Jewelers Circular Keystone articles from September 2006

Jewelers Circular Keystone archives from September 2006

Dateline: Tel Aviv.(World Diamond Congress)
September 1, 2006... By Rob Bates, Senior Editor Report from the 2006 World Diamond Congress: The Industry Looks in the Mirror The diamond industry has always been image conscious--yet it was striking how much of the June meeting of the World Diamond...

Industry Leaders Weigh In.(industry forecast)(Industry overview)
September 1, 2006... By William George Shuster JCK asked seven industry leaders for their views on the biggest changes they foresee affecting the jewelry industry over the next three years. Here, we present their predictions, comments, and advice. --compiled...

DPS Retail Landscape Study: It's Rough Terrain for Jewelers.
September 1, 2006... By Hedda T. Schupak, Editor-in-Chief The first comprehensive study of the jewelry shopping experience--as viewed by consumers--turns up some sobering realities. According to consumers, the jewelry retail environment barely rates a C, not...

2006 Annual State of the Industry Report.(Industry overview)
September 1, 2006... By JCK Staff Where does the U.S. jewelry industry stand right now--and what does the future hold? In the eyes of many, it stands on the threshold of change. Many long-standing beliefs about who the customer is and how jewelry is sold...

Searching for Excellence in the Jewelry Industry.
September 1, 2006... By Hedda T. Schupak, Editor-in-Chief Tom Peters, the legendary business guru whose 1982 co-authored book In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies not only spawned a new way of thinking about success but also...

Wal-Mart Moves Up.
September 1, 2006... By Brent Felgner The country's largest jewelry retailer is repositioning in a big way. They have rings that range in price from $68 for a few diamond chips to $5,488 for a couple of carats. Who would believe this is Wal-Mart? ...

Aim Rich, Reach Everybody.
September 1, 2006... By Hedda T. Schupak, Editor-in-Chief The Worth-Harrison Taylor study on wealth in America reveals a new take on the trickle-down theory: Retailers who know how to serve the richest consumers can gain a huge following among the merely...

More Than a Big Red Book: JBT's New Branding Campaign.(conversation with Jewelers Board of Trade's Dione Kenyon)(Interview)
September 1, 2006... By Hedda T. Schupak, Editor-in-Chief The Jewelers Board of Trade is the latest industry association to get on the rebranding wagon. JBT president and CEO Dione Kenyon talks to JCK's editor-in-chief Hedda T. Schupak about the organization's...

Appointments.(Honora Jewelry Corp. appoints Thomas C. Yonelunas )(Heritage Auction Galleries appoints Jill Burgum )(Dangler Studios appoints David Ramirez )
September 1, 2006... By Staff Gemologist Thomas C. Yonelunas has joined Honora as chief operating officer. Prior to joining Honora, Yonelunas held the position of chief executive officer of the Gemological Institute of America 's laboratory division. He began...

Scot Congress Is Top AHA Fund-Raiser in Florida.(fund raising for American Heart Association )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... By Staff Scot Congress, president of Congress Jewelers, which has locations in Florida in Sanibel, Bonita Springs, Naples, and Key West, has raised more funds for the American Heart Association than any individual in Florida. Congress...

Jim Hartstein Named 2006 Recipient of Robert B. Westover Award.(California Jewelers Association)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... By Staff Jim Hartstein, of Jewels by Joseph, Newport Beach, Calif., has been selected as the 2006 recipient of the Robert B. Westover Distinguished Service Award by the California Jewelers Association. The award, presented for...

Northeastern Fine Jewelry Celebrates Leukemia Survivors and Patients.(fund raising for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... By Staff Northeastern Fine Jewelry, with stores in Albany and Schenectady, N.Y., and Manchester Center, Vt., has created a specially designed Heroes & Hope daisy pin to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Upstate New York/Vermont...

Gleim the Jeweler Marks 75th Anniversary.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... By Staff California State Senator Joe Simitian and Assemblyman Ira Rushkin introduced a member resolution congratulating Gleim the Jeweler, Palo Alto, Calif., on its 75th anniversary. The resolution described the store as "an institution...

