on friday evenings, my wife and i like to get a quick bite to eat and then go to the movies. recently, we saw a wonderful film entitled pay it forward. the basic plot of the film revolves around an assignment given by a teacher to a young man in middle school.

donna borrelli has been named associate publisher of jck. she previously served as director of operations for the magazine.”donna brings to this position a wealth of publishing experience and a work ethic that is truly extraordinary,” says jck publisher frank dallahan.

has it truly been a year since y2k? it seems like only yesterday we were anticipating the party of a lifetime (or the end of the world, depending on your view). when 1999 became 2000 without a single disaster of either cyber or human origin, we breathed a sigh of relief and went back to business as usual, not realizing the real excitement was yet to begin.

rep. tony hall (d-ohio) and amnesty international usa staged an anti-conflict-diamond rally and press conference in front of cartier in new york in october, the beginning of what hall says will be a campaign designed to inform consumers about the issue.”we need to have a consumer education campaign,” hall told jck.

go to www.census.gov. to the right of the screen under state and county quick facts, select your state from the pull-down menu. view state demographics or, for county data, select your county from the pull-down menu at the top of the page.

james t. romans, vice president of purchasing at paul h. gesswein & co., has been elected to the 24 karat club of the city of new york. romans has been a member of the golden circle since 1976 and received its “man of the year” award in 1998.

though the industry has changed a great deal since southern jewelry travelers association’s inception 50 years ago, the group’s goals are still the same.

according to leaders of the jewelry industry security coalition, congress was expected to approve additional funding for the fbi’s fight against jewelry thefts. but legislation to fight the “gray market” and illegal watch sales wasn’t passed.this summer, the house of representatives okayed a bill for more fbi funding, and the senate passed a bill adding $2.

during new york city’s recent fashion week, the tents in bryant park-always a bit of a spectacle-reverberated to the beat of african drums and rang with the chants of an african praise singer in traditional garb.

“save one life, and it is as if you have saved the entire world,” says a jewish proverb. thanks to the jewelers charity fund for children (jcfc), that adage is being demonstrated daily in the lives of many critically ill children and their families.

biopacific development inc. (bpi) of san francisco says it has created oyster and pearl growth enhancers (pges) that make pearl oysters grow faster and produce nacre more quickly. pges are biologically active substances that work by stimulating the metabolism of mantle tissue cells.

jewelers who aren’t conscious of fashion and of how to cater to women shoppers are severely limiting their future marketability, according to a recent global study of consumers. the study, conducted by advertising giant young & rubicam’s intelligence factory, reveals that women are quickly becoming the biggest consumers in the western world.

’tis the season to be festive. the holidays are here, and just in time to catch fashion’s wave of color at its peak. (even computers are showing an array of gumball colors this year.) rubies and emeralds-perennial favorites, no matter what the time of year-capture the colors and the spirit of the season and should enjoy even more attention than usual from fashion-conscious women.

for the first time in its 88-year history, the jewelers vigilance committee (jvc) has defined its membership standards and compliance practices. the industry’s guardian of ethics and integrity has always advocated compliance with the law in its mission statement but never spelled out what that meant for members or the industry.

samuels jewelers, the 201-store national chain based in austin, texas, has pledged to raise $250,000 for the jewelers charity fund for children (jcfc), the industry’s only national charity, by may 1, 2001.

taking five minutes to make three simple alterations to a pair of standard pliers can save hours of precious work time at the bench as well as increase the precision of your work. jar certified master bench jewelert jeffrey mathews of jeffrey mathews designs in dallas, texas, has fabricated hundreds of three-stone rings-from scratch-using these altered pliers.

a harrowing segment about “conflict diamonds” on abc’s primetime has many worrying about its possible effect on christmas diamond sales.most jewelers contacted by jck said they were shocked by the gruesome images in the report, featured on the show’s season premiere, but didn’t receive many comments on the show from consumers. but viewer feedback posted on the abcnews.

the art deco platinum bracelet features old european cut diamonds as well as baguettes. the dealer tells you it dates from 1928; at first glance the date seems authentic, and the price is right. you admire the piece’s clean lines and simple geometry, and you know that one of your best customers-the dot-com whiz kid who loves art deco jewelry-will swoon over it.

