Spurred perhaps
by media reports of strong jewelry sales, most jewelry retail stocks
have shown strong gains since the summer.

At press time on
Dec. 29, shares of Zale Corp. were trading at just below $5. The stock spent most of the year under $4, and since June 30, its share price has jumped more than 200 percent. On Dec. 28, it was one of the day¹s best performing
stocks, showing a 7.2 percent jump.

Signet Jewelers
at press time was trading at  $43.42. For
most of the year it was valued in
the $25 to $35 range. Since June 30, its price has risen 58 percent.

Tiffany &
Co. common stock was trading on Dec. 29 at $64.16. The shares spent most of the year under $50. Since June 30, the
stock has gained 66 percent.

However, the
stock of Birks and Mayors has struggled a bit. At press time, it was trading
at $1.35, far below its 52-week high of $6.20. But since June 30, it has
gained 14.4 percent.

And Blue Nile is
trading at $58.08, below its 52 week high of $65.48, set in January. Even
so, since June 30, it has gained 19.6 percent.

JCK