Accessory trends for the New Year are all about being big, bold and creative with your looks. Courtesy of the Spring 2012 Accessories Guide by Harper’s Bazaar, learn about the most talked about pieces straight from the hottest runways.

Tribal Touches
Tribal jewelry can be the perfect way to spice up a conservative look. The key to wearing tribal accents is to keep the rest of the outfit simple. Pull out the colors from the pattern in the jewelry and tie them in with the other pieces you are wearing. Look for tribal jewelry in our Chic & Unique collection from J.Goodin. We have all the jewelry you need to add boldness to your collection.

Saturated Sorbets
This spring you should embrace pastel colors. Make sure you know what colors go well with pastels: white, ivory, grey, camel, beige and tan are examples of colors that go well with pastels, whereas black, bright/neon colors, fire engine red and baby pink rarely work with. Don’t create too delicate-looking outfits; combine modest pieces with more revealing ones for a bit of contrast. Looking for a fabulous pastel colored necklace? Check out the Simulated Jade Stone Layered Necklace, item N01243RW-V01.

Floral Fetishes
A floral accessory can brighten up any look. For a little spice to an otherwise dull outfit, you can add a floral bag, shoes, jewelry or a scarf, but don’t wear them all together. Choose one thing, such as the Summer Bouquet necklace from J. Goodin, and let it be a statement piece.

The Return of the Earring
Wanting a playful way to dress up your wardrobe? This spring, a fashion favorite is big earrings! Switch it up between shoulder-grazing hoops and dangling chandeliers for a fun and fresh look for every day of the week.

Wrist Candy
Try adding dramatic bracelets to your wardrobe this season. Wear just one bangle or layer multiples, either way you are bound to look very modern and chic. Two things to remember: wear similar colors and try to not get carried away…wearing bracelets up to your elbows is probably overdoing it. The Icon Cuff from the Courtney Kaye collection is a true token to the grandiose.

To see the complete article from Harper’s Bazaar click here

Happy Father’s Day! If you are a customer and a father, I hope you treat yourself to a nice cz-studded ring. We have dozens of styles of mens jewelry that are the perfect symbol of luxury and class. (Shame on me for plugging a sale in the first paragraph.) But hey .. you get to purchase wholesale while all the other dads that are receiving a diamond-like fashion ring bought retail. ☺

This is my first year as a father so I will say that getting a day devoted to us is deserved. That statement “you won’t ‘til you have kids of your own” becomes very true when you wake up five times through the night to get milk. Having become the doormat of my family, I’ve finally learned that being a man is truly about being a servant and not about becoming a master. It’s a peculiar job that God has placed on us fathers. But there is nothing better than waking up to your child babbling and clapping his hands at the air. So, again, happy fathers day! Cheers!

I wanted to take the few hours of downtime allotted on this blessed day to blog about what’s been going on here in the JGI labs. As you know, we’ve been talking about a project named IRA (Independent Resellers and Affiliates) for some time. We’ve stayed hush hush about the project so I have been getting inquiries like, “Is it a jewelry line?” “Is it a separate business?” “Does it have anything to do with wholesale jewelry?” “Can I join the focus group?” “What is this IRA thing for?”

So it’s time to clear the air on what IRA is. Originally, we were planning to launch an online affiliate sales program with jewelry products. We were going to create a beautiful line of jewelry with a subset of existing J. Goodin jewelry items and put it online, sell retail, and offer our affiliates (those marketing and promoting the site) a percentage of each sale. We were going to make it multi-tiered so that affiliates who referred other affiliates could earn commission from sales by other affiliates. We are staunchly against network marketing, which pays commissions on and emphasizes recruiting. We wanted to make a simple system for the average entrepreneurial person to earn income by reselling jewelry without having to commit the little time and money people have these days.

