The firm responsible for the divine artistry of this circa 1920 one-of-a-kind platinum, emerald, and diamond brooch, which sold at Sotheby’s April 17 Magnificent Jewels auction for $2,909,000, remains a mystery. But its winning characteristics are obvious: For starters, the brooch features “top-quality stones,” says Catharine Becket, vice president and senior specialist of Sotheby’s jewelry…

A Band for All Seasons Dallas-based designer Dian Malouf recently took stock of the bridal jewelry offerings for men in the market for stylish rings: Of the 18 jewelry stores she visited, she didn’t spy a single interesting men’s design. “I felt that the options available to men bordered on the noninteresting, wearisome, and downright boring,”…

Guiding Light Rockville, Md.–based designer Lori Gadola of Kelim Jewelry Design has spent years vacationing in Thailand with her family. Early on, she fell in love with Thai culture, but over the course of her visits, she grew increasingly dismayed by the country’s thriving sex tourism industry. So when Gadola met Alezandra Russell, the founder…

Arrowheads of Outrageous Fortune Coomi Bhasin, whose Secaucus, N.J.–based Coomi brand has earned a ­reputation for making inventive jewelry with an ultra-luxe sensibility, is ­bringing the ancient past into the current season with her new Antiquity Arrowhead collection. Made in 20k gold and diamonds, the collection centers on arrowheads dating to 5,000 B.C.   Originally…

Notes From the Underground On April 30, Rio Tinto officially opened the new Argyle underground diamond mine in a move that will extend the small diamond producer’s life until 2020. The East Kimberley, Australia, mine, which produces 20 million carats a year of mostly smaller stones, previously had been an open-pit producer. The extension of…

Demand for ruby and sapphire remains tied to the high and low ends of the market Demand for colored stones remains positive for the second half of 2013. But recognizing which price points are active is essential to capitalizing on the momentum. Since the 2008 recession, active price points have declined. This occurred at the…

When Alp Sagnak, the Turkish jeweler behind New York City–based Atelier Minyon, learned about quarks—the smallest particles inside a proton—he set out to make a jewel that represents “energy shooting into the proton and hitting the quark,” he says. In scientific illustrations, the process resembles an hourglass—hence the hourglass at the center of each of…

LUXURY Privé Panama returns to the Westin Playa Bonita in Panama City, Aug. 26–28, with a mix of global brands and fashion-forward lines: (Above)1. Jardin sapphire, tsavorite, diamond, and ruby snake bangle in 14k white gold; $20,300; Effy Jewelry, NYC; 212-944-0020; effyjewelry.com   2. Petit Soleil akoya cultured pearl and diamond earrings in 18k white…

The third annual LUXURY Privé show takes the Big Apple by storm Come July 29, the Pierre Hotel in New York City will play host to the third annual LUXURY Privé New York show, a three-day buying fair distinguished by its well-appointed setting and intimate vibe (just 50 exhibitors!). “The key to this event is…

The Equipment, Technology & Supplies Pavilion at JCK Las Vegas proves there’s a lot more to jewelry than just jewels Smart retailers know you can stock the most dazzling jewelry on the planet, but without top-of-the-line supplies, devices, and decor, your sales will never reach their true potential. Enter the Equipment, Technology & Supplies (ETS)…

Five tips on how to incorporate storytelling seamlessly into the sales process: 1. Develop real clarity on who your customer is and make sure the sales team understands that customer. 2. Determine what stories—the brand heritage, the materials, how it was acquired—are most compelling and bring them to life. Note: Consumers retain human interest stories…

Missed an educational event (or two or three) at the JCK Las Vegas show? No need to worry—we took notes for you. From Web marketing to mystery shopping to industry issues to bridal sales, we rounded up the best retail and expert advice from seven of our favorite sessions. If only we’d had more time…

They say third time’s the charm. And judging by the resounding success of JCK Las Vegas 2013 during year No. 3 at Mandalay Bay, they’d be right. Hailed by many exhibitors as the best show they’d had in years, this year’s JCK Las Vegas was a feel-good fest all around. It started May 28 with…

If you visited the Design Center at JCK Las Vegas, you probably stopped to moon over moonstones, sigh over sapphires, and gaze lovingly at labradorites at ­Margery Hirschey’s booth. (And don’t get us started on the opals!) In just five years, Hirschey has cultivated quite a following with her organic, one-of-a-kind designs and her wonderfully…

What’s trending and who’s advertising in the June issues Harper’s Bazaar Pushing• Ceremonial turquoise earrings; amethyst and topaz stacking rings (“bright, eye-catching motifs”)• Diamond, sapphire, blackened gold ring; black gold and diamond cuff (“What’s in: Black and Blue”)Advertisers Roberto Coin, Cartier, Tiffany & Co., JB Star, Le Vian, Simon G. Jewelry, Longines, TAG Heuer, Hublot,…

The youngest generation of any family-owned ­jewelry store is bound to push for change in the business. But Tobey Ritchie, whose grandfather founded Harry Ritchie’s Jewelers in Eugene, Ore., in 1956 (now 17 locations strong), had a vision for jewelry retail that was so out-of-the-box, she had to invent a new retail concept to bring…

2111-E Vine St., Berkeley, Calif. Nestled among bustling eateries and quaint wood houses on a tree-lined street in Berkeley’s “Gourmet Ghetto” is a jewelry boutique that fits right in with the neighborhood’s down-to-earth appeal. Zaver & Mor, a 750-square-foot homage to local sustainable jewelry design, feels more like a home, which was exactly what owner…

When your 8-year-old is making earrings, it’s a good sign he’s on his way into the jewelry biz Ryan Cole started handcrafting fine jewelry before he was tall enough to ride a roller-coaster. His parents, Dean and Denise, founded Portland, Maine, fine jewelry store D. Cole Jewelers in 1981. And Dean, a bench jeweler, often…

The new Square Stand gives you iPad functionality in a sleek cash register–like setup In the race among mobile payment companies to replace the traditional cash register with an iPad-centric system, Square seemingly has come out on top. On July 8, the company debuted the Square Stand—the first point-of-sale system to feature a stationary mount…

Running a business or marketing event can be a great way to engage your customers and drive traffic to your business. While it’s true that events can be expensive, it’s not always the big spending that lures people in. You can run a very affordable promotion on a limited budget. Wine and cheese don’t cut it…

Bob Woolsey wants to help 1 million men pull off the perfect proposal—one rest stop at a time 1. What has been your most memorable sale? She came in wearing ripped jeans and a Ratt T-shirt. She had a $7,000 black opal that she wanted to mount in a pendant. She’d been to every store…

Diamond Staffing Solutions president Suzanne Courvisier-Mathis on letting go of staffers who aren’t working out: 1. Every state has different rules. Check with your labor board—there’s always a process for firing people. 2. Never, ever fire someone without a witness. If the employee says you said something you didn’t, someone can corroborate your story. 3.…

Jewelry retailers are quick to update their websites, their inventories, even the lightbulbs in their stock room. But getting staffers up to speed on the latest selling techniques is a responsibility many retailers tend to shirk. “Owners simply can’t afford the time,” says Pat Henneberry, president and founder of TheJewelryCoach.com, a new online training resource.…

The July–August issue in your hands is annually themed “Best in Show.” Best is really the operative term this year, as 2013’s JCK Las Vegas was truly the best show in collective memory!  After years of “cautious optimism,” this year’s show seemed to suggest that the economy has finally turned the corner. While not everyone…

Every June, I return home from Las Vegas market week and the first thing I do—well, second, if you count wringing my brain dry—is take stock of the places I went, the things I saw, and the people I met. I ask myself: Was it a good show? This year, the answer was clear-cut: Why,…

1. Las Vegas Three ways to describe JCK Las Vegas 2013: busy; buoyant; and back, baby! Not only was show traffic up—5 percent at JCK and 9 percent at LUXURY—but so were people’s moods, resulting in the most positive trade show this industry has seen in years. Viridiana ­Aparicio, sales associate for Van Nuys, Calif.–based…