Relios on Rachael!

If you're a fan of Relios Jewelry and a fan of Rachael Ray, you might have seen the two of them come together on Rachael's show that aired March 18, 2009.

If you missed it, we've got a snapshot for you!

Desperately Seeking Sincerely Southwest(R)

Here at Relios, we make southwestern jewelry because we love the unique culture and flavor of the American Southwest. The beautiful desert surroundings and the mixture of Native and Spanish cultures inspire us to make jewelry that reflects what we see. But what we love most is sharing all that style with you! Facebook, Myspace, our website, this blog -- we have a lot of ways to bring our passion for southwestern jewelry to you.

One big way we share with you is through QVC. By now, you know that Relios and our lead designer and Vice President, Carolyn Pollack, are regularly featured on the Q. They've been a big part of our success and have given us the chance to get to know our fans of southwestern jewelry.

We wanted to take this chance to help you get more familiar with with our shows and jewelry on QVC. As popular as Carolyn is on the Q, did you know that Relios is involved in three different shows on the Q?

Sincerely Southwest by Carolyn Pollack
The first show is a designer show focused on Carolyn and our Sincerely Southwest jewelry. It's an intimate shopping affair where Carolyn can focus on talking to both seasoned Sincerely Southwest collectors and newcomers about the jewelry.

The Sincerely Southwest jewelry collections feature expressive silhouettes and distinctive gem stone color combinations that embody Carolyn’s own lifestyle and fashion sense.A fresh, eclectic collection of statement pieces celebrating the natural beauty and spirit of the American woman.

Sangria Citrus Berry Inlay Pendant on Bead Necklace		Illusion Silver Hoops and Black Gemstone Earrings

Southwestern Jewelry
The second show that we are a part of at QVC is the Southwestern Jewelry show, where jewelry makers share the stage under the common theme of southwestern jewelry. As a part of this show, Relios showcases our jewelry along with several other companies. When you see Carolyn on-air, you know that they are showing a piece of our jewelry.

Our pieces, which are made in Albuquerque, NM, feature opaque gemstones reflective of the colors of the Southwestern landscape. The stones combined with textural sterling silver in designs that are symbolic of the unique cultural history -- the blending of Spanish, Native American, and Western influences -- of New Mexico and the American Southwest, take traditional southwestern style to a new level.

Turquoise Beads and Silver Pottery Bead Coil Bracelet		Denim Lapis Filigree Pendant on 18 inch Chain

Is it made by Relios?Here are some helpful tips to help you identify whether or not your jewelry was made by Relios.

Relios' Sterling Silver Stamp	This stamp signifies that the item is .925 sterling silver. It's most commonly found on rings or pendants.
Relios' CP Signature "CP" Tag	Look for the CP Signature Tag on necklaces and bracelets. This tag denotes that the jewelry piece you have is a genuine Sincerely Southwest item by Carolyn Pollack.
Relios' Sterling Silver/Copyright Tag	This third tag also denotes that the item is made with .925 sterling silver and was manufactured by Relios.
Roderick Tenorio's Stamp	Look for this marking stamping into the metal on those items Relios manufactures for Roderick Tenorio.

If you need to call our customer support, it's helpful to have your J-number from QVC. We can look up items by their J-number and verify for you that they are genuine Relios products. Once we have determined that you have a piece of our jewelry, we can set you on the right course to getting your questions answered.

We hope this helps you when you're picking out pieces of southwestern jewelry to add to your collection. Visit the Relios Jewelry website, our profile on Facebook, or our profile on Myspace and get in on the fun in sharing your passion for southwestern jewelry.

Enchanting Enhancers

Bracelets, necklaces, earrings! Oh yeah!

Everyone knows what these pieces of jewelry are and what they're all about. Sure there are lots of variations --cuff bracelets and stretch bracelets; beaded necklaces and liquid silver; post earrings, clip-on earrings, and the hybrid omega clip earrings -- but one of our popular types of jewelry is all about versatility. If you follow Relios on QVC, you probably know what we're talking about. Necklace enhancers!

