Jewelers Circular Keystone articles from June 2008

Jewelers Circular Keystone archives from June 2008

Foredom's New High-Torque, High-Speed Micromotor.
June 1, 2008... By Mark B. and Lainie Mann Foredom Electric Co. is marketing a state-of-the-art brushless micromotor unit that delivers smooth, controllable variable speed (1,000 to 50,000 rpm) with high torque. The small benchtop control features an...

The Little Green Bracelet That Could.
June 1, 2008... By Hedda T. Schupak, Editor-in-Chief Cause marketing is a powerful strategy that helps increase business while doing good for others. The Diamond Empowerment Fund, which supportseducation initiatives in Africa, hopes jewelers will join its...

Rough Times Ahead.(Israel Rough Conference)(Editorial)(Conference notes)
June 1, 2008... By Rob Bates, Senior Editor At the third Israel Rough Conference, the challenges surrounding diamond mining were the subject of spirited debate and discussion. At the start of the third Israel Rough Conference, speakers noted the...

Hasenfeld Apart From the Herd.
June 1, 2008... By Rob Bates, Senior Editor Trade Lives is an occasional series of profiles of behind-the-scenes elder statesmen who have dedicated their lives to the jewelry industry. Alexander Hasenfeld isn't big on publicity. When discussing...

An Interview With Russell Simmons.(Interview)
June 1, 2008... By Hedda T. Schupak and Rob Bates JCK editor-in-chief Hedda T. Schupak and senior editor Rob Bates met recently with entrepreneur, rap music mogul, and jewelry manufacturer Russell Simmons, whose Diamond Empowerment Fund seeks to inspire...

Losing Sleep Finding a Web Strategy.
June 1, 2008... By Anthony DeMarco, Senior Editor Panels and seminars at the Plumb Club Forum addressed the hot-button topics and explored the brave new world of Web 2.0. Not all of the discussions at the Plumb Club Forum focused strictly on...

Swiss Fairs Defy Doomsayers.
June 1, 2008... By William George Shuster, Senior Editor The 2008 international Swiss spring watch and jewelry fairs posted their highest attendances and some of their best business results ever, erasing fears that the sub-prime mortgage crisis, weak...

Name Blame.
June 1, 2008... By Anthony DeMarco, Senior Editor, and Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA, Senior Editor A lawsuit over a name that's also a place is roiling the gemstone industry Claiming that 'the good name of Paraíba itself has been hijacked,' David...

A Changing World.
June 1, 2008... By Anthony DeMarco, Senior Editor Change isn't just a term being bandied about by presidential candidates. Globalization and breakthroughs in mass media and information technology are driving fundamental shifts in ways of doing business....

'Define Your Turf' An Interview With David Peters.(Interview)
June 1, 2008... By William George Shuster, Senior Editor In the first of a series, JA's director of education offers sage advice on coping with rising prices, nervous consumers, and an uncertain economy. 'May you live in interesting times,'says an old...

Another Colorful Tucson.
June 1, 2008... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA, Senior Editor Inside the 2008 Tucson gem and mineral shows, Mozambique tourmalines and Tanzanian pink spinels dominated conversation. But outside the shows, the talk was all about the shorttaxi line at the...

Information and Inspiration.
June 1, 2008... By Hedda T. Schupak, Editor-in-Chief Seminars and breakout sessions at WJA's fifth annual Women in the Know conference focused on communication and empowerment. More than 200 women in the jewelry industry attended the fifth annual...

From the Blogs.
June 1, 2008... Staff Shanghai Blogging: The Earthquake and the World Diamond Congress So, to answer everyone's questions about the earthquake: Yes, I'm OK; no, I didn't feel anything, or see any buildings move (though some Diamond Congress delegates...

Times Like These.
June 1, 2008... By Frank Dallahan When the economy turns south, the jewelry industry overreacts. It begins at retail and rolls back into manufacturing and distribution. Retail jewelers have responded to the recent downturn by not buying. The...

Show Time!
June 1, 2008... By Rick Bannerot In the opening sequence of the film All That Jazz , Roy Scheider slides dramatically toward the camera and utters the key theme for the jewelry industry heading into the end of 2008 and early 2009: 'It's show time, folks!'...

The jewelry industry finally has a reality TV star to call its own: Peih-Gee Law.
June 1, 2008... By Glen A. Beres, Contributing Editor Peih-Gee Law, 29, is a principal of Lo Rador, a Los Angeles company involved in manufacturing, wholesaling, designing, importing, and selling upscale colored-stone jewelry. It was founded by her...

Gem Pricing Report.
June 1, 2008... Staff It seems that retail jewelers' main competition is the corner gas station. Today finds another record oil price, $123 a barrel. Gas has hit $4+ per gallon in many parts of the country. Consumer confidence has declined sharply during...

Use Visual Aids to Stimulate Gold Jewelry Sales.
June 1, 2008... By Wayne Levy When you walk into a discount warehouse club such as Sam's or Costco, the first thing you notice is the lack of warmth. The second thing you notice is merchandise stacked floor to ceiling. Few, if any, visual aids add to the...

More Doom and Gloom-How Lucky Are We?
June 1, 2008... By Brad Huisken Watching CNN recently I heard the latest report on retail sales for March 2008. They were off significantly. The Gap reported a loss of 18 percent, Target was off 9 percent, and Linens · N · Things filed for...

How to Gain Market Share in a Soft Economy.
June 1, 2008... By Steven Kaiser By now, everyone is well aware of the soft retail climate, where even affluent consumers are tightening their belts. Here are a few specific ideas to seize the opportunity to increase business in a soft market. Don't...

