blum retires as barry’s chairman david blum has retired from the chairmanship of barry’s jewelers, monrovia, cal. blum, who cofounded the business with gerson fox in 1956, will retain a seat on the board of directors. “david blum directed barry’s growth from a one-store operation in 1956 to the nation’s fourth-largest jewelry retailer,” says president terry burman.

when marion halfacre walks towards traditional jewelers in newport beach’s posh fashion island, he looks around and thinks, “just another day in paradise.” many jewelers would agree after viewing traditional jewelers and its surroundings. fashion island, an outdoor shopping center in one of the most affluent areas of southern california, is very close to the pacific ocean; shoppers can watch …

common sense can prevent thefts a jewelry salesman who takes his line with him to his hotel room is robbed of $250,000 in merchandise by masked men waiting for him in the hotel garage the next morning. a jeweler loses thousands of dollars of jewelry that he leaves in a bag in an unguarded “safe” area of a hotel.

branded stores are the hottest trend in retailing today. from fashion houses like chanel and dior which have always known the cachet of a designer boutique to household names like sony, nike and liz claiborne, manufacturers increasingly seek to capture the consumer’s dollar – directly. the branded store brigade includes a sizable contingent of jewelry designers.

“weeeellll, it’s pink,” says an uncertain voice at the other end of the telephone. “it’s got a hint of purple. you know – bubble-gum pink!” you’re trying to buy a pink tourmaline from an out-of-state dealer, but his description of color is open to interpretation – very open. bubble-gum pink? some bubble gum leans toward fuchsia, other bubble gum toward purple.

russians assert independence at summit delegates from around the world came to a diamond summit in russia in june expecting the announcement of a breakthrough agreement between russia and de beers. what they heard instead was a russian declaration of independence. russian diamond officials said they want – and need – the right to polish and sell more diamonds on the outside market and are exp…

it was almost noon on christmas eve 1993. ruth mayer was badly shaken and disheveled as she neared a stranger’s front door in el sobrante, cal. but there was an element of relief because her 63-hour ordeal at the hands of kidnappers was nearly over. dorothy fredenburg opened her door, brought ruth inside and dialed 911.

watch execs meet nation’s legislators new tax structures, import streamlining and tougher anticounterfeiting legislation were topics discussed by speakers at the american watch association conclave, held may 23-24 in washington, d.c. more than 100 watch company executives and guests attended an evening dinner and a day of discussion with top u.

ja announces first student design contest jewelers of america will launch its first student design contest in conjunction with the 1995 career symposium at the fashion institute of technology in new york city. members of the american jewelry design council will judge pieces on originality, marketability and manufacturability.

jewelry-store security comes in many forms. it can be as simple as locking your door and as complex as a sophisticated video surveillance system. here’s a look at some of the products that can help you safeguard your merchandise and your store. jck recently asked a number of companies to describe any of their new, state-of-the-art security products or services for jewelers.

retailers roamed the aisles of the jck international jewelry show to replenish stock, gear up for christmas and see the latest in jewelry and watch design. final figures for the show, held in las vegas in june, put buyer attendance at 15,123 and exhibitors at 2,167 in 3,550 booths. here are highlights of what they found, plus reviews of an industry issues forum titled “ethics and the family b…

wostep announces expanded schedule the watchmakers of switzerland training and educational program in neuchÉtel, switzerland, has announced an expanded schedule of classes for the rest of 1995 and 1996. “refresher course” is aimed at experienced watchmakers who wish to increase their knowledge.

skinner auction benefits research a recent jewelry auction at skinner inc. of bolton, mass., raised nearly $700,000 for schepens eye research institute in boston. the highlights were a van cleef & arpels art deco diamond necklace that sold for $21,850 and a marina b. ruby, diamond and emerald cuff bracelet that sold for $41,400.

leonore doskow marks 60th anniversary every anniversary is a silver one at leonore doskow inc., montrose, n.y. but this october will be a special one for the silver jewelry manufacturer: it will mark 60 years since leonore and david doskow founded the company in greenwich village. david doskow, owner and son of the founders, says no special celebration is planned.

design community says thanks for job well done late in july, the american jewelry design council presented its benny award for outstanding contributions to the well-being of the council’s work, and that of all american jewelry designers. it’s only the second time the award was made; the first, last year, honored mort abelson for his leading role in helping fresh, usually young design talent by …

ohio jewelers announce plans for columbus show the columbus jewelry show will be held aug. 25-27 at the greater columbus convention center, columbus, ohio. an educational program on aug. 25 will feature the following presentations: “gemological association of america workshop,” 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; “a day with diamonds,” presented by gia and sponsored by the diamond promotion service, 9 a.

twelve jewelry designers made their debut in the new designer gallery at the july jewelers of america show in new york the 12 new designers: beth adams is a well-known abstract painter whose work has been included in many solo and group shows at galleries across the united states and canada. she has taught drawing, painting and art history at seattle pacific university and now teaches at the un…

prototype store marks ‘rebirth’ of gordon’s gordon’s jewelers marked its 90th anniversary in june by presenting a new prototype store. the company says the event represents more than just a new look for its 360 stores. “this is the rebirth of gordon’s, a statement that it is going to be a jewelry store again,” says mary forte, president of gordon’s, a division of zale corp.

“what are jewelers most concerned about?” a recent survey asked. “theft or burglary” came in first, with “security” second, ahead of “making a profit.” given the extremely perilous nature of the retail jewelry business, these answers are no surprise. in 1994, 20 homicides occurred during retail jewelry crimes, principally robberies against jewelers, and more than 150 jewelers were injured.

as of sept. 30, we’ll have a new executive director at jewelers of america. the new man, matt runci, is likely to get an earful of advice over the next few months so we thought it would be okay to add our own two cents. here goes. dear matt: congratulations on your new job. you had some high-class competition and it’s a tribute to your accomplishments that the ja search committee and board si…

naja schedules eastern conference the national association of jewelry appraisers will hold its fourth annual east coast conference sept. 17-21 in the holiday inn-o’hare international, chicago, ill. the conference will be structured to relate to the appraisal industry in general – from novice to knowledgeable gemologist, professional appraiser, jewelry store employee and private collector.

de beers presses high-ticket sales de beers is concentrating on inducing u.s. consumers to buy more expensive diamond jewelry this year, following an encouraging increase in 1994 diamond jewelry sales. u.s. retail diamond jewelry sales hit a record $13 billion, up 7% from 1993, according to the diamond information center of n.

lincoln ruby goes to gia when indian gem carver and dealer p.c. lunia found inspiration in the words of abraham lincoln, he wanted to honor the former president by carving a ruby in his likeness. lunia set to the task three years ago when he acquired a 3,300-ct. ruby. after many months of work, he unveiled the completed piece may 23 and donated it to the gemological institute of america.