How to get Michelle Obama to wear your jewelry

Jewelry Discussion
21

Ok guys, so let’s straighten something out. Somehow the two
statements in my last email got reversed. Someone had written the
following:

So off it went today with a business card and a brief note.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I then responded with:

So let's see. You just sent someone a piece of your work for free.
Funny, I always like to get paid for mine.

But in the email they got reversed and it seemed to look like I had
sent something off to the Obamas. Please read this carefully: I love
the Obamas but I don’t give my work away free to anyone except my
immediate family and a few very close friends (and occasionally for
charity auctions). In my humble opinion, celebrities tend to expect
to get things for free and I’m not in business to give my work away.
I like to get paid. I can’t eat if I don’t get paid. My family can’t
eat if I don’t get paid. And I can’t pay my rent or my suppliers if I
don’t get paid.

Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC

22

The continuance of this thread mystifies me. Is a celebrity’s money
worth more? If, Michele Obama wears a certain piece of jewelry will
others have to have it? Perhaps this is gender specific.

KPK

23

When we’ve all grown up and have quit expecting other people to pull
us along and make us quote “famous” unquote. When we can all be
genuine creators, not artists, expecting some person with “clout” to
pull our name above the fray, then maybe we can say we made a
difference. I find the talk of “someone famous” wearing a piece of
jewelry I made VERY shallow. How about taking a piece of childs art
and making it into a recognizable piece of wearable “gift” and making
that child feel like the world just stopped to see what he/she has
done. How about taking a widows wedding rings and setting them in a
motion necklace where each ring spins independently of the other but
both spin around a single stone of unity ( the center stone of the
engagment ring) and handing that to a widow that “oh so misses her
lover”?? Get out of the shallowness of what is going on around you,
get back to what made you want to make a thing of beauty. a thing of
mystery, a thing of love. If you want to get money off of what you
make, go with Paris HIlton, Michelle Obama or even Barbara Whoever,
but if you want a sense of accomplishment, a sense of a job well
done, work from your heart. Do that piece that keeps nagging you in
the back of your mind and make a difference in someone’s life that
will apprecitate what you do and not what you can GIVE them…

Char

24 
I love the Obamas but I don't give my work away free to anyone
except my immediate family and a few very close friends (and
occasionally for charity auctions).

Somebody rich and famous who I don’t recall said that when you are
in that state (rich AND famous) people either radically overcharge
you or give it to you for nothing, and rarely in between… Another
lament on the perils of celebrity… It was said in the spirit of,
“Oh to be normal again…”

25 
Is a celebrity's money worth more? If, Michele Obama wears a
certain piece of jewelry will others have to have it?

To the first question, absolutely not. To the second question, yes,
unfortunately people tend to want the things that celebrities wear.
It is great advertisement to have a celebrity wear your piece,
particularly if it gets talked about on tv or in a magazine. A
celebrity’s “testimonial” reaches a large audience and holds a lot of
weight. Many people aspire to have a lifestyle similar to that of
celebrities and wearing the clothes and accessories that they wear is
part of that. I used to work for a handbag company which was very
small and pretty unknown until Sienna Miller wore one of their bags
(when she was the “it” girl). Immediately the bag became a hot item,
and now that company is worth millions largley as a result of that
publicity. I actually couldn’t care less what celebrities are
wearing…but tons of people do.

No solicitors - THIS MEANS YOU" means you, too. It's not cynical to
understand that her staff is in place to protect her from people
just like you (us), it's reality. When I said the White House gets
40,000 pieces of mail a week, that wasn't made up, that's the
number. Probably half of them are solicitations of some sort or
another..... At our house, we call it "junk mail"...

You are right. And really the point of this thread was to ask if
anyone knew of a less obvious, acceptable (meaning allowed/accepted
by the white house) venue to introduce your work to her, in which it
may actually get noticed (not in a pile of 40,000 letters). I would
bet that there is some outlet…some designers must have found a
way to present thier work. I’m sure it’s all about having the right
connections. I guess if anyone has the secret to the “in” they
probably wouldn’t share it here, but it was worth a shot.

