New York Diamonds articles from March 2004

New York Diamonds archives from March 2004

Message from the publisher.
March 1, 2004... Dear readers, From the perspective of the marketplace, the new year certainly appears to have started out on a positive note. According to De Beers, global retail sales of diamond jewelry rose by about 5 percent during 2003, and because...

Schachter & Namdar group to restructure.(Trade Notes)
March 1, 2004... The Schachter & Namdar Group, one of the world's largest diamond manufacturers and traders, has announced that it is restructuring its operation, for what it said was "to position the company for maximized global growth." As part of the...

Diamond handbag line launched in Tokyo.(Trade Notes)
March 1, 2004... Antwerp-based diamond manufacturer Dali Diamond has unveiled the "Diamond Delvaux," a limited edition high-end luxury handbag, designed and crafted by the renowned Delvaux leather-ware company. Each bag is highlighted by 0.50-carat diamond,...

Aber to buy high-end jeweler Harry Winston.(Trade Notes)
March 1, 2004... The Aber Diamond Corporation, which is the 40 percent shareholder in Canada's Diavik Diamond Project has announced that it is planning to buy the high-end jewelry house, Harry Winston Inc. Aber confirmed that it already has signed a...

JSA offers new security manual.(Trade Notes)
March 1, 2004... Jewelers' Security Alliance president John Kennedy has announced the publication of the second edition of JSA's Manual of Jewelry Security. The book represents a major revision of its 1996 first edition and includes new sections on computer...

Industry turns in strong holiday 2003: diamonds were a jeweler's best friend this past holiday season, fueling one of the strongest fourth quarters the industry has seen in five years.(The Marketplace)
March 1, 2004... Many analysts and industry experts are calling the holiday 2003 season the strongest for the jewelry industry since the millennium-charged 1999 season. An upsurge in diamond and diamond jewelry sales helped fuel the positive results....

De Beers reports jewelry sales rise.(The Marketplace)
March 1, 2004... In a statement released by De Beers together with its own 2003 sales results, the company said that, overall, 2003, was a good year for the diamond industry, with global retail sales of diamond jewelry rising by about 5 percent. Because of...

U.S. retail sales still rising in January.(The Marketplace)
March 1, 2004... "January sales growth has to be described as nothing short of fantastic," said Michael Niemira, chief economist and director of research for the international Council of Shopping Centers. "One of the reasons for this strength was the added...

De Beers sales rise 7 percent in 2003: De Beers announces strong increases in rough diamond sales during 2003. It also says it is restructuring the company, in preparation for black empowerment initiatives in South Africa.(The Diamond Industry)
March 1, 2004... De Beers has reported that its sales of rough diamonds rose by 7 percent in 2003 to $5.52 billion, from the $5.15 billion worth reported in 2002. At the same time, the company reported an 18 percent increase in its headline earnings,...

DTC releases official sightholder list.(The Diamond Industry)
March 1, 2004... De Beers' Diamond Trading Company (DTC) has officially released the list of sightholders within its new Supplier of Choice framework, thus confirming the names of companies that had been known to most in the diamond trade since June 2003. ...

Spring shows bursting with optimism.(The Marketplace)
March 1, 2004... Most of the spring season's jewelry trade shows were busy and upbeat, signaling a return to optimism in the industry after several years of relative doldrums. The first show of the 2004 season, VicenzaOro I, held January 11-17 in Vicenza,...

JA Affiliate Design winners announced.(The Marketplace)
March 1, 2004... Jewelers of America's annual JA Affiliate Design Competition brought out the best of the best. The entrants, all of whom were winners of design competitions hosted by state and regional affiliates during 2003, and were Jewelers of America...

Individual ideas stand out.(The Marketplace)
March 1, 2004... Individual ideas, which catch the eye but do not qualify as a general trend, stood out. Indeed, in many ways it is these that make a trade fair exciting. The following are but a sample. * At Cenzi Claudio, a design I call a charm necklace...

