manufacturers as ‘retailers’ does jck consider it ethical for a vendor to sell wholesale at the jck shows and to market retail on the web? leslie haberer, manager/owner, diamontrigue of lubbock frank dallahan responds: thanks for your question. i wish it were simple to answer. unfortunately, today the distinctions among retail, wholesale, and manufacturing are blurring as never before.

bridal diamond display set with pyramid centerpiece from presentation box & display captures the spirit of a successful diamond promotion service diamond quality pyramid in use by more than 4,000 jewelry stores nationwide. risers and clear acrylic accents are integrated within the display to allow preferred positioning of higher-priced or special-promotion diamonds.

wagstaff takes post at mvi marketing andrew t. wagstaff, former manager of strategy and market support at argyle diamonds of australia, has moved to the united states to assume the newly created position of executive vice president at mvi marketing ltd. in beverly hills, calif., a market consulting group for the jewelry and precious stone industries.

changing money can cost big bucks if you’re buying goods overseas with u.s. dollars, you’re practically leaving money on the table for someone else to take. a bank or the company you’re buying goods from can easily add a mark-up to the exchange rate it quotes you. even companies that pay overseas vendors in foreign currency may be overlooking ways to save money.

in the face of economic calamity in asia and competition from low-cost far eastern cutters, the german gem-cutting industry based in idar-oberstein has diminished greatly in size – but not in prominence. nestled in the nahe river valley 90 minutes southwest of frankfurt, the two villages are home to the world’s largest concentration of master gem cutters, who continue a local tradit…

good news: customer service is getting worse shopping at a large department store recently, i’d selected a new tv set and was ready to pay when the salesman, who hadn’t been very helpful to begin with, began pitching an extended warranty. i wasn’t interested. at $150, it seemed ridiculously overpriced.

in december 1997, i joined jck magazine and the jck shows. my first year on board has been an eventful one that i thoroughly enjoyed. despite the doubts of naysayers about reed elsevier, jck’s “new” parent corporation, the company has proved itself time and again to be wise and decisive about the challenges presented to jck.

retail leases, especially in malls, are more complicated and expensive than ever. the brain-numbing boiler-plate language has gotten longer – many leases now run 100 pages – and a growing number of non-negotiable clauses guarantee landlords a profit to the detriment of their tenants. as these rental agreements bite deeper into revenues, jewelers must get the best contract they can a…

williamsburg, mass., jewelry designer john j. kennedy is one of only a dozen bench artists to patent a jewelry-manufacturing process in the 20th century. his two patented processes – channel- and aperture-setting of cylinder gemstones, or “cylettes” – aren’t terribly complex.

the power of persistence: cylindrical gem designs williamsburg, mass., jewelry designer john j. kennedy is one of only a dozen bench artists to patent a jewelry-manufacturing process in the 20th century. his two patented processes – channel- and aperture-setting of cylinder gemstones, or “cylettes” – aren’t terribly complex.

preston foy teams up with south african gems preston foy, president of importer allure designs ltd., has formed an alliance with de beers sightholder south african gems. foy will serve as vice president of marketing for the johannesburg-based company while continuing his day-to-day responsibilities with allure designs.

jck and its shows seek ’99 grant applications applications are being sought for 1999 grants from the jck jewelry industry fund. the fund was established last year by reed elsevier, the parent company of jck magazine and the jck international jewelry shows. each year, a total of $400,000 in grants will be awarded.

wkf&c agency now offers full coverage for weather insurance promotions at a cost ranging from 1% to 4% of sales, depending on the type of weather promotion selected. the agency also offers a loss-of-income weather protection program, in which it will pay retailers’ advertising costs or cover loss of income if it rains, snows, or is too hot or cold during an advertised sales period.

the espert system, a hand-held, electric-powered deburring, grinding, and polishing tool from nsk america corp., can be used for fine art carving or finishing and engraving on gemstones and jewelry. the device has a stepless tool speed range of 2,000 to 40,000 rpm. the system consists of a power- and function-control unit, a brushless hall-element dc motor, a connecting cord, and attachments fo…

stuller’s stones price list and reference now features color photographs of the company’s diamond and gemstone inventory. the publication also offers a sneak peek at stuller’s diamond and gemstone department and describes the have it your way program. the catalog is arranged in alphabetical order, with natural stones listed first, and includes a detailed index.

mjsa names new official tom keller, former president of swarovski jewelry, has been named director of membership and development at the 1,800-member manufacturing jewelers and suppliers of america. keller has more than 20 years’ management experience in the jewelry industry. in addition to his swarovski post, he has been vice president of sales and marketing for speidel and vice president…

ruby enjoys a storied history extending back to the earliest recorded times. from the bible we learn that wisdom was considered “more precious than rubies.” a sanskrit text refers to ruby as the “king of precious stones.” other ancient writings attest to this gem’s special powers.

de beers millennium campaign begins de beers will kick off its big millennium marketing campaign at this month’s jck show in orlando, fla. at an educational seminar and at its booth, de beers’ diamond promotion service will be showing jewelers how to tie in their own millenium promotions with the one de beers will conduct throughout 1999 and into 2000.

card games with quaint names like piquet, quadrille, and spinado were the rage in the 18th and 19th centuries, as popular as today’s bridge, poker, and blackjack. although the games are long gone, their mother-of-pearl gaming chips live on as collectible antiques and highly fashionable jewelry.

gemstone company offers domain names gemstone company maxam magnata has launched a web site, www.domaingems.com, offering more than 100 domain names for sale or lease to the international gem and jewelry industry. a domain name is an internet address used to access a web site. domain names offered by maxam magnata include 18ktgold.

the biggest news for spring and summer ready-to-wear is – for once – not about hemlines, necklines, or whether to choose pants or a skirt. what’s making fashion headlines are the fabrics themselves – a rainbow burst of color and futuristic textiles worthy of judy jetson’s closet.

christofle debuts three new boutiques christofle has opened pavillon christofle boutiques in three new locations: south coast plaza in costa mesa, calif.; americana in manhasset, n.y.; and the galleria in houston. the boutiques offer the renowned christofle flatware, silverware, crystal, porcelain, and table linens as well as luxury gifts.

tardy deliveries plague retailers watch retailers and their customers are growing impatient with back-ordered product that can take up to a year to arrive. with increasing frequency, many watch manufacturers are failing to deliver when promised, frustrating jewelers and consumers alike. retailers will wait patiently if the product is impressive, recognizing that because watches filter down from…

sound the sirens. mechanical watch repairs are in a state of emergency. retailers complain that repairs are unreliable and unpredictable, often forcing impatient customers to be put off for months. the cause isn’t hard to pinpoint. there’s a shortage of qualified watchmakers in the united states, and it’s reaching a critical juncture.

look back over the past 100 years and ask yourself: “in all that time, has the jewelry business changed much?” the answer has to be a contradictory “yes and no.” consider some of the great industry issues of 1900: unfair competition from “outsiders,” lack of trained employees, phony advertising, sloppy credit control, criminal attacks on traveling salesmen, m…

platinum stars at fall parties connecticut’s lux, bond & green, based in west hartford, marked its 100th year in business by hosting a platinum celebration. the event was cohosted by platinum guild international usa. store president and ceo john green invited the best customers from the firm’s glastonbury and west hartford stores to view a special collection of platinum jewelry, modeled by …

the rules of employee retention have changed. smart business owners realize that loyalty can no longer be bought with big salaries, hefty bonuses, and rich benefit packages alone. today it’s job satisfaction that drives retention. it takes a combination of intangible, non-monetary rewards to create an atmosphere in which quality employees feel valued, respected, and satisfied with their jobs.