the malaysia international jewelex trade fair will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2004. this year’s edition of the show will be held oct. 8-11 at the putra world trade centre, kuala lumpur, malaysia. last year’s show drew more than 10,000 visitors from malaysia, japan, singapore, hong kong, thailand, philippines, indonesia, taiwan, pakistan, iran, australia, and other countries—a 20% i…

the accredited gemologists association (aga) will host a half-day conference titled “corundum: an expert look at treatments, identification techniques, and disclosure” on june 4 in las vegas, from 1:30-4:30 p.m. the conference will combine panel discussions, q&a, and hands-on workshops during which participants will be able to examine many different types of treated corundums.

for new watches in 2004, the accent is on classic functions clothed in contemporary designs. new models and collections unveiled in april at baselworld 2004 and at the sihh luxury watch fair in geneva were stylish, chic, and unexpected—easily encompassing a thesaurus of fashionably trendy descriptions.

the goal of advertising is to get the right message to the right person in the right environment. radio, a medium that reaches more than 93% of adults 18 years of age and older who shopped in a jewelry store in the past four weeks (the media audit, 2002), can deliver your message in an environment that’s an integral part of your customer’s lifestyle.

in our last article, we took a macro trip through the ratios and the road map to demonstrate the profit mastery process. (see “rx for survival,” jck, march 2004, p. 76.) this time we’ll use the same road map to drive deeper into the gross margin (gm) issue, because it’s one of the two key success drivers in the jewelry industry.

sapphire is just one of the varietal names for the mineral corundum, an aluminum oxide (al2o3). in its purest state, sapphire is colorless, but when impurities get caught up in the crystal growth, the mineral can take on color. a trace amount of iron and titanium produces a blue sapphire. and while mother nature creates some spectacular blue sapphires, she doesn’t create enough to satisfy jewel…

the international colored gemstone association (ica), in cooperation with french gemologist and author patrick voillot, has released the first of four three-hour documentaries, in pursuit of precious gemstones. according to ica, the series is a mix of serious science and high adventure, with “no small amount of danger, as the viewer is taken to the magical places where rare colored gemstones ar…

true story: after having a family grocery business professionally valuated, a semi-retired father gave his shares of the business outright to the child who showed the most aptitude for—and interest in—running the store. his other children received other assets. “the key to the success [of this succession] was the recognition that from a business perspective, only one of the children…

for investors around the world, gold has been one of the shining stars in another uncertain year of investing. on dec. 1, 2003, gold bullion broke the $400-an-ounce mark in trading for the first time since 1996. the price of gold continued to climb in 2004, exceeding $415 on the spot market in march.

b&n jewelry has granted the independent jewelers organization an exclusive to the “bien” brand of bridal jewelry for the u.s. market. bien is a major bridal brand in england and europe manufactured by b&n jewelry in hatfield, england. b&n jewelry has been known primarily in the united states for its hand-engraved jewelry.

on dec. 13, 2003, the tivol family celebrated harold tivol’s 80th birthday in grand style by hosting a party at the kansas city starlight theatre—the third largest outdoor theatre in the country—featuring actor/singer jim belushi and the sacred hearts band. each attendee contributed a $100 donation to the alzheimer’s association heart of america chapter.

when we asked the jck retail panel for tales of trouble with suppliers, we got back a harvest of horror stories. in fact, 55% of panelists said they’d had a “terrible experience” with a vendor. asked if they’d ever deal with those suppliers again, 88.6% said “no.” below are some of the stories jewelers shared with jck, plus tips on how retailers and suppliers can work together more harmoniou…

during a special reception to commemorate the inaugural voyage of the queen mary ii, j.r. dunn jewelers unveiled its new queen mary ii charm collection. the fort lauderdale, fla.-based jeweler designed and handcrafted the collection for cunard in honor of the qm2 gala hosted by the cruise line on jan.

jewelry repair enterprises inc. (jre), the delray beach, fla.-based franchisor of fast-fix jewelry repairs, recently unveiled u.s. expansion plans that call for the opening of 60 to 75 fast-fix locations nationwide over the next five years. the plans also call for a focus on two regions, the northeast and midwest.

