wedding bands? Because gold, platinum and palladium all have value and can be sized or refinished down the road. Titanium and tungsten wedding bands can not be sized and have very little overall value. And to me, jewelry that is meant to be worn everyday should have some sort of value and the ability to last or be repaired if it wears out. Tungsten wedding bands can shatter, and many websites and dealers sell tungsten wedding bands at grossly inflated prices. You can actually judge the current value of a metal on a daily basis by keeping an eye on the metal markets. But tungsten? Tungsten's value is much less. But it does make a wedding band that looks cool and feels pretty sleek, so I understand the appeal, especially at these prices online.

To learn more about the metals that are commonly available for wedding bands, wedding rings and engagement rings, download the free PDF brochure – Choosing the Right Metal for Your Bridal Jewelry.

Last Chance for The $100,000 Valentine’s Day Giveaway!

Check your watch. Is it 11:59 PM yet on February 11th, 2010? If not, then there’s still time to enter a Valentine’s Day giveaway worth $100,000. What giveaway? Charleston Alexander’s $100,000 Rock & Roll Valentine’s Day Giveaway!

This event ends at around midnight on February 11th, 2010 so if you are in the mood to win some fantastic prizes, it might be worth a shot. There’s jewelry, cars and $20,000 cash. The $100,000 Rock & Roll Valentine’s Day Giveaway sounds like the ultimate BLING giveaway contest! It’s also free to enter.

From Novell’s wedding band blog:

Authorized Novell wedding band retailer Charleston Alexander Diamond Importers (with retail locations in Bethesda, Maryland and Falls Church, Virginia) has the Valentine’s Day giveaway of all Valentine’s Day giveaways. Just take a shot at guessing the last six digits of the secret vehicle identification number (in exact order) and win a ROCK ($25,000 in diamond jewelry) and ROLL (his and hers Nissan Passport vehicles) plus $20,000 in cool hard cash. If no one guesses correctly, Charles Alexander Diamond Importers will still award an “Ultimate Romantic Weekend” to whoever guesses the closest.

Enter to win the $100,000 Rock & Roll Valentine’s Day Giveaway*.

*Contest is open only to the first 5,000 eligible contestants to complete and submit an entry. See Official Rules for complete details. Contest ends February 11, 2010 – so enter now!

The Jewelry Book is a great way to research jewelry.

Are you looking for jewelry ideas, but not sure what the quality brands are? Or just don’t know where to start (aside from the local mall store)? Try reading the latest issue of The Jewelry Book.

The Jewelry Book is available to view online as a high quality PDF or in a Flash interactive version. If you see something that you may like, you can easily print out a page and deliver it right to your favorite jeweler. Sometimes The Internet can be a cluttered place to look for jewelry, so The Jewelry Book is a great place to start.

Here is more information about The Jewelry Book, and links to some of the top jewelry designers (from Novell’s wedding band blog):

 

Now online - the Winter 2010 issue of The Jewelry Book

View the newest edition of The Jewelry Book in an
interactive Flash format or as a PDF download.

Highlights include:

Made in America - A new way to think about Made in America.

Sholdt Design - In 2010, Sholdt celebrates seventy-five years of classic, made-in-America design.

Hofmeister - In a world of less-than-perfect service, Indianapolis-based Hofmeister Personal Jewelers is an oasis of excellence.

The Jewelry Made in America Gallery - See designs created by manufacturers and designers that can proudly say that their jewelry is Made in America.

Feel free to visit our featured designers and links:

Alex Sepkus| Atara| Bachendorf's Jewelers| Centurion

Charles Krypell| Christopher Designs| Gem Platinum| Hofmeister Personal Jewelers

Hoover and Strong| Jack Kelege| JB Star| Jeffrey Daniels | John Buechner

Katharine James| Lieberfarb| MCR Gems| Novell| Novell Platinum| Platinum Guild

Precision Set| Rudolf Friedmann| Sholdt Design

Crap! More winter!

Just when you think that spring might come early this year, a little critter named Punxsutawney Phil tramples on your dreams. It turns out that this world famous groundhog has indeed seen his shadow this year. No early blooms. No green grass in March. Darn it!

