making the switch to by-appointment-only sales it’s counter-intuitive: close your store to the general public and see your sales soar. but for some jewelers – typically those who attract affluent clients through personal networking – that’s just what happens. for instance, when al j.

william s. preston jr., 1919-1997: an appreciation when bill preston died on dec. 7, the jewelry world lost one of its most distinguished citizens. he leaves behind many important milestones but none is more important than his work to revise the federal trade commission guidelines for the jewelry industry.

themagnificent1800s many antique and estate jewelry dealers have pieces that fall into either the gothic or renaissance revival styles, yet don’t fully comprehend the characteristics that make these pieces unique. by understanding these jewels’ historical significance, stylistic elements and manufacturing techniques, dealers can spark customers’ interest and enhance sales appe…

jewelers saw theft loses rise in 1996 while u.s. retailers as a whole saw their losses to employee and shopper theft drop by .1% in 1996, retail jewelers’ losses rose .17%, according to a recently released university of florida survey of retailers. the survey polled 227 retail companies in 24 different markets.

“deep in the heart of every woman is the conviction that there is something about her that is ‘just a little different,’ an individual charm which serves to make her personality stand out from the commonplace crowd.” so observed a march 1935 issue of jewelers’ circular keystone.

margaret does minnesota minneapolis artist and jeweler judith kinghorn was chosen to supply a special gift for lady margaret thatcher upon her visit to minnesota. governor arne carlson and his wife, who hosted thatcher at the governor’s official residence, wanted an appropriate gift to honor her.

while some jewelry companies assert that they can’t be everything to everybody, new york city manufacturer frederick goldman inc. challenges jewelers to find a consumer it can’t serve. incorporating four major subsidiaries serving four different markets, frederick goldman is not only one of the biggest ring manufacturers in the country, but also one of the most diverse.

petersonmany jewelers just can’t seem to get past a particular sales threshold. if you’re at $300k, you wonder what it will take to do $500k. from $500k, how can you reach $750k? and, what seems most impossible, from $800k – that “magic” level where many jewelers seem to plateau – how do you get to $1m? the higher your current operating level, the greater the…

holiday jewelry sales strong jewelry was one of the strongest sellers during the 1997 holiday sales season, report top jewelry chains and the international council of shopping centers (icsc). zale corp., the nation’s largest specialty retailer of fine jewelry, posted an 8.3% gain in comparable store sales for november and december 1997.

advise and suggest “jewelry’s a hard thing for a guy to buy,” observes phyllis, lighting a cigarette. “everyone’s in a hurry. everyone wants a bargain. and they all get taken.” phyllis drops the match in an ashtray and exhales. albert, seated on the stool on the opposite side of the jewelry case, shifts slightly and reaches for the paper plate of christmas co…

more than ever before, today’s jewelry store manager has to be a know-it-all. he or she must understand new technology and new retailing strategies in order to direct buying and selling, merchandising, repair, custom design, hiring and a dozen other tasks. yet rarely does any single source offer information and guidance.

by hedda t. schupak, senior editor, fashion what are the most important words to sum up spring/summer ready to wear? ultrafeminine, pretty, delicate, light, sheer, ornamented, artistic, romantic. the paris and milan runway shows went beyond even the extreme of sheer, with bare-breasted models wearing nothing over their skirts and pants except a few necklaces or ribbons and bows.

a recent exhibition at the metropolitan museum of art in new york city celebrated the arts of the second golden age of the byzantine era. among the treasures were examples of jewelry spanning every region of the byzantine empire to students of jewelry history, the byzantine era is, well, byzantine. but a recent exhibit at new york’s metropolitan museum of art succeeded at the daunting tas…

members of the jewelry industry are invited to submit their views, in long or short form, to george holmes, jck, 201 king of prussia rd., radnor, pa 19089; fax (610) 964-4481, e-mail gholmes@chilton.net. protecting jewelers’ profits editor’s note: the following is a letter sent to martin rapaport of rapaport diamond report.

coach watches debut we’ve seen it over shoulders, on feet and in back pockets. in april, we’ll see it on wrists as coach expands its premier leather goods line beyond handbags, briefcases, shoes and wallets to the watch industry. coach’s first signature watch line could be a juggernaut in the making.

the ’60/60’ diamond certificate high-tech advancements such as the gemological visualization system from diamond technologies in georgia, the fire-scope in japan and the sarin in israel can measure every angle, percentage and millimeter of a diamond. some even claim to measure symmetry, brilliance and dispersion.

the industry’s big chains are coming off a good year, but they’re concerned profits could sour in 1998. the toughest challenges? getting shoppers to spend more on jewelry and having the right staff to sell the merchandise for leading jewelry store chains in the u.s., 1997 was a good year.

many years ago – 23 to be exact – we undertook a major consumer study and published it in a special issue called “the jeweler and his customer.” (in those days we weren’t ready to acknowledge that women might run a jewelry business!) as part of the study we asked consumers to rate various business and professional people for honesty on a 1-to-10 scale where 1 was l…

last november, jck published a letter to the editor from michael dymant, president of eastrade inc., new york, n.y. he was responding to commentary i had prepared for the gem pricing update column that runs in each month’s indicators section of jck. i had said, “prices for rubies are soft due to plentiful supply and a lack of confidence in treated material.