Issue 17: February 25, 2020
Hello Dears,
Joyeux Mardi Gras!
It’s Fat Tuesday, the Bacchanalia in New Orleans and the eve of the world-famous Venetian Carnival celebration. Tonight, party-goers in New Orleans, Paris, and Italy will don their most elaborate gilded masks and indulge in a final evening of revelry before the season of austerity sets in.
It’s said that Mardi Gras holiday may be linked to the ancient Roman celebration of Spring, the “Saturnalia” festival. During Saturnalia, the Romans would feast, party, and exchange gifts to toast the end of the “sowing” season (planting crops) and celebrate their forthcoming bounty.
What kinds of gifts would they exchange? Candles, caged birds, and handmade dolls were common, along with pottery, writing tablets, books and even exotic animals!
In true Roman spirit, we’re gearing up for a sort of Saturnalia of our own at Secretly Gifting HQ…we’re marking the arrival of springtime SG-style, with three very special gifting extravaganzas that you should add to your calendar immediately, if you haven’t already:
East Coast Spring Pop-up: April 16th (Washington, DC)
West Coast Pop-up #1: April 27th (Newport Beach,California)
West Coast Pop-up #2: April 28th (Los Angeles, California)
Why the double show in California, you ask? To pay homage to the loyal group of clients, friends, and followers we’ve managed to amass on the west coast…we don’t get to see these faces as often as we like, so this year we decided to double down.
Our strong social media presence (@SecretlyGifting) has afforded us the opportunity to develop a deep network of clients, vendors, designers, and makers from all over the country….so our trip West will function as triple-duty: sourcing new gift items and scouting new brands, nurturing vendor relationships, and hosting our signature Spring Pop-Up events.
We'll be partnering with the fabulous Sterling Social, an LA-based event production company for our Los Angeles event, and we cannot wait to show you what we have in store. @Sterling_Social specializes in unique experiences and events (think Oscar parties and movie premieres) and works with countless high-profile clients and brands. They also dabble in the luxury wedding space.
We couldn’t be more excited for this year’s Pop-Ups…we’ve lined up a remarkable assortment of truly unique décor items, fashion accessories, and handmade designer goods from all over the world...but, we’re eager for your feedback too!
In order to make these events as worthwhile as possible, we want your ideas, thoughts and suggestions – whether positive or negative, we welcome you to email us with your honest feedback. What can we do to elevate your shopping experience at our Pop-Ups?
We thank you in advance for taking the time to share your candid thoughts, and sincerely appreciate all of your honest feedback. Now, as the Cajun French would say…laissez les bon temps rouler…or, “let the good times roll”!
xo
Ashley and Candace
Co-Founders, Secretly Gifting
Meeting Shah & Shah Distinctive Jewelers
This week we had the pleasure of meeting with a brand-new potential partner for custom jewelry projects, and we couldn’t be more excited to share this fabulous brand with you!
It’s true that we don’t typically take custom jewelry orders at our Pop-Up events, but you may be surprised to learn that a sizeable chunk of our individual client gift requests involve a custom jewelry component.
Often times the occasion is a birthday, anniversary, or push present but we also help clients re-imagine settings and styles to give new life to treasured gems and stones. And for these types of projects, we typically work in tadem with a custom jeweler specializing in bespoke design.
This is where Colin Shah, the fourth generation owner of Shah & Shah Distinctive Jewelers comes into play. Colin’s family has been making jewelry in DC since 1929, servicing the needs of Washington’s most well-connected and well-heeled families. So naturally, when Colin invited us to visit his private showroom last week, we couldn’t say no.
(Pictured from left to right: Ashley Bronczek, Colin Shah, Candace Ourisman)
Sunlight pours into the space thanks to a row of thoughtfully positioned large rectangular windows overlooking Connecticut Avenue, and the effect is brilliant…the well-stocked jewelry cases dazzle and glisten like stones themselves.
Colin gave us a private tour of his collection, showcasing everything from opal cocktail rings to diamond chokers, and delicate gold and pearl hoops. Then, he opened his vault to show us a sea of cut sapphires, diamonds, and rubies waiting to be selected for use in custom jewelry projects.
We could have spent all afternoon with Colin, and we certainly plan to visit him again soon with clients in tow! So, it goes without saying: if you have a custom jewelry project in mind, to mark a milestone or special occasion, please get in touch.
Not only will you get access to our bespoke design direction and expertise, we can help you get special pricing and exclusive discounts thanks to our relationships with jewelers like Colin Shah.
If you’d be interested in attending a private jewelry party to see some of Colin’s pieces at every price point (“bling on a string” solitaire bracelets and stretchy gemstone stacking bracelets for starters, working our way up to gold origami studs and diamond collars) email us today!
We’d love to gauge interest in an event like this, and of course, introduce you all to @TheDistinctiveRocks, himself... our new friend Colin Shah. Pictured below, one of Colin's exquisite stones, a 5-carat flawless emerald solitaire shown on hand for scale!
