Jewelers Circular Keystone articles from January 2007

Jewelers Circular Keystone archives from January 2007

Appointments.
January 1, 2007... By Staff Platinum Guild International USA has appointed Kevin Reilly manager of industry relations. Previously he served as vice president of sales and marketing for Tache USA , where he launched the luxury brand Nikos , the company's...

Tom Peters to Deliver Keynote at CEO Summit.
January 1, 2007... By Staff Business guru and author Tom Peters will deliver the Wednesday keynote address at the second annual Fine Jewelry CEO Summit, taking place Feb. 20-22, 2007, in Atlanta. The address is sponsored by Collectors Universe Inc. companies...

Bramlett Retires From the American Gem Society Board.
January 1, 2007... By Staff The American Gem Society has announced the retirement of longtime board member Christopher Bramlett. "Chris Bramlett has served the American Gem Society as a member of the board of directors for 15 years. It is with sadness, fond...

American ORT Jewelry Industry Chapter Honors Andruskevich.
January 1, 2007... By Staff Jewelers, manufacturers, diamond dealers, and watch company exec- utives gathered Sept. 21, 2006, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan to pay tribute to the president and chief executive officer of Birks & Mayors Inc.,...

Tomorrow Is Here: Rethinking the Web.
January 1, 2007... By Rick Bannerot Every jewelry store with annual retail sales in excess of $250,000 needs a Web site. If you already have one, congratulations. If not, take it in small steps--don't charge out of the gate with a full-blown e-commerce site...

Selling Jewelry Based on Margins, Not Prices.
January 1, 2007... By Glen A. Beres It's difficult, if not impossible, to cut prices on products or services and make it up in volume. It is possible, however, to raise your prices, lose some volume, and make far more money. That's the key tenet behind How...

DESIGN FOCUS: Selling Design, Service, and Expertise.
January 1, 2007... By Mark and Lainie Mann Joel and Jennifer McFadden went from "turning inventory" to creating unique custom jewelry. Joel and Jennifer McFadden's chic design studio in Red Bank, N.J., reflects the character they always envisioned for...

Doing Co-Op--Without Being Co-Opted.
January 1, 2007... By Rob Bates, Senior Editor In this day of declining margins, jewelers are hunting for bargains. And co-op advertising is, at least in theory, the biggest bargain of them all. Co-op advertising puts your store's name in front of the...

Gem Pricing Report.
January 1, 2007... By Staff Market in brief: The price trend in the colored stone market continues to be upward due to light production around the globe. Supplies of high-end natural (unenhanced) ruby and sapphire are tight. Dealers report strong demand for...

A Watch Retailer's Checklist.
January 1, 2007... By Steven Kaiser After what I hope was a successful holiday season, it's time to plan for the upcoming year. I have outlined some important points to keep in mind while going through the planning procedure. The initial step in any...

Building Commitment: Assume Less, Agree More.
January 1, 2007... By Martin C. Shanker In past columns I have described selling behaviors that increase sales and profitability. But how do you motivate salespeople to discard old behaviors in order to adopt new ones that work better? Over the years, I've...

Failure.
January 1, 2007... By Frank Dallahan, frankdallahan@comcast.net In The Empire Strikes Back , episode 5 of the Stars Wars films, the Jedi master Yoda utters one of the great lines in the series to Luke Skywalker during Luke's training: "Try not. Do -- or do...

This Is Africa--or Is It?(scope for diamond mining in Africa)
January 1, 2007... By Hedda T. Schupak With all the jewelry-industry angst and Hollywood/NGO hype surrounding the release of Blood Diamond , one key fact was downplayed everywhere but in the movie itself: What went on in Sierra Leone is business as usual in...

Dollars and Scents.
January 1, 2007... By Ben Janowski, benjanow@gmail.com The buzzword for a decade or so has been "brand." The industry has been drunk on the idea, but there has been some reconsideration lately. Millions have been poured into branding efforts, but not one...

Happy New Year!
January 1, 2007... By Mark Smelzer The first issue of the year is a great moment to pause and project goals and ambitions for the year ahead. At the JCK Publishing Group, our mission remains the same: To deliver peerless, high-quality editorial to the...

WDC Web Site Inspires Parody.(World Diamond Council introduces RealDiamondFacts.org)(Global Witness and Amnesty International launches blooddiamondaction.org)
January 1, 2007... By Rob Bates The World Diamond Council's DiamondFacts.org Web site has inspired another site--RealDiamondFacts.org--that is as negative about the diamond industry as the WDC's is positive. The site, which calls itself a parody and...