We receive 25-50 wholesale online registrations a day at J. Goodin. About 30% of people who register to JGOODIN.COM actually own a store or a small chain. Another 66% of people are doing research on how to start a business, create a retail website, or simply sell jewelry part-time. There are the other 5% that we decline because it’s just someone entering random information to access our price list. We are a company that desires to be a catalyst for small businesses, meaning that we are out there trying to help entrepreneurs build their business in the jewelry industry. Whether you have one store, fifty stores, or no store at all, our core job is to help you create, run, manage, and profit from the business that you intend to do. It’s never been about selling you rings, earrings, pendants, and necklaces. It’s always been an internal discussion as to how to fill your business need with our jewelry products.

The result of this thinking is the creation of WEBDROPS for those people wanting to own a start a jewelry website. (I’ve blogged about how hard it is to run a website and warned against over-simplifying it.) We created the DROPSHIP program for those people not having the means to invest in inventory. We published a WHOLESALE JEWELRY CATALOG for those people wanting to resell our jewelry independently. For some, we directed them to dropship companies to purchase products and create eBay stores. For others, we explained direct sales and referred them to a home party company that fit their style and demographic.

But there was still a wide swath of the market that wanted to do none of these things. I have fielded a lot of calls in the last few years. I’ve had a ton of conversation with people wanting to know how to sell our rings.

“I don’t own a store. I don’t want have the money to open shop. I don’t have a website. I don’t know how to build one. I don’t want to show up a friend’s friend’s house with jewelry. I don’t want to own a bunch of inventory that I have to sit on. I don’t want to chase people around with a catalog and deal with faxing in orders. I don’t want to sell on eBay. I don’t want to sell on Amazon.”

Admittedly, I thought what I was hearing was crazy. How do people expect to build a business without any risk? Are they asking me to advise them on how to make money doing absolutely nothing? People were asking for a little-to-no-risk method to earning income that didn’t exist. I would say, “Go open a mall kiosk. Go find a party plan company. Go find a web developer. Go to an eBay conference. Go do trunk shows. Go do festival events. Go to the flea market.” My advice was met with the repeated challenge – “All these things cost too much.” In this economy, I finally believed them.

More recently, a lightbulb went off in my head when someone said to me, “Jay – Build something on the internet where I can make money by bringing customers to you. I don’t want to do a homeparty. I just want to tell people I know to buy jewelry and earn a small commission on the sale.”

Aha! IRA was born.

Uh-oh.. this blog entry is getting long and will have to be continued tomorrow.

Summer is fast approaching and we want to fill you in on what is trending. This season is filled with bold, bright jewelry pieces that are sure to catch everyone’s attention. Our collection is sure to offer something that will fit all of your needs.

OVERSIZED COCKTAIL RINGS:
Over the top cocktail rings are always popular and 2011 is no exception. Classic by nature, they never go out of style. Keep your eyes open for opulent stones, spring colors, and large clusters of pearls and charms. Motifs such as flowers, birds, butterflies, and other animal motifs will be found on cocktail rings this season as well. Embellishments in any form will make you and your cocktail ring the talk of the party. And what better an excuse to draw attention to your manicure? The complete versatility of over-sized cocktail rings makes it an absolute must have piece for your wardrobe.

VINTAGE DESIGNS:
Vintage and tribal chic inspired designs will be huge. Natural, raw, earthy looking stones will be top sellers. The designs will be anything but ordinary. Ornate, intricate patterns and filigree will be paired with a multitude of stones and colors. Coral and turquoise shades are sure to warm up any spring outfit. Stacked bangles will offer you maximum versatility. You can pair them with anything from a cardigan and jeans to a summer dress. This makes shopping for your spring wardrobe absolutely effortless. Chunky is in, so do not be afraid to layer thick, lucite bangles in bright, bold colors. They are in. Layering these vintage and tribal inspired pieces makes for a simple approach to a polished look.

UNIQUE NECKLACES:
Necklaces are going to be the focal point of jewelry this spring. There is no such thing as too big, or too bold. Bright colors and unique stones can enhance any ordinary piece of jewelry. Different sizes of geometric shapes in the form of stones, and beads will be found on necklaces and other pieces of jewelry. Pendant or no pendant, necklaces can make a bold statement. Layering can create a full neckline and allows for your own one of a kind pairing of stones, pearls, colors, and chains. A bold statement necklace can be paired with solid, neutral tones of clothing as not to take away from the piece. In turn it can really complete a look and make a statement. Do not be without a strong, unique statement necklace.

