STJ Newsletter Issue 18, Nov 2008

To use a well worn but completely relevant cliché, this year has flown by! We've barely come up for air since coming back to work in January and all of a sudden, everything is red and green and the ''silly season'' is upon us.

Reflecting over our adventures this year, we begin with our hand-made costume jewellery exhibition in London way back in January, at the ''Top Drawer'' trade fair. This was officially our second trade show at Earls Court in London and we are pleased to say that we have some great customers in the UK and Ireland. Our opal jewellery is quite popular on the international market and we're proud to know that some our beautiful pieces of Australia are scattered across Europe.

In February, we officially launched the ''INORI'' range which was displayed on our new custom-designed stand. Both the new collection and the unique stand received numerous compliments and the feedback from retailers has been extremely positive. ''INORI'' is certainly making a strong impression and we're proud to say that the demand for the product has been growing.

In March we hopped over to the Perth trade fair and showed our range in WA for the very first time.

April found Megan and Manuela in Arezzo, Italy, after they were invited to the Bacio distributor meeting. With an invitation to visit a couple of the manufacturers, Manuela and Megan were able to see first-hand how the beautiful Bacio range is created. They also had the pleasure of meeting a talented gentlemen, named Alberto, who is a wonderful artist and has been designing new beads to add to the Bacio collection. It was a fantastic experience for our two STJ directors and they thoroughly enjoyed the Italian hospitality.

''Lifestyle Australia'' was an event organised by Austrade and held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this past May, and Megan and Manuela were there to participate for the week. The exhibition was held at the Suria shopping centre, which is located at the base of the Petronas Towers. The exhibition was quite successful and if you travel to Malaysia sometime soon, you may happen to stumble upon some of our gorgeous hand-made jewellery.

Not even half-way through the year and we had already exhibited in two different continents to highly supportive retailers and travelled to the birthplace of our Bacio beads. Things still weren't slowing down!

In August, we returned to Melbourne for the annual GHA fair where we launched the ''Bacio Ultimate Collection'' which, again, was displayed on our brand new and very unique stand. This new range is very different to anything we've had before and we're very pleased to say that our customers loved it. To conjure a mental picture of the new range, think big, bold…and flower power! The stand was also drawing a lot of positive attention and the combination of the new range and the new stand made sure that we left a lasting impression.

Come September, we exhibited at the Jewellery fair in Darling Harbour, which is a beautiful venue. We were pleased to be able to meet many of our customers for the very first time.

The limited edition Christmas collection for the Bacio range (or see below) was launched in October. We had two different silver beads and one enamel bead that reflected the images of the jolly season. With only 200 beads for each design, the race was on ...

Our latest news, involves the launch of our Murano Slide Beads Trios. The beads come in a set and can be viewed via our Bacio website under ''Sets''. Don't take our word for it, see for yourself how beautiful these trios look!

It certainly has been a full and busy year! Megan and Manuela have done a great job again with their business and are very proud of what they have achieved so far.

If the thought had crossed your mind that this success means that now we'll sit back and enjoy, then you have another thought coming! Megan and Manuela are always thinking ahead and the combination of business expertise, artistic ability and innovative ideas makes sure that there are always new projects in the pipe-line. Currently, we are very busy preparing the launch of... Sorry, we really can't reveal anything just yet! All we can say is that there is a big surprise on its way with Bacio and Bacio Junior!! Stay tuned for updates.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

From the STJ Team:

Manuela, Megan, Karina, Sarah, Robyn,
Leila and of course Carl and Jon who are always doing things for us behind the scenes and
Luke, who secretly works his magic on our website.

Let's not forget Niki and Jett, who have provided ''Friday Entertainment'' throughout the year, thanks munchkins!