show them the green! there are at least seven green gems that should fit the bill-and pocketbook-this holiday season. from the rare to the familiar, they include emerald, chrome diopside, chrome green and green tourmaline, tsavorite (transparent grossularite) and demantoid (andradite) garnet, and peridot. yes, there are green diamonds, too.

two new books on diamonds cover both ends of the processing spectrum: the finished product and just-out-of-the-rock rough.the famous aurora collection-260 fancy colored diamonds-is now featured in forever brilliant: the aurora collection of colored diamonds, published by ashland press inc., new york.

the legendary 300-year-old dresden green diamond-the largest and finest natural green diamond ever found-made its u.s. debut at the house of harry winston in new york city on oct. 11.after its one-day appearance at harry winston, the 40.70-ct. green diamond moved to the smithsonian institution’s harry winston gallery in washington, d.c., where it joined the 45.52-ct. hope diamond.

red and green are this season’s two most traditional colors. as nature decks the landscape in holiday hues, using evergreen trees, holly bushes, and poinsettias, her red and green gemstones provide us with our own personal adornments during this special time of the year.

for years, the gemological institute of america has kept the volume of diamonds at its gem trade laboratory a closely guarded secret.however, in testimony before congress on the “conflict diamond” issue, gia president william e.

sheldon kwiat, a board member of the diamond dealers club and head of new york’s kwiat jewelry company, was recently appointed chairman of the diamond industry steering committee, the umbrella group for the new york industry. kwiat succeeds former diamond dealers club president eli haas. kwiat says he hopes to use the position to increase diamond manufacturing in new york.

the first diamonds “certified” as mined and cut in canada were recently released to the canadian market, says martin irving, director of diamond projects for the government of the northwest territories. there also are plans to sell them in the japanese and u.s. markets. “we’ve done basic research and found that selling it as a north american diamond has an appeal,” irving says.

as part of its new “supplier of choice” initiative, de beers recently sent out a questionnaire to its sightholders, but many are unhappy about its length and the questions it asks.the extensive questionnaire has led many to feel they must produce extensive presentations in response-and left others wondering why it was sent in the busy period before the holiday season.

go to www.census.gov. next to business, click on economic census. under geographic area series, click on retail trade. click on your state. (note: this may take a while to open.) “search” for your county or metropolitan area and look for the jewelry listing.

during new york city’s recent fashion week, the tents in bryant park-always a bit of a spectacle-reverberated to the beat of african drums and rang with the chants of an african praise singer in traditional garb.

overwhelmed by the thousands of internet web sites that feature or sell timepieces? forbes magazine’s sept. 11, 2000, “best of the web” review narrowed the field to seven leaders, with a description of each site, including best and worst features.

tourneau, america’s largest watch retailer, marked its 100th anniversary in late october with “watchfest 2000,” the company’s largest-ever watch fair. the event was held oct. 25-28 at the tourneau timemachine, the world’s biggest watch store, at 57th street and madison avenue in new york city.

john h. king has been named executive vice president of gannon & scott, a cranston, r.i.-based refiner and assayer of precious metals. king joins gannon & scott from handy & harman refining group, where he was corporate treasurer and a member of the board of directors.

robert pliskin, one of the most successful u.s. watch industry executives of the late 20th century, died at his white plains, n.y., home on sept. 26. he was 77.pliskin is best known for making seiko a household name in the united states. but he was also a founding member, and later chairman, of the american watch association, the industry’s lobbying group.

for information about the jewelers charity fund for children, its countertop canister program, or developing a local fundraising project, contact the jcfc at 11529 tralee drive, great falls, va 22066; (703) 433-0308, fax (703) 433-0318, e-mail: jewelerscharity@aol.

the serendipity of the geologic and climatic conditions required for opal formation-which occurs at the rate of about one-quarter-inch per five million years-is extremely rare. this is the breakfast topic in our miner-mate robin’s dugout home at coober pedy in the south australia desert, where, it is claimed, almost 90% of the world’s precious opal is found.