Shuler's Jewelers Supports Devon Horse Show Fund-Raising Efforts.(fund raising for Bryn Mawr Hospital )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... By Staff Shuler's Jewelers, Chesterbrook, Pa., supported the fund-raising efforts of the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair by hosting an in-store raffle May 13. The Mother's Day weekend event benefited Bryn Mawr Hospital and offered...

Sterling Donation Helps Expand St. Jude Cafeteria.(Sterling Jewelers Inc., St. Jude Children's Research Hospital)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... By Staff More than 40 executives and store managers of Sterling Jewelers joined St. Jude Children's Research Hospital national outreach director Marlo Thomas, her brother, Tony Thomas, and St. Jude patients to reveal a $15 million donation...

W.J. McTeigue Jr.(death of Walter J. McTeigue Jr.)(Obituary)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... By Staff Walter J. McTeigue Jr., of Lenox, Mass.; Sarasota, Fla.; and formerly of Larchmont, N.Y., died peacefully at home in Lenox on June 19, at the age of 81. Born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., McTeigue grew up in Larchmont and served in...

Von Bargen"s Jewelers.(Interview)(Company overview)
September 1, 2006... By Glen A. Beres John Von Bargen is president of Von Bargen's Jewelers, a four-store chain based in Springfield, Vt. Von Bargen, a former economist with a background in silversmithing, founded the company on Killington Mountain in 1975....

Do the Math, Part 2.
September 1, 2006... By Rick Bannerot Having just completed the summer show season, I have an impression of significant concern in the jewelry community, if not a whiff of desperation. In talking to some of the brightest people in the industry, it's clear...

Take Advantage of Sales Objections.(sales management)
September 1, 2006... By Glen A. Beres Barry Farber's Guide to Handling Sales Objections (Career Press, 2004) can help retailers understand and resolve customer objections. Farber, a corporate trainer, discussed the book with JCK and highlighted areas of...

Take Control of Your Day!(time management tips)
September 1, 2006... By Rob Bates, Senior Editor You can accomplish more and have better control of how you spend your time--if you plan ahead, clear away distractions, and follow a few simple rules. The following tips, culled from various sources, will help...

Gem Pricing.(diamonds prices)
September 1, 2006... By Staff Market in brief: The lean summer months won't end soon enough for some retailers. Although a number of dealers are reporting steady activity, for most the market has been flat. The scarcity of white, clean diamonds in the 3.00 ct....

How Can I Sell More Add-Ons?(sales management)
September 1, 2006... By Brad Huisken Most people believe you should close the sale on the main item and then try to add on. In reality--especially with high-end merchandise--a customer is more likely to reject any additional purchase suggestion once the...

950 Palladium Finishing Procedures.
September 1, 2006... By Mark and Lainie Mann Practicing specific procedures for the prefinishing and polishing of 950 palladium makes a stunning difference in the final presentation. This 950 palladium wedding band design was made using CAD/CAM design and...

2 + 2 = 5: The Magical Math of Add-On Sales.(sales management)
September 1, 2006... By Martin C. Shanker Few things are better for business than add-on sales. For the store, add-ons boost productivity by increasing the return on investments in inventory and driving traffic through the store. Furthermore, add-on sales are...

Vox Populi.(jewelry industry regulation)
September 1, 2006... By Frank Dallahan In the day-to-day business of managing a retail jewelry store or jewelry manufacturing business, it's easy to lose track of external events that affect us personally and professionally. It is, I suppose, the artificial...

The State of the Industry.(Industry overview)
September 1, 2006... By Hedda T. Schupak Over the years, articles in JCK have predicted the demise of the independent jeweler. None of those predictions have come to pass, and the jewelry industry remains one of the few retail industries where independently...

Paradigm Shifts.
September 1, 2006... By Ben Janowski Even casual observers note that the jewelry industry is undergoing fundamental and global changes that already have undone long-standing structures. The current changes promise (or threaten, in the view of some) to bring...