What's an enhancer?
Enhancers are one of those pieces of jewelry where style meets flexibility. In much the same way you can transform an ensemble with jewelry, like sprucing up a casual outfit and highlighting an evening gown with splashes of color, you can change the tone and personality of your jewelry collection with an enhancer.

For the uninitiated, an enhancer is a pendant with a hinged bail. The bail makes it possible to move the pendant from necklace to necklace giving both the necklace and the enhancer different feels fashion-wise.

These adaptable pieces of jewelry can really change the look of a jewelry ensemble as they're paired with different necklaces. An enhancer on a sterling silver chain adds a splash of color to an otherwise subtle necklace. That same enhancer on a beaded necklace will be flush with color and gemstone presence, making for a more boisterous look. That's why necklace enhancers make great gifts! It's like giving several different jewelry styles all in one piece!

An Enhancer Love Story
Over the holidays you might be like most people, shuttling from one party to the next, getting enough eggnog to last you until the next holiday season, and showing off your most recent southwestern jewelry purchases from Relios.

This last holiday season, Bill, Carolyn and Susan were mingling at a holiday party hosted by the local branch of a large national corporation. Susan was wearing one of our necklace enhancers and had engaged in a conversation with one of the host company's senior managers. She commented to Susan that she loved the enhancer that Susan was wearing. Susan popped the enhancer off her necklace and put it on the strand that the senior manager was wearing. Viola! Instant new look! The senior manager loved it, and she wore the enhancer for the rest of the evening catching compliments from other party guests.

That's how easy, effortless and fun a necklace enhancer can be!

A Bail Full of Trouble
Alexander Pope once said, "To err is human; to forgive, divine." We admit that we are human, here at Relios. Sometimes we make mistakes, and sometimes the small imperfections that come from the human handling of a piece of jewelry adds up but not in our favor. Sometimes bails would break or they wouldn't close properly.

Chris Ruiz, our Jewelry Technical & Production Director, and the department leads in the production department went back to the drawing board. Looking at past and present designs for the hinged bails, looking for how the design could be improved. Here's what they did:

• The curvature of the top of the bail was made longer, so the weight of the enhancer wouldn't pull down on the hinge
• They made the clasping ends of the bail wider so there would be a larger surface area holding the bail closed
• The lip on the enhancer where the bail is snapped closed was made higher, so it would hold the bail in place better
• They changed the wire inside the hinge and laser welded it to fit more snugly, so it wouldn't come lose as easily
• The "hook," a small piece of silver you hook your fingernail into to open the bail, was made wider to make it more comfortable to open the bail
• They reworked the dimensions where the two pieces of the hinged bail come together to make a better fitting hinge
• The bail was heat-treated to add durability

That's a lot of changes to make on a small, but important part of an enhancer! But we want you to enjoy your sterling silver jewelry for a long time, and that sometimes means making changes to our designs so they last for as long as you have them. We think the efforts of Chris and the team in Production are going to go a long way towards making our necklace enhancers even better!

Visit the Relios Jewelry website today and check out the great selection of necklace enhancers we have today! And keep your eyes peeled for eight (8) new collections!

February Fabulous, Amazing Amethyst

It's February and this month is host to both Valentine's Day (find valentine's day gift ideas here) and one of the most beautiful birthstones, Amethyst! Carolyn (whose birthday is February 9th) wants you to know that Relios has a modern take on February birthstone jewelry that's bold and beautiful that you are sure to love! It's all about style. No more plain old birthstone jewelry, it's time for fashion-forward, bold looks. It's time to make birthstone jewelry fun again!

Purple Amethyst 7 inch Bracelet

What is Amethyst, really?
Amethyst is purple quartz and has long been a part of historical lore. The color comes from a complex mixture of iron and aluminum. The rich purple-hued stone has been used decoratively since Ancient Egypt and Greece and we continue to use it in jewelry today. The ancient Greeks believed that Amethyst was a mystical stone with power to protect you from drunkenness. So goblets were often fashioned from Amethyst, with hopes that any wine it held would be stripped of its intoxicating power -- which would be useful around New Year's Eve if this was actually true!

