Seminar: Dominate Local Search with Brad Simon

From the AGTA listing:

Internet Marketing to Drive Local Traffic
Brad Simon, www.internet4jewelers.com (Graham room)
Basic - Intermediate. Getting the customer through the door is critical for the brick and mortar retail jeweler. Yet more and more customers begin their shopping process by seeking information on the internet, where they can find out about you, your business, and the colored gemstones which interest them. Take advantage of the customer’s use of the internet and let their search lead to your door, prepared to buy willingly from you.

Concrete and practical steps for using the internet to drive local traffic are the focus of this session.

AGTA has included several sessions this year on marketing your business online...this one was specifically aimed at the "brick and mortar" jewelry store owner.

The increased dependence on internet search for local business has greatly affected the ability of a small local store to draw customers...the days of a yellow page ad pulling traffic is gone.

Brad Simon of "Internet 4 Jewelers" spoke engagingly and with passion about recent changes to Google Search and how those changes can be used to your advantage.

Tucson Tip - AGTA is recording most of the sessions and they will be available in a DVD format - you can see their 2009 offerings here and for info about the 2010 sessions email: info@agta.org.

Tucson - Feb. 10th

I started the morning in a seminar at the Hilton East - Innovative Uses of the Hydraulic Press for Jewelry Manufacturing with Phil Poirier - This seminar covers all sorts of metal forming techniques available using a hydraulic press. The presentation progresses from simple tasks (silhouette die forming, bracelet forming and blanking) to complex techniques (deep drawing and the use of conforming dies.) At the end Phil concludes with a live demonstration using the Bonny Doon Mark III press to demonstrate live - the techniques covered in the presentation.

Phil Poirier has spent 35 years as a goldsmith and 24 years designing and engineering tools for the jewelry industry specifically for hydraulic presses. He is the current owner/operator of Bonny Doon in Taos, New Mexico. The company develops and markets hydraulic forming and tooling systems for the jewelry industry. http://www.bonnydoonengineering.com/

I am telling you I am hooked on this machine – the possibilities are endless...


That’s as much inside as I can stand – back out to the Electric Park...





Maybe it’s my hippy upbringing (I am after all a child of the 60’s) – but I really love the atmosphere at the TEP.
I offered to help Hans out this year so you will see several posts from TEP.

There are three sessions a day at 11am, 1:30pm and 3:30pm the class topics vary with something for every one.

11:00 am: Tips and Techniques for Cutting Molds with John Henkil of Castaldo. Every mold cutter has his favorite techniques, and John Henkil has been acquiring and studying these for some three decades. For fifteen years he's been demonstrating for Castaldo products.

This was a very informational demonstration. John didn’t just talk about the different ways of cutting a mold. He went into the pros and cons of the various types of molds and then did a hands demo of cutting techniques that could be utilized in different situations.

I sometimes think that cutting the mold is as much an art form as designing the piece in the mold.




Brad Simon Presents...

Ok – this is an exciting announcement... ALL NEW!!!! TV Channel all about Jewelry Making!!!!

If you're looking for jewelry training or in depth exposure to the techniques and the world of jewelry making, there's a new television channel which will focus on just that.

Initiated by Brad Simon and slated to debut in January 2008, Bench Jewelers Television Network will be a full TV network with different channels of interest to bench jewelers and will be aired over the Internet.

Channels will include, Shop Management, Stone Setting, Jewelry Repair, Custom Manufacturing, Platinum, Laser Welding, Bench Techniques, New Products, and more.

We all know Brad Simon from his publications that have always been free to users...E Bench Newsletter (Ebenchnewsletter.com) and the Bench Magazine.



Now there is Bench Television http://benchtelevision.com/ go – check it out there are free previews on several of the channels to whet your interest... when you see the videos and the quality of the work, and the level of the expertise gathered to teach, you will understand why there is a fee for the service. For an annual subscription to the service it is $125...there will be a monthly offer at a later date - this is for unlimited access to ALL channels.

BTW – check out all the great features at the next Bench Conference ( http://benchconference.com/ ) in Los Angeles, California! I hope to see you all there!

Thanks Brad for always sharing!












The Use of the Graver in Diamond Setting with Gerry Lewy's name will be known to many in the jewelry trade under his nickname "Gerry the Cybersetter." Today Gerry comes back with a repeat of Thursday's session, covering all aspects of the use of gravers in the discipline of diamond setting.

Gerry uses sample rings in various stages of completion, so that by seeing the incomplete setting, he says, "each person will then understand how the setting practice is furthered." He also utilizes photographs of different types of diamond setting, his instructional CD's and gravers for sale at the Learning Center, as well as free instructional handouts.

The Mayor of Tucson Learns To Facet A Gem!

What Paris is to fashion, Tucson is to precious stone. Each Spring, the desert city transforms to an indescribable concentration of gems, exquisite jewelry and mineral treasures. Some 40 independent exhibitions take over the city in what is known among gem dealers worldwide simply as "Tucson." Huge white show tents crowd every major open area. The convention center and other show locations become a riot of ethnic costumes as dealers from Sri Lanka, Colombia, Namibia, China, Madagascar, Mexico, Australia and every other gem producing country throng the streets. Hotel prices soar for the three week duration of the shows and often the very rooms themselves transform into gem shops.

This year, in a unique act of recognition, Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup will become a gemcutter, cutting a precious stone, in public, in salute to the stature of Tucson as the nexus of the world gem trade. Mayor Walkup will be cutting the gem on Monday, February 4th, at 1:30 pm, at the Electric Park Learning Center in the Tucson Electric Park Show on Ajo Way.

The "Learning Center" is a new (debut in 2007) show-and-tell facility at the Electric Park Show. Conceived in the aim of demonstrating the fascination of gems and jewelry in a lively, hands-on way, the Learning Center offers 3 free lectures daily, cutting demonstrations, workshops and more, from February 2nd to 16th. In non-lecture times visitors can try their own hand at gem cutting with an expert to guide them.

Featured this year at the Learning Center:

Noted gem author Fred Ward presents his latest
in the "Fred Ward Gem Books" on Phenomenal Gems

Colin Winter, respected figure in British gemmology,
giving a presentation on spectroscopy

Roger Dery, past winner AGTA cutting award - talks about the real world of commercial, non-hobby, professional gem cutting

Brad Simon introduces a new internet-based jewelry television channel

Tyler Allen, award winning cutter - gives a spine-tingling account of his greenhorn's venture into the dangerous world of gem buying in Madagascar

....and there is so much more

All presentations are one hour or less in duration; all are open to the general public; all are free. Presentation times are at 11 am, 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm each day from February 2nd to 16th.

2008 Learning Center Schedule: http://www.electricparklearningcenter.com