the assistance league of el paso presented susan eisen, president and founder of susan eisen fine jewelry and watches, with its alep award. eisen was honored for her support of the philanthropic work of the assistance league over the past 15 years. she holds a graduate gemologist degree from the gemological institute of america and a certified gemologist appraiser certificate from the ame…

talk about auspicious timing. at the recent diamond association meeting in idar-oberstein, the world federation of diamond bourses agreed to support a “chain of warrants” to guarantee that diamonds were conflict-free. de beers corporate communications chief rory more o’ferrall and price sheet publisher martin rapaport huddled together after a lunch to iron out the proper wording.

nicolas g. hayek, chairman of the swatch group and a leading “mover and shaker” in the international watch industry, is planning to reduce his involvement in the world’s largest watchmaking company.in a recent interview with the agence télégraphique suisse news agency, hayek was asked who might succeed him and when.

werner häring of pforzheim, germany, has introduced red coral branch necklaces accented by rooster feathers—”perfect for the opera,” says häring. his unusual and striking design caught the attention of more than a few las vegas glda show attendees in june. häring has an avant-garde style and flair that’s highlighted in his jewelry designs.

lvmh (moët hennessy louis vuitton), one of the world’s leading luxury product groups, said in july that it expects to post a 12% gain in consolidated sales for the first half of 2001, for a total of 5.6 billion euros (almost us$4.8 billion). nearly all of lvmh’s divisions showed sizeable gains, except for the watches and jewelry division and the wines and spirits division.

the woozy u.s. economy sank de beers’ diamond sales in the first half of the year, causing the numbers to plunge 25% from 2000 figures. overall sales for the first half were $2.619 billion, still higher than the first-half tallies for both 1999 and 1998. a company statement noted that worldwide diamond jewelry retail sales are likely to be 5% to 7% lower this year than last.

a day after the industry agreed to a compromise on conflict diamond legislation, a panel kicked around the issue at a forum at the national press club in washington, d.c.though the moderator, former nbc newsman marvin kalb, struggled mightily to whip up controversy, the mood was mostly friendly in the aftermath of the industry’s endorsement of rep.

the american gem society hosted more than 400 members of the jewelry industry on june 1 at a special reception to unveil its new campus facility located in west las vegas. the $4 million project transformed the existing robert m. shipley building from 5,000 sq. ft. to nearly 10,000 sq. ft. and added a new 10,000-sq.

two watch brands are changing names to avoid confusion.the new name, announced in july, is “mw collection” (the mw stands for men/women as well as michele watches). the company will introduce the new name to the public in a gradual transition phase, during which its watches will be known as the “mw collection by michele.

just as the science of geometry can be traced back through the ages, so too is geometric jewelry a timeless classic. this season, jewelers around the globe are revisiting geometry, offering some modern angles on the age-old favorite.in contrast to the extravagance of the recent economic boom, the clean and simple lines of geometric jewelry reflect a starker view of the current world economy.

more than a quarter of the people who experience poor retail service will tell friends about it and advise them not to shop in the offending store. that was one of the findings of a nationwide consumer telephone survey that posed the question: “how do you react when you experience bad customer service?”* survey respondents said they typically reacted to poor customer service by:training i…

the 18th annual women’s jewelry association awards for excellence event was held july 29 at the chelsea piers. the following women were honored for their outstanding work and leadership in their respective fields:excellence in design: doris panos, doris panos designs; excellence in manufacturing: cynthia marcusson, cynthia renee; excellence in sales: barbara mooty, mjsa; excellence in ret…

the history of the royal asscher diamond company begins in 1854 with master cutter isaac joseph asscher (1843-1902) and his firm, the i.j. asscher diamond company. in the mid-1800s, diamonds cut in amsterdam were mined in brazil, then the leading source of diamonds. brazil had produced 25,000 to 100,000 carats annually since 1730, but by 1870, production was tapering off, and by 1880, it …

a delegation from manufacturing jewelers & suppliers of america (mjsa) met with vice president dick cheney and other key legislators on may 23 and 24 to raise awareness of industry issues and to request legislative backing for three major grants.the trip began with a meeting with the vice president to discuss the bush administration’s energy policy and its effect on the jewelry industry.

