Archive for the ‘company’ tag

Jeweler lets customers see live diamond inscribing

Tustin, Calif.–The Jewelry Exchange retail chain will be offering its diamond customers the opportunity to choose their own inscriptions and then sit back and watch a computer screen as those words get inscribed on their newly purchased diamond at the company’s factory.

Customers will first approve the image of the transcription on screen and then can wait and watch the laser-inscribing process, which takes just minutes, The Jewelry Exchangesaid in a press release issued on Wednesday, announcing its acquisition of the newest PhotoScribe Cold Laser System for its state-of-the-art factory.

Through the inscription process, which the retailer says is 100 percent safe for laser-inscribing diamonds, customers can either have a diamond engraved with a special message of their own choosing or with a security code that would include the diamond certification number.

The inscription is done by using a tiny, precise laser beam that transforms a thin layer–just a few atoms thick–of the sparkling diamond crystal itself to opaque carbon crystal or graphite.

The cold-laser energy fully absorbs into the diamond in a process that the company describes as being superior to the hot-laser technology on the market, and which also does not require any pre-laser or post-laser processing, such as painting the diamond, which can produce inconsistent engraving.

The diamond can be inscribed all around the girdle using the special laser process, the company said. The laser inscription does not change the clarity or color grade of a diamond as it is microscopic and invisible to the unaided eye, viewable only under 10-times magnification, which requires a jeweler’s loupe or other magnifier.

The inscription process is considered permanent since it can only be removed by a professional diamond cutter. Removing the inscription would not change the weight or appearance of the diamond, the company says.

The Jewelry Exchange is a division of Goldenwest Diamond Corp. and has been operating for more than 32 years in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, Fla., Tustin, Calif., and Washington D.C., where it does business as The Jewelry Exchange. The company operates as The Jewelry Factory in Cleveland, Detroit and New York. In Houston, the company operates as The Jewelry Source.

Diamonds and the Famous Jewelers who Set Them

Diamonds are the most precious jewels with which a jeweler can practice their trade. There are no gems that are so prized as are diamonds and none that commands such a high price. Because of this, some of the most famous jewelers in the world have built their reputations based on their diamond creations. Where the creation of an elegant, glamorous and oftentimes show-stopping piece is concerned, there is no better medium in which these artists may work.

The name Tiffany is synonymous with elegance. The founder and owner of Tiffany & Co., Charles Lewis Tiffany, made a reputation so enduring that a particular setting of his own design carries his name to this day and is considered one of the standard options for setting the most priceless diamonds. The Tiffany setting is designed to display the diamond in a way that it is most availed of what it needs to show its beauty to the world: light. Set on six prongs, diamonds in a Tiffany setting truly sparkle. For gems that deserve to be set in a way that unavoidably draws the eye to them, it is one of the best and serves as a testament to Tiffany’s sensitivity to the artistic display of such beautiful stones.

Harry Winston, 1896-1978, is a legend in the world of jewelers. Not only did he work with some of the most famous gems in the world, he worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood and was known as the preferred jeweler for film celebrities. Winston had an abiding love of diamonds and was the owner of the Hope Diamond, possibly the most famous diamond in all the world. As any jeweler is wont to do, Winston wanted the world to see for themselves the beauty of this spectacular gem and, to that end, he donated it to the Smithsonian Institute in the late 1950’s where it still resides today.

Winston’s clients included the one celebrity who, aside from Marilyn Monroe, is probably most associated with diamonds: Elizabeth Taylor. Elizabeth Taylor was given a diamond that weighed over 69 carats by her husband Richard Burton. Burton once joked that, if their movie careers should falter, they could sell the diamonds of which they were so famously fond to make ends meet. Winston’s association with Hollywood continues until this day. Over 30 years after his death, the stars still seek his creations when they’re going to be seen on the red carpet at Hollywood’s biggest events. A $20 million recreation of the “Heart of the Ocean” diamond owned by Kate Winslet’s character in the 1997 film “Titanic” was made by Winston’s company. His Harry Winston Diamond Company endures to this day.

