Brand Ambassadors Bill & Elizabeth Campbell on why they love working with Pamela Froman

We love our retailers! One of the perks of being an independent designer is that you get to choose who you work with (to a degree, of course, because they have to choose to work with you too,) so, mutual adoration is a natural byproduct of our retail partnerships. Even knowing this, it's rare to get to see it all laid out in print, point by point, and read exactly why a retailer loves working with you.

So, you can imagine our delight when the new issue of InDesign magazine came out, featuring a Brand Ambassador story about the Campbells (who own McCaskill & Company in Destin, FL) talking about what it's like to work with (and sell, of course!) Pamela Froman Fine Jewelry. Full disclosure: we knew the story was being written but, we had no idea what a glowing review this would be! It warms my heart and puts a big grin on my face to transcribe this story for you below...

Brand Ambassador
Bill & Elizabeth Campbell
McCaskill & Company, Destin, FL

"We rarely add a new designer; we are extremely selective," say Bill Campbell, who operates McCaskill & Company with his wife, Elizabeth. So it's not surprising that the Campbells admired Pamela Froman's line for a few years at Couture before placing an order in summer 2011. "We'd loved her distinctive look and her use of yellow, pink, white, green, chocolate and black gold. The crushed technique she uses to combine several different colors of gold is absolutely beautiful," Bill says. Now the Campbells just wish they'd taken on the line sooner, as the vibrant handmade designs have been a clear hit with the store's clientele. - story by Josh Wimmer

Customers love it because: "The crushed finish makes Pamela's pieces so wearable -- the line has a very natural beauty. The color combinations seamlessly mix colors of gold, which makes her pieces easy to accessorize and interesting to the eye. People also love that each piece is handmade and no two pieces are exactly alike."

It's easy to sell because: "It just has such a pretty softness to it. And it transcends age and occasion. At our first Pamela Froman trunk show, every single person who came found something they loved. We couldn't recall that ever happening before."

The most popular pieces are: "Everything with opals, her Headlight Hoop earrings, and her Dangle gemstone earrings. Her tourmaline pieces, too. Her price points hover around $3,000 to $4,000, which gives the line a really broad appeal. We're always surprised at how many husbands come in and buy it for their wives. And then their wives come back in and buy more!"

I like working with them because: "Pamela and her assistant Jilienne Hart-Arth -- who's been with her forever -- are an absolute delight. And Pamela always wants to make sure a design is exactly the way you wanted it. She's very humble, too, very appreciative, and very considerate. Like, if you have anything going on in your life, she remembers that. That's just the person she is."

I'd recommend it to another retailer because: "We actually have recommended it to retailer friends in the industry! It's perfect if you're looking for a line that has a distinctive look yet broad appeal. It's not like anything else you're going to see. We have been nothing but thrilled since we began our relationship with Pamela."

"The Campbells truly respect my artistic vision and sell my work with as much passion as I have when I make it. Bill is especially passionate about my one-of-a-kind opal designs and always makes an early appointment to get first pick at Couture! They understand we are in this together and work to do whatever they can to help the business grow." - Pamela Froman

Pamela Froman has been selected for InDesign's Fan Club by Erica Courtney, one of the top jewelry designers in the world!

I am so incredibly flattered and honored to have been selected for InDesign's Fan Club by Erica Courtney, one of the top jewelry designers in the world! She said such amazing things about me, it is so encouraging and wonderful. Erica is not only an amazing designer, she is an even more amazing person! You can read the article if you click on it twice, otherwise go to:
http://www.instoremag.com/indesign/products/fan-clubs/6300-fan-club-pamela-froman-selected-by-erica-courtney-

InDesign Customer Type: COUTURE COLLECTOR

Inside InDesign Magazine, you'll find a great feature from Cindy Edelstein of the Jeweler's Resource Bureau: Customer Types. May 2011 is the Special Couture Issue, so it's only appropriate that this month's Customer Type is the "Couture Collector"!