It’s okay. Little Punxsutawney Phil isn’t doing this on purpose. He just sees what he sees, and the rest is up to Mother Nature.

From Yahoo! News:

“Punxsutawney (puhnk-suh-TAW'-nee) Phil has emerged to see his shadow before chilly revelers in Pennsylvania, meaning winter will last another six weeks.”

“German tradition holds that if a hibernating animal sees its shadow on Feb. 2 — the Christian holiday of Candlemas — winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says spring will come early.”

Read more…

 

 

Jessica Simpson – wedding ring and jewelry designer.

I have recently been seeing a lot of blog posts about Jessica Simpson getting involved with jewelry. This does not surprise me. After all, no matter what the economy is like, people still get married. So it's easy to see why a celebrity would get into the wedding ring business. Heck, a C-list celebrity like Jessica Simpson could probably make a fortune selling affordable jewelry on QVC or HSN.

However, it does strike me as funny that she would design not just fashion jewelry, but wedding rings as well. A young divorcee with an additional failed (and high profile) romance is designing wedding bands? As Spock would say – “it does not seem logical.”

Good luck to Jessica and her jewelry endeavors.

Related and source articles:

Jessica Simpson Wants To Design Wedding Rings?

Jessica Simpson to Design Wedding Rings?

Jessica Simpson to Design Wedding Rings

Jessica Simpson to Design Wedding Rings - Hollywood Buzz

Jessica Simpson's Next Venture: The Wedding Ring Business?

A bridal bye-bye to In Style Weddings!!!

Time Inc. has announced that In Style Weddings will not longer be in publication. For a niche industry such as bridal, this is not good. This is actually very bad. Why? Well - let me tell ya!!!

When most consumers conduct their initial research on the Internet, they are met with online retailers that for the most part sell very similar products. Some of these sites are very good, but many might not be. If you are an individual that is in search of information and only information about wedding bands and engagement rings, then you must turn to blogs and bridal magazines to do so. Or just show up to your jewelry store of choice and hope that the individual behind the counter is an expert. And as similar to the online retailers, many jewelry store employees are well informed and educated, but many are not. Hopefully you can find a store that has properly trained and educated individuals that can correctly explain the differences between platinum, palladium, gold, titanium and tungsten. Most consumers buying jewelry have a blank slate – they don’t really know much about what they are buying. So if they are exposed to bad information, then they can only accept what they learn as truth.

For those individuals that choose to travel to Barnes and Noble, Borders or their local bookstore of choice, there will now be fewer publications to choose from. With less bridal magazines, the consumer will have only exposure to the brands that advertise with what is left. At this time, most bridal jewelry manufacturers are not search engine savvy and rely on the wedding books to earn their traffic. Now whether they realize this or not is another issue all together!

According to TheWeddingReport.com, the amount of weddings is not decreasing despite the economy. An average of nearly 2.2 million couples need wedding bands and that number will continue to rise. So the audience is there. What is not there is a glut of jewelry advertisers. Most manufacturers cut advertising and marketing when things go bad and hope to weather the storm. They don’t just reduce or better target their spending – they most likely eliminate it or come pretty close to do as such. As an industry professional, I can only shake my head. The handful of smart and savvy companies are actually strengthening their position and therefore strengthening their selling point. Whether it is true or not, there is a general school of thought around the “jewelry industry campus” (from the retailers prospective) that if you don’t advertise, then you may not be a brand to reckon with. Sometimes this is true, but sometimes this is not. And quite honestly, there is too much of a “sheep” mentality in the jewelry industry. When one major brand lessens their visibility, then others will most likely follow.

Now I fully understand that a lot of companies need to cut advertising to stay in business. That is a reality. But many others have been doing well for years, and just never really properly allocated the 5% of their gross sales that they probably should for proper advertising and marketing. When times are good, then you can easily get away with it. When times are not so good, then a swift downward spiral can start, continue and be very difficult to stop. And everyone looks to each other and asks – “what happened?” To me, that’s like saying the Titanic sunk because the weather turned a little bit cold. There was a set course, there were warning signs that went unnoticed or unheeded before it was too late, and then there was a disaster. Now that the water is flooding the hull of the jewelry industry’s ship, hopefully there’s a way to stop the sinking, and at once repair and redirect the ship.