the national association of goldsmiths has elected eric hinds as president of the london-based organization. hinds will head the 22-person team of industry leaders who serve on nag’s board and council. in 1943, he joined his father in the family jewelry business, and now operates 104 shops nationwide along with his brother roy.

viva time launches oem divisionviva time corp., new york, a leading maker of fashion watches, has created a separate private-label division called vtc/oem. this represents “a formalization of what has been a long-standing and significant portion of the company’s business,” said a company report.

luigi macaluso, president and general manager of girard-perregaux and the sowind group, has been re-elected to a three-year term as chairman of the interprofessional association of fine luxury watchmaking (aihh). the election took place during aihh’s annual meeting this summer in reims, france.

newlyweds brad pitt and jennifer aniston have filed a $50 million lawsuit, claiming an italian jewelry designer breached an agreement never to replicate their wedding rings.attorney john h. lavely jr. filed the lawsuit in u.s. district court in los angeles, claiming that silvia damiani and damiani international reproduced the rings and offered them for sale on the internet and at jewelry …

alrosa, the russian diamond mining monopoly, plans to start marketing polished diamonds under its own brand sometime next year.vyacheslav shtyrov, president of alrosa, said creation of a new brand would be russia’s contribution to the diamond industry’s campaign to raise its profile. russia is the second-largest source of diamonds in the world, accounting for one-fifth of global productio…

the government of canada’s diamond-producing province, the northwest territories, is now certifying diamond origin and cut quality. three diamond-cutting firms—arslanian cutting works, deton’cho diamonds, and m. ben-dor diamonds—are voluntary participants in the program. the government of the northwest territories certifies that diamonds cut by the companies are natural and th…

the american gem society laboratories is implementing a new policy regarding disclosure of hpht (high-pressure, high-temperature) treatments performed on diamonds submitted to agsl for grading. disclosed policy—for a type iab or iia diamond that the client says has been hpht treated, the following will appear on the agsl report: “the client has disclosed that this diamond has been h…

the gemological institute of america (gia) launched its first fully web-based course—jewelry essentials—on april 16. employees can now “attend” class at any time to review course material and practice key concepts. jewelry essentials is one of three courses comprising gia’s accredited jewelry professional (ajp) diploma program.

j-bar is the new jewelers board of appraisal review, a not-for-profit membership trade association for appraisers and users of appraisal professionals that will set minimum standards for jewelry appraisal practice, provide education, and act as an umbrella appraisal organization. its aim is to unite the appraisal industry within one group.

the owner of a jewelry firm in san antonio, texas, was slapped with a class-action lawsuit after a local tv news program accused him of selling clarity-enhanced, fracture-filled diamonds without disclosure. (see “san antonio jewelers accused of non-disclosure,” jck, august 2001, p. 48.) according to a report on kmol-tv’s troubleshooters program, lloyd’s jewelers didn’t reveal that a $4,…

the american gem society (ags) recently presented its lifetime achievement award to richard t. liddicoat. the retired executive director of the gemological institute of america (gia) received the award at the second annual ags circle of distinction dinner, held july 31, 2001 during the ja-new york show.

de beers should be allowed in the united states, botswanan president festus mogae recently declared at a national press club forum.but he stressed that he was only expressing “a wish” and added, “it’s better to let sleeping dogs lie.”mogae was in town to counter the negative publicity generated by conflict diamonds, and he stressed the benefits diamonds bring to his country.

the american gem society (ags) and the diamond promotion service have joined forces in a diamond line bracelet promotion. the venture takes the form of an 8-page insert in the may 2001 issue of w magazine. the insert is titled “7 women of style, substance & charity.” mirroring the current “a diamond is forever” consumer advertising campaign, seven prominent socialites are featured m…

seasons of cool and remote sky-blues have given rise to a hunger for the warmth of grounded greens. following the lead of fashion, which this year embraced a warmer palette of colors favoring greens and other earth tones, fine jewelry is showing a penchant for greens of all shades, shapes, and price points.

