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• She found  a "Hit Single" that it is so incredibly stunning.  One of those that just  jumps from the case...Ancient Roman Glass, 14th Century Mother of Pearl, Colonial Period vest coat buttons... One of my rare pieces that can only be seen at the Studio.

  She casually rolled it up and placed it upon her neck. "I want this.  I really do... "  She tried it on.  Mirrored it.  We worked together for the perfect fit ...  Then I heard something that I've never, ever, heard before...

  "I love it.  I really do.  My only fear is that if I wear this necklace  a second time - someone is going to take note of it... I'm sure of it".  "My only regret is that I really, really  want this necklace"...

  (I've been known to keep a secret.)

• We've been graced by Richmond's, and world, re-known "celebrity".  Those in the know. Those in the moment...our selective 'few'.

Then there those who are 'a bit above' the celebrity level.  More like "royalty".  Those few who make it look ever so simple.  They just seem to have that laisse faire about them...  The Greta Garbo  types...  And yes, there a few here in Richmond.

She just saunters. in ever so easily and makes herself so at home...  "Yes.  A Michelle Pearl.  And a Silver Michelle, too,,,.  I'll wear them together."  How in the world did she find them so quickly?  The perfect match of two together...  Perfect for her.  (She's never been here before  and she find's them in less than 4 minutes?!).

The cool thing is that she was just as entranced with us and we were with her.  "I've heard so much about you".  I was a little overwhelmed,  "Tell me about your trip to Italy..."  We talked about the Uffizi...Academia...Da Vinci..  Ferragamo...

And then we pulled back to a collective moment when personalities split...

Sybil. 

"Should I get one, or two of these?  Two,...maybe three.  Two, for me.  One for my daughter.  No... I'm not sure.  Two for me... one for her...  These are just so incredible..."  I have to take at least three of these with me today..."

Sybil...  She brings out the best in all of us...

• Client Confidentiality...

An unusual online order shows up for 12 necklaces , 4 bracelets and 7 pairs of earrings.

It was the kind of order that makes you wonder.  A few days pass until we're able to really start putting it together.

Phone call... "Hi ordered 12 necklaces and 7 pairs of earrings and..."  "And, I was wondering when you think that you'll be sending my order out to me in Chicago?  But, before you do, could we go over everything so that I k now that it's going to right for me?"

Hmmm...a voice behind the mystery adds shape to the order.

In return, I say " Okay, I understand that you would like me to send you 12 necklaces, 4 bracelets and 7 pairs of earrings. But I just have to ask "How did you hear about us?""

"I'd love to tell you,,, I really would.  But I'm a marriage counselor, and like a  lawyer, I've signed a Client Confidentiality Agreement that limits me from telling you who my client is."

I totally understand. however, I have a funny feeling that her client is going to notice during their next session...

• The Interview.

Completely nervous.  We all know how it feels.  Trying to be confident and self-assured and in the same mind-set as the potential 'boss'.  And in today's world, every little edge is well, an edge. 

So through the process she goes,  Primped and proper.  Ready for every question with just the right answer.  Coffee?  No thanks.  A glass of water?  Nope.  Please have a seat...

Is that an on u necklace? 

Common ground... something we all need from time to time.

Needless to say, congratulations are in order...

• Christmas was oh so wonderful at the Studio this year.  I know that is was crazy busy from Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve... and while we may have seemed harried and overwhelmed during the midst of it, little things stick out that make it all so worthwhile...

I'm not sure if it was the Monday, or Tuesday, before Christmas,  Dad stopped in with the little ones to get a gift for Mom.  He pulled out a printout with a Lola Love Necklace - which made it pretty easy - Mom had printed the web page out and tucked it in his briefcase.  Wrapped and ready to go we asked the little ones what they wanted for Christmas.. That's when things got a little difficult for Dad.

"I want an X-box and a Swiss Army Knife"  said the little boy.  "And, if I'm lucky a slingshot".  Dad smiled at the X-box part.  I don't think he knew about the slingshot, or the Swiss Army Knife....

The little girl beamed confidently...and quickly rattled off her wish list as though it was tucked in her sleeve.... "My own cell phone....an ipod...a Polyvore account and at the top of my list...an on u necklace!"".

It's a good thing Mom had stopped by the week before...
 

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• The consignment shop.

One of our customers found one of my Forever Knot Necklaces at a consignment shop for $30.  It was a great deal, considering that they sell for $120 new. 

