calif. 24 karat club slates dinner dance the jewelers 24 karat club of southern california has scheduled its 56th annual fall dinner dance for saturday, nov. 4, at the beverly hills hotel. the event also will feature the presentation of the excellence in service award to edward a. dayoob, president and chief operating officer of fred meyer jewelers.

jade tops the list of touchable, wearable gems. something about jade makes many people want to hold it or rub their thumbs across it. and whoever gave jade its descriptive names—like melon, apple, and spinach—must have thought it looked good enough to eat. the term jade refers to either of two rocks, jadeite and nephrite, which look alike but are chemically different.

study: affluent consumers will buy watches online affluent u.s. consumers are enthusiastic buyers of fine watches, and a growing number of them are purchasing their timepieces on the internet. those are among the major findings of a usa today report on ?american affluence and the american watch consumer.

what would you do if the entire contents of two display cases suddenly disappeared? that?s the question 265 former u.s. accounts of tiffany & co. are asking themselves. when tiffany halted sales from its trade division eight months ago to focus on store development, it left a major void in the inventories of those 265 retailers, some of whom relied on tiffany products for as much as 20% of …

why go to an auction? first of all, jewelry auctions offer unique pieces that may not be available through regular channels, and some of those items may fit perfectly into your inventory. you can also learn a lot by attending auctions. they are wonderful training grounds for anyone interested in establishing an estate department.

fine jewels and metals take a new role in fashion there’s little doubt that fine jewelry is making more of a splash in the fashion arena. for the first time in years, runway shows are glittering with gems, fashion editors of consumer magazines are swarming to fine jewelry trade shows, and women are finally recognizing that, just as they purchase their own bags and shoes, they also can buy…

fashion is feeling eclectic these days, showing a curious combination of nostalgia, practicality, and modernism. but those contradictory ideas reflect a common theme?the look of money. the most notable new ideas for fall and winter were prints that echoed pucci and tweeds, argyles, and plaids that rang with classic conservatism.

trick 1: minimize or eliminate breakage of stones in v-shaped prongs. for use with pears, marquises, and other pointed stones. setting a pear or marquise in a v-shaped prong without breaking the stone can be difficult. moreover, the points of such stones are susceptible to damage during the course of normal wear.

when the dirty diamond fracas began, some in the industry dismissed the fuss as the work of fringe human rights groups and their allies in the sensationalist press. but now the heavy hitters are getting involved?a sure sign that this controversy isn?t going away. in recent months, there?s been action on the issue from congress, the state department, the united nations, and the british parliament.

study identifies luxury goods buyers ten percent of u.s. internet users, or 7.5 million people, are frequent buyers of luxury goods, and they account for at least 30% of luxury goods purchases (both online and offline) in america, according to a new study commissioned by ashford.com, a houston-based online retailer of luxury and premium products.

robert baum receives patents robert baum corp., new york, has been issued two new patents by the u.s. patent and trademark office. patent no. 5,979,537 is for a wax replica and soluble core insert used for producing a hollow jewelry ring. this patent covers any configuration of the inside of the ring, including ?j back? (flat inside) and ?comfort fit? (round inside) that is made with a core of …

david perry/peter hurst interactive is a web site design firm specializing in the jewelry industry. the firm can integrate clients? marketing programs with web site strategies to support overall brand initiatives. david perry/peter hurst interactive, 10 e. 39th st., new york, ny 10016; (212) 252-7744, fax (212) 252-7720.

master bond?s polymer system ep39mht is a high-performance epoxy compound. the two-component system cures readily at ambient or more quickly at elevated temperatures. it is available in pints, quarts, gallons, 5-gallon pails, and drums. master bond inc., 154 hobart st., hackensack, nj 07601-3922; (201) 343-8983, fax (201) 343-2132, www.

de beers, gia defend research de beers’ announcement of a breakthrough in detecting the pegasus “whitening” treatment (now being marketed as bellataire) has run into some prominent naysayers—the people who invented the process. “my guess is that 90% of the stones are still undetectable,” says thomas anthony, a scientist at general electric, which owns the tr…

a federal judge has sentenced florida jeweler john r. (“jack”) hasson to 40 years in prison for fraud and ordered him to repay $78.4 million to his victims. nearly all the money—$77.7 million—will go to retired businessman aben johnson of north palm beach, fla., whose lawsuit led to hasson’s arrest.

fdallahan@cahners.com no time for complacency: be customer-driven during the past few months, some jck editors have written about personal experiences in retail jewelry stores. regrettably, these experiences were negative. while personal research may not be quantifiable or subject to projections, jewelry store owners and managers should use these examples as teaching lessons for their staffs.

in its battle against vicious south american theft gangs, a security coalition comprising representatives of all sectors of the jewelry industry has racked up some initial successes in the past year and a half. the fbi and local law-enforcement agencies have made a number of arrests. there’s strong congressional support for more funding for jewelry crime enforcement.

hschupak@cahners.com on the outskirts of reading, pa., a road construction sign written in a childlike hand reads, ?slow down, my daddy works here.? farther along the road, another sign reads, ?slow down, my mommy works here.? we pennsylvanians are so used to road construction that we won?t be surprised if asphalt is someday declared the official state mineral.

it?s a universal truth in jewelry manufacturing: if you set gemstones, eventually one will break. a number of factors contribute to stone breakage, including species, setting styles, shapes, natural defects, and the skill of the setter. but all stone breakage can be attributed to two general causes: thermal stress and physical trauma.

charles & colvard, the morrisville, n.c., company that promotes moissanite gems and jewelry, is searching for a new chief executive officer. the position was left vacant by the resignation may 14 of chairman and ceo jeff hunter. hunter, who had held those positions since june 1996, told the board earlier this year that he might resign.

there?s an untapped profit center in most jewelry stores?the repair department. many jewelers?especially those who consider repair service a loss leader?may blink in disbelief at that. however, repair has become an important part of business that jewelers can?t afford to ignore, say retail and repair experts.