A Dazzling Reputation!

It’s been said that diamonds are a girl’s best friend.  They’ve also been extremely good to Samuel Gordon Jewelers for more than 104 years and four generations of Samuel Gordon’s direct descendents.   

Hello, my name is Daniel Gordon, President of Samuel Gordon Jewelers. You might think that since I’m the great grandson of Samuel Gordon that taking my place in the family business would have been automatic.  Actually, I had to learn the business from the ground up and "pay my dues" to work my way up the family ladder.

When I was young, I worked at the store doing odd jobs and errands on the weekends.  After graduating from the University of Central Oklahoma with my degree in marketing, I left the business because it’s a Samuel Gordon Jewelers tradition that family members work outside the family business for about two years.  I spent that time working in the newspaper and banking industries before returning.  Even then, I started from the bottom – back to doing odd jobs and running errands for a solid year.

On my 23rd birthday, after graduating to working in our jewelry repair department, I got my big break.  A repair customer who knew me well asked me to help him choose a diamond.  After two hours, he chose a $35,000 diamond, which was a substantial first sale – even in 1996.  This certainly helped pave my way into sales and ultimately management.  I became president of the company about four years ago.

I share my family’s passion for diamonds and jewelry of all types.  I’m particularly obsessed with watches and designer jewelry.  I thoroughly enjoy meeting new people and establishing many long-term relationships with customers who return time after time to trust Samuel Gordon Jewelers for their jewelry needs.  We still have several elderly customers who bought their first pieces from my great grandfather.

Samuel Gordon Jewelers has the largest selection of engagement rings in the Oklahoma City area…125 linear feet of displays!  We also have a wide selection of everyday and designer jewelry.  Through our Tacori collection, we sell engagement and wedding rings that can be coordinated with gifts for the bride and groom, as well as, accessories for the wedding party, such as earrings and necklaces.

At Samuel Gordon Jewelers, we are sincerely grateful to our many customers who have made us their jeweler of choice for more than a century.  Today, we continue our family’s proud tradition of strict standards of ethics and a total commitment to customer service and satisfaction.  

A diamond is forever, so choose the jeweler Oklahoma City has trusted for 104 years.  Please visit us online at www.sgj.com or stop in at 5521 North Pennsylvania in Oklahoma City.  

Daniel Gordon, President
Samuel Gordon Jewelers
5521 North Pennsylvania Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
405-842-3663
info@samuelgordons.com
www.sgj.com
 

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February Experts Corner

It’s all the rage: Flip Books! by Greta Madson The latest craze in personalized party gifts is flip books and has drifted from Dallas to Oklahoma. Word on the street is, it’s a blast! I happen to know because I brought this fun, crazy, and innovative idea to the state after I stumbled onto a flip book booth while attending an event about a year ago.Read more… How Sweet It Is! by Renae Marshall What’s one gift you could give everyone at your event that’s sure to delight? Consider the sweet idea that’s making a splash at weddings and parties all over Oklahoma – a color coordinated candy buffet with crystal containers and personalized bags!   Read more… Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend by Daniel Gordon It’s been said that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. They’ve also been extremely good to Samuel Gordon Jewelers for more than 104 years and four generations of Samuel Gordon’s direct descendents. Read More… Creating Valentine’s Day Magic! by Mindy Ragan Wood Yes it’s true that with rare exception it seems men are last minute shoppers…which also means that they’re also terrible planners. Every girl wants their guy to surprise them, so what better way to give them a fighting chance than to refer them to SEO? Read on ladies and pass this on to your date for Valentine’s Day for some great ways to plan a truly romantic evening!Read More…

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	Create Your “Life of the Party” Fun! -Tip by Greta Madson, (Pic Stories) What makes a person the life of the party? It’s usually someone with a great sense of humor who says the craziest things and has a flair for off the wall fun. If you think about it, they’re the center of attention because you never know what they’re going to do or say next. Create that life of the party experience by planning something your guests would never expect. Tap into their sense of humor and creativity with entertainment that requires impromptu demands like an unfinished, short scripted skit with their own made up ending. Provide wacky props like boas, signs, blow up microphones and instruments, and easy to grab costumes for unpredictable performances from your guests. Add those props to the stage for karaoke, charades, word games, or mystery games that require team effort. Think like the life of the party for your next event and you’ll hear them rave about it long after the fun is over!
	How Sweet It Is! Tip From Renae Marshall, (Candy Forever) To stretch your event budget, look for less expensive alternatives to costly floral arrangements, decorations and guest gifts. A candy buffet is a unique, budget friendly idea that appeals to all age groups. With coordinated colors, lovely containers and personalized bags, it’s a sweet way to cut costs.
	For Your Centerpiece… -By Daniel Gordon, (Samuel Gordon Jewelers) At Samuel Gordon Jewelers we have the largest selection of engagement rings in the Oklahoma City area…125 linear feet of displays! We also have a wide selection of everyday and designer jewelry. Through our Tacori collection, we sell engagement and wedding rings that can be coordinated with gifts for the bride and groom, as well as, accessories for the wedding party, such as earrings and necklaces.
	Surprise Love-Attack! -Tip from Mindy Ragan Wood It’s true that unexpected, thoughtful gestures mean more than any amount of money you could spend. If possible, get access to your date’s office, home, or car and decorate it! A huge red ribbon wrapped around the car, a desk full of rose petals, or a living room in romantic red and pink decor is a great way to deliver a surprise! Leave chocolates, a note trail or photos of all the little things you love about them. Is it the way she wears her hair? Is the way he always cooks you Sunday breakfast? Tell them all the little ways you love them and surprise them this year for a romantic Valentine’s Day.