How to Handle a Sniper.
June 1, 2008... By Steve M. Cohen, Ed.D., CMC A sniper is a staff person who attacks from the weeds. They criticize the manager, but never face-to-face. Instead, they make rude and inappropriate remarks under their breath. Sometimes they whisper to a...

Rethinking Your Store Hours.
June 1, 2008... By Glen A. Beres, Contributing Editor Expanding hours can boost business, but it takes careful planning to determine if it's right for you. Today's jewelry customer can shop seven days a week at the mall and 24 hours a day on the...

Sunstone Blessing.
June 1, 2008... By Gary Roskin Even though Walter Harrison had surgery for gastrointestinal cancer in December, he still says, 'The Lord's blessed me so much.' His latest blessing appeared in a sunstone mine. Harrison is a retired fire captain from...

JSA: Jewelry Crime Fell in 2007.
June 1, 2008... By Rob Bates Overall crime in the jewelry industry fell by a substantial margin in 2007, according to statistics compiled by the Jewelers' Security Alliance. 'It was another year of things heading in the right direction,' says JSA...

Whitehall Buys 78 Friedman's Stores.
June 1, 2008... By Rob Bates Whitehall Jewelers recently acquired the assets and leases of 78 stores from Friedman's and its subsidiary Crescent Jewelers for approximately $14.3 million. In April, Friedman's announced it would close its remaining stores....

L.I.D. New York Auctions Assets.
June 1, 2008... By Rob Bates The New York office of L.I.D., currently operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, plans to sell most of its assets in a '363 sale' and has 'no plans to remain open,' according to the company's restructuring officer....

Clooney Urges Omega to Speak About Darfur.
June 1, 2008... By William George Shuster Oscar-winning actor George Clooney, brand ambassador for Omega Watches, is urging the company to speak out against China's foreign policy in Sudan, say media reports. Omega is one of 12 worldwide Olympic...

Esmerian Files Chapter 11, Canceling Christie's Sale.
June 1, 2008... By Gary Roskin Gem dealer Ralph Esmerian filed a bankruptcy petition on behalf of Fred Leighton, which he controls, stopping a scheduled Christie's auction of his gems. Just hours before the scheduled auction at Christie's New York,...

'Cease and Desist!'.(Nobel Watch company has warned by Nobel Foundation)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... By William George Shuster The Nobel Watch company-which built its 15-year business and reputation on the slogan 'I didn't get the Nobel Prize - But I got the Nobel watch'-has been warned by the Nobel Prize's parent foundation to stop using...

News and Notes.
June 1, 2008... Staff Timex Shuffles U.S. Management Staff The Timex Group B.V. in March announced two major top management appointments in its U.S.-based operations. Adam Gurian was named president of the Timex Business Unit , and Scott Wolfe...

Casey Stephenson Dies.
June 1, 2008... Staff Casey Stephenson, owner of Warner Company Jewelers in Fresno, Calif., succumbed to cancer after a yearlong battle. He was 52. Stephenson started working in the jewelry business at age 14 and quickly worked his way into a sales...

De Beers Says Settlement Approved.
June 1, 2008... By Rob Bates De Beers said it 'welcomes' recent comments by the judge handling its class-action case that the antitrust settlement will be approved. While the judge has not issued a final ruling, comments by the presiding judge...

On the Road Again.(trade shows)
June 1, 2008... By Ben Janowski Here we are in midsummer, the time of year when suppliers are pressing to obtain critical year-end orders. Field salespeople are on the road again. But we hear the same cautions we've been hearing for years. There are a...

Konstantina Mahlia.(her career in the field of jewelry industry)(Editorial)
June 1, 2008... By Jennifer Heebner, Senior Editor Konstantina Mahlia is proud of her Greek heritage, so proud, in fact, that it's the theme of her growing line of jewelry. Agate, tourmaline, and pearls are set into hammered 18k gold-and some...

Indicators.
June 1, 2008... Staff The latest financial statistics from Jewelers Board of Trade offer some encouragement in a tough market. For the first quarter of 2008, the total number of U.S. bankruptcies-combined totals among retailers, wholesalers, and...

Price Point Monitor.
June 1, 2008... Staff Beginning this month, JCK tracks some popular nonjewelry product categories fighting for your share of wallet . Our list is not exhaustive, but meant simply to highlight a few products we've seen advertised or online that might be...

Levinson Jewelers Celebrates 25th, Raises $100,000 for Marino Foundation.
June 1, 2008... Staff Levinson Jewelers kicked off its 25th year in business with an anniversary event on Feb. 22, 2008, at its Plantation, Fla., store. More than 150 guests joined Levinson Jewelers co-owners Mark and Robin Levinson for the celebration,...

LUXURY by JCK Announces Launch of LUXURY Bermuda 2009.
June 1, 2008... Staff Targeting the jewelry industry's top U.S. and European retailers and brands, the first-ever LUXURY Bermuda trade show is slated to take place March 15-18, 2009, at the Fairmont Southampton Resort in Bermuda. With space for 60...

Hardcore Watch Co. Store Opening in Las Vegas.
June 1, 2008... Staff California-based watch designer Steve Soffa has signed a deal with the Rio hotel and casino in Las Vegas to launch a Hardcore Watch Co. store. The HCW store is set to open inside the Rio hotel June 15. For more information,...

Hanging In, Helping Out.
June 1, 2008... By Hedda T. Schupak Last June this page was titled 'The Wolf at the Door,' referring to the numerous challenges facing the jewelry industry. It concluded by saying that whatever 2008's yearly update would bring, it wouldn't be boring. ...

A Case for the Trades.
June 1, 2008... By Mark Smelzer I rarely write about reasons for advertising in JCK or in trade magazines in general. But this month I'm making an exception because of some powerful information we've just received from a landmark jewelry consumer...