October 2013

2013 Holiday Survival Guide: Month-by-Month Tips for Retail Sales Success

53 Carat Diamond Pendant Necklace Sells for $2.39 Million at Sotheby’s

Sometimes, even 53 carats of diamonds can be understated: Look closely at this pendant and you’ll see a subtle touch of pink within the magnificent stones. This elegant necklace, not surprisingly, ­surpassed its high estimate May 14 at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels auction in Geneva, selling for $2.39 million. According to Sotheby’s senior…

Colored Stones: Tanzanite’s Global Presence & More

Super Blue JCK has been seeing plenty of blue and purple hues in finished jewelry this year, but none more so than Paraiba tourmaline from Brazil, copper-bearing Mozambique and/or Nigerian-origin tourmaline, and tanzanite. Hayley Henning, executive director of the Tanzanite Foundation in New York City, says she has been telling tanzanite’s story—“its single source, limited…

Platinum: Virginia Jeweler Embraces Platinum Jewelry & More

By Jorge He’s Got It! Jorge and Graciela Adeler’s Great Falls, Va., store is a true family affair: Daughter Valentina appraises and designs jewelry; her sister, Wendy, oversees marketing and philanthropy and manages ­e-commerce. Inventory is all custom, made with the help of seven full-time and three part-time bench jewelers. While Jorge has worked in…

Gold: Artist Joseph Murray’s Signature Sea Anemone Motif & More

Anemone ­Territory Joseph Murray’s signature sea anemone motif is beautifully rendered in gemstone designs like this necklace on cord. The New York City–based artist uses a 165 ct. labradorite cabochon to mimic the sea creature’s wide mouth and briolettes clusters to recall its finger-like tentacles. The center stone’s dreamy depth of colors reminds Murray of,…

Diamonds: Tiger Kidnapping in Belgium Could Have Been Staged & More

Tiger’s Tale It was a horrifying incident that terrified the diamond community in Belgium. And now it appears to have been faked. The widely reported “tiger kidnapping” of a diamond company employee last October may have been staged, according to a statement from the Antwerp World Diamond Centre. On Oct. 11, 2012, three men entered…

Gem Pricing: U.S. Gem Dealers Grow More Optimistic

Prices for fine-quality gems are on the upswing, but the midrange also gets a lift Gem dealers in the United States are growing more optimistic by the day. Demand continues to be strong for ruby, sapphire, and emerald, in particular. Retail demand is primarily for the fine and commercial qualities, although demand for midlevel qualities…

From Mine to Store: Indian Designer Bina Goenka’s 18k Gold Minaudière

When conceptualizing this minaudière, Indian designer Bina Goenka took on the entire galaxy. The piece is meant to represent the universe, with gems “conceived within the Earth’s crust” playing the roles of planets, stars, and sun. Zambian emeralds, Mozambican rubies, African amethysts, and white and yellow diamonds make up the montage of galactic elements. Goenka—who…

JCK5: Highlights From 2013 LUXURY Privé Panama

LUXURY Privé Panama drew some 60 of Latin America’s finest retailers to the Westin Playa Bonita, Aug. 26–28, for an intimate show highlighted by a select group of exhibitors: Above:1. Jewelberries 18k rose gold earrings with 1.38 cts. t.w. diamonds, 5.46 cts. t.w. pink sapphires, and 11.9 cts. t.w. rubies; $17,581; Trio of NY, NYC;…

2013 India International Jewellery Show Honors Its 30th Anniversary in Style

With most buyers in search of “something unique,” exhibitors at the India International Jewellery Show, held Aug. 8–12 in Mumbai, took great pains to place the bold, the beautiful, the eccentric, and the esoteric front and center in their showcases. “This year we focused on necklaces,” said Bobby Kothari, director of Jewelex, displaying a frothy…

What Do Today’s Fine Jewelry Consumers Want?

We spoke directly to fine jewelry consumers and they told us design, value, and personalization are top priorities this holiday season As the saying goes: The customer is always right. In the early 20th century, that sentiment turned the prevailing philosophy of caveat emptor (buyer beware) on its head and paved the way for the…

­Affluent Jewelry and Watch Consumers Are Ready to Splurge This Holiday Season

It’s been a year and a half since JCK published the results of W magazine’s last consumer study on fine jewelry and watch buying (in our May 2012 issue), but the partnership between our publications is as strong as ever. As proof, we present the exclusive results of W’s Summer 2013 Jewelry/Watch Study, just in…

How Jewelers Can Reward Customers by Showing Them How Much They Are Valued

The holidays are coming early for Bernie Robbins Jewelers in Somers Point, N.J. In mid-November, the chain will host its first-ever annual Holiday Gift Extravaganzas, which will feature multivendor shows in four of the chain’s five stores, located in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. During these events, watch and jewelry vendors will give away free gifts—a…

2013 Holiday Survival Guide: Month-by-Month Tips for Retail Sales Success

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we’ve got three months’ worth of ways for you to flatter your fellow retailers. Here’s how they get through the most wonderful (and stressful!) time of the year. Plus: gift-box–ready rings, earrings, pendan We know how tough it is to come up with original ideas for the…

Model Lauren ­Hutton Wears David Webb Rock Crystal and Coral Cuffs in 1971

When someone refers to a woman’s rock, it usually means she’s showing off a pretty major diamond. But if it was the early 1970s—and designer David Webb’s ­jewelry—she was probably wearing just that: a rock. Rock crystal, that is. Take this 1971 photo of model Lauren Hutton in rock crystal and coral cuffs with matching…