deborah scarpa believes in the power of the brand. she preaches it with gusto. she sells it with passion. and she backs her words with action. during the past year, when other advertising agencies were either cutting their staffs or closing, scarpa, founder and president of djs advertising & marketing, a miami-based firm specializing in luxury markets, went on a hiring blitz.

author and sales trainer brad huisken, who writes jck’s “strategies for selling” column, has written a new book titled munchies for salespeople: sales tips you can sink your teeth into. the book comprises more than 125 brief essays, each accompanied by a quote. huisken is president of ias training and author of i’m a salesman! not a ph.

hollywood has a new high-tech accessory from designer kathrine baumann beverly hills. going beyond her well-known minaudière line, baumann tickled the style bone of every l.a. starlet when she introduced her own swarovski crystal-adorned cell phone line just in time for the academy awards. “the phones were originally conceived to fit perfectly into our minaudières, along with lipstick…

the women’s jewelry association’s annual networking party will celebrate the winners of the 2004 diva design competition in las vegas on june 4 from 6:30 – 8 p.m. at the v bar in the venetian hotel. the cost is $55 for members and $70 for nonmembers. for more information, contact wja headquarters at (973) 575-7190 or visit www.

the 2004 edition of Éclat de mode, held jan. 23-26 in paris, welcomed 344 companies, including 147 international firms from 27 different nations—an increase in exhibitors of 18.6% over the previous year’s figures. visitor attendance also was up (13.82%), with 10,245 professional buyers making the trip to paris for the event.

diamond staffing solutions is a national placement service with more than 30 years of experience focused exclusively on the fine-jewelry industry. it relies on a resource bank of personnel who are interviewed and checked for references. background and credit checks also are performed. for more information, contact diamond staffing solutions at (603) 437-2629 or www.

a new 68-page catalog from kassoy showcases the latest additions to the company’s line of jeweler’s bench tools. new items include the jool tool warrior polishing system, new hermes computerized engraving machines, the otec tack and pulse arc welders, and the grs benchmate system that holds and positions work.

the bankruptcy reorganization plan of samuels jewelers, the eighth-largest u.s. retail jewelry chain, has been approved by u.s. bankruptcy court, which confirmed it at a march 30 hearing. the company filed in 2003 for reorganization under chapter 11 of the u.s. bankruptcy code, which lets a company continue to operate and manage its assets and avoid liquidation while it reorganizes and seeks to…

it didn’t take long for exhibitors and attendees to see that this year’s miami beach antique show would be a rousing success. halfway into the first day, exhibitors were already upbeat about sales, and a sense of optimism ran through the show as more and more people crowded the aisles. by the end of the day, people were wandering the aisles with dazed expressions.

aya international llc has opened an office on fifth avenue in new york city. aya azrielant owns, operates, and designs for aya international llc, which is now separated from its former parent company andin international inc. azrielant plans to create a designer product line especially for women, focusing on contemporary career women.

edith weiner, a noted futurist, consultant, and president of weiner, edrich & brown, was the keynote speaker at the first women in the know conference, which took place feb. 27 at the fashion institute of technology in new york. it was sponsored by the women’s jewelry association. in her presentation, weiner noted a series of societal trends that will affect jewelers and others in the retai…

retail anthropologist paco underhill is probably one of the few men on earth who doesn’t have to be dragged kicking and screaming into a mall. that’s because it’s his job to spend many days at many different malls. underhill, a past keynote speaker at the jck show ~ orlando and the author of why we buy: the science of shopping, has just released a new book titled call of the mall.

office politics: they are divisive, unpleasant … and in the view of most experts, inevitable.”there is no gathering of three or more persons that is free of politics,” says susan roane, who speaks and writes on management issues. “it happens in the church, in the family, in charity organizations.

the 13th in a series of international exhibitions for the middle east’s fine-jewelry and luxury watch market—jewellery arabia 2004—will be held oct. 5-9, 2004, at the bahrain international exhibition centre. the show provides international jewelry houses with access to the region’s $30 billion jewelry market.