Curious Quartz
Many other gemstones happen be to variants of colored quartz, like carnelian, aventurine, tiger's eye, onyx, and agate. But citrine and amethyst have a special relationship. While citrine can be found in nature in its yellow color, some of it is made by heating amethyst stones. When the amethyst is heated, the color changes from purple to yellow.

Where does it come from?
Besides Relios's amazing selection of amethyst jewelry? Well, deposits of this purple quartz can be found all over the world. While the bulk of the world's supply of Amethyst originates in Zambia and the world's finest stones come from Russia, Amethyst is also found in Brazil, South Korea, Canada, India and here in the United States (Texas, Pennsylvania, and Maine, to name a few places).

18 to 21 inch 2 Strand Beaded Passionate Purple Necklace

With Relios's new take on birthstones, you can make a fashion statement out of your February birthstone jewelry. Combined with complementary colored stones and precious metals, this birthstone jewelry has a sharp fashion-oriented look that will make you feel fabulous. Head over to the Relios Jewelry website to find the perfect gift for your February birthday girl!

Relios on KRQE 13!

Check out this story by KRQE's Deanna Sauceda on Relios! Deanna talks to Carolyn about Relios and the economy.

Give Love, Give Relios!

Valentine's Day is almost here! It's a chance for us to tell the people we're close to that we love them. Wives, daughters, mothers, sisters, best friends... You want to find the perfect gift to say I love you with all your heart, but maybe you're having trouble finding it.

You might be in a bit of a spot like Pedro, one of our marketing assistants, was at Christmas time. He was looking for just the right gift his girlfriend, asking for advice and ideas. But it had to be just right.

Or maybe you're in a situation like these Relios customers:

My mother is nearly impossible to shop for...she has everything and does very little in the way of hobbies (reading, gardening, etc.)...
J.H. from Pennsylvania

I was looking for something to buy my sister for but couldn't figure out what to get her...
V.R. from Florida

Well, Relios is here exactly for moments like these! With our help, each person found just the right gift. Call our customer service department (800-827-6543) or visit our Valentine's Day Gift Center and we'll help you find a gift that will touch the heart of that special person.

Find your way to great southwestern gifts, jewelry gift sets, inspirational gifts, or shop by price to meet your budget.

Try out our selection of heart jewelry for gifts that turn how you feel into a bold literal statement. Find rhodonite, mother-of-pearl, and lapis jewelry shaped like love's greatest symbol in pendants, earrings and bracelets.

The Loving Family collection of jewelry will help you share with your loved ones how much your family means to you, like it did for J.H.

Check out the display of our top 10 Valentine's Day gifts and our necklace enhancers. Enhancers make a great gift idea. The hinged bail lets you move an enhancer from one necklace to another to create lots of unique looks! It's like giving the gift of a whole jewelry collection in just one versatile piece.

Our love-inspiring accessories are sure to get you all the hugs and kisses you can handle! So run to ReliosJewelry.com and get your loved ones gifts they'll never forget!

New Year, New You!

5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Happy New Year!

The new year is here! As the calendar flips over, we all start thinking about how we can make this new year better than last. A good question! And we've got a great answer.

It's a great time to rethink your wardrobe and your jewelry collection. It's time to reshape yourself. It's time for a new you! Try out new colors and styles of our southwestern jewelry. And just to make sure you don't get lost, we have five new friends to help you find your new style throughout the year...

Sienna has always been on the look-out for good ways to preserve the environment around her. She's the outdoorsy-type. Someone who really cares about nature. She decorates her home with pieces of Native pottery she's collected over the years and she loves the cozy rustic feel it gives her adobe house. She recycles. In fact, she recycles as much as she can. Cuisine is about organic foods and her wardrobe is a collection of natural fiber clothes. "My jewelry collection? Oh, I like earth-tones and mossy greens. They look really nice on me and it really blends into how my house looks. It's like taking a piece of home with me," she says. You might find stones like smoky quartz, tiger's eye, jade, and serpentine in her collection. See what Sienna likes to wear!

