pearls are winners in maine contest etienne perret of etienne perret jewelers, camden, maine, received the best of show award at the maine jewelers association’s annual design contest. the award-winning entry was an 18-in. strand of tahitian pearls and 18k gold spherical beads and a matching bracelet.

“we’re trying to brainstorm solutions to what everyone acknowledges is a complex problem.” during the heated discussion of the pegasus diamond treatment at the gemological institute of america symposium in san diego last year, there was an awkward interruption. a young man who said he was with the state department stood up and asked what, given all the talk about disclosure, the ind…

watch brands set ad spending record watch brands are spending more on ads than ever, says the american watch association. they paid a record $168.7 million on advertising in all media in the united states in 1998, according to a recent report by laurence grunstein, awa chairman. the data came from competitive media reporting, used by ad agencies and advertisers to track advertising trends.

if one of your appraisal clients is having difficulty with an insurance claim or trouble with taxes because his appraisal wasn’t performed professionally, you can bet he’s not happy. if he’s angry enough to take legal action, you might be facing some costly trouble of your own. how can you keep clients happy? first and most important, get some formal education.

pearls and press at asprey & garrard asprey & garrard hosted an evening of “lustre and luxury” to highlight its collection of south seas pearl jewelry and to introduce james ogilvy, son of england’s princess alexandra and publisher of the “luxury briefing” newsletter. ogilvy shared his insights into the world of the luxury customer gleaned from his perspective gr…

spectrum awards honor design with focus on color the american gem trade association’s 2000 spectrum award competition lived up to its name, with a crop of winning entries that bring the color spectrum in jewelry to radiant life. the world-class contest, which drew more than 300 entries, honors jewelry design that features natural colored gemstones in stunning new ways.

craig drake adds to collection fine jewelry designer craig drake of philadelphia has released several new additions to his secret collection. the original secret ring is a wide band of 18k white (or white and rose) gold with two hearts of gold or gold accented with pavé diamonds that unlock and open to reveal an inner band inscribed with the secret message, “i love you.

my november column about the pegasus processed diamonds prompted leon tempelsman, lazare kaplan international’s president, to phone and disagree with my contention that his company and general electric had bungled the introduction of this “new product.” i promised to present my understanding of his arguments.

lfrederick@cahners.com imagine this scene: a well-dressed man approaches your diamond counter and begins looking at your display. he seems quite intent, and your hopes for a sale start to rise. but instead of asking to see some stones, he poses this startling question: “are you sure your diamonds aren’t dirty?” far-fetched? don’t be so sure.

additional groups join march show the iowa jewelers association and the minnesota and north dakota jewelers associations have joined the wisconsin-illinois jewelry expo to form “midwest jewelry expo 2000.” the five-state show will be held march 11-12 at the marriott hotel in madison, wis.

gia fills new coo post wayne pierce has been named to the newly created position of chief operations officer at the gemological institute of america. previously, he was an executive at steelcase inc., a manufacturer of office environments, most recently as president of the western michigan learning initiative, a public- and private-sector coalition for training and development of the regional w…

adwar casting co. has released a catalog, collection #13, showcasing the company’s new estate, bezel, and designer antique styles. all designs are available in 14k, 18k, and platinum. adwar casting co., 120 s. long beach rd., rockville centre, ny 11570; (516) 678-7755, fax (516) 678-7756, www.adwarcasting.

as web fever spreads and jewelers re-examine their commitments to cyberspace, internet marketing consultants warn that without effective marketing and promotion, web sites can quickly become cyber dinosaurs. “the now clichéd web maxim, ‘if you build it, they will come,’ has lulled many online jewelers into a false sense of opportunity,” says charles sayers, an internet marketin…

jewel case offers white-on-white presentation packages for wedding party gifts. items can be delivered in one to two weeks. jewel case, 300 niantic ave., providence, ri 02907; (800) 441-4447. alu’s reed system for display of jewelry and other products is made of anodized aluminum with a range of attachable accessories in sandblasted and white acrylic.

