Press Releases

MJSA Launches New Online Social Network for Jewelry Designers

Published

7 years ago

August 24, 2016

INSTORE Staff

(Press Release)
MJSA, the U.S. trade association dedicated to professional excellence in jewelry making and design, has launched the MJSA Jewelry Designer Network, an online social forum where designers can share ideas and information, discover inspiration, and find the support they need to grow their businesses.

The network is among the benefits of the new MJSA Designer Collaborative, which can be joined by any MJSA member free of charge. Facilitated by Andrea Hill, MJSA’s recently appointed designer advocate and the owner of the Hill Management Group, the collaborative provides a community in which designers can connect and collaborate.

“For many designers, creativity is often born from long hours of hard work and isolation, and that isolation can be difficult to endure,” Hill says. “The MJSA Designer Collaborative, along with the new social network, offers a way for designers to overcome that challenge and get the support they need—whether it’s feedback on a design idea, advice on a new business opportunity, or just a chance to say hello to their colleagues.”

In addition to the social network, members of the collaborative can enjoy other benefits, including:

A quarterly e-newsletter featuring information about upcoming events and design contests, designer profiles and case studies, and an exclusive column about pricing strategies, written by consultant Marlene Richey, author of the award-winning MJSA Press book "Profiting by Design: A Jewelry Maker’s Guide to Business Success."
A new event, ConFab Creative, augmenting the "profit lessons for designers" offered in MJSA’s current ConFab conference (which this year will take place Oct. 30 at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City). ConFab Creative will focus on how to find design inspiration and insights, and provide technical guidance for turning design concepts into completed pieces. Members of the collaborative receive a significant discount off the price of the ConFab conferences.

Collaborative members also enjoy a 50 percent discount on all videos, webinars, books, podcasts, and other educational materials produced under Hill’s MentorWerx brand, as well as discounted consultation rates from Marlene Richey.

To learn more about the MJSA Designer Collaborative, visit MJSA.org or call 1-800-444-MJSA, ext. 333, to speak to Andrea.

It Was Time to Make a Decision. It Was Time to Call Wilkerson.

Except for a few years when he worked as an accountant, Jim Schwartz has always been a jeweler. He grew up in the business and after “counting beans” for a few years, he and his wife, Robin, opened Robin James Jewelers in Cincinnati, Ohio. “We were coming to a stage in our life where we knew we have to make a decision,” says Jim Schwartz. He and Robin wanted to do it right, so they called Wilkerson. The best surprise (besides surpassing sales goals)? “The workers and associations really care about helping us move out own inventory out of the store first. It was very important to us.”