Banda Reelected DDC President.(Diamond Dealers Club reelects Jacob Banda )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... By Rob Bates The Diamond Dealers Club has reelected Jacob Banda as its president. Banda, who ran unopposed, received 85 percent of the vote. This will be his fourth term as president, after a membership vote last year removed the...

Kimberley Process Meeting Makes Breakthroughs.
January 1, 2007... By Rob Bates Both nongovernmental organizations and the diamond industry were happy after making progress at the recent Kimberley Process plenary, especially on whether to publish diamond statistics. Among the big issues was the fate...

LaunchPad.
January 1, 2007... By Jennifer Heebner Music artist Jay-Z 's seven-year-old fashion firm Rocawear has unveiled a limited-edition fine-jewelry line in cooperation with Lucas Designs . The Rocawear merchandise features 150 pieces of men's and women's styles in...

Meet <EMPHASIS TYPE="ITALIC">Me</EMPHASIS>: The Female Twentysomething.
January 1, 2007... By Jennifer Heebner The female members of the 75 million-strong millennial generation are the focus of the recently released "The Jane 20-Something Study 2006" by Jane magazine. Questions about life, values, self, and shopping were posed...

LiveStrong and Sparkle.(Kendra Scott Design Inc. introduces Livestrong stamped bracelets)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... By Jennifer Heebner You see them everywhere: those bright yellow unisex rubber bracelets stamped LIVESTRONG that have become a standard accessory for everyone from preteens to retirees. You probably know they stand for support for cancer...

Dueling Cut Grades.(diamond cutting )
January 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA The American Gem Society and the Gemological Institute of America are in a showdown over which organization has the best system for grading diamond cut. The latest shootout took place in August at the annual...

Black Orlov Sells at Christie's.
January 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA Billed as "the world's most famous black diamond," the 67.50 ct. antique-cushion-cut Black Orlov sold for $350,000 at Christie's New York auction house Oct. 11, 2006. The Gem Certification and Assurance Lab,...

Costantini Rediscovers Neglected Gem.(Queen of the Gems)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA If you've ever picked up a standard gemological text on the subject of opals, you probably learned that they were discovered in Czechoslovakia. That was the sum total of information available on Czech opal--until...

Sixth Edition GEMS: A Review.(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA For decades, GEMS has been a standard reference book for gemologists worldwide. The third, fourth, and fifth editions all had terrific indexes where most everything, common and uncommon, was listed and referenced....

Titanic Topaz.(Programa Royal Collections Group)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA Eldorado is a 31,000 ct. topaz that's part of the Special Exhibition Gems collection of the Programa Royal Collections Group, a European economic interest group founded in 1997 to create large-scale collections of...

Jewelry Network Television Celebrates 13 Years.
January 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA It began 13 years ago as a small studio buying satellite airtime for few hours a day. Today, Jewelry Network Television boasts 200,000 square feet of warehouses and training facilities and 2,100 staffers,...

Newswire.
January 1, 2007... By Staff Finlay Enterprises , the largest U.S. operator of jewelry departments in department stores, will buy privately owned Congress Jewelers . Finlay executed a stock purchase agreement for the acquisition. Congress Jewelers has five...

New Congress Will Likely Boost Minimum Wage.
January 1, 2007... By William George Shuster One of the first actions of the new Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives will directly affect U.S. businesses. Increasing the minimum wage in the "first 100 hours" will be a priority when...

Donna Baker Now Officially GIA's President.(Gemological Institute of America's appointments)
January 1, 2007... By Rob Bates and William George Shuster Donna Baker, who was appointed acting president of the Gemological Institute of America after William E. Boyajian resigned in May, will permanently hold that position. Baker, only the fifth...

Fabrikant Goes Chapter 11.
January 1, 2007... By Rob Bates M. Fabrikant & Sons Inc. and its domestic subsidiary, Fabrikant-Leer International, filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The company's foreign and domestic affiliates aren't...

Robert Crowningshield Dies.(Gemological Institute of America's former vice president)(Obituary)
January 1, 2007... By Anthony DeMarco, Gary Roskin, and William George Shuster Robert Crowningshield, a legend of gemology revered for his pioneering work in many areas of gemological research, died after a long illness at the age of 87. Crowningshield...

From the <WEBADDRESS>JCKonline.com</WEBADDRESS> Blogs.
January 1, 2007... By Staff Upping Your Store's Fun Factor When I think of fun shopping, I think of Target. That store has a vast array of colorful, well-designed items that I can afford. My ideal jewelry store has: a colorful interior, upbeat music,...

Newswire.
January 1, 2007... By William George Shuster Watchmaker Fossil Inc. has created a line of watches that integrate with cell phones. The analog/digital Caller ID watch ($250 retail, sold only through www.fossil.com ) is the first to use Sony Ericsson Mobile...