Jewelry Designer Penny Preville on Luxury, Blue Gems, and Guilty Pleasures

In honor of our luxury-themed issue, we asked designer Penny Preville what luxury means to her. “It’s something that gives you great pleasure—the perfume of fresh ­flowers, indulging in a piece of chocolate, wearing unique and beautiful jewelry that evokes emotion,” she says. And Preville knows from beautiful jewelry: She’s been making it for four…

A Passage From India: Sutra Jewels’ Lifelong Love Affair

For the couple behind Sutra Jewels, a chance meeting at GIA blossomed into a fairy-tale romance and jewelry success story When a start-up like Sutra opens for business in the middle of an economic downturn and becomes an international sensation with a devoted celebrity following—all before its fifth anniversary—the story begs to be told. Yet…

Designer Jewelry Meets DIY at a Connecticut Bead Boutique

The inspiration for Femmegems, a jewelry store and custom design workshop in Greenwich, Conn., came from an unlikely source: New York City’s no-frills bead emporiums. In 1999, owner Lindsay Cain, a former New Yorker, started selling jewelry she handcrafted from materials bought from local bead shops. One day, she was struck by the idea that…

Store We Adore: Etc.

2726 Cahaba Road, Birmingham, Ala. Tucked into an original historic 1920s storefront in Birmingham’s Mountain Brook Village, Etc. is a breath of fresh air, from its mod-meets-industrial interior to its mix of designer and costume pieces. Etc. is one of those spots where time stands still: The combination of fluid displays and warm salespeople makes…

How LinkedIn Can Help You Find Top Talent and Raise Your Social Profile

LinkedIn, the social site that specializes in professional networking, is one of the most underutilized digital platforms among independent retailers. The 10-year-old network, which boasts some 250 million users in more than 200 countries, initially was pitched to job seekers. But it’s rife with marketing and operational opportunities for business owners. We asked LinkedIn expert…

Free Online Tools Can Show Jewelers How Their Website Is Performing

One of the hottest topics we teach is the importance of measuring the results of your marketing efforts. This ­certainly can apply to any ­promotions you run or advertising you place—but it also applies to your website performance. Yet this is an area that many businesses neglect. The good news is it’s not hard to…

JCK5: There’s an App for That

The famous tech tagline could be applied to the breadth of recently released ­jewelry apps. Below, five of the most remarkable: 1. The Jeff Cooper Virtual Try-On app, by the jewelry designer of the same name, lets users try on rings via “augmented reality,” then connect to retail sites and share images on social media.…

How to Get Smart About Raising Prices

All shoppers love a good deal. But when it comes to jewelry, a consumer category famous for its broad price variances, a bona fide bargain is a relative thing. And jewelers looking to raise prices—and get off the discount merry-go-round for good—need to implement smart strategies to help their customers understand the concepts of value…

Jewelry Industry & People: October 2013

REMEMBERED >>?Leon Mason, cofounder of Mason-Kay, died of Alzheimer’s disease in Denver on July 24. He was 74. >>?Donald “Mike” Elmore, former owner of Gransbury-Elmore Jewelers and Mike’s Watch Shop in Felton, Calif., died July 18 after suffering a brain hemorrhage. >>?Alan Katz, who was vice president of operations for deBoulle Diamond and Jewelry in…

JCK5: Jewelers Recent Financial Results Are Mixed

Publicly held jewelry companies’ recent financial results have been all over the map: 1. Charm manufacturer Pandora Group’s U.S. sales were up 55 percent over last year. 2. Same-store sales at Michael Hill’s eight U.S. locations rose 6.4 percent during the past year, but the division still lost $2.3 million. 3. U.S. gold jewelry demand…

That ’90s Show: Throwback Runway for Spring 2014

New York Fashion Week began with news that Joseph Altuzarra sold a minority stake to Kering—making him the latest young designer to be tapped by a big-name conglomerate. ­Remember the acquisition craze of the ’90s when Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Narciso Rodriguez, and Tom Ford were snapped up by European houses? It feels like that…

Fall Is Here!, Publisher’s Letter, October 2013

It was a hectic end-of-summer here at JCK. We’ve been busy expanding our staff, strategizing and budgeting for next year, and, as always, enjoying a healthy dose of travel! The travel highlight of the month was my trip to Panama City for JCK’s second annual LUXURY Privé Panama, once again held at the beautiful Westin…

The Unusual Suspects, Editor’s Letter, October 2013

Every year about this time, I start fantasizing about doing something different for the holidays. I’ve broken out of traditional Christmas mode before. In 2005, for example, I went to Kenya. Specifically, I spent the holiday on Lamu, a remote, Swahili-speaking island that, like Zanzibar, once belonged to the Omani sultanate. That Christmas Eve, the…

10 Things Rocking the Jewelry Industry: October 2013

1. Designers Could Scott Kay become the next David Yurman? The bridal designer certainly raised eyebrows Aug. 15 when he announced that former ­Yurman chief operating officer David Minster had joined his company as CEO. “I was at Yurman in a very similar situation, in terms of size, scope, and infrastructure challenges,” Minster tells JCK.…

Log Out

Are you sure you want to log out?

CancelLog out