vendôme names new cartier ceo alain viot has been named president and ceo of cartier inc. and will head up cartier operations in the united states. he reports to simon j. critchell, president and ceo of vendôme north america inc., the holding structure for cartier, vlg brands, and l.e.a.d. ameriques.

diamond donation aids diabetes center a 2-ct. diamond donated by the e.b. horn co., a 161-year-old boston jeweler, was the centerpiece of a ?high hopes diamond gala? benefiting children with diabetes on march 4 at the sheraton boston hotel. proceeds from the black-tie event supported joslin diabetes center?s high hopes fund for children with diabetes.

it’s an out-of-this-world idea that—appropriately enough—first hit gabi tolkowsky on an airplane. “i was talking to my wife about diamond cutting,” remembers the famed cutter, who is best known for fashioning the 273-ct. “de beers centenary.” “i said, ‘diamond cutting has so many aspects to it, so many variations, it’s like making music.

volita opens n.j. office volita inc., a manufacturer and importer of pearl jewelry and 14k gold designs, has opened an office in new jersey. the location is 784 franklin ave., franklin lakes, nj 07417; (800) 248-3144 or (201) 560-0552, fax (201) 560-1553, e-mail: volitainc@aol.com. a&d gems offers prize at jck show a&d gems, new york, importers of colombian and zambian emeralds, rubies,…

a frica produces many unusual gemstones as well as many traditional ones. one—from tanzania—has evolved from the unusual to the traditional. the gem is tanzanite, a transparent blue-purple variety of the mineral species zoisite. its richness of color is comparable to that of the finest burmese and ceylon sapphires.

democracy at work if you’re tired of the same old round brilliant diamond, and you want something special—something that will make the hard sell easy—it may be time to take a closer look at recent developments in diamond design. although some new designs are variations on standard themes, others are instant cures for the brilliant blues.

a pearl dealer’s challenge in the december 1999 issue of jck, in the gem notes section (p. 28), senior editor gary roskin draws attention to the fact that there are indeed natural-colored black chinese cultured freshwater pearls similar in color to black tahitian pearls. it seems as if roskin is trying to support his own opinion with a picture of some pearls he obtained from a freshwater …

vendôme names new cartier ceo alain viot has been named president and ceo of cartier inc. and will head up cartier operations in the united states. he reports to simon j. critchell, president and ceo of vendôme north america inc., the holding structure for cartier, vlg brands, and l.e.a.d. ameriques.

runway and celebrity roundup the notion that an entire season of fashion shows could go by without any fine jewelry appearing on the runways is, thankfully, passé. likewise, an awards show wouldn?t be complete without a profusion of dazzling mega-jewels decorating celebrity presenters and hosts.

it isn?t easy being the only member of your age group in the diamond industry. just ask jeffrey david. ?when i first started in the business at 18 years old, i?d go to events, and i?d be the youngest person by 10 or 15 years,? says david, of american diamond syndicate. ?i had business relationships, not social relationships.

glenn espig, a retailer in santa barbara, calif., liked the new wedding rings he?d been stocking from a hot young designer. but he didn?t like the designer?s web site, which sold the same rings to the public?including, on one occasion, a local consumer. ?this person had seen the rings on the web,? recalls espig.

spring buying show called ijo’s best the independent jewelers organiza-tion’s annual spring buying show was its most successful ever, the organization reports. despite nasty weather in some parts of the country, about 1,500 people from some 450 firms showed up for the february event in san diego, a 32% increase over last year’s attendance.

new london museum to open this month a major new museum featuring the gilbert collection of gold, silver, mosaics, and gold boxes will open in london on may 26. the collection was donated by arthur gilbert, a london native who retired from the evening-gown business and moved to california in 1949 at age 36.

people who send you junk mail on your computer??spammers? in web lingo?are regarded as web pariahs. but many jewelers are discovering something unexpected about electronic mail. when it?s done right?when you have the recipient?s permission to send it?e-mail can become an impressive marketing tool, more powerful than even the most stunning of web sites.

in early march, i decided it was time to choose rings for my may wedding. i knew i wanted white 14k gold flat bands for jeff and me?4-mm for him and 2-mm for me. a simple enough order, so i went to the independent jewelry store where we purchased my engagement ring nine years earlier. a long engagement, yes, but the point is that after nine years, i still thought of that store first because the…

mjsa adds new official frank maher has been appointed membership development account executive for manufacturing jewelers & suppliers of america. he will be responsible for member recruitment and the development of member benefit programs. maher previously was director of the education foundation and director of membership for the rhode island hospitality and tourism association, the rhode …

montblanc unveils internet site stepping up its fight against online retail sites that sell its products without authorization, montblanc has unveiled its own web site (www.montblancrefills.com). though consumers can?t buy the company?s pens, watches, and other goods at the site, they can purchase bottled ink, refills, paper goods, and similar ?consumables.