The jewelry industry reacts to the 60 Minutes story about gold.

Last week, NationalJeweler.com posted the story – “Prepare for 60 Minutes conflict gold piece Sunday.” And instead of mainly showing concern or even a little compassion towards the problem, a few comments complained that the amount of gold mined in Congo is just a small part of the overall picture, so in essence the question was – “what’s the big deal.”

Hold on a sec! A week ago, there was much more passion and outrage about the so-called tungsten monopoly than there is about a story that illustrates the violation of human rights and even rape or death of local citizens. While the jewelry industry is chock full of educated professionals that are caring and concerned about many mining issues, many of the comments next to the article show indifference towards the plight of the citizens living in the region of Congo where gold is being mined. Here are some highlights:

•“The fact that .0010 percent of the world's gold comes from the Congo obviously doesn't come in to play for these cheap shot journalists.”

Well sure. Unless you are one of the people whose life is affected or ended because of what’s going on in that area. As someone else commented – “If Nike was manufacturing gold running shoes, (then) you better believe that there would be a HUGE outcry about this issue by now.”

•“Fact is that the gold producing industry (miners and refiners) do not want gold to be traceable, mainly because of costs. They state is cannot be traced, which is incorrect - gold ore can be traced from individual seams (if not mine sites) and refiners are able to separate refining from mines and from recycled sources. But unlike diamonds, which have taken the steps of the Kimberley process and a certification system, the gold industry will not invest. So let's hope this TV program shakes them up.”

That was actually a good comment. And nice to see. But this one send me for a loop:

•“It seems every year the media, or the movie makers strive to find "something" to get at the retail jeweler. Once again, here we go at the holiday season with some idiot issues that really don't affect much. I have concerns about the .02% people affected, but really??? Can we just have a good season one time?”

You got it, Mr. Jeweler! Why worry about reforming an industry as much as possible so you can have a good holiday season? To me, that is just scary. One of the Real Men of Genius.

I am not 100% sure, but I don’t think there are the same issues associated with platinum or palladium. It will definitely be interesting to see if an association like Platinum Guild has a response to the story or a marketing strategy to help illustrate the humanitarian side of mining of their metal.

Stay tuned.

Were people killed because of your gold jewelry?

On November 29, 2009, 60 Minutes aired a story about the conflict and human rights issues associated with gold that is mined in the Congo region of Africa. A story like this is always shocking. Americans often buy products without thinking of their source of origin. If the price is right, and Wal-Mart or Best Buy is giving me a great deal, then I’ll take it!

Here are some key facts to consider:
• Gold and other minerals are funding the deadliest war since World War II.
• More than five million people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Years ago, the jewelry industry banned the trafficking in so-called blood diamonds, but the same hasn't happened with gold.

Watch the How Gold Pays For Congo's Deadly War segment.

As a ten year employee in the jewelry industry, I must say that this issue may be overlooked (at least in my circle of colleagues). With all of the fuss made about “blood diamonds” a few years back, which may or may not have died down considerably depending on who you are talking to, consumers and professionals alike really need to examine all of the jewelry-related issues that affect other parts of the world and humanity in general. There is a lot of buzz about “green” or recycled gold. But perhaps an additional question should be brought to the forefront as well – did anyone die or are they living under horrible conditions so you can have a gold wedding band or piece of jewelry? If Nike was manufacturing gold running shoes, you better believe that there would be a HUGE outcry by now. Hopefully this will raise concern about the source of gold that is being purchased. It will also be interesting to see how the people that mine platinum and palladium position their metals against this story and issues.

Heck, this might even create a new tagline for alternative metal products - "nobody was killed during the making of this titanium wedding band!" But who knows if this is a valid statement anyway!

Thinking about buying a tungsten wedding band?

