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New York City. Jan. 3, 2019. A lifetime ago, silver jewelry designer Saundra Messinger, known for her organic-looking sterling styles sometimes set with burnished diamonds, sang jingles for a living.

As a child, she appeared as a guest on the Ted Mack program, and in adulthood, she was the onetime voice of Windjammer Cruises. (Click here to listen to Messinger’s dramatic, 80s-intense melody written by Jeremy Goldsmith that captures the early part of the era?s syrupy serenade-like productions.) She even sang about ?hating roaches? for a pesticide company! And when she needed someone to help her record a demo tape, she met husband Chuck Irwin, a recording engineer and record producer.

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But after years of fun musical and acting projects, her interests shifted and Messinger took a position with clothing brand Eileen Fisher. Messinger?s interest in fashion landed her a job as a jewelry buyer, and it was during this time, as she requested specific pieces for manufacturing, that a lightbulb moment occurred: she was a designer herself, a point noted by one of the designers on her team and a direction that the artist encouraged Messinger to pursue.

Messinger started organizing her thoughts and ideas for a collection, and her friend and mentor introduced her to casters and wax carvers on 47^th Street. By the fall of 1999, Messinger had a sample line comprising geometric forms in silver with her signature uneven surfaces (?They are not hammered, they are carved in wax,? she maintains) and matte finishes. By May 2000, she participated in her first Accessories Circuit show. She was also one of the first artists to set diamonds into sterling jewelry.

Her design prowess escalated quickly, and singing became a memory, though one last project lingered in the recesses of her mind. She and Chuck had recorded an album rich in pop-like vocals with old standards and original tunes written by songwriters and musicians who were friends of Messinger?s husband. ?When we recorded this, he was the famous one and I was the unknown singer,? she recollects.

By the time they finished recording, resources were depleted. As it was expensive and time-consuming to release an album, they shelved it. ?We simply ran out of money,? says Messinger.  

Now, 30 years later, the time is right to release it. ?We are finally ready to just close this loop and get this album out there,? she says. ?Chuck never let it go?he wanted to finish what we started.?

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The name of the body of work? Smile. Her jewelry is incorporated into the album?s design, created by Robert Genovesi of GenovesiWeb.com, by way of the uneven curve from one of Messinger?s bangles on the cover. A Smile necklace with diamonds dotting the base will debut in the first weekend of February (trade buyers can see it at the upcoming Melee show), when collectors will be able purchase it online. The Smile necklace looks just like the name suggests?like a smile. Find the album on Amazon, Spotify, and iTunes. Find Messinger?s jewelry online.

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Los Angeles. Jan. 3, 2019. Gemstone junkie Irene Neuwirth‘s love affair with color rages on, though you wouldn?t know it from her new Flat Gold jewelry collection. It features girly-glam looks like hearts, bows, and horses, but without a gemstone in sight. That’s right?no opal hearts, white pearls mixed with turquoise cabochons, or fire opals married to a dozen other gemmy-delish and freeform-in-appearance stones. These are, after all, the lighthearted driving force of this Los Angeles-based designer’s design repertoire. But, like the name suggests, Neuwirth’s new collection is mainly flat and gold. Period.

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Neuwirth dishes that she?s had some of the styles in mind?and in her collection?for more than a decade, though a new crop of horizontal cuties debuted this fall. To date, 36 looks are available in 18k yellow, rose, and white gold. While some have diamond and pearl accents, most are level and free of surface adornments. Why? Neuwirth wants to stay nimble.

“I have been trying to develop this collection for years & lots of people have been asking for more, but I was so obsessed with the stones that it was hard to pull me away from that direction,” she explains. “So I took it as a challenge to myself.”

Plus, the airy and fun aesthetics of the styles are still in line with the artist’s DNA. “I see women in restaurants and in airplanes wearing them, and I love how lightweight and feminine they look and feel,” she adds. “I think the whimsical yet fine nature of the collection makes them clearly mine. I love the irony of the hearts and bows and horses and how playful and sugary sweet they are.”

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Expect flat gold flowers (Yay!) next and find all the pieces?ranging in retail price from $680 to $19,460?in the Irene Neuwirth boutique in Los Angeles and online.

Meanwhile, her biggest accolade to date doesn?t come from a celebrity or revolve around a certain motif; it has to do with the collection?s absence of gems?Neuwirth?s signature.

?The biggest compliment is that although there is no color?what I?m typically known for?people still look at the pieces and know right away they are mine.?

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New York City. Dec. 7, 2018. Early Wednesday morning, I awoke to the sound of our 15-year-old lab/shepherd mix named Beast having a seizure. It was his second one ever – and within a week’s time – and he wasn’t snapping out of this one as quickly as the first. Jeff and I got him into the car and sped over to the closest 24-hour emergency vet, who quickly assessed the cause: a brain tumor.

Fifteen is great long life for a big dog! But as pet parents know, it’s difficult nonetheless to say goodbye. The vet put Beast on a seizure med, though, which has helped stabilize him, and forbade him from doing stairs anymore. We brought him home, dragged his bed downstairs and set it up in the den, and have been living on the first floor with him 24/7. Correction, I have been living with him in the den, given that he cries for me if I’m gone for longer than a few minutes.

