SAKIN & Co. ACQUIRES AUGUST CORP. NAME
Morris Star, president of Sakin & Co., and Jesse August, president of August Corp., announced that Sakin & Co. bought the August Corp. name.
The new company is known as August Pearl, with Star as president, August as a full-time consultant for two years and Betty Starr as vice president of marketing.
Morris Starr says the company will continue to uphold strict and consistent quality standards in its cultured pearl necklace and earring programs. It also will offer other cultured pearl jewelry in classic designs.
August Pearl, 576 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10036; (800) 221-2024 or (212) 719-2026.
BOOTH NUMBER CHANGES
Prime Time Watch Co. will be in booth C172 at the JCK International Jewelry Show in Orlando this month. The company, whose lines include Wolverine Timepieces and Hush Puppy Watches, had already mailed fliers to its retail clients when its booth number was changed to C172. Prime Time Watch Co., 385 Fifth Ave., Suite 203, New York, NY 10016; (212) 696-5234, fax (212) 696-5227.
SU-RAJ OPENS BANGALORE PLANT
Su-Raj Diamonds has opened a new jewelry manufacturing plant in Bangalore, India, to increase its jewelry production capacity.
The new factory employs 300 workers and is located in the Bangalore Domestic Tariff Area, a free-trade zone outside the city.
Su-Raj, based in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), is a major manufacturer of loose diamonds and finished jewelry. The factory’s workers have received more than two years of training on the state-of-the-art, precision equipment used there. The Bangalore unit augments the company’s plant in Mumbai’s SEEPZ free-trade zone.
Su-Raj now can allocate production between the two plants for more flexibility and tighter delivery schedules.
SUPPLIERS ON THE GROW
D. Paglia & Son moved to larger facilities at 280 Sheffield St., Mountainside, NJ 07092; (800) 372-4542 or (908) 654-5999, fax (908) 654-5553, e-mail DPandScorp@aol.com.
Harvey and Mitch Lisker, formerly of Antwerp Diamond Distributors, launched a new company called Absolute Brilliance Inc. in New York City. The new company offers all sizes, shapes, colors and clarities of polished diamonds and concentrates on special orders for retailers of all sizes. Absolute Brilliance Inc., 580 Fifth Ave., Suite 1810, New York, NY 10036; (800) 309-0040 or (212) 768-4747, fax (212) 869-9078.
OPENINGS
Ann’s Jewelry II opened at Five Forks and Oak roads in Gwinnett County, Ala. It’s the second store for the 10-year-old jewelry retailer, based in Lawrenceville, Ala.
James Gattas Jewelers opened a 1,300-sq.-ft. store in East Memphis, Tenn. The owner is the former copresident of Fred P. Gattas Co., a 41-year-old jewelry store and catalog company that closed in 1995.
Neves Jewelers opened a new store in Town Square Shopping Center in Aberdeen, N.J. The company now has three stores.
Philippe Charriol added to its family of boutiques with new stores in Atlanta, Ga., and Honolulu, Hawaii.
Peter De Natale Jewelers Inc. opened a 2,000-sq.-ft. store in December on Madison Ave. in New York, N.Y. The retailer of fine jewelry and luxury goods to the Wall Street community will continue to operate its store on Broadway.
CLOSINGS
Fountain’s Fine Jewelry, Memphis, Tenn., went out of business in December.
The Goldsmith Inc., Baton Rouge, La., closed in December when the owner retired.
RELOCATION
Heather Classics Inc., a manufacturer and importer of 14k gold and micron-plated watches, relocated. The new mailing address is P.O. Box 367, Massapequa, NY 11758; the shipping address is 1247 Wantagh Ave., Suite 128, Wantagh, NY 11758; (800) 998-1220 for orders or (516) 679-3764.