nature, a perennial theme among jewelry designers, provides a host of inspirational colors, textures, shapes, and even sounds. at various times, one or another element of the natural world has attained trend-of-the-moment status, only to be surpassed by a new theme when the moment passes. elephants, panthers, butterflies, celestial beings—all have had their time in the spotlight during th…

gesswein has released the 2000 gesswein jewelers’ catalog #47. the 412-page publication features the company’s selection of casting supplies, polishing materials, cleaning units, hand tools, and other jewelry manufacturing products. it includes 200 new products. gesswein, 255 hancock ave.

service—combined with the ability to touch jewelry vs. staring at a two-dimensional computer image—is routinely touted as the independent jeweler’s advantage over the internet. but in order to capitalize on this advantage, you must closely examine your level of service so you know what it feels like to shop at your store.

color dominates new york, orlando the return to color continues to be the leading jewelry design trend in the united states. exhibitors at both jck?s orlando show and the february jewelers of america show in new york offered a veritable palette of beautifully colored gemstones, many of which were combined with yellow or, increasingly, pink gold.

who would have thought back in 1992 that our gold-dominated, traditional u.s. jewelry industry would take a new direction and fall in love again with platinum—the most rare and precious white jewelry metal on earth? no one really expected this to happen so quickly, but a few ambitious and hopeful people were betting their budgets and careers on it.

calif. jewelers appoint official noel cheney-wolfensberger has been appointed executive director of the 1,100-member california jewelers association. born in los angeles and raised in switzerland, cheney-wolfensberger apprenticed with a jeweler and lapidary cutter in idar-oberstein, germany. in 1994 she returned to the united states to study at the gemological institute of america.

trophy pearls a group of leading fashion editors from the trade and consumer press recently awarded robert lee morris of new york the grand prix in the north american edition of the inaugural tahitian pearl trophy competition. the contest, sponsored by g.i.e. perles de tahiti, is the first to feature tahitian pearls as the central design element.

lfrederick@cahners.com russian jewels on view in houston “kremlin gold: 1,000 years of russian gems and jewels” will be on view at the houston museum of natural science from april 15 through sept. 4. the exhibit features more than 140 golden relics, jeweled masterpieces, and precious art objects, many of which have never been seen outside the kremlin.

new figures from platinum guild international-usa underscore platinum’s importance to retail sales. since 1992, when pgi first began to promote platinum jewelry, sales of the metal have risen by 1,000%. pgi estimates that 12 million american women plan to purchase platinum jewelry this year. any retailer planning to introduce platinum will find free advice and practical help from pgi-usa in cal…

if anyone anywhere can sell any prestigious product on the internet without authorization, what happens to traditional ?exclusive? distribution of these brands by brick-and-mortar-retailers? that?s the question more and more suppliers and retailers of upscale watches and jewelry are asking themselves these days, as increasing numbers of internet retailers (or e-tailers) sell their merchandise o…

although taking in pieces for repair or appraisal is a routine part of a jeweler’s job, there could be costly consequences for your business if procedures aren’t properly followed. if the jewelry is rare or antique (100 years old or older), its value could be stratospheric. but even if an estate item is worth little in today’s market, to the owner, it’s the priceless family jewels, and you risk…

back when she was still creating women?s jewelry, designer linda hesh made a surprising observation. ?i noticed that a lot of men responded to my women?s line. it occurred to me that men themselves didn?t have much to choose from.? hesh set about changing that situation, and for the last four years, she?s been designing attractive pieces exclusively for men.

de beers: tired of being an outcast the u.s. justice department has refused a request by de beers for a meeting to review the antitrust provisions barring it from doing business here. a de beers spokeswoman says that justice officials wouldn’t cooperate because of de beers’ 1994 indictment on industrial gem price-fixing.

lack of trust can be a big stumbling block for independent jewelers wanting to expand beyond their established customer base. in fact, as a recent jck survey revealed, only 37% of consumers feel confident buying expensive jewelry (november 1999, p. 98). less than half (47%) are confident that the jewelry they purchase contains the metals and gems advertised, and just 53% believe they pay a fair…

msja slates new show manufacturing jewelers and suppliers of america is sponsoring a new finished fashion jewelry and accessories show, fashion jewelry expo las vegas. the new show will take place june 2-5 at the flamingo hilton in las vegas and will run in conjunction with the jck show. buyers who qualify to attend the fashion jewelry expo will gain access to the jck show floor without reregis…

it?s the buzzword you can?t escape. ?branding? is splashed across the cover of your trade magazines, plastered throughout your trade-show programs, and on the lips of every seminar speaker. marketing experts say consumers need brands to help them cut through advertising clutter and identify names they can trust.

the october issue of american jewelry manufacturer includes a piece by jim marquardt, manufacturing jewelers & suppliers of america president, entitled “dealing with the majors.” the article addresses a significant problem facing many jewelry manufacturers. the problem is declining profitability.

lfrederick@cahners.com jewelers know that nearly all their colored gems, and probably a fair number of their diamonds, are enhanced, and that this fact should be disclosed to customers. but something happened at tucson that convinced me the standard disclosure statement—“this gem has been treated to enhance its beauty”—isn’t enough anymore.

jewelry crime at an all-time high thieves robbed 330 traveling salespeople of $70 million in jewelry last year, a record high, reports the jewelers’ security alliance. “crime is out of control, and a horror for the industry,” says jsa president john kennedy. he adds that a salesperson was recently killed by a gang in wheeling, ill.

jewelry manufacturing has rarely been a hotbed of high technology. the industry generally has preferred traditional techniques to space-age production, but today’s platinum producers are increasingly turning to high-tech equipment. they’re discovering that the new devices not only offer greater efficiency but also provide higher-quality products and greater creative freedom.

leo wolleman marks 75th year leo wolleman inc., new york, a supplier of diamonds and gemstones, is celebrating 75 years in business this year. founder leo wolleman, an immigrant from germany, began the stone house with assistance from his many european contacts. his son walter, a u.s. army veteran, and brother-in-law martin gurny guided the firm through the second generation.

ohaus corp.’s hand-held scales are available in a standard model version with basic grams-only weighing as well as two professional models, which have multiple weighing units and feature standard four-button operation and a backlit display. a protective cover that doubles as a scoop is a standard feature.

report from tucson exhibitors at the february tucson gem shows reported brisk business this year, with items in all categories selling well. suppliers attributed buyers’ upbeat mood to record-breaking sales over the recent holidays, the continuing boom in the economy, and a growing demand for colored gemstones.

though associated with blue, the sapphire family includes every important color except red. predominantly red sapphires are called ruby. (the word sapphire comes from the latin sapphirus, which has been traced back to the sanskrit sanipriya, which means “dear to the planet saturn.” some say sapphirus originally referred to lapis and later to other opaque blue gems.

‘dirty diamonds’ i’m writing in response to the article “the fight over ‘dirty diamonds’ ” (jck, february 2000, p. 94), in which a group called global witness says it’s working to stop the sale of diamonds that help finance the civil war in angola. as larry frederick pointed out in his editor’s page in the same issue, the vast majority of diamonds produ…

appointments terri eagle has been appointed to the newly created position of executive vice president of yurman design inc., new york, which operates under the brand name david yurman. eagle has 17 years of luxury sales and marketing experience. most recently, she was responsible for opening the first david yurman retail store and for restructuring the sales organization, field operations, and …

studio 2000, an interior design firm, offers a patented new design for merchandise presentation fixtures. the device is constructed of lightweight aluminum with an anodized matte finish. the fixture is modular and can be combined in a variety of ways. retailers can separate the sections to be apart from each other and fit into corner cases.