It was in pretty good shape, so she bought it.  Not for herself, but as a birthday gift for her mother-in-law.

She didn't want to look like a cheapy when she showed it to her husband, so she altered the price tag just a bit... writing in a "1" in front of the "30".

"Look honey, I got your mom something for her birthday."  "An on u necklace that was $130, I hope that's okay".  Of course he agreed that spending that much for his Mom's birthday gift was fine and dandy with him...

If he only knew.

• Tag.  You're not it.

I had a customer come in this week, she had never been to the Studio before, who was amazed at all of the pieces that I have and was thrilled to finally be able to visit... 

As she explored all of the different styles, and designs, she gently pulled a necklace out of her pocketbook.  She told me that she was surprised that it was falling apart after two years and that it needed repair.  I was surprised, too.  My pieces don't become frayed, or tattered, unless they are really worn continually, and even then, they hold up really well.

Anyhow, when she handed it over to me, I could definitely tell that it wasn't one of my pieces.  A dreaded knockoff.  When I told her that it  was not an original, and that it was a copy of one of my necklaces, she was horror-struck.  "But it has one of your tags on it!"  And sure enough, it did.

After showing her, in detail, what the original looked like, she understood, and could totally see the difference.  The tear in her eye turned to anger.  "You mean that someone had the gall to copy your work and to even put one of your tags on it?" she blurted.  "That's disgusting!".

Sure is...

Congratulations to Susan Shaltry of Columbus, Ohio for her winning entry in our first ever Facebook Giveaway!  Susan has won a Tyler... I hope you enjoy her winning story!

• My son recently turned 18-years-old. After the long haul of delivering our child from the turmoil of pre-teen years to young adulthood AND 19 years of marriage, my husband and I decided we deserved a little get-away. My husband, Paul, being a longtime fan of The Grateful Dead (long live Jerry) was thrilled when tour dates for The Dead were announced and a show was within a half-day drive from us. With tickets purchased and the concert date upon us, we packed up the car for our drive to Charlottesville, VA and headed off.
  
  The show was fantastic as was the town of Charlottesville. The day after our Dead experience, we decided to linger and look around the Downtown Mall area before heading back on the road. I strolled through shops in this quaint little shopping district and came upon a little store called Pearl.
  
  Ok, this is where the story becomes a bit disturbing because I value the fact that I am a woman who knows my own mind and can manage my own finances. But Paul gets a little antsy when he notes I have spent a lot of time in any particular store. He tends to try to rustle me out of stores before I make any 'unnecessary' purchases. You know how they can be. Anyway, he saw me lingering over the jewelry case and particularly noting the pieces that I would come to find out were all On U creations. I couldn't take my eyes off of the gorgeous, simple, freewheeling necklaces. I would see one that I loved, talk about it, extol the virtues of the handiwork only to see ANOTHER one equally as eye catching. This went on for several minutes as the store clerk told me the story behind Donna Silvestri and how she is a local artisan.
  
  Knowing that we had just spent a tidy little sum on the tickets to the show, the hotel, restaurant meals and fuel to make the trip, I was hesitant to spend more on these pieces that I loved. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, the words were uttered that I had NEVER heard come out of my husband's mouth; "you should just get one for yourself, hon". Huh? I looked around the store and, yep, we were the only customers in there. "Really" he said "you never buy anything like that for yourself". Mind you, I don't base my buying decisions on my husband's permission to make purchases but it is extraordinary that he actually ENCOURAGED me to buy something for myself which, happily, I did!
  
  Now, if On U jewelry can change my cheapo husband's behavior, even if just for a day, there has got to be something special going on!
  
  Susan Shaltry, Columbus, Ohio

• The neighbor.

  Here's a surreptitious email that we received from one of our renowned customers.  "Hello...........She's done it again.....everything I have....she has..........yikes!"

  I'd keep an eye on your hubby, if I were you...

• The Sugar Daddy...

  The Silent Auction room was set with a bounty of wonderful items; B&B packages, beautiful oil paintings, gift baskets galore, and along with a cluster of other jewelry, one of my Michelle Necklaces.  The Silent Auction was for a fantastic cause, a Red Dress Gala to support Cardiac Care.

  As usual, the bidding started out low, and up until dinner, each item had been bumped up the price ladder by reasonable bids... 

  Yet, my Michelle Necklace, seemed to really be causing a stir.

  The announcement after dinner that only 15 minutes remained  for bids led many back into the Silent Auction room to see where they stood.  You couldn't help but notice a crowd around the jewelry table.  Honestly, you couldn't even get close.