the family business of renowned imperial russian court jeweler carl fabergé has returned home after almost a century. sarah fabergé, carl’s great-granddaughter and an internationally known designer, on march 18 officially opened the family’s first store in russia since 1917. the store is located in st.

eurostar diamond traders, a diamond trading company sightholder, recently acquired an interest in paul winston, a jewelry company based in new york city. as a result of the partnership, a new name for the company and its bridal collection has been introduced: true romance. eurostar ceo kaushik mehta noted that the relationship between the two companies goes back to when eurostar began supplying…

the exhibit “eternal egypt: masterworks of ancient art from the british museum” will open july 10 at the royal british columbia museum in victoria, bc, canada. the exhibit—which has been on the road in the united states and canada since 2001—was organized by the british museum, owners of the largest collection of egyptian artifacts outside of cairo.

fink’s jewelers, founded in 1930 in roanoke, va., has grown to include 16 mall-based locations throughout virginia and north carolina. in 2004, the firm will add its first free-standing store location, says company president marc fink. the new location includes enough land to also accommodate the company’s need for more corporate office space.

stone set technologies has received a patent for its “unilock,” a housing for setting a stone into jewelry that can be locked in place (press fit) by any percussion-action tool. it is available for diamonds, colored stones, and half-round cabochons with a range in sizes from 1.7 mm to 5.8 mm diameter.

the diamondcare plus system for jewelry cleaning consists of a tablet that dissolves in a cup of hot water. also included are patented jewelclips that safely hold jewelry inside the cup. as the tablet dissolves, it cleans diamond, gold, and platinum jewelry in less than eight minutes. suggested retail for a tube of diamondcare plus with 16 tablets and three reusable jewelclips is $7.

dr. henry h. hänni, director of the swiss gemmological institute (ssef) in basel, switzerland, has performed the gemological equivalent of a hat trick this month: he’s a three-time newsmaker, having developed a quick beryllium diffusion identification, solved the mystery of the new sri lankan blues, and taken top honors with aga’s bonanno award for excellence.

the jewelry and watch division of the national conference for community and justice (nccj) held its 53rd annual dinner in december 2003 at the pierre hotel, new york. during the event, the nccj’s humanitarian award was presented to phyllis bergman, president of mercury ring corp. robert wueste, president of samuel aaron international, served as dinner chairman, and mort weisenfeld, honorary pre…

at a recent conference hosted by the women’s jewelry association (wja), diane danielson, president of dwc service inc., boston, and co-author of table talk: the savvy girl’s alternative to networking, taught the audience a few networking tricks. among her suggestions:

manufacturing jewelers & suppliers of america (mjsa) recently elected three top industry executives to its board of directors, including the second mjsa board member to come from a top u.s. retailer. sue gove, coo/executive vice president of zale corp. in irving, texas; richard frederick, president of keystone findings in telford, pa.

carrol boyes functional art, manufacturer and importer of cast metalware, stainless, and leather selections in tabletop, gourmet, gifts, and accent furniture, has moved its manhattan showroom at 225 fifth avenue into gallery 726 on the 7th floor. the showroom offers the work of south african sculptor carrol boyes.

a new line of watches named for the national geographic society is being made and marketed by egana goldpfeil, a leader in licensed watches, under an agreement announced march 8 in washington d.c., where the society is headquartered. it’s the first time the 116-year-old organization, one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations, has licensed its name for use on …

when asked about their purchasing intentions for 2004, the “elite affluent”—those with a net worth (assets minus liabilities) of $1 million or more—said they planned to splurge on luxury goods, including jewelry. that’s according to results of the elite traveler/prince and associates luxury spending survey released in november 2003.