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This family emergency forced me to clear my schedule this week. I missed the Platinum Guild International (PGI) holiday party on Wednesday night, and last night?s board dinner of the Women?s Jewelry Association?s (WJA) New York Metro chapter, of which I?m president. PGI?s Jenny Luker and Kevin Reilly were understanding, as was the all-volunteer board with whom I work. Everyone involved has crazy busy schedules, so it seemed unfair and impractical to reschedule our board dinner, which is an opportunity to thank everyone for their hard work and commitment. I wanted them to enjoy it?and from the looks of the photos, they did!! Margaritas, I believe, were part of the reason.

So, from my home base of our dog-filled den (our Golden Retriever, Emma, is serving as a therapy dog to both me and Beast), I’m working on next week’s event schedule. This includes the annual WJA New York Metro holiday party, which will happen at the Yale Club on Wednesday, Dec. 12. Tickets are still on sale (click here).

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The holiday party is super festive and upscale, with an open bar, great food, and the camaraderie of members for which our chapter is well known. The party is also an opportunity to learn about industry firms that support the mission of WJA??to help women in the jewelry and watch industries advance and develop professionally through networking, education, leadership development, and the provision of member services.? Companies support WJA and events like the holiday party through sponsorships, which defray the costs of hosting pricey events like this one, and raffle donations, which raise money for our chapter?s scholarships and grants.

Raffle items this year are unique! First, there are non-jewelry temptations. Closet vocalist and Senior Counsel at the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, Sara Yood, donated two tickets to the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA)?the competition featured in the film ?Pitch Perfect?on Saturday April 27 in New York City. Reed Events donated a two-night hotel stay at the Palazzo/Venetian during the JCK 2019 jewelry show, and onetime WJA National President Ann S. Arnold donated several signed copies of the book she wrote with her father, ?Together: A Journey for Survival,? about a childhood spent dodging the Nazis during World War II. (Also find it on Amazon.com.) 

Of course, there are also plenty of jewels. Thanks to Metro chapter co-treasurer and jewelry designer Delphine Leymarie, we will have a sterling silver Etoile ring up for grabs. Member and designer Elena Kriegner is also donating a ring, but hers is called Spark and features a massive 20 carat citrine center stone. Eliko Pearl, a longtime dealer in the city and a member of the Cultured Pearl Association of America (of which this author serves as part-time executive director), is donating a pair of dark Tahitian keshi pearls, a pair of stunning pale natural-color blue akoya pearls, and an oversize baroque Tahitian pearl.

And there?s one final gem that?s of particular interest to me: a round black diamond from Instagem.net.

AsI enjoy the final days with my own black beauty of a dog, that black diamond reminds me of our Beast through its color, imperfections (it?s a rose cut), and even its size?0.9 carat and our Beasty weighs 95 pounds. I?ll buy a chance to win that stone next week after I find overnight accommodations for my furry baby who needs round-the-clock care. If I win it, I?ll set it into a necklace to keep him close; If I don?t win it, no matter?a lifetime of memories with that big, silly, and loveable dog will live on forever in my mind.

Dogs are a stinky, slobbery, sometimes destructive, and loveable gift to us all, and the joy, laughter, and peace that Beasty, once a stray from rural West Virginia, has given to our family is akin to winning a diamond a day for the rest of our lives. As much of a jewelry lover as I now am, I?d take Beast over a diamond a day every day for eternity.

I hope you will join us next week at the Yale Club to celebrate another year of blessings, even if my year end is a bit bittersweet.

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New York City. Dec. 3, 2018. On Saturday morning as I sat sipping my coffee and scrolling through Facebook, I came across a request on a closed trade-only jewelry forum called Jewelers Helping Jewelers (JHJ). Would the group of more than 14,000 individuals please weigh in to help the poster, a jeweler, learn how to copy the handiwork of an established jewelry designer with a recognizable aesthetic since one of his good customers liked it? The designer was Polly Wales, a pioneer in the cast-not-set technique of wax-cast jewelry with gemstones.

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I nearly spit out my coffee – not because somebody else was yet again trying to copy the hard work of another individual but because that person had taken the request to a huge public forum to expedite the offense. By the time I saw the post, it had been online for about 16 hours, allowing ample time for others to weigh in. But instead of posts of protest à la, “That’s not ethical behavior,” they responded with ugly comments about the designer’s signature aesthetic, an organic-looking method of casting specific gemstones securely into precious metal.

A short-lived online discussion ensued before the poster, I imagine, deleted the entire thread. Perhaps he realized that time stamps and motive were present, which could provide evidence that he intended to take money out of the established designer’s pocket and put it into his own. I’m not a lawyer or a policewoman, but as a journalist with 22 years of experience writing about serious industry issues like this, it’s appropriate to point out questionable behavior for the benefit of many. Over the summer, I even helped to organize a conference for the New York Metro chapter of the Women’s Jewelry Association where intellectual property (IP) lawyers offered insight into alleged claims of knockoffs – which is where I learned about time stamping and willful efforts to deceive. If the now-deleted JHJ thread became public knowledge, it could be a black eye to many in jewelry. I’m thrilled the jeweler took it down, because its presence lent a measure of authoritativeness to a request that could lead many down a dark path.

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This certainly isn’t the first time IP issues have come under scrutiny, nor will it be the last. But learning from them – quickly – and turning the situation around is always the best course of action for all parties involved.

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