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TOP STORIES

Court Halts Christie’s Sale of Esmerian's Jewels
An appellate court on Monday has stopped a Christie’s auction at which $34 million worth of jewelry was to have been sold on Tuesday evening. » » »

Whitehall Acquires 78 Friedman's Stores
Whitehall Jewelers Holdings, Inc., a leading national specialty retailer of fine jewelry, said its wholly owned subsidiary, Whitehall Jewelers, Inc., has acquired the assets and leases of 78 stores from Friedman's, Inc. and Crescent Jewelers ( a subsidiary of Friedman's) for approximately $14.3 million. » » »


De Beers Welcomes Approval of Anti-Trust Action
De Beers said it “welcomes” recent comments by the judge handling its class action case that the anti-trust settlement will be approved. » » »

JCK Las Vegas Planning Tools
JCK Las Vegas, the most comprehensive jewelry event in the country, will commence May 30 with 3,100 exhibiting companies and more than 20,000 jewelry buyers from 85 countries. » » »

MJSA Presents its Vision Awards
The Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America presented its Vision Awards Sunday during the opening day of the MJSA Expo at the Jacob K. Javits Center, New York City. The annual competition recognizes the talent and innovation of designers whose work is influencing the future design trends of the jewelry industry. » » »

From Our Blogs

Ideas for in Store Parties and Events
Many of us have thrown some sort of party or in store event—but are any of them really different? For our Grand Opening I did throw an in store event—but I didn’t feel it was entirely different from the norm. We did have some very interesting mailers that went out to about 5,000 homes as well as two raffles, a red carpet, and drinks. The Grand Opening was a success but I wished I could have done something spectacular or something that would catch the interest of the press. Here are some ideas that I’ve heard of, but please feel free to add some more suggestions for events, in store celebrations, or promos...
Read On »
Diamond Shavings: Your Friday Web Roundup (Live from AGS Edition)
Seattle is very nice, and the AGS Conclave very interesting … Here now the news...
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Trend Watch: Promoting But Not Explaining Water-Resistant Watches
I am always delighted to see the fashion press give space to discussing jewelry that complements the fashions being shown. With the approach of summer, the May 2008 issue of Glamour magazine devotes a substantial number of pages to swimwear. Along with excellent coverage of the latest styles of bathing suits and tips as to which styles works best for various body types, the magazine includes a page devoted to colorful, sporty watches, proclaimed “a Do!” for the beach (in a photo caption) and for the pool. The headline reads: “7 pool-friendly watches: Swim into summer with a practical—and bold—water-resistant watch.”...
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AGS Blogging: Weathering the Downturn
I don't have to tell most of you that this industry is in a downturn. Even at the AGS Conclave, whose high-end members have generally proven pretty resilient, there is not the spirit I have seen in previously years. Consider this: Signet apparently just had its first sales decline in 15 years. Stuller's recent layoffs were apparently the first in its history. In the first three months of the year, we have already seen one Chapter 11 filing (Fortunoff) and one liquidation (Friedman's.) This is a tough climate...
Read On »

MORE INDUSTRY NEWS

S.C. 24K Club to Honor Herb Bridge
Herbert M. “Herb” Bridge of Ben Bridge Jewelers, Seattle, will receive the Jewelers 24K Club of Southern California's Excellence In Service Award. The award has been bestowed upon a deserving individual or individuals annually since 1998. » » »

Retail Sales Decline in March
Retail industry sales for March (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) dipped 0.9 percent unadjusted over last year and were down 0.3 percent from the prior month, according to the National Retail Federation. » » »

New GIA Alumni Chapters Emerge Worldwide
The Gemological Institute of America Alumni Association officially opened 12 new alumni chapters so far this year. Approximately 30 other new chapters are planning to open by the end of 2008.
» » »

Jewelry Television Creates Tanzanian Relief Fund
Jewelry Television has created a Tanzanian Relief Fund to support people affected by the flooding disasters in the Arusha and Manyara regions of Tanzania, Africa. » » »

SEC Charges CMKM with Stock Fraud
The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged 11 individuals and three companies, alleging they conspired to illegally issue and sell unregistered stock in a purported diamond and gold mining company and "lined their pockets with more than $64 million from 40,000 investors nationwide." » » »

JBT Elects Board Members
The Jewelers Board of Trade, Warwick, R.I., held board elections following its annual meeting Feb. 19. » » »
THIS MONTH’S READER POLL
Sixty-eight percent of jewelry professionals have inventory management software systems in place, according to a JCK survey. What are main obstacles when it comes to getting businesses to automate their inventory?
The time it takes to move data to the computer
The learning curve
The time it takes to train employees on the system
The expense
All of the above

View results from last month’s poll

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