  In  the final minutes, bids for the Michelle jumped from $480 to $650 to $800.  Then, in one final swoop, the Sugar Daddy unflinchingly said to the woman who had just placed what she thought was the winning bid at $950, "I'm getting this necklace". 

  Calmly, the Sugar Daddy nudged her away from the bid sheet, scribbled a price of $1002, and walked away.  A half  second later, the announcement was made that the  bidding had closed. 

  Some were seeing red... The Red Dress Gala was seeing green!

• "Look Mom!  No cavities!" 

  Remember when you were little and received a reward for not having any cavities?  Some of my customers continue the tradition when they visit the dentist's office next door to us. 

  Dentist office visit (check).  Teeth cleaning (check).  No cavities (check).  Stop by the on u studio and reward myself for being a good little girl.  Absolutely!

  Makes sense to me!

• After I mentioned how terrible I felt that I really hadn't had much time to get ready for the holidays, a soft voice came from across the Studio that rang true..."but you really have to think about how much pleasure your work is going to give to so many others this holiday season..."

  I hope you feel the same...  Happy Holidays!

• We have a customer in a mid-western city that refuses to tell any of her friends where she gets her jewelry.  It's her discovery and she's keeping it a secret.  Forever.

Hint:  Oklahoma.

• Sorry that this one has taken a little while to post...

It was her first day at a new elementary school.  Quite shy and quite scared because she didn't know a soul. 

A smile crossed her face when she noticed that the girl sitting beside her in their first grade class was wearing a Candy Dots necklace, too.  They introduced themselves to each other and started to chat.  She felt so happy that she had met someone that she liked so much.

So they chatted some more, about each other, about school, about clothes, and about their Candy Dots necklaces.  Both mentioned how they loved their necklaces so much and hadn't taken them off since they had gotten them early in the summer.  They even traded necklaces because hers was a little different than her new friend's.  The new teacher noticed the exchange and asked them to settle down a bit...

Throughout the day, they giggled, and whispered, back and forth over their  necklaces until finally, the teacher had had enough. 

Aghast, the teacher took each of their necklaces for the rest of the day! 

As she got off the bus, tears streamed down her face when Mom asked how her first day of school was.  It was terrible!  The teacher took my Candy Dots necklace!

What made it even worse was that it was a Friday, and the little one would be without her necklace for the whole weekend...

• "I really can't talk right now.  I'm at the doctor's office.  I'll call you after I'm through.  In about an hour, or so...okay, bye..." as she casually closes her phone and goes back to looking at my Hit Singles necklaces at the Studio.

Please note that I can't write prescriptions....

• Maybe we should change the name of our Colored Dots Necklaces, (which we actually call Multi Dots Necklaces).  Here's a snippet of a note that we received just the other day...

"For now, I want to order a colored dots necklace for her so she has one like mine (we call them "friendship" necklaces -- I'm trying to buy all my closest friends one over time)."

It's more than a trend...

• Ob-La-Di,  Ob-La-Da!

  "We saw the "on u" sign and started to hop, skip, then run to get to your booth... We were just so happy to see you after a whole year!"....    Michelle, Alice and Kristen...  Joined by Larisa, Katherine, Stephanie, Rhonda, Patty, Alicia, Barbara, Amy and a whole bunch more that came throughout the day...

• Pleased to meet you... I hope you guess my name...

It's so fun to hear people's first "read" of our name...  "on yu, on yuuu", and then there's  "on eww"..  We've also had the "on ye?" translation, too. 

Ultimately, they get it..  on u...  like when you wear it, it's "on you"... 

We know.  You get it...

For those who don't, we wish them  the best in life....

• "Don't you dare!"  Is what one of our great customers told her husband when he joked that he was going to submit an "unsubscribe" request to take her off of our mailing list after she had emailed  him a gentle reminder for what she wanted for Valentine's Day....

  And she wasn't kidding...

• Please, be careful out there! 

We received a call from a woman frantically asking for directions to the Studio.  She and her daughter were in search of Candy Dots necklaces. 

As I said "Head up Patterson towards the Village Shopping Center..."  I heard this "$#&@! Oh, damn!  I just hit a pole"...

We love that you love the Candy Dots so much, but please let's not risk life and limb!

• At one of our recent shows a well-dressed young woman spent quite a bit of time looking at the line... After a while, she selected a pair of my Pearl Maggie Earrings.  They were perfect for her.

