after more than a year of planning and development, jewelers of america launched a new test designed to grade the skills of bench jewelers. ja bench jeweler certification™ provides certification at four levels with a series of written and bench tests, allowing bench jewelers who have trained either on the job or in schools to demonstrate their skills.

zodiac to honor diver carpenter wittnauer also expands game show exposurescott carpenter, who the underwater society of america will honor this month as regional diver of the year, will receive a zodiac swiss formula sports watch in recognition of his achievements. the society has honored divers for 35 years, but this will be the first award it has presented since it named zodiac its official w…

to a growing number of forward-thinking jewelers, experienced watchmakers are an integral part of the service offered to every customer. better service, particularly on-site, can add higher value to any watch purchase. but the clock is ticking when it comes to finding qualified craftsmen. “half of all watchmakers worldwide are over 50 years old,” says josiane simonin of the watchmak…

oregon jewelers learn about ads the oregon jewelers association held a recent board meeting at kobe printing, a provider of photography, printing and prepress services for the jewelry industry’s advertising needs. members heard a presentation on “how to get your ad into print,” a detailed discussion of print production.

as a jewelry designer, i’ve logged somewhere in the vicinity of 5,000 woman-hours doing jewelry “shows” in stores from maine to california. from my experiences, i’ve found factors that seem to separate shows that are successful from those that aren’t. if you’re considering a show this year, keep these things in mind: consider the “show” or “…

gia graduates recognized in design contest two 1996 graduates of the gemological institute of america’s graduate jeweler program received certificates of high achievement in the jewellery network society’s international jewellery design contest. roxanna javid of iran submitted a computer-aided brooch design and finished piece called the “the sublime lotus,” made with an …

exhibit features boston crafts when the u.s. was barely a century old, artisans began to incorporate a bit of their colonial ancestry into art still controlled by english standards. this renaissance, which became the arts and crafts movement, is the focus of inspiring reform: boston’s arts and crafts movement, an exhibition of more than 150 objects at the davis museum and cultural center …

jeweler plays the hero in new york fairy tale larry wilkes was working out in the gym the day after christmas when, amid other disheartening headlines in the new york post, a story jumped out and grabbed his heart. donovan jackson, a 23-year-old shipping company employee from queens, had been saving for 14 months and moonlighting as a barber to buy a 40-pt.

white gold, platinum and titanium caught the eyes of buyers at the ja international jewelry show, held jan. 25-28 in the jacob javits convention center in new york city. jewelry designers and manufacturers offered lacy, romantic, pretty looks, especially in white gold or platinum with diamond pavé.

hannoush moves into northeast hannoush jewelers, which operates 36 stores in five northeast states, now has six owner-operated franchise locations in massachusetts, new york and connecticut. all are fully established and operational, says a spokesman for the company, which is headquartered in west springfield, mass.

russian gem artistry: building a business question: what do you get when you bring together russian experts in theoretical physics, biology, ornithology and geology? answer: gem cutters and dealers, of course! an assortment of such experts makes up a new gem group called geokey. geokey sells russian-flavored gemstones such as blue and green beryl and bicolored topaz from the ukraine, tourmaline…

[editor’s note: this is the first of a two-part column on appraising for consumer resale. part 1 covers the basics; part 2 in a future issue will fill in critical and often overlooked areas. together, the two parts will complete a set of general q&as on the four types of appraisal-related reports typically requested of jewelers (see “price vs.

better photographs photographing minerals and lapidary materials, by jeffrey scovil. 1996. 176 pages. 30 color, 276 black/white photos. $40.(jck data center mr-013) to order call 1-800-234-5308. here’s a great how-to book on photographing minerals, fossils and other lapidary materials such as carvings, cabochons and faceted stones.

quality and value. they’re the new buzzwords of trend watchers who loudly proclaim consumers are finally sick of junk and want to buy things that last. tell that to the woman who is visibly shaken by what a “quality” strand of matched 8mm white round cultured pearls costs these days.

“what is exciting about jewelry as tokens of romance is the extraordinary range of symbolism used throughout civilization to send messages to the adored one,” says lynn ramsey, president of the jewelry information center in new york city. “this symbolism can be as obvious as the heart or as clandestine as the communication in acrostic jewelry, in which the first initials of th…

amethyst testing takes step forward the asian institute of gemological sciences in bangkok, thailand, says it has developed a technique to separate mass quantities of synthetic amethyst from natural counterparts. “this new service is designed specifically to ensure that parcels of amethyst being exported in volume from thailand are what they are stated to be – either natural or synt…

mckeon leaves hsn kevin j. mckeon stepped down from his position as chief financial officer of the home shopping network and hsn inc. in january after the company’s purchase of silver king broadcasting and sf broadcasting. “following the completion of the recent merger, i felt this was the right time for me to leave the company to pursue other opportunities,” mckeon said in a …