This week: Lots of diamond swallowing in Australia. Jewelers in New York and South Carolina in legal trouble. Star Trek jewelry: the final frontier. All below.

 

Signet buying Zale.

– Interview with Signet CEO.

– What the trade is saying.

– National Jeweler: The culmination of consolidation.

– Golden Gate Capital makes out well. (In case you were worried.)

 

Jewelers take heart from solid Valentine’s Day.

– National Jeweler finds mixed results.

 

Jewelry business still shrinking, JBT says.

– Extent of industry shrinkage shown by chart.

 

David Yurman CEO stepping down.

 

Pandora’s U.S. sales rise 24 percent.

 

Gold demand dropped 15 percent last year.

– Why its price might drop some more.

 

More Ben’s top trends: the millenials, evolution of retail channels, environmentalism, and new designers and manufacturers.

 

Diamond trade sours on tenders.

 

India copes with credit crunch.

 

66-year-old woman arrested for trying to smuggle diamonds.

 

Man says NYC jeweler duped him.

 

South Carolina jeweler said to have taken customer’s goods.

 

Fugitive in diamond mine investment scam dies.

 

Theft victim tries ad to recover diamond ring.

 

Lots of diamond swallowing going on in Australia.

 

Winsome threatens to sue over article.

 

Belgium passes resolution calling for expansion of KP.

– Peter Meeus responds.

 

Zimbabwe government changes mind on license fees.

– Zim diamond firms to merge.

– Zim plans diamond exchange.

– Plans sales in Dubai and Shanghai.

 

Australian mine wants to raise money.

 

The shopping mall of the future.

 

Ugly photos of J.C. Penney.

 

Tweeters make fun of Kay’s hashtag.

 

Jeweler lures shoppers with free XBox.

 

Star Trek jewelry.

 

The scoop on Christina Aguilera’s engagement ring.

 

Tales of lost diamond rings.

 

Where do Olympic gold medals come from?

 

– Media Watch:

– The Huffington Post calls engagement rings “a total scam.”  (Also: Bustle, PolicyMic, and New Zealand newspaper.)

– The Atlantic on man-gagement rings.

– Fortune: Diamonds might be the new gold.

 

From the blog:

Signet and Zale: What the Trade Is Saying

Interview with Signet CEO Michael Barnes on Zale Acquisition

Extent of Industry Shrinkage Shown by Chart

 

Have a great weekend!

 

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