Jewelers Circular Keystone articles from October 2007

Jewelers Circular Keystone archives from October 2007

Pearls Blast Off.(Industry overview)
October 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA, Senior Editor The pearl market used to be cyclical. It looks as if the cycle has been replaced by a skyrocket. Pearls have been selling strongly for several years, with more pearls and greater selection than...

Back to the Futures.
October 1, 2007... By Rob Bates, Senior Editor Investors are expressing interest in the diamond industry again. But the industry isn't sure that's something to be happy about. Check the financial pages of the newspaper, and you'll see futures listed for...

The New American Aristocracy.
October 1, 2007... By Anthony DeMarco, Senior Editor They're young, entrepreneurial, tech-savvy, and rich. And they're changing the rules of the luxury game. A different kind of wealthy class is rising in the United States, and it's bringing a fresh set...

The <EMPHASIS TYPE="ITALIC">JCK</EMPHASIS> 2007 State of the Industry Report: Part 2.
October 1, 2007... By William George Shuster What is the most critical issue facing the jewelry industry in the next couple of years, and how can we deal with it? That was the question JCK posed for its 2007 State of the Industry report. To answer it, we...

Competing in a Changing Market.
October 1, 2007... By Helena Krodel, associate director of media, Jewelry Information Center The Internet has helped consumers obtain fine-jewelry education, discover more product options, become price conscious, and enjoy immediacy in obtaining jewelry....

Diamond Investments.
October 1, 2007... By Tom Chatham, president and chief operating officer, Chatham Created Gems The information highway has spawned a new type of consumer: the informed consumer. I will bet every retailer reading this has had instances when a 20-something...

The Internet's Impact on the Jewelry Retailer.
October 1, 2007... By Mark Schneider, president, Mark Schneider Design The Internet has given buyers the ability to purchase diamonds without setting foot in a jewelry store or consulting a jeweler. It has given entrepreneurs the opportunity to sell a product...

Getting a Fair Share of Luxury Spending.
October 1, 2007... By Huw Daniel, president, Platinum Guild USA Every purchase of a $900 flat screen TV and $2,500 designer handbag raises the question, 'Why wasn't that a jewelry purchase?' Perhaps we need more aggressive marketing programs, exploring...

What's Trust Got to Do With It?
October 1, 2007... By Eli Mermelstein, vice president of marketing, Croton Watch Co. Inc. Honesty and integrity have built trust between customer and jeweler that's been unparalleled. This has kept the jeweler in good business for centuries. Recently though,...

Integrity During a Time of Rapid Changes.
October 1, 2007... By Donna Baker, president, Gemological Institute of America The key challenge for our industry will be keeping up with the rapid pace of change and doing it with candor and transparency. We are seeing increased globalization, new...

Keeping and Increasing In-Store Traffic.
October 1, 2007... By Sarah Person, owner, Exclusively Diamonds The convenience of shopping online and the ability to create your own ring weaken the need for consumers to visit a brick-and-mortar store. So, jewelers must create the desire for customers to...

Competing With the Internet.
October 1, 2007... By Aida Alvarez, senior vice president, merchandising, Birks & Mayors Inc. To compete with the Internet, retailers must continue to promote a sensory approach to certain jewelry and Swiss watches. Being able to touch and feel these...

Jewelry Designer of the Two Worlds.
October 1, 2007... By Shaye Strager The 50th edition of Italy's Spoleto Festival offered Katey Brunini an opportunity to strengthen Italian - American ties, reconnect with relatives, and share in their artistic legacy. If not for the Internet, Katey...

Extreme Watch Testing.(National Geographic Society's watches)
October 1, 2007... By William George Schuster, Senior Editor When you're up to your eyeballs in alligators, you're probably field-testing a National Geographic Watch. Think about the product testing of wristwatches. What do you imagine? Tedious tests by...

Network Unites Watch Dealers and Jewelers.
October 1, 2007... By William George Shuster, Senior Editor A new Web site makes instant connections among professionals, and gives them the competitive edge to balance inventory supply and demand. Need a watch right away for a customer? Looking to buy or...

