test your family’s business compatibility family conflicts are an occupational hazard in the jewelry industry. so how do you know when conflicts go beyond normal and reach a level that can imperil both family happiness and the business itself? one way to find out is with this checklist, prepared by marc silverman, ph.

getting a better fix on emerald fillers jewelry is fashion, whether it’s new, modern, modern-classic, or stylized pieces from the past. to satisfy your customer, you need to know and stock what’s fashionable. what styles are selling in today’s antique and estate market? to find out, we asked retail jewelers what they feel is hot—and what’s not.

silver service i enjoyed reading janice mack talcott and kate b. peterson’s article, “how to make your store a service ace,” in the september 1999 issue of jck. the details and information covered in the article will surely be helpful to many jewelers. but there was one important omission.

jck orlando show to focus on business jck’s orlando 2000 international jewelry show & conference, scheduled for jan. 27-30 at the orange county convention center, orlando, fla., will feature more than 950 exhibitors. the conference program, comprising 16 educational sessions, will take place on thursday, jan.

industry efforts combat crime nov. 1-7 has been set as the first “jewelry industry crime awareness week” by a coalition of major jewelry industry firms, associations, and publications. industry members are requested to write their legislators during the week to request more help from federal law-enforcement agencies.

stuller’s mountings book, vol. 22 features new product categories and expanded sizes. prices have been reduced from $400 gold to $350 gold in accordance with the lower gold market. printed pennyweights reflect finished weights to match the pricing. stuller settings inc., p.o. box 87777, lafayette, la 70598-7777; (800) 877-7777.

who had the most impact on the jewelry industry in the 1900s? here are the answers, all 64 of them, listed under six categories. some of the people selected are obvious— they’re virtual legends of the industry. many others, however, may surprise you. the jewelry industry in this century owes its success to the countless unsung suppliers and retailers who served and shaped the evolvi…

lazare kaplan takes the wraps off mystery diamond treatment lazare kaplan international and general electric, the companies behind the new diamond color-enhancing process, have acknowledged for the first time that the treatment involves heat and pressure—an annealing-type procedure many had suspected all along.

jewelers of america certified master bench jeweler bradney w. simon has developed from fee to shining fee, a training manual and computer software for pricing jewelry repairs. the software is a customizable spreadsheet template for microsoft excel that helps retailers set prices based on their cost. it automatically changes prices with changes in gold, platinum, or labor costs.

valentine’s day is custom-made for jewelers. long identified as the day dedicated to romance, it’s a natural marketing opportunity for diamond hearts, anniversary rings, engagement sets, and other multifaceted tokens of love. it’s also one of the few occasions that draw men into jewelry stores.

ja presents jewel awards jewelers of america recently announced the winners of its jewel award design competition, open to ja new york show exhibitors. the 74 entries were judged on the basis of originality, beauty, wearability, and workmanship. awards were given in two categories: women’s jewelry design and men’s jewelry design.

lfrederick@cahners.com is there a sadder story in the jewelry industry than the calamity that’s struck emeralds? until just a couple of years ago, the green stone remained glamorous and popular, with fine specimens commanding up to $2,700 a carat wholesale. today emeralds languish as jewelry’s déclassé stones.

getting a better fix on emerald fillers now that it’s common knowledge nearly every emerald is clarity-enhanced, jewelers and consumers alike want to know just how effective and stable the enhancements are. they also want to know which treatment has been applied to their stone. and, if given a choice, they’d like to know which is the best to use.

when the color-treated pegasus stones (pegasus overseas limited is the antwerp entity marketing them) were released on the market by lazare kaplan international, the company said no one could tell them from normal diamonds, sparking an industry uproar. but now it seems the stones may have telltale signs after all.

raff is named zale ceo robert j. dinicola, chairman and chief executive officer of zale corp. since april 1994, gave the ceo duties to beryl raff, zale president, on sept. 7. raff was also elected to the company’s board of directors. dinicola will continue as zale chairman, focusing on “strategic opportunities [and] global issues” affecting zale.

in any given year, 38 million americans will buy fine jewelry or watches, and most of them will make more than one purchase. they’re most likely to shop at an independent store like yours, and nearly a third of those buying diamond jewelry are willing to spend more than $1,000. by strong margins, they prefer to see prices displayed and they want to be informed of enhancements.

citizen recharges image with new ad campaign citizen watch, the leading seller of mid-priced watches in jewelry and department stores, is recharging its image with a new slogan and ad campaign, its first in seven years. “we needed to refocus the brand image and say what it stands for,” says peter nicholson, vice president of corporate communications.

new gold company formed in n.y. mehmet uca, the former managing director of atasay gold inc., has left his position to form his own company, dynasty gold jewelers inc. dynasty gold’s new offices are located at 2 w. 45th st., 16th floor, new york, ny 10036; (212) 704-2100, fax (212) 704-0089. rona k.

sterling silver: y not? now that the angst-ridden generation “x” is more or less grown up, marketers are eyeing the generation “y” crowd, especially those in the 12-to-19 age bracket. there are 31 million of these savvy, cyber-driven teenage trendsetters and spenders. their economic clout and influence are unlike any prior generation’s—even their parents&#821…

moral lapses at the gemological institute of america symposium last summer, i listened intently to rushworth kidder talk about ethics and their relevance. during his speech, kidder presented some startling statistics. the first was a survey of high school students on the subject of cheating. eighty percent of the students indicated that they had cheated during examinations.