façonnable launches watch collection façonnable, the french fashion house known for traditional clothes with a modern flair, has launched a new collection of watches for both men and women. the collection, with retail prices ranging from $295 to $935, offers features normally found in more expensive watches.

the art of jewelry making, by jewelry educator and jck contributor alan revere, follows the careers of 25 artists. it provides insight into their life and work, focusing on the evolution of handmade jewelry and contemporary design at the turn of the millennium. the designers document, step by step, the creation of a signature piece in their collection.

the 360º feedback automated review program enables coworkers and others who interact with an employee under review to evaluate him or her by dialing a toll-free telephone number and answering a series of yes/no questions using the keypad of a touch-tone phone. reviews are anonymous and therefore can be candid.

the sanskrit word for ruby, ratnaraj, is loosely translated as lord, king, or leader of precious gems, and for more than a millennium, ruby has been the king of colored stones. ruby’s value accounts for its exalted status. the price per carat of top-quality large rubies easily surpasses that of any other colored gem, except colored diamonds.

a giddy finish to 20th-century jewelry sales on polygon, he’s known as “the commander,” but chicago dealer allen lipscher wasn’t having much luck with his latest mission. he was searching for an unusual colored diamond but came up dry when he called his overseas contacts. so he put out a “buy” request on the polygon trading network.

the jck jewelry industry fund jck is frequently taken to task by our cross-town rivals for being pawns of the big corporate monolith, reed elsevier. jck’s other competitors either ignore what we do, which may be understandable, or fail to call our trade shows by their correct names. for example, the jck las vegas show is called the “vegas” show.

as romanticism replaces minimalism in fashion, embellishments like embroidery and beading are showing up on everything from evening gowns to blue jeans. in fine jewelry, in which trends evolve gradually and blend seamlessly into one another, the ongoing trend for delicate, feminine jewelry has sparked a renewed interest in beads.

louis glick and co. and starburst diamonds, in conjunction with de beers, is offering the de beers 2000 hourglass to commemorate the historic year. each hourglass contains a cascade of 2,000 uncut diamonds totaling approximately 35 cts. and is presented in an elegant gift box. the hourglass is approximately 2 3/4 in.

you’ve heard the media refer to the “downtown crowd” vs. the “uptown crowd.” singer billy joel’s “uptown girl” is an anthem to a classy (i.e., rich) lady. but what, exactly, is the “downtown crowd”? and why should you, a luxury jeweler, care? it used to be simple: the uptown crowd had money, the downtown crowd didn’t.

millennium stones a success de beers says it’s pleased with sales of its limited-edition millennium diamonds, its first “branded” product marketed internationally. “it created premiums and good margins for those involved in the distribution,” reports derek palmer, de beers marketing director.

“no jeweler makes money worrying about the things we worry about.” — s. cash nickerson, team america corp. five years ago, david geller, president of jewelry artisans in atlanta, got slapped with fines for not paying the correct amount of employee withholding taxes to the irs. geller vowed never to face that problem again and began using a professional employer organization (p…

basel 2000 offers luxury—at a price the year 2000 brings many changes to the world watch, clock, and jewelry fair in basel, switzerland (march 23-30), including more luxury jewelry and watch vendors than ever before, new programs—and an admission fee. the basel fair organization spent millions of swiss francs renovating its centerpiece, building 1, for 1999.

lfrederick@cahners.com at its big international symposium last year, the gemological institute of america staged aptly named “war rooms” for airing controversial issues. everyone, audience included, was encouraged to challenge and provoke. no such prodding was needed when the topic came to appraisals.

all-american denim, in a variety of colors, is expected to be the new favorite fabric for spring. no doubt about it, you should expect to see many women wearing denim dresses, denim skirts, and denim suits, in trim, elegant cuts suitable for both work and evenings out. more casual denim clothes that combine sturdy practicality and a pulled-together look should appeal to stay-home mothers.

a giddy finish to 20th-century jewelry sales euphoria was the mood at many independent jewelers as they tallied christmas sales. results glittered in comparison with those recorded by chain jewelers. that’s not to say that mall-based jewelers did poorly. their sales shot up 11.4% for the period nov.

eugene biro offers web sites to jewelers eugene biro corp. has created a web site template that can be personalized with a jeweler’s logo, store history, store contact information, customer-service policy, and other material. the site contains a complete listing of eugene biro merchandise, including certified loose diamonds as well as diamond and gold jewelry.

the sentiment expressed above is shared by nearly 40% of the 200 jewelers taking part in a recent jck poll. another 22% said being a jeweler is “more fun than it’s ever been,” and 26.9% agreed with the statement, “i’m just as satisfied as i was when i started out.” in all, more than 91% of respondents gave a thumbs-up when asked about job satisfaction.

independents’ advantage mother’s day ranks second only to december in sales at most jewelry stores, but many jewelers earn those sales the hard way, in small transactions of $50 or $100. here’s how to encourage higher-end purchases for mom this year: great gift ideas mother’s day jewelry gifts generally fall into two categories.

are freshwater chinese pearls being misrepresented? how do the chinese create such round and lustrous freshwater cultured pearls? antoinette matlins, author of a number of gem books, including the pearl book: the definitive buying guide, believes the chinese freshwaters are “bead nucleated” with all-nacre beads fashioned from previously rejected freshwater cultured pearls.

independents’ advantage your recent article titled “the coming decade: golden times ahead?” (jck, january 2000, p. 84) included a quote from ken gassman jr., who is a retail stock analyst. gassman states, “the chains have the clout to buy better than the independents and therefore keep prices in line.