Jewelers Executive Conference Announces 2008 Dates.(Conference news)
October 1, 2007... By Staff The next Jewelers Executive Conference will be held March 15 and 16, 2008, at the Doubletree Hotel in Overland Park, Kan. The conference will provide jewelry store owners, managers, and decision-making executives with both formal...

Miami Beach Antique Jewelry & Watch Show This Month.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... By Staff The 15th Miami Beach Antique Jewelry & Watch Show will take place Oct. 26-28, at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The three-day show will bring together more than 150 dealers from France, Italy, China, Canada, the United...

Fire & Flash Expands.
October 1, 2007... By Staff Fire & Flash, the new International Jewelry Showcase at AmericasMart Atlanta, has been established as a biannual market. This year's show takes place Oct. 13-16 and will run in conjunction with the Atlanta Apparel market. ...

First 'Women in the Know - Midwest' Conference This Month.(Women's Jewelry Association)(Macy's Inc.)(Brief article)(Conference notes)
October 1, 2007... By Staff The Women's Jewelry Association, in partnership with Macy's on State in Chicago, will present the first 'Women in the Know - Midwest' business conference on Oct. 19. The theme of the Midwest conference, to be held at the...

JVC Publishes New Consumer Publication.
October 1, 2007... By Staff Jewelers Vigilance Committee has created a new consumer brochure titled 'Buying Jewelry? Do Not Be Fooled by the Word 'Wholesale' in Advertising' to help consumers understand that it is misleading for retailers to advertise as a...

AGS Announces New Membership Designation.
October 1, 2007... By Staff American Gem Society has announced a new membership designation for American Gem Society members who have successfully completed Jewelers of America's Certified Bench Jeweler certification, an exam process created to assess...

Hight & Randall Ltd. Personal Jeweler.(Interview)(Company overview)
October 1, 2007... By Staff Hight & Randall Ltd. Personal Jeweler is a full-service, American Gem Society store based in Rochester, Minn. Established in 1995, the store caters to the upscale, professional, high-tech community associated with the...

What We Can Learn From Aesop.
October 1, 2007... By Rick Bannerot Aesop's fable about the grasshopper and the ant comes to mind as a cautionary tale for the jewelry business. One sunny midsummer's day, the grasshopper is jumping around and chirping merrily when he sees an ant stuffing...

Blog Marketing 101.
October 1, 2007... By Glen A. Beres Imagine discovering a powerful way to reach customers directly, get instant feedback, build your brand, test new products, increase your visibility, and promote your company cheaply and effectively. Blogs offer all this...

Gem Pricing Report.
October 1, 2007... By Staff Dealers report mixed results in the colored stone markets. After declining earlier this summer, gas prices are rising again. Prices of many food products are up significantly, and consumers are hearing reports of home...

How Do I Set Up a Productivity Improvement Program?
October 1, 2007... By Brad Huisken The four benchmarks of a productivity improvement program are training and coaching, nonnegotiable sales and customer service standards, goals, and accountability. Training It should focus on four distinct areas: sales...

Skills Plus an Assertive Style Equals Selling Success.
October 1, 2007... By Martin Shanker Skills in greeting, questioning, or closing are important but must be applied with appropriate amounts of assertiveness. Assertiveness is to selling as garlic is to food. A little greatly enhances flavor; too much will...

Those Who Fail to Plan -.(technology in jewelry industry )(Viewpoint essay)
October 1, 2007... By Frank Dallahan, frankdallahan@comcast.net Technology has changed the way we live in so many ways. A few years ago, a speaker at one of the trade shows said the adoption of technology has become much more rapid today than in previous...

Holiday Barometers.
October 1, 2007... By Hedda Schupak We all know what's been going down: the housing market, the stock market, and easy consumer credit. Unfortunately, the U.S. Labor Department also reported jobs going down-4,000 jobs were lost in August. What's been going...

Flower Power.(jewelry industry)(Viewpoint essay)
October 1, 2007... By Ben Janowski, benjanow@gmail.com We often think our industry is so different from others that it's governed by a special set of rules. Our products are labor intensive, highly personal, appeal to deep emotions, and possess high...

A Special Anniversary.
October 1, 2007... By Mark Smelzer Ten years ago (Sept. 17, to be exact), a seismic event occurred at the JCK Publishing Group. That day, nearly 80 percent of the staff quit to form a competitive publication, leaving the remaining staffers stunned. The...