Swiss Watch Groups Pledge $1.1M to OSU Training.
January 1, 2007... By William George Shuster A new agreement has been signed by several Swiss luxury watch brands and groups to provide $1.1 million to the watchmaking program at Oklahoma State University's Okmulgee campus. Participating in the Sept. 20...

Swatch Group's DYB Builds Jewelry-Making Center.
January 1, 2007... By William George Shuster Swatch Group, the world's largest watchmaker, on Oct. 20 laid the cornerstone for a three-story jewelry-making center for its DYB Dress Your Body company. DYB, established in 2000, conceives, designs, and produces...

Herm&egrave;s, Richemont, Swatch Group Invest in High-End Watch Parts Firms.
January 1, 2007... By William George Shuster Herm&egrave;s, Richemont S.A., and the Swatch Group each strengthened their positions as luxury watchmakers with investments in October in high-end Swiss watch parts makers. The French luxury goods group...

Court Rules for Franck Muller in Its 'Gray Market' Suit.(Franck Muller S.A. wins case)(Stoneleigh Enterprises Inc.)(Delmas Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... By William George Shuster Franck Muller USA, exclusive importer and distributor of the Swiss luxury watch in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean, has won a federal court ruling permanently barring several companies from...

Both B&eacute;dats Leave B&eacute;dat & Co.
January 1, 2007... By William George Shuster The founders of Bedat & Co., the Swiss luxury watch brand, have resigned from it. Christian Bedat, creative director and chief executive officer, and his mother, Simone, chairman of the board, left in mid-October....

Leinart Named IceLink Spokesman.
January 1, 2007... By William George Shuster Matt Leinart, Arizona Cardinal quarterback and 2004 Heisman Award winner, has signed an exclusive, multiyear deal with IceLink, a Los Angeles luxury watch and jewelry manufacturer. IceLink's use of Leinart started...

Raymond Weil Debuts Sports Watch Line, New Campaign.
January 1, 2007... By William George Shuster Luxury watchmaker Raymond Weil has launched RWSport, its first venture in performance sport timepieces, with a multimillion-dollar ad campaign, titled "Not a Moment Missed" and featuring ESPN sportscasters Dan...

The Second Time Around.(jewelry sale is best at occasions of second marriages)
January 1, 2007... By Jennifer Heebner, Senior Editor Samuel Johnson famously said that a second marriage represents the triumph of hope over experience. For jewelers, it also represents significant sales opportunities. When it comes to love and...

JCK Exclusive: Argyle Tender Offers the Pick of the Pinks.
January 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA, Senior Editor For the past 22 years, Rio Tinto's Argyle Diamond Mine has produced rare and beautiful pink diamonds-- the most expensive in the world. This year's Argyle Tender brought the top 100 color diamond...

Profile of an American Dream Fulfilled.
January 1, 2007... By William George Shuster, Senior Editor The Story of Rudy Chavez, president of Baume & Mercier North America, is an American classic--and it is one worth remembering. Anyone looking for an embodiment of the American dream need only...

Dateline: Idar-Oberstein.(Henn GmbH)(Company overview)
January 1, 2007... By David Keeling Report From the 2006 Intergem Fair "Intergem is not a fair like Basel or Tucson, with crowds of visitors," says Axel Henn, of Henn GmbH in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. "Those who come here are hard-core stone lovers, as...

Watches Remain Vital to U.S. Consumers.
January 1, 2007... By William George Shuster, Senior Editor A national survey by the Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council finds that cell phones and iPods won't displace watches as time tellers. Watches remain important to most U.S. adults, especially women,...

Dateline: New Delhi.
January 1, 2007... By Aanand Pandey, Assistant Editor, JCK India Report From The JCK Show ~ New Delhi 2006 In another sign that India is becoming a jewelry giant, Reed Exhibitions launches a jewelry trade fair in New Delhi. The inaugural edition of...

On the Road in Kansas City.(Tivol Plaza Inc.)(Frank Goodden Co. Inc.)(Editorial)(Company overview)
January 1, 2007... By Anthony DeMarco, Senior Editor It's known for blues, barbecue, and jazz; for its heartland values and laid-back lifestyle. It's also a place with enough cosmopolitan flair to please even the most discriminating sophisticate. It's...

Learning to Value an Undervalued Market.
January 1, 2007... By Kristina Guthrie McKenna, Editorial Intern Some jewelers are finally beginning to serve plus-size consumers. A full-figured woman spots a gorgeous necklace in your store window, walks in, and asks to try it on. You retrieve the...