Chicago jewelers address ordinance
A new city ordinance defining secondhand jewelry prompted the Chicago Jewelers Association to call for changes from the mayor’s office.
The ordinance defines “secondhand property” as “any (jewelry item) that was previously owned.” According to CJA member Thomas Foody of the Jewelers Board of Trade, this definition includes any stone or metal because it is not mined locally and, therefore, was previously owned.
The ordinance requires that each dealer-to-dealer transaction involving secondhand merchandise include a 10-day hold, photocopies of IDs, photos of each piece and extensive paperwork. CJA argued these rules put Chicago-based dealers at a disadvantage and also affected retailers, who would have to stock more inventory and suffer from delayed delivery.
Mayor’s representatives said they are willing to consider changes to the ordinance based on CJA’s requests.
Watchmakers Plan convention
The New York State Watchmakers’ Association will hold its 59th annual convention Oct. 3-5 at the Holiday Inn-Waterloo/Seneca Falls in Waterloo, N.Y.
Speakers will include Harry Blair on watch wheel and pinion cutting evolution and the 1997 H.B. Fried Memorial Horological Trip; William O. Smith, author of 21st Century Watchmaker; Marc Young, owner of Zantech Electronics in Trenton, N.J.; and James Brown of Speidel in Providence, R.I.
NYSWA, 85 Main St., Salamanca, NY 14779; (716) 392-3232.
Jewelers ‘spring’ into fall
The South Carolina Jewelers Association will offer its fall motivational seminar, “Operation Springboard,” on Oct. 5 at the Sheraton Hotel in Columbia, S.C.
Better sales, more cash flow and increased selling excitement will be the focus of this seminar by Christine Anzell and Jack Levinson, veterans of the jewelry industry who conduct sales seminars for jewelers across the country. An awards ceremony for the SCJA Design Contest is planned also.
SCJA, P.O. Box 23099, Columbia, SC 29224; (803) 788-3142, fax (803) 788-4658.
Canadians to hold gem conference
The Canadian Gemmological Association will hold its eighth annual gem conference Oct. 25 at the Delta Chelsea Inn in Toronto, Ontario.
Keynote speaker Thomas Chatham of Chatham Created Gems Inc., San Francisco, Cal., will speak on the history and future of created gems. Other lectures and workshop topics will include diamond grading, buying gem rough, jewelry design, identifying synthetics, pearl grading, antique jewelry identification, topaz and Canadian diamond mining.
The Canadian Gemmological Association, 1767 Avenue Rd., North York, Ontario, Canada M5M 3Y8; (416) 785-0962, fax (416) 785-9043.
Exhibits
BAUME & MERCIER DISPLAYS 167 YEARS OF HISTORY
Baume & Mercier is commemorating its 167-year heritage with a rare look at its historical watch collection.
The exhibit of 40 items now touring the U.S. includes jewelry watches circa 1920, a selection of 1940s chronographs and even some high-fashion watches of the 1970s.
“The exhibit places Baume & Mercier’s long, rich history on display and shows people our innovation and dedication over the years,” says Steven Kaiser, president and chief executive officer.
The U.S. tour, which follows a similar one in Europe, began last month at Shreve & Co. in San Francisco followed by Adlers in Metairie and New Orleans, La. This month, the exhibit can be seen at Tivol in Overland Park, Kansas, Oct. 9-14, and at Lux, Bond & Green, West Hartford, Conn., Oct, 23-28. In November, see it at Shreve, Crump & Low, Boston, Nov. 6-11, and Tourneau, 590 Madison Ave., New York, Nov. 20-30.
‘Net news
Jewelers of America has joined the Polygon Network’s jewelry industry site at http://ja.polygon.net. It can be accessed also at its old address: http://www.jewelers.org. JA will provide each of its members and affiliated regional associations with free Web sites, designed by Polygon and linked to JA’s national site. Affiliate sites will have a password-protected “Members Only” section containing information only regional JA members should know. The JA site also will have a “Finding a Jeweler” search engine for consumers.