When shopping for diamonds, customers are often advised to pay attention to the cut of the gem, one of the four C’s in the mnemonic they often use to remind themselves of the marks of quality. Famous jewelers often patent their own cuts as a way of distinguishing themselves from others and of establishing themselves as authorities in the gem cutting world. The famous Israeli diamond cutter Gabi Tolkowsky patented the Eternal cut, a very complex cut that features a flower-like pattern of facets, that is currently offered only from the Gerrard Company of England. This company also made a recreation of the “Heart of the Sea” diamond from “Titanic”, though their necklace used a sapphire in place of the blue diamond that was the centerpiece of the jewelry in the film.

The most distinguished gem-cutters often become collectors themselves, and are sometimes tasked with working with the most precious of all stones. In some cases, they also broker some of the most well-known diamonds in the world and, in doing so, further cement their reputation and legend as among those whose life’s work is more distinguished by their association with such great wealth. Charles Lewis Tiffany, for example, acquired a portion of the French Crown Jewels, which further elevated him in status among his peers. Having in his possession the famous Hope Diamond did nothing to diminish the reputation of Harry Winston, to be certain. His longevity and prosperity, ironically, cast doubt upon one of the legends surrounding the diamond itself: that it’s possessor inherits a curse.

The work of famous jewelers represents some of the most expensive art in the world. Though this art is wearable, it is oftentimes found displayed, as in the case of the hope diamond, or in the collections of individuals who possess such items as a type of investment. The value of such items, as it tends to increase with age, precludes many of them from being worn. Like the gems from which their created, however, whether they’re worn or displayed, their beauty is, indeed, forever.

Imagine A Day in Paris with Van Cleef & Arpels’ Une Journée à Paris Collection

I recently came across kinds of cute accessories from French Haute Joaillerie and watch company Van Cleef & Arpels, and wanted to share them here. To mark its centennial this year, Van Cleef & Arpels specially introduced new jewelry collection named Une Journée à Paris in honor of its birthplace Paris.

Why choose Paris? In fact, as the birthplace of Van Cleef & Arpels, Paris remains an eternal source of inspiration for the House. Paris, a mythical, magical, enchanting city which the House has chosen to explore with the narrative and poetic collection, to recreate a Romance in Paris. Now, Van Cleef & Arpels invites us to discover the City of Light in a new and playful way. So let’s imagine our day in Paris…

This time, the jeweller explored new interpretation for its collection with poetic and narrative mechanisms through a very cute video Une Journée à Paris (which means a day in Paris). To redefine a collection created three years ago, Van Cleef & Arpels imagine two new stories: Romance in Paris and Wednesday in Paris. Romance in Paris necklace illustrates a love story of a young couple: the day they first meet to when the emotions starts to grow; the bracelet recreates a tender rendez-vous (when your heart is beating because you are in love) and the pendant at once tender and refined unites the two young lovers under an umbrella. This collection is sure a great gift to offer to someone you love as it represents your passion. The Wednesday in Paris necklace tells the story of a Wednesday afternoon outdoors, where a little girl gently floats away, lifted to the sky by a multitude of brightly hued balloons. Pink gold, coral, white mother-of-pearl and diamonds.

Have you ever considered that a playful jewelry can tell a story? This newly released collection will surely remind you of the first romantic trip to France.

The overachievers: America’s Best Jewelers 2009

Optimism is harder to appear by these days, as even stalwarts such as Tiffany and Co. and Sterling Jewelers abide to watch double-digit slides in their sales.

But the retailers who rose to the top in National Jeweler’s 2009 America’s Best Jewelers (ABJ) Benchmarking Analysis are affidavit absolute that accepting absolute may help. In fact, a part of the a lot of assisting jewelers responding to the survey, 64 percent accepted sales to acceleration this year, with 40 percent anticipating boosts of 1 percent to 10 percent.