Moshe Schnitzer, Diamond Industry Legend, Dies.
October 1, 2007... By Rob Bates Moshe Schnitzer, one of the driving forces behind the Israeli diamond industry and a true industry legend, died recently at age 86. Among his many titles, Schnitzer was president of the Israel Diamond Exchange; chairman of...

Does Diamond Mining Hurt the Environment?
October 1, 2007... By Rob Bates While certain sellers of lab-grown diamonds now claim that diamond mining is ecologically damaging, activists say that isn't true of all types of mining. GreenKarat.com, which sells synthetic stones, declares on its Web...

JVC Hires Lobbyist for 'Cultured' Fight.
October 1, 2007... By Rob Bates Jewelers Vigilance Committee confirmed a report in Legal Times that it has hired a lobbying firm to prod the Federal Trade Commission to bar the word cultured for lab-grown gems. JVC executive director Cecilia Gardner...

De Beers to Settle Lawsuit in October.
October 1, 2007... By Rob Bates The forms that allow industry members to claim their share of the De Beers $290 million antitrust settlement should be available in October 2007, according to Jewelers Vigilance Committee. The fund will be divided among...

GIA Opens Lab in Johannesburg.(Gemological Institute of America)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... By Rob Bates The Gemological Institute of America plans to open a second overseas lab in Johannesburg, South Africa, in early 2008. This move comes three months after GIA's board of governors approved global expansion plans. The new...

L.I.D. Reaches Agreements With Banks on Financing.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... By Rob Bates LI.D., New York, operating under Chapter 11 since March, announced that its lender banks have agreed to a long-term financing agreement. 'We were a sound company then, and we are a more viable company today as our plan...

Secret Treasures Unveiled by AJDC.(American Jewelry Design Council)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... By Jennifer Heebner Secret treasure is the theme of the 12th Annual Design Project Collection from the American Jewelry Design Council, a nonprofit education group. Member interpretations of the theme include jewelry and art objects. All...

Trend Alert: Meet the Beetles.(Jewelry trends)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... By Jennifer Heebner Take a bit of your backyard with you wherever you go. Jewelry designers are re-creating tiny garden inhabitants in precious metal to evoke nostalgia and foster fond memories of spring, summer, and the country. City...

Winners of Diamond Jewelry Competition Announced.
October 1, 2007... By Jennifer Heebner Eight pieces were recently selected as winners of this year's Diamond Promotion Service Journey Diamond Jewelry Design Competition. The event challenged U.S. sightholders, manufacturers, and jewelry designers to create...

Signity Buys Leslie Diffusion Topaz.(Signity Group)(Leslie and Co.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA Signity, distributor of precision-cut natural and created gemstones, and a wholly owned subsidiary of D. Swarovski & Co., has acquired Leslie & Co., San Diego, the manufacturer and distributor of topaz enhanced...

Federman Named Editor-in-Chief of Colored Stone.
October 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA David Federman, award-winning journalist, author, and former executive editor of Modern Jeweler , has been named editor-in-chief of Colored Stone magazine. Federman reports to Merle White, editorial director of...

TanzaNight at the Museum.
October 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA Gemological Institute of America staff, students, and guests were treated to an array of tanzanite and tanzanite jewelry and a presentation from Sarah Cort and Anna Haber, managing and operations directors,...

H&auml;nni Receives Distinction From ICA.
October 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA During the Dubai International Colored Gemstone Association Congress in May, Henry A. Hanni was presented with ICA's Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition and appreciation for a lifetime of distinguished...

Blue Topaz Crackdown Unlikely.
October 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin Despite the furor over radiation treatments for blue topaz, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission probably won't ask jewelers to pull the gemstone from their shelves, a spokesman says. 'We are not requesting the industry to take...

Lagos Wins Trademark Battle.
October 1, 2007... By Staff A federal judge in Philadelphia has ruled that jewelry designer and manufacturer Michael Dawkins infringed on the trademark owned by jewelry designer and manufacturer Lagos. U.S. District Court Judge Ronald J. Buckwalter of...

IRS Looks for AML Compliance.
October 1, 2007... By Rob Bates The Internal Revenue Service is examining jewelry wholesalers and retailers for compliance with their anti-money-laundering obligations under the Patriot Act. These audits are being added to the IRS's standard audits to...