Swiss Time at http://www.swisstime.ch is the new Web site representing the Swiss watch industry. The site provides magazine-style news and feature articles, lists companies alphabetically and provides company background and product information. It also shows photographs of new products. One section reviews the World Watch, Clock and Jewellery Show in Basel, Switzerland, while another lists complementary watch sites on the Web.
The Paul H. Gesswein Co. of Bridgeport, Conn., has joined the Web at http://www.gessweinco.com. The site features new products for manufacturing jewelers, updated technical tips to aid in the production process, a trade show schedule and a list of available products, including used equipment at a reduced price. Visitors also can apply for an account or order a catalog. Gesswein plans to add on-line videos of machinery so customers can walk through a tailor-made demonstration of equipment. Gesswein, 255 Hancock Ave., Bridgeport, CT 06605; (203) 366-5400, fax (203) 335-0300, e-mail gessweinco@ aol.com.
The Accredited Gemologist Association has joined the Web at http://aga.polygon.net. The site gives a history of the organization, a list of officers, a calendar of AGA events and a membership request form.
The Jeweler’s Center at the Mallers Building in Chicago, Ill., is now on the Internet at http://www. jewelerscenter.com. The site lists tenants and contact information alphabetically as well as by category.
Retailer news
TIFFANY EXPANDS IN U.S., Japan
Tiffany & Co. announced the opening of four new stores in the U.S. and broadened management responsibilities to handle the new additions.
A store in Palo Alto, Cal., opened in June, and stores in Cincinnati, Ohio; Chestnut Hill, Mass.; and Charlotte, N.C., were expected to open later in the year. In addition, the Chicago, Ill., store will move to a larger location on North Michigan Ave. this fall.
Senior executives will take over new responsibilities as part of the expansion. Michael J. Kowalski, president and chief operating officer, will assume direct responsibility for sales organizations in the Asia-Pacific regions.
James E. Quinn, executive vice president, will be responsible for the European and Middle Eastern sales organizations in addition to retail, corporate division and wholesale trade sales and operations in North and South America.
Jeanne B. Daniel, executive vice president, will assume additional responsibilities for the manufacturing operations and will remain responsible for merchandising and marketing.
Thomas J. O’Neill, executive vice president for international sales, left for a position with another company.
Beth O. Canavan was promoted to senior vice president for retail sales and now oversees all retail sales in the U.S.
James N. Fernandez, senior vice president of finance and chief financial officer, assumed primary responsibility for the integration of the company’s distribution systems and operations.
Tiffany & Co. Japan has added new boutiques in Tottori and Osaka, Japan.
The 675-sq.-ft. boutique in Tottori is located in the Daimaru department store and is the first Tiffany boutique in the Sanin area. The 1,716-sq.-ft. boutique in Osaka is in the Takashimaya department store and is the ninth boutique in the Kinki area.
Tiffany opened its flagship Japanese store in Tokyo in May 1996 and now has 38 boutiques in the country. Sales in Japan represented 27% of total company sales in fiscal 1996.
Congratulations
Bernard Bartikowsky Inc., a family-owned jewelry store in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., celebrates its 110th anniversary this month. Founded by Max Bartikowsky, the business has survived five generations and a series of locations, including one flooded with eight feet of water in the Wilkes-Barre flood of 1972. In celebration of the anniversary, the retailer will receive recognition from city officials and hold special promotions and giveaways.
Sissy’s Log Cabin of Pine Bluff, Ark., was one of 30 businesses and non-profit organizations recognized as an Arkansas Business of the Year this year. The jewelry and antiques store, which has operated out of a Pine Bluff log cabin since 1970, won Category II for companies with 26-75 employees.
Rent-A-Center of Wichita, Kan., presented it first award of excellence to supplier D.G. Jewelry of Canada Ltd., based in Toronto. The company supplies stone-set rings to mass merchandisers, including Wal-Mart, QVC, Value Vision, Sears Roebuck & Co., Zeller’s, Kmart and Zale Corp.