emerald editorial challenged in your november editor’s page installment, “resuscitating emerald sales,” you present assumptions that require reevaluation. your opening commentary attributes the demise of the emerald business to tv exposés and the fred ward debacle. i am not aware of any tv network that is or ever has been involved in emerald treatments.

one in five jewelers says it’s almost impossible to get away for vacations, and nearly half say they don’t get enough time off, according to a recent jck poll. “not going on vacations is an occupational hazard,” warns richard swetz, owner of the independent jewelers organization (ijo), a for-profit buying group and business-assistance organization in norwalk, conn.

there’s money to be had in estate jewelry because customers really want these pieces,” says mark ebert, president of ebert & co., a los angeles dealer who supplies more than 200 retailers. “estate jewelry is different. it’s unique. if a $15 stick pin is best of category, you can get as excited about it as you can about a $100,000 diamond—in fact, more so.

e-mail newsletter for bench jewelers ja certified master bench jeweler bradney w. simon is launching e-bench, a free monthly e-mail newsletter for bench jewelers and shop managers. the newsletter is produced by the institute for bench jewelers, which provides continuing-education materials for jewelry store shop personnel.

midwest jewelers set conference jewelers of america and four affiliate state associations—oklahoma, kansas, missouri, and nebraska & south dakota—are sponsoring a regional conference feb. 26-28 at the doubletree hotel in overland park, kan. the theme is “how to make money and keep it.

advances in technology have made these watches available in every price range. there’s no better time than the start of a new year—not to mention a year that heralds a new millennium—to promote perpetual calendar timepieces, world timers, and dual-time watches. advances in today’s quartz watch technology have made such watches available to consumers in every price range,…

esslinger & co. has introduced “perfect fit” ring guards in 14k gold and rhodium finish. the ring guards feature spring tension that self-adjusts to five sizes, enabling the wearer to switch a ring from finger to finger. the ring guards are sold individually or in an assortment of best sellers.

the second generation of movado’s gemstone collection of clocks, whose designs feature classic lines and elemental forms, is now available. each is sculpted from gemstones, with its own array of color and texture variations, such as these tawny saffron models of gold aragonite (mined in spain).

pearls are winners in maine contest would you like to have a customer who purchases a few dozen or more pieces of jewelry every year and doesn’t require that you stock any particular inventory? would you like to have a long list of such customers? a more pertinent question is, where can you find customers like that? the answer might lie around the corner or down the street.

what is it about emeralds that so captivates people? after all, among the most prized gemstones, emerald is the most included, and other green gems (tsavorite garnets, chrome tourmalines, and chrome diopsides) match emerald’s intense, saturated color. what, then, accounts for its continuing popularity? the answer is history.

se-kure controls’ display case beeper (model #sk-539) alerts store personnel to unauthorized activity without alarming customers whenever a case is opened. each time the case is opened, a gentle, intermittent beep—as opposed to a steady alarm—functions as a theft deterrent. the two-piece unit, smaller than a deck of cards, comes with mounting adhesive and can be installed on a…

zale posts gains, expands e-commerce the year 1999—both fiscal and calendar—was very good for the zale corp., north america’s largest retail jeweler, as noted in recent reports and announcements. fiscal year 1999 (ended aug. 31, 1999) marked the fifth consecutive year in which zale posted a net earnings gain of more than 20%.

on a january evening in paris, at a gala reception at the louvre museum, 29 talented individuals received one of the industry’s most prestigious honors—a diamonds-international award. two american jewelry designers were among the honorees for the year 2000 diamonds-international contest: martin gruber of nova designs in van nuys, calif.

sightholder sells to the public israel’s r. steinmetz and son, one of de beers’ largest sightholders, has bought a controlling interest in retail web site www.diamonddepot.com. the miami-based site is headed by alan lipton, formerly chairman and ceo of jan bell. diamonddepot.com stirred controversy with newspaper ads that not only said it was owned by “de beers’ largest sightholder”…