Jewelry designer, Patty Tobin, and her W. 17th Street jewelry boutique are the perfect example of the "hidden gems" Betsy and her team hope to discover and share with native New Yorkers and tourists alike.

Betsy’s mission: To explore the treasures of the side streets and document each and every place.

From great little shopping destinations to bars and restaurants to home furnishing, galleries, gardens and much more, Betsy and her team “pound the pavement and share their stories.”

Taking it one street at a time, Betsy and her team weave their way through the side streets of New York, meandering from east to west and back again; all the while highlighting the many small businesses and the people behind them that make up the wonderfully distinctive character of New York City, but who too often get overlooked or are left undiscovered to the masses.

“Spending time with Patty Tobin inevitably puts a smile on anyone’s face. One cannot escape her sweetness and positive, endless energy.”

Inside Patty Tobin's Fine Fashion Jewelry Boutique, you will find a one-of-a-kind collection of semi- precious gemstone and pearl jewelry, all handcrafted and Made In New York. Shown above: Carnelian Briolette Necklace, $695.

Getting the word out about who you are, where you are, and why you are so special and worth a trip downtown, uptown, crosstown, etc, is arguably the greatest challenge for small independent boutiques like ours.

Every little shop’s dream is to get discovered by a highly publicized outlet that specializes in Shopping and Retail destinations and who already has a well developed readership and access to a wide range of audiences. Getting free publicity from such a high-profile resource can make all the difference in the world to an independent business like Patty Tobin. Only, trying to capture the attention of the big media outlets is a lot harder than you might think. It always makes me think of trying to hop a 20-foot fence with one hand tied behind your back.

You can understand then why it was not only exciting, but terribly refreshing to meet a woman like Betsy with her vision of promoting the many independently-owned businesses that give Manhattan its distinct character.

I was particularly touched by the personal reflection on Patty and I that Betsy incorporated into her write-up on our shop. I want to share my favorite little snippet from the description that went up on their site last week as part of their “Meet 17th Street” feature story.

“Patty’s fine fashion jewelry shop was another one of those pleasant surprises that I discovered while strolling on 17th, and meeting both Patty and her niece, Teal, made the experience even more gratifying. It became obvious immediately that the two are all about customer service. In their own lovely way, they establish a relationship with each person who walks through their door, and it seems that many continue to return time after time.”

- Betsy, Manhattan Sideways

You can read the full story on Patty Tobin here. And while you’re at it, check out the great feature on 17th Street here.

We can’t encourage you enough to take a moment to check them out and share them with your friends and family. Whether you are a born and raised New Yorker, or an adopted one like myself, or even a tourist coming in for a visit, ManhattanSideways.com is a fantastic resource for everyone coming to or living in the New York City area.

Help them, help businesses like us! Let’s grow their following, so they can keep doing what they do best — strolling for buried treasures like us and sharing their discoveries with the world!

Starting Wednesday, May 8th, Patty Tobin will return to Bloomingdale’s 59th Street for a 3-day Trunk Show just in time for Mother’s Day! Save 15% on Patty Tobin jewels at Bloomingdale’s on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10:00AM – 6:00PM. Patty and her showcase will be setup on the 1st Floor in Fashion Accessories.

We will also be offering a special 10-20% OFF for Mother’s Day at our W. 17th Street boutique today through Saturday. We have lots of beautiful gifts that will make any mom feel special. Don’t wait til the last minute! Mother’s Day will be here before you know it! Sunday is not far off, so stop by and see us at 108 W. 17th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Chelsea, or at Bloomingdale’s 59th Street.

Starting tomorrow at 10AM, Patty Tobin will be setup to showcase her beautiful semiprecious gemstone and pearl jewelry in the Fashion Accessories department on the first floor of Bloomingdale’s 59th Street. We’ll be there to kickoff the Private Sale, an exciting savings event running straight through the weekend.

There will be GREAT SAVINGS going on all weekend throughout the store, including 20% OFF Patty Tobin Jewelry!

