Several jewelry businesses located in WTC complex

Hedda Schupak, JCK Editor-In-Chief -- JCK Online, 9/13/2001 12:51:00 PM

Several jewelry businesses located in WTC complex A handful of jewelry businesses were located in the destroyed World Trade Center (WTC) in New York, according to the Jewelers' Board of Trade (JBT).

Nathaniel Earle, JBT president, told JCK the following retail operations were located at the WTC complex:

* Caserta Jewelry, 2 World Trade Center, 1842;

* Roma Jewelers USA Inc., a retailer in the lobby of the Marriott Hotel at Three World Trade Center;

* World Trade Golden Nugget Ltd. Inc.;

SLH Jewelry Collections, located at Two World Trade Center, and

* Seidel Trading, a jewelry wholesale firm.

Two other firms also believed to be located in the center were gem wholesaler William H. McGee & Co., and K. Paparazian & Co.

The Thai Trade Center, which helps to organize travel to various gem and jewelry trade fairs in Bangkok, was located on the 37th floor of One World Trade Center. A JCK e-mail to the organization was unanswered as of Friday, September 14.

The historic Maiden Lane, which housed much of the New York jewelry trade early this century, was also located very close to the destroyed buildings, and several banks who do business with the jewelry industry-such as Republic Bank and Credit Suisse First Boston-had branch offices in the World Trade Center, though it's not known if these particular branches were involved in the jewelry industry at all.

As for ramifications to fourth-quarter jewelry sales, Earle pointed out the industry was not headed for a great season at the outset.

"People will blame it on this, but the seeds were already planted for a slow retail season," he said.