Sometimes, even 53 carats of diamonds can be understated: Look closely at this pendant and you’ll see a subtle touch of pink within the magnificent stones. This elegant necklace, not surprisingly, ­surpassed its high estimate May 14 at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels auction in Geneva, selling for $2.39 million. According to Sotheby’s senior…

Super Blue JCK has been seeing plenty of blue and purple hues in finished jewelry this year, but none more so than Paraiba tourmaline from Brazil, copper-bearing Mozambique and/or Nigerian-origin tourmaline, and tanzanite. Hayley Henning, executive director of the Tanzanite Foundation in New York City, says she has been telling tanzanite’s story—“its single source, limited…

By Jorge He’s Got It! Jorge and Graciela Adeler’s Great Falls, Va., store is a true family affair: Daughter Valentina appraises and designs jewelry; her sister, Wendy, oversees marketing and philanthropy and manages ­e-commerce. Inventory is all custom, made with the help of seven full-time and three part-time bench jewelers. While Jorge has worked in…

Anemone ­Territory Joseph Murray’s signature sea anemone motif is beautifully rendered in gemstone designs like this necklace on cord. The New York City–based artist uses a 165 ct. labradorite cabochon to mimic the sea creature’s wide mouth and briolettes clusters to recall its finger-like tentacles. The center stone’s dreamy depth of colors reminds Murray of,…

Tiger’s Tale It was a horrifying incident that terrified the diamond community in Belgium. And now it appears to have been faked. The widely reported “tiger kidnapping” of a diamond company employee last October may have been staged, according to a statement from the Antwerp World Diamond Centre. On Oct. 11, 2012, three men entered…

When conceptualizing this minaudière, Indian designer Bina Goenka took on the entire galaxy. The piece is meant to represent the universe, with gems “conceived within the Earth’s crust” playing the roles of planets, stars, and sun. Zambian emeralds, Mozambican rubies, African amethysts, and white and yellow diamonds make up the montage of galactic elements. Goenka—who…

LUXURY Privé Panama drew some 60 of Latin America’s finest retailers to the Westin Playa Bonita, Aug. 26–28, for an intimate show highlighted by a select group of exhibitors: Above:1. Jewelberries 18k rose gold earrings with 1.38 cts. t.w. diamonds, 5.46 cts. t.w. pink sapphires, and 11.9 cts. t.w. rubies; $17,581; Trio of NY, NYC;…

With most buyers in search of “something unique,” exhibitors at the India International Jewellery Show, held Aug. 8–12 in Mumbai, took great pains to place the bold, the beautiful, the eccentric, and the esoteric front and center in their showcases. “This year we focused on necklaces,” said Bobby Kothari, director of Jewelex, displaying a frothy…

We spoke directly to fine jewelry consumers and they told us design, value, and personalization are top priorities this holiday season As the saying goes: The customer is always right. In the early 20th century, that sentiment turned the prevailing philosophy of caveat emptor (buyer beware) on its head and paved the way for the…

The holidays are coming early for Bernie Robbins Jewelers in Somers Point, N.J. In mid-November, the chain will host its first-ever annual Holiday Gift Extravaganzas, which will feature multivendor shows in four of the chain’s five stores, located in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. During these events, watch and jewelry vendors will give away free gifts—a…

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we’ve got three months’ worth of ways for you to flatter your fellow retailers. Here’s how they get through the most wonderful (and stressful!) time of the year. Plus: gift-box–ready rings, earrings, pendan We know how tough it is to come up with original ideas for the…

In honor of our luxury-themed issue, we asked designer Penny Preville what luxury means to her. “It’s something that gives you great pleasure—the perfume of fresh ­flowers, indulging in a piece of chocolate, wearing unique and beautiful jewelry that evokes emotion,” she says. And Preville knows from beautiful jewelry: She’s been making it for four…

For the couple behind Sutra Jewels, a chance meeting at GIA blossomed into a fairy-tale romance and jewelry success story When a start-up like Sutra opens for business in the middle of an economic downturn and becomes an international sensation with a devoted celebrity following—all before its fifth anniversary—the story begs to be told. Yet…

