buyer’s guide: andalusite this is the eighth in a series by senior editor robert weldon designed to help jewelers buy different types of gems. what to look for: a few decades ago, the mineral andalusite, an aluminum silicate, was used to manufacture automobile spark plugs. named for andalucia, spain, where it was first found, it held little promise as a gemstone.

industry in flux the entire trade has, by now, become keenly aware of the increasing pace of change in our industry, and your excellent article (“where will consumers buy their jewelry in 1999?” may jck, p. 188) addressed the subject well. a full exposition of the subject would consume a book, but a few points bear some additional comment.

companies that want to keep a solid base of quality employees almost have to offer medical and life insurance. next, i think, most employees look for disability coverage, with most picking short-term before long-term – though we’ll discuss the wisdom of that choice. if your company is doing well, you also might think about adding a profit sharing plan.

if you live in florida you may not want to trust a jeweler. al sunshine, who runs the shame on you program on station wcix-tv in miami-fort lauderdale, did one program on underkarating of gold jewelry earlier this year and has just completed another on the non-disclosure of fracture-filled diamonds. the story may be the same soon in phoenix, where the local channel 15 has an expos on underkarat…

fresh, eyecatching designs captured the top prizes in jck’s second annual retail jewelry design contest. the winning designs ranged from a modern setting to hold a customer’s own euro-cut diamond to adventuresome uses of avant-garde materials like niobium. jck’s contest is designed to encourage creative custom design and to recognize the efforts of jewelry designers who work in the retail end o…

littman and barclay announce president joel sneider was named president and chief executive officer of the littman and barclay jewelry stores, owned by elangy corp., edison, n.j. the company has 128 stores along the east coast. sneider came to elangy after 20 years with macy’s, most recently as president of women’s sportswear.

platinum day packs the house more than 350 people attended the premier of platinum day, a technical symposium designed to show jewelry professionals how to work more efficiently with the world’s most precious metal. manufacturers, retailers, jewelry designers, wholesalers and trade casters attended the event, held at the holiday inn crown plaza, new york, n.

russia announces major diamond summit leaders of russia’s government and diamond industry will convene an unprecedented conference of world diamond leaders june 19. the four-day conference includes a tour of mirny, a mining area in sakha province that was a closely guarded secret until a few years ago.

the art of french jewelry the belle epoque of french jewellery 1850-1910, by dr. michael koch et al. 340 pages. 258 color, 60 black/white illustrations. 1991. $105. (jck data center ez-001.) to order call (310) 343-9204. without a doubt, the goldsmith’s art reached its zenith in france during the second half of the 19th century.

ags looks to future at conclave announcements of a new gem grading lab, new advertising programs and renewed interest in membership marked the american gem society conferencethe 61st american gem society conclave, held in the warm april sunshine of arizona, was “historic,” said herb bridge, chairman of the ags trustees.

this article originally appeared in the form of a workbook. it was designed to be read, mulled over, written in and drawn upon. in the workbook version, the text appeared on right-hand pages, with tips and advice on the left-hand pages, along with space to answer some questions posed or to use for your own notes.

citizen sails and sales retailers helped boost citizen to its best year ever in 1994. citizen thanked 500 of them in the sea breezes off san diego more than 500 retailers got as close to an america’s cup yacht race as possible without getting wet in march. aboard the cruising yacht s.s. hornblower just off san diego, cal.

it’s getting tougher to make a buck on a diamond. that’s not news to most jewelers. but a recent poll of jck retail panel members shows just how tough. things are ok on loose and mounted diamonds that cost jewelers up to $1,000. jewelers get a median keystone + 25 on these goods. but the markups fall rapidly as prices climb.

this article was prepared with a frank bias, the editor’s bias. in an ideal world, those seeking publicity speak freely and frankly about newsworthy situations or events, answer reporters’ questions openly and, in return, expect the news to be reported fully, fairly and felicitously. but we don’t live in an ideal world so we often have a breakdown in communication.

de beers will press harder this year on the pressure points that can turn consumer desire into sales. that’s the goal of a $42 million consumer advertising campaign developed by its u.s. agency, n.w. ayer & partners, new york, n.y. “diamond jewelry sales are stronger than ever, and we believe the industry can build on this strength in 1995,” says derek palmer, u.

jewelers are in a positive mood going into the second half of the year. they’re looking for solid gains in sales and profits and they plan to advertise and promote actively to reach their goals. many will stress the sale of better-quality diamond jewelry – and their expertise in this merchandise – and many also will put new emphasis on staff training.

forget the bad rap, la is a jewelry city can it be only a decade or so ago that southern california was the embodiment of the american dream and los angeles was regarded truly as the city of the angels, as well as the symbol of the chic, the trendy and the good life? what has happened? why is los angeles suddenly the place jewelers want to avoid? the pacific jewelry show at the century plaza wa…

with only a few weeks to go before christmas last year, the watches still weren’t on display at ron oppenheimer’s new store, orologio, in short hills, n.j. an ambitious construction schedule proved too short for a planned thanksgiving debut. instead, the watches were locked in a vault already on the construction site.

new york auctions: the best for the most the spring auctions in new york city were good for the best quality colored diamonds, not so good for anything less top-of-the-line colored diamonds hit world-record prices during the spring auctions at sotheby’s and christie’s in new york city. but the market was shaky for diamonds and colored stones that were anything less than the absolute best.

nigerian scam artists target jewelers massive scam operations in nigeria – some of which have reached the u.s. jewelry industry – have prompted u.s. authorities to press the african country’s government to intervene. thus far, however, the effort has brought little result, says sean stein, vice counsel of the u.

what could truly excite the unflappable disposition of jewelry manufacturers? how about the introduction of a new product: mass-produced, calibrated natural gems that are strictly matched by size and color. d. swarovski & co. of wattens, austria, created a ripple of excitement in the gem and jewelry community this year by introducing just such a product.

sca offers consumer reward program shoppers charge accounts, a private-label credit card company, has unveiled an awards program called “prestige points.” the program enables consumers to accumulate points for each purchase made at participating merchants nationwide. sca’s proprietary software tracks consumers’ buying patterns.

the rough-diamond world order has virtually crumbled in the past three years. journalists have expended thousands of pessimistic words speculating how de beers will try to reassemble it while the industry grapples with low profits and uncertainty about the future. nicholas oppenheimer, vice chairman of de beers, acknowledges these are “interesting times” in the chinese curse sense.

electronic purse: new payment option? as if consumers didn’t already have enough ways to pay for purchases, a new option may be on the way: the electronic purse. the electronic purse is a multipurpose prepaid credit-card-sized card that has the potential to alter the way we spend money the same way that automated teller machines altered the way we do business with banks, according to a report i…

tino hammid is a household name in gem circles. it comes attached to some of the world’s most breathtaking gemstone and jewelry photographs, appearing in practically every form of visual media. now hammid, who has been photographing gems and jewelry for 15 years, is branching out: he has flung himself into the mysterious world of “virtual reality.

bankruptcy is supposed to be bad for a business. yet some jewelers say bankruptcy reorganization was the best thing that could have happened to them. samuel j. merksamer, president of merksamer jewelers, even suggests that those who haven’t gone through one may have a competitive disadvantage in the 1990s.