Interestingly, when I noticed the name on her check it was from a well-known Richmond family jeweler. 

Do you think she wears them to family gatherings?

• On last spring's postcard mailing it said 'You're it....'  though (i hate to admit) many didn't quite get the "tag" part of it...

  Yet, this customer totally gets it.

  (phone ring)... ".Hello.. "Hi... I received an on u necklace as a gift...you know, it was in the pretty in pink, on u gift box.."  "Great, do you love it?"  "Are you kidding me... it's absolutely perfect...but there's a problem with it..."...

  "Why, what's wrong?"

  "Well, it doesn't have one of your on u tags on it...  I mean, I really need one..." 

  virgins...

• Hi, Donna.  Just wanted to say thank you for your help the other day with the 3 in 1 necklace.  I love it and have been wearing it everyday.  I had no idea Bryan had ordered me a necklace when I came in that day.  We laughed and laughed that you sent a different one than the one he ordered.  Talk about knowing your customers!!

• I've got a secret. 

That's pretty much what one of our customers told her friend that she gave one of my Maggie Mae necklaces to.  The friend absolutely loved the necklace and wanted to get a little something extra for herself.  However, when she asked where she got it, our customer totally avoided  the subject.   So, the one friend bugged the other friend for nearly a month and a half...  Finally, after a long pause, she gave up and told her where she got it.  We had a new customer at the Studio the very next day!

• Part 1:  I'm not quite sure how to say this without being too bold or brash...yet it's something that I can't quite wait to tell you... 

We were very fortunate to have been asked to participate in a very slight way in quite a phenomenal charity event  here in Richmond- the Genworth Children's Advantage Classic - featuring  Andre Agassi, Stefanie, Graf, Lindsay Davenport and James Blake... 

All of the proceeds from the event flow directly to phenomenal programs that support worthy youth programs here in Richmond...which is the important part of the whole thing.

Yet with quite a bit of humility, and a whole lot of smiles, I'm happy say that we were able to present each Stefanie and Lindsay with a collection of on u jewelry...

Now, how cool is that?

• Part 2 :  One evening I was at Ukrops picking up a few things for dinner when my cell phone began to ring.  I looked to see that it was a "Private Number".  That's not quite so unusual, but when I answered the call to find that Stefanie Graf was on the other end.  That was unusual! 

We had the nicest conversation.  She was truly genuine and appreciative of the items that I gave her at the Genworth Children's Advantage.  She loved the necklaces and mentioned how her children had worn them every single day since they received them 7 weeks ago.  She asked me lots of question which I hope I answered coherently... 

When I hung up the phone, one of my favorite customers was there by my side.  While I told her what had just happened - I swear we were jumping up and down screaming like little school girls!

• Voices from above.  Seems as though some of our junior crowd has received an edict from "above" (the daily intercom system from the main office).  It appears that the parochial dress code was being broken by wearing too many of our Candy Dots necklaces with a sterling silver or Swarovski crystal cross...

One, or two.  Okay.  Six, or seven...you're in trouble.

Didn't Madonna go to parochial school?

• Goodbye Girl.  To the kleptomaniac that swiped a batch of our stuff from one of our stores.  Bring it back.  Questions asked.

• "I'd like to order a couple of necklaces" she said.  I couldn't quite make out the accent, whether it was British or southern.  "How about a Maggie Mae and a Dots and a Amazonite Sweet P?."  Sure.  "Oh, I'm not done yet" she said.  "I'd also like..."  A whole bunch of necklaces later I couldn't wait to ask, "Where are you from."  "I'm from Virginia Beach, but I live in Australia now.  There's nothing like this there.  I can't wait to take these home as gifts!"  FedEx is a beautiful thing.

• This one really isn't a short story, but a wonderful note I recently received...I guess this is why I do what I do!

"I just bought a Maggie Mae and a longer necklace with a single stone.
These beautiful delicate necklaces look great together and I just wanted
to write to say that the craftsmanship is incredible and I get
compliments wherever I go."

• We've all heard about "re-gifting".  It's become a common day occurrence. Yet this is something a little bit beyond...  A wonderful young lady arrived at the Studio and asked, ever so preciously, if she could exchange the necklace she had received as a birthday gift for something a little bit different. It wasn't "quite her style", she said...  "Not a problem" I recalled saying....  We undid the original on u bow-tied ribbon box,  intact with the original wrappings.  To my surprise, something completely different was revealed...an  on u "knock-off"!!! (oh, it's become quite prevalent, I assure you...).  I was taken aback. Then, when  I told her that it wasn't one of my pieces...she was, too....  I can't tell you who the giver was...  We simply trashed the copycat piece (or should I say, garbage-disposaled it)... and started over from scratch....  She left looking fab...

