Official Newsletter of the Arkansas Jewelers Associationarkansasjewelers.wildapricot.org/Resources/...Arkansas Jewelers Association 2111 East Settlers Way The Woodlands, TX 77380 P:

2014 AJA CONVENTION August 8-9, 2014 Doubletree Hotel

Little Rock, AR

The AJA Convention will always be the 2nd weekend on

August each year.

Special Thanks to all AJA

Members that have paid their dues on time. We greatly appreciate

your support.

Arkansas Jewelers Association

2111 East Settlers Blvd. The Woodlands, TX

www.arkansasjewelers.com [email protected]

972-743-5406

Official Newsletter of the Arkansas Jewelers Association

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 3 Special Points

of Interest

•2013 AJA Award Winners •2013 AJA Sponsors

Would you attending seminars on Sunday, August 10, 2014 at the AJA Convention? If so, what seminar topics interest you?

Please email your response to [email protected]. Thank You!

Topic: Home Safety for Jewelers

Headline: Who is watching when you lock up?

Crimes occurring at a jeweler’s residence, includ-ing home invasions, are on the rise. Now, more than ever, a jeweler’s day doesn’t end at close of business. Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company puts your personal safety first, while at work or at home, and recommends these three tips to help keep you and your family safe.

* Burglar systems aren’t just for businesses. Invest in a well-designed and professionally installed and maintained residential burglar alarm system for your home.

* Shed some light on security. Install motion-sensing lights around the en-tire perimeter of your home mounted high enough to prevent tampering.

* Unlisted and unpublished. Make sure your phone number and address are unlisted and unpublished. Carry a charged cell phone with you at all times, keeping it next to the bed when you sleep.

* Keep track of your keys. When using valet parking or having your car ser-viced, provide only the necessary car keys rather than your entire key chain.

* Lock your doors and windows. Lock your doors and windows and set your perimeter alarm even when you are at home. Install a peephole, and in-struct family members never to unlock the door unless they know who is on the other side.

* Beware of tiger kidnappings. Tiger kidnappings got their name because the perpetrators stalk their victims like the large cats stalk their prey unob-served by their intended victims. After learning a victim’s habits, one criminal takes the jeweler’s family hostage. The other takes the jeweler back to the store for a full-fledged robbery after disarming the alarm. Therefore, be proac-tive and instruct your family that in the event of such a criminal attack, stay calm and follow directions. Vary the routes you travel to and from work. Break any routines and watch to see if you’re being followed. If you suspect you are being tracked, keep driving and call the police immediately from your cell phone.

To learn more about jewelry crime and protecting yourself with best practices and insurance, visit JewelersMutual.com.

2014 AJA CONVENTION August 8-9, 2014 Doubletree Hotel

Little Rock, AR

The AJA Convention will always be the 2nd

weekend on August each year.

Special Thanks to all paid

AJA Members. We greatly appreciate

your support.

Arkansas Jewelers Association

2111 East Settlers Blvd. The Woodlands, TX

www.arkansasjewelers.com [email protected]

972-743-5406

INSTORE Tips Prepare your storefront for the holidays

WHY? First impressions count. Make sure your store is extending an invitation.

HOW? Sit outside your store and think about how it looks to passersby. Ask a good customer to join you. Then spruce up the exterior by rolling out some plants, and if possible, adding seating, such as a bench to the scene. Paint the curbs, if you can, and stencil your store’s name on them.

SOURCE: Keely Grice, Grice Showcase & Display Manufacturing.

2014 SMART Jewelry Show Dallas Postponed

SmartWork Media announced that their show held in Dallas would be suspended for 2014. Show director Jim Reed said, “We are exploring a 2015 Dallas show and will keep interested parties informed when a decision is made.”

About The SMART Jewelry Show - Now in its sixth year, The SMART Jewelry Show Chicago takes place April 5 - 7, 2014, with a full-day education conference on April 4. This one-of-a-kind jewelry events provide inde-pendent retail jewelers the world-class speakers, inter-active education and exciting buying opportunities they need to grow their businesses smartly. The SMART Jewelry Show is presented by INSTORE and INDESIGN magazines. Learn more at www.smartjewelryshow.com.

Goldrush Refiners USA, INC would like to welcome a new addition to our team. Ladies and Gentlemen we are proud to announce our new National Sales Director Mr. Dan Ran-dall. Goldrush is a leader in the industry of precious metal and diamond recovery. Serving the Greater Atlanta area since 2006, we also support incoming shipments from across the US for customer convenience. We not only believe our Motto, “Speed, Accuracy, Honesty and Integrity” we also practice it. Dan has been a well-respected member of the precious metal industry for many years. His experience in the trade helps customers maximize their return on precious metals and diamond recovery. Dan’s willingness to consistently go above and beyond for his customers, made him stand out when it was time to choose a new member of our team. We recently spoke with one of his customers, they nick named him fondly the “Godfather of Gold”. He is al-ways ready and willing to assist in whatever way! Goldrush USA will be proudly represented by Dan at many of the industry Expo’s and conventions around the United States. We would like to invite you to stop by and intro-duce yourself at any of these events and feel free to give him a call at 214-783-7745 anytime. Goldrush welcomes Dan to our team and invites his friends, family and customers to a better experience in precious metal and diamond reclamation.