Hot Time, Summer in the City.(Hedda Schupak attends Women's Jewelry Association Hall of Fame )(Matt Stuller gets American Gem Society's 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... By Mark Smelzer It's been a scorching summer in New York, and the week of this year's summer JA Show was perhaps the hottest of all. Despite the heat (Dan Kisch and I were stuck on 10th Avenue in search of a cab in one lovely 120-degree...

"Cultured" Clash.
September 1, 2006... By Charles A. Meyer In the end, self-serving commercial motives must be set aside in the interest of the consumer education and protection. The debate between De Beers and the synthetic-diamond industry over the use of the term...

Lynn Diamond Leaves Diamond Industry.(Diamond Promotion Service's executive resigns)
September 1, 2006... By Rob Bates It may seem like she is leaving the jewelry industry after 20-plus years to become a lawyer, but former Diamond Promotion Service executive director S. Lynn Diamond wants people to know she isn't completely saying good-bye....

Minister: Diamonds Have Done Good for Botswana.(conversation with Debswana's managing director Leonard Makwinja)(Interview)
September 1, 2006... By Hedda T. Schupak, Editor-in-Chief Botswana is currently the No.1 producer of diamonds in the world by value. Leonard Makwinja, deputy managing director of Debswana, the mining company jointly owned by De Beers and the Botswanan...

Caron Enlander Dies.(deaht of Diamond Dealers Club's director )(Obituary)
September 1, 2006... By Rob Bates Caron Enlander--the only woman to serve on the board of directors of the Diamond Dealers Club--died recently of cancer at the age of 50. Enlander--whose maiden name was Weiss--didn't have a diamond background, but entered...

Designer"s Dinner Sparks Constructive Conversations.(Cynthia Gale organizes annual dinner)
September 1, 2006... By Jennifer Heebner Cynthia Gale, a maker of historically based museum jewelry lines, holds an annual dinner to thank her supporters, including museum store proprietors, journalists, academics, and other industry friends. But the affair is...

Blue Pearls Debut at Imperial Pearls.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... By Jennifer Heebner After 15 years of experimentation, New Zealand's native abalone species--Haliotis iris , or "paua" in layman's terms--is producing brilliant blue mabe pearls. They're available through Imperial Pearls and farmed and...

The Bull"s-Eye Gets Trendy.(Target Stores Inc. launches new line of jewelry and accessories)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... By Jennifer Heebner The bull's-eye logo that belongs to Target Stores has gone Andy Warhol in its pop-cultural appeal. Jaye Hersh, owner of a trendy boutique called Intuition in Culver City, Calif., approached the retailer two years ago...

Update on the ParaÍba Tourmaline Origin.
September 1, 2006... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA First, some background: Paraíba is a tourmaline from the São Jose da Batalha in the state of Paraíba in northeastern Brazil that has a neon "Windex blue" or electric "Scope green" color....

Another Synthetic Emerald.(Tairus creates new jewelry)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA A new hydrothermally grown emerald has entered the market. The Tairus Created Emerald is similar to a product made by the manufacturer in Australia, the Byron synthetic emerald. Scientists at Tairus's...

CIBJO Retains Gaetano Cavalieri as President.(World Jewellery Confederation)
September 1, 2006... Edited by Hedda T. Schupak Gaetano Cavalieri of Italy was unanimously re-elected to another term as president of CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation. His election took place during the CIBJO Congress 2006, held July 24-27 in...

Fouth ICA Poster Competition Announced.
September 1, 2006... Edited by Hedda T. Schupak The International Colored Gemstone Association is accepting entries in the Fourth ICA International Poster Competition, with winners to be announced at the next ICA Congress, slated for April 28 to May 7, 2007,...

Newswire.(Rhode Island School of Design launches Steven Kretchmer Memorial Scholarship Fund)(Jacob Arabov pled not guilty to money-laundering charges)(Toros Seher charged with money-laundering)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... By Staff Kretchmer Memorial Fund Established The Steven Kretchmer Memorial Scholarship Fund for Metallurgy has been established at the Rhode Island School of Design in memory of the goldsmith and designer who died in a motorcycle...

Zale Names New President and CEO.(Betsy Burton promoted, chief executive officer)
September 1, 2006... By Rob Bates In a surprise move, Betsy Burton, 54, who was named interim chief executive officer of Zale after Mary Forte resigned in February, now holds that job permanently. Before becoming interim CEO, Burton was a member of the...