If there's a word that describes Michelle, it's "hostess." She loves having her friends over for dinner parties at her condo with great food and wine, but the important thing is that people leave with a smile. She's out-going and friendly, you know the type, the one that would strike up a conversation with you at the grocery store if the lines were long. Her jewelry choices are the same way: bold and beautiful. She likes chunky beaded jewelry and bright colored stones like turquoise, rhodonite, and carnelian. She's not a fashion fanatic, but she definitely wears her personality. "Am I the center of attention?" she asks with a laugh. "I don't know about that. I just want people to be happy, you know? Enjoy life! That's how I pick jewelry. The stuff that says, 'I love being here!'" See what Michelle likes to wear!

Carrie's a career-minded woman. She's focusing a ton of energy on putting herself in a good position for the future, but she knows how to have a good time. She's adventurous (she's been skydiving) and sharp-witted and lives on the opposite coast from her family -- she loves the rush of the work she does and the view from her high-rise apartment (it makes her feel like the world is her's for the taking). Because she's far from her family, her friends are extremely important to her and she enjoys nights out on the town with them. Fashion is part of her lifestyle, she likes having sharp looks and a knock-out wardrobe. She drinks Apple Martinis when she's out with her friends. Her jewelry needs to look every bit as fancy as she feels. "It doesn't matter where I am, the right look makes all the difference," Carrie explains. "I pick jewelry that gets just as much attention in the conference room as it does at the club. Sterling silver. Black agate. Sodalite. I know how to accessorize for success." See Carrie's collection of our jewelry.

To Sarah it's all about family. Taking the kids to soccer practice... video-taping the school play... getting in on all the schoolkid gossip with her children... getting the dog to the groomer's... Sarah's drink of choice is some hot herbal tea at the end of the day, once she finally has a chance to slow down. Her jewelry selection is less about the stones and more about the style. Smaller jewelry pieces that are easy to wear every day. She's got a mix of stones every thing from jasper to turquoise to mother-of-pearl, but the bottom line is that it has to be practical both in price and style – something that isn't going to be a hassle when she's rushing from one event to the next. "If it looks good with jeans and works with my wallet, then I'd go for it," Sarah told us. "Really, who's not going to check out a good deal? Especially, on jewelry? " Check out what Sarah's been wearing!

An empty-nester, Angelina, is enjoying a life of travel through-out the United States. She especially enjoys visiting the Southwestern United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas). She loves the warm weather, but she's happy to make the trip abroad -- especially to visit her vacation home. She knows her wine, and she knows how to find those amazing little secret cafes and restaurants. For Angelina, it's time to have grand adventures! She likes southwestern jewelry and clothes and she looks for great sterling silver jewelry with some substantial stones. She fancies milky aquamarine and spiny oyster shell, but her real focus? "Great turquoise, lapis and tiger's eye," she claims. "The really nice traditional southwestern stones. I visit the southwest every year, and I like having that jewelry as a reminder." Steal Angelina's style!

Be sure to be on the lookout for advice and picks from these five fabulous and fashionable ladies. Visit Relios online and start planning out your new look for the new year.

Wax In, Gorgeous Out

The journey from idea to physical product is an interesting one no matter what is being made. Here one of the steps to making beautiful southwestern jewelry is injecting rubber molds of the design with wax. The process, however, is tedious and tiring. Someone has to hold the rubber mold, firmly clamp it down by hand with pieces of plastic, and then push it and hold it up against the wax pot to inject wax into the sprue (hole) in the mold. It's exhausting and while the folks doing it for us here at Relios are tough cookies, they are also human.

Well, we're taking steps to help reduce the strain and give our efficiency a boost. Recommended by a friend of company President and Founder, Bill Pollack, we're currently testing a new automated wax injection machine.

The new wax injection machine at rest.

At an estimated 10,000 units per week, this system can help speed up our production of new sterling silver jewelry pieces, better preparing us for meeting the demands of our customers. But along with speed, Production Director at Relios Jewelry, Chris Ruiz, explains that there are positive implications for management of resources and personnel.

