israeli artist creates jewelry collections the roman glass co. (previously known as saphirim jewelry) has introduced two exclusive jewelry collections designed by israeli artist eliezer weishoff. the theme for the weishoff collection is the pomegranate, a motif rooted in oriental cultures. characterized by art nouveau style and clean, minimalist lines, weishoff creates modern, sculptural design…

beyond the big three the typical female jewelry consumer is aware of at least 10 different colored gems, but she’ll seriously consider buying only three or four. that’s the conclusion of a survey recently conducted for jewelers of america and the american gem trade association (agta) by professor sandeep krishnamurthy of the university of washington.

rubies: more to the story the april issue of jck has a warning about ruby prices in the “up front” section on page 17. the quotes used are from me, as i relayed the information to an audience in tucson during one of my seminars. did i warn that rubies may take the next “hit,” as did emeralds, over the treatment debate? did i warn and even predict that prices would fall f…

lfrederick@cahners.com viva la vendor undeniably, satisfied customers are vital to any store—a message you’ll hear at nearly every trade show seminar you attend. so jewelers at the recent american gem society conclave may have been surprised when a speaker, minnesota jeweler mark moeller, forcefully asserted that there’s someone else just as important as that proverbial happy …

arkansas retailer honored by chamber of commerce sissy jones, founder and chief executive officer of sissy’s log cabin, pine bluff, ark., has been named the 1999 small business person of the year by the greater pine bluff chamber of commerce. the award recognizes the owner or manager of a chamber member small business for contributions to the community and the success of the business.

building an identity for your store relationships are a key element in this industry. a successful store is built upon relationships with consumers, and these relationships are based on trust. trust is a function of personal reputation, fair and truthful dealing, and good communication with present and potential customers.

nothing stirs industry ethicists more than a discussion of treatment disclosure, and the recent brouhaha over lazare kaplan international’s plans to market “whitened” diamonds through its new pegasus overseas ltd. subsidiary is no exception. most feel that if the mystery “process” is a heat treatment, it should be disclosed under the law.

the alarming mortality of japanese pearl-producing oysters hasn’t materially affected the retail market, a strong indication that the perfectly round, high-luster saltwater akoya—a bead-nucleated saltwater pearl typically ranging in size from 4 mm to 7 mm—is still king. that’s according to a recent jck poll of retail jewelers, who reported that japanese akoya pearls repr…

kurt s. adler inc. offers a 220-page, full-color 1999 christmas catalog featuring holiday gifts, collectibles, and decorative accessories. kurt s. adler inc., 1107 broadway, new york, ny 10010; (800) 243-9627 or (212) 924-0900, fax (212) 807-0575 or (212) 675-6672. jewel bells co. has published a 12-page catalog to supplement its 16-page “bell” publication.

‘whitening’ process still has some seeing red the controversy over lazare kaplan international’s mysterious new pegasus diamond “whitening” process continues. two prominent jewelry organizations have called upon the company to release more information about the technology, which lki says improves a diamond’s color, brilliance, and brightness.

jck show posts record attendance a record number of retail buyers attended the eighth annual jck international jewelry show at the sands expo center in las vegas june 2-9. the 19,124 buyers represented a 9% gain over 1998’s attendance. they came from 10,653 stores—30% more than last year—and from all 50 states and 75 countries.

ends century with a surge the international watch, clock, and jewelry show of basel, switzerland, ended the century with one of its most successful fairs ever. during its april 29-may 6 run, it hosted some 80,400 visitors, a 5% gain over 1998’s attendance. and there were significantly more americans, according to post-show reports.

a customer brings in a four-year-old rolex watch and a platinum and gold wedding band for an insurance appraisal. the rolex is in “like-new” condition, and the wedding band is in good but obviously used condition, with some nicks and a worn shank. should you appraise the items for replacement with comparable new items? isn’t that what the client needs for insurance purposes? n…

when you buy a colored stone at a jewelry show, does its color look different when you get it back home? it’s all in the lighting, gem dealers say. “color is the most important feature of a colored stone, and gemstones get color from light,” says dana schorr, owner of schorr marketing, a gem wholesale business in santa barbara, calif.

gia to hold career fairs on both u.s. coasts the gemological institute of america will sponsor career fairs on both coasts this year: in new york on aug. 4 at the jewelers of america summer show, and at gia world headquarters in carlsbad, calif., on oct. 15. the events are free to all job seekers. recruiters will be seeking to fill hundreds of jobs at all levels and in all areas of the industry…

the predominant design news at the fine jewelry shows has been the gradual encroachment of colored gemstones into the firmly ensconced trend of white-on-white-on-white. colored gemstones mixed with white gold and platinum first made a splash at vicenzaoroi in early 1998. earlier on, the style was to use mostly pastel gemstones, such as pink tourmaline and aquamarine, but it evolved to include d…

sales, marketing specialist rejoins jewelry industry roland benavides has returned to the jewelry industry after a three-year hiatus to become executive vice president at princess pride creations in chicago. benavides started selling jewelry at age 16 with zales in corpus christi, texas. after graduating from college, he became a sales representative with medco jewelry co.

we often hear stories of the complicated journey gemstones take from the mine to the jeweler’s showcase. yet it’s difficult to truly appreciate that odyssey unless you’ve lived the experience. it’s an eye-opener, as i recently discovered on a trip with my son to the mountains east of phoenix.

ijo fall buying show features workshops a number of educational programs will take place at the independent jewelers organization’s fall buying show, to be held july 10-15 at the regal cincinnati hotel. laura laaman, founder and president of executive training consultants, will lead two workshops, “selling men, selling women, selling couples (anything)” and “how to motiv…

south seas go south of seventh the south sea pearl consortium (sspc) sponsored the runway presentation this spring of designer william calvert’s fall/winter eveningwear collection. it was part of the second round of new york fashion extravaganzas, the “south of seventh” shows held in trendy soho.

spectacular gemstone collection sold more than 200 lots of what was promoted as the finest-quality colored gemstones ever offered at unreserved public auction were presented at shreve’s auction galleries in new york in may. the auction of what was billed as the “connoisseur’s gem collection” offered the private collection of dennis dunn, the fruit of dunn’s 15-year…

robert mccullough is so sure his customers don’t need grading reports, he wagers money on it. the owner of golden creations in mccomb, ill., tells customers with doubts about his grading to submit their stones to the gemological institute of america’s gem trade lab in new york. if gia’s grade is lower than his, they can keep the diamond and have their money back.

what motivates people to poke through every nook and cranny of their closets, root through jewelry boxes, rise at dawn, and drive hundreds of miles to stand in lines for hours? the answer can be assessed weekly on the “antiques road show,” the widely viewed tv program now in its fourth season on pbs.