CJCI Convention 2017
A Note from Ciner’s President, Pat Ciner Hill:
CINER was greatly honored the weekend of October 20-22nd at the Costume Jewelry Collectors International Convention held in Providence, Rhode Island. Held annually by a very dedicated group of costume Jewelry collectors, the high point of the weekend is a very festive Saturday night dinner and award presentation. The theme of the big evening has always been a “divine decade”, with appropriate decoration, music and dress. This year’s theme was the “Divinely Decadent 1980s Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous!” and most of the attendees dressed in the spirit of the evening. From Madonna to Alexis Carrington from Dynasty, the attendees pulled out all the stops to create a surreal blast from the past.
Receiving this year’s CJCI Achievement Award was doubly special for us because CINER is celebrating its 125th year of designing and manufacturing jewelry!
Starting in 1892 by my grandfather as a fine jewelry company, sometime in the 1930s, he and his sons switched from working in gold – to sterling silver – and eventually to what we call “white metal” which is then heavily electroplated in either real gold or rhodium. It is the look of REAL, but because it is not solid gold or platinum, it is much more affordable. CINER is the only costume jewelry company in the U.S. that began as a fine jewelry company and switched its production to costume jewelry while keeping the look of real. It is also the only costume jewelry company in New York City that does all of its manufacturing/production in one place – with no outside help….and ALL in New York! You can read more about Ciner’s craftsmanship and heritage on our website.
Because this was such a special occasion, there is always the dilemma of what to wear! As the recipients and guests of honor, we knew that we had to find something special that fit into the theme of the evening. Jean, Kris and I had been in Paris about two weeks prior to the event, during Fashion Week. One of the highlights of our trip was the magnificent exhibition at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs devoted to Christian Dior, the Designer of Dreams. One of the Dior gowns was shown with an unusual and breathtaking pearl necklace that was visible from both the front and back views of the dress. What would be more perfect than to “recreate” the feeling of the necklace the night of the dinner in Providence!
Because Ciner has such talented designers and pearl stringers, once home in New York we were able to find Ciner pins and earrings that could be used to create a magnificent necklace, visible from both the front and back of my black velvet dress. The necklace became the high point of the evening, working perfectly into the theme of the evening. Everyone had to take pictures of this treasure, and if I was standing in front of a mirror, you could see both the front and back of the necklace at the same time!
We were totally honored by receiving the award, and very proud of our 125 years. Thank you again, Melinda Lewis and Pam Wiggins for honoring Ciner at the last CJCI convention! And a special thank you to all of those who allow us to do what we love! We appreciate your support more than you know!