• I knew there was a reason why I went into the Studio on the Monday after doing three days at Daisy Days followed by another full day at Art in the Square in Williamsburg....

At about 10 that Monday morning a St. Bridget's Mom of a 3rd grader burst into the Studio to tell me that her daughter was terribly upset because she had been to a party on Saturday afternoon and that "all of those girls" were wearing "one of those necklaces" by "Mrs. Silvestri!".   "I want one too, Mom", I think is what the little girl said to her Mom...or maybe it was more like "Why don't I have one, Mom?:  It didn't take more than a minute to figure out that it was a Colored Dots Necklace with a tiny little Swarovski cross that the  little one was itching for.

Wind ahead to 3 that afternoon, I looked up to find the cutest little girl with the biggest (and I mean "biggest") smile that you could ever imagine, standing in my doorway gleaming at me...She said curtly, "Mrs. Silvestri, thank you so much for my necklace....I just love it!"  Her Mom followed, in tow, to pick out some more goodies for the little one...

I knew there was a reason I went to the Studio on Monday....

• You've spent days preparing to speak in front of esteemed colleagues and associates.  Spending an insurmountable of time getting all of your notes in order; all of your words just right.  The big day arrives...the presentation is perfect... Everything went just the way you planned.... Then you ask "May I answer any questions about the topics we just covered?"  A calm falls upon the room, then from the darkness of the auditorium a voice calls out...."Yes, Doctor, could you please tell me where did you get your necklace?".

• A long time customer rushed into the Studio waving a check saying..."I asked my company to make out my Christmas bonus check out to "On U" because I didn't want to spend a single penny of it anywhere else!".    Now that's customer loyalty!

• When it's your birthday, you pretty much know what you really want...

One day while doing a show, a shopper stopped by my booth and fell in love with my line.  Then and there, she decided that what she really wanted my jewelry  for  her birthday present.  Ironically, within a day or two, her hubby was recommended by one of his clients to buy my jewelry as  a gift for his wife's upcoming  birthday.

As the big day drew near, he came into the Studio and bought her some wonderful pieces.  I'm thrilled to say that she was really happy with her gifts, but there was something in particular that really caught her eye, so she stopped by the Studio to make a swap.

We started talking about how I started my line and I showed her some of my original hand-sewn button bracelets that I had created back in the early 90's when we lived in Pennsylvania.  She mentioned that she had an old button bracelet that she had gotten from a store in Delaware.  And that she just loved it so much that she wore it until a bunch of the buttons fell off...

Well, when she went home and found the bracelet in her stash of jewelry, she noticed an "on u, Newtown, PA" tag hand-sewn into the back of the bracelet!  She quickly brought it back to the Studio to show me...  I've got to tell you, it was like meeting up with a long, lost friend!

It's one of my original designs and likely one of my first creations... It me makes wonder if anybody else has one of my old button bracelet creations tucked in a drawer or jewelry box out there?  If you do, please let me know...I'd love to see it !!!

• We answered a call from a woman with a distinct British accent who told us that while she was on holiday in France all of her things were stolen from her hotel room... including her Princess Lola Necklace and a number of other on u necklaces and bracelets!

She felt lost without them because she loved them so much and pretty much wore them everywhere.  She even sent us a picture of herself wearing her Princess Lola so that could make her a new one as close as possible to the original...  We felt quite bad about her trauma, and we're more than happy to help her to replace them...

The funniest thing that she told us?   "I'm sure some French lady is enjoying every piece!"

• Okay.  We all try to plan our vacations around great things...whether it be sunshine, food, surf, snow, foreign destinations, or whatever.  We're happy to report that we know of this really fab family that planned their beach trip based on one of our shows...  Now how cool is that? 

  Perhaps we'll open a new category... 'Show Girls!' (LOL)!!!

• One customer's husband thanked us for saving him a bunch.  He had just bought his wife a diamond tennis bracelet for Mother's Day.  However, she told him that what she really wanted was one of our Princess Lola necklaces...! 

• A while back we made broaches. When one of our customers was out clubbing, someone stole the broach right off of her jacket.. and they left the jacket!