Life on the Ramona Coaster (11 page)

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5
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Look Good,
Feel Better,
Act Your Best

I
T’S MARCH OF 2009
.
I am sitting in a green room in Tampa, Florida. In less than thirty minutes, I will be on live television showcasing my new art deco jewelry line on HSN. I am so excited and nervous, I actually have butterflies in my stomach like I’m about to go on a first date. I take a sip of sparkling water and a handful of unsalted almonds. I need to calm down.

Although I have had cameras following me around through two seasons of filming for
Real Housewives
, there is something about live television that freaks me out. For starters, there is no editing. And, as any of my fellow Housewives will tell you, I need editing. First and foremost, there’s the issue of
when
to speak. I don’t have a problem finding things to say, but I do have a hard time taking direction. I’m worried about knowing when
I
should talk and when I should let the host talk. I am wearing a cumbersome, uncomfortable earpiece that shouts out production directives in my ear, while I am supposed to be talking and staring directly into a camera. Oh, crap, I hadn’t even thought of that yet. Although I’ve become comfortable with having cameras around me, I’m not at all used to looking directly into them. I am completely out of my element. This experience is totally new for me and, like everything I do, I want it to be a success.

Despite my nerves, tonight is a dream come true. Having my own jewelry line sold on HSN is something I have always wanted to do. I wish my mother was still alive to share it with me. She would have been so proud. She is the reason I have always believed in myself and had the confidence to take risks in business.

It’s 10:00 p.m. I am perched at a high Formica countertop. I feel like I am sitting at a bar, except there are no cocktails, no glass of Pinot Grigio. Instead, there are cameras and lights all around me. On the table in front of me is a tall white jewelry stand and a small gift box that contains a pair of earrings that I intend to present as a gift to the host during the program. Sitting next to me is Colleen, my host for the evening. I am so glad that HSN gave me Colleen for my first show. Not only is she the type of woman that you’d want to go shopping with, but this enthusiastic, engaging saleswoman could sell ice in a blizzard.

The show begins. Colleen introduces me and my line of jewelry. While she models a pink sapphire ring encrusted with diamonds on her perfectly manicured hand, I am supposed to interject with information about my designs and the vision for my collection. But when?

“Ramona, Camera 1. Look at Camera 1,” my earpiece shouts.

I look at Camera 1, smile, and begin talking, “I wanted my designs to look like fabulous, expensive, pieces of heirloom estate jewelry that never go out of style. Timeless, elegant and classic jewelry that you can pass down to your daughter.”

Just as I am about to continue with my next thought, I hear my earpiece again,
Ramona, stop hogging the microphone!
No, wait, that’s not the earpiece, it’s just the nagging voice in my head. Now, Colleen is saying, “Yes, this jewelry looks very expensive, but it is so affordable. For only $300 dollars—or five payments of $60—you get this gorgeous ring that looks like it costs $30,000.”

“Ramona, Camera 2,” my earpiece whispers.

I stare into Camera 2, “Yes, and it looks just like the pieces that I have seen on Madison Avenue or at estate auctions. The best part is that you can wear it to a black tie event or to a luncheon on a Saturday afternoon.”

I begin to relax and feel more at ease. I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe I am live on HSN selling
my
designs. To think, if I hadn’t been motivated to renew my career, I would not be sitting in this chair right now. The earpiece interrupts my thoughts again. I feel like a timid kid in school who didn’t do her homework and doesn’t want to get called on by the teacher. The difference is that I actually
did
do my homework; I just don’t want to sound like I’m bragging about my creations. As I try to think of something inspirational and humble to say, the magic earpiece tells Colleen sternly, “Open the box on the countertop.”

Prior to the show, I had placed a gift box on the countertop for Colleen. I always like giving people I work with a little present when I first meet them. It’s a small gesture that shows I appreciate the time they are spending on me. Trust me, it goes a long way.

Colleen delicately opens the box. It contains a pair of elegant prasiolite, pale green amethyst, drop earrings, surrounded by diamonds. “Ramona, thank you,” she says. “They are gorgeous.” Judging from the look in her eyes, she genuinely loves the earrings. Her priceless reaction is perhaps the best salesmanship of the night.

The show is over. The earrings that I gifted to Colleen sell out in minutes. We sell out of a lot of other pieces too, far surpassing HSN’s sales expectations. I have fulfilled a dream.

