Summer Trunk Show at Chepita of Aspen

Hi Everybody!

As Pamela said, we've been crazy busy lately, and I apologize for not keeping up with the blog over the past few weeks... but I absolutely had to let you know about Pamela's upcoming Trunk Show appearance at Chepita of Aspen! She will be in the store next Friday and Saturday (July 25th and 26th) and is bringing her brand new Ombre Crush Collection! If you're going to be in Aspen next week, be sure to stop in and say Hi! Of course, you can stop by Chepita anytime to shop their selection of Pamela Froman Fine Jewelry: Chepita is located at 525 East Cooper Avenue in Aspen, Colorado.

The image above is the ad that just ran in the Summer/Fall issue of Aspen Peak magazine. (Aspen Peak also included a shot of Pamela at her previous Chepita Trunk Show appearance in their Peekaboo section on p216!)

"OMBRE CRUSH"

I am so sorry Jilienne and I haven't been keeping up with our blog. We have been crazy busy since we have been back from the Couture Show. I am excited to tell you all about a new collection I launched at the show called "Ombre Crush". It comes in 2 color combos: Warm (18k yellow fading into 18k pink gold) and Cool (18k white, 18k green, 18k yellow and 22k gold.) It has gotten a great reaction and definitely is different than anything I have ever seen. Just in case some of you don't know what "ombre" means, here's a defenition: A French term meaning "shaded." Usually a multicolored stripe, with colors graduating from light to dark. The color effect is either woven into the fabric (generally produced by arranging different tones in the warp) or achieved by applying a dip-dye process to an all-white fabric.

Coincidentally, this look has recently become a hot trend in clothes and accessories, it is especially cool in Prada's Ombre Patent Leather Tote!

Couture Design Award Slide Show

I took a few snapshots at the Awards Ceremony/Cocktail Party at the Wynn's club Blush. They're not the greatest pictures, but I wanted to share the excitement of that evening. I added some captions, but there's only so much room, so allow me to expand... "Cindy" is Cindy Edelstein of the Jeweler's Resource Bureau, a Jeweler's Advocate, and great friend. When Pamela was announced as the winner of the Gold Category, Cindy offered some words of encouragement to the shy designer, and helped her to the stage. "Erica" is Erica Courtney, one of Pamela's best friends, and an amazing jewelry designer; Erica also took home a Couture Design Award that night for her entry in the Platinum Category. "Sonya" is Sonya Ooten, a designer who we met and became friends with at last year's Couture Show; Sonya was a Finalist in the Bridal Category. Jim Taylor is the VP and Publisher of Town & Country Magazine; Pamela Fiori is the Editor-in-Chief of Town & Country Magazine; Lee Arevian is the VP of the Couture Show. Enjoy the show!
--Jilienne

PAMELA FROMAN WON THE 2008 TOWN & COUNTRY COUTURE DESIGN AWARD FOR BEST IN GOLD!!!

Thank you to everyone who voted for Pamela in the online primaries!! As you know, your votes helped her to become a Finalist in the prestigious Town & Country Couture Design Awards, often referred to as the "Oscars of fine jewelry design." The Gold Category was arguably the most difficult category to compete in, with over 30 entrants, most of them very well-known, established design companies. The final voting was done by fine jewelry retailers and fellow jewelry designers at the Couture Show in Las Vegas, and the top three in each category were invited to an exclusive awards ceremony/cocktail party at the Wynn's club Blush. At the party, the names of the top three in the Gold Category were announced: "H. Stern... Calgaro... Pamela Froman Fine Jewelry... and the winner is... by popular demand... Pamela Froman!!" The crowd went wild as Pamela was led to the stage to accept her award and take photographs with the editor of Town & Country Magazine and a model wearing her piece! It was all so exciting!!!

P.S. - I had my camera with me and plan to post some snapshots I took at the event, so check back in a few days.

For more information on the 2008 Town & Country Couture Design Awards, click the link below to read Cindy Edelstein's blog post about the Awards: http://jewelrybusinessguru.typepad.com/blog/2008/06/towncountry-cou.html

Couture Show

Hi Everyone,

First of all I want to thank all of you who voted for me in the "Town & Country Couture Design Awards". It worked I am a finalist, YEAH! So now they display my necklace in a vitrine at the show and the buyers vote at the show for the winner. I am very excited.

It has been a crazy couple of weeks getting ready for the Couture Show in Vegas. Jilienne and I don't know if we are coming or going. I did not get a chance to use some of my amazing stones I got in Tucson but, I have some cool new pieces debuting at the show. Some one of a kind pieces that are beautiful.

