Hope everyone had a great holiday, and wishing all my readers a happy and healthy new year. Thank you to everyone who read JCKonline this year and provided feedback and comments.
This week in Diamond Shavings: Good signs for Signet. An unpleasant tax surprise for small businesses. And a couple gets their wedding ring delivered by drone. All below.
U.S. holiday sales strongest in six years.
– Jewelry sales rise 4 percent.
– Jewelers saved by “late rush.”
– Jewelry e-commerce sees “surge.”
– YouGov thinks Signet enjoyed a happy holiday.
– Forty percent of holiday shoppers headed to dollar stores.
– Consumer confidence slumps in December.
– Retail takeaways from the season.
Sears has “24 hours to survive.”
Looking Back
– My 10 favorite jewelry promotions of 2018.
– 30 of the best jewelry reads.
– Michelle Graff’s “six stories you shouldn’t miss.”
– JCK’s top Instagram posts.
– Top jewelry moments from the fashion runways.
– Amy Elliott’s favorite jewelry of the year.
– Beth Bernstein’s year in jewelry fashion.
– The year in colored stones.
Looking Ahead
– Small businesses may get an unpleasant tax surprise in 2019.
– Retail predictions from numerous experts, Brian Sozzi, Frank Weil, Bryan Pearson, and Chris Walton.
– Jewelry trend predictions by Who What Wear and InStyle.
Steve Dennis on the issues with omnichannel.
– Landlords embrace pop-up stores to save the American mall.
TrueFacet wants to raise $10 million in funding round.
Founding family of Casa Damiani launches takeover.
Scio Diamond assets purchased.
Eurostar enters administration.
Niru Group, EZ Diamonds join forces.
Surat cutters fear return of 2008 recession.
Alrosa moves closer to Kristall takeover.
– Dumping noncore assets.
High school student discovers new way of diamond harvesting.
Drought-hit farmers may lose lands to diamond, gold explorers.
Pluczenik appeals Nagel court ruling.
Indian broker accused of duping 25 traders.
Mehul Choksi says he’s tried to settle bank debts.
Did Brexit backer Arron Banks evade Kimberley Process?
Central African Republic diamond production decline blamed on fraud.
Neiman Marcus backers reportedly mull joint lawsuit.
Amazon’s promise of two-day Prime delivery is dying.
EBay lists most expensive watches of the year.
Monterey Financial appoints new CEO.
Profile of Stuart Brown, new CEO of Mountain Province.
Indiana jeweler Camille Webb dies.
California jeweler Nancy Wickersham Hall dies.
Retail real estate legend Faith Hope Consolo dies.
Couple has wedding ring delivered by drone.
Millionaire Matchmaker will give free engagement ring to anyone who proposes at her shows.
Celebrities are really into Jlani jewelry, according to BuzzFeed.
Kim Kardashian flashes ring replica two years after Paris robbery.
Paris Hilton says ring from ex-fiancé was “free.”
Elon Musk gets “ridiculous” Tesla diamond ring.
YouTuber Jack Dean proposes with enormous diamond ring.
Terrence Howard’s seems even bigger.
Heidi Klum ring has a “dark stone.”
Travis Scott purchases “sicko” bling.
Boxer Adrien Broner sued over unpaid jewelry bill.
Advice columnist ponders: Should you admit jewelry is from a past relationship?
New Jersey woman finds, and returns, diamond ring.
Florida woman starts Holocaust remembrance jewelry line.
Cremation jewelry is “becoming more popular.”
Book tells the story of the Red Cross pearls.
Sri Lankan art show includes lots of gems.
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There are 72,000 tons of diamonds hiding in a town in Germany.
Media Watch
BBC: The rise of “guilt-free gems.”
From the Blog
My 10 Favorite Jewelry Promotions of 2018
30 of the Best Jewelry Reads of 2018
Have a great weekend, and wonderful 2019!
– Email: rbates – at – jckonline.com.
– Twitter: @robbatesjck
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