TOP STORIES

Platinum Jewelry Demand Resilient in 2007
North American platinum jewelry purchases fell to 240,000 ounces in 2007, only a 5,000-once drop compared to the prior year, despite reaching record highs of more than $1,500 per ounce—due to increased overall demand for the precious metal coupled with a decline in supply. » » »

First Quarter Gold Jewelry Demand Down 21%
Gold demand for jewelry fell 21 percent year-over-year to 445.4 metric tons for the first quarter of 2008—the lowest quarterly level on record since the early 1990s, according to the quarterly Gold Demand Trends report from the World Gold Council. In dollar terms, however, it was up 12 percent to $13.2 billion. » » »

Whitehall Same-Store Sales Down 13.8%
Whitehall Jewelers Holdings, Inc., reported that net sales were $85.3 million for the fiscal 2007 fourth quarter ended Feb. 2, compared with $102.3 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2006. Of the sales decrease, $600,000 was attributable to store closings and stores closed for remodeling for limited periods. » » »

Jewelry Television Eliminates 215 Jobs
Jewelry Television announced Friday that it eliminated 215 jobs as part of a restructuring the company said is needed to improve its competitive position during the economic downturn, according to media reports. » » »

Blue Diamond Sold for Record Per-Carat Price
Sotheby's sale of Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels in Geneva Thursday raised $57.14 million, the second highest total the auction house achieved for a sale held worldwide. » » »

From Our Blogs

MORE INDUSTRY NEWS

'Working to Win' Panel at Career Fair
The Gemological Institute of America has announced that its 18th Jewelry Career Fair in New York will be July 25, at the Jacob Javits Center. » » »

Revere Academy 2008 Student Scholarship
For the second year, the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts will offer a complete scholarship for a three-day class to the winner of its new scholarship contest. The winner can chose from about eighty short classes offered each year in a range of subjects, including fabrication, design and setting. » » »

Women in the Know West Coast Conference
Information and inspiration will be at the top of the agenda of the Women’s Jewelry Association’s second Annual West Coast “Women in the Know” conference, to be held Aug. 15 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. » » »

IDEX Guaranteed Diamond Transactions
IDEX, the international diamond exchange, is planning to launch, "Guaranteed Diamond Transactions," an automated online wholesale diamond trading service, at JCK Las Vegas 2008. » » »

Fed Officials to Talk Compliance at JCK Show
Sue Saarnio, special advisor for Conflict Diamonds, U.S. State Department and Vincent Dantone, program manager for Trade Policy Enforcement Programs, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, will be available to provide legal compliance information to rough diamond importers and exporters about the Kimberley Process and the Clean Diamond Trade Act at JCK Las Vegas. » » »

JA to Host Education Sessions at JCK Show
Marketing, customer management, and jewelry trend spotting will be among the topics that Jewelers of America’s J-Biz Education Initiative will present during a full-day seminar track at JCK Las Vegas, on May 29. » » »

Jewelry Industry Trends at Jovella 2008
Jovella 2008, the international jewelry exhibition in Tel Aviv, being held on July 1-3, will include a seminar on forecasting trends in the jewelry industry, by Paola De Luca and Paolo Novembri of the TJF Group. » » »

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