To quote from the article, "The Couture Collector is a real jewelry lover. She is so up on the latest news and trends that she has the inside track from the cutting edge almost as soon as the store owner sees it herself. You'd better learn how to tweet photos from your phone for this customer type!"

The earrings Cindy selected for her Couture Collector are Pamela Froman's new "Majestic Crush" earrings in 18k Yellow and Pink "Crushed" Gold featuring Malaia Zircon center stones, accented with Diamonds and Malaia Sapphires, with Peach Moonstone drops.

She believes her customer would love these earrings because "the Pantone color of the year is a shade of pink called Honeysuckle. The Couture Collector is savvy enough to know this, so be on the lookout for jewels that speak to the trend."

Pamela Froman wins JAWA Award for "Get Crushed" Campaign!

InDesign Magazine recently published the results of their second annual Jewelry & Watch Advertising Awards competition (also affectionately known as "the JAWAs") and we were excited to see Pamela Froman's "Get Crushed" campaign took 2nd place in the Manufacturer/Designer Procuct-Only Magazine Ad category!

Here's what a couple of the judges had to say about our "Get Crushed" campaign...

David Marks, co-founder of The Collaboration, a full-service marketing agency in Kansas City:
"'Crushed' is a much easier word to remember than the 'hand-hammered technique' Pamela Froman uses. Froman makes a convincing case that the line includes something for everyone with multiple examples of her pieces in each ad. And the play on words about having a crush stays cute, not hokey."

Mark Mazzarese, president of Mazzarese Fine Jewelry in Kansas City, KS:
"Nontraditional backdrops give the feeling of workmanship. Excellent product detail represented in the photography. Clever tag lines."

They also included a quote from me (Jilienne Hart, Marketing Director of Pamela Froman Fine Jewelry) about the "Real-Life Success" of this campaign:
"The first ad was done in partnership with a retailer, who reported that the Cleopatra Sparkle Ring was sold as soon as the ad appeared. The second ad appeared in Inside Weddings, and we immediately began receiving calls from women asking where they could purchase Pamela Froman's unique ring designs."

We love the campaign, and we're so happy to know that the industry pros who judged this competition love it to! We would like to thank all the judges of the JAWAs and, of course, big Thank Yous go out to our photographer, Jay Lawrence Goldman, and our ad agency, Dreamentia!

About the JAWA Awards:
(Transcribed from InDesign Magazine's May/June issue)
"Nearly 160 companies submitted more than 350 ads for consideration by our exceptional panel of judges, which includes the president of marketing for NBC Entertainment, three award-winning owners/directors of national marketing firms, an industry association director, and the president of a prestigious retail operation.
Judges were split into two groups of three, and none were allowed to vote on an ad in which they had a vested interest. They were asked to score each ad on five different criteria dealing with quality of production/graphics/photography, creativity, innovation, and emotional impact. Each criterion was graded on a scale of 1 to 10, which meant a minimum score of 5 and maximum of 50 for each ad, per judge. For any given criterion, a "1" meant the judge felt the ad was average in that quality, while a "10" indicated that the ad was extraordinary and beyond all expectations. A perfect score for an ad would have been 150.
You can view all of the wining ads, with full audio/video for the TV and radio winners, at www.instoremag.com."

Pamela Froman on the cover of InDesign Magazine!

(click image to see a larger version)

We are so excited to see Pamela Froman Fine Jewelry featured on the cover of InDesign Magazine!!!

The Cover Photo caption reads: "Pamela Froman gives us a crush on jewelry from her Crushed Melange collection, which combines 18k pink, white, green and 22k yellow gold with sparkling diamonds."

About InDesign Magazine:
(paraphrased from www.smartworkmedia.com)
InDesign Magazine is created exclusively for retailers of fine jewelry design. Since readership consists only of jewelers who are already highly successful, InDesign focuses it efforts on only the highest-level management and marketing issues as well as finding creative ways in which jewelers can sell the exclusive luxury brands they carry in their stores. With a list of contributors that includes some of the biggest names in the business world and exciting high-end design and packaging, InDesign is quickly earning a reputation as the ultimate industry publication for America's very best jewelry stores.