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Dwindling interest from current members has led to the non-profit’s closure after 30 years.
New York—Non-profit association Contemporary Jewelry Design Group is closing after 30 years, the group announced in a statement posted to its website and social media channels this week.
“We relied almost entirely on the collection of membership dues, and we have reluctantly determined that this is no longer a viable option for the association going forward. While we were continuing to gain new members, the renewal rate for current members continued to drop,” the statement read in part.
Founded in 1989, CJDG’s goal has always been to promote independent jewelry designers in the industry at large.
The organization did so through its website that features designer profiles, a monthly e-mail newsletter that went to approximately 2,000 retailers and a robust social media presence, including nearly 15,000 followers at the time of this article.
The CJDG’s website currently lists 93 members, including brands like Adel Chefridi, Coomi, Dana Bronfman and Ray Griffiths.
The CJDG booth has been a presence for several years at the Couture jewelry trade show, hosting six member designers.
Marylouise Lugosch became the group’s executive director in 1999, running daily operations.
She explained to National Jeweler that changes in the way brands do business has been a major factor in closing the organization.
“CJDG started in 1989 when a group of designers got together at a show in California. They realized that they didn’t have a voice in the jewelry industry, so they banded together to try to make the industry and the retailers more aware of their work,” she explained.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by CJDG (@cjdgjewelers) on Oct 8, 2019 at 7:11am PDT
“At that time, everyone did the trade shows,” she added. “Today, more than half of our members don’t do shows at all. The sense of community was lost. Yes, online communities can be vibrant, but people need to see each other in the flesh a few times a year and that wasn’t happening as much. At the same time that trade show participation was dwindling, retail was changing. Social media and Instagram are great, but at some point you get lost in all the images.”
Lugosch also felt CJDG never fully recovered from the 2008 recession, the end of an era in which customers “would put a pair of $4,000 18-karat gold earrings on their credit card.”
Despite its closure, she said that CJDG has achieved its goals of promoting brands’ work over the past three decades.
Her fondest memories are of the relationships fostered between designers.
“We created a
great sense of community,” she said.
Lugosch is most proud of CJDG’s spearheading of the Cindy Edelstein Memorial Auction at the Couture jewelry trade show, an idea from Just Jules designer Julie Romanenko, which raised $30,000 for the WJA Cindy Edelstein Jewelry Design Scholarship and Jewelers for Children in honor of the late jewelry advocate.
Lugosch is most proud of CJDG’s spearheading of the Cindy Edelstein Memorial Auction at the Couture jewelry trade show, an idea from Just Jules designer Julie Romanenko, which raised $30,000 for the WJA Cindy Edelstein Jewelry Design Scholarship and Jewelers for Children in honor of the late jewelry advocate.
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