AGTA President Takes Leave After Robbery.(American Gem Trade Association's Richard Krementz )
September 1, 2006... By Gary Roskin, William George Shuster, and Anthony DeMarco Richard Krementz is taking a three-month leave of absence as president of the American Gem Trade Association--the result of a $1 million robbery of one of his salesmen in Amarillo,...

Belk Buys Migerobe, Forgets Finlay.(Belk Department Stores )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... By Staff Belk Department Stores has purchased Migerobe, a privately held company that operates fine-jewelry departments in 36 Belk locations. The move is part of Belk's plan to operate its own fine- jewelry departments. It comes as bad...

It's All About the Kids!(jewelry industry targets young market)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... By Staff The jewelry market needs to do more to reach out to the young market, Gaetano Cavalieri, president of CIBJO, noted at the opening of the recent CIBJO Congress in Vancouver, British Columbia. "Young people today are seduced by...

Gemologist Shares Limo Ride With Accused Killer.
September 1, 2006... By Staff A routine limo ride to The JCK Show ~ Las Vegas turned out to be a memorable trip for gemologist and appraiser Rodney Ackerman when his ride companion later appeared on national television as the main suspect in a murder. ...

Jewelry Television Buys Shop at Home.(acquisition)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... By Staff Jewelry Television is buying rival TV network Shop at Home for $17 million. As a result, Jewelry Television will keep the network on the air on a "part-time" basis, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Owner E.W. Scripps had previously announced...

Limericks Give Sales Rep "Reason to Smile".(Robert Schneider writes a book of limericks named '79 Reasons to Smile')
September 1, 2006... By Heather Pelletier 79 Reasons to Smile is a book with a message, says 30-year industry sales rep Robert Schneider about his self-published book of limericks. And that message is--well, let one of his limericks explain: The thing...

Newswire.(The Legion of Honor )
September 1, 2006... By William George Shuster The Legion of Honor , France's highest civilian award, was given to Swiss watch industry veteran Franco Cologni for his activities promoting cooperation between France and Italy, and French values. Cologni is...

Swiss Army Brands Build $26M North American HQ.
September 1, 2006... By William George Shuster Swiss Army Brands Inc. recently broke ground for a $26 million North American headquarters site, slated to open in 2007 in Monroe, Conn. The company, best known for its Swiss Army watches and Victorinox Original...

Swiss Watch Work Force at 25 Year High.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... By William George Shuster The workforce of the Swiss watch industry is the largest in 25 years, says the latest census of the Employers' Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (CP). According to CP figures, as of Sept. 30, 2005, the...

Gucci Group Integrates Watch Business.(Gucci Group Watches)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... By William George Shuster The Gucci Group N.V., one of the world's leading luxury goods companies, said June 30 that it will integrate its Gucci Group Watches division into its Gucci brand division, headed by Mark Lee, president and chief...

Swiss Watch Industry Aims at New Export Record.
September 1, 2006... By William George Shuster After passing the 12 billion franc mark (about $9.8 billion) in 2005, Swiss watch exports could top 13 billion Swiss francs (about $10.6 billion) this year. Watch counterfeiting, though, remains a major concern,...

ToolCrafter Introduces J3T Ringmaster.
September 1, 2006... By Staff The J3T Ringmaster from ToolCrafter Inc. is a 900-pound machine for performing metal ring cutting and other tooling options. J3T employs a precision telescope with crosshair reticles, allowing the operator to qualify and measure...

3Design Introduces Improved CAD Program for Jewelers.
September 1, 2006... By Staff 3Design has introduced a new version of its 3D CAD software for jewelry design. The new version, 3D V4, features improvements including an enriched material database, new 3-D duplications, better wizards, and a faster, more...

New Touch Screen POS From ASC.
September 1, 2006... By Staff Applications Systems Corp. Boston, has unveiled a new point-of-sale system that incorporates touch-screen technology and a complete redesign of the previous version. The new POS, an integrated part of ASC's Craftsman Retail...