The brilliant expectations didn’t appear easy–not this year. Overall, ABJ analysis respondents appear a boilerplate bead in sales of 0.7 percent amid 2008 and 2007, and boilerplate affairs fell from a boilerplate $450 in 2005, to $425 in 2008. Still, some food accept been faring bigger than others at befitting sales able during this downturn.

High-profit firms, authentic in the analysis as those firms that rank in the top 50 percent of all companies according to arrangement of balance afore absorption and taxes (EBIT) to absolute assets, saw sales acceleration 3.7 percent. Low-profit firms, those in the basal bisected of the EBIT-to-assets bracket, saw sales abatement 12.6 percent.

So, what’s the aberration amid the habits of the big earners and the basal dwellers? National Jeweler talked to a few of the food appointed as America’s Best Jewelers to acquisition out.

While the winners action a advanced ambit of access for retailers to aces and accept from, backstab champ Susan Eisen of Susan Eisen Fine Adornment and Watches in El Paso, Texas, offers a simple business philosophy: Acquisition out who and what you are, and be that.

For Eisen, an El Paso built-in who majored in art metals in academy and considers herself as abundant an artisan as a business person, this agency active a abundance with an absorbed arcade space, accepting accessible to the abstraction of crafting pieces from abnormal and not-so-fine abstracts such as chestnut and turquoise, and not spending every day staring at and annoyed over her store’s financials.

The absolute key, she says, is for retailers to amount out what works for them. For Eisen, that agency breaking out of the cast of “typical jeweler” and not accepting abashed about aggravating new tactics.

“I’m not afraid,” Eisen says. “Artists yield risks.”

Getting personal, accepting flexible

One breadth that requires an adept approach, abnormally lately, is affairs design jewelry–at atomic aloft bridal.

When asked to almanac sales in 14 altered artefact categories, precious stones came out on top a part of survey-takers, acquisitive up 39.5 percent of sales volume, including design adornment (28.2 percent) and apart precious stones (11.3 percent). Colored rock adornment was next, advantageous 7.8 percent of the boilerplate sales volume, followed by appraisals at 7.1 percent and karat gold adornment at 6.8 percent.

Those called in the analysis as high-profit accept allegedly begin a way to advertise added diamonds, admitting contempo challenges.

High-profit food accomplished a 6.8 percent boilerplate access in loose-diamond sales amid 2007 and 2008, compared with a boilerplate abatement of 5.3 percent for low-profit firms.

Diamond adornment sales added a boilerplate of 0.8 percent for high-profit firms, while low-profit firms saw them blooper 14.6 percent.

ABJ champ Tyler Klima of Tyler’s Gold and Precious stones in Manchester, Iowa, attributes his design adornment sales access in 2008 to added advertising.

“I got actual advancing in my marketing,” says Klima, who wrote radio spots for his abundance in which he reveals claimed details–such as the actuality that he’s the youngest of three boys–but avoids crowing about auction items, or calling out specific product.

“I anticipate that’s fabricated a lot of difference,” Klima says. “People wish to accessory with the alone they’re traveling to do business with. It makes me added human, added claimed in their eyes.”

Though radio equaled big business for Klima, he’s an aberration a part of top scorers. Alone 38.9 percent of high-profit firms appear putting radio commercials on the air, compared with 62.9 percent of low-profit firms.

The a lot of accepted forms of business a part of all food were absolute mail, acclimated by 71.8 percent of all stores, followed by non-partner in-store events, acclimated by 60.5 percent, and anniversary ads, active by 55.6 percent of all stores.

Also absorbing is that while Klima avoids discussing promotions while he’s on the air, 55.6 percent of high-profit firms use business to advance specials and sales, compared with just 31.4 percent of low-profit firms.

Emerson Robbins, an ABJ champ who operates E.E. Robbins food in Seattle, Tacoma and Bellevue, Wash., has acquainted into amount issues by adjusting his design sales to clothing today’s frugal consumer.

While Robbins acclimated to abstain precious stones beneath SI1 clarity, he is now blame SI2 appurtenances with aplomb, award new cuts, such as the Passion Cut diamond, that bigger adumbrate inclusions.

