Kara Ross New York Brand Information 2014 by Kara Ross New York

KARA ROSS Fine Jewelry & Handbags

Brand Information 2014

KARA ROSS

JEWELRY ORGANIZATIONS American Gem Society American Gem Trade Association Jewelers Of America Women’s Jewelry Association Silver Institute

OTHER ORGANIZATIONS Council of Fashion Designers of America Georgetown University Board Of Directors Museum of Modern Art Photography Committee FIT Couture Council and Jewelry Contest Sponsor Pratt Institute NYC Jewelry Contest Sponsor Accessories Council Fashion Group International Susan G. Komen

CAREER MILESTONES Winning the 2014 GEM Award for Design by Jeweler’s of America Receiving degree from Gemology Institute of America Having jewelry displayed in top museums around the country Working with the White House to design custom wood jewelry and trays Having First Lady Michelle Obama wear my designs Winning “Rising Star” Award from Fashion Group International Winning the 2012 WJA Award for excellence in design Becoming a CFDA Board Member Opening my first flagship on Madison Avenue in New York City

ABOUT KARA ROSS Kara Ross fell in love with the art of jewelry making after a trip to Africa as a teenager where she brought home a native gemstone. Upon returning to her hometown of Philadelphia, her mother took her to Jeweler’s Row where she designed a square cut ring on an 18 karat gold band with diamonds. Kara has said that creating something wholly original at a young age really affected her and has guided her vision as a designer. Following graduation from Georgetown and a short stint in advertising at Harper’s Bazaar, Kara decided to pursue a career in jewelry. Kara became a certified Gemologist and for many years she used diamonds, pearls, and 18kt gold to create one-of-a-kind custom pieces for private clients. Her most famous private client to date is President Obama and the First Lady, for whom she created exclusive gifts made from magnolia wood that originated from the White House lawn. While the initial piece was created for visiting heads of state, the collaboration has continued, and Kara continues to design gifts for esteemed visitors and employees of the White House. Kara launched her eponymous company, Kara Ross New York, in 2003 with the vision to create jewelry that has character and imagination. Kara is inspired by alternative materials like jet, lava, wood as well as precious and semi-precious gemstones in their raw, organic forms. The company debuted with a stunning Fine Jewelry Collection, which received rave reviews from editors and clients alike. The line has expanded to include handbags, a sterling silver “Gemstone” collection, belts and the KARA by Kara Ross fashion brand as well as the special 10021 collection for JCPenney’s Bijoux Bar. Recognized as pieces of art, Kara’s fine jewelry can now be seen at museums around the country, including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York and the San Diego Natural History Museum. An special exhibition recently took place at the GIA museum in Carlsbad, California. Kara’s pieces have also been included in Ruth Peltason’s book “Living Jewels – Masterpieces from Nature”.

KARA ROSS BOUTIQUE Opened November 2013 655 Madison Avenue New York City

FINE JEWELRY & THE PETRA COLLECTION The Kara Ross Fine Jewelry Collection consists of many one-of-a-kind pieces designed in 18-karat gold, unique and rare precious and semi-precious gemstones, titanium, exotic wood, and diamonds. Kara layers color, and texture in her jewelry design to create wearable works of art. Museums around the country have acquired Karaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jewelry as part of their permanent collections, including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City. The Petra Collection, which debuted in the fall of 2013, was created and designed for the sophisticated, strong, modern woman of today. Confident in her personal taste and style, she is an innovative rule breaker embracing a twist of femme, edge and classic â&#x20AC;&#x201C; our definition of LUXURY. The Petra Collection brings to mind movement and alludes to the idea of entities drifting and coming together to create a harmonious whole. One of the most compelling elements of the collection is the juxtaposition of smooth and raw stones, which is showcased side-by-side in many of the pieces, resulting in a truly distinctive design. A delicate and jagged row of pave diamonds beautifully fuses together the smooth and rough stones. This diamond accent is seen throughout the collection, oftentimes presented in an innovative and unexpected way, whether merging together stones in a pair of earrings or being utilized as a setting for a cocktail ring. The colors and textures of the stones refract the light in remarkable ways, while also creating a vibrant and colorful display of colors ranging from deep blues and vivid pinks, to dazzling purples and a more neutral gold. Precious gemstones featured in the Petra Collection include diamond, opal, blue topaz, aqua marine, peridot, fire opal, green beryl, citrine, rubellite, green tourmaline, amethyst, moonstone, rock crystal. Metals used include yellow, white and rose 18-karat gold.

THE PANGEA RING The centerpiece of the Petra Collection is the Pangea ring. Pangea refers to the supercontinent that formed 300 million years ago as a single land mass. The continental drift transformed Pangea into the separate continents that exist today. These rings represent the literal and figurative movement of the earth. The top piece of the ring spins in its base representing the literal motion of the earth. The pave diamond puzzle pieces atop the “globe” represent the continents that divided Pangea during the continental drift. These pieces in the ring can be pushed or pulled apart from each other. The ring is an overall message of harmony and peace, demonstrated by the mixing of colors and textures.