New York customers can enjoy savings on Patty Tobin for the duration of our trunk show, which starts on Thursday and runs through Saturday from 10AM to 6PM. The deals continue straight through our Sunday show in White Plains from 11AM to 6PM.

And DON’T FORGET … Mother’s Day will be here before you know it!

So why not shop early, take advantage of the great deals going on this weekend, and save big on something really special for her? By the time Mother’s Day rolls around, we promise you’ll be relieved that you already have a beautiful gift ready and waiting for her! Forget the hassle of rushing around, searching for that last-minute gift, and come by and see our trunk this week at Bloomingdale’s!

You would not believe how thrifty we were when it came to fitting all of our jewelry in such a tight space, but we got creative and totally made it work! From left to right: Me, Teal Rahmati, Patty Tobin, and Julie Chan.

Our colorful collection of Fire Agate gemstone ropes and Freshwater Pearl Lariats were drawing shoppers in like moths to a flame! It was so much fun to see!

Simply put, the jewelry was a smash hit! The colors pulled people right in, and the prices – as usual for Patty Tobin – were so reasonable people couln’t believe it!  It wasn’t just the customers responding to the jewelry either; everyone — from the sales associates on the selling floor to the personal shoppers upstairs to the various makeup artists running back and forth — was loving the collection!

Bloomingdale's 59th Street flagship store in New York City.

In all honesty, we would have been more than happy with the opportunity to showcase our jewelry at any Bloomingdale’s store, but I have to say, there really was something very special about debuting at the 59th Street flagship store in Manhattan. It may just be my long-time love affair with that particular department store — or maybe it’s because it’s such an amazingly iconic place – but whatever the reason, I have to tell you: Each morning when the loud speakers around the store would sound off at 10AM sharp with a loud siren blast that let everyone know the doors were officially open for business, and Frank Sinatra’s voice came ringing out to “New York, New York,” I felt a truly thrilling sensation.

Patty loves to be on the floor interacting with customers. She's always been the face of her company, there to meet and greet, and talk to everyone.

It wasn’t just the excitement, or the nerves for that matter, but an overwhelming sense of pride that bubbled up inside me, filling me with utter confidence. Pride for my amazing aunt, who has worked so hard to get this far. Pride in her amazing jewelry designs and all the wonderful people who have been such dedicated supporters of Patty Tobin; people who know and love the jewelry, appreciate its value, and who recognize Patty’s incredible talent.  Pride that we are still one of the few jewelry companies that actually manufactures our products not just in the U.S., but right here in our home state of New York. And just an overall sense of satisfaction for how hard we’ve worked and how far we’ve come since openning our first Patty Tobin Fine Fashion Jewelry boutique in 2009.

With six days of shows at 59th Street and two in Short Hills, NJ, we got to meet so many wonderful people. Patty and I were both loving the opportunity to interact with so many new customers, fellow designers and entrepreneurs, as well as Bloomingdale’s amazing staff. The energy on the selling floor of such a large retailer as Bloomingdale’s is really quite invigorating. Despite being on our feet for 14 hours a day for the better part of those two weeks, as soon as we stepped on the floor, I could see we were both energized — “rearing and ready to go,” as they say!

Patty really outdid herself with the jewelry for these shows. The pieces she designed for Bloomingdale’s events included several of my all-time favorite Patty Tobin styles, plus a whole bunch of brand new pieces that were so new, in fact, even I didn’t get a chance to see them all until we were setting up on the first day!

The colors were just magnificent! Sparkling blues, rich purples and bright bursts of orange that were literally stopping people in their tracks. We had plenty of pearls, as always, but we had an especially fabulous collection of stunning “gemmy-gem gems,” as Patty would call them.

More exciting news and updates, plus plenty more photos from our first Trunk Shows in New York City and Short Hills are coming soon, so stay tuned for more at PattyTobin.com!

UPCOMING TRUNK SHOWS AT BLOOMINGDALE’S

Find us in Fashion Jewelry from 10:00AM – 6:00PM

The Shops at Riverside (Bergen County, Hackensack, NJ)

     Weds, April 3rd

     Thurs, April 4th

     Fri, April 5th

White Plains, NY

     Sat, April 6th

Visit our Events Page for complete details on all upcoming shows at pattytobin.com/events.

Patty Tobin is proud to be recognized by Bloomingdale’s for her Made In New York jewelry line, which will be featured at the White Plains, NY, Short Hills, NJ and Hackensack, NJ locations in addition to New York City. As a born and bread upstate New Yorker, Patty Tobin has been, and continues to be, committed to keeping the manufacturing of her jewelry not just in the U.S., but right here in our home state of New York.

All items will be for sale at each of these events, so whether you’re looking to treat yourself or to pick up a gift for someone special in your life, there will be plenty of beautiful pieces to choose from and a range of price points to accommodate just about any budget.

All of our upcoming Trunk Show dates and times are listed below for each of the four Bloomingdale’s locations that will be featuring Patty Tobin in the coming months. We will continue to update our Events Page with more details as they come in, so stay tuned for more exciting news about Patty Tobin at Bloomingdale’s!!

59th Street & Lexington Avenue

March 14, 15, 16 – 10:00 AM – 6:00PM

March 21, 22, 23 – 10:00AM – 6:00PM

April 25, 26, 27 – 10:00AM – 6:00PM

May 8, 9 , 10 – 10:00AM – 6:00PM

June 20, 21, 22, 23 – 10:00AM – 6:00PM

Short Hills, NJ

The Mall at Short Hills

March 17 – 11:00AM – 6:00PM

March 24 – 11:00AM – 6:00PM

Hackensack, NJ

Bergen Shops at Riverside

April 3, 4, 5 – 10:00AM – 6:00PM

June 6, 7, 8 – 10:00AM – 6:00PM

White Plains, NY

April 6 – 10:00AM – 6:00PM

April 28 – 11:00AM – 6:00PM

May 11 – 10:00AM – 6:00PM

Don’t forget! You can visit our Events page for more details.

ENK Coterie is the year’s most exclusive global fashion trade show, filled with notable as well as burgeoning designers, and attended by the industry’s elite. Yurga will be showcasing her jewelry for the first time stateside at this year’s event on February 24, 25, 26 at the Javits Center.

Yurga has built a name for herself in Lithuania and many parts of Eastern Europe over the last several years and we know New York will be her next destination!

Jewelry designers, Yurga Lago, left, and Patty Tobin, right at Patty Tobin's first international showcase in Vinius, Lithuania (2011).

Patty Tobin and Yurga Lago are continuing to build on their collaborative projects, which started back in 2011 when Yurga first hosted two trunk shows for Patty Tobin in two of Lithuania’s most incredible cities: Vilnius and Klaipeda. We can’t wait to see what 2013 has in store for these two wonderful ladies!

Patty will be assisting Yurga and her associates at the show. She invites you to stop in and be personally introduced to Yurga.

ENK International is unequivocally the most exclusive trade show producer in the U.S.

ENK International – Show times:

Sunday, Feb. 24, 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Monday, Feb. 25, 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Tuesday, Feb. 26, 9:00AM to 5:00PM

Javits Center
3 East 54th Street
New York, NY 10022

Visit ENK International’s official website.

Patty Tobin was thrilled to drape these gorgeous and extremely talented young women for Platinum Style’s winter fashion special. Akissa Mendez (right) and Lalisha “LaLa” McLean-Sanders (left) both rocked Patty Tobin jewels for the photoshoot. It was so much fun to see each lady immediately gravitate to pieces that so clearly reflected what each woman describes as her personal style.

Click image to shop this style at pattytobin.com.

When asked to describe her own individual style, LaLa, told Platinum Style that she is the “versatile” one. And we weren’t surprised at all! Of all the Patty Tobin jewelry out to choose from, LaLa decided to rock our new Hematite & Vermeil bracelets ($195 each).

Call it a coincidence, but these are the same bracelets we are always highlighting for their versatility. You can wear them as bracelets, or fasten two together to wear as a short necklace, or three together for a longer rope look, and that’s just what LaLa did! Check out the beautiful shot of LaLa sporting two bracelets together as a choker-style necklace with two more stacked on her wrist as bracelets.