26 
When we've all grown up and have quit expecting other people to
pull us along and make us quote "famous" unquote. When we can all
be genuine creators, not artists, expecting some person with
"clout" to pull our name above the fray, then maybe we can say we
made a difference"

I’m with some of the other writers and professional jewelers that
are wondering why this thread is still going on… I, am actually
pissed at myself for contributing further, BUT… (you knew that was
coming!) I am a grown up professional metalsmith and an artist- I
make art jewelry.

I’m fairly certain there is no “we can all be” anything, nor do most
professionals aspire to making any difference - whatever that means-
through a product they create for a living and sell…the above quote
really gave me… pause… It seems far beyond naieve, and far into a
sheep mentality- jewelry artists are not sheep, there is no flock,
nor herder and I expect no one wants to be herded…and when anyone
gives away a piece they have a reason for it- but as a marketing
tool it is ridiculous, unless attached to a viable campaign say, to
get potential customers into a store or gallery or to attend a
charity event at which X’s work is featured as a valuable collectors
item, or wearable art… advertising nonetheless, at the root of the
“free” giveaway…

I don’t know what most on Orchid work in but I personally use high
karat golds, and mixed metals- all precious, or reactive at the
cheapest end of costs, then there are all the other elements that
cost me in making the piece- from wax to water, electricity to
property taxes…If I wanted to target a celebrity - well, there’s
the point- I would no more target a celebrity than the Royal Jeweller
to HRM Queen Elizabeth. It seems that if one creates their own solid
form and style and perfects his or her techniques, then develops a
marketing strategy to target the market one envisions those works
worn on or collected by (and reflected in the retail price, product
placement, and vendors that distribute your line(s))- the work will
be self-supporting and sought out by a far wider range than just, in
the example put before us, a politician’s wife inserted into every
photo - op in print at present that happens to have a sense of style
and probably a bevy of stylists or at least assistants (remember
Michelle Obama made 112 Million last year on her own) doing some
buying for her… the heart ", making any difference on some level
(I can’t figure out what that meant) has nothing to do with business
on a large scale that I can see from a perspective of being in the
jewelry business - of which art jewelry is a niche crafts business
within the larger picture- for many years…

professional work doesn’t need to be spun so-to-speak, Art jewelry’s
merits promote sales and the sales reinforce the quality of the
workmanship and the artists intention which in this business is to
live beyond marginally in pursuit of one’s artistic vision or one’s
ability to run a CAD/CAM application.

The whole statement about not being an artist has me stunned,
frankly. How can anyone not be an artist but “creating” jewelry- I
personally find that nonsensical.

Kevin, I don;t think it’s a gender specific statement (in fact in
defense of women metalsmiths and jewelrs that was a bit snarky of you
to imply imo), but an idiosyncratic statement by someone perhaps not
making a living as a jeweler…and not making the connection between
brain and muscle and jewelry and art… I for one will certainly not
be sending off anything to a politician millionaire- remember the
artist working from the heart a few years ago that got busted and
jailed in the federal Penn for making a “dream catcher” with an eagle
feather attached and sending it to Mrs. Clinton?

There is a fine line between sentimentality and connection to ones
artistic creations, and the ultimate destiny of each piece and who
will own it…Pricing is perhaps a contributing factor and ensures
that an open, but specific group will have access to one’s
creations… rer

27

Char,

What a great message!

I understand that a greater income would be so helpful in any
economy. I don’t want to be famous. I don’t want to be a celebrity. I
want to earn the respect of the instructors who have helped me learn
to make a quality product. I want to earn the respect of the the
artists in our industry who make the world a more beautiful place.

Thanks for reminding us of a higher calling.

Best regards,
Mary A

28

I had a thought on this recently. What if someone that represents a
state from which a large amount of silver, gold, and gemstones is
mined endorsed and even promoted such an event. Since they’d be
helping promote products that use materials mined in their state,
perhaps they’d be in a receptive mood to help out.

Thoughts?