The inspiration for Femmegems, a jewelry store and custom design workshop in Greenwich, Conn., came from an unlikely source: New York City’s no-frills bead emporiums. In 1999, owner Lindsay Cain, a former New Yorker, started selling jewelry she handcrafted from materials bought from local bead shops. One day, she was struck by the idea that…

2726 Cahaba Road, Birmingham, Ala. Tucked into an original historic 1920s storefront in Birmingham’s Mountain Brook Village, Etc. is a breath of fresh air, from its mod-meets-industrial interior to its mix of designer and costume pieces. Etc. is one of those spots where time stands still: The combination of fluid displays and warm salespeople makes…

You could say Ruth Batson has practically grown up at the American Gem Society. She began at the organization 20 years ago, starting on the financial side, and eventually worked her way up to executive director and CEO in 2002. She talked with JCK about her management philosophy—including why she never screens calls, how she…

When Joe Corey decided he wanted to join the family business, Day’s Jewelers, his parents, owners Jeff and Kathy, had him apply for a customer service spot as if he were a regular Joe—not Joe Corey. “We were not involved in any way, shape, or form in his hiring,” explains Kathy, who bought the Waterville,…

LinkedIn, the social site that specializes in professional networking, is one of the most underutilized digital platforms among independent retailers. The 10-year-old network, which boasts some 250 million users in more than 200 countries, initially was pitched to job seekers. But it’s rife with marketing and operational opportunities for business owners. We asked LinkedIn expert…

One of the hottest topics we teach is the importance of measuring the results of your marketing efforts. This ­certainly can apply to any ­promotions you run or advertising you place—but it also applies to your website performance. Yet this is an area that many businesses neglect. The good news is it’s not hard to…

the atlanta jeweler on old-school sales techniques, dealing with stress, and giving credit (to his wife) where it’s due.

The famous tech tagline could be applied to the breadth of recently released ­jewelry apps. Below, five of the most remarkable: 1. The Jeff Cooper Virtual Try-On app, by the jewelry designer of the same name, lets users try on rings via “augmented reality,” then connect to retail sites and share images on social media.…

All shoppers love a good deal. But when it comes to jewelry, a consumer category famous for its broad price variances, a bona fide bargain is a relative thing. And jewelers looking to raise prices—and get off the discount merry-go-round for good—need to implement smart strategies to help their customers understand the concepts of value…

Publicly held jewelry companies’ recent financial results have been all over the map: 1. Charm manufacturer Pandora Group’s U.S. sales were up 55 percent over last year. 2. Same-store sales at Michael Hill’s eight U.S. locations rose 6.4 percent during the past year, but the division still lost $2.3 million. 3. U.S. gold jewelry demand…

New York Fashion Week began with news that Joseph Altuzarra sold a minority stake to Kering—making him the latest young designer to be tapped by a big-name conglomerate. ­Remember the acquisition craze of the ’90s when Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Narciso Rodriguez, and Tom Ford were snapped up by European houses? It feels like that…

It was a hectic end-of-summer here at JCK. We’ve been busy expanding our staff, strategizing and budgeting for next year, and, as always, enjoying a healthy dose of travel! The travel highlight of the month was my trip to Panama City for JCK’s second annual LUXURY Privé Panama, once again held at the beautiful Westin…

Every year about this time, I start fantasizing about doing something different for the holidays. I’ve broken out of traditional Christmas mode before. In 2005, for example, I went to Kenya. Specifically, I spent the holiday on Lamu, a remote, Swahili-speaking island that, like Zanzibar, once belonged to the Omani sultanate. That Christmas Eve, the…

1. Designers Could Scott Kay become the next David Yurman? The bridal designer certainly raised eyebrows Aug. 15 when he announced that former ­Yurman chief operating officer David Minster had joined his company as CEO. “I was at Yurman in a very similar situation, in terms of size, scope, and infrastructure challenges,” Minster tells JCK.…