The landscape for tungsten wedding bands in the jewelry industry may be changing.  A federal court in Texas has dismissed tungsten carbide ring king Trent West's patent infringement lawsuit against J.C. Penney Co. For the past few years, the tungsten used in a tungsten wedding band has been controlled by mainly one company, and therefore creating an un-American monopoly. Since 19% of all wedding bands sold are tungsten wedding bands, consumers need to know all the facts about tungsten before they make their wedding band purchase. It is also a good idea to read the comments from jewelry industry professionals that are located on the lower left-hand side of the web page. I am willing to bet that not many consumers know tungsten’s full story.

Read highlights from the tungsten wedding band article on Novell’s wedding band blog.

Oh, what a feeling! Platinum is a feeling.

Being a big fan of platinum, I really like the new direction for Platinum Guild’s new advertising campaign. Platinum really is a superior metal for jewelry. Yes, I know – your jeweler told you that platinum scratches too easy. Or your cousin said that platinum is too expensive, and white gold is much cheaper.

Look – platinum is a naturally white metal that pretty much keeps its mass when scratched. The metal is actually only moved or displaced, so a platinum piece of jewelry can be refinished over and over. And like that top-of-the-line sports car that you had your eye on, platinum has a lot of benefits, so paying a little more is definitely worth it in my opinion.

The copy from the ad captures platinum’s overall value very well:

“I didn’t choose platinum. My husband did. He wanted everything about our rings to be perfect. Over the years I’ve realized how glad I am that he chose so well.”

“These rings have been through moves and kids and an art career. Time only makes them more lovely. To me, the character that platinum acquires is part of the attraction. Only things of true quality age that way.”

It says it all - platinum is lasting. Through raising kids, careers and even a recession!

NJ beauty school fights breast cancer!

Help Artistic Academy make a difference, make history and make strides against breast cancer! Make a donation or just help spread the word - every little bit helps.

Click here to pitch in!

As featured on Digg, Mixx and Trans World News blogs.

Dancing down that wedding aisle.

I found this on You Tube. You don’t quite see an entrance to a wedding ceremony quite like this. Even the older people in the audience are getting into the groove. The reception must have been the best ever!

Taking advantage of 9-9-09 as a wedding day!

I guess that you can file this under “Only in Los Angeles!” Nine eager couples were married during nine minute ceremonies at where else - the 99 Cents Only store located on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood on September 9, 2009. Each of the nine ceremonies were presided a non-denominational minister, although I am surprised that they didn’t go all the way with having nine ministers all together. Each couple was allowed to bring nine guests. 99 Cents Only supplied each couple with a wedding cake, drinks and fruit after the ceremonies. If you look at Los Angeles Times slideshow of the 9 weddings event, you can see actually consumers blending in with the festivities. Now if someone was really thinking, everyone would have received free passes to see the movie "9." For a 9:09 showing.

Jewelry advertising that’s entertaining and engaging.

 Here’s a jeweler has a great – and very memorable – approach to “spreading the word” about their store. Philadelphia’s Steven Singer Jewelers uses a sense of humor along with somewhat campy tactics to stand out from the rest of the jewelry stores in his area.

Here’s an excerpt from JCKOnline.com:

"Singer is a longtime advertiser on the Howard Stern radio show, and one of his first promotions on the show was the ‘Size Matters’ campaign. Playing on the obvious sexual overtones, the campaign had fun with a central message of impressing a woman with a large diamond. ‘If you want Tiffany's, we're not it,’ says Singer. ‘We like to make jewelry stores fun and less intimidating.’"

Having listened to Howard Stern for many years, I always got a big kick out of the ways Steven Singer deployed his marketing actions that would lead to actually engaging the potential customer with the overall message. Yes – I did laugh out loud and remember the “Size Matters” campaign from years back. The entertainment value does offer a level of engagement that’s miles ahead of interruption marketing that exclaims “BUY ME!”

Traditional marketing such as print advertising is the way to reach yesterday’s customer. Engaging the customer in some way, whether it is through laughter or telling your message with a story instead of “on sale now,” is the way to reach the customers of today and tomorrow. I mean – there is a place for all types of marketing, but relying on what worked ten years ago alone might not be such a good idea. I would even bet that the Steven Singer approach might even be somewhat recession-proof and positions his store ahead of those whose advertising tactics are more humdrum or ordinary!

