M M Rogers Design

The Background

This line came about as the result of a meeting with a Dallas area gallery owner who wanted a special 'Lone Star' look for his 'picky' upscale clientele.

The initial handmade prototypes were ready within a week just as our sales rep was getting ready to make a trip through California and Arizona. He went nuts over the look and insisted on taking them with him out West 'to get some some feedback. I said sure.

He had been in California less than 24 hours when the first orders began coming in. He was writing orders for products we hadn't made yet -- brooches, bola ties, cuff links and money clips -- sight unseen and prices to be determined. Before we even had the opportunity to get the finishing touches on the final samples for the new line to our clients in Texas, we were starting production on the Arizona and California orders.

The Lesson

As a result of the trip, and in the months following we have stumbled upon a surprising trend emerging well beyond our Texas gallery niche, and it is this: The market is increasingly abandoning the "we'll wait to see what everyone else does first" posture which has been prevalent for several years now. Our customers continually want to see more and more new 'Lone Star' items, and are asking us to develop looks for their own local niches. They are bringing their own ideas and creativity to the process, and are helping us to build the lines by placing orders for the items before we design them.

It's been a while since we've seen this kind of 'pull' overtaking 'push' as the order of the day. Nonetheless, there is no question that enthusiasm is in the air, a shift is taking place and Western is one of the categories leading the way.

The Jewelry

The line is ceated in our workshop in 14k and sterling, using traditional repousse and other hand fabrication techniques. The irems are currently priced at $240 retail for the 'Lone Star' earrings in post or dangle, $270 for the single station necklace, $195 for the money clip, $225 for the bola tie, $270 for the cuff links and $975 for the handmade, four piece "shooting Star" ranger buckle set. Rings, cuff bracelets and multi-station link bracelets are also in the works.

M. M. Rogers & Company is internationally known for original fine jewelry collections in 14k Gold and Sterling Silver. The expert bench jewelers employed by M. M. Rogers & Company are primarily from the Navajo Nation. Every piece of fine jewelry is expertly crafted, and individually hallmarked.