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The latest craze in personalized party gifts is flip books and has drifted from Dallas to Oklahoma. Word on the street is, it’s a blast! I happen to know because I brought this fun, crazy, and innovative idea to the state after I stumbled onto a flip book booth while attending an event about a year ago.

Hi, I’m Greta Madson, co-owner of Pic Stories, a mobile flip book studio. When I approached the flip book booth, it took me a minute to figure out what they were doing. Remember when you were a kid and you doodled a stick man along the corner of each page in a notebook during class? Then you would flip through the notebook and watch your own cartoon come to life. Today video and print technology allows you to be star of your own cartoon with flip books that create a memorable party gift or keepsake.

You’ll find people laughing and acting a little crazy with this fun energy as they step into the backdrop stocked with an array of props. Even when people are reluctant to get up in front of the camera, it’s always great to see them unwind and let their sense of humor unfold. You only have seven seconds to act out your scene but you’d be surprised what you might come up with! My favorite flip book was the “whack a mole” skit. Two guys would pop up one at a time and then a girl bopped them on the head with a blow up microphone. You can mimic others ideas or come up with a themed idea for your party.

Helping people have fun is an important part of any special event and it’s a great way to break the ice at corporate parties, graduations, and proms when you start interacting with guests in an unexpected way. Capture a kiss from the bride and groom at a wedding reception or flash a sign up to say thank you while you’re doing something crazy. The possibilities and fun are endless!

Our quick processing allows your guests instant gratification, printing and binding books in just five minutes following their video session. Our packages are affordable, starting at $325 an hour and includes the cost of your books plus a customized flip book cover.

See a flip book in action when you visit our website at www.iloveflipbooks.com or give us a call to book Pic Stories for your next event at 405-819-5831.

Hope to see you in front of the camera!

 Yes it’s true that with rare exception it seems men are last minute shoppers…which also means that they’re also terrible planners. Every girl wants their guy to surprise them, so what better way to give them a fighting chance than to refer them to SEO? Read on ladies and pass this on to your date for Valentine’s Day for some great ways to plan a truly romantic evening!

What’s one gift you could give everyone at your event that’s sure to delight? Consider the sweet idea that’s making a splash at weddings and parties all over Oklahoma – a color coordinated candy buffet with crystal containers and personalized bags!

When our daughter was planning her wedding a couple of years ago, she came up with a unique idea of creating a candy buffet for her reception. With help from friends, my husband, Jack, and I set it all up and were amazed how all the guests loved it, young and old alike. A photographer who had attended the weddings called us later and suggested that we considering creating candy buffets as a business. In August of 2008, Candy Forever was born. We advertised some, joined some networking organizations and participated in shows, but it was the large number of referrals, including a popular wedding coordinator who has helped make the business a success. In addition to weddings, baby showers, class reunions, birthday parties and anniversaries, we’re also in the process of booking proms.

At Candy Forever, we offer three basic types of service: You can simply order party favors with personalized bags filled with your choice of candies. Or, we can set up a candy buffet for 100 guests or less much like the old fashion candy counter with a variety of colorful chocolate and hard candies.

Our third packages is a custom candy buffet especially popular for weddings. The candies are chosen to coordinate with your colors or theme and beautifully displayed in crystal containers with scoops, usually eight or ten containers, but you could have as many as 25. Each guest receives a personalized bag with the bride and groom’s names, wedding date and saying.

Candy Forever displays table-top signs, but some clients choose to add a few flowers or even an ice sculpture. However, one of the major advantages of the candy buffet is that it can take the place of expensive decorations or additional gifts for the guests. It can also take the place of a groom’s cake or dessert table.

When you choose Candy Forever, you can relax knowing your dealing with a trustworthy, family owned business that takes care of everything. You simply provide the table and we provide the set-up, tear-down and clean-up service. We’ll even bag up the remaining candy and take it to your car.