The world is changing. For those of us that don’t live under a rock, this change should be pretty apparent. People are having a tough time out there. I just read an article that stated 25-27% of Chicago teens won’t have jobs this summer. Federal programs are shot due to budget constraints. There’s no money out there.

So what now?

The old adage of turning lemons into lemonade is more true than ever. What happens when people can’t “find” the right opportunities? It’s simple. America has always had a unique ability to “CREATE” opportunities. Am I saying that you should sign up at J. GOODIN, order our catalog and a grouping of rings, earrings, necklaces, chains, bracelets and go sell jewelry to everyone you know? No. Well, maybe. What I am saying is that I believe the time of the independent private entrepreneur is coming back soon. So, would it be a good idea to invest in building your own small business (even if it is fashion jewelry)? Definitely. Here’s why.

Big companies are consolidating. A lot of the major corporations out there that aren’t doing well are being scooped up for deals on the dollar. You have big fish being eaten by even bigger fish. What these acquisitions do is simple – merge two companies together and gut out the fat. If you’re at a mid-level position, your job may become marginal should your company get acquired. Even if you have 10-15 years of tenure, HR is not built to care about where your kids go to school. Red is red and corporate America must be black. The confidence people had in corporatism is now lost. The reality that you are really just a number there has set in. My guess is that people are tired of investing their career somewhere they no longer feel secure. Where once people ran independent businesses to get away from big brother, the last 20 years have been about signing up at a Fortune-something company to establish a career. Weird how things are going back to how they once were.

So if you had a job in corporate America and your job was abruptly disrupted by “merger” or “downsizing” or some other euphemism, then think about building your own small business. Keep it simple. Keep it lean. But start building today. Would jewelry be a place to start? Certainly a very low risk and low barrier to entry. Success is around the corner so long as you’re willing to work for it. Women will always need fantastic fashion jewelry, especially quality jewelry like the stuff we make.

The government is consolidating. It’s no secret that the US is in trouble. We’re overspent. We owe China more than a trillion dollars and our credit rating was downgraded by S&P. The simple truth is that the government needs to cut jobs. The pensions being paid to retired workers likely supercede the budgetary allowance that would keep the books even. It’s no longer future-proof to get a government job and show up 9 to 5. If you have government work on your resume, it’s unlikely that big corporate will be a suitable next step in your career path. The two choices would be to work in small business or run your own, unless something miraculous happens in the US where we are thrust upon a new era of robotics – but we’re still 10-20 years away from that. Would jewelry be a place to start? Of course!

Here’s the large progression that must happen in my opinion for the US to ever recover from this mess that we’re in.

1. People start building small businesses again.
2. Small businesses feed business to wholesalers and importers.
3. US currency degrades against other currencies.
4. Wholesalers and importers feed domestic manufacturers.

Does it go against the grain of owning our own jewelry factory in China? Yes it does. But I can make the statements I’m making because costs are rising in China. A cubic zirconia costs 30% more than it did last year. Labor laws are changing. Everything is happening in a direction that will allow manufacturing to return to the US. It’s now just a waiting game.

The bottom line is that for this all to happen, American needs to become more independent and take on the task of creating opportunities. If the industrial revolution is what made this country great, then our people need to get industrious again. Even though wholesale jewelry is a minute part of the larger economy, it is at least a path for those interested in setting up shop.

Thanks for listening,
J

At a time when the economy is still teetering and the future still in question, I am encouraged by many of our customers that have said to me, “I’m struggling. But I’m hanging in there.”

I believe this is the sentiment for all small businesses, regardless of industry or space. Times are tough and business is consolidating. Some of the biggest brands in our history are closing their doors. We’ve seen many of our competitors close shop, and are attracting customers that would not have thought to merchandise outside their existing vendors. The bottom line is that entrepreneurs today have to figure out how to do things differently and separate from the pack.

