LONG’S COMMISSIONS ART FOR BOSTON MARATHON

Long’s Jewelers has commissioned local artist E. Joseph Fontaine to create an original work of art to be the official poster for the 100th running of the Boston Marathon in April 1996.

Long’s, a 116-year-old firm with five stores in the Greater Boston area, has been the official award supplier of the Boston Marathon for a number of years. Fontaine, known for paintings of local scenes and coastal subjects, is listed in “Who’s Who in American Art” and “Art in America.”

The Boston Athletic Association tapped both Long’s and Fontaine to create the marathon’s official image. Fontaine’s work will be represented on a complete line of clothing, giftware and timepieces to commemorate the world-class event.

JEWELERS DONATE TO OKLAHOMA CITY

Jewelers were among those making donations to the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing tragedy this spring. Two examples:

• The Diamond Center, a Janesville, Wis., jewelry store, donated its entire sales on April 23 to the relief effort in Oklahoma. Red Cross volunteers were on hand at the store to answer any questions from the public. Local radio and TV stations and newspapers promoted the event, which raised just under $19,000. Co-owners Dan Serpe and Steve Yeko made the contribution an even $20,000.

• Major Diamond Mine & Gem Boutique Jewelers, a Hyde Park, N.Y.-based 14-store Northeast chain, donated all profits from its early-May sales of “Mother & Child” pendants to “Feed the Children: The Oklahoma City Disaster Relief Fund.” The store raised $3,000 from the sale of the 14k gold pendants, made by the Kirchner Corp., Minneapolis. The promotion ran from May 1 to 14, Mother’s Day.

HOME SHOPPING NETWORK COMBINES CHANNELS

The Home Shopping Network planned to combine its HSC1 and HSC2 channels into a single network on June 5. The combined network will reach more than 65 million households.

The St. Petersburg, Fla., firm, said the move will improve service and efficiency.

MIKIMOTO RAISES FUNDS FOR BREAST CANCER

Mikimoto spotlighted the need for breast cancer research money during an April fund-raiser at Sotheby’s in Manhattan. The event honored Katharine Graham, publisher of The Washington Post, for her work with the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research and Evelyn Lauder of Este Lauder Cos. for her work with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The event raised money for both organizations, which also received a portion of receipts from May sales at Mikimoto’s new New York City store.

OMAHA STORE MARKS ANNIVERSARY

Borsheim’s, the Omaha retailer which calls itself “America’s largest independent jewelry store” and a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. since 1989, marked its 125th year of selling fine jewelry and gifts in April. Together, the board of directors hosted some 2,300 Berkshire Hathaway shareholders – 22% more than in 1994 – for the annual shareholders’ shopping day, which precedes the annual shareholder meeting in Omaha.

GROUP AUCTIONS PIN FOR LEUKEMIA

The Jewelers Bench Inc., Hershey, Pa., created a “High Hopes” pin for the fund-raising efforts of the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the Leukemia Society of America. It sold for more than $1,100 at the chapter’s May auction. The 14k yellow gold brooch by award-winning gemstone artist Jim Kaufmann has a platinum tail accented with baguette diamond ties; layers of gem materials, including various grades of opal, form the body of the kite. This was the first in a numbered series of kite-themed pins which the Jewelers Bench will donate for the chapter’s annual auction, culminating with a special design for the year 2000, when the society hopes to have a cure for the disease.