gemprint, the toronto-based company that offers the laser-reflection diamond identification system, has opened a new york city office to the diamond trade. any business with at least 50 stones can have them gemprinted at the office and immediately receive gemprint certificates of registration.

shakespeare penned these immortal lines in romeo and juliet: “what’s in a name? that which we call a rose / by any other word would smell as sweet.”currently there is a swelling chorus from some in the diamond community at wholesale and retail to add a new diamond quality in the si category. it’s being promoted as si3.

joan parker, director of the diamond information center, recently received a “hall of fame” award from the women’s jewelry association during a ceremony at chelsea piers in new york. parker was hailed for her 28 years promoting diamonds for de beers. a pioneering woman in the industry, parker joined the fledgling dic in the late 1970s and oversaw its transformation into the sophisticated …

sarin technologies, the company that produces proportion measurement systems for loose, polished, and rough diamonds, announced in june that it has purchased gran computer industries, makers of the gran colorimeter, one of the few electronic diamond color grading devices still on the market.the gran diamond colorimeter compares diamonds for color matching, predicts polished diamond color …

de beers calls it “spaghetti junction.” it’s the complex web of dealers, jewelry manufacturers, and middle-folk that constitute the diamond pipeline. when de beers first unveiled its “supplier of choice” strategy to the industry last year, executives said they wanted sightholder-clients to follow “efficient routes to market.

okay, so it is, and it isn’t. yes, it is labradorite. no, it isn’t really the mineralogically true “moonstone,” although that doesn’t keep most of the jewelry trade from calling it that. the proper varietal moonstone is an orthoclase feldspar, so the labradorite feldspar’s so-called variety “blue rainbow moonstone” isn’t too far from the correct branch of the family tree.

marketing mixerfrank dallahan’s counterpoint (“the marketing mix,” jck, may 2001, p. 34) hit on the very subject my marketing colleagues and i talk about every day. it’s true, many in the manufacturing community confuse “marketing” with “selling.” marketing, for the most part, has to do with overall strategic planning and is critical for sustained short- and long-term business growth.

sculptural pieces depicting the human form won over the judges in this year’s american pearl company design awards. each grand prize winner in the contest’s two categories portrayed the human body in precious materials. the winner in the discovery division, for entries with a value of less than $1,000, was leigh wulle of excelsior design, st.

egl usa recently unveiled a new service for jewelers. the prototype egl usa gemtag is a combination product consisting of a display tray with a dog-tag-size laminated card featuring diamond quality information. a photo of the item or a magnified image of laser-inscribed information is printed on the gemtag.

jewelers caught up in day-to-day operations and issues often lose sight of an element vital to the jewelry industry—the future.in an effort to encourage the students who represent the future and whose creativity will someday fuel the jewelry industry, schwarzchild jewelers in richmond, va.

the highly publicized, summer-long wedding series on nbc’s today show got off to a glittering start with elizabeth florence, executive director of the jewelry information center (jic), the public relations arm of the fine jewelry and watch industry. today show viewers voted for the couple they wanted to participate in the wedding series, and now viewers will vote for their choice of w…

roger marks, president of rogers jewelry co., modesto, calif., will be the recipient of the robert b. westover award, presented by the california jewelers association in recognition for his many years of service to the jewelry industry. the award will be presented on oct. 14 during the cja showcase 2001 at the beverly hills hotel.

toyoji todaka has been named the new president and chief executive officer of seiko corp. of america, effective july 1. sca is a subsidiary of seiko watch corp., one of the world’s largest watchmakers, headquartered in tokyo.todaka has been with seiko for more than 20 years. he has held a number of marketing and sales positions and most recently was responsible for licensed watch sales in…

the french countryside doesn’t get more picturesque than the doubs region. on the eastern side of the region are the jura mountains, a popular location for skiing and other outdoor sports. about 40% of the area is covered with forest, making it a prime breeding ground for the morel mushroom, which figures prominently in the local cuisine.

the federation of the swiss watch industry (fh) has closed its information center in the united states after 15 years. the decision to close the center, located in rochelle park, n.j., was made by the fh board of directors at its annual general meeting on june 28. the federation wants to “adapt its structures to the changing trend of the u.