Re the art vs. shallow attempts at making money. Hey, I’m all for
art, but I’ll always remember what I was told early in my jewelry
related training. “Artists make what they want and most of them are
starving. Designers make what the customer wants and make money doing
it.” If you’re a well known and established artist who can make money
off your own concepts, I applaud you. If you’re like most of us,
you’ll make what the customer wants so you can feed, clothe, and
house your family.

Mike DeBurgh, GJG
Henderson, NV

29

The secret in, as I learned with handbags also is to have a
relationship with a publicist or stylist who works with the celebrity
in question. Both of these usually cost money and often the item in
question is gifted to the person in hopes that it will be worn. It’s
a crapshoot and requires connections but unless you know the First
Lady or Paris Hilton or whomever personally, it is your only hail
mary shot in most cases.

30 
If you're like most of us, you'll make what the customer wants so
you can feed, clothe, and house your family.

And so far never mentioned on this forum to my knowledge, I know
artists who have spouses that provide financial support, the
artist’s income is important, but when things are bad, the spouse
with the 9-5 job can be pretty much sole support for the family. I
know one person who is on her third job since the shows she has done
the last two years have not provided much profit.

Richard Hart G.G.
Jewelers Gallery
Denver, Co.

31

I’ve been in this business for 25/30 years. Am I famous?? No. Did I
aspire to be famous, at one time. Now I am just Granny C to my many,
many little ones. Fancy rings and pins are fine, if thats what you
want to cater to. However I have found more riches in golden spiders
and silver leaves. The sparkle in ones eye at a new experiment gone
good or bad. Ever tried to cast playdoh…lol. Tip: leave a window
opened very wide. I’d have to say the best time I had was
demonstrating how to cast and the significance of science and math
in a project, all to a little over 100, 8 year olds. We had the best
time. I guess it really all comes down to what side of the greenback
your heart is on. To each his own…Char

32

Gently, Char. Give everyone the room to be who they are and have
their own dreams. There is nothing preventing any one of us from
doing good in our private and working lives, creating with head,
hands, heart and soul, being generous AND having fantasy dreams of
fame and fortune. Some people even turn their own good fortune into
expanded ability to help others. But let’ s not get on people for
not sharing our personal choices.

Marianne Hunter

33 
If you want to get money off of what you make, go with Paris
HIlton, Michelle Obama or even Barbara Whoever, but if you want a
sense of accomplishment, a sense of a job well done, work from your
heart. Do that piece that keeps nagging you in the back of your
mind and make a difference in someone's life that will apprecitate
what you do and not what you can GIVE them...

There’s no reason that you can’t do BOTH. For those of us who have
chosen jewelry as a career, rather than a hobby, money is necessary
to stay in business. Selling your work doesn’t mean that it didn’t
come from the heart when you made it. Don’t be so quick to judge
others intentions. This isn’t about greed or fame, it’s about
survival in business. Celeb-induced publicity is certainly not the
only way to garner business (and I doubt that anyone here is
intending or expecting that to be their sole promotion tactic), but
it is one way and a way that I have seen work. It also doesn’t mean
that the celebrity is “pull[ing] us along”…there is MUCH to be done
once your work is in demand and if you can’t keep up, you’re dead. If
you are lucky enough to be independently wealthy or if you are making
your living by some other method than making jewelry then you can
afford to never think about selling your work and only make it for
the satisfaction. But a business cannot survive without income and
sense of purpose alone doesn’t put food on the table.

34 
knew of a less obvious, acceptable (meaning allowed/accepted by the
white house)

Not Michelle yet again, but the larger issue of marketing (like I’m
an expert). First I would share a mystification at one recent post -
as if gold falls out of the sky…

Jacqueline Kennedy changed the world in several ways, most notably
fashion, for those of you who remember. She was so charming and
beautiful and loved that a good half of the women in America and
elsewhere adopted something or another of her - clothes, hair,
interior design. And it was a good thing - she helped bring fashion
out of the 50’s and into the 60’s. Dior, Chanel… She was truly a
role model. There have been other women, and men, too, but she’s one
of the most famous for it. Our governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has
been doing much the same in our state. They call him a “metrosexual”

  • manicured, pampered, impeccably dressed, massaged and primped, but
    still very masculine.