Because I am able to recognize opportunities and I’m not afraid to take risks, I have always been very successful at everything I do. But one thing I am about to learn the hard way is that sometimes you can take on too much, and if you allow yourself to be spread too thin something has to give . . .

C
REATING MY OWN
line of Jewelry for the HSN was a dream come true. Ever since I started working with Mario on the True Faith Jewelry website, I wanted to branch out and create my own designs. I researched the latest selling trends in retail and worked with a factory that had on-staff designers to create beautiful pieces inspired by the art deco estate jewelry that I love. Because I had the ambition and courage to pick up the phone and cold call the Vice President of Jewelry Merchandising at HSN, soon I was selling my own jewelry line on live television and through the Internet.

After twenty years running my first company, I was reenergized by all the new business opportunities that were coming my way. Some women like to shop and organize charity luncheons but I prefer making business deals. My advice to people has always been that to be truly successful, you have to love what you do. I have always been deeply passionate about all my product lines. However, I have learned that it is possible to take on too much—even for me.

I already had the skincare line, the TrueFaithJewelry.com line, and now my HSN jewelry was taking off. Meanwhile, my name was becoming synonymous with Pinot Grigio. Like Popeye with spinach. I enjoy a glass of wine at night or with dinner and my go-to drink has always been a Pinot Grigio. It’s a fairly inexpensive wine so when you order it by the glass at a restaurant you know it will taste fine. You’re less likely to be able to order a great tasting wine, like a Cabernet or a Montrachet, by the glass. Pinots are light so you can drink them with or without food, and generally you don’t have to worry about the year or the brand. I became known for loving Pinot Grigio on the show. On the show, at parties or events you’ll hear me asking, “Where’s my Pinot Grigio? Do you have my Pinot Grigio?” Eventually, wherever I went, people knew: Pinot Grigio for Ramona.

By the time the third season had aired, I was getting thousands of tweets and messages asking about my favorite Pinot or what brand of wine to buy as a gift for a relative. I always shied away from naming a specific brand because I think in the back of my mind I had already planted a seed to develop my own wine. When a California company approached me to partner with it to develop a Pinot Grigio, I was excited by the idea but I had my reservations.

I told Mario, “I don’t think I should do it. I don’t really want to do a wine from California. I believe Pinot Grigio should be from Italy.”

And he said, “Fine, then you should do that.”

I said, “What do you mean do
that
?”

He looked at me, “Ramona, you’re a smart businesswoman. You’ll figure out how to do it the way you want. This is what you do. Just do it.”

I thought the idea was crazy so I put it out of my mind. A few nights later I was in East Hampton attending my good friend Vittorio Assaf’s opening for the new location of his restaurant Serafina. There was press milling around outside and one of the reporters called out to me, “Hey, Ramona, when I saw you were on the list I told them they better have Pinot Grigio for you.” As soon as Vittorio saw me, he walked right over and said, “Ramona, I have Pinot Grigio for you.” I couldn’t get away from it. Ramona and Pinot Grigio just go together. I told Vittorio that I had been thinking about developing my own Pinot and he offered to introduce me to his sommelier.

That August, Avery was on the committee for Operation Smile, an organization that provides free surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates for children around the world. They were doing a benefit in the Hamptons and needed some wine, so I got in touch with the Opici Family, one of the most respected wine importers in the country. I had used them for other events, so we already had a relationship. At the end of the call, I asked if they would be interested in doing a Pinot Grigio with me and they said, “Absolutely, let’s set up a meeting.” From there, things happened fairly quickly. They sent me different blends to sample and we started developing the wine. I researched how other bottles were labeled and packaged. I didn’t like the big chateaux and distracting images you see on a lot of wine bottles. I wanted something clean and simple, so I decided to just use my name in black over gold on a clean white label. I designed the label, the cap, and even the cartons the wines are packed in. When you go into a liquor store, particularly the larger ones in the suburbs, they stack the cartons and it becomes a display, so you can’t just package your wine in plain cardboard boxes. I love the way Moët & Chandon is all yellow-gold with black, so my cartons are inspired by Moët. By the time we started filming Season 4, my Ramona Pinot Grigio was ready to go.

Signings for Ramona Pinot Grigio