I want to tell you more about the story behind the creation of FLAWLESS, Ben Bridge Jeweler’s first designer fragrance. But first, I want to extend an invitation to you:

We’ll be officially unveiling FLAWLESS at a launch event in Bellevue, WA this evening, October 12. Please join me and be among the first to experience this fragrance. RSVP at http://benbridgeflawless.eventbrite.com/

Raymond began to develop our perfume with Ben Bridge and a modern classic woman in mind.

The first time I was able to experience the start of the fragrance was when Raymond presented the fragrance accords (the notes that make up the perfume).  He described them in terms of our stores.  He connected one accord to the color and energy in the store, one to the romance and feminine nature of jewelry, and the third to the wood in our stores.  He drew his inspiration from the nature of our business, our stores, and our associates.

After a few months and countless formulations, we decided upon a small bottle labeled “10” (the geeky gemologist in me loved that it was the same number as a diamond on the Moh’s scale of hardness.  It had to be a sign, right?).  Every time I smelled it, I smiled.  This had to be the one!

Once we had the fragrance, I began carrying it with me in my purse.  I shared it to see what the reactions would be.  To my great pleasure, I received hardly anything but rave reviews.  Many of my friends have been asking when they can get their own bottle!  It is a fresh fragrance that is wearable day or night.

I always thought that naming a product would be fun and easy.  I was quite wrong.  It was fun, but not very easy.  Each time I got excited about a name, someone was already using it.  I started to get discouraged until ‘Flawless’ was mentioned.  It was just perfect.  Completely tied to the diamond merchandise we have been selling for years, Flawless made sense.  It also felt crisp, like our fragrance smelled.  I asked for opinions and Flawless was the overwhelming winner.

The other “fun and easy” part was deciding on a description.  I always love reading the back of wine bottles because of the great language used to describe the liquid within.  Perhaps because I was so close to the perfume this was much harder than I had hoped.  After attempt after attempt, we landed on:

The brilliance of a diamond in a bottle.
A fresh, modern fragrance, full of whimsy, sparkle, and romance.

I am very excited to have found the perfect (eco-friendly) packaging for FLAWLESS.  The bottle looks like an upside-down diamond, with a Ben Bridge Signature Diamond shaped cap.  Different than most other bottles I’ve seen, it is clean and embodies the name of the fragrance.  It will look great sitting on people’s vanities and dressers (it will look significantly better on mine than the test bottle I have sitting there now).  The box opens like a ring box, showing off the bottle, and diamond shape sitting within.

The whole project is finally coming to fruition.  It’s still a bit hard to believe that people will be able to purchase, wear, and enjoy FLAWLESS, it’s no longer just an idea.

It has been a long time coming, but I cannot wait for you to experience FLAWLESS, the brilliance of a diamond in a bottle!

Cheers!

Lisa

I cannot tell you how excited I am that you can now experience Ben Bridge’s first fragrance:  FLAWLESS.  This project has been my baby over the last year, so I’m excited for it to be available in stores!

Having grown up in the retail business, I love the whole retail experience.  Some of my friends give me a hard time for veering towards jewelry stores whenever we walk by one.  In July of 2009, I walked in to a couple of different stores that made me think about the experience in a Ben Bridge store and how we could make it better.

One store I walked into in Beverly Hills had a distinctly good smell.  It was very light, but it created an elegant atmosphere in the store.  The other was a beautiful blouse store in Boston.  Each blouse had a sachet attached, and before I tried on anything, the sales associate sprayed each item with a scent.  The romantic scent made the experience that much better; I was enveloped in the luxury of the store.

I began to think about what our stores smell like, and what scent people associate with Ben Bridge.  We didn’t have a uniform scent.  We build gorgeous stores, with beautiful jewelry, we have candy and coffee available, good lighting for seeing diamonds, but there wasn’t a consistent smell.

Jewelry and fragrance are both inextricably linked to memories and emotion.  I will never forget receiving a diamond pendant for my 18^th birthday, or the way my mom smelled growing up.  What if someone was able to wear their Ben Bridge Signature Diamond ring with their Ben Bridge perfume?  If every time they put on the perfume, they thought of the special moment they were given a piece of jewelry?  How would this enhance the experience in our stores?  Could we make giving or receiving a gift from Ben Bridge more memorable?

