Shark Attack in Montauk, New York 8/2014

Here's a little fun I had in Montauk, New York. I'm still trying to learn how to use my GoPro Hero3+. I especially love to be able to shoot film and pictures under water! This was filmed at The Haven on the North Fork. It was a sweet little place! Bright beachy (white, wooden floors, refrigerator!) minimal rooms, great outside lounge area, LOVELY pool! It was walkable to Gosman's Dock, where we got just caught fish off the boats in the morning to grill up for dinner by the hotel's grill and picnic tables. There was a lovely wine merchant, The Finest Kind, and egg sandwiches in the morning at Gaviola's Market, all steps away. We didn't eat out at a restaurant for dinner or lunch all week. The hotel was situated across the street from their private beach, where we we had our first sunset picnic dinner around revelers enjoying bonfires. It was such a wonderful stay, that I will daydream of this trip fondly and often come January...

Check out more fun pictures on my Instagram account!

Simon O’Keefe Does Fulfillment With The Jewelry Assembly Chicks

I go to film school school in Buffalo. I walked out on the cold and am refusing to pay alimony. Here I am, home in ole Westchester and I got a new girlfriend: Summertime.

Upon my arrival, I was immediately employed by Melinda O’Keefe, CEO of Melindesign, to hasten the large orders the company had recently been required to fill. After two weeks of disassembling, packing, unpacking, repacking, packing up, packing down, and reassembling, Mrs. O’Keefe has promoted me to writing blogs.

Rejecting the social network phenomenon, I’ve attempted desperately to pose as a self proclaimed, old fashioned luddite film student. Nevertheless, I still tote around this container of data in my pocket that vibrates routinely when it hungers for my finger’s caress. Social networking is the new way to push business-- no more classifieds or yellow pages! It is a lending hand to promote and spread the news about what you’re up to in the business of film and jewelry.

Simon packing up some Hot Girls Pearls

Over the years, I’ve observed the growth of this company. Melindesign has steadily mastered the art of search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing and social media. I should learn by example in my industry, as should anyone who has the American dream to succeed in business. The Melindesign brand has steadily climbed to the first page of a Google search. Simply type “jewelry outsourcing” or “jewelry assembly.” The brand boasts Made in America-- in the case of Melindesign, jewelry manufacturing within the United States. Being at the top of a search engine indicates utmost relevance, which is the key of this business’ success. But you’ve probably read all about this if you’ve been following their blogs or reading their customer raves.

What you haven’t read is that Melindesign’s adaptation to the social network has recently attributed to a recent feature that the company provides. Constance Sherman’s Hot Girls Pearls, a cooling relief pearl necklace accessory, has been in mass production. Melindesign has taken on order fulfillment, after her Jewelry Assembly Chicks make the necklaces, sending the final product to wholesale retailers like Amazon and Shopify. This high dive into the market is the next ingredient for an ever evolving business that has managed to maintain the interests of companies involved with Melindesign from the beginning. Customer service has always been top notch, with decades of jewelry experience and knowledge in the trunk.

Melindesign has meticulously managed inventory with the new fulfillment orders constantly coming through. The work never stops here. Designers are always reaching out to the company, and the company is always working on some project or another. This exciting woman-owned company is able to take up and tackle business opportunities, and watch how the taste and trends of the jewelry industry can evolve into new products, all made in the U.S.A.

Written by Simon O'Keefe
simon@melindesign.com
simon.m.okeefe
Straight-Sixes-Presents
SimonSaysOK
xymin
simonsaysok93

Simon O'Keefe just finished up his junior year in Television and Film Arts Program Studies at Buffalo State College. He is working part time this summer as a Jewelry Assembly Chick doing fulfillment and saving lives as the senior lifeguard at Lake Lincolndale.

From The Fashion Law: Donna Karan Hit With Unpaid Internship Lawsuit & What It Takes To Be An Intern By Law

 Just in time for a new semester of fashion student hopefuls. This is a good article that lists what the rules are in being an intern. Don't get taken advantage of. It would be better if you took classes then pay tuition for fetching coffee. Get paid for the work you do!

http://www.fashion-law.org/2013/09/donna-karan-hit-with-unpaid-internship.html

The Jewelry Assembly Chicks Can Assemble Just About Anything

Why us?
You need help in filling orders and getting them out in time for shipment. 