Read all of “Philly Jeweler Takes Fun Seriously.”

Breitling introduce iPhone app for new watch.

Another jewelry-related company enters the world of new technology. Breitling, a Swiss watch manufacturer, has released an application for the iPhone and iPod Touch designed to provide a nicely detailed, highly functional presentation of its latest chronograph, the Chronomat B01. Breitling joins the largely generic jewelry company Stuller as being the only jewelry companies to embrace this new form of advertising. Surely there will be others to follow. Keep your eyes open. Or iPhone in your hand.

Read the more about Breitling’s iPhone app at NationalJeweler.com.

“Jewelry Made in America” initiative begins.

Let the “Jewelry Made in America” games begin. American wedding band manufacturer Novell Design Studio, in co-operation with jewelry industry trade publication The Jewelry Book, has launched the beginning stage of their “Jewelry Made in America” initiative to help raise awareness – and also raise the bar – for jewelry products that are fashioned by America-based craftsmen. This project will highlight a variety of jewelry manufacturers from around the country.

This is a very important theme to remember in these tough economic times. While a lot of what is imported for jewelry is much less expensive, there may be an issue of quality. It’s also important to recall that once upon a time, the term “American made” meant a higher quality product. This is a time to analyze exactly what “Made in America” should mean, and aspire to reach a better standard.

An upcoming edition of The Jewelry Book will include a product gallery for American-made jewelry products. The issue will also include a thoughtful and very original article by Novell’s Bruce Pucciarello, which will illustrate the demise of the true meaning of “Made in America” as it began with the auto industry, and bled into jewelry making as well.

Stay tuned!

Palladium is affordable, but that’s not its only benefit!

Titanium-Jewelry.com, a leading online retailer of men’s wedding bands, tungsten rings, titanium rings and unique contemporary jewelry, has just issued a press release entitled “Palladium: The Affordable Alternative to Platinum.” While I am a big fan of palladium and also many of the precious metals used to manufacture bridal jewelry in general, I am not so sure that I agree with the tone of this article.

At this point, you may wish to read “Palladium: The Affordable Alternative to Platinum.”

Palladium is another choice besides platinum, and in my opinion the article positions palladium as something to purchase instead of platinum largely because of the price point.  When I hear the word “alternative,” I just think of “instead of.” Or in this case, what jumps out at me is that I should buy palladium strictly because it is similar to platinum, but cheaper. And the affordable aspect should win every time!

This is just my opinion on the subject of palladium vs. platinum. I appreciate Titanium-Jewelry.com’s effort to raise awareness for palladium. But all that screams to me is the affordable issue, and sometimes in the jewelry industry, the easy sale is what jumps out in front of many other quality selling points.

Here’s how I position the common precious metals used to make engagement rings, wedding bands and wedding rings:

• Platinum is the premium metal that should last a lifetime. It loses little mass over time, so it can be refinished to look like new over and over.

• Gold is really your only choice if a yellow precious metal is your style. And keep in mind that white gold is not naturally white, so it will turn yellow over time. Sometimes this will occur sooner rather than later. And when you scratch gold, you lose metal mass.

• Palladium is a better choice over white gold if platinum is not an option.

Picture a person walking into a Mercedes or BMW car dealership that is very interested in a top-of-the-line model with all of the bells and whistles. But the dealership employees all say – “You don’t want that. Try this lower-end model. It’s very similar, and cheaper.” The individual walks out with what could be viewed as a lesser quality car, and the dealership makes less money. Typically when purchasing a car, a consumer looks at many options and makes a choice based upon what fits into their personal scheme.

In general, the jewelry industry at large likes to use the terms “brand,” “brand awareness” and “brand experience.” A brand is a name, trademark or particular qualities connected with a product or company producing a product. Most people in the world can picture a Coca-Cola in their mind as a dark, refreshing carbonated beverage with a crisp taste. Brands have become increasingly important components of culture and the economy, but the jewelry industry tends to water down the branding concept to the lowest common denominator.