time takes its toll on jewelry. worn ring shanks, paper-thin pendant bails, and snapped prongs are familiar sights. most are easy to fix. but when a customer presents a beloved old platinum filigree ring that has taken a spin through the garbage disposal, or an art deco bracelet stiffened by repair work, many jewelers shrug helplessly.

is the issue of gem treatments attracts more public attention, consumers’ interest in and demand for untreated gems is likely to grow. to make sure rising demand doesn’t outstrip supply, logic dictates that miners and cutters should stop—or at least curtail—treatments. logic, however, won’t trump tradition, and the enhancement habit has been ingrained for generations.

a few years back, many people in the diamond industry worried that most of new york?s diamond business would go the way of the automat and the 10-cent subway ride. profits were sinking, de beers was regularly skipping new york?s sights, and factories were closing. most new york dealers were middlemen, and middlemen didn?t seem to have a future in the streamlined global industry that was rapidly…

mjsa names vision winners manufacturing jewelers and suppliers of america has named the winners of the ninth annual american vision award jewelry design competition. the awards recognize professional and student designers as ?visionary representatives of upcoming trends.? in the professional category, the winner was hiroko sato- pijanowski, ann arbor, mich.

a woman flipping through philadelphia magazine pauses at an advertisement for govberg j. roberts jewelers, her eye momentarily captured by a photo of a diamond and platinum ring. the following week she sees a cluster of diamond watches on a colorful billboard, the name “govberg j. roberts” displayed in a corner.

a jeweler with a successful mall store did it. so did one with a century-old downtown business. even a profitable local chain did it. all three left malls or downtown centers and relocated to highly visible freestanding buildings, redefining themselves as prestigious ?destination stores? in the process.

corum, sold again, expands its market corum, a luxury watch brand, is going downmarket thanks to its new owner, veteran american watchmaker severin wunderman. a new mid-priced collection called “corum boutique,” unveiled at basel 2000 in late march, carries suggested retail prices ranging from $625 to about $1,660.

the jewelry industry had a banner year in 1999, with most major retailers posting high single-digit or double-digit same store sales gains. small independents also did extremely well. according to a jck poll, 74% of independents had their best december ever, with sales up 15% over december 1998 results.

we’ve been thinking about restructuring our store’s appraisal department. consumer appraisals seem to bring more headaches than rewards. are there more lucrative opportunities in appraising than what we’ve experienced—the freebie appraisals we have to do with every sale and the free information customers expect us to provide when they are thinking of selling an item? a: professional appra…

information technology is essential to your store’s profitability. the right combination of hardware and software can help you track financial, merchandising, and operating information and provide it in a usable form without contributing to information overload. what is information technology? we define it as the hardware, software, networking, and telecommunications capabilities used to create…

jeweler found guilty of fraud must pay $40 million a florida jeweler found guilty of defrauding wealthy customers out of more than $80 million with overpriced, altered, and fake jewelry has been ordered by a federal court to forfeit $40 million in cash and securities to the government. the march jury verdict against jack hasson, 47, a well known west palm beach, fla.

democracy at work during the past few months, we citizens have seen the best and the worst of the democratic process. in the presidential campaign, candidates courting voters have staked out extreme and divisive positions. by contrast, the jewelry industry is involved in a situation in which unity is mandatory to address a major issue affecting every segment of the business.

lfrederick@cahners.com quite a few people who have nothing to do with your store make decisions affecting your financial health, directly or indirectly. martin rapaport, nicky oppenheimer, and william boyajian come to mind. but the man who wields the most influence over your prosperity sits in washington and has never been part of the jewelry industry, and i don?t mean president clinton.

after years of trying to justify brick-and-mortar prices to consumers brandishing internet diamond quotes, jeffrey bong of bongs jewelers in corning, n.y., decided to build a web site of his own. bong, a fourth-generation shop owner, is developing a site to reach out to customers who’ve moved from the community.

on the jewelry trade show circuit, you can breakfast with platinum, lunch with a pearl fashion show, and wrap up the day with a diamond buffet. on the other hand, if you’ve been waiting for an event staged by the world gold council, you’ve had to go hungry. it’s an understatement to say that wgc, once among the industry’s most active promotion agencies, has been keeping …

report from tucson, part ii both the quality and the quantity of colored gems and diamonds at the tucson gem shows were up again this year, giving retail jewelers one of their best buying opportunities ever. in fact, the shows were so outstanding that we couldn?t provide complete coverage in last month?s issue and are continuing it here, with reports on emeralds, tanzanite, fancy sapphires, gar…