Salesman Assaulted in Florida Robbery.
October 1, 2007... By Anthony DeMarco Eyal Kallati, a 25-year-old New York jewelry distributor, was recently assaulted and robbed of jewelry worth $300,000 during a sales call in Boca Raton, Fla., he told JCK . Kallati had just left a jewelry store...

Tiffany Sells Little Switzerland.
October 1, 2007... By Rob Bates Tiffany & Co. has sold its Caribbean-oriented Little Switzerland division to NXP Corp., which operates retail stores under the names Jewels and Azura by Jewels in the Caribbean. The company did not disclose the sale price but...

President of Zale North America Resigns.(John Zimmermann)
October 1, 2007... By Rob Bates In the latest in a series of management shuffles, John Zimmermann, president of Zale North America, which includes the flagship Zale division, recently left as a result of a company streamlining. The news comes as Zale...

Luxury Consumers Often Misunderstood.
October 1, 2007... By Staff Wealthy consumers are not just 'consumption machines living in another reality,' but hard-working, potentially loyal consumers who often seek guidance for their purchases, according to a new report by The Luxury Institute. ...

From the <WEBADDRESS>JCKonline.com</WEBADDRESS> Blogs.
October 1, 2007... By Staff The New Sightholder Applications You ever go on a job interview and get asked questions like, 'What are your strengths?' and 'Where do you see yourself in five years?' That's what the new sightholder questionnaire is...

Valentine A. Perez, Jeweler.
October 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin Valentine Perez died March 6, after a battle with lung cancer. He was 76. Perez, a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, began working in the jewelry industry at the age of 13. He emigrated to the United States in his late...

Philip Edward Lindsay, Diamond Cutter.
October 1, 2007... By Gary Roskin Diamond cutter Philip Edward Lindsay died of a heart attack April 26. He was 58. Lindsay, a cutter for EightStar Diamond Co., Cotati, Calif., cut the company's American Star, a 13.42 ct. D/Flawless. 'A legend has died,'...

Gerald Fried.(Gerald Fried Display Co. )(Obituary)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... By Staff Gerald Fried, who founded Gerald Fried Display Co. in 1946, died on Aug. 15. While the Fried Packaging and Display Co. had been operating under new ownership since 2002, Fried continued to work until this past winter. 'Those...

Corrections.(Correction notice)
October 1, 2007... By Staff In 'Metals: Contemporary Alternatives' (JCK , July 2007, p. 76), the wrong palladium bridal set was pictured for Hoover & Strong on p. 80. The correct image is shown here. Also, the toll-free phone number is (800) 759-9997.

Swiss Watch Exports to U.S. Up 13.8% in First Half.
October 1, 2007... By William George Shuster Swiss watch exports rose 15.5 percent in value in the first half of 2007, to $5.9 billion, says the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH. Precious-metal timepieces showed the highest rates of growth. The...

'Swiss Made' Standard Could Be Lucrative for Swatch.
October 1, 2007... By William George Shuster Tougher criteria for use of the 'Swiss made' label on watches could benefit the Swatch Group, the world's largest watchmaker, say Swiss press accounts, citing a report by UBS (United Bank of Switzerland). On...

Elini Ordered to Stop Selling Watches Similar to Franck Muller's.
October 1, 2007... By William George Shuster A New York City federal judge in July ordered Elini to stop selling three watch lines that allegedly copied Franck Muller luxury watches. The order by Judge George Daniels incorporated a written agreement between...

Top Brands Support MD Charity Auction.
October 1, 2007... By William George Shuster Thirty-five of the world's leading watch brands each donated a unique watch or the first in a limited series to the Only Watch 2007 auction in Monaco on Sept. 20. The auction was conducted by Antiquorum...

Newswire.(Frederique Constant Geneve's growth)(Rolex Watch U.S.A. Inc's sales)(Gerald Genta's new boutique in Paris)
October 1, 2007... By Staff Swiss watchmaker Frederique Constant Geneve announced a 52 percent growth in sales for the first six months of 2007. It cited a return to sales growth in North America and continuing strong growth in Western Europe, Russia, and...