These stones still attending acceptable but don’t backpack the ample amount tag that can appear with a college accuracy rating.

“To the eye, they’re still admirable stones,” Robbins says. “They just don’t absolutely as high. I feel the industry has absolutely done itself a disservice by affairs based on certificates rather than on the alone adorableness of the diamond.”

A third-generation jeweler, Robbins was one of the co-founders of Robbins Bros., alongside brother Steve, but eventually autonomous to annex out on his own.

Today, Robbins says he still considers his operation a ancestors business, just like 89.4 percent of analysis respondents.

One acceptable turn

In accession to accepting a adroitness for affairs stones, high-profit firms managed to about-face account added bound than their low-profit counterparts, advertisement a about-face of 1.2 against 1.0.

The boilerplate age of account for high-profit firms is 12 months compared with 18 months for low-profit firms, and high-profit firms say 10 percent of their account is added than three years old, while 16 percent of low-profit firms say the same.

Both high-profit and low-profit food appear abiding 3 percent of account to vendors but, if they do advertise adamant merchandise, high-profit firms do so after affairs out, affairs alone 1 percent of commodity at beneath than bazaar value, compared with low-profit firms, which unloaded 3 percent of commodity at bargain prices, the analysis found.

At Duncan and Boyd Jewelers in Amarillo, Texas, ABJ champ Ronald Boyd advocates application a acceptable account administration arrangement to admonition about-face commodity over faster. He uses ARMS software with the training provided by Focus Management.

“You charge to be on some array of account administration arrangement that works with you, gives you those letters and appearance you [what's turning],” Boyd says.

Another aphorism to reside by: A few acceptable vendors are bigger than a continued account of characterless ones. That aphorism is key to active Boyd’s No. 1 action for accepting rid of age-old inventory, which is trading it back.

“You accept to accept a accord with your vendors,” he says. “You don’t charge 100 vendors. You charge 10 acceptable ones.”

A agents that stays together

Finding superior staffers, befitting them and training them is an affair that perplexes retailers, whether they accept been accessible for beneath than 10 years or added than 40.

“Finding the appropriate cadre and accepting them accomplished is allegedly the hardest assignment of all,” says Mark Clodius, who owns nine-year-old Clodius and Co. Jewelers in Rockford, Ill., with his wife, Monika.

Not surprisingly, high-profit firms accept a bigger handle on animal resources, analysis after-effects show.

The boilerplate anniversary activity about-face amount for all food surveyed was 12 percent, but high-profit firms’ about-face amount was 11.2 percent, while low-profit firms came in at 21.4 percent.

At Phil Jewelers in Anderson, S.C., buyer Phil Silverstein hasn’t absent an agent in three years. In anecdotic his compound for captivation his blessed agents ancestors of six full-time advisers calm for so long, he sounds a bit like Dr. Phil giving admonition for a blessed marriage.

“We account anniversary other,” Silverstein says. “We plan things out. We ask anniversary added questions–nobody knows all the answers. We get forth every day.”

Another abstruse to befitting staffers blessed is to advance the wealth, a tactic that is allegedly acclaimed to high-profit firms, which pay staffers a hardly college alternate allowance in every class analyzed in the survey, except advice technology.

For example, the boilerplate alternate allowance for managers at high-profit firms is $25.50, compared with $24 at low-profit firms. For salespeople, the aberration is added dramatic, with high-profit firms paying $18 an hour to low-profit firms’ $13.10.

“We go able-bodied aloft the [salary] barometer for this area,” Silverstein says. “If we didn’t, we wouldn’t accept them. Humans are consistently absent to bigger themselves financially, and we’re a footfall advanced of that.”

High-profit firms aswell assume to accord advisers a bit added abandon to accomplish absolute decisions. A absolute of 42.9 percent of high-profit firms let staffers accomplish appraisement decisions after a supervisor’s OK, against 27.3 percent of low-profit firms.

Learn to sell

Both high-profit and low-profit firms abode agnate levels of accent on agent training.

