Jewelers Circular Keystone articles from November 2008

Jewelers Circular Keystone archives from November 2008

A Line Is Born: Behind the Scenes at Switzerland's Bucherer.
November 1, 2008... By Linda K. Nathan To create a line of fine jewelry, start with a customer. Vivien Lichtsteiner was born in a jewelry store. And not just any store. This upper middle-class woman, whose dossier includes a classical education and a...

Dateline Goa.
November 1, 2008... By Aanand Pandey, Deputy Editor, JCK India IIJS Signature, India's first luxuryjewelry show,held in the resort cityof Panaji, Goa, shows thecountry's jewelers areready to moveupscale. Invitation-only luxury jewelry shows in lavish...

Reduce Environmental Impact With Green Bench Practices.
November 1, 2008... By Christine Dhein As recently as 2004, the environmental impact from making jewelry was rarely mentioned. But awareness has grown quickly, and today a Google search for the term eco jewelry provides millions of results. The green...

Go Green: How Jewelry Makers Are Reducing Their Environmental Impact.
November 1, 2008... By John Shanahan Behold the mighty power of the phrase "carbon footprint." Prior to Al Gore rolling out An Inconvenient Truth in 2006, it's a fair bet that the majority of people had never heard the phrase or given it much thought....

March of the Mechanicals.
November 1, 2008... By William George Shuster, Senior Editor Mechanical watches are more popular than ever, and watchmakers are working overtime to meet demand. "The big story is mechanicals" That's how Francie Abrams, Bulova Corp. senior vice...

Thriving in Troubled Times: Charity Marketing Draws Customers, Builds Sales.(Jewelry Creations's co-owner Linda Hagan)(Interview)
November 1, 2008... By William George Shuster, Senior Editor Doing good for others can also benefit business, say jewelers. Let's be clear right away: The jewelers in this report who actively support charities don't do it for the business. They do it, as...

Last-Minute Tactics for Better Holiday Sales and Beyond.(market strategy)
November 1, 2008... By Rick Bannerot Despite the dismal state of the economy--and despite all your natural tendencies--now is not the time to let a foxhole mentality set in. You can still influence this year's holiday sales for the better, and you can also...

Gem Pricing Report.
November 1, 2008... Staff The mood in the gemstone industry remains cautious as we move into the critical holiday season. Many wholesale dealers report that they are not going to overexpose inventory by sending out a lot of goods on long-term memos this...

Top Tips For Ensuring a Successful and Safe Holiday Season.
November 1, 2008... By Suzanne DeVries By now you should have your holiday staff set and your staffing plan in motion. That's good, but don't make the mistake of sitting back and waiting for clients to pour in. There are a number of relatively simple,...

Profile Customers and Potential Customers.
November 1, 2008... By Brad Huisken Today more than ever, the goal of a sales presentation isn't simply to make a sale. The goal has to be to develop relationships with customers. I'm talking about the kind of relationship in which the customer wouldn't even...

Saving Legal Expenses in Tight Times.
November 1, 2008... By Peter Berger Most intellectual property lawsuits in the jewelry industry are conducted in federal courts, which have a long-standing tradition of independence from short-term societal issues. If your company is involved in litigation,...

Keep Growing During the Recession.
November 1, 2008... By Joe Long Don't let tough economic times keep you from building your brand. Consumer confidence is down. Prices are up. Credit is tight. Losses are mounting. In the current soft economy, it's easy to succumb to fears about your...

'We Need a Compelling Shopping Experience'.(Interview)
November 1, 2008... By Rob Bates Zale chief executive officer Neal Goldberg recently spoke to JCK about his chain's plans for the future. Goldberg came to Zale after serving as president of The Children's Place, the noted children's retailer. In his talk...

Sterling Sued for Discrimination.
November 1, 2008... By William George Schuster Sterling Jewelers has been sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for allegedly "discriminating against a large class of female employees at stores nationwide." In its suit, the EEOC alleges...

Newswire.
November 1, 2008... Staff The Indo Argyle Diamond Council will close in December after 15 years in operation, according to a statement by MVI Marketing , which owns the program. Marty Hurwitz , chief executive officer of MVI, said the program accomplished its...

Correction.(Correction notice)
November 1, 2008... Staff In the October cover story, "Pearlicious," credits for images #5 (pg. 65) and #9 (pg. 69) were inadvertently switched. The dyed chocolate pearls were provided by Eliko Pearls , and the Fiji pearls were provided by ProVockative Gems....

Jewelers Hit By Hurricane Ike.
November 1, 2008... By William George Schuster Southeastern jewelers were hit hard by Hurricane Ike, which caused wind and water damage and power outages throughout Texas, the Gulf Coast, and the Midwest on Sept. 13 and 14. There were no reported deaths or...

JSA: Attacks on Salesmen Increase.
November 1, 2008... Staff Jewelers' Security Alliance has documented a surge of attacks on traveling salesmen in recent weeks. The attacks are taking place in an area that spreads from New Mexico to Ohio. JSA, in its "Crime Alert" newsletter, reported...

Binda Acquires Geneva Watch Group.
November 1, 2008... By William George Schuster Binda Group, the Italian watch and jewelry company, on Sept. 4 acquired Advance Watch Group, the U.S. watch and clock manufacturer doing business as Geneva Watch. It was owned by Heritage Partners, a Boston...

Chow Tai Fook Buys Peace Mark Assets.(Chow Tai Fook Enterprises Ltd. acquired Peace Mark Holdings)
November 1, 2008... By William George Schuster Chow Tai Fook, the giant Hong Kong retail jewelry group, has taken over hundreds of watch stores and two manufacturing facilities of bankrupt Hong Kong watch maker and retailer Peace Mark (Holding) Ltd. Chow...

Consumer Spending Flat in August.
November 1, 2008... Staff The Commerce Department reported that consumer spending in August increased just $3.9 billion, or less than 0.1 percent, the worst performance in six months. In July, consumer spending increased $14.2 billion, or 0.1 percent. ...

Conference Board Sees Contraction Into 2009.
November 1, 2008... Staff The Conference Board predicts that the negative growth rates for the U.S. economy in the third quarter will continue through the fourth quarter and into the first half of 2009, according to its economic forecast released Oct. 8. ...

How Hearts On Fire Wins.(Hearts on Fire Co.)(Column)
November 1, 2008... By Frank Dallahan Part training. Part selling. Part motivation. Part excitement. Part recognition. Part product differentiation. Part sales and merchandising support. Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a portion of the Hearts...

Old-Fashioned Common Sense.
November 1, 2008... By Hedda Schupak With media headlines like "The New Frugality" and "Thrifty Is the New Black," there's no question that being cheap is chic. Whether out of fear or necessity, Americans have slammed the brakes on spending. Is the nation...

Diamond Wilderness.
November 1, 2008... By Ben Janowski Some trends in the changing diamond landscape suggest where we are headed. Retailers aren't sanguine about the high-end business and steep price increases. One prominent retailer told me he sees it as a bubble inflated by...

Time to Vote! No, the Other Vote!(Jewelers Choice Awards)
November 1, 2008... By Mark Smelzer Greetings from Mumbai! I'm here for a week to visit our Indian manufacturing friends, and it's been an amazing time to be abroad. It seems the whole world is involved in our upcoming presidential election. Again and...