“plain” yellow gold has gone the way of the mood ring and the rotary telephone, as the taste for stylish finishes and eye-catching surface textures grows into a full-blown trend. from mirror polish to painstaking granulation to soft, satiny surfaces, yellow gold can accommodate a range of looks and assume a variety of personas.

preliminary sales reports are in from the u.s. census bureau for 2003, and the news is good: sales at jewelry-only stores were up nearly 7% over 2002 figures. for the five-year period 1999-2003, sales increased a little over 11.5% overall. for the fourth quarter of 2003, sales increased 9.5% over figures for the same period the year before.

the associated press has reported that the fabergé collection formerly owned by forbes magazine will begin a tour of russia in may. debuting at the kremlin in moscow on may 18, 2004, the collection is expected to travel to the state hermitage museum in st. petersburg and on to an unannounced location in yekaterinburg, the city where the russian imperial family was executed in 1918.

carl f. bucherer, switzerland’s leading watch and jewelry retailer, plans to sell its brand of luxury watches in the united states. it has set up a u.s. office with the intention of beginning distribution here on may 1, 2004. launch of the carl f. bucherer collection in north america (including the united states, the caribbean, and canada) was announced at the baselworld trade fair last month.

this year’s las vegas antique jewelry & watch show, featuring 279 exhibitors, opens one day prior to the jck show ~ las vegas. the show will run from june 3-6 at the rio pavilion convention center inside the rio all-suite hotel & casino in las vegas. call (239) 732-6642 or fax (239) 732-6652 for more information.

jerry hale, a longtime employee of rogers jewelers in modesto, calif., died dec. 27, 2003. he was 59. born in sonoma, calif., hale began his career in the jewelry industry in 1965 in the credit department of rogers jewelry company and quickly worked his way up to credit manager of the company’s bakersfield, calif.

the g.l.d.a. will hold its sixth annual las vegas gem & jewelry show at the mirage casino hotel, june 1-3, 2004. featuring more than 500 booths, this wholesale-only delivery show offers loose diamonds, gemstones, jewelry, antique jewelry, pearls, beads, carvings, gold, silver, and equipment. the 2004 show will feature several special foreign groups as well as individual companies.

in talking about terrorism, conflict diamonds, et al., how is it that no one mentions, let alone even bothers to talk about, holocaust diamonds and other precious stones that are in the marketplace these days? where did all those diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and better pieces of finished jewelry go—and who owns them today? what about those swiss banks, as well as south american …

while other businesses have come and gone in dixon, ill., trein’s jewelry has stayed put. when the jeweler (originally named dodge & kling) first opened in the spring of 1883, various businesses—including a housecleaner, a bank, and a theater, according to old newspaper clippings—were in operation in downtown dixon.

the world jewelry federation, known as cibjo, is often called the jewelry industry’s united nations, and many see it as just as ineffective. at a time when worldwide diamond associations have acted with lightning swiftness on issues like conflict diamonds, cibjo is seen as a relic of the past, an endlessly deliberative body that produces more yawns than achievements.

the lord of the rings was the film of the year when it came to those little golden statues, but drop earrings ruled the red carpet. hollywood—from the hills to the hotels—glittered with jewels not only on oscar night but also the entire week before, as jewelers hoped the stars’ stylists would choose their pieces for a moment in the spotlight.

there is widespread ignorance of the kimberley process and the conflict diamond issue among salespeople and the industry, the nongovernmental organization global witness says in a report that was scheduled to be released at the march world diamond council meeting in dubai. global witness campaigner corinna gilfillan says her group asked salespeople at major chains what precautions they were ta…

the shanghai international diamond jewellery fair 2004 will be held at the shanghai international exhibition center, china, july 22-25, 2004. a massive promotional and p.r. campaign is planned for the event, with more than 50,000 invitations going out to local jewelry shops, retailers, buyers, importers, and diamond and jewelry traders worldwide.

the antwerp-based diamond industry group hrd (the diamond high council) has selected jacky rot as its new president. rot replaces charles bornstein, who resigned recently after four years of service. rot first joined the hrd board of directors in 1993. since then he has served as the head of hrd’s public relations committee.

big stores selling everything imaginable are a big part of retailing throughout this country. and it’s a very successful model, indeed. but is bigger better for fine-jewelry stores? for one regional chain, day’s jewelers, bigger has been compatible with success. and the company’s newest store in manchester, n.

two major u.s. jewelry associations have filed amicus (friend of the court) briefs asking a federal judge not to ban de beers’ u.s. advertising after the company defaulted in an antitrust suit. jewelers of america and the jewelers vigilance committee argued that any ad ban could have a devastating impact on the industry as a whole.