I firmly feel that it’s more important to present the benefits of each metal, and then let the consumer make the choice that is right for them. When you shove the price point factor up front, the average consumer won’t always understand if the market value dramatically rises sometime down the road. Platinum and gold were both much more affordable than they are today. Palladium was much more expensive ten years ago.

I strongly urge any consumer who is considering buying an engagement ring, wedding band or wedding ring to research all of the choices that are out there, and make their decision based upon overall benefits. In these times, we all have economic issues. But it still does not mean that as consumers we can not make educated buying decisions.

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

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Can 250,000 wedding website visitors be wrong?

Below is an example of my domain traffic for one of my wedding band websites – www.novelldesignstudio.com. I inherited a domain name that has no keywords, and the website that was ultimately designed is database driven, which has its limitations. Bridal web traffic for most manufacturers is primarily advertising driven. However, due to the economy, my visibility in the main bridal books is the lowest that it has been in five years.

Thanks to blogging and online press releases, I have been largely able to keep increasing my web traffic without many of the search engine optimization techniques. The website does have some static pages that rank organically, but there are not a lot of them. Overall, I am proud that I can say that my traffic is increasing while my ad spending is decreasing.

Keep in mind that the wedding band industry is very niche, and most manufacturers’ websites are buried by the sheer numbers of online retailers. Only one wedding band company, Benchmark, has consistent and high ranking visibility across Google, Yahoo and Bing. I don't get a million unique visitors a month, but I get enough qualified consumers to keep my retailers happy.

Thanks for letting me pat me on my back! I now return you to your regularly scheduled wedding blog.

Summary by Month
Month
	Visits	Pages	Files	Hits
Aug - 09*	20693	319503	779067	1148886
July - 09	24379	362654	839540	1237379
June - 09	23545	365946	870932	1270423
May - 09	21830	373001	840811	1235789
April - 09	20352	441296	931560	1366028
Mar - 09	21272	499065	1016797	1557680
Feb - 09	19137	509490	1037670	1597233
Jan - 09	20005	552437	1118752	1697042
Dec - 08	16344	373804	758965	1159591
Nov - 08	18131	429008	812455	1251645
Oct - 08	19022	456966	819701	1294429
Sept - 08	17702	478984	853456	1336991
Totals	242412	5162154	10679706	16153116

*Up to August 27, so the monthly average is incomplete.

As seen on Trans World News website.

“The Mind of a Male Wedding Blogger,” a news release about the concept behind Wedding Planning and Accessories, is currently featured on Trans World News. Trans World News is a cool little online news and community resource that’s best described as an up-and-coming powerhouse of both mainstream and non-mainstream information.

Read the article “The Mind of a Male Wedding Blogger.”

Yes – I am on Twitter.

 Well, I just reached my 100th posting on Twitter. All of these “tweets,” and I am just wondering what it’s really all about. It’s fun. I like the idea of being able to get a short message out in a rapid manner. But is it really having – or going to one day have – an impact? I really can't say.

I have about a dozen followers on Twitter. Most of my links come to this blog or something wedding related. While my following is not HUGE, it is kind of fun knowing maybe someone has found a brand that they normally would have bypassed, or that something that’s been tweeted could influence a decision in some way. I am comfortable having my small little group, and I guess such a little number means less stressing about the need to constantly “wow” them with what I consider interesting information.

So – if you want – follow me on Twitter. It doesn’t hurt! I promise not to buckle under all the pressure.

Virtually try on a ring with new iPhone application.

Stuller, a Louisiana-based jewelry company, has introduced its new iPhone application. A consumer can take a picture of their hand and virtually try on a diamond ring. The picture can then be shared through e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc. However, keep in mind that the diamond ring can only be purchased through a participating Stuller retailer.

As I just commented on NationalJeweler.com, this iPhone application is very interesting to see, and in some ways surprising. After all, sometimes the more traditional portions of the jewelry industry (i.e. manufacturers, suppliers) are slow to embrace something that’s so cutting edge. But since today’s consumer must be engaged instead of just preached to, I predict that this will be a very powerful tool. Out with the old and in with the new! Stuller has the advantage of being the first to have an iPhone application. I am also curious to see who else follows into this territory, and how soon it will happen.

