For the Jewelry Collector who Treasures the Journey as much as the Destination; Sarah’s Sea Urchin line is a Storied Adventure

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Sarah is known for her unusual and exotic jewelry style, and for her collectors, acquiring one of her pieces is much more than just a purchase.  Sarah’s new collection, Sea Urchin, continues her tradition of incorporating the journey into the final design. The idea was borne over twenty years ago while Sarah and her new husband backpacked along the Italian Mediterranean coast where they encountered the fascinating shapes of these captivating echinoids.  While traveling the world over the course of the next two years, she lugged a much thumbed 8lb (!) technical jewelry making book and visited hundreds of jewelry stores. This trip was pivotal in helping Sarah realize her life’s work.

The Sea Urchin Collection offers not only a vivid story of past inspiration, but a glimpse of an exciting future. Finally fulfilling a long held dream, Sarah departs in May for a summer in Italy which will be spent sharing the journey of searching for, finding, and applying design inspiration to jewelry through a blog on her website and facebook posts.  

“Finding the space time to design is the most difficult part of the creative process.”  Sarah is most excited about having a dedicated span of time, in a gorgeous environment that is renowned for art and design, to concentrate on the job of being inspired. “I hope to create a rich narrative that my customers will treasure as much as they do their jewelry, and to move people to carve out time to be inspired themselves.”

Jewelry is an immensely personal purchase, yet the story behind the design is often missing.  How did this jewelry come to be? What was the designer thinking, feeling, looking at, and being exposed to when the inspiration struck? What were the challenges, and what did the prototypes look like? Sarah expands on her already prolific design details by engaging in an intimate discussion of her process, giving an insider’s view that can be experienced on her website blog and her facebook page. We hope you will join her!

Fingerprint Jewelry

Created in 18K gold and Sterling Silver, Sarah began offering this idea over ten years ago when a friend requested a ring with her new baby's prints as a 'push' present. Since then, Sarah has made countless wedding sets for couples who imprint their fingers in each other's bands as a way to make the most extraordinarily sentimental and personal wedding rings ever. Several prints can be combined on the same piece of jewelry, so when a couple already has children, those can be included on the rings as well. She even once took a paw print from a canine 'family member' who served as the ring bearer in the couple’s wedding! But because the prints are pressed directly into the wax, rather than taken from an ink impression, the process must be done in person, and until now has only been offered to friends and family in Sarah's San Francisco studio.  This differentiates Sarah's jewelry from the fingerprint offerings you see online, and most importantly highlights what makes her designs so unique – the rich, natural texture. It also facilitates a way for the designer to connect directly with her customers – stores advertise the event in advance and Sarah comes with her wax impression kit, often customizing the designs even further. So why is Sarah finally taking this beyond her local studio and offering it to the public? Probably that little life changing event she encountered recently when she became a first time mom herself. When her son was four weeks old, she made a gold and oxidized silver necklace with her his prints and it wasn't long before everyone in her mommy group had one. While she knew the bridal market for fingerprint jewelry was big, she was blown away by the demand for jewelry by moms searching for something that captures the fleeting moment when children, and their little prints, are young - in a more sophisticated style than one usually finds in mom jewelry. Her calendar for fingerprint shows is filling up quickly as stores get in line to schedule their own in time to help customers celebrate all of life's most important occasions with this truly one of a kind jewelry.

The Three ‘R’s

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle….You have heard it a thousand times; testament of a strong slogan. And by now we should all be practicing these three dictums without thought as we go about our daily lives. But how to reconcile our love of fashion, and jewelry in particular, with this environmental triad? Well, turns out we don’t need to stretch our moral boundaries too far to justify a fine jewelry purchase: 

Reduce - By choosing fine jewelry, rather than costume, cost alone will necessitate a reduction in the amount of pieces you purchase.

Reuse – Take your time, consider your lifestyle, and find a piece you absolutely love. Wear it daily, build your signature style around it, and value it accordingly. Then pass it on to your children!

Recycle - The vast majority of all fine jewelry on the market is made from recycled precious metals. With the exception of the Mint or very large manufacturers, jewelers are casting and fabricating from refined metals that were mined previously.  Be discriminating - the smaller the designer, the more likely it is they are taking extra steps to identify the origin of their materials, and the more easily you can obtain this information. The same holds true for the store you buy it from.

Use discretion and be thoughtful in all your purchases, and treasure the act of treating yourself!

Last Two Trunkshows of 2011...

Thanksgiving is over, and Christmas is around the corner. Before we know it, we'll be ringing in the new year. But we have two more shows before the year is over, representing two more opportunities to see more of our jewelry than ever, including a sneak preview of our 2012 designs! Sarah will be at Manika Jewelry on Maiden Lane in San Francisco December 1st and 3rd, and at French Designer Jeweler in Scottsdale December 9th and 10th. Visit our events page for details. Hope to see you there!

Sonoma and Claremont...We are Back!

To all my friends and collectors in the Sonoma and Claremont Neighborhoods, we have missed you! But Terra Firma Gallery is due to receive a shipment of our latest designs tomorrow, and we are bringing even more to our trunk show at the Gallery in the Claremont Hotel Resort, November 18th and 19th. We hope you will come say hello - there is so much to catch up on, and I can't wait to show you all my latest creations, including pictures of my finest - my little baby boy!

 Terra Firma Gallery

Jewelista - where fashion finds jewelry...online!