Contemporary designers: four of the nation's more exciting jewelry designers draw their inspiration from a variety of sources--architecture, dance and their own life experience.(Diamond Jewelry)(Cover story)
March 1, 2004... Why do some brands succeed where others fail? The answer can be found in two simple words: passion and individuality. A brand should grow naturally out of a vision and that vision is to be found at a designer's fingertips rather than an...

The diamond creators: although the number of gem-quality synthetic diamonds on the market is limited at present, the volume is growing rapidly. And, as they do, it is believed that more and more companies will turn toward created diamonds as a less costly alternative to natural stones.(Synthetic Diamonds)
March 1, 2004... Demand for synthetic diamonds has grown I dramatically in recent years, as an increasing number of consumers look to get the best quality "real" diamond possible but aren't willing to pay for the lofty price tag a natural stone carries. ...

The color enhancers: suppliers of color enhanced diamonds have been filling a thriving niche in recent years. In the face of apparently growing demand, their number are increasing.(Diamonds Treatments)
March 1, 2004... With the growing interest in colored diamonds in recent years--and their rarity and lofty prices--it's no wonder that so many companies are experiencing success by enhancing the color of natural diamonds. The process--whether achieved through...

Diamantaires flow in as China comes of age: in 1995 the DTC ran its first TV-based promotional package for the Chinese consumer about diamond love values. The rest, as they say, is history. In 2002, 29 percent of the total retail value of the Chinese diamond rings jewelry consisted of diamond wedding and diamond love jewelry items.(The Diamond Industry)
March 1, 2004... In 1997 the consumer boom in Asia suffered a staggering blow, as financial crisis engulfed the tiger economies in the southeast of the continent and threatened to spread to other parts of the industrialized world. Then, the great...

Banker questions debt level, but not its significance: Bank Leumi's Jeff Pfeffer takes a colleague to task for estimating the U.S. diamond industry's bank level at $1.8 million. But the debt, he says, is a secondary problem. More important is the industry's behavior at times like these.(Banking)
March 1, 2004... Is it possible for bank debt to leap tall buildings in a single bound? Jeff Pfeffer, Bank Leumi New York's senior vice president and Diamond & Jewelry Department head, doesn't think so. Pfeffer was uncomfortable with an estimated level of...

Classifying rough: a guide: classifying or sorting rough diamonds is an integral part of the diamond business, as it provides the framework for valuing and trading the gems. However the different terms used can be perplexing for those not involved in this sector of the industry.(Rough Diamonds)
March 1, 2004... The most detailed basis for describing a rough diamond was developed by the De Beers former marketing arm, the Central Selling Organization (CSO), for the purposes of valuing a production or assigning a price to a parcel of mixed categories....

Banda reviews 2003 at DDC's AGM.(DDC Facets)
March 1, 2004... DDC President Jacob Banda welcomed the members to the organization's annual meeting with an address in which he summarized the activities of the club during 2003, focusing on some of the issues of concern to the diamond world today. The...

DDC members travel to Shanghai.(DDC Facets)
March 1, 2004... More than a dozen DDC members held a four-day meeting with senior diamond industry officials in Shanghai in November 2003. While there, meetings were held between the DDC members and representatives of the Shanghai Diamond bourse. The...

Hochbaum to head U.S. KP authority.(DDC Facets)
March 1, 2004... Dr. Martin Hochbaum, the managing director of the Diamond Dealers Club, was named chairman of the US Kimberley Process Authority on January 28, 2004. He was elected to fill the vacancy resulting from the resignation of Matt Runci, President...

DDC buzzing at JA.(DDC Facets)
March 1, 2004... While the traffic at the show overall was quite good, the crowd around the DDC section looked like the crowd that descend on stores the day after Thanksgiving. Yaron Hahami, of A & H Diamond Corp., and a member of the DDC's board of...