the diamond promotion service, in partnership with jck magazine, has announced a competition to challenge u.s. diamond manufacturers and designers to create new designs of diamond right-hand rings. the purpose of the competition is to generate designs that will capture the attention of retailers and ultimately help build diamond sales.

israel’s former prime minister and current finance minister benjamin netanyahu recently addressed the israel diamond exchange, noting that “the contribution of the diamond industry to israel’s economy has been enormous.” shmuel schnitzer, president of the exchange and of the world federation of diamond bourses, later asked netanyahu for help in turning israel’s diamond zone into a free trade ar…

the american gem trade association (agta) is accepting submissions for the 2005 spectrum and cutting edge awards competition. deadline for entries is sept. 20. entries in the spectrum awards will be evaluated by a panel of distinguished industry judges on the basis of overall beauty and wearability, innovative design, effective use of materials, quality of gemstones, quality of workmanship, br…

a. link & co. has merged with dali diamond of antwerp, belgium. dali diamond has been a diamond trading company sightholder for more than 35 years and has factories in belgium, china, and the ukraine. the new joint partnership will enable a. link to offer its customers a larger assortment of sizes, clarities, and colors.

scholarships valued at nearly $100,000 have been awarded to 31 on-campus and distance education students of the gemological institute of america (gia) for the 2004 academic year. conferred annually on qualified applicants who wish to enroll in the institute’s graduate gemologist (g.g.) and graduate jeweler (g.

survival international, the london-based group concerned with the rights of tribal peoples, has called for a boycott of de beers and iman, the somali-born model who serves as the public face of the de beers retail chain. survival opposes the botswana government’s resettlement of the gana and gwi bushmen, charging that the government is moving them so it can look for diamonds on their land.

jck magazine and business resource services (brs), seattle, have announced a new joint venture to help jewelers improve the profitability of their businesses. in addition to an industrywide benchmarking study, the project will include the establishment of performance groups for jewelers to learn to identify, measure, and manage the key drivers of their profits and cash flow.

this mother’s day, gallery of diamonds, costa mesa, calif., will once again award a .25-ct. princess-cut diamond (valued at $500) to two orange county, calif., students and one national winner of an essay contest, “why mom deserves a diamond.” company president michael watson launched the competition in 1993 to honor his birth mother and adoptive mother.

synthetic diamonds continue to attract media attention. on and around valentine’s day, there were stories in the washington post, the orlando sentinel, and the indianapolis star on synthetic diamonds. the post story also was syndicated to newspapers throughout the country. most of the articles noted that synthetic stones are not simulants like cubic zirconia and are chemically the same as…

on friday, feb. 6, 2004, at the annual tucson conference, james v. jolliff announced that, after 12 years as executive director of the national association of jewelry appraisers (naja), he was stepping down from that leadership role as of march 1, 2004. jolliff selected gail brett levine, g.g., as naja’s new executive director.

heat treatment has created more salable gems than mother nature ever created on her own. but heat treatment can also reduce the value of gemstones. when color origin cannot be determined, prices for many colored gemstones usually sink to the lowest common denominator, as they have for aquamarine, one of a dozen popular gems whose color can only rarely be identified as natural vs.

jewelers of america (ja) has announced the winners of its 14th annual ja affiliate design competition. the contest featured 31 entries that had won design competitions hosted by ja’s state and regional affiliate organizations in the previous year. all of the entries were created by ja members or employees of ja member stores.

alpina is an old european watch name seeking a new lease on life in the 21st century. it began in 1883, with a group of swiss watchmakers whose calibers were made by the alpina ebauche factory. “alpina” was registered as a high-end watch brand in 1901 and produced in switzerland, france, and germany before world war i.

bricks meet clicks this month as the world gold council and jewelry.com, with key support from aurafin-oroamerica and andin international, partner to bring a unique gold jewelry marketing program to consumers across america under the banner “may is gold month.” jewelry.com is the online jewelry portal to a variety of gold jewelry styles in all price ranges, sold exclusively at jc penney, macy’s…

manufacturing jewelers & suppliers of america (mjsa) has announced that following successful runs at several top jewelry shows across the country, ajm magazine’s “at the bench live” seminar series has been scheduled for the jck show ~ las vegas, june 4-8 at the sands expo & convention center.