Your passion for jewelry is indulged with Jewelista - a brand new website devoted to those of you who make jewelry the centerpiece of your wardrobe!
Jewelista has a broad collection of our designs, so now you can shop from the comfort of your own home, office or anywhere you are wired. Next time you find a few extra moments and want to indulge, visit Jewelista, where you will see our latest designs, as well as an interview with Sarah that explores her background, inspiration and style influences. Also, don't miss their style guide, a great resource for all the latest trends and style news.

We've added a new show - NY Gift!

This August we will be debuting our latest collection in the Hand Made section, booth 9150, at the New York Gift Fair. The show runs August 13 - 17 at the Javits Convention Center in New York City.

The NY Gift Fair is held twice a year, in August and January - ideal times for stores to see their artist's newest designs and place orders for their busiest seasons. The Fair hosts 2,800 exhibiting companies showcasing the very best lines across the home, lifestyle and gift spectrum, presenting a fantastic opportunity to discover talented new designers.

Drop us an e-mail to schedule your appointment. Open to the trade only.

We are looking forward to seeing you there!


New York International Gift Fair

Springtime in New York has never Sparkled this Bright!

In artistic collaboration, Sarah Graham and llyn strong gallery will be introducing their latest creations at New York’s Annual Sculptural Objects & Functional Art Fair (SOFA), April 14^th -17^th. The fair is being held at the Park Avenue Armory and will offer a VIP opening night preview on April 13^th for first selection of all artwork.

Sarah will be featuring her Shadow Dome Collection and llyn will be offering her “Modullyn” jewelry as well as sculptured flatware and jeweled boxes. The artistry of sixteen other incredibly talented jewelry and glass artists will also be a presented as part of this magnificent collection.

Hailed as the World’s Foremost Fair of Contemporary Decorative Arts & Design SOFA includes more than 50 galleries from around the world.

For further details please visit llynstrong.com/upcomingshows or sofaexpo.com/NY/2011.

Springtime in New York has never sparkled so bright!

JQ Retailer's Choice Designer of the Year: Sarah Graham

We are thrilled to announce our designation as 'Designer of the Year' by JQ International Jewelry Magazine! Now in it's 6th year, the JQ Retailer's Choice Designer Awards recognize design excellence within the fine jewelry industry. Winners in nine distinct design categories are selected by JQ International's retailer readers through an online voting ballot on their website, JQIntl.com. Nominations for each category are based strictly on the retailer's choice for their favorites from among all fine jewelry designers and are not based on submitted entries. Each year, this exclusive group of nine winners, including Designer of the Year, is honored at a special awards ceremony held during the June Las Vegas trade shows.

The Designer Jewelry Opportunity: How to Transform a Mainstream Retailer into the Most Unique Jewelry Store in Town

You know what you need to do, but you’re not sure how. Join a panel discussion dedicated to giving a jewelry store the confidence and answers it needs to make the changes that will help them differentiate, stay competitive and revolutionize the way their store is perceived by their customers forever.

Stores that embrace change and strive to innovate are stores that survive, and many have flourished in an unsteady economy by incorporating designer jewelry into their product mix. AJDC president Todd Reed and Vice President Sarah Graham lead a discussion with the owners of two top retailers who have over 50 years of combined experience in the jewelry business. Both stores turned to designer jewelry when times got tough, and have relied on this product mix to see them through the inevitable ups and downs of our ever changing, but never boring, industry.

I. Gorman, a family owned business since 1981, began experimenting with designers in the early 80s, and by the time the recession of the early 90s hit, they were glad the had – they found themselves well positioned to survive what would otherwise have been a crippling economy had they not set themselves apart from the crowd by offering their customers jewelry they couldn’t find anywhere else. As competition grew and the designer ‘gems’ they had discovered became more mainstream. I. Gorman saw a need to differentiate themselves again and altered course in mid 90s by introducing newer jewelers as well as international designers. Today, Nicole and Adam Gorman are witnessing yet another evolution in their customer’s tastes and are adjusting their product mix to suit – and still find the designer pool to be their best source for filling their cases with the newest and most innovative jewelry.

Babs Noelle of Alara Jewelry began her career as a bench jeweler in 1988 and sold her designs through her retail store. Her success reached a ceiling in 1998 when, tired of watching business walk out the door and unable to find enough time to make everything herself, she realized that if she were going to grow, she needed to offer diversity to her customers, and so turned to the designers that she respected and appreciated. Babs has been committed to designer jewelry ever since, and has developed an astute sense for choosing new designers and evaluating their success. She also has an exceptional skill for marketing that grabs her customer’s attention and builds their trust in one of the most entertaining campaigns in the industry.

Adam, Nicole and Babs will talk about how they choose designers, how they evaluate a line’s success, and how they formulate marketing strategies that capitalize on the clout of the brands they carry while still building their store’s own brand. They will turn the tables by asking Todd and Sarah their take on certain aspects of the business as well, and finally the audience will have full reign to pose questions to the entire panel. Under the auspice of the American Jewelry Design Council, whose purpose it is to bring understanding to the public about the value and craftsmanship of designer jewelry, Todd and Sarah, along with these hugely successful store owners and the Smart Show, promise a value packed seminar that will layout exactly why and how designer jewelry could be just the change a mainstream store needs to differentiate and excel in any market.

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The panel discussion Designer Jeweler Opportunity begins at 11:15 am Monday, April 26^th during the Smart Show on Chicago’s Navy Pier. Visit www.smartjewelryshow.com for more details.