Also, I just finished designing the poster for the back of the booth at Couture, it is 78 wide and 45 high.  It is above, I think it will look great at the show, plus it has my best creation in it, a photo of my son Hudson Elijah in the locket.

We leave Tuesday and the show is 6 days, so it is long. I will write when I get back. Have a great weekend!

Cheers & Crushes, Pamela

Pamela Froman in Modern Jeweler's May Issue

Pamela's jewelry made quite a few appearances in this month's edition of Modern Jeweler Magazine! Her one-of-a-kind Wrapped Rutile Mommy Earrings were featured in the Jewelry Trends section entitled "The Perfect Pear", and the Key Items section presented a selection of Pamela's stackable Crushed Bangles and Rings. I've retyped some of the articles below:

Jewelry Trends: The Perfect Pear

One-of-a-Kind 18k Yellow Crushed Gold with Malaya Garnet, Diamonds, and Rutilated Quartz; Dangles are removable so Studs can be worn alone.

"A new silhouette is gracefully dropping from fashionable ears. The three-dimensional pear drop earring is a fresh take on the briolette drop. These sleek shapes in metal are modern in feel and slender in silhouette. Descendants of Art Deco, they use texture and pattern to add interest. Best of all, they are universally flattering." --Cheryl Kremkow

Key Item: Stackable Rings

18k Pink & 18k Green Crushed Gold & Scattered Diamond "Get A Crush" Stack Rings with an 18k White Crushed Gold & Diamond "Pave Scroll Sparkle" Stack Ring

"Is there anything more versatile than the stack ring? These brilliant bands can be wedding rings, eternity bands, or the finger version of the charm bracelet, ready to be mixed or matched to suit a woman's style. Each stackable ring encircles all these possibilities. ... Two can accompany a wedding ring, three's charming, and with four definitely more is more."
--Cheryl Kremkow

Key Item: Stackable BanglesAssorted "Crushed" Bangles in 18k Pink, White, Yellow, and Green Gold: some have (3) single Diamonds; some have (3) 18k White Diamond Pave Scrolls; some include two or three colors of Gold in one Bangle

"Like potato chips, no one can stop at just one bangle. The bigger the stack, the better. And this season, it's all about the mix. Fashion-forward customers, following red carpet trends, are mixing thick and thin bangles in a variety of styles, metals, and materials. As one retailer recently told us, "our customers are stacking bangles up the arm." ... It's all about layering. Here are some of the great new bangles available this season, ready to be mixed into your own custom collection." --Cheryl Kremkow

Couture Design Awards: Vote for Pamela!

Hi Everyone!

Pamela Froman has entered her one-of-a-kind "Gothic Harlequin Cross" (see above) in the Gold Category of the annual Town & Country Couture Design Awards. This year, the Awards tap the power of the Internet and get you directly involved in who gets to display their designs at Couture. This round of "primary" voting will be done online to determine the finalists in each of the twelve categories. We would absolutely love it if you took a moment to cast your vote for Pamela! The top finalists in each category will have their products displayed at Couture 2008, May 27th to June 2nd at the Wynn Las Vegas, and Couture attendees will vote from among the finalists on site to determine final winners for each category.

So, if you love jewelry and want to see the industry's most creative and innovative work, go to http://www.couturedesignawards.com to cast your vote.

Thanks!!
Jilienne

Diane Lane wearing Pamela Froman earrings

A pair of Pamela's "Harlequin Stud" earrings were borrowed a few months ago for a Neutrogena ad starring their new spokeswoman Diane Lane. I haven't seen the actual ad yet, but I found this behind-the-scenes video on YouTube. The earrings are small, but if you look closely, you can spot them! (In case you missed it, I took a screenshot of the paused video and circled them for you.)

These "Harlequin Stud" earrings are 22k Gold and 18k White Gold with Rose-Cut Diamonds.

ATTENTION ALL ARTISTS! This Affects You!!

There is currently a proposed bill before Congress called the Orphan Works Act. This proposal, if passed, will essentially void all of your intellectual property copyrights! If you are a visual artist that relies on copyright laws to protect your work, you should be aware of this issue. Visit http://www.illustratorspartnership.org to further research this bill. You can also listen to an mp3 of an interview recorded Saturday April 5, 2008, where artist and producer Mark Simon discusses this issue with Brad Holland of the Illustrator's Partnership: http://www.sellyourtvconceptnow.com/orphan.html. Mr. Holland and Mr. Simon have given their permission for this audio file to be copied and transferred and replayed, so feel free to forward this information to all of your friends. If you'd like updates on what's going on with this bill, you can get on the Illustrator's Partnership e-mail list by sending a request to illustratorspartnership@cnymail.com. Lobbyists are trying to push this bill through before the creative community realizes what's going on, so please read up on this and spread the word to every creative person and group you know!