Although we’re headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, we now service areas throughout Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City. So, no matter where you are, or what type of event your planning, make it a little sweeter, easier and less expensive by contacting Candy Forever today at 918-693-4943 or visit us at www.candyforever.net.
 

Renae Marshall, Owner Candy Forever, LLC P. O. Box 571351 Tulsa, OK 74157-1351 Ph: 918-693-4943 info@candyforever.net www.candyforever.net

Your Day, Your Way!

Nearly every young girl has a fabulous vision of her wedding day – a someday dream that she always treasures. Unfortunately, as the big day approaches, many brides feel they have to settle for what well-meaning family, friends or even a wedding planner advises. I believe that every bride should have the wedding she always wanted.

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Take-out Catering 

There’s something romantic about historic places. Maybe it’s because we feel we’ve escaped from the everyday life and all it’s demands into another world where charm and grace sweep us off our feet. La Bella Event Center’s “old world” elegance is the perfect setting for romance in historic downtown Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Hi, I’m Teresa Holden, co-owner of this something old-something new venue. When my husband Dana and I spotted this beautiful building’s exterior murals, we were delighted to find it for sale and at a great price. Shawnee’s quaint historic art district was the perfect place for an event center. The century old building held charm inside and out and before we knew it, we jumped in with both feet!

Starting a business in the hospitality industry seemed to make sense and especially wedding planning. Few wedding planners or event center owners know love quite like my husband and I do. As an ordained minister, Dana has performed countless weddings and is qualified to offer marriage counseling. He and I teach marriage enrichment classes at our church. For twelve years we were children’s pastors and found ourselves performing wedding ceremonies for couples we watched grow up in church. It gave us the idea to venture into our own business.

The chapel is the diamond in the crown. The architecture echoes of a centuries old church whose hand painted murals and furnishings casts a quiet elegance. Two spacious dressing rooms provide full length mirrors and a long vanity for the bridal parties and flat screen TVs for the groomsmen. A family waiting area lets everyone relax in anticipation of the day. Up the stairs, a historical antique chandelier lights the way to the reception area seating up to two hundred guests. Among the round tables is a round oak wood dance floor and a lighted gazebo, perfect for pictures!

We offer an all inclusive package that covers the tables, linens, flatware and glasses to a custom designed wedding cake and punch, decorated wedding table, set up and clean up, rehearsal, and your own wedding coordinator! Brides may bring in the caterer of their choice or work with those we prefer for. Some extra options include an aesthetician who will play with the bride’s hair style options and make up prior to the day of the wedding. This service allows the bride and if she chooses, her brides maids or mother, to have their hair and makeup done by a professional at La Bella. We have photography packages and offer a selection of musicians and vocalists as well.

La Bella is so much more than an a wedding chapel. Visit us soon and envision your next prom, birthday party, corporate social, family or class reunion here.

What’s hot for 2012 weddings might be easier to accomplish than ever before! As society’s values change, so goes the décor and wedding trends. That’s good news for brides who want the wow factor without the headache!

According to Pantone Pallette Predictions, simple, undone textures are emerging but with strong attention to details. Soft colors found in the world around us collide with a movement that is ever turning the beauty of nature. Hues of blue, grey, and yes, even turquoise, or nudes with soft oranges and or pink accents are cast upon simplistic linens bare of floral arrangement for wall hangings and canopies. Strategic lighting and drapery whose fabric speaks for itself create a fresh and light mood.

Wedding Business Today predicts brides will look to nature for the reception table décor and that’s no surprise. It might come as a shock but Brides.com is putting at ease those blushing brides who want their dress to blush too! That’s right, ultra soft hues of pink, peach, sliver, lilac and even green are gracing the wedding gowns. Still a rarity, it’s becoming a trend for the bold bride who is comfortable with what she wants.

And who wants a boring wedding cake when you can have your cookies and eat it too instead? Oh yes, the cupcake trend meets the cookie monster bride! Cup cake towers are replacing traditional wedding cakes or simply added as an elegant bonus to the cake table. Last year’s naughty candy bars donned cupcakes but this year your favorite cookies are the rage. For those who opt for the cake, an imperfect perfection with texture is the rule.

Hair styles always seem to be characterized around the dress so it’s no wonder we’ll see a lot of brides with a more natural look. This year it’s the bridal hair styles that will be the something old! Styles set by Grandma’s tried and true pin curls are surprisingly easy to don with accents. Great for a bob or long hair, soft waves are in! The more natural the style, the less structured but with the right setting and accents still adds elegance fitting for the bride.

No matter what trends are shaping up this year, the wedding is always defined by bride’s individual taste and a reflection of all the reasons she fell in love with her own prince charming. Happy planning from us at SEO.