a collection of intricate chinese jade carvings will be showcased in the gemological institute of america (gia) museum in carlsbad, calif. may 24 – oct. 31. “magic, myths, and minerals: chinese jades from the arthur m. sackler gallery” will be on loan from the smithsonian institution traveling exhibition service (sites).

a major exhibition from the art of cartier collection will take place at the museum of fine arts, houston, from oct. 31, 2004, through march 27, 2005. the exhibit, titled “cartier design viewed by ettore sottsass,” includes diadems, brooches, necklaces, rings, and bracelets as well as accessories like cigarette cases, writing instruments, clocks, and watches.

consumers may not know the implications of having rhodium-plated jewelry—in fact, they may not even have a clue that their favorite pieces are plated—but retailers and manufacturers have long grappled with the pros and cons of making and selling white gold jewelry. now, it seems, change is on the horizon.

the 15th portojóia – international jewelry, gold and watch exhibition will be held at exponor – porto international fair sept. 22-26, 2004. in addition to the show, a program of activities is being prepared to promote and contribute to the development of the industry as well as provide more interest in and publicity for the fair itself.

the manufacturing jewelers & suppliers of america (mjsa) has released its newest publication, the ajm guide to lost-wax casting. it offers best practices, tips, and troubleshooting techniques from leading industry experts. the book’s 25 chapters cover a range of topics, such as creating trouble-free master models; building uniform trees; and finding proper techniques for investing, burnout,…

jewelers’ security alliance (jsa) recently announced the publication of the second edition of the jsa manual of jewelry security. the 137-page book, written by jsa president john kennedy and jsa vice president robert frank, contains the organization’s best advice on a range of security issues confronting jewelers.

the jewelry information center held its second annual gem awards gala in january in new york city. the black-tie event honored members of the jewelry industry and consumer press who have gone “above and beyond” in promoting the industry and building consumer interest in fine jewelry and watches. carmen borgonovo, accessories director of w magazine, was recognized for her journalistic excellen…

a cocktail party held at kwiat diamonds’ oscar suite at the four seasons beverly hills the week before the academy awards drew a wide range of tinseltown celebrities. guests included everyone from hollywood’s youngest rising stars, whale rider’s keisha castle-hughes and in america’s sarah and emma bolger, to legends like marcia gay harden, sharon stone, and everybody loves raymond’s doris roberts.

“just as all politics is local, so, too, all brands—whether restaurants, merchandise, or jewelry stores—are locally driven.” so says virginia beach, va., jeweler david nygaard. like many jewelers, nygaard uses “private label” products—made by or for the jeweler; bearing the store name, logo, or trademark; and available only at that store—to successfully brand his store n…

zale corp., north america’s largest fine-jewelry retailer, announced march 9 that robert j. dinicola will retire as chairman of its board of directors on july 31, the end of the company’s fiscal year. though he’s leaving the board at the same time, dinicola will continue to be an advisor to the corporation, said a zale spokesperson.

joseph kabila, the president of the democratic republic of congo (drc), once at the center of the debate over “conflict diamonds,” recently visited the diamond high council in antwerp to observe the kimberley process in action. antwerp officials noted that, as a result of the kimberley process, official exports from the former belgian colony doubled, jumping from $300 million in 2002 to $658 mi…

northland financial group is helping businesses with their financial needs by providing equipment leasing. available equipment includes cad software/hardware, engraving technology, point-of-sale systems, and jewelry-specific computer software. for more information, contact northland financial group at (888) 485-5834, ext.

they are calling it the “mother of all diamonds”—a whopping piece of rough weighing in at 10 billion trillion trillion (no, that’s not a typo) carats. but it’s highly unlikely that this particular piece of rough will end up as a center stone in anyone’s necklace in the near future. the stone, a crystallized piece of carbon in the core of a white “dwarf star,” is 50 light years away in th…

indian companies continue to link up with u.s. companies to get access to the american market. in the latest example, weindling international has joined with india’s m. suresh, a dtc sightholder, and as export, an indian jewelry manufacturer, to form a new, as yet unnamed, entity. alexander weindling, who will be ceo of the company’s u.

