colored moissanite goes on sale while jewelers awaited word of the first sale of the newest diamond substitute, synthetic moissanite, few suspected that the first retail report would be about bluish-green moissanite. though it’s not actually in production, it’s being sold by one jeweler who just happened to be at the right place at the right time.

diamond dealers to disclose drilling starting next year, diamond cutters will disclose laser drilling in the goods they sell or memo. at their joint meeting in bangkok in july, the world federation of diamond bourses and the international diamond manufacturers association voted unanimously to require their members to disclose drilling to remove black inclusions in all diamond transactions.

aftermath of a flood people in grand forks, n.d., tend to divide their histories into neat halves. they call the first half “before the flood.” the second half? well, you guessed it. grand forks is the state’s second largest city. bigger than bismarck, smaller than fargo, to the south.

e.a. grebitus used to be the only store in sacramento, calif., selling ideal cut diamonds. as competitors battled over who had the cheapest commercial-cut diamonds, grebitus stood above the fray with a striking product no one else had. but then another store in his area started carrying ideal cuts, and then another, and another.

ja show claims 8% gain organizers of jewelers of america’s international jewelry show claim an increase in attendees – the first in several years – at this year’s event, held july 18-21 in new york city. the figure, they say, is based on a new and more accurate attendance-verification system.

unsung brands seeking a stage looking to stand out from your competition? searching for something new or unique in watches? here are a few brands – some new, some not – that you may have missed among the abundance of lines on the market. some of these unsung brands may not croon the loudest, but many are attracting attention.

jck: how did you get from being an apprentice to being one of the world’s top jewelers? lg: i left school at 14 to become a bench apprentice and started selling jewelry at age 17. i really built the business stone by stone. i traveled around the world with stones in my pocket. i had samples and did exhibits in the middle east and far east before other jewelers went there.

this is a test:close your eyes and envision a robin’s-egg blue jewelry box with a single name printed at the center. next, picture a fire-engine red box with a single name written in gold script. okay, maybe these were too easy. but do you think it’s an accident that tiffany & co. and cartier chose those colors and styles, creating widely recognized boxes that are as sought-afte…

impeccably tailored, impressively tall, confident and refined, henri baguardjian has the makings of an intimidating presence. but the president of van cleef & arpels’s u.s. group is a down-to-earth guy who loves to munch on french fries, helps clear dirty dishes, and is very, very funny. when he tells a story, you put down your (excellent french) wine, swallow quickly, and try not to …

the internet – that mushrooming web of computer networks – is fast turning into a giant electronic shopping mall. retail sales on the ’net totaled $2.4 billion last year and are expected to hit $4.8 billion this year. a third of all united states retailers now use the ’net for merchandising, and the number grows by the day, if not by the hour.

‘expectations’: a key to sales “how many sales are enough?” (april issue) was a great article. but two disturbing statistics stand out: the word “expectations” does not appear in your article. people do better when they know what’s expected of them. expectations are what one needs to do to keep a job.

message to watch companies: retailers and consumers love your products, but they’re overwhelmed by the options. retailers complain that, amid all the excitement of new introductions and new brands, watch companies are drowning their showcases in a confusing, cluttered sea of sameness. even some watch company executives admit they are overwhelmed with the sheer volume of watches in the mar…

besides watches, omega sells emotion. it gives consumers another reason to admire its watches beyond the products themselves. and that other reason is a celebrity. worldwide, people like to identify with the beautiful, the daring, and the athletic. this is the emotion omega is capitalizing on. using some of the best-known modeling and sports stars – supermodel cindy crawford being the lat…

when authorities finally caught willie sutton, america’s “most wanted” bank robber, they asked him, “why do you rob banks?’’ his reply: “because that’s where the money is.” now, more than a half-century later, some of the world’s finest purveyors of luxury goods have heeded sutton’s advice, if not his methods, and gone where the …

promotions at zale zale corp., the largest fine jewelry retailer in the united states, has named two women to top executive posts. beryl raff, 47, is the new president and chief operating officer of the corporation, effective july 15. she will continue to oversee the daily operation of the corporation’s three divisions – zales jewelers, gordon’s jewelers, and bailey banks &amp…

american women constitute the largest single economy in the world. they’re buying a lot of luxurious things for themselves – furs, diamonds, and cars. they also buy 70% of all nfl-licensed products sold. yet a surprising number of women don’t really like to shop! at a seminar during the recent couture collection and conference in scottsdale, ariz.

