gia’s 1997 league of honor sovereigns the gemological institute of america recently inducted 12 members to its league of honor. gia created this award to recognize industry professionals who contributed $100,000 or more to gia’s vision 2000 campaign, which supports gia’s mission to educate and serve the gem and jewelry industry and to protect the public’s trust in the tr…

early predictions of spring-summer ready-to-wear fashion indicate the key pieces to have for the season will be a white shirt, a pleated skirt, capri pants, skinny knit dresses, scarves, personalized jewelry, flat sandals, metallic shoes and goddess-like evening wear. makeup gains punch and hair is straight, neat and sleek, with ears showing.

case #1: a package delivered to chicago from a california appraiser via an overnight shipping service arrives without any visible damage to the outer box. however, when the recipient opens the box, an envelope inside has been opened and a ring enclosed at initial packing is missing. case #2: a supplier in new york ships 20 carats in diamonds to a relative in california.

amethyst is a staple item in every jewelry store. this february birthstone can possess a beautiful royal purple color, yet remain very inexpensive. amethyst is relatively hard on the mohs scale at 7, is readily available in all sizes and shapes and often comes in designer cuts and carvings. so, what’s the problem? the problem is that jewelers unknowingly sell many synthetic amethysts.

there are real indications today that the whole jewelry industry is moving towards a tectonic shift. the independent store, often dismissed as a dying breed, is showing new signs of vitality. and mass merchants, who have been gobbling up jewelry sales and share of market since the start of the 1990s, are in deep trouble.

ags plans conclave the american gem society’s “magic of conclave” will be held march 18-22 at the anaheim hilton in anaheim, calif. james courage, chief executive of the platinum guild international, will speak at the opening session luncheon. courage has over 20 years of international marketing and public relations experience, working with de beers on large-scale marketing an…

the term driver’s license could refer to the number of watch companies relying on licensed designer names to drive their business. this year’s best bet: if it has a fashion name, it will have a fashion watch. watch licensing is now the order of the day. where will it end? if the past few years are any indication, it won’t.

a battle of quality versus quantity in the watch sector will sweep through the united states in 1998. what makes this unusual is that the swiss are the ones pushing the quantity button. seeing america as the land of opportunity, the swiss will continue their watch brand avalanche, even as jewelers pare down the number of watch brands they carry – opting for quality and profit rather than …

the 1998 spectrum award competition, sponsored by the american gem trade association, drew more than 300 entries. a panel of three judges narrowed the field to 18 winners and seven honorable mentions. the contest was open to jewelry designs featuring natural colored gemstones and created in calendar year 1997.

zantech acquired marc and diedre young of peoria, ill., have bought zantech inc., trenton, n.j. its catalog sales and training facility has moved to 7501 n. harkler dr., peoria, il 61615. zantech has been a leader in development and sales of test equipment, tools, materials and related products for the quartz watch industry for two decades.

independent jewelers are entering the new year in a brisk and businesslike manner. they plan to analyze inventory continuously, aiming to stock up with strong sellers that offer high profit potential and discard slow movers. they want to improve turn, motivate and press their staffs to be more productive and take full advantage of any supplier deals available.

watches hermès adds status to evening wear with a more brilliant cape cod model, called the grand soir version. this precious jeweled watch has diamond-studded bezels crafted in 18k white or yellow gold with a mother-of-pearl dial under a sapphire crystal. the dressed-up feminine model, designed for formal occasions, abandons the leather strap in favor of a chain bracelet with folding clasp.

“staff meetings?? who’s got time for staff meetings?? surely there’s a better way to spend the few precious payroll dollars i have to spare! besides… i’m great one-on-one with my employees and my customers, but i hate having to talk in front of a group!” sound familiar? sound like somebody you know? well, if you’re among the many retail jewelers who don…

[author’s note: personal property appraising is still a young profession, with the first comprehensive education programs offered in 1982. as with any profession, there will be differences of opinion on the application of principles to particular problems. jck readers may submit their views through letters to the editor or contact the author directly.

de beers won’t support small diamond prices producers of small diamonds outside the central selling organisation umbrella will no longer “get a free ride” from de beers’ market protection and advertising, de beers director gary ralfe told participants in the second financial times diamond conference in london oct.

this year, just like last, about 2,400,000 couples will be married. for most, the wedding will follow an engagement (typically after a 13-month gap) and include the usual marriage traditions – an exchange of rings along with the vows, rehearsals, guests, gifts, flowers, parties and honeymoons. but there’ll also be some changes, a few brand new and others reflecting shifts in tastes and de…

“i wish i had a picture to show you how beautiful this woman was,” says the owner, actually co-owner, of a small town jewelry store in the northeast. “she was perfect.” tall and blond, with skin “like glass.” she’d been a model. she carried herself with the authority of acknowledged beauty.

agta responds to dateline there has been considerable concern within the last few days regarding the consequences of the dateline show “romancing the stone,” which aired on nov. 21 on nbc. we all were disappointed with the content of the show, as well as the timing. while there are numerous points of dispute over the content of the program, i think we must keep in mind the nature of…

rolex, breitling go to bat for brand integrity recent decisions handed down in separate lawsuits involving rolex and breitling may go a long way in protecting the integrity of all popular watch brands. the david versus goliath-type lawsuits revolved respectively and primarily around discounting and unauthorized service, two grave dilemmas in today’s watch industry.

de beers focuses on solitaire necklace, quality de beers’ marketing agenda continues to focus on programs which increase consumer demand for quality and boost sales of the diamond solitaire. as the market experiences unprecedented growth, says derek palmer, de beers’ regional director for the americas, programs such as the diamond solitaire necklace have increased consumer demand fo…

jewelry for charity jewelry designer mignon faget of new orleans created this miniature representation of a shotgun house, fifth in a series of wearable holiday ornaments celebrating the history of the city. each year, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the series, called adornaments, is donated to charity.