This is, again, my opinion. I may be wrong, and I’m sure there can be cases made to disagree with my point.

The time of cheap is over. People are tired of buying junk. Stock your shelves with a higher quality product that is affordable.

As much as discounters have grown and sprawled new locations through the recession, people are getting sick of buying junk. Consumers are smart enough to know – you get what you pay for. If something goes on sale the first time, it’s likely that the supplier had an overrun. If it goes on sale again, then maybe there was another overrun. But if the entire stock of every brand of everything you can want in fashion is on sale, then something is wrong – and something, somewhere had to go. The brands are looking for cheaper and cheaper product so they can still earn their margin while selling to a closeout or discount channel. The net result is that the consumer gets a nice brand name item that is made cheaper than non-brand.

I am not knocking on flash sale sites or discount retailers. I buy brand favorites from Hautelook and Gilt every now and again. But I am noticing is that the brands are offering lower and lower quality. It’s understandable that everyone needs to gut out the cost. I still go to Off Fifth for the occasional pair of off-price shoes. But each time I buy a new discount item, the seams are quicker to unravel or the fabric seems to not hold up as well when washed. Look – I get it – they had to cost down.

This is exacerbated especially in the case of jewelry which is subject to metal commodity prices. When gold goes up, so does the cost of plating. Think about sterling silver which is 40% up from last year. The same item that retailed for $30 is now $50. No wonder the sudden rush to gold-plated brass jewelry.

We are in a great position as a wholesale jewelry distributor because our core business is gold-plated brass jewelry and higher end white metal jewelry. We do use precious metals in our plating, but our costing hasn’t suffered too much inflation since our jewelry is surface-treated.

Our customer is set to benefit from the trend of retail behavior and people stray away from discount merchandise. It’s discount for a reason and if it continues to be discounted, then well… something’s gotta give. So we’ve stocked our shelves with the same quality wholesale jewelry people have come to expect from us. We have redoubled our efforts at the factory level to improve the standards of our workers so they are happy. In California, there is a commercial about happy cows making happy cheese. I’m not comparing us to cows. But I know that happy workers make for better products.

Consumers are getting smarter. The brand veil will soon be pierced. Just because a fancy name is on it doesn’t mean it’s good. Retail will invariably come back. A recovery is already in progress, but it’s a slow roll.

My prediction is that cheaper goods will remain strong through late 2011 but start to wane. Consumers will change their buying patterns. Instead of spending $15 and buying three pieces of junk, they will save $45 to buy something made better. Once that behavior picks up – heck – maybe we can start making stuff in America again.

Our new site has been live for 14 days now and the overall response is very good. The site is faster than before and much more secure as we’ve deployed 256-bit encryption across the registration page and checkout pages.

We’ve also added integrated PayPal checkout as well as 2Checkout options. For those users leery about putting their information on the web, we have phone and fax payment options. Though this does delay the order processing time, it gives some of our customers peace of mind.

We’ve had a few site down issues since our launch. The servers have failed two Fridays in a succession. Reza and Ralph are frantic to get to the bottom of it. We are building redundancy as soon as possible. Sorry if this has caused any inconvenience to our customers.

We will continue to translate the site into Spanish and have added a third language – Chinese!

The link to our old site (http://shop.jgoodin.com) will be there through the end of April. We have synced all jewelry items from the old site to new. If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the search box, chances are that it’s out of stock. This is one of the bigger changes from the old site. We will not be displaying items that are out of stock.

The work to make a better wholesale jewelry mega-site continues. We have new products coming in all the time. We have new programs launching. And, we will start opening our service programs to the public shortly as well.

We’re getting a lot of registrations from all over – signs that the economy is in some state of repair. Things are getting better slowly but surely.

Look out for news on the Independent Reseller program. There is a project code-named IRA (independent reseller and affiliates) program that will beta in July. This will be a HUGE step forward in the direction of empowering resellers to earn money by reselling our products. I will be posting tidbits of our progress with IRA through the next few months.