Read more about Stuller’s iPhone application on NationalJeweler.com.

Stuller’s iPhone application has also be recently mentioned on Engagement 101 Magazine’s Wordpress blog.

Artistic Academy is Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.

   

Charity always begins within the heart, so I thought that it was definitely worth highlighting the current efforts of New Jersey’s Artistic Academy (a DePasquale Company). In this case, you might actually be able to say that charity begins with hair!

Artistic Academy is – as the company puts it – “not your ordinary beauty school.” Having personally toured its campus, the best way that I can sum up the Artistic Academy experience is just by saying that it offers all the benefits and frills of a high-end beauty school education while being affordable. I noticed that the school’s setting and atmosphere is more professional and much nicer than the few other schools that I have researched. If Artistic Academy sounds familiar, then that’s because you may recall seeing it on The Real Housewives of New Jersey (one of the wife’s daughter actually graduated from the school). So if the effects the economy has you considering a career change, and you live in Northern New Jersey, you may want to take a tour.

Artistic Academy is currently raising awareness for the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Below is information from the official web page announcing the school’s involvement, and you can donate or volunteer to help with just a click of a button.

Artistic Academy is proud to support the American Cancer Society in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.  Artistic Academy understands the importance of making a difference in the world both professionally and personally.  "Be the Change...Choose to Make a Difference", is Artistic Academy's motto.  We have chosen to make a difference regarding breast cancer with Making Strides, and want to invite you to do the same.  Please assist us in helping to wipe out breast cancer in our lifetime.  Join us for a most inspirational day of unity and hope with thousands of walkers with one common goal. 

Only a cure for breast cancer will do....Nothing Less!

Click here to donate or volunteer.

Please help create awareness for children with Xeroderma Pigmentosum.

Okay. So the wedding is over, and your life is getting into full swing. And for most brides and grooms, eventually the idea of children comes into the picture. While we all hope and pray that everyone’s children will be born happy, healthy and live a long and normal life, unfortunately many will not. With this in mind, a very rare condition affecting hundreds of children in America, and thousands worldwide, recently got my attention.

Yesterday, New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi was a guest on WFAN’s Mike Francesa sports radio program. Mr. Girardi was speaking very passionately about Xeroderma Pigmentosum, an unusual genetic disorder that does not allow the skin to properly repair itself from exposure to UV light sources. Children afflicted with Xeroderma Pigmentosum – or XP – must avoid sunlight all together. A lot of their time is spent indoors and out of sunlight’s way, but they can venture outside at night after the sun is down. And on July 24th, the Yankees hosted children with Xeroderma Pigmentosum at a night game against the Oakland A’s to help raise awareness of this condition (the Yankees won 6-3 – by the way).

A summer camp created to host children with Xeroderma Pigmentosum from all over the world has existed since 1996. The Camp Sundown Retreat House in Craryville, New York, offers a unique night camp program which gathers families and scientists from around the globe to share support, recreation, information and friendship under the safety of the stars. However, due to a lack of funds, the camp had to be shortened from its normal length of eight weeks to just two this year. Therefore, families with a child afflicted with Xeroderma Pigmentosum will unfortunately be lacking the complete Camp Sundown experience.

The current economic condition has impacted many America’s spending ability in many, many ways. But what struck me was that because of this recession, charitable fundraising is something that is also heavily affected. And while we all truly need to save a buck or two during these times, imagine if you were a family that needed Camp Sundown as a resource. Therefore, I am reaching out to readers to please be aware of Camp Sundown’s needs, and please, please, please help out in any way that you can. Xeroderma Pigmentosum – like any disease – is a horrible affliction. But because it only affects a few hundred American children, it’s not getting the attention that it deserves. But should this overall inattention mean that these families should suffer or be forced to miss a key part of their life? I don’t think so. And hopefully you agree.

To learn more about XP and Camp Sundown, please visit www.xps.org/campsundown.htm.

Learn how to help Camp Sundown through your own fundraising efforts.