Is That a Diamond? - Science Lesson

A quick lesson about the Mohs Hardness Scale.

Pamela Froman: one of the Best New Designers of 2008

Pamela Froman has been identified as one of this year's best new fine jewelry designers!
InDesign Magazine's May 2008 issue arrived in the mail today, featuring a story called "Generation Next: 10 jewlery designers to watch in 2008." These 10 Designers, of which Pamela Froman is one, were selected by a panel of top fine jewelry retailers and industry experts. According to InDesign's contributing editor Beth Bernstein, these panelists are like baseball scouts searching for the next Babe Ruth; they are continually on the hunt for emerging heavy hitters of jewelry design.

The article reads:
Pamela Froman
Texture and unique mixes (and colors) of metals form Pamela Froman's design aesthetic. Her collection is comprised of limited edition pieces and handmade chains in [18k gold] 22k gold and platinum -- no two pieces are ever identical. Most of the collection is finished with a hammered technique called "Crushed." Additionally, Froman has developed specific colors of 18k yellow, pink and green gold, often blending all three into one piece. The flowing nature of scrolls and the inherent beauty of high quality gemstones also figure prominently into her collection. Froman launched her collection in 2004 after working in Paris, designing jewelry for top fashion salons Courreges, Guy Laroche, and Valentino.
~~~
(The article mentioned how Pamela often blends three colors of 18k gold into one piece, but they only showed pieces from her "Scroll Crush Collection", and none from her tri-color "Crushed Melange Collection". So, I decided to insert a picture into this post: Pamela's Crushed Melange Eternity Band, made of 18k Pink, 18k Green, and 18k White Crushed Gold with Diamonds, is a good example of her mixed color designs.) ~~~

The following is what some of the panelists had to say about Pamela Froman:

Cory Courtney (of Andrisen Morton in Denver, CO):
Pamela Froman has already done a good job with marketing her collection with her "Get Crushed" slogan for her unique hammering and satin finish. Her collection is memorable and daring, yet also extremely wearable. The pieces are equally appealing to classic or cutting edge customers due to the master craftsmanship.

Duvall O'Steen (of the World Gold Council):
Pamela has literally reinvented tri-color gold. Her innovative process for combining yellow, [green,] white and rose gold produces intriguing pieces that are truly unlike anything else on the market.

Marie Helene Morrow (of Reinhold Jewelers in San Juan, Puerto Rico):
Pamela doesn't overlap with any other designers. Her hand hammered technique is completely different and unique to her. These pieces are extremely versatile and can be worn every day and for any occasion.

Scott Rudd (of Scheherazade in Edina, MN):
Pamela Froman's pieces display the right mix of texture and gold techniques -- interesting and wearable without being overdone. There are other lines out there that use hammered and satin finishes, but not in the same refined way and with the same craftsmanship that Pamela displays. Yet, what makes these pieces saleable is that they aren't over the customer's head.

Pamela Froman Men's Rings: From Here To Eternity

Inside Weddings' Spring 2008 issue featured two of Pamela's men's rings in a piece called "From Here To Eternity." The rings shown are (left) "Jay's Crush", a wide band made of Crushed Platinum and 18k Yellow Gold that gives the appearance of four thin bands stacked together; and (right) "King's Crush" made of 18k Yellow, White & Pink Crushed Gold with 4 diamonds, one set at each crossroad of color.
As the article says, "The symbol of his eternal devotion can be just as distinctive as he is!"

Press Album

We recently discovered that a large portion of the press on our main website (www.pamelafroman.com) has mysteriously disappeared! We're working on getting everything back up but, in the meantime, I decided to throw together a little slide show album from the Press Clipping Cards that are on my computer. (I'm missing quite a few, but I think I found enough to make a decent slide show.) These cards were originally created for inclusion in Pamela's press kit, and they not only include magazine features (Robb Report, Self, Lucky, Inside Weddings, Brides Magazine...), but also some of the television shows (America's Next Top Model, CBS's Las Vegas...) and celebrities (Debra Messing, Vanessa Marcil, Molly Simms, Whoopi Goldberg, Cicely Tyson...) that her jewelry has appeared on. Enjoy!

Sunburst for a Bright Flower

InDesign Magazine, a publication targeting fine jewelry retailers, includes a monthly feature called "Customer Types". The feature's author, Style Advisor Cindy Edelstein, selected Pamela Froman's "Sunburst Crush" necklace for April's customer, "The Bright Flower". According to the article, "The fashionable woman this season will be wearing pieces that capture the spirit of warm, sunny days. This necklace is perfect for this trend, and will warm her heart as it glows and sparkles."