“Pangea” Ring with 18-karat White, Yellow, & Rose Gold, Pave Diamonds, Opal, Peridot & Blue Topaz

Kara Ross Wins 2014 GEM Award for Design NEW YORK, NEW YORK Jan. 14, 2014 – Kara Ross New York is pleased to announce that Kara Ross won the GEM Award for Design at the Jewelry Information Center’s 12th Annual GEM Awards gala on Friday, January 10, 2014 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York. The evening – considered the Academy Awards of the jewelry industry – gathered over 500 of the jewelry and watch industry's elite as well as jewelry and watch adorned celebrities. GEM Awards were given to recognize the outstanding achievements of individuals whose work raises the visibility of fine jewelry and watches. Alexis Bittar, jewelry designer, presented the GEM Award for Design to Kara who was lauded for her bold designs and unique use of exotic skins and gemstones across several jewelry lines, handbags and belts. The two other nominees in the Design category were Irene Neuwirth and Monica Rich Kosann. The award caps off an exciting year for Kara Ross New York that saw the launch of The Petra Collection of fine jewelry in the fall of 2013 and the opening of the Kara Ross flagship on Madison Avenue in November. Other winners were Victoria Gomelsky, editor in chief of JCK who won the GEM Award for Media Excellence presented by Marion Fasel, the contributing editor for fine jewelry and watches at InStyle and Tiffany & Co., who won the GEM Award for Communications. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Marie Helene Morrow, owner of Reinhold Jewelers in Puerto Rico. Morrow's passion for cultivating talent and building relationships with artists and luxury brands has made Reinhold Jewelers a name to be reckoned with in the industry for more than 35 years. For more information about Kara Ross New York, please visit http://www.kararossny.com, for more information about Jeweler’s of America and the Gem Awards, go to http://www.jewelers.org/events/gemawards/.

WOOD JEWELRY Maple trees are most commonly used for lumber, syrup and are famous for their foliage. Most of the timber from a maple tree is classified as â&#x20AC;&#x153;hard mapleâ&#x20AC;?, which makes it an ideal material for this collection. The properties of the wood lends themselves well to being carved into unique shapes, which translates beautifully into jewelry. Zebra wood is named for its resemblance to the striping of a zebra. The tree is native to Central America and South America, and is distinguished by its light background and dark stripes. It was most commonly used for furniture making in the early 19th century. The wood itself has a coarse texture, often with an interlocked or wavy grain. The interlocked grains do make zebra more difficult to work with; however, the end result provides beautiful and unique results.

THE WHITE HOUSE COLLECTION Kara was asked by the White House to develop a line of hand carved wood jewelry and trays for Michelle Obama to gift to heads of state. The designs are carved from blocks of wood originally from a fallen Magnolia tree on White House lawn. Pictured here is the magnolia wood in its original form as sent from the White House. Kara then creates her signature designs inspired by the natural grain of the material.

THE WHITE HOUSE COLLECTION After the First Lady commissioned Kara for gifts to present to visiting women, Mr. Obama commissioned Kara to create one-of-a-kind wooden trays with personalized silver plaques. Kara designed a tray with a shirt cuff gemstone detail that ties to her fine and fashion jewelry silhouettes.

museum feature One of the highlights of Kara’s career has been having pieces featured in museums. From special exhibitions to permanent collections, pieces from Kara’s collections have been featured around the country.

RAW EMERALD NECKLACE SAN DIEGO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM “ALL THAT GLITTERS - THE SPLENDORS AND SCIENCE OF GEMS AND MINERALS” DECEMBER 2011- FEBRUARY 2012

museum feature

LABRADORITE LARGE MAZE DROPS SAN DIEGO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM “ALL THAT GLITTERS - THE SPLENDORS AND SCIENCE OF GEMS AND MINERALS” DECEMBER 2011- FEBRUARY 2012

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BLACK AND GOLD CORAL NECKLACE WITH MULTICOLORED GEMSTONE CABOCHONS MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN NEW YORK, NY (PERMENANT COLLECTION)

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SELECTION OF WOOD AND RAW JEWELRY GEMOLOGY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA MUSUEM “ALUMINATI” CARLSBAD, CA MARCH 2013- NOVEMBER 2013

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EBONY WOOD PUZZLE NECKLACE THE BOSTON MUSEUM OF FINE ART “JEWELS, GEMS, AND TREASURES: ANCIENT TO MODERN” (PERMANENT COLLECTION)

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“TRANSFORMATION” CONCRETE NECKLACE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN “MULTIPLE EXPOSURES” OCTOBER 2013- FEBRUARY 2014

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TITANIUM CUFFS FORBES GALLERY “OUT OF THIS WORLD! JEWELRY IN THE SPACE AGE” NEW YORK, NY FEBRUARY 2013-SEPTEMBER 2013

