Jewelers Circular Keystone articles from July 2007

Jewelers Circular Keystone archives from July 2007

Metals: Contemporary Alternatives.
July 1, 2007... By Kristina McKenna, Editorial Intern During the past few years, the jewelry industry has introduced new white metals to the market-most prominently palladium, titanium, steel, and tungsten. Often referred to as 'alternative metals,' their...

Dateline: Basel.
July 1, 2007... By William George Shuster, Senior Editor Record business and attendance, media scrutiny, and increased focus on branding of national products highlighted the 35th edition of the world's largest watch and jewelry trade show. The...

Dayoob Making Big Strides @ Whitehall.
July 1, 2007... By Glen A. Beres, Contributing Editor The former Fred Meyer exec helms the turnaround effort, focusing on core products, marketing, and operations initiatives. When the opportunity arose for veteran jewelry executive Ed Dayoob to take...

Dateline: Geneva.
July 1, 2007... By William George Shuster, Senior Editor Spurred by global demand for luxury products, business boomed at Geneva's watch shows this spring. The spring 2007 international luxury watch shows in Geneva posted some of their best results...

Safety First.
July 1, 2007... By Kristina McKenna, Editorial Intern Retailers can protect themselves, their stores, their employees, and their families. They just can't ever let their guard down. Retail jewelers reported an overwhelming increase in grab-and-run...

It's a Woman's (Watch) World.
July 1, 2007... By William George Shuster, Senior Editor Whether it be more white, diamond, sport, or complications timepieces, watchmakers in 2007 are catering to women self-purchasers. That's the impression from watch trends seen at 2007's...

George Walton's Gold & Diamond Co.(Company overview)
July 1, 2007... By Glen A. Beres After living and working on both coasts, George Walton has struck gold in Alaska. Walton is the owner of George Walton's Gold & Diamond Co., a successful jewelry store based in Anchorage. Founded in 1977, the guild...

The Art of Promotion.(jewelry industry )
July 1, 2007... By Rick Bannerot What do a bunch of people standing hip deep in freezing water wearing rubber pants and funny hats while trying to catch little fish have in common with an upscale jewelry promotion? Quite a lot, if you appreciate the...

Gem Pricing Report.
July 1, 2007... By Staff For five years the hottest segment of the colored-stone market has been high-end unenhanced ruby and sapphire. Prices increased dramatically for the fine and extra-fine categories. A major factor in the price volatility has been...

What Should I Do After the Sale?
July 1, 2007... By Brad Huisken I read in a jewelry trade magazine recently that up to 60 percent of bridal customers don't buy their wedding bands from the store where they purchased the engagement ring. This is a startling statistic. There are several...

Hear, Hear!(development of listening skills while dealing with customers)
July 1, 2007... By Rob Bates, Senior Editor Listening isn't just something we do. It's something retailers should learn to do better. We all consider ourselves good listeners. But maybe we are not as good as we think. When we surveyed JCK retail...

Don't Be Held Hostage by Your Best Employees.
July 1, 2007... By Martin C. Shanker Are you being held hostage by a top-performing employee? In other words, is a successful employee ignoring duties or regulations you expect to be honored? In the worst-case scenario, requests to change behavior are...

'Well Done Is Better Than Well Said'.(jeweler Ron Harder gives his farewell speech)
July 1, 2007... By Frank Dallahan With the title words of this article and with due respect to Ben Franklin, who first said them, Ron Harder concluded his last talk to friends and industry colleagues, capping a successful 34-year career at Jewelers...

The Show of Shows.
July 1, 2007... By Staff When industry leaders approached JCK 's former publisher Charles Bond about creating a new show in Las Vegas, we on the editorial staff were a bit bemused. Las Vegas? But there's no jewelry industry there! At the time, New York...

Reviving Aspirations.(marketing in jewelry industry)
July 1, 2007... By Ben Janowski An important element in promoting gems and jewelry over the years has been instilling aspirations to ownership of ever better jewelry. De Beers, for one, has always held that developing such aspirations-diamond addiction,...

Showstopper.(The JCK Show, jewelry industry shows)(Viewpoint essay)
July 1, 2007... By Staff I've been home from The JCK Show a week now, and the immensity of it all is still sinking in. It's amazing that we're 'on' for nine consecutive days-from 8 am to 1 am-with maybe a half hour of personal time a day. Whew! In...

De Beers to Open More U.S. Stores.
July 1, 2007... By Rob Bates The De Beers retail chain will open stores in Houston, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco before the end of the year, according to Guy Leymarie, chief executive officer of De Beers Diamond Jewellers (formerly De Beers LV)....

De Beers to Promote Less Generic Advertising.
July 1, 2007... By Rob Bates De Beers plans to spend less money on generic advertising, according to a comment by De Beers' CFO Stuart Brown at a recent diamond conference in London. '[De Beers'] marketing spend in the past year reached $220 million,...

Leviev Buys New York Landmarks.(Africa Israel Co.)(Lev Leviev)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... By Rob Bates Diamond magnate Lev Leviev and his Africa Israel Co. have increased their purchases of New York real estate. In the span of a month, he purchased New York's landmark Clock Tower at the MetLife Building for $200 million, the...