Here's a larger image of the 18k Gold & Diamond "Sunburst Crush" necklace:

New Engagment ring..

I met this great couple in Aspen, who were vacationing from Santa Fe. She is a potter and has this ethereal beauty about her and a sweetness. We had an instant connection! She was wearing an engagement ring that her husband had commissioned for her many years ago, and she said it had just never felt like her style. When she saw my Cognac Diamond "Harlequin Solitaire" Ring (shown above), she fell in love, so we decided to put her engagement ring's diamond (which is little bigger than the Cognac), in my setting. Her husband then picked out 2 of my "Harlequin Sparkle Circle" Rings to stack on each side. I Photoshopped a couple of pictures, to get an idea of what her rings will look like; they are all Platinum and 22kt gold, which is going to be beautiful. She is very excited to get her new engagement ring, and I'm excited to make it for her!

Aspen Rocks!!

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail".

Ralph Waldo Emerson



I just returned from a great trunk show/personal appearance in Aspen at a gallery named Chepita. It was an amazing show; not only was it successful in terms of sales, but I met some great people! I loved meeting the clients who enjoy collecting my work. Seeing what my creations mean to them makes it all seem worth while.
The people who work at Chepita are great too, and I really enjoyed hanging out with them. They were fun people, very knowledgeable, and they promoted the show extremely well, too: Chepita put half page color ads in the local newspapers for a week, put a full page ad in one of the local magazines that is in all of the hotels, sent out a ton of postcards and also gave stacks of the cards to all of the hotels. On top of that, Aspen Magazine did a wonderful editorial on me for this month!
I had a staggering amount of interest in my one of a kind "Gothic Harlequin Cross", which was featured in the newspaper ads. I ended up selling the original piece and getting a special order on a custom version of it! It was very hard to part with that piece, it felt so personal... but I loved how happy it made the woman who bought it!

Below are pictures I took of the Chepita storefront, and my jewelry on display inside. Isn't it a beautiful store?! (The picture above is the view from outside my hotel.) I also attached a picture of the Gothic Harlequin Cross, to commemorate its sale. I'll miss it, but now I get to make a new version!

Charity Auction for The Buckley School

Pamela Froman recently donated a beautiful one-of-a-kind necklace ("The Roman Pearl" Necklace, created from 18k Yellow Crushed Gold, Pink Tourmaline, Malaia Zircon, and a Pink South Sea Pearl) to The Buckley School's 75th Anniversary Gala Silent Auction.
This K-12 Sherman Oaks, CA school is founded on the motto, "Dare to be: Brilliant, Creative, Strong, and True." This motto sums up their philosophy of a 4-fold education plan which seeks to balance academics, the arts, athletics, and moral development.

Tucson Trip Slide Show

I finally put together a little slide show of the trip Pamela and I took to Tucson to shop for gems. The annual Tucson Gem & Mineral Show is actually many shows rolled into one, but the main show is AGTA (put on by the American Gem Trade Association), which is where we spent a lot of our time. Pamela's a little camera-shy, so the only person you'll see in these pics is me, but most of the images are of gemstones anyway. The stones you'll see are some of the pieces Pamela considered buying, except for the big hunk of Fluorite crystals, which I just had to take a picture of because it looked so cool! (I was going to tell you which stones we kept and which we took a pass on, but I think a little mystery is a good thing.) Enjoy the show!
--Jilienne

Pamela Froman in Aspen

If you're going to be in Aspen this weekend, you're in luck! Pamela Froman will be at Chepita of Aspen this Friday and Saturday, and she brought lots of gorgeous jewelry with her! Although you can find Pamela Froman Fine Jewelry at Chepita year-round, this Trunk Show is a special treat; so, if you're in Aspen, take a break from the slopes and drop by 525 East Cooper Ave. to see the latest from Pamela Froman!

Spring Collection Preview

I just had to show you this beautiful new piece for Spring! I'd like to introduce the "Sunburst Crush" Pendant... isn't it gorgeous?! This piece is made of 18k Yellow Crushed Gold with an 18k White Diamond Pave Scroll center (the scroll-y rays have diamond accents as well, for that extra sparkle!) Shown on a light-weight textured cable chain, this fun and flirty necklace is the perfect addition to any Spring Wardrobe!