Jill Zarin Launches Jewelry Line, Denies Feud With Bethenny Frankel
| Jan 16, 2012 by JENNY SCHAFER |
The mom-of-one opens up to Celebrity Baby Scoop about her jewelry launch with a micro collection on February 1 just in time for Valentine's Day. Jill also talks about her "forced" departure from Real Housewives of New York and denies a feud with fellow celeb mom Bethenny Frankel, even stating that they're moving forward with a friendship. Read on about Jill becoming GLITTERRINGS' first celebrity designer, and more...
CBS: Tell us all about your new jewelry collection.
JZ: "I've always loved jewelry and I have a lot of it. People always asked me when I was on Housewives where I get it. I wore a necklace at the reunion that I borrowed from a company. Afterwards some of my fans asked me about the jewelry and where to buy it and then we started talking about doing a line together. They're an amazing company and a great partner. I have so many ideas of what the line should be. We're putting out a micro line for February 1. Some rings and bracelets. And I'm really focussing my attention on the line of about 70-90 pieces and will sell in the department stores. We already have one major retalier.
I also have a shapewear line called Skweez Couture that's being sold in department stores and is doing really well. I'll also be selling that on HSN on February 10 for three hours. It's a moderate-priced brand. My brand stands for value. It is solution-based because I'm a real person and I see problems with everything and I like to complain [laughs]. I try to find solutions to everything I find in my closet."
CBS: Where do you find inspiration for your jewelry designs?
JZ: "Everywhere! For the first collection, I drew inspiration from Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry. My husband is so incredibly supportive in everything I do and when Elizabeth was selling her jewelry, I bought all the catalogues and went and saw it. My husband wanted to buy me a piece to inspire me. It's a gigantic blue stone, around 50 carats surrounded by diamonds, 18 carats, designed by a famous Italian designer. It's got two dolphins on it and it reminds me of my daughters blue eyes. I always go for blue - there will always be something blue in my collection. So I'm going to use this as a base and kick it off from there.
We're heading out on a cruise and we're going to Guatamala, Belize, Mexico, so I'll find inspiration there as well. Any excuse to go shopping - it doesn't take much! Anything can inspire me. With the Elizabeth Taylor collection, it wasn't necessarily her jewelry, it was her clothing. She has the most incredible hand-beaded pieces. So it doesn't have to be exactly a piece of jewelry. It could be looking at a church and just visualizes an architectural type of necklace. You never know!
I have a basics collection and I've designed a ring with a heart and it looks like a $5,000 ring and I'm selling it for $110. I'm wearing it right now and I'm looking at it and it's rose gold, and it's gorgeous! I'm traveling right now and I don't like to wear my real jewelry. You have no idea how much stuff I've lost in my life. You have no idea! My husband is so happy I'm doing this jewelry line since I lose everything. It's not just losing it, I've had things stolen. My stuff has been taken away from me one way or another, so it's win-win. I think with jewelry prices and diamond prices at an all-time high, there's no reason that women are going to pay an arm and a leg...literally!"
CBS: Do you miss being on Real Housewives of New York?
JZ: "Not really. I did it for four years I have to say. Allyson [my daughter] did her entire high school on the show, so there are things about it that I miss. But even if I was on it now, those things wouldn't be there. It's just the timing and the place, and without Kelly [Bensimon]....we were just such a great team. We had a lot of fun together. I always look forward and I never look back. It was sort of like in high school, they force you to you graduate even if you don't want to leave. I was forced to graduate, and it turned out to be a blessing."
CBS: Is there still a feud between you and former RHONY costar Bethenny Frankel?
JZ: "There's no feud. Absolutely no feud. None whatsoever."
CSB: Are you moving forward with a friendship with Bethenny?
JZ: "Absolutely!"
CBS: Tell us about your daughter Allyson.
JZ: "Allyson is 19. She's in college down in Nashville. I don't know what she's taking right now, she keeps changing. Last semester she did a lot of religious studies. This term she's doing more social-type of classes. She's really exploring herself and just trying to figure out what she wants to do. She's very lucky that she's got those options! We spent 4 weeks together over Christmas break and she's going to come home during the Jewish holidays in April and then she's home the end of April."
CBS: Do you have any Valentine's Day plans with your husband Bobby?
JZ: "Yes, I'll be on HSN! I'll probably be at home in bed after selling for 3 hours on television [laughs]! But seriously, of course I make a big deal about Valentine's. We go to a nice restaurant and some years we take a trip with friends. Every year it's different. The flame isn't always burning hot. It goes up and down as all marriages and relationships do. But I think Bobby and I have great chemistry and we know each other very well. Bobby taught me - because he's a little bit older and wiser than me - that relationships are like a book. You have short chapters and long chapters, fast chapters and slow chapters. You just have to be patient and get to the next chapter. You know, don't throw out the book with the bathwater, so to speak. Not that I'm naming any recently divorced names, but you have to at least try and give it your best shot."
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Jill Zarin Jewelry debuts February 1 just in time for Valentine's Day. Also, Jill will be on HSN on Friday, February 10 at 9 A.M., 3 P.M. and 8 P.M. to promote her exclusive Skweez Couture bodywear line.
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