The jewelry historian, author, and former contributor to InStyle dished to JCK about her new editorial website
On May 31, most of the jewelry industry was either packing to attend the Las Vegas jewelry shows or unpacking a booth there, but Marion Fasel’s mind was online. The jewelry author, historian, and former contributor to InStyle debuted her new editorial website, theadventurine.com, on that last day in May, excited to share more—and more in-depth—stories of magnificent jewels and the people who wear them.
And after several months of live copy and coverage, Fasel was ready to dish about details of it. Here are takeaways from the conversation I had with her about her new electronic home.
Jewelry author Marion Fasel
JCK: What is the niche of theadventurine.com?
Marion Fasel: My niche is chasing down the story! I love tracking down information and when jewelry journalism becomes this investigative hunting process of piecing together a story. My core audience is people who love jewelry! I hope it turns consumer facing—I don’t think there is a lot of jewelry coverage. That’s why I think I’m getting traction on a pop culture note; there are jewelry lovers online who are digging for more information. The reader is on the hunt for jewelry they like, and they want to know more about it. They want to know about great pieces to wear, to know what was that jewel was in the Star Trek movie…the jewelry lover out there is starved for more information and starved in general to know more jewelry.
Tell me about some of the stories that are already live.
I’ve already written about Brazilian designers like Fernando Jorge—I’ve been doing my fortnight of Brazilian designers because of the Olympics—and following a patriotic jewelry thread. I wrote about Katy Perry at the Democratic National Convention, when she wore a red, white, and blue necklace that came from the Italian jeweler Carlo Eleuteri’s private collection of vintage Bulgari jewelry. (A friend of mine who works for the jeweler tipped me off to the loan.) I had a bump in traffic with that story! During the Olympics, I was watching volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings wearing what I thought was Me&Ro jewelry, so I texted Robin from Me&Ro and she confirmed that she was.
And when I saw Star Trek, I realized that a necklace played a big part of the plot. To find out more about it, I first called up Ted Muehling because he had a pair of earrings in the movie. No one picked up the phone, though, so I called a store in California that carried Ted’s work and learned that the film crew came and borrowed the earrings for the movie. From there, they put me in touch with the costume designer and the prop master who made the necklace. I sent him an email, and he gave me an interview!
What is your goal for theadventurine.com?
Ultimately, I will maintain a balance of book reviews, boutique and studio tours, designer profiles, and a section about pieces in movies, and more, but for now I’m letting news lead the way for content. There was always such a battle for space for jewelry at InStyle, but now that I have more space it’s empowering. I want the site to be fun. Jewelry is such a personal manifestation of people’s emotions, and I want theadventurine.com and the jewelry on it to end up being a reflection of the best in people. The Adventurine is a reflection of my 20-plus years as an author and editor, and I like diving into jewelry from lots of different angles to set a context of what it means to different people.
What’s the feedback on the site so far?
Millennials are interested in jewelry and talk to me about it—which is just what I hoped for! Millennials have found a place to read and learn about jewelry that they couldn’t find elsewhere, and they want the next generation to know about it, too.
The Style 360 blog is your editorial source for the newest jewelry, trends, market analysis, trade show insights, designer profiles, and more.
Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazineFollow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine
