One weekend, two cities (Part 1)

One week ago, I was planning this trip to Washington DC for the National Cherry Blossom festival and I was not disappointed! Before I drove down to DC on Friday, I stopped by the Whole Bead Show in New York City that I learned about from Pretty Smart Ideas. The show was held in a nice building called the Metropolitan Pavilion on 18th and 7th. As soon as I stepped in, I went crazy and lost my mind. It was my first time going to a bead show and I was totally unprepared. I wasn't planning on getting anything and I did not have a budget. But I ended up spending $100+ on gemstones and I got a lot of business cards. It was the wildest shopping experience I've ever had in New York. It was crazier than Black Friday sale and I am not kidding.



A quick glance at the room, you see a sea of boothes. Some selling gemstones, some selling plastic & vintage beads, some selling tribal findings etc. Most of the vendors were from New York City. Some were from upstate New York and some came from New Jersey. Since my store does mostly precious and semi-precious stones, I spent most of my time in the Indian gem booths. There were incredible deals - almost all the gemstone booths offered 40-60% off marked price. Just to give you an idea, a 16" strand of AA grade aquamarine 8mm heart briolette would normally cost around $120 and I was able to get it for $50. I could not believe my eyes and I certainly did not want to miss this amazing opportunity to stock up some gems. I visited about 6 tables and ended up getting some ruby, emerald (two of the most expensive precious stones next to diamond), aquamarine, rose quartz, white crystal quartz, solar quartz and some miscellaneous semi-precious stones. 

I also checked out some Chinese vendors selling pearls and other normal beads. Prices were also good. I saw some $1, $3, $5 and $10 baskets of gorgeous beads and findings. If I needed them for my store, I'd have totally bought them. 

Overall, it was such an amazing experience. Next year when the show comes to town, I'll go prepared and well equipped. If you haven't been to any of those shows before, I'd strongly encourage you to go at least once.

Cherry Blossom planning continues...

Still planning for Cherry Blossom trip to DC. I just love sakura so much. I just want to live with them.

Different ways to wear cherry blossom

I was wondering what I should wear for the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC this weekend and look what I found?



Which one do you want to wear?

Vintage Kim Craftsmen: Collector's Information

Founded by Carl and Marty Schimel in the 1950s, Kim Craftsmen was a household name for affordable and stylish jewelry. When the Schimel's started the company in 1950, they were doing wholesale jewelry in New York City. The brothers started under the name C & M Jewelry, and purchased finished goods from manufacturers to be resold to retailers. As C & M Jewelry gained accounts and clients, its resale product line expanded accordingly. Carl and Marty Schimel took naturally to the jewelry business and their wholesaling enterprise flourished in its infancy.

It didn’t take long, however, for the Schimel brothers to discover they should forge their own path. In light of increased markups and dwindling profits, they realized their role as a wholesaler was constantly shortchanged by the industry and felt the crunch on both sides. Their business instinct and artistic nature led them to venture from wholesaling to manufacturing their own line of jewelry.

Learning the nature of the jewelry trade firsthand, they began their manufacturing endeavor with confidence. The brothers acquired metals and findings to work with, good quantities of copper in particular, which was proving popular during the 1950s. They used raw copper, hammering and manipulating it into pieces like twisted upper arm bracelets and rings, abstract shaped pins, and articulated necklaces.

Unmarked, 14k Gold plated upper arm bracelet by Vintage Kim Craftsmen 1970s.

The trade name C & M Jewelry changed to Kim Copper in 1952. "Kim," the brothers felt, was a simple, feminine name, outlining exactly what they sought to achieve in the young women’s jewelry market. Around 1958, when the company expanded into materials beyond copper, the Schimels' started a second line called Kim Craftsmen.


The Schimel brothers were mass producing their designs and they used their own platers, hammerers, and solderers in the assembly process. They methodically trained all of their employees, and quality remained extremely important to them. Every piece was carefully checked before it was released to the market, and there was always an unconditional guarantee – any Kim piece could be returned at any time, for any reason. Customers could confidently buy Kim jewelry.