Trade shows
IJO SHOW ATTENDANCE UP 50%
The Independent Jewelers Organization’s semiannual seminar/buying show, held in July at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tenn., was the biggest seminar/show in its history, reports IJO. Attendance was up almost 50% from its last six seminar/shows. This comes on the heels of a growth in the organization’s member count.
IJO credits its attendance and member upswings to three factors.
First, the group’s member rewards program extends a “buy one, get one free” offer on hotel rooms and free
airfare to members who attend the seminar/buying show. “We risked a great deal of money to try to get our members to attend our show, and we had no guarantee that they’d buy once they got there,” says Jeff Roberts, IJO president and chief executive officer. “They did – it surpassed our predictions.”
Second, IJO’s Antwerp Diamond Broker program is at an all-time high. The program allows members to buy diamonds directly from Antwerp diamantaires on special trips to the city. A highlight at the summer show in Nashville was a how-to workshop where members were given step-by-step instruction on how to use IJO’s marketing techniques.
Third, IJO has embarked on an on-the-road program this year. By late summer, almost 100 stores had hosted IJO staff members. The organization plans 100 more visits this fall. Within three years, IJO staff will have visited every store in its network.
PJS MARKS 40th ANNIVERSARY
Everything came up rubies at the 40th anniversary Pacific Jewelry Show, held Aug. 16-18 in the Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles, Cal.
A ruby theme was carried throughout the show, including an exhibit of the Liberty Ruby, an 8,500-ct. gem carved into the shape of the Liberty Bell with an eagle circling the bell with its wings. Surrounding the bell were 50 1-ct. diamonds representing the 50 states. The ruby was on display courtesy of the Kazanjian Foundation.
Seminars and their presenters were “In-Store Service Shop Profitability,” Mark Mann, director of certification for Jewelers of America; “Profit From the Past With Estate Jewelry,” Paul Lubetsky of Windsor Jewelers Inc., New York, N.Y.; and “Repairing Estate Jewelry,” Alan Revere of Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, San Francisco, Cal. Concurrent with the seminars was CareerFair (see page 204).
Breakfast presentations were conducted by the Platinum Guild Inter-national and the Diamond Promotion Service. A party marking the 40th anniversary of PJS included refreshments and entertainment. It was
sponsored by Bulova Corp., Citizen Watch Co., Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co., M’ORO, Robert S. Fisher & Co., Seabury & Smith, Tissot USA Inc., Unigem International and West Bryson & Associates/Rocket Jewelry Box Co.
The Jewelers of America Affiliates Council also held its annual meeting during the show. The meeting featured a series of roundtable discussions on various topics.
Supplier news
Belleek Pottery buys aYnsley china
The Belleek Pottery Group in Great Britain has acquired 222-year-old Aynsley China of Stoke-on-Trent, U.K., a leading brand of giftware. The group now includes Belleek Pottery, Galway Irish Crystal and Aynsley China.
Belleek Pottery and Galway Irish Crystal are now distributed in the U.S. by Reed & Barton Corp., 144 W. Britannia St., Taunton, MA 02780; (800) 822-1824, fax (508) 822-7269.
Avery Dennison consolidates
Five Avery Dennison businesses – producers of computer, printer and labeling products – have been reorganized into a single company named VIP Converted Products North America.
The five consolidated businesses are Avery Dennison Printer Systems, Avery Dennison Tag & Label Products, Avery Dennison Worldwide Ticketing Services, Avery Dennison Information Systems Division and Avery Dennison Presidax.
Products and services provided by these companies include in-house imprinting systems and software, fully and partially preprinted tags and labels, sequential bar code tags and labels, laser tags and labels, and service bureaus.
The new company will discontinue use of the name “Soabar Products,” which was previously used alongside the name “Avery Dennison.”
The new company is based in Philadelphia, Pa., with divisions in Greensboro, N.C.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Framingham, Mass.; Mississauga, Canada; and Hong Kong.
VIP Converted Products North America, 7722 Dungan Rd., Philadelphia, PA 19111; (215) 725-4700, fax (215) 728-8921.