schachter namdar, goldman team up schachter namdar, an israeli exporter of polished diamonds, has formed a joint venture with new york jewelry manufacturer frederick goldman inc. the new company, goldman/schachter namdar diamond brands, will manufacture and market brand-name diamond jewelry for retailers and supply diamonds for goldman’s bridal business, including its keepsake diamonds line.

diamond stability? i don’t think so at the recent conference in tel aviv commemorating israel’s 50th anniversary and the opening of the new rough diamond bourse in ramat-gan, there were intriguing statements from anthony oppenheimer, president of de beers’ central selling organisation, and des kilalea, a financial analyst who follows the giant mining company for fleming securi…

cloaked in mystery, endowed with strange stories and healing powers, diamonds were the special reserve of the rich and royal for centuries. over the years, however, these most coveted gems have become democratized. the supply of diamonds increased with discoveries in brazil and africa in the 18th and 19th centuries.

customers shopping for a diamond are riding an emotional high that fuels their desire to buy. effective sales associates know how to harness that feeling and give customers a compelling incentive to purchase right then and there. a skillful presentation can make the difference between spurring or thwarting that emotional rush, between closing a sale or giving the customer reason to shop around.

mystery celebrity contest begins the diamond information center, the publicity arm of de beers, will officially kick off its third annual mystery celebrity contest sept. 14 on the television show “entertainment tonight.” the program will feature a segment showing the star wearing a diamond solitaire necklace; the public will be invited to guess who she is.

ascent of a brand nina ricci, a name associated with l’air du temps, billed as one of the world’s most romantic fragrances, has a new line of fine south seas pearl jewelry. the line is produced under license by asialuxe, hong kong. announced in basel, the jewelry introduction coincides with the 50th anniversary of the fragrance and reflects a theme similar to that of the perfumer…

agta issues ‘color everlasting’ the american gem trade association of dallas has published color everlasting – the beauty of colored gemstones. the book covers all aspects of selling colored gems and colored gemstone jewelry. information is included on fashion and color trends and how to buy colored gemstone jewelry, as well as a gallery featuring agta members’ products.

the unsung heroes of the gemological institute of america fluorescence study are people who know nothing about gemology. to determine what fluorescence does to diamonds, gia called upon not just its trained graders, but also its office staffers, who are no more diamond-savvy than the average layperson.

diamond supply forecast is mixed jewelers will probably see few shortages in diamonds under 1.5 cts. this holiday season, but high-quality diamonds in larger sizes may be harder to obtain. that’s the likely scenario, given the record low allocations to sightholders by de beers’ central selling organisation (cso).

when making a sale, do you advise customers about proper care of gems and jewelry? you should, because it’s good business. if the jewelry continues to look good long after it leaves your store, others will notice, resulting in valuable word-of-mouth advertising. in addition, since some cleaning methods can harm gemstones, providing care instructions will reduce the risk of damage later on.

once upon a time, it was enough to have a well-lighted store stocked with sparkling clean merchandise overseen by a knowledgeable sales staff. with jewelry stores opening up at every turn in the mall and shoppers growing more demanding, those days have passed. now you need window and in-case displays that overcome threshold resistance, reinforce your image, and set you apart from all those comp…

the philadelphia pbs station recently featured a program about “affluenza.” its premise was that americans spend far too much money and time on meaningless, disposable things that ruin the environment. but rather than suggest realistic ways to cut back on waste, the program promoted its own brand of “frugal living” as the most meaningful solution.