Production Advantages
To begin with, the computer-controlled system allows for sophisticated order management. By scanning a barcode, the system can match a mold to a profile of specifications that dictate how that mold is supposed to be handled. These specifications may include clamp pressure, the injection time, and how many more of a particular wax piece we need. This makes it easier for us to handle different orders at once. Since the system tracks our progress for us, we can spend more time handling the production of new jewelry pieces and less time on counting pieces. If we place a mold on the conveyor belt that has already finished its full order, the mold bypasses all of the pots and is deposited in a bin at the end of the machine.

What makes this machine even more helpful is that it allows us to handle orders for several different types of pieces at the same time. The first three wax pots are all standard auto-clamps. These clamps are all the same size and assume rubber molds of a specific size with their sprues all cut in the same place. The last auto-clamp is an integrated auto-clamp. Using the specifications of the mold, the auto-clamp will adjust its position to match the sprue to the nozzle on the wax pot. We can also vary the wax mixture, temperature, and air pressure in each pot, and then use the system to route individual molds to the correct pot.

Personnel Advantages The next area where we expect to see the new machine have an impact is with personnel. You might think that a new automated system would mean paring down our factory staff. Well, we're happy to say that's not the case. While the machine does improve efficiency and speed, it still takes several people to keep the process running smoothly.

Newly injected molds cool off on water-cooled brass plates. Once those molds have cooled, someone needs to remove the wax pieces from the molds. Someone else will place empty molds on the conveyor belt and monitor the orders. All-in-all as many as three or four people can use the machine at once.

But most importantly the new machine helps reduce the potential for injury and increase consistency. The handheld method puts a lot of strain on the forearms and wrists of workers. First, they have to firmly hold the rubber molds closed. Secondly, there's no denying physics, pushing the mold against the nozzle of the wax pot means that a person is absorbing part of the pressure of the wax being injected into the mold -- that might not be significant for a small pair of earrings, but it can be for a larger sterling silver bracelet.

Over the course of a day, the repetitive nature of picking up a rubber mold, holding it closed and pressing against the wax pot wears out your arms. By the end of a shift, you may not hold the mold as tightly or push the mold against the wax nozzle as strongly. This may translate into molds that aren't properly filled. With this automated system, we reduce the number of wax molds with defects -- a concept that rolls neatly into our Lean Manufacturing program.



For the time being, we are refining how we create the rubber molds and the specifications for each mold, but we expect to see the new wax injection machine kick into full gear in the coming weeks turning out wax molds of our southwestern designer jewelry.

Postscript
Don't forget that December 22,2008 is the LAST day to place orders (using expediting shipping) to get your jewelry gifts by Christmas. Run over to the Relios Jewelry website and place your order today!

Lean Manufacturing

When you're building products for customers, whether it be southwestern jewelry, cars or books, you sometimes come to feel as though you could do a better job. Confidence as a manufacturer is rooted in how your customers perceive your product quality and how efficiently you were able to make your products at that quality level. Because we want to do a better job, because we want to waste less, Relios is beginning to implement a lean manufacturing program here in our Albuquerque factory. Our first pilot project is our "Today's Special Value" piece for QVC that is going to be featured in March 2009.

Model Carving

What is Lean Manufacturing?
Started at Toyota just after World War II, Lean Manufacturing focuses on building better customer value by addressing deficiencies or bottlenecks in the production process. So, Lean doesn't mean layoffs. It means reorganizing processes and efficiently using your staff to accomplish your goals.

Toyota focused on Muda, activities which don't add value, are unproductive, or prone to be wasteful. By reducing these kinds of activities, a manufacturer could reduce costs and increase quality in their products. Toyota's Chief Engineer, Taiichi Ohno, identified the "seven wastes": defects, overproduction, conveyance, waiting, inventory, motion, and overprocessing.[article]

Casting

By reducing wasteful activities and integrating quality assurance into the process stream, a manufacturer can improve their quality and their speed.

Lean at Relios
After taking several classes in implementing Lean Manufacturing, our team leads took a deeper interest in the flow of our manufacturing process. After studying our process in greater detail, it was decided that we would take what we've learned about Lean Manufacturing and apply it to the production of the March "Today's Special Value" item.

Production Leads in Class

The production team mapped out the entire process from creating the original model to shipping and focused on several key factors for each of the 60 steps such as cycle time, change-over time, equipment reliability, and part quality. What came from this exercise are things like more precise scheduling and more consideration for preventative maintenance.