Excited about embarking on this journey, we began to develop this signature fragrance with the help of a number of experts.  Our fragrance designer, Raymond Matts, came to us after creating such iconic scents as Clinique Happy and Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds.  Although we had spoken and I had sent him a packet of information about the company and who we are, there isn’t anything quite like walking in to one of our stores and meeting our associates.  So he flew out to Seattle to get to know Ben Bridge.

While in Seattle, Raymond talked with a number of people in the office to understand BB and how the fragrance would fit in to the company.  He also brought along a selection of fragrances to get reactions.  As fragrance is so personal, he wanted to understand general likes and dislikes. Later in the day, Raymond visited a couple of Ben Bridge stores.  In the morning he heard about who we are in theory, but in the afternoon he saw it in action.  I couldn’t wait to see how all of the information we shared would turn in to a fragrance.

Cheers!

Lisa

At 5:30 a.m. today, the hottest place to be in Seattle wasn’t one’s favorite local coffee shop. Instead, crowds gathered in brewpubs all over the city to watch the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Yes, breakfast + beer + soccer! They came by car, bike, bus, and on foot. It is, after all, the largest sporting event in the world.

Soccer fans in Seattle show their pride by waving Sounders FC scarves, marching, face painting, and chanting. We hear fans in other parts of the world can be a lot more passionate. For us, the question is: how would a jewelry designer convey his enthusiasm for soccer… err, football? And the winning answer turned out to be: with 3500 carats of diamonds!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is indeed a Diamond Soccer Ball. Designed by Yair Shimansky, this sparkling symbol of his devotion to the sport contains 6620 white and 2640 black, round brilliant cut South African diamonds. We may be slightly biased, but this has to be the most gorgeous and fitting souvenir of the coveted FIFA tournament. Now, how much do you think this baby costs?

Photo from SoccerLux Magazine

Remember the interchangeable bezels? They are back! But better than ever.

The new Gucci “U-Play” collection offers two watches in one! Each watch comes with an interchangeable bracelet and bezel set. You can easily change the look of the watch by removing the bracelet and putting on a strap or simply changing the bezel color. The new interchangable design allows the wearer to change the combination of colors and materials to fit any occasion or just express herself.

They will be available in stores at the end of June!

The 11 strong Ben Bridge buying team checks out all the latest products at the JCK Show in Las Vegas and has a little bit of fun!

Highlights include lots of beautiful Italian gold jewelry and giant Victorinox Swiss Army watches (read: Wall Clocks) as well as stopping by the “Kardashian Suite” in the Venetian to visit our friends at Gucci. We got to spend some time with supermodel Amber Valletta and Lisa ogled a tiny little bauble (35 carat D Flawless Emerald Cut).

Victorinox Swiss Army Announces New E-tailing Partner Ben Bridge Jeweler

Victorinox Swiss Army (VSA) is proud to announce the addition of our second official e-commerce retailer, Ben Bridge Jeweler. VSA has been very deliberate in moving into the world of e-tailing slowly, choosing partners with a reputation for outstanding customer service and integrity. In fact, VSA does not even sell to consumers directly on it’s own website, making the designation of “Official e-tailer” exclusive indeed.

The partnership between VSA and Ben Bridge will allow for an excellent e-commerce shopping experience for consumers nation-wide, backed by a strong brick and mortar presence enjoyed by Ben Bridge in the Western and Pacific regions of the United States.

As an official e-tailer, Ben Bridge will now carry the entire VSA product line in their downtown Seattle flagship store. This allows any Ben Bridge sales associate easy access to the full complement of VSA styles to satisfy even the most discerning VSA enthusiast.

VSA is excited about this enhanced partnership and will continue to support and develop the program to ensure it’s success.

Rough Ikuma Diamonds from Canada's Victor Mine

This week we will be presenting a unique bespoke opportunity: the chance to select a rough diamond and decide exactly how it will be cut. Never before have customers been able to participate in the life of their diamond from its rough stage to finished piece.

A diamond takes shape

Friday and Saturday (May 7th and 8th) in our Alderwood store in Seattle, we will have a large selection of rough (uncut, unpolished) diamonds for customers to view. A customer will be able to purchase a rough diamond and decide how it will be cut and polished (shape, size, number of finished stones from a piece of rough) and can select or design a piece of jewelry for the make-to-measure diamond to live in.