luxury china – 2nd international trade fair for jewellery and watches is slated for sept. 26-29, 2004, at the shanghai new international expo centre. the fair is sponsored by partners messe münchen international, fiera vicenza, and the china national arts & crafts corporation (cnacc). to facilitate buying and selling, simplified import/export conditions will be established during…

the kraftwerks jewelry manufacturing seminar series 2004 has been scheduled for aug. 14-15, 2004, at the fine gold factory, ontario, calif. appearing at the event will be stewart grice, hoover & strong; designer alishan halebian, alishan; glen j. englebrecht, gj designs inc.; mark mann, visual arts; david freda, david freda; and paul petersen, paul petersen setting.

swiss luxury watchmaker ebel sa announced in march that it is restructuring its watchmaking operation at la chaux-de-fonds, switzerland, “to create a sustainable business structure that projects profitability for the future.” the restructuring follows losses for the company over the past three years of 40 million swiss francs (about us$31.

gilbert dorland, owner of western jewelry and coin in west seattle, shot a would-be robber in the chest on feb. 20 after two armed men, masked by bandanas, rushed into his store. dorland, 42, keeps six guns in his store, including a smith & wesson 22-caliber semi-automatic handgun he keeps by his workbench where he was drilling amber at the time.

a small gang has committed a series of “case cuttings” in jewelry stores since march 2003, says a jewelers security alliance alert. citing “numerous instances,” jsa says the suspects distract sales associates, quickly cut the silicone seal on showcase tops and lift the top to remove jewelry. so far, the thefts have occurred along the east coast, in massachusetts, rhode island, connecticut, new …

the jck show ~ las vegas, luxury by jck, and luxury swiss watches by jck have announced plans for headliner speakers and entertainment. luxury by jck, slated for may 31 through june 3 at the venetian hotel, moves to a salon format this year, a change requested by exhibitors and attendees. it will be held in the hotel’s newly constructed ballrooms.

josh monte olson, a model maker and bench jeweler for wheeler manufacturing co. in lemmon, s.d., has earned the designation of ja certified bench jeweler (cbj) from jewelers of america (ja). olson is the first jeweler in south dakota and the 101st nationwide to receive this distinction, the second level of the ja bench jeweler certification program.

my first experience in the jewelry industry was a raucous artcarved sales conference under the guise of checking out the conference center for a lenox china sales meeting. (lenox had purchased artcarved a year or two earlier.) it was a wild meeting for one who came from a very controlled organization like lenox where things were orchestrated and timed to perfection.

the internet isn’t dead. nor will it replace traditional jewelry stores. instead, the internet is evolving into a business tool that’s helping to establish better relationships among jewelers, manufacturers, service providers, and consumers. the internet as business tool is providing more efficient ways to perform a number of daily business functions—including inventory management—…

hamilton jewelers opened its fifth location, in red bank, n.j., in a historic three-story building constructed in 1878. occupying over 5,000 square feet of selling space on two levels, the first floor boasts a designer gallery, a diamond boutique, and a timepiece arena. more than 600 guests attended a premiere opening gala held in december.

the vivid collection has appointed alexis sarkissian as chief executive officer. as ceo, sarkissian will focus on raising brand awareness and reinforcing vivid collection’s position in the fine jewelry market. prior to his appointment, sarkissian spent 13 years with piaget, a division of the richemont group, focusing on brand development in europe and the far east.

the harry winston salon at hotel crescent court in dallas opened in december. located in one of the hotel’s exclusive suites, the salon aims to mirror the experience of shopping at a harry winston salon in new york and los angeles, the company’s two retail boutiques in the united states. the harry winston salon at hotel crescent court is open to guests and the public by appointment only.

globalization of the jewelry industry has opened new doors to the u.s. retail jeweler. for independent jewelers, buying directly from overseas sources can offer big advantages, including price breaks and access to unique merchandise. some experts note that foreign sourcing puts competitive pressure on u.