Process Map

We were also interested in how Lean Manufacturing impacted training. We have used the Lean Manufacturing training timetable to look at our staff as skilled resources and in which areas they can be used to what degree. This will allow us to allocate staff to alleviate bottlenecks in future production.

Tumbling

We've been really pleased to see that the production leads have been interested in applying the tools and concepts of Lean Manufacturing. We expect it to lead to more efficient production and higher overall quality in our jewelry. Meanwhile, be sure to check out our current line of Sincerely Southwest® jewelry on QVC.com, find complementing jewelry collections on the Relios homepage.

Is That Turquoise, Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

Long before the days of Miss Cleo and Sylvia Browne, mystics in ancient India and Babylon attributed strength and power to the stones and minerals of the world that surrounded them. They would use gemstones to ward off illness, bolster the spirit and cleanse the soul. Astrologists would later assign gemstones to the signs of the Zodiac, to help people influence their ruling planets. Sound familiar? Thought so. We're talking about birthstones.

While most of us have the holidays on the noggin, some of us are also celebrating birthdays during the month of December. But Relios has you covered for southwestern gifts for more than just the holidays. December's birthstone happens to be a standard in southwestern jewelry: the sky stone, Turquoise.

If cold December gave you birth The month of snow and ice and mirth Place on your hand a turquoise blue; Success will bless whate'er you do. —Gregorian Birthstone Poems

Turquoise has a long tradition as a gemstone. The chalky stone has been a sought after gem not just in Native American cultures, but through out the world. The Aztecs, Egyptians and Persians all used the sky stone as a gemstone in ornamental jewelry. But would you believe that India and Japan would miss out on the beauty of turquoise until thousands of years later? Sounds pretty rough if you ask us.

If you're looking for a gift for that December birthday, look no further. Relios has a great special section dedicated to turquoise jewelry gifts for December. Find earrings, bracelets and necklaces ranging from clear blue to vivid green with a matrix, or pick something in between. You can find our special December birthstone category of turquoise jewelry by clicking the image below.

You won't find fake turquoise at Relios. We use genuine, natural gemstones. And we never use dyed turquoise. This effectively makes every piece of turquoise jewelry we make a unique gift, because the color of the stones will vary from piece to piece. So when you're giving the gift of turquoise jewelry by Relios to your December birthday girl, you can honestly say you've given them a one-of-a-kind gift.

The first people to produce imitation turquoise were the ancient Egyptians, using earthenware called faience.

Introducing Relios at Uptown!

If you know Relios then you know that we have a wide variety of ways for you to buy our jewelry and connect with us. We have our retail website (http://www.reliosjewelry.com) and a store in Texas. We also have jewelry available on Amazon. And we have profiles on Facebook and Myspace and this blog. But the hope of every business is to grow, and Relios is preparing to add a new member to the family.

On November 14, 2008 Relios is adding a new retail location at ABQ Uptown. This new store is going to be at the heart of Albuquerque's newest and hottest shopping destination. The ABQ Uptown area is chock full of great upscale retail and dining spots where you can find everything from culinary gear to clothes to jewelry and sandwiches to steaks.

Located next to Marcello's Chophouse on Q Street, our new store is going to offer a wide variety of our products from our discounted Corazon line of jewelry up to our new Collection pieces. Coming right before the holidays, our new store is going to be a great place for you to find the perfect holiday gifts.

We're not just excited because this is a new store. It's our first Relios branded location, and our first location in our hometown. The new store is just a short drive away from the factory, and it's going to make it possible for us to get a better handle on the jewelry styles and colors you like.

If you live in the Duke City or you're just passing through, drop by and look around the new store when it opens. Need the details?

Relios Jewelry at ABQ Uptown
2201 Q Street NE Suite A
Albuquerque, NM 87110
(505) 888-9603
Store hours:
10am to 9pm Mon. -Th.,
10am to 10pm Fri.-Sat.
12pm to 6pm Sun.

ABQ Uptown is at the intersection of Louisiana and Indian School, just a block North from the Louisiana exit of I-40.