grinberg named movado ceo efraim grinberg, president of the movado group, recently was named chief executive officer of the company. rick coté, executive vice president, has been promoted to chief operating officer. efraim’s father, gedalio grinberg, will remain chairman of the board.efraim grinberg, 43, has been president and chief operating officer since 1990 and oversaw the comp…

anthony j. d’ambrosio, former executive vice president of tourneau inc., is now ceo of ambros & associates inc. the new firm specializes in brand management and development, business maximization and profitability optimization as well as advertising, media planning, and promotion. the company has secured engagement commitments from tourneau inc.

the jewelers vigilance committee and the manufacturing jewelers and suppliers of america have combined forces to offer precious metals testing to mjsa members. the two-year-old program, funded by a jewelers circular keystone grant, offers affordable nondestructive x-ray assay to help retailers and manufacturers maintain quality control.

jewelers of america and stuller have teamed up to underwrite ja bench jeweler certification scholarships for 2001-2002. under the scholarship program, bench jewelers who sign up for any level in ja’s bench jeweler certification program by oct. 31, 2001, and complete the work by oct. 31, 2002, will receive a 25% reimbursement of their testing fees.

an educational seminar called “client profiles: know them, sell them” offers demographic insights into two younger generations. it was created by jay lell, former education director for the american gem society and current director of training and business development for the diamond promotion service/dwa communications, headquartered in sunrise, fla.

jeweler robert eigen, familiar with maggie’s penchant for white, suggests she try a little yellow gold. as a young and fashionable woman, she is wooed by its importance in fashion this year. “yellow gold is back,” robert tells her. “it’s really hot right now.”picking up on her favorite color, blue, he chooses for her a turquoise and rock crystal ring by stephen webster.

british police are after the thieves who stole about $5.6 million (£4 million) in cartier merchandise, almost all watches. it is one of the biggest such thefts in british history, say british newspapers. the theft occurred in may but was made public by police at the end of june. cartier, the international luxury jeweler and watchmaker headquartered in paris, offered a reward of $106…

the american museum of natural history in new york city will open its “pearls” exhibit on oct. 13. according to michael walker, spokesperson for the event, the pearl show will be the most comprehensive exhibit ever presented on the organic gem.the exhibit will cover major pearl themes, including the history of natural pearls, the science of pearl growth, the use of pearls in weaving and a…

the contemporary design group has awarded this year’s most valuable designer player award to ronna lugosch. the award, for a designer who has created an indelible place in the world of designer jewelry, is part of the group’s annual high achievement awards presented during the jck show-las vegas.

the international gemmological institute (igi) has announced that it will begin offering its services through the ebay online trading community. more than 110,000 items are offered daily in ebay’s jewelry and gemstones categories.igi will offer certification to ebay customers for diamonds, fine gemstones, and articles of jewelry.

it hasn’t been a stellar year for platinum. soaring prices and fashion’s rediscovered passion for yellow gold are giving the former trendsetting metal a run for its money.however, platinum guild international—platinum’s public relations arm, which is credited in large part with the metal’s 1990s renaissance—refuses to sit back quietly and be overlooked.

the society of north american goldsmiths (snag) has launched its web site, www.snagmetalsmith.org. the site has received thousands of visitors and has been chosen as a featured link on the manufacturing jewelers and suppliers association’s web site.the snag site has more than 50 pages containing current industry news, historical information, hundreds of links to important information in t…

3 beams technologies of hillsboro, ore., the company that uses ion beams to brand diamonds, has developed an inexpensive reader for consumers. the company’s first reader, a microscope adapter priced at $400, is used by retailers but isn’t practical for consumer use.the new reader takes the form of a jewelry box.

