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Jewelry designer has men 'hunt' for Valentine's gift   by REBECCA GREENE

Upper Saddle River resident Lorraine Baratta, a local fashion and jewelry designer, did something she normally does not do with her jewelry: she hid it.
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To celebrate her fifth anniversary, Upper Saddle River resident Lorraine Baratta decided to give away 14 heart necklaces as part of a treasure hunt with businesses in 14 other towns.
To celebrate her fifth anniversary, Upper Saddle River resident Lorraine Baratta decided to give away 14 heart necklaces as part of a treasure hunt with businesses in 14 other towns.

Running with the theme of Valentine's Day, Baratta hid 14 Murano Venetian glass heart necklaces at 14 businesses in 14 towns, including Allendale and Upper Saddle River.

"I thought this would be a fun way to celebrate my fifth anniversary along with Valentine's Day and involve other businesses along the way," she said.

Interested males can log onto her Web site, lorrainebaratta.com, click on the link to be a "Special Valentine," and look for clues from each town. The clues will lead the individual to the store they believe may have the necklace, where he can simply ask for it by saying he is "the secret Valentine." If the individual has found the correct location, the store clerk will give the treasure seeker a pink frosted bag with Baratta's logo and a black velvet box inside. The box contains the heart necklace.

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"I ask the winners to e-mail me where they found it and then to let me know if they like the necklace, and how their wife or girlfriend likes the necklace," Baratta said.

Baratta came up with the idea when she noticed a jewelry store giveaway in Wyckoff around the holidays in December, but she knew she wanted the added benefit of networking with other businesses for her giveaway.

At least two necklaces have been found already.

Staying closer to home

In just five years, Baratta has built a fashion business, in large part so she could stay closer to home near her 15-year-old daughter, Sami.

It's a far cry from the career field in which she started and worked for 17 years: information technology. She switched gears to have a family, and when her daughter was very young, she owned a Goddard Pre-School for five years with her husband, Tom.

"After that, I decided to pursue my passion," Baratta said. So, she began designing wedding gowns. "I started with one-of-a-kinds with gemstone bead work and that evolved into jewelry design," she said.

Baratta said if there's anything she has learned along the way, it's just to pursue what you love to do.

"We've all learned together," she said of her family. "I get a lot of support from my husband for this, and my daughter has learned a lot about how to be her own person because I'm showing her that."

Baratta likes that she can still be there for her teenage daughter, picking her up in the middle of the day when needed while also having the flexibility to work long into the night. So much freedom to design her own life has led her to be able to design a line of necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

Her latest original idea comes in the form of coins.

"I call it a caring coin," she said. "It's an actual coin made specifically for that organization. Whatever we sell, they make 20 percent of the profits."

There are eight such coins with various themes such as breast cancer and Parkinson's disease. They are the size of nickels, quarters and 50-cent pieces, and come in 14-karat gold or sterling silver and can be attached to bracelets or necklaces.

"I participate in a lot of women's groups, and they tend to like these very much, but any group could have their own and sell them," said Baratta.

Right now, though, she's focused on the Valentine contest and said she looks forward to the emails from the winners.

"Everybody wins, here - the store owner, the customer and me because I get important feedback on my design," Baratta said. "Everyone will be smiling this Valentine's Day."

About the Author

Fashin designer.