AJA is wanting more and more jewelry participants in the CARAT contest and we are working on ideas to bring more jewelers in to participate in these awards.

Arkansas Jewelers take a great deal of pride in being excellent craftsmen. We have many in this state. I think most of you agree and we would like you to sub-mit a piece in the CARAT Awards 2014.

After several discussions amongst the board members, both formally and informally, some solutions have been considered. The first is that Arkansas Jewelers certify qualified craftsmen (and women) from the membership and that these “Certified Craftsmen” would be the ones to vote at the convention for the Craftsmanship Award.

The second proposal is that the members of the Board of Directors would add their votes to the current vot-ers. Finally, it’s been suggested that any speakers who are recognized jewelers could participate.

Any suggestions, whether one of these or something you the membership propose. Please send us your in-put.

Thank you, Don Overstreet, CARAT Award Chair

Message from AJA President Dear AJA Members, It is hard to believe we are in the fourth quarter already. It seems like we just walked out of the annual meeting in Little Rock. I hope all of the hard work and preparation of the past nine months pays off with a strong holiday sea-son for us all. Best wishes for the upcoming season, Bob Herr AJA President

P A G E 3

2013 C.A.R.A.T. Entry Pieces

Bob Fite Brooks Fine Jewelry

Lori Blagg Faye’s Diamond Mine

Christo Kiffer Sissy’s Log Cabin

Christo Kiffer Sissy’s Log Cabin

Christo Kiffer Sissy’s Log Cabin Shannon Smith

Faye’s Diamond Mine

Jeffrey Brooks & Aaron Rodden

Brooks Fine Jewelry

Lori Blagg Faye’s Diamond Mine

Jeffrey Brooks & Aaron Rodden

Brooks Fine Jewelry Christo Kiffer Sissy’s Log Cabin

Nelson Gotay Gotay’s Gallery

Nelson Gotay - Gotay’s Gallery A pair of 14K yellow gold drop earrings with

yellow diamonds and tear-drop abalone.

David Holloway Holloway Designs

Craftsmanship Entry Piece Only

Jeffrey Brooks & Aaron Rodden

Brooks Fine Jewelry

Arkansas Jewelers Association

2111 East Settlers Way The Woodlands, TX 77380

P: 972-743-5406 F: 281-298-1732 www.arkansasjewelers.com [email protected]

FOR: AJA Membership Dues - Sept. 1, 2013 – Aug. 31, 2014

DESCRIPTION AMOUNT

Membership Level - 1 Store $95.00 Membership Level - 2 Stores $145.00 Membership Level - 3 Stores $195.00

Circle the Appropriate Level Above

Membership Benefits Include:

• Annual Convention

• C.A.R.A.T. Award Competition

• Scholarship Opportunities

• Networking

• Industry News

TOTAL

Make all checks payable to Arkansas Jewelers Association. If you have any questions concerning this invoice, contact:

Janisue Rigel – 972.743.5406 – [email protected]

“Thank You” for your support!

Mark Your Calendar

2014 AJA Convention August 8-9, 2014

Doubletree Hotel – Little Rock, AR

AJA Travelers

The Arkansas Jewelers Association is grateful for the continued support from the fol-lowing vendors. When given a choice please purchase from a firm that supports AJA.

Jewelers Mutual

Robert G. Carroll & Associates

Shahar Diamonds, Inc.

Stuller

JCK

Centurion Jewelry Show

The Smart Jewelry Show

Federated Insurance

Hi-Tech Precious Metals

Wilkerson Jewelers

Roseco, Inc.

United Precious Metal Refinery, Inc.

Rubin’s Gem & Jewelry

TRU

Red Jewel, Inc.

Steve Rudoff - Cedar Trading

Alicia Monteya - Kabana, Inc.

Martin Mease - Frederic Duclos

Bob Carroll - Robert G. Carroll & Assoc. Ray Dayer - Aiden

Garrett Hartman - Gottlieb & Sons

P A G E 1 8

This month we shine a spotlight on the following AJA Retailer & AJA Vendor.

AJA Retailer

Cambill Jewelry David Gambill

452 South West Drive Jonesboro, AR 72401

www.gambilljewelry.com 870-931-1771

AJA Vendor

Shahar Diamonds, LLC Alon Shahar

15 W. 47th St, Ste 11205 New York, NY 10036

www.shahardiamonds.com 212-840-9292

Mark Your Calendar

2014 AJA Convention

August 8-9, 2014

Doubletree Hotel Little Rock, AR

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