The diamonds each originated in the Victor Mine in Northern Ontario, Canada. Aided by the latest in 3D modeling technology, we will present a number of different options for cutting each rough stone.

Polishing the diamond

A customer might choose a single Ideal cut diamond, princess cut, or other popular shape. She might also choose to fashion two matching finished stones from a single piece of rough–perhaps for a perfectly matched pair of earrings. Alternatively, the rough stone could be cut into two diamonds, one larger and one smaller. In this way, a couple could each wear a diamond from the same piece of rough. There is a wonderful symbolism for each partner to wear pieces that have been together for millions of years.

Choosing where to cut the diamond

For more information, please call Regina Aiello in our Alderwood Mall store, (425) 771-7227.

It was a fun weekend in Omaha!

The Oracle was in typically fine form–answering questions all day about topics ranging from Goldman Sachs (he was supportive), derivatives (they continue to be dangerous when parties don’t understand them), and the long term prospects for the US (bullish). Even the usually taciturn Charlie Munger piped in with a few gems and added to the levity of the day. At one point a questioner asked about how to cope with potentially high interest rates in the future. Munger, 86, responded, “If I can be optimistic when I’m nearly dead, you all can handle inflation.”

Before the meeting began, there was a very amusing movie featuring Warren and Charlie and a few friends. This year’s movie included ABC’s Desperate Housewives plotting to land a billionaire and ending up with Charlie. Another segment had Warren pitching for the Boston Red Sox and striking out Alex Rodriguez to win the AL pennant. The movie included a preview of a new animated series called “The Secret Millionaires Club,” where Warren teaches kids about financial literacy.

There was also a cool video showing the history of Berkshire’s latest acquisition, Burlington Northern Santa Fe. BNSF dates back to 1849 and the railroad “Empire Builder” James J. Hill. BNSF has played an integral part in the growth of the United States and it is exciting to have the railroad as part of the Berkshire family.

Another highlight of the event is the chance to visit many Berkshire companies in the convention hall adjacent to the arena where the meeting takes place. Companies ranging from See’s Candy to Justin Boots, Dairy Queen, GEICO, and Fruit of the Loom hawk their wares to shareholders. Watch the video for more on that.

Because of the growth of the meeting, to get good seats we had to be in line at 5:45am! As unpleasant as it sounds to stand outside in the cold Omaha morning, waiting to get in only adds to the festival atmosphere of the meeting. It is so much fun to meet shareholders from all over the world and swap stories about meetings past, the boss, and speculate as to what Warren’s take will be on a great many issues.

It is truly a unique weekend–unlike anything else I have ever been to and likely unmatched by anything in the world. It is a fitting tribute to one of the world’s most admired and distinctive companies.

I look forward to next year’s meeting and encourage you to make plans to get to Omaha at least once for a spectacle unlike any other.

-Marc

From the floor at BRKFest 2010!

Warren Buffett and Marc Bridge, Ben Bridge Headquarters, May 2009

For the past ten years, Ben Bridge has been a proud member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies. Every year a number of us from the company join the thousands of pilgrims who make the trek to Omaha, Nebraska for the annual meeting that has been called “Woodstock for Capitalists”. This year is no exception.

Marc will be blogging from Omaha this weekend, and if he is really nice to her, our favorite travel blogger Lisa might contribute a word or two!

Last year more than 35,000 shareholders filled Omaha’s Qwest Center (and a number of nearby overflow rooms) to listen to 6 hours of questions and answers with Berkshire Chairman Warren Buffett and Vice Chairman Charlie Munger. With the purchase of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, the stock split, and the company’s addition to the S&P 500 Index, thousands of new shareholders will be flocking to the Cornhusker State to learn from the masters.

“The Warren and Charlie Show”, as it is affectionately known, regularly covers topics as far reaching as the relative performance of the US economy, the impact of derivatives and government regulation, the rise of China, what small children should do with their lives, and every once in a while touches on the performance of Berkshire businesses in between bites of See’s Peanut Brittle and Cherry Coke. (Berkshire owns See’s Candy and is the largest shareholder in Coca-Cola).

In addition to the meeting itself, the weekend has sprawled into a celebration of business, investing, old-fashioned American values, and Omaha steaks. It is as much a carnival as a business meeting and the perfect embodiment of the Chairman’s worldview.

It is always an enjoyable, educational, and fun weekend. I hope you will check back periodically for updates from BRKfest 2010!

-Marc