the american gem society (ags) presented its 2001 triple zero awards to five honorees during the ags circle of distinction dinner held july 31 at the rainbow room in new york. the recipients were helene fortunoff of fortunoff fine jewelry; gabi tolkowsky of gabi tolkowsky & sons bvba; laurie hudson of the platinum guild international; and kikuichiro ishii and koichi takahashi,…

swiss jeweler golay buchel—now marketed simply as golay—is building a new brand name for its cultured pearls of marketable quality. peter fischer, head of golay group’s pearl division, has created the golay pearls quality label, which can be attached to any type of cultured pearl—including south sea, akoya, freshwater, and keshi—that meets golay’s criteria for high…

the jewelers vigilance committee (jvc) is again making available its popular set of pocket fact cards. the original set of three cards provided information on platinum, gold, and silver; the new set offers facts on diamonds, colored gemstones, and pearls. according to jvc executive director cecilia gardner, “the cards are quick and easy to read and summarize important legal facts about th…

kyanite typically is multicolored, highly included gem material from india—interesting for big fashion pieces but rarely seen in the high-end market. bear and cara williams of bear essentials in jefferson city, mo., recently sent us a pair of magnificent blue kyanites from nepal. kyanite is an aluminum silicate, like the better-known gem andalusite, but forms in unique flat crystals…

the diamond industry has now been bashed by newsmagazines on all three major networks.in july, dateline nbc joined abc’s primetime live and cbs’s 60 minutes in presenting a damning—and, some felt, one-sided—look at the conflict diamond issue.what particularly disturbed some was the program’s focus on the retail counter and its swipes at three of the industry’s biggest na…

leo lipp, a co-founder of tishman & lipp and partner in t&l corletto inc. passed away on june 18 in sarasota, fla. he is survived by his wife stella, his daughter karen janowski, and his son bruce.lipp served in the army during world warr ii as a cartographer in europe and india. beginning in 1946, he apprenticed at gratz and company in manhattan.

for centuries, in the absence of buttons, zippers, and velcro, buckles and their predecessors—including fibulas and stomachers—partnered with cloth to cover the body. yet these clothes fasteners were ornamental as well as functional: they bespoke a person’s rank in society as well as his loves, friendships, and adventures.

caroline stanley has been named director of marketing and development for the jewelers vigilance committee (jvc). in this newly created position, stanley will be responsible for the overall marketing of jvc, its programs and services in support of the jewelry industry, and for expanding jvc’s endowment and development program.

the gemological certification laboratory, new york, has changed its name to gem certification & appraisal lab (gcal). gcal has also relocated its facilities to a larger space at 580 fifth ave. and launched a new web site at www.gemfacts.com.gem certification & appraisal lab, 580 fifth ave.

in 1988, deborah taylor, then an investment officer at a bank in washington, d.c., married an independent jeweler. at tax time that year, after comparing his modest individual retirement account balance with his wife’s impressive one, bob taylor quickly became deborah’s best client.today, deborah taylor is a financial advisor with legg mason wood walker, lake mary, fla.

audemars piguet, one of the world’s premier luxury watchmakers, is doing something it’s never done in its 125 years—an american tour of its watches. the 10-city coast-to-coast tour began in new york in june and will end in florida in october.the exhibit features a number of watch complications by the brassus, switzerland, watch firm.

julie livingston, a jewelry industry publicist, media spokesperson, and retail educator, has launched luxury marketing group (lmg), a public relations agency serving the luxury sector. services include strategic planning, brand image development, editorial placements, retail sales education, and special events.

houston jeweler and philanthropist i.w. marks has been honored with the jefferson award, part of a national program of the american institute for public service, which recognizes public and community service. marks has long been at the forefront of charitable giving to a variety of houston causes, including education, medicine, and the arts.

a few days before i sat down to write this editorial, i attended an amazing event. twice each year—once in new york and once in california—the gemological institute of america hosts its career fairs. the fairs are traditionally held each july on the friday before the jewelers of america show in new york and each october in california.

leslie’s, greenwich, conn., has redesigned its web site, www.leslies.com, adding features to serve retail jewelers more effectively, according to company president andy ban. leslie’s customers can go online to browse the company’s entire catalog and review new products as well as download advertising materials.

elba jewelry of san dimas, calif., unveiled a new internet venture at the jck show in las vegas. the venture, www.whitediamonds.com, is designed to help jewelers decrease inventory costs and make e-commerce easy.the home page asks online shoppers for area codes to help them find a local jeweler.