HANDBAG COLLECTION The Kara Ross handbag collection was successfully launched at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City in 2006. Since then, the collection has grown and is carried at stores throughout the country and around the world at large department stores and specialty boutiques alike. Consistently using only the finest quality exotic skins, as well as the hand cut gemstone accents that remain a huge part of the Kara Ross brand. Each handcrafted bag is produced in New York City where by our handbag team supervises the entire process on a daily basis. With its classic yet modern aesthetic, hand tailored construction, and internationally sourced materials; the Kara Ross handbag collection is truly unique. The Fall 2014 collection was inspired by the Kara Ross Petra Collection of Fine Jewelry. The Petra Collection of handbags like the fine jewelry collection was created and designed for the sophisticated, strong, modern woman of today. Confident in her personal taste and style, she is an innovative rule breaker embracing a twist of femme, edge and classic â&#x20AC;&#x201C; our definition of LUXURY. Like Karaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fine jewelry pieces, the handbag line emphasizes clean lines and simple silhouettes to accentuate the natural beauty of the gemstones and exotic skins.

HANDBAG COLLECTION

A kaleidoscopic representation of the Petra collection of fine jewelry digitally printed on python exclusively designed for Kara Ross.

An actual marble fabrication made exclusively for Kara Ross New York in North America, the side cap details are a selenite texture.

HANDBAG COLLECTION

Ostrich and lizard Petra bag featuring gunmetal hardware and selenite inspired by the Petra Split Pendant.

Selenite minaudiere handcrafted in New York, inspired by the texture of Selenite, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the soul of our collection.

CRAFTSMANSHIP All Kara Ross handbags are produced in limited runs as the designs of the exotics change every season. Our bags are made in New York City to ensure the quality of the merchandise through every step. Our production team oversees every detail of the process. From the filling of the handbags, to the lining of the pockets, each element is carefully selected. Our 18-karat gold plated hardware is hand applied before each bag is detailed with a semi precious stone accent on the closure to give it that bold and distinctive finish.

Below, our craftsman works on a red alligator Stretch Prunella clutch. The skin is heated and plated to ensure the belly scales of the skin are accentuated and polished. The craftsman hand cuts all of skins to make sure that all of the markings line up perfectly on the handbags.

gemstones Most Kara Ross handbags include a gemstone accent. Kara is a certified gemologist; this feature has become a signature part of each handbag. The gemstones are hand cut to the specifications for the hardware and polished to perfection; Kara uses many different types of stones all tailored for the specific handbag. Below you can see our lapidary cutting a black onyx gemstone from the rough material, measuring it as he goes, and finishing with a high polish to complete the gemstone.

EXOTICS One of the main design elements of Kara Ross handbags are the beautiful exotic skins: python, ostrich, alligator and lizard. We use first grade highest quality exotics in all of our handbags. Almost all of our skins are all custom designed. There is as much work that goes into the different treatments on the exotics as there is in the designs of the handbags themselves. We work hand in hand with tanneries in Italy and Spain to create these unique looks. Each season a collection of exotics are created using themes and colors that inspire that season’s collections. The treatment of the skin shown below was inspired by reeds on the dunes of Southampton on the south fork of Long Island in New York. They have a beautiful lightness and wispy texture that Kara wanted to capture in the collection. We took this concept and incorporated metallic foils in gold and platinum over black python skin to give it the edge that makes this python unique and fashion forward. Each skin design is unique and has a tale all its own. Shown below is Chimo, the technician, working on “Ximo” python, which we named after him, as he was so patient with us.

CAROLINA HERRERA FALL WINTER 2012 RUNWAY SHOW MERCEDES BENZ FASHION WEEK

FEATURING KARA ROSS ALLIGATOR HANDBAGS

Small Amo Clutch shown in black alligator with gold hardware and black onyx inset stone.

Prunella Clutch shown in viola alligator with gold hardware and amethyst gemstone.

INDUSTRY ALLIANCE

New York based designers, Donna Karan and Carolina Herrera, have both turned to Kara Ross exclusively for handbags in their boutiques. Both designers carry Kara Ross exotic handbags in their flagships and boutiques throughout the country to complement their collections. Kara is proud to partner with both of these iconic brands.

UNIQUE MATERIALS RAW GEMSTONES The use of gemstones in their natural form has become a signature of the Kara Ross fine jewelry collection. Each piece is truly one of a kind and the 18-karat gold that houses the material is meant only to accent the wonderful aspects of each individual stone. In many of these pieces you can see the underside of the raw stones and the wearer can appreciate the beauty that nature creates.

TITANIUM Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol TI and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant (including sea water, aqua regia and chlorine) transition metal with a silver color. The blue, purple and pink colors are caused by oxidization, which only affects the surface of the metal, not the entire depth. Oxygen tends to cause a structural change in the metals surface therefore creating an oxide. By using electricity for certain periods of time, the oxygen is forced onto the metals surface and causes it to change colors. Various amounts of electricity dictate the various colors.

ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN 2014