Oh, Snap! Props to Lisa Mason

I have always loved my Diamonique shows with Lisa Mason--she's irreverent, funny, entertaining, and informative. Kathy Levine certainly left some "big honkin'" shoes to fill and, while many loyal viewers may disagree, I think Lisa has done her best to step up to the plate.

The main criticism of Lisa seems to revolve around her interesting and unnecessarily wordy verbage/verbiage (yes, I know there has been discussion of that particular word), but from my "vantage point," this quirky style makes her all the more interesting.

But that's not what I'm giving her props for.

For years, Lisa has consistently stressed that customers should never over-extend themselves financially by buying too much because "a piece of jewelry won't change your life."

"Only buy what you can easily afford" is not exactly the mantra that salespeople (i.e. hosts) tend to live by, which is why home shopping has a bit of a reputation for sweet talking people into spending their life savings and maxing-out their credit cards looking for happiness.

Lisa risks selling less in order to be true to herself. I admire that.

Today's Blue Plate Specials ... Studly Studs

The HSN TS is a Technibond "Garden of Gems" Textured Pendant with 18" Popcorn Chain. This looks ... how shall I say ... cheap? unattractive? With the exception of the garnet, the gems are washed out and the setting is boring. Perhaps this is my personal bias against most cluster settings or maybe it's just ugly. Who knows?!

(By the way, I have been told by reliable sources that I am a being a bit of a b-i-t-c-h right now due to some crazy PMS so that could be playing into my nasty reviews. Although it's not like they don't deserve it anyway, right???)

I suppose the chain looks decent ... See, I can be play nice! Sometimes. Whatever. I'll just have to go relax in HSN's new Elle Fall Fashion Lounge. There seems to be a lot of room to spread out. Those skinny models don't take up any space at all!

There is a $5 off coupon code for Signature A Club. Maybe this will help Adrienne gain some ground on Joan!

The QVC TSV is a Slatkin & Co. Set of 3 Ceramic Harvest Figural Candles. These are cute, but not fifty dollars worth of cute! I haven't watched the presentations yet, but I'm guessing that there has been talk of breaking this up into three separate presents--hey, you gotta get your kid's new teacher something nice or she won't like him, right?

Good Lord, I am in a bit of a snit today. However, there are lots of Easy Pay offers today. Check them out here.

The ShopNBC OTV is a Sterling Silver / Platinum Brilliante Simulated Diamond Stud Earring Set. Lisa Mason will be sooo jealous of the ShopNBC hosts getting to say "stud" all day will absolute impunity! Not just one stud, but three studs, baby. Poor Lisa.

Anywho, these three studs need to hit the gym or something. They look very fake and even though I have a undying love for fake diamonds, I don't want them to actually look fake. These look like those crystal earrings that come in a set for little girls down at the Walmart.

Sorry, stud.

When I was watching last night, I happened to catch a new line called Sophisticated Steel. I love steel jewelry! And now that the price of gold has skyrocketed, everyone else seems to be jumping on board. I'm sad to say that they were super stingy with the Value Pays though. Check it out here.

QVC Sales Slumping

Libery Media, which owns all of QVC and part of HSN (read about that here), reported a 4% increase in total second quarter revenue.

But all is not well in the house that Diamonique built.

The increase is due to a big 14% increase in international revenue--especially Japan. U.S. sales have been less than stellar.

According to an article from rapidtvnews.com, QVC's domestic revenue decreased in the second quarter. "The mix of product sold shifted to the accessories area from the home and jewelry categories. The average selling price increased six per cent from $44.83 to $47.39 while the total number of units shipped declined four per cent to 27.6 million from 28.8 million. Returns as a percent of gross product revenue increased due to product mix shifts and higher average selling prices. QVC.com sales as a percentage of domestic sales grew from 23% in the second quarter of 2007 to 25% in the second quarter of 2008."

So the products shifted, the prices went up, and sales went down. Looks like the only bright spot is the increase in Internet sales. No wonder the hosts have been harping about QVC.com lately.

We're hurting, Q! We can't afford to buy multiple sets Diamonique studs (Oh, snap! Shout out to Lisa Mason--you know how she loves a good stud!) to keep on hand in the gift drawer. I know that you are morally and ethically opposed to clearance sales, but I've heard that they actually work ... why not try having one for once?