ijo and japanese retailers consider joint venture for the first time in its 22-year history, the independent jewelers organization is looking east. far east. the nippon gold chain, a japanese buying cooperative of full-service jewelry stores, is talking with ijo about a joint venture to benefit members of both organizations.

what a show! andin international, new york, n.y., knows how to put on a show. the evening before the ja international jewelry show in february, andin took more than 200 of its retail customers and friends to see the revival of the broadway musical showboat. guests were presented with orchestra seats and treated to intermission refreshments.

jef announces class schedule the jewelers education foundation of the american gem society has announced the classes it will present at meetings of ags guilds, jewelers of america state affiliates and gemological institute of america alumni association chapters, as well as at the jck international jewelry show.

jewelry retailing in italy looks a bit like 1950s america: small, family-owned firms with one, or at most two or three, storefronts. but there the resemblance ends. the italian jewelry market is vastly different from the u.s. market. italian consumers are better educated about jewelry, own more jewelry per capita and pay more per piece than u.

spectacular photos twentieth century jewelry, by anna maria massinelli. 1994. 180 pages. 220 color illustrations. $50. (jck data center ng-007) to order call (800) 227-7210. it’s difficult to be negative about a book that features hundreds of excellent color plates depicting some of the most elegant jewelry of our time.

granulation as a design element in jewelry has been used in a continuum from its conception in antiquity to the present day. absorbing and integrating borrowed concepts of granulation, successive generations have adapted the ideas to suit the mode of expression for their age. these translations of style and technique are apparent in much of the jewelry in fashion today.

from the greek mainland: the ubiquitous herakles knot the herakles knot, shown here at the center of a gold diadem, had been around for centuries but became quite popular in the fourth century b.c. this one was made between 300 and 280 b.c. on the greek island of melos, just off the greek mainland. the herakles knot represented transitions such as marriage – it tied a bride’s garment and …

more men are buying jewelry for themselves, say antique and estate jewelry dealers, and the “lowly” cuff link is rising to the top of their shopping lists. indeed, cuff links are one of the few pieces of jewelry (along with a wedding ring and watch) that many men will wear. prices of vintage cuff links range from under a hundred dollars for those plated with precious metals to many thousands of…

south seas pearl prices rise prices at the march auction of australian south seas pearls in hong kong averaged 20%-30% higher than last year despite a pullback by japanese buyers, say dealers. a closed-bid portion of the auction consisted of 260 lots containing 30,257 pearls carrying a total reserve price of $11.

never before has the traditional jeweler been challenged by so many other businesses selling jewelry. but the likely winners and losers – those who will make most of the sales as we head into the 21st century and those likely to fall behind– are becoming easier to identify in this final decade of the 20th century, jewelry retailing in the u.

mjsa names winners of american vision awards the manufacturing jewelers and silversmiths of america announced winners of the 1995 american vision awards competition during the mjsa expo new york, held march 12-14. mjsa created the competition four years ago to encourage and reward innovative fine jewelry design.

jck published four reports in its new management study center series during 1994. each concluded with a quiz, which we invited readers to fill out and send in. we agreed to tally the scores of those who participated in all four tests; those with correct answers to 90% or more of the questions were to receive a certificate of completion co-signed by jck and the jewelers’ education foundation of …

back in the late 1970s, when my company got its first computer, things were very different. hardware and software for these minicomputers cost in the six-figure range. the monitors alone cost as much as a high-end personal computer does today, and they were black and white. you had to pay someone to program the computer, and you had to pay a programmer to make any changes you wanted later.

ags to issue diamond certificates the american gem society will open a diamond grading laboratory for member companies in july, says ags executive director thomas dorman. the for-profit lab is being built at ags headquarters in las vegas, nev. the original investment to set up the lab and establish an operating budget may run close to $1 million.

supplier commitment gives encouragement a burst of activity here at jck seems to reflect a new sense of anticipation within the industry. over the past few weeks, we’ve seen a sharp increase in the number of supplier companies putting together thoughtful marketing programs and making strong advertising commitments to promote their products and services to the trade.

walking into eve j. alfillé bijoux d’art is an unforgettable experience. the evanston, ill., gallery is a work of art and creative merchandising. eve alfillé designed the gallery and all the jewelry in it. the gallery’s feminine colors, living-room furniture and drapings of tulle and velvet are faintly reminiscent of a victoria’s secret store.

you’re going out in that? first your mother, now newsweek. this headline was also the headline of a recent cover story, highlighting america’s trend toward dressing down. from work to church to europe, americans are going casual. with even ibm – the quintessential bastion of starched uniformity – now sanctioning dress-down friday, it’s not surprising that more than half of u.

smash & grab suspect arrested after chase a suspect in a november 1994 smash-and-grab robbery of a jewelry store was arrested jan. 24 in philadelphia, pa. the arrest followed a high-speed automobile chase and multiple collision in which the suspect and another motorist were injured. police identified the suspect as andrew oliver.

pjs in san francisco takes final bow show: spring pacific jewelry show. dates: march 4-5. location: moscone center, san francisco, cal. sponsor: california jewelers association. attendance: 134 exhibitors, more than 1,000 buyers. mood: nostalgia filled the show, particularly on the second day as vendors and buyers realized this would be the last pjs show in san francisco.

fox’s jewelers opened a new store at southpark mall in moline, ill. this is the 46th store for the company, which is based in grand rapids, mich. fox jewelers has stores in wisconsin, michigan, indiana, iowa and illinois. rogers & hollands jewelers plans to open its 41st store this month in the university park mall in mishawaka, ind.

gordon sponsors jazz promotion jeweler, drummer and jazz aficionado gary gordon, president of samuel gordon jewelers in oklahoma city, okla., has a thing for jazzy promotions. he hosted his second annual industry jazz party at fat tuesday’s in new york city during the ja international jewelry show in february.

for the past six months, jck’s editors have been seeking answers to questions like these. the results of their research are described in a special report in this issue. in some ways, the findings are not too startling. the report says publicly what many in the industry have said privately for some time.