Second Conflict Diamond Arrest.(import laws in diamond industry)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... By Rob Bates In the second conflict diamond-related bust in the span of a few months, federal agents seized 957 diamonds in Wilmington, Ohio, allegedly imported in violation of the 2003 Clean Diamond Trade Act. The diamonds, worth...

GIA Expands Document Range.(Gemological Institute of America)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... By Rob Bates The Gemological Institute of America is letting more diamonds qualify for its Diamond Dossier reports and changing its fee structure. Beginning in June, GIA lowered the minimum size of diamonds eligible for the reports to...

Howard Pomerantz Joins GCAL.(Gem Certification & Assurance Lab )(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... By Rob Bates Former GIA Gem Instruments executive director Howard Pomerantz has joined Gem Certification & Assurance Lab as executive vice president. Pomerantz will help develop GCAL's business strategy, but is unlikely to start an...

Judith Ripka Opens Up to WJA.(Women's Jewelry Association)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... By Jennifer Heebner Jewelry designer Judith Ripka recently addressed attendees of the annual Women in the Know conference organized by the Women's Jewelry Association. Her success is due in part to her passion, persistence, and performance...

What's Your Inspiration?
July 1, 2007... By Jennifer Heebner Designer: Judith Murat, Palm Beach, Fla.; (561) 366-4893; www.judithmurat.com Jewelry: The Deep Blue necklace is 18k gold and features a 90 ct. aquamarine pendant and diamond accents. Suggested retail prices start...

Christie's Auction Preview Reveals Magnificent Jewels.
July 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA There was a fellow standing on the beach, looking out over the Atlantic Ocean for the first time, seeing water as far as he could see to the left, to the right, and straight ahead. After a moment of deliberation,...

Online Periodical Focuses on Organic Gem Materials.
July 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA Organic gems expert Maggie Campbell Pedersen has introduced an online periodical called Organic Gems featuring articles on pearls, amber, shell, coral, ivory, jet, bone, and horn. Each issue will include an...

TanzaniteOne Announces Two New Sightholders.
July 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA TanzaniteOne Ltd, the tanzanite mining and marketing firm, has named two new sightholders, AG Color, of New York, and Paul Wild, of Germany. Adding the sightholders is in accordance with...

Charm-The Fifth C?(Charm Index is a technology to measure optical properties of a diamond's brilliance )(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA Scientists from the Scientific & Research Institute of Experimental Physics lab at the Russian Federal Nuclear Center, along with directors from Kristall Production Corp., diamond manufacturer in Smolensk, Russia,...

The Royal Ontario Museum Expands Gem and Minerals Hall.
July 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA A $10 million gift from Canadian mining firm Teck Cominco Ltd has allowed the Renaissance Royal Ontario Museum project to establish the Teck Cominco Suite of Earth Sciences Galleries, the Teck Cominco Endowed...

Warren Buffett Makes Jewelry Play.
July 1, 2007... By Rob Bates The recent purchase of Bel-Oro and Aurafin by Berskhire Hathaway, the investment arm of billionaire Warren Buffet, will create 'one of the largest' jewelry suppliers in the United States, Mark Hanna of Bel-Oro told JCK . 'The...

JCK Show Makes Big Noise in Vegas.(Jewelers Circular Keystone)
July 1, 2007... By Staff The JCK Shows came roaring into Las Vegas May 28 through June 5, producing strong reviews for the high-end Luxury by JCK and the new Premiere show, good reviews for the appointment-only Swiss Watch by JCK show, good-to-mixed...

Dallahan to Join AGS Lab.(appointment of Frank Dallahan at American Gem Society Laboratories)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... By Staff Frank Dallahan, chief executive officer of MJSA and former publisher of JCK , will become president and chief executive officer of the American Gem Society Laboratories, effective July 15. 'This is a new position created to...

Marion Halfacre Dies.(Obituary)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... By Staff Marion Halfacre, the well-known founder and owner of Traditional Jewelers in Fashion Island, Calif., died in June of a heart condition. He was 58. Halfacre was president of the California Jewelers Association, a member of...

Swiss Watchmakers Fear That Counterfeits Will Damage Industry.
July 1, 2007... By William George Shuster For Swiss watchmakers it's the best of times-and the worst. 'Swiss watch manufacturers have never had it so good, especially the major prestigious brands,' says veteran Swiss watch executive Jacques J....

NEWSWIRE.
July 1, 2007... By William George Shuster Fossil has officially opened its new European headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. It acquired the building, located only a few hundred yards from the halls of the annual BaselWorld , the world's largest watch and...

Lange & Söhne, Wempe Win Watch of the Year Honors.(Welt am Sonntag)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... By William George Shuster An anticipated annual event in the watch industry is the prestigious 'Watch of the Year,' sponsored by publishers of Armband Uhren , a widely read watch magazine, and the national German newspaper Welt am Sonntag...

Corum, Vaucher Sign Long-Term Calibre Pact.(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... By William George Shuster Corum, the Swiss-made luxury watch, and Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier, one of Switzerland's finest mechanical movement makers, have signed an agreement to develop new movements exclusive to Corum. The contract is...

Sequel's New Charity Raises Funding for Ethiopian School.
July 1, 2007... By William George Shuster Sequel A.G., the maker and world-wide distributor of Guess and Guess collection watches, has launched a new global charitable program, called 'Faces to Watch - Time to Give.' This is 'an opportunity to expand upon...