You are just starting out but getting overwhelmed by orders. 

You are not quite ready to go overseas for jewelry outsourcing. 

You need expert, hand made, quality work done in the USA.

We offer:

Expert jewelry assembly of all your designed components of earrings, necklaces, bracelets, anklets

Expert wire wrapping with micro tools and free form wire wrapping

Assemble all your designed components of earrings, necklaces, bracelets, anklets

B+ is one of our clients that keeps it Made in the USA!

Confidentiality
We are sensitive to the privacy of your creative processes and offer full confidentiality, signing non-disclosure agreements if requested. We will gladly supply list of references upon request.

Call us, 877-336-3635 or contact us at Melindesign.com

How Does the Process Work to Assembly Jewelry in the USA?

 

How the process works
You provide us with the materials for your piece along with a sample or image. We will create the piece following your specific instruction. You in turn, will receive a technically correct, beautiful, finished piece.

We will do sample pieces for you so you can see our craftsmanship. It also gives us a chance to see the complexity of the pieces, provide you with some guidance to improve on technique or to streamline your assembly. We work with all sorts of materials. The Jewelry Assembly Chicks have skills that will meet your needs. We'll also package your jewelry, add tags and label.

Keep your jewelry production in the USA by having us do the manufacturing for you. You go back to designing and picking up more wholesale and retails orders. We'll do the jewelry assembly. We love helping you to keep it made in the USA. 

How Much Will it Cost to Assemble My Jewelry in the USA?

How Much Will it Cost to Assemble My Jewelry in the USA?

We charge per piece and have no minimum. The complexity of the piece and the time it takes from start to finish determines the price. We ask that you send a sample, the materials and directions to assemble the pieces so that we can give you an accurate price and you can see our fine work. We also offer some advice or technique tips to make the piece work better for you. We will send back the finished samples and wait to hear from you.

This is my dad, Chester, working on a strand of pearls. He's 85 and has dementia. He has been working with me for the last 3 months. The monotonous, tedious work of stringing hundreds of pearls makes his brain work it. He loves doing this, as do all The Assembly Chicks!

The Jewelry Assembly Chicks have a wide range of talents in jewelry assembly. Wire wrapping, stringing, macrame, braiding, crimping, beading, sewing, leather works, gluing acrylics. We are here to help give you the best craftsmanship on your jewelry and keep it made in the USA, satisfaction guaranteed. We can take production off your hands so you can concentrate on growing and expanding your business. Find more info @Melindesign.com

It's Busy Here in Necklace Town USA

Melindesign got an inquiry to do a little job for Nordstrom for an American designer, Kris Nations of Kris Nations Jewels from California. All American made. Sure! we said and as the supplies slowly trickled in pressing the deadline (December 1!)  closer and closer, I was getting concerned...Were we going to make the first third of this order by November 19th??

We did it! but missed by 36 pieces cause we didn't have the state label for the baggies on hand....Mr UPS man waited patiently while I tried to pack those last few hundred in the giant box. One of three giant boxes.

So that's the first third, more than 5,000 necklaces assembled in an unbelievable 10 days?? Bottled and packed in 3 days? How did we do it? I have some amazing assemblers that helped me last time we had a mountain of necklaces to assemble, 14,000+ in two and half months. ALL assembled in the United States of America, just like this order we are undertaking now.

I want to thank Donna, Pam E, Jill, Bill, Maggie, Stephanie, Liz, Brooke, Courtney, Rozmarin, Pam R, Margie, Maribeth. Some newbies that I found by putting a shout out on my town's Facebook page. A flood of emails came in and by the afternoon, I met a new crew of Jewelry Assembly Chicks, ready to help me get this made in the USA. I had my uber assemblers cranking out the necklaces, the bottlers, with their graceful & deft gloved hands working furiously, so careful NOT TO MARK the CARDS! And the baggie chicks, pure joy! Being able to help American designers keep their production here in the United States instead of outsourcing to China is super awesome supreme. You all helped achieve that this past week. 

Another shipment of 3,000 bottles are coming in tomorrow. Another 2,400 out by next Monday. But first, enjoy that all American holiday, the day we give thanks.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!