coping with information overload is like mining for diamonds: you have to dig through a lot of waste to find a few carats’ worth of gems. to help you deal with the challenge, we describe four key types of information jewelers need, along with explanations of where and how to obtain it and suggestions on how to use it. most of the data are available at little or no cost.

biopacific development inc. (bpi) of san francisco says it has created oyster and pearl growth enhancers (pges) that make pearl oysters grow faster and produce nacre more quickly. pges are biologically active substances that work by stimulating the metabolism of mantle tissue cells.

tourneau, america’s largest watch retailer, marked its 100th anniversary in late october with “watchfest 2000,” the company’s largest-ever watch fair. the event was held oct. 25-28 at the tourneau timemachine, the world’s biggest watch store, at 57th street and madison avenue in new york city.

as part of its new “supplier of choice” initiative, de beers recently sent out a questionnaire to its sightholders, but many are unhappy about its length and the questions it asks.the extensive questionnaire has led many to feel they must produce extensive presentations in response-and left others wondering why it was sent in the busy period before the holiday season.

one of the many complexities of the “conflict diamond” issue is tracking not only where diamonds are from but also where they are “laundered.”liberia, in particular, has been singled out as a major transit point for “conflict” stones from sierra leone.

last month, members of the jewelry industry gathered at new york’s fabled rainbow room for the american gem society’s “circle of distinction” dinner. the gala event-at which alfred woodill, nephew of ags founder robert m. shipley, and other contributors to the industry were honored-kicked off ags’s “partnership for excellence” capital campaign.

an international certification system for rough diamonds-the industry’s proposed solution to the “conflict diamond” issue-is one step closer.following a three-day conference in pretoria, south africa, representatives of some 20 diamond-producing and -importing countries endorsed the plan.

jck asked june wallach, vice president of consumer trends at roper research, new york city, and robert marske, special assistant for the economic planning staff at the u.s. census bureau, to comment on private vs. public research.marske: the census bureau provides data on communities and national population as well as on the size, location, and demographic makeup of markets.

you say heated, and i say treated. agta calls it enhanced, ge calls it processed. gem identification is becoming a study in semantics. if you take a stone and heat it almost to-or maybe beyond-its melting point, atoms reorganize, color centers sprout (or wither), and inclusions melt. is this an enhancement?

james t. romans, vice president of purchasing at paul h. gesswein & co., has been elected to the 24 karat club of the city of new york. romans has been a member of the golden circle since 1976 and received its “man of the year” award in 1998.

first diamond group’s diamond enhancing laboratories in tel aviv recently announced a new laser treatment. the treatment was discovered at the gemological institute of america’s gem trade lab and described in both the summer 2000 issue of gems & gemology and an ica lab alert. first reports of the new laser treatment came early this year.

omega, one of the world’s leading swiss watch brands, has made a long-term commitment to blakexpeditions-an organization dedicated to protecting life in, on, and around the waters of the world-by becoming its first official sponsor.

the cultured pearl information center’s tahitian holiday gift 2000 preview-sponsored by the official tahitian government promotional agency-was held at guastavino’s, one of manhattan’s trendiest midtown eateries.

1) which u.s. county has the greatest percentage of african-americans?a) douglas county, ore.b) macon county, ala.c) cook county, ill.counties ranked by black population, july 1, 1999, and rankings restricted to 2,128 counties with a black population of at least 100 in 1999.2) which u.s. county has the greatest percentage of hispanics?

a harrowing segment about “conflict diamonds” on abc’s primetime has many worrying about its possible effect on christmas diamond sales.most jewelers contacted by jck said they were shocked by the gruesome images in the report, featured on the show’s season premiere, but didn’t receive many comments on the show from consumers. but viewer feedback posted on the abcnews.

stan pollack, chief operating officer of the 11-store g. m. pollack & sons in maine, was inspired by jcfc honoree jeff comment, chairman of helzberg diamonds, who annually dons a santa suit to visit sick and dying children. pollack arranged with a local hospital to become santa for a “christmas in july” with critically and terminally ill children.

on the 50th anniversary of the southern jewelry travelers association, atlanta, ga., members say much has changed for jewelry salespeople on the road since the sjta’s inception. sjta members with whom jck spoke revealed the 10 biggest changes for traveling jewelry salespeople in the past 50 years: