hugh glenn corp., the u.s. distributor of swiss-made cyma watches and sequoia fine jewelry, marked its 18th anniversary by relocating to larger quarters. the new address is 345 seventh ave., 22nd floor, new york, ny 10001. the company’s phone numbers remain the same: (212) 685-4270, fax (212) 695-4274.

de beers consolidated mines has named five new board members—and at least two of them have interesting pedigrees. jonathan oppenheimer, 33, is the fourth generation of his famed family to be involved in de beers’ higher echelons, and his appointment may be a sign the family dynasty will continue.

jewelers board of trade president nathaniel c. earle died recently of cancer. he was 50 years old. earle headed the jbt for 13 years. he began his career teaching german and french at moses brown school, where he also coached varsity soccer and ice hockey. he eventually left teaching to join the former rhode island hospital trust bank, working in the precious metals department.

grab your gear and head for long island, n.y., for “jewelry 2002 ~ a celebration of jewelry,” the 23rd antique & period jewelry and gemstone conference, july 20-25. organized again this year by joyce jonas & associates, new york, the conference has been formulated around the events of sept. 11.

winners of the second annual north american tahitian pearl trophy created jewelry ranging from sculptural to whimsical, but always with one common theme—tahitian pearls. the grand prize this year went to former fashion model gurmit, who created a “tahitian toga” jewelry suite influenced by the classic roman garb.

the golay group has opened a new office in shanghai, bringing the total number of golay offices worldwide to 18. educational seminars on pearls will be part of golay’s long-term campaign in china, and golay pearls magazine will be available in the chinese language. golay shanghai has appointed caroline xu as business development manager.

“the lawsuit reported in the wall street journal feb. 15 has ended,” says rick krementz, owner of richard krementz gemstones, newark, n.j. krementz is a member of the four-person tanzanite task force steering committee, which is working on several fronts to help restore confidence in the gem. the lawsuit, brought by victims of the sept.

the american gem society (ags) has awarded the titles of registered supplier and registered supplier firm to gabi s. tolkowsky & sons b.v.b.a. the title of “registered supplier” is given to jewelers who have passed the ags way course, completed additional courses of study, and passed extensive exams.

managers of the jck show – las vegas have announced plans to keep the show at the sands expo & convention center and to introduce improvements for 2003 and beyond. new initiatives for 2003 include: the 2003 show also will see improved electrical support and air-conditioning. for more information, please call the jck customer service desk at (800) 257-3626 or (203) 840-5684, or visit …

the jck industry fund and jewelers mutual insurance co. (jmi) have awarded grants to the american gem trade association (agta) gemological testing center for examining the effects of radiation on gemstones and pearls. the jck industry fund grant totaled $50,000; the jmi grant was in the amount of $13,500.

it’s saturday afternoon at rio grande in albuquerque, n.m., but nora is happy to be at work. “we’re expanding an on-site warehouse,” she explains, before dashing off to join about a dozen colleagues also working on the project. according to andrea hill, a company director, nora’s attitude is typical.

interior designers skilled in retail merchandising and branding can help create stores that will encourage customers to buy. there are two good reasons to renovate a store: to sell more product and to promote the store brand. major renovations may require the skills of an architect (see “an architectural approach,” jck, may 2002, p.

the american gem society has announced the appointment of nancy sprague as director of membership development. sprague will plan, direct, and coordinate membership recruitment. aurafin oroamerica has announced several appointments. joseph pennacchio, whoserved as president and chief operating officer for the past five years, has been appointed chief executive officer.

poor marcel tolkowsky. he’s the belgian diamond cutter (1899-1991) who, in 1919, wrote a treatise entitled “diamond design,” which introduced what we now call the “ideal cut.” the concept became popular in the united states and later in the far east, and even gemological institute of america courses called diamonds with tolkowsky’s proportions (with a few modifications) the cream of the crop.

a. krüss optronic of hamburg, germany, and kassoy inc., hicksville, n.y., have entered into an agreement appointing kassoy as the exclusive distributor of krüss gemological instruments in the united states and canada. kassoy also has been appointed a distributor of the sarin brilliant eye diamond proportion analyzer.

to retail successfully, a jeweler must track inventory regularly, say jewelers and business experts. “that’s the key,” says terry ianuale, director of merchandising for scull and co. and a veteran jewelry retailer. “monitor them closely for key items, best price points, and fast sellers and restock quickly.

celia robbins died recently. one of the first women gemologists, she completed a course in gemology at columbia college, where she was the only woman in her class. she made her first trip to the orient in 1935, and was the first caucasian woman to explore the interior of china. robbins was searching for jade, precious stones, and other goods to export to the united states.

carl fabergé’s winter egg, reportedly the rarest and most expensive of the russian imperial easter eggs, was sold on april 19 at christie’s new york auction house for $9.6 million—a new world record for a fabergé imperial egg. “and its value is only going to go up,” says joyce jonas, an estate jewelry expert in new york city.

the national association of jewelry appraisers will hold its 10th annual summer educational conference in annapolis, md., july 27-31. the conference will follow a classroom discussion format followed by hands-on workshops. arthur groom will conduct a three-hour presentation plus a workshop on emeralds and emerald treatments.

now might be the time to buy ramaura cultured rubies. judith osmer, owner of the long beach, calif.-based j.o. crystal co. inc., which produces synthetic ruby, has put the company up for sale. “we have had quite a few interesting offers,” says company president virginia carter. at press time, however, there were no takers.

if you want to see how much has changed in a year, look at the de beers (now “dtc”) marketing plan for 2002. in 2001, the dtc was touting an “upscale fashion” piece called the diamond line bracelet, meant for the free-spending sex and the city demographic. but in post-sept. 11, post-dot-com-crash america, there are no hordes of freshly minted millionaires scooping up what’s hot at jewelry cou…

it’s hard to imagine, but the first commercial harvests of black tahitian cultured pearls occurred just 37 years ago, in 1965. only the tahitian pearl has the very dark gray (black) body color with orient. grown from the black-lipped oyster, the pinctada margaritifera cumingi, tahitian cultured pearls grow from 8 mm up to 18 mm, beautifully round, with high luster and durable thick nacre.

teddie grause, of grause & son jewelers, drove away from the jck show – orlando in a new bmw z-3 roadster after her name was chosen in a drawing on the show floor on feb. 5. buyers were given a chance to win a two-year lease on the sports car after making a purchase at the show. entry forms were distributed at manufacturers’ booths; grause’s form was provided by mastoloni pearls.

the american gem society posthumously awarded bob speisman its prestigious shipley award on saturday, april 25, 2002, during its annual conclave in vancouver, british columbia. the society’s highest honor is given in memory of robert m. shipley, founder of both ags and gia. speisman was aboard american airlines flight #77 on sept.

when the economy is weak, your stock of basics should be strong. and when the economy is trong, your stock of basics should be … strong. that’s the advice of both business experts and successful jewelers. “these ‘basics’ are your best sellers with the highest turn in tough times and good,” says retail consultant janice mack of performance concepts inc.

if eye-popping pavé paving the surface of jewelry symbolized the economic boom of the 1990s, it’s only appropriate that a subtler sprinkling of diamonds be the trend this year. using flush-set or burnished diamonds, designers and manufacturers make a simple statement about luxury style. the stones add a soft sparkle, and, designed with what appears to be an almost random sprinkling, the lo…

curt parker jewelers, clayton, mo., recently donated $1,500 to the american red cross disaster relief fund. the money was raised through the sale of the company’s “america’s pendant,” a red, white, and blue gemstone pendant designed and created in response to the events of sept. 11. the check was presented by curt and elizabeth parker and store associates to mary segneri, special events special…

after a four-year union, two centuries-old british luxury houses have officially parted ways in an effort to reclaim the brands’ individual heritages and reestablish their historically unique styles. “we realized we had to give back independent life to each brand,” asprey & garrard group chief executive gianluca brozzetti told jck .

the mother-and-child jewelry design by janel russell has been combined with jewelry manufacturer kirchner corp.’s registered mother and child trademark and will be offered by the colibri group in a new line of timepiece products. the three-way agreement allows the colibri group to manufacture and market selected products using russell’s original design along with the trademark owned by kirchner.

the women’s jewelry association has announced that harriet schreiner, executive vice president and general merchandise manager for sterling jewelers, will receive the wja’s prestigious “hall of fame” award. schreiner will be honored at the group’s 19th annual “awards for excellence” dinner to be held on july 28, 2002, at pier sixty, chelsea piers, new york city.

david h. fell & co. offers pattern sheets in the company’s 11 most popular patterns. the 6-in. x 6-in. sterling silver sheets are photo-etched with one of 10 patterns in 24 and 26 gauge. one 6-in. x 12-in. sheet, in 20-gauge sterling silver (called bracelet sheet), has 12 different patterns, ready to cut, form, and embellish onto bracelets.

dr. william hanneman’s letter to the editor in the may issue of jck, titled “more on si3,” seemed to be more concerned with challenging the integrity of gia than with creating sincere dialogue on diamond grading standards. although it is unfortunate that gia did not have the opportunity to respond in the same edition in which that letter was published, we think that a response now can still hel…

the longtime relationship between robert lee morris and clothing designer donna karan renewed itself during the fall 2001 runway shows when morris designed a line of gold jewelry for karan’s collection. the 18k gold line, in bold geometric shapes and hammered surfaces, was a first for morris, who has designed sterling silver lines for fashion shows but never anything in gold.

fine gold jewelry sales in the united states achieved an all-time high in the year 2001, topping $15.6 billion. this increase of 2.1% follows the previous all-time record set for gold jewelry sales in 2000 (just topping $15 billion). it marks the 11th consecutive year of gold jewelry sales increases, according to the 14th annual u.

jewelry design this year is an exercise in imagination, as designers attempt to lure buyers by infusing new jewelry with innovative ideas rather than costly materials. the resulting key fashion trends include versatile jewelry that offers the wearer several options in one piece; interesting finishes in place of diamond accents; and a surge in stones like quartz, moonstone, mother-of-pearl, onyx…

custom designer philip press was inspired by the olympic medal debacle in which canadian figure skaters david pelletier and jamie salé lost the top spot—and the gold medal—to the russian team. the hollywood-based jeweler immediately began designing two platinum medallions to commemorate their performance and sportsmanlike conduct.

spectore corp., a producer of titanium jewelry and accessories, has developed a procedure for producing black titanium and named its new product line black-ti. black-ti, a proprietary titanium alloy, is composed entirely of rare earth and strategic elements and insignificant amounts of trace elements.

the prix hublot 2002 has been awarded to father françois laborde, who serves the poor and deprived of howrah in the west bengal district of india. the announcement was made april 6 by carolo crocco, president of mdm geneve, which produces hublot watches, at the international watch and jewelry fair in basel, switzerland.

building on the “glow with gold” advertising campaign launched in 2001, the world gold council, new york, will debut new sales support materials at the jck show –las vegas, may 31-june 4. john calnon, vice president, jewelry-americas for the council, announced the launch. the new materials include: contact wgc at (212) 317-3800 or visit the wgc booth at the jck show ~ las vegas (booth #13…

jewelers of america (ja) is set to unveil its careers in the jewelry industry outreach program at the upcoming ja new york show, july 28-31, 2002, in new york city. the careers in the jewelry industry program seeks to promote the jewelry industry as a viable career choice among high school and junior college students, as well as adults changing careers or re-entering the workforce.

antiquorum opened its spring auction season in march in new york city with a strong sale of collector’s pocket watches, wristwatches, and clocks. the auction took in $1,649,164 and attracted interest from collectors worldwide. more than 1,800 viewers logged onto antiquorum’s web site (www.antiquorum.

the watch fair of the 30th basel world watch and jewelry show was the most colorful and most glittering in the show’s history. color in watch designs, from mass-market to luxury timepieces, was in full bloom on straps, dials, accents, and gems and crystals on bezels. diamonds sparkled on many more watches, even men’s, than in previous years.

the prestigious swiss-based academie horlogere des createurs independants (ahci) has its first u.s. member: master watchmaker steven phillips of guilford, conn., was inducted in december. ahci was created in 1985 to promote the tradition of handcrafted timepieces. its 28 members and candidates produce their own timepieces as well as assist luxury brands in creating complicated and unique mechan…

is a standard immutable, or does it leave room for interpretation? the american heritage dictionary has more than a dozen definitions of the word “standard.” among them: none answer the question; in fact, some conflict with each other. if the dictionary can’t determine whether the word implies an absolute vs.

the diamond information center, along with town & country magazine, recently hosted a reception at christie’s new york to kick off the magazine’s february astrology issue. the evening combined fortunetellers and tarot card readers with diamond jewelry by designers such as graff, louis glick, roberto coin, elara, kwiat, and alexander primak.

the nashville, tenn.-based diamond council of america has announced plans to publish a “leaders’ guide” as a companion to its popular distance education diamond course. the publication provides a detailed “road map” allowing owners and managers to facilitate their students’ understanding of the material and successful completion of the course.

the goal of the new de beers is to boost demand for diamonds, de beers chairman nicky oppenheimer stressed in a rare north american appearance at the american gem society conclave in vancouver, british columbia. “we need to switch the emphasis from a supply-driven to a demand-driven industry,” oppenheimer told the overflow crowd.

jewelry designer marck schneider, first-place winner in the professional division of the mjsa american vision award design competition, recently donated his $1,500 prize to the mjsa education foundation. schneider, owner of schneider design studios in long beach, calif., said he appreciated the foundation’s work and credited the scholarships and awards he had received for developing confidence …

a valentine’s day press release from the eightstar diamond company received an unusual public rebuke from the gemological institute of america, which said there was no basis to eightstar’s claim that gia had judged its diamonds “perfect.” the eightstar release said the company’s diamonds “won a search by the prestigious gemological institute of america for a perfect diamond.

in an effort to bring new cross-market opportunities to southeastern retailers and suppliers, the southeastern jewelry travelers association (sjta) and the american gem trade association (agta) have partnered to feature the new agta gemfair south pavilion during the atlanta jewelry show at the cobb galleria centre in atlanta, ga.

leon cohen of new york’s codiam & rand was recently elected president of the diamond manufacturers and importers association of america (dmia). cohen, 34, is unusually young for an industry association head. the south african native vowed to focus on new labs coming into the industry, reducing industry overhead, and improving communication between the rough and polished markets.

nongovernmental organizations global witness and partnership africa canada have been nominated for the 2003 nobel prize for peace for their work on conflict diamonds. they were nominated by the two congressmen most interested in the topic—rep. tony hall (d-ohio) and frank wolf (r-va.)—as well as sen.

the recent world diamond council meeting on conflict diamonds in milan, italy, was generally harmonious, except for one brief—but memorable—moment. ian smillie of the nongovernmental organization (ngo) partnership africa canada was reciting the familiar ngo litany of praise, complaints, and not-so-subtle threats, when he brought up the issue of cost.

the bulgari connection, by fay weldon. atlantic monthly press, 2001; 190 pages. prior to the publication of the bulgari connection, it was revealed that english author fay weldon had accepted payment from bvlgari in return for a little literary product placement. weldon was immediately taken to task by the literary public, who accused her of opening the pristine doors of high art to lowbrow…

a recent auction sponsored by the design industries foundation fighting aids featured a dazzling jacket that fetched $12,000. the result of a collaboration between designer michael faircloth and the vivid collection, the jacket sported diamond buttons and raised more money than any other item in the auction.

bart schick, president of dobbs boston, recently announced an exclusive marketing agreement with designer joryel vera for the distribution of his jewelry to independent jewelers nationwide. vera’s collection features rings, earrings, and pendants made with sterling silver and 14k gold, gemstones (some cut in unique shapes), rhodium plating, and finish work that balances texture with high polish.

the basel world watch and jewelry show marked its 30th anniversary with strong sales, 4% fewer visitors, and optimism about the next 12 months, especially among upscale watch and jewelry exhibitors. rené kamm, general manager of global exhibitions for the show’s parent company, mch swiss exhibition ltd.

the jck show’s rising stars offer a taste of the unique this year. the new designers, none of whom have previously exhibited at a major jewelry trade show, will be in the show’s design center to introduce their work to the industry. they are marie munier of beirut, lebanon; jacques an lanh of paris, france; t.

the diamond industry has benefited southern africa, but it could help a lot more, says a new report by partnership africa canada, a canadian nongovernmental organization. the new report investigated industry claims that diamond mining brings prosperity to the countries of south africa, namibia, and botswana.

“export or die,” brazilian president fernando henrique cardoso recently warned his country’s industries. and jewelers are heeding his words. like their counterparts in the fashion industry, fine-jewelry designers and manufacturers in brazil are making great strides toward their ultimate goal: a spot in the international jewelry marketplace.

ross-simons has opened a new store at the streets at southpoint, durham, n.c. the new location will be ross-simons’ 14th store, and its second in north carolina. the 5,000-sq.-ft. store will showcase an extensive collection of fine jewelry, diamonds, watches, china, flatware, crystal, and collectibles from around the world.

nine people were injured recently when a propane tank explosion rocked a jewelry building in chicago. the explosion occurred april 1 on the sixth floor of the 21-story mallers building. the blast blew out walls and windows, raining shards of glass on the street below. the fire spread to the building’s elevator shaft, sending smoke through its hallways and offices.