’Net News

Staff -- JCK Online, 4/1/1999 2:00:00 AM

WEB SITE CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED

An Austin, Texas, Internet marketing firm has announced the winners of a contest to select the “top 25” jewelry industry Web sites.

The contest was sponsored by iJeweler earlier this year. Winners include the sites of online and traditional jewelry retailers as well as suppliers, plus jewelry trade online networks and other innovative users of the Internet.

Nominations were submitted by the readers of iJeweler’s online newsletter and by members of online jewelry communities, such as association sites or trade networks. Other sites were uncovered by iJeweler’s own research. A panel of five judges made the final selection.

The winning Web pages include trade and consumer sites and are grouped under five categories. The consumer sites are divided into “New Brands to Watch,” “Traditional Retailers Moving Online,” and “New [Online] Influences on the Consumer.” The trade section is divided into “Suppliers Who Are Moving Online” and “Developments in the Industry Infrastructure.”

The report includes iJeweler’s extensive review and evaluation of each site’s important features.

In the consumer section, among the top Internet retailers are Tradeshop (www.tradeshop.com), Wristwatch.com (www.wristwatch.com), and Shopping.com (www.shopping.com). Best Web sites of traditional retailers include those of iQVC (www.gemsandjewels.com), and Zales Jewelers (www.Zales.com).

New influences on online jewelry consumers include auctioneer eBay (www.pages.ebay.com/aw/jewelry-index.html), online search engine JewelryIndex (www.jewelryindex.com), and bridal site The Knot (www.theknot.com/default.htm).

In the trade section, among the winning suppliers’ sites are Gemsources (www.gemsource.com), Stuller Settings (www.stuller.com), and Oro Alexander (www.oroalexander.com). Sites said to be representative of changes in the industry’s infrastructure include GIA Online

(www.giaonline.gia.edu), Diamonds.net (www.diamonds.net), GemKey (www.gemkey.com), and Polygon (http://polygon.net).

For the full report, featuring the winning sites and iJeweler’s detailed reviews of them, go to the iJeweler site at www.iJeweler.com/top25.html or contact iJeweler, 6800 Westgate Blvd., #139B-291, Austin, TX 78745; (888) 444-8070, fax (512) 444-0341, e-mail: richg@ijeweler.com. – William George Shuster