For fine jewelry retailers, managing the millions of small details that make a store a pleasant and efficient place to shop—things like greeting customers warmly and keeping cases streak-free—is as important as ever. But in a rapidly consolidating U.S. retail environment that saw 1,269 jewelry businesses fold in 2016 and another 579 shutter in the…

Rick Antona, the owner of Uptown Diamond in Houston, ­expects to see revenue double in the next year, and he attributes the spike to his role as the official jeweler for the University of Texas. For the next five years, the store will design and craft championship rings, money clips, necklaces, cuff­links, and bracelets for…

Girls love pearls. I can vouch for that. Pearls were my first love (in the jewelry business, that is). At the start of the millennium, I took a job writing about them for a gem and jewelry trade website, even though I was so new to the industry I had no idea what a cultured…

What JCK magazine’s Victoria Gomelsky is loving this month “Opal is the Sybil of the gem world. I’m obsessed with its multiple personalities!” —Victoria Gomelsky, JCK editor-in-chief (Above) Pendant with 9.84 ct. black opal and 1.16 cts. t.w. diamonds in 24k gold with silver and green patina; $48,000; Victor Velyan; 213-955-5950; victorvelyan.com Sunlight Journey Sand Waves cuff…

Welcome, autumn! I’m writing this in August but I am ­already looking forward to the change of seasons. The summer went by in a hot blur, yet there were definite highlights. First up was the all-new LUXURY Privé show in New York City, held in July in its beautiful new location, the InterContinental New York…

To reverse its declining fortunes, Signet Jewelers has turned to board member Virginia “Gina” Drosos. She is replacing embattled mainstay Mark Light as company head. Drosos (pictured) is Signet’s first female CEO and its third CEO since longtime head Terry Burman left in 2011. Drosos has a wide-ranging background, including holding a position on Signet’s…

In July, Alan Revere, founder of the San Francisco–based Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, announced that he is retiring and selling his famed jewelry-making school. Here, he talks to JCK about how teaching jewelry-­making has changed over the years, why he’s not interested in CAD/CAM, and why creating jewelry is different from creating just about…

Debbie Klein, owner of the fine jewelry and art outpost Art + Soul in Boulder, Colo., had been planning to redo her 3,000-square-foot boutique for years. Then, during a shopping trip with her adult stepson, a 20-something police officer, renovation inspiration struck. “He had been going to a big-box store looking at an engagement ring…

15310 Antioch St., Pacific Palisades, Calif. Chunky bling shares space with delicate sun- and moon-inspired pieces at this refined yet friendly shop that fits right into its beachy neighborhood Nestled across from a bustling restaurant on an unassuming street in Los Angeles’ tony Pacific Palisades neighborhood, Jaimie Geller Jewelry is like the jewelry store version…

(Above) Carved tanzanite bangle with Mexican fire opal, opal, tsavorite, and diamonds in 18k blackened gold; $94,500; Arunashi; 310-888-0123; arunashi.com Maya carved turquoise leaf ring in 18k yellow gold and enamel; $9,550; Brooke Gregson; sales@brookegregson.com; brookegregson.com Hand-carved Bardiglio Imperiale marble earrings in 14k rose gold with gray diamonds; $7,330; Ioanna Souflia; 44-207-254-9735; ioannasouflia.com Round cabochon…

Karma is rich for Kirsty Stone and her up-and-coming brand, Retrouvaí, whose jewels reconnect wearers to the past   When Kirsty Stone was a child in Toronto, she did everything you might imagine a future designer would do. “I was like a creative, gypsy child,” she says of her early years taking her clothes and…

Impatience is a virtue for the Mountain Brook, Ala.–based Jordan Alexander designer   Pearl lovers know that Jordan Alexander is one of the go-tos for cool-girl pearls. (For proof, see the chain-wrapped strands in “Pearls’ Night Out.”) But jewelry lovers know that Theresa Harper Bruno’s brand is about so much more. “Part of what drives…

CAN’T-MISS COLLECTION Fertile Ground A recent move to Tel Aviv, Israel, prompted former New Yorker Ilana Ariel Sarna, founder and owner of Ilana Ariel jewelry, to create a collection inspired by the city’s abundance of graphic Mediterranean tile work. Grounded—a series of curvilinear rings, necklaces, and earrings—celebrates the city’s “aesthetic imperfections, vibrant hues, and classic…

CAN’T-MISS COLLECTION Custom Agent The “breakaway” concept behind the Christian Paul fashion watch brand that Timothy Caruana founded in Australia two years ago has a dual meaning: “The watch breaks apart”—into a case, strap, and buckle that customers can choose separately—“and it’s about breaking away from the norm,” Caruana explains. “What looks like 30 watches…

Ed. note: After going to press, Reed Jewelry Group announced that the JIS October show would relocate to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., due to damage from Hurricane Irma. The dates, Oct. 8–11, remain the same. Click here for more information on the event and to learn about the Jewelers Disaster Relief Fund. For jewelers looking to season their business…

At July’s IIJS, the government’s tough new demonetization scheme was good for business   In a surprise move last November, India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, revoked 500- and 1,000-rupee bank notes in an effort to bring the country’s black market to its knees. The government also imposed a goods and services tax, which took effect…

In social media’s early days—back when brands first began getting serious about building their followings—the thinking went like this: Avid social media users were eager to follow brands solely for the purpose of aligning themselves with that brand’s identity. Essentially, if you cultivated an exclusive-feeling brand via a series of ultraslick posts, followers would flock.…

WHO, WHAT, WEARABLE Fossil Q Venture  Fossil’s ambitious goal for 2017, which it publicly announced in March, is to debut at least 300 hybrid and touch screen–connected styles by Dec. 31. Its wearable releases for splashy fashion brands including Emporio Armani, Michael Kors, and Kate Spade typically get the most press. But some of the…