Jewelry

[Tinkrbl44]

Can you please clarify what's going on with Judith and her line?

I was under the impression that she sold her company and is out of it, completely.   Are there still shows on QVC featuring her jewelry?  I just checked and they have nearly 1,000 pieces for sale here.

Also ....  I get a daily email from juditripkajewelry.com and it sure looks like her pieces ... couture, and much procier than what has ever sold on QVC.       

The couture looks like brand new styles .... if Judith is gone, who is designing the creations with her name on them?

[phoenixbrd]

Both JR and Issac etc. sold to Excel about 7 years ago....currently Chinese designers.  There has been a lot of dicussion regarding these decisions over the years.

[Pearlee]

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@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

Can you please clarify what's going on with Judith and her line?

I was under the impression that she sold her company and is out of it, completely.   Are there still shows on QVC featuring her jewelry?  I just checked and they have nearly 1,000 pieces for sale here.

Also ....  I get a daily email from juditripkajewelry.com and it sure looks like her pieces ... couture, and much procier than what has ever sold on QVC.       

The couture looks like brand new styles .... if Judith is gone, who is designing the creations with her name on them?

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Google for info.

[Duckncover]

I have several JR pieces from many years ago. They are beautiful and high quality. That it was sold and now has Chinese designers explains a lot. I ordered a JR necklace a couple of years ago and it was so cheap-looking and poorly made I was appalled and sent it back immediately.

[phoenixbrd]

@Duckncover   Yes, I have lots of the beautifully designed/crafted pieces when JR was the designer at QVC.

[Tinkrbl44]

@ Pearlee 

Sorry, but that's not what I was looking for. 

I know google can provide info, but what I wanted was comments from posters here who have worn JR jewelry from years ago, knew the line, and have observed the changes they have seen in the current JR line.  Obviously, google can't provide that.  

Seriously ...   don't you have anything better to do?

[Jersey Born]

Hi, @Tinkrbl44. As a die-hard Ripkanista, it is true that Judith does not do much of the  designing these days for her line. 

Judith used to be one of the most prolific jewelry designers, producing so many wonderful designs every couple of months. She would sketch out the designs herself, and her pieces were made to her precise, detail-oriented specifications and vision. There was a cohesiveness to her line, with cherries, berge carving, and hidden fleur de lis and hearts galore.  I particularly loved her truffle pieces with gemstones, and her detailed gemstone station necklaces with lotus flower details, and wonderfully carved endcaps and carved silver chain links.

What is being produced today from her line is more modern and less detailed in my opinion. Judith no longer sketches or designs the majority of the pieces, but she may have some input into what is permitted to be produced. There is a new jewelry artist that designs some of the JR line, but I cannot remember her name.

In the art world, the changes in Judith's line would be like going from the painting style of Gustav Klimt to that of Piet Mondrian. There are admirers for each different style, but I much prefer the earlier, more intricately sculpted pieces from Judith's older Q, JR2, and boutique JR lines. I have a collection that stems from Judith's "Golden Era" with pieces that were manufactured in Thailand with love and great artistry. Judith was (and is) a masterful jewelry designer with a brilliant jewelry design aesthetic. She truly is one-of-a-kind.     

[Tinkrbl44]

@Jersey Born 

Thank you SO much for sharing your knowledge.   In the emails I get daily about JR's "new" pieces. I kept wondering if Judith retired, who is designing them?  They are consistent with her style, but only slightly different, IMO.

I remember comments about her selling the company, which seemed like a rather low price. Based on what I'm seeing, and your comments, I now suspect she is now a highly paid consultant for the new owners.   That move would certainly maintain the artistic integrity of the line, yet give her a lot of free time to do as she pleased.   

[FancyPhillyshopper]

Years ago I used to see a lot of Judith Ripka fine jewelry in department stores like Bloomies, but I found the prices to be rather high and she often used man-made stones.

Her silver jewelry always did the best on QVC, and she was able to offer pieces that were similar to her couture line, but at a much lower price.

Personally I never purchased any of her line UNTIL she began to carry gold here on the Q. There were some fair prices during sale times, and all of her gold jewelry featured genuine stones, including pretty decent diamonds. I think her heavier-weight and more expensive pieces were the best--exquisite design with a lot of intricate detail, strong construction, good gold weight, attractive stones, and very unique settings and closures.  

She really did love to come on the Q and explain her design process.  (She was known as the Queen of Hearts for all her heart diamond details, which then morphed into "cherries.")

About the same time, Judith started a more budget-friendly line of gold jewelry at the department store Lord & Taylor.  However, her pieces did not sell well, and sadly, the department store permanently closed.

To me, some of the newer pieces that are being marketed on the Judith Ripka website resemble more the simpler Ripka line than her previous QVC creations.

My favorites will always be the more traditional and fanciful gold elaborate designs, but they can be more costly, and I do not think there was a big market for them, especially among younger generation shoppers.

Some people sell out but still keep a toe in the water, like Isaac.  I know she had a great career, and now she is probably enjoying her retirement with her many millions. 

Because Xcel owns the intellectual property rights to these vendors, they can basically design what they want, but there is a definite difference when the founding creative artist exits the scene.

[ECBG]

I have had two beautiful JR watches which I loved. 

With daily wear (they're on my wrist only at work) they have both died at about 4 years each.

  I had the insides on one completely redone (around $100.00),since I didn't like anything else on the market.  Then her screws that hold the watch together begin to fall out.  I am DONE!  I'll have to send it in to the manufacturer.

The other watch will be turned in for scrap.