Generally speaking it’s not realistic to expect to sell to
celebrities out of a vacuum. I use the word celebrities to mean
powerful people, famous or not, who have money to spend. The people
I know of who cater to those crowds also live the life - they go to
opera and symphony openings, go to the events where such people go,
attend and give parties, etc. Mostly it’s not any different than you
or I - you sell to your circle of friends and influence, you need to
cultivate your friends and influence accordingly. And it doesn’t hurt
at all to gain your own level of renown, too. And financing and cash
flow…

It’s true that Julia Roberts could walk into any store, any time
(Gosford Park…) and fall in love with your work. The idea that a
person can just reach upwards socially and make that happen is not a
lot different from saying, “I want to be a rocket scientist.” Slow,
steady, sure - eventually connections get made, and they spread like
ripples on the water…

35

I wouldn’t worry too much about ‘shallow’ comments. Its not like
we’re all engaged in childhood leukemia research here or something.
Having your own set of priorities is legit. Last time I looked
jewelry making was not exactly an altruistic endeavor.

To the original question… Why not take an indirect approach? As
has been pointed out there are insulating layers you’d have to go
thru with any celeb. Attach yourself(or product) to a PC worthy cause
that has your subject’s attention, try to be genuine about it. People
can spot a phony. Encourage conditions that allow the celeb to find
you.

36 
If you're like most of us, you'll make what the customer wants

Mike, how does one know what the customer wants?
KPK

37

Recently I read Malcom Gladwell’s book, “Outliers”. It’s about
highly successful people and how they got that way. It is NOT a “how
to” book, rather it’s case studies of successful people. (Bill Gates
for example).

One of the most striking elements of the book is the importance of
pure luck. Being in exactly the right place at the right time. You
can have all the talent in the world and have honed your craft to a
razor’s edge, but if your timing isn’t right, if you don’t have the
right connections, you may be sucessful, but you’re not likely to
become a superstar.

I’m not sure I agree with everything the book had to say, but it was
compelling reading and I recommend it.

Pam East

38

I totally agree with that. I have happened to be in the right place
and at the right time and ended up with making the jewellery on the
show So You Think You Can Dance it started off with just the US
show, then a special piece for Mary Martin and then I ended up with
the Canadian Show also. But no one is going to notice you if you
don’t put yourself out there and take some risks. I do and I win a
lot of things. I have many trophies for not only the designs of
jewellery but for the volunteer work/donations to good causes, with
that I have won the Yellow Pages Make it Right Program, that one
netted me 5000.00 I have also been installed into the order of
Abbotsford (where policeman or Fireman that have died in the line of
duty, former mayors people like that) So yes I do a lot but I also
take risks and just go for it. You never know.

Leslie

39 
Recently I read Malcom Gladwell's book, "Outliers". [snip] I'm not
sure I agree with everything the book had to say, but it was
compelling reading and I recommend it.

We recently read his book “Blink” and had to read “Outliers” as well

  • just finished it and agree with you. Highly recommend both. Will
    also be reading his “Tipping Point”.

He explores situations from less-obvious angles and reaches some
astounding conclusions. There were many “Aha!” moments for us and
we’re finding new ways of looking and thinking.

Pam Chott
www.songofthephoenix.com

40 
One of the most striking elements of the book is the importance of
pure luck. Being in exactly the right place at the right time.

I joked that my nehew the particle physicist was on his way to a
Nobel Prize when he snagged a certain job. He said that winning the
Nobel Prize was mostly a matter of luck. With that being said, he’s
also surrounded by previous Nobel Laureates… You figure it out.

I came to San Francisco to make big city jewelry, and I do. I’ve
made things for various celebrities, but nobody like the First
Lady… To me it’s not the celebrity part as much as that they can
afford fine things…

And the thing is that to some degree you make your own luck. Living
on a farm is a fine thing - I grew up in small towns, largely,
myself. But in all things the world isn’t going to come to you, you
have to go out and find it… Or be happy on the farm - that’s not a
bad thing…