platinum?s recent reemergence on the fashion scene, largely inspired by the 1992 founding of the platinum guild international usa, marks a significant sales opportunity for the jewelry industry. over the past eight years, jewelry sales of this rare and beautiful precious metal have soared more than 1,000%.

gia appoints two the gemological institute of america has made two appointments. judith shechter-lankford has been named director of corporate sales. a graduate gemologist with more than 26 years of industry experience, she will be responsible for national sales of gia?s new accredited jewelry professional program and other educational programs.

ashford.com launches fine jewelry line ashford.com (www.ashford.com), an internet retailer of luxury products, has launched its own line of fine jewelry. called the ashford collection, it?s the first in a series of luxury and premium product lines coming from ashford this year. other merchandise will include scarves, leather goods, and writing instruments, say company officials.

in las vegas, you can visit a 20-story pyramid, view a patch of new york skyline, ride a venetian gondola, and see a 30% downsized eiffel tower. on june 2-6, you could also visit the jck show, the largest jewelry and watch trade fair in the western hemisphere. edith weiner, president of weiner, edrich, brown inc.

branding, when it?s successful, evokes immediate recognition and positive emotional responses. names, slogans, images, and celebrities are used to imprint the brander?s message on consumers? neural circuits, where it can be plucked back to consciousness by the next sight or sound of the name, slogan, image, or celebrity.

the name “turquoise” has an uncertain origin but most likely derives from a phrase meaning “turkish stone,” possibly a reference to the persian turquoise trade route, which passed through turkey. history and romance. egypt’s first dynasty used turquoise in earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, anklets, belts, and headdresses.

kirchner corp. launches bridal line kirchner corp.’s new bridal line, two become one, consists of engagement rings and wedding bands for women and men designed in yellow and white gold, symbolizing the joining of two lives into one. rings are stamped with a 2b1 symbol. promotional materials include a display, ad slicks, a tv commercial, brochures, and a co-op advertising program.

millennium brides choose silver with millennium celebrations and new bridal fashions calling for a white metal look, silver is becoming increasingly popular for this year?s bride. according to the silver information center, brides are choosing sterling silver jewelry for both its classic look and its value, often selecting silver pieces for their bridesmaids as well as themselves.

ja new york offers exhibits, seminars more than 1,700 jewelry companies are expected to exhibit at the ja new york show, taking place july 30 through aug. 2 at the javits center in new york city. the international jewelry design guild’s “design collections 2000” exhibit will feature the work of 80 designers.

platinum jewelry has quickly established a foothold in the united states during the past few years. the american jewelry industry’s consistency, directness, and determination to reach a goal have made the united states the largest and most important market for platinum jewelry in the western world. congratulations to the industry, to the trade, and especially to my american colleague laurie hud…

the surest sign that natural colored diamonds have attained “in” status is the number of celebrities wearing them to high-profile events. whoopi goldberg, for example, wore yellow diamonds to the 1999 academy awards ceremony. this year, actress heather locklear wore pink diamonds to the golden globe awards.

hschupak@cahners.com any retail expert will tell you that customer service makes or breaks a business. that?s because customer service matters to a time-starved populace?it?s what draws people back to your store, and it?s what will prevent brick-and-mortar retailers from falling prey to the big bad internet.

it’s july, and the serious work for buyers and sellers has begun. the major retail selling season looms just ahead. the hard work of evaluating thousands of exhibitors’ products from the trade show circuit is well under way. one key to success for retail jewelers comes from relationships they’ve established with the men and women who represent the firms that supply them with g…

moissanite company chairman resigns jeff hunter, chairman and ceo of charles & colvard (formerly c3 inc.), the sole source of moissanite, resigned his position effective may 14. dr. frederick a. russ, former dean of business administration at the university of cincinnati, has been appointed chairman.

cufflinks have been riding the tide of men?s fashion since the reign of louis xiv, when ruffles evolved into wristbands. at first, men used ribbons to fasten their cuffs, as they did their collars, but they soon discarded cuff strings for more versatile linked buttons. (to this day, the french call cufflinks boutons de manchette, or ?cuff buttons.

de beers announces pricing change de beers recently introduced a major change in its diamond pricing policy—and some think even more dramatic changes are on the way. the company announced that, in the future, price “adjustments” will be made more frequently—and the company will no longer regularly announce them to the market.

the market for men?s sterling silver jewelry and watches is a niche worth scratching. it?s a small segment, but it?s growing quickly. in fact, most silver jewelry producers report annual double-digit growth in recent years. they expect that to continue for the foreseeable future and are expanding their offerings in men?s accessories and watches.

lasering without drilling the gemological institute of america’s gem trade laboratory has encountered a new laser drilling method that doesn’t leave a hole. tom moses, gtl vice president in charge of gem identification, says the result is a series of small fractures. “one or more lasers are focused on the inclusion to heat it so that it expands and creates stress to extend the cleavage to…

king’s chain honored by business school king’s jewelry, a 45-store chain headquartered in new castle, pa., was honored as “western pennsylvania family business of the year” by the family enterprise center at the university of pittsburgh katz graduate school of business. the award program recognizes firms that combine sound business practices and strong family participation.

more and more these days, couples are sealing their commitment to platinum as they seal their commitment to each other. the platinum guild international reports that one in four wedding sets is composed entirely or partially of platinum. retailers are finding that platinum bridal sets are easier than ever to sell, and platinum’s higher price points are translating into higher dollar margins.