Call us at 212.414.0174 to place your order for either or both of these beautiful necklaces.

Akissa, on the other hand, describes herself as the “edgier” one, which is easy to believe. Not only did she pick one of our big “mega” torsades in gorgeous faceted aqua quartz briolettes, but she also chose to rock our Hematite Rope necklace as a belt!! We LOVE when we get a chance to work with women who totally appreciate all of the different ways you can play around with Patty Tobin jewelry to reflect your own personal style.

Allure has produced three studio albums and are currently putting the “finishing touches” on their fourth album. As a family business, Patty and I totally admire these hard-working, tight-knit, female artists who describe themselves more as sisters than just members of the same musical group.

They know what it’s like to create your art independently; without the big checkbook and resources that come with a big label. (Oh, how well we know that story…) And just like these determined, tenacious women, we too agree that when it comes to your name, your brand, your business, creative control is worth everything.

So sing it sisters! We’re with you!

If you haven’t checked out Allure yet, you can visit their Facebook page and read the full story at PlatinumStyleMag.com. Don’t forget to check out the great fashion spread in this month’s issue while you’re there!

Special thanks to Benjamin Soto Ortiz (Photographer) and Bree C. at Platinum Style.

I realize this may seem easier said than done in many cases, but it’s not impossible, and I know for a fact that awareness on the subject is rising. I also feel completely confident that a real consumer movement to buy “American Made” is on the horizon. Even in the last year to 18 months, Patty and I have noticed a considerable jump in the number of people who walk into our little W. 17th Street shop and ask us where we make our jewelry. New York! Is always our enthusiastic reply.

Aqua Quartz Briolette Necklace ($395)

Many can’t believe that we could possibly manufacture everything here and keep our prices so affordable without sacrificing the quality of our product. It’s not easy, that’s for sure. But nothing is easy in this economy. And no one understands the challenges of building a new business in “The Great Recession” and of competing with the many “fast fashion” retailers, then owners of small to mid-size businesses like Patty Tobin. But, as Patty would say, “At the end of the day, we really do believe it is the right thing to do.”

Top: Freshwater Biwa Pearl Torsade in pink & peacock shades with large sterling silver clasp ($695). Bottom: Large South Sea & Baroque Freshwater Pearls on 14K gold ($795).

I am genuinely encouraged by the many conversations that Patty and I have had with people who are eager to curb their purchases on products that are made oversees and who are actively seeking out businesses — usually small to mid-size ones like us — who make their products right here at home. Obviously, it’s not only about being Made In America. It’s about making quality products that people want and can afford. That’s really the winning combination and what has been at the heart of our success over the past few years.

Patty Tobin customers love the “look” of our jewelry. They love the colors, the stones, the pearls, the artisan quality it all has, and the versatility of so many of Patty’s designs. People love that is elegant and classic, but with a fresh, fashion-forward twist that makes it fun and different and appealing to women from 18 to 80. They love that it is hand-crafted; with many one of or few of a kind pieces for customers who want something unique that no one else has. They love that it is made from high-quality materials — real pearls, real gemstones and precious metals. They love the price-points and being able to treat themselves or someone they love to something that is luxurious and affordable. Then to add to that that it is all Made In America makes people feel so good about their purchase.

We’ve always known these principles are what set Patty Tobin apart from other jewelry designers and retailers. Getting the word out is always more challenging, of course, but after three and a half years of operating our NYC flagship boutique in Chelsea, we know that it’s our combination of beauty, quality, and affordability that translates into a real value for customers. That’s what keeps so many of them coming back and spreading the word to their friends, family and co-workers about Patty Tobin.

It’s almost Christmas and Patty is coming to town! She’ll be back in Albany this weekend with plenty of great last minute gifts in tow for all our good little upstate girls. She’ll be bringing plenty of earrings and affordable necklaces up with her, so be sure to stop by Circles and pick up some beautiful jewelry for the special women in your life. Patty is looking forward to having some pre-holiday fun with Sharon and all the girls at Circles and she hopes you’ll stop by.