Can You Dig It?
In 2009, Colonial Jewelers sweetened its annual Wedding Week by adding a Cake Dig. The event—a tad messy, a lot of fun, and definitely “a spectacle,” says store manager Sarah Hurwitz—invited locals to rip apart cakes for the chance to win a wedding package worth $5,000. It has since become an annual ritual.
To find diggers, the Frederick, Md., store randomly selects 12 individuals who register online or in store. Participants receive a one-layer, 8-inch-diameter wedding-themed cake with a number iced on top. Then the digging begins, as each contestant searches for a Superball-size plastic diamond—a novelty discovered by the caterer—baked inside just two of the cakes.
The pair who unearth the faux rocks move on to a second dig, this one with a 4-foot-tall wedding cake with just one diamond inside; the contestant who finds it wins the prize package, complete with a Tissot or Colonial Jewelers’ watch and certificates for local florists, stationers, and makeup and hair artists.
The aftermath of the 2010 Cake Dig
All 12 contestants also have the chance to win $24,000 by rolling four lettered dice to spell C-A-K-E. Hurwitz says no one has won since the dig began, but a few came close. How close? “Two people got two letters this year.”
April’s Third Annual Cake Dig and brunch drew 300 people—a 33 percent increase over last year. Four hundred people registered, versus 250 in 2010, and Colonial has also seen a 20 percent increase in spectators. “It’s fun for the people involved and people watching,” says Hurwitz. “Cake gets everywhere.”
The event helps the store make that “crucial first connection” with the bridal customer, boosts traffic, and generates a number of wedding band sales. Sales this year spiked 20 percent during Wedding Week, supplemented in part by up to 1,500 additional SKUs sent in by the store’s 10 best bridal vendors, including True Romance. The best part? After all the barters, sponsorships, and bulk ad buys, Colonial’s out-of-pocket expenses totaled less than $2,500. —Lindsey Wojcik
Green Wedding
When Ivanka Trump married in 2009, public interest in her cushion-cut engagement ring got her thinking not only about a new line but also about diamond sustainability. After analyzing the role that mines play in their communities, Trump relaunched her bridal collection with 100 percent sustainable Canadian diamonds from Waldman Diamond Co., set in Hoover & Strong recycled metals.
Platinum setting with 3.82 ct. center stone and 0.30 ct. t.w. micro pavé; $135,000; Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry, New York City; 888-756-9912; ivankatrumpcollection.com
“The issue of blood diamonds and the Kimberley Process were part of her learning process, but the guiding force for this program was an environmental concern,” Andrea Hansen, CEO of Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry, tells JCK.
Waldman supplies Trump with stones larger than 1 ct. from the Diavik Mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories. They’re certified by the Canadian Diamond Code of Conduct, guaranteeing the gems are conflict-free and mined by an environmentally conscious company. Stones from Polar Gem Corp.—from the EKATI mine, also in the Northwest Territories—are used in designs requiring sizes up to 1 ct.
Twelve styles of engagement rings and six wedding bands are available, starting at $15,000. Signature oval-motif engagement rings are sold as semi-mounts to wholesale partners—whom Trump encourages to mount with Canadian stones—and center-stone cuts include emerald, cushion, rounds, marquise, and ovals. Expect Asschers in the future. —Jennifer Heebner