Jewelry

[catnappurr]

I heard him tell Antonella he will still be around, so most likely he will be behind the scene.

[Breamy]

I love Honora!

[Sandylew]

I remember that the parent company of QVC bought out HSN, and got rid of Joy Mangano after 20 years. Sounds like a weird purging to me.

[KKlim]

MaryBeth was great w/ him last nite on his last show.. She looked terrific also..Enjoyable to watch them..

[FancyPhillyshopper]

All these senior jewelry vendors on QVC have sold their companies and are now millionaires!!

They worked very hard for their professional lives on design and promotion--now they get to take time to relax and enjoy.

Not a bad way to end a successful career!

P.S. It also means most of us have been watching the Q for far too  many years...

[beach-mom]

I don't have a whole lot of Honora, but I always enjoyed the shows. Joel was so interesting and so passionate about "his" pearls! Since the company was sold 5 years ago, Joel's son must not have wanted to run it for some reason. I'm sure it was hard for him to sell it, since his father founded it over 50 years ago. But times change, as we all know! 

I think, like a lot of the cosmetics companies that have been sold by their original founders, this is a case where he was contracted to stay for a while, while the new owners "groomed" a representative for the company with his help. She seems young, so maybe they are targeting the younger women. 

I will miss seeing him. 

[sktchy]

I just browsed through the Bixby selection and there was a grasshopper ring added.  

I always wanted the black heart with the appetite center stone.  After years of looking at that piece, I was able to 'score' the piece a couple of days ago.  It had sold out in October and I told myself if it came back I would buy it.

I am wondering if the Designers coming on to present for 24 hours got to be too much.  I know the Ripka shows where major event and as a spectator, I was exhausted by the time the visit was over.

A poster used to send a thread out prior to Midnight  - before the start of the of the presentation of the Ripka TSV - LADIES - START YOUR ENGINES  ... those where the days.

[mia 2]

 I wish I had seen his last show with Mary Beth.  Did they introduce the new representative that will be taking his place?  I wish there was a video we could watch of his last visit.  

[loriqvc]

@mia 2 - I'm not sure if they will re-air the Honora shows, but here is a presentation from the show with Mary Beth featuring the new representative, Amanda Lada:

https://www.qvc.com/Honora-14K-Gold-Pearl-%26-Gemstone-Drop-Earrings%2C-120-150cttw.product.J365144....

And here's her first "official" Honora presentation after being introduced earlier in the day with Jen Coffey:

https://www.qvc.com/Honora-14K-Gold-Pearl-%26-Diamond-Drop-Earrings.product.J360497.html?sc=IROA

[summerbreeze]

Saw this online dated Jan 3, 2020:

ichline Group acquires pearl brand Honora

New York--Richline Group Inc. has made another acquisition. The Berkshire Hathaway-owned manufacturer and marketer announced late Thursday that has an agreement, in principle, to buy Honora.

New York-based Honora has been family owned and operated for more than 60 years and is among the premier freshwater cultured pearl brands in the United States and, according to its website, is the largest importer of the gems in the U.S.

Under the agreement, Honora CEO Joel Schechter and President Ralph Rossini will remain on board to run the company as a standalone brand under the Richline Brands division of the company.

The transaction is expected to be completed in July.

Richline Group President Dave Meleski said a key goal of the acquisition is to utilize Richline’s financial support and collaboration to fully champion Honora for domestic and international growth. “Honora expands our product assortment positioning as a dominate player in the pearl jewelry category,” he said.

Schechter said, “We are tremendously excited about our future as a member of the Richline Group and look forward to leveraging their tremendous strengths as we continue growing the Honora brand to consumers.”

A wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the company chaired by billionaire investor Warren Buffett, Richline owns LeachGarner, Inverness, Rio Grande and Richline Brands.

Rio Grande was among its most recent acquisitions, with that deal announced in January. (source:nationaljeweler.com)