A absolute of 44.5 percent of all food surveyed appear dedicating 21 or added hours a year per agent to training full-time employees, including 48.6 percent of high-profit firms and 47.1 percent of low-profit firms.

High-profits firms, however, seemed to abode a greater accent on befitting training in-house.

A absolute of 94.1 percent of these firms ranked company-run, in-store training as actual important, compared with alone 79.4 percent of low-profit firms.

Low-profit firms seemed to adopt off-site alien training, ranked as actual important by 50 percent of these stores, against alone 41.2 percent of high-profit firms.

Mark Clodius uses a alloy of both styles, administering twice-a-week affairs in his abundance and bringing in alfresco experts, such as Harry Friedman of The Friedman Group.

Clodius says Friedman teaches the administration to do statistical breakdowns account employees’ sales weaknesses so that they can plan on them.

“You don’t absolutely anticipate about it [when you're a salesperson],” Clodius says. “You go out on the sales attic and try to admonition people. But if you’re thinking, ‘My bang-up tells me I should alpha affairs added big-ticket merchandise,’ again you’re added acceptable to appearance added big-ticket merchandise.”

How they operate

Here’s a attending at the basic statistics of America’s Best Jewelers analysis respondents.

41.5 percent are a Sub-S Corporation

89.4 percent accede themselves a ancestors business

69.1 percent hire their facilities

79.8 percent accomplish just one store

30.6 percent run their alone store, or their best store, in a city location

44.6 percent address absolute anniversary sales of $1.5 million-plus

39.5 percent of what these food advertise is apart precious stones or design jewelry

Source: The 2009 America’s Best Jewelers Summary Data Report, Advantage Business Information, National Jeweler

About this survey

The 2009 America’s Best Jewelers (ABJ) Benchmarking Analysis was produced by Advantage Business Advice for National Jeweler.

The analysis is in its additional year and is advised to analyze best practices aural the industry. It was conducted online amid April and June and, for the aboriginal time, was done in affiliation with addition industry benchmarking survey, Jewelers of America’s (JA) anniversary “Cost of Doing Business Survey.”

A absolute of 687 respondents abounding out the JA analysis while the ABJ analysis garnered 124 complete responses.

De Beers cracking down on Everlon infringement

New York–De Beers is cracking down on companies creating designs that closely resemble its Everlon diamond jewelry. In an interview with National Jeweler on Wednesday, Sally Morrison, interim U.S. director in charge of the De Beers account at JWT, confirmed that De Beers’ new diamond designs–based on the Hercules knot and marketed as the “strength of love, forged in a knot”–as well as the name “Everlon,” are indeed trademarked. She said De Beers is going to defend its trademark, especially considering that sightholders and retailers are shouldering some of the cost of the program. “Of course we’re going to protect it,” Morrison said. “How are we going to protect it? We’re going to protect it legally.” The first stage of this legal defense is to send out cease-and-desist letters to any company De Beers learns is selling designs that could possibly infringe on Everlon. “We are aware that people have infringed, and there’s a process that has already started,” she said. Morrison would not disclose details on how many letters had been sent out or to what companies, but she did reveal that two companies that received such letters already have agreed to stop selling the offending designs. She added that she doesn’t believe all companies selling Everlon-like pieces are doing it out of “bad will,” but rather that there may be some confusion as to how this new program works. Unveiled in September, Everlon is De Beers’ latest “big idea,” intended to stimulate diamond jewelry sales as programs such as Journey and three-stone have done in the past. “That model has been around for a long time, very successfully, and everybody’s been a part of it,” Morrison said. Unlike past De Beers programs, however, Everlon is not open for everyone to duplicate. Sightholders and retailers who want to sell Everlon had to pay to have access to the designs and marketing materials, as well as a license to create their own designs based on the Everlon theme. Meanwhile, those who did not choose to participate in the program cannot create Everlon pieces as they might have done with programs such as Journey. This change, Morrison said, might have created some confusion in the marketplace. She added that when creating the program, De Beers did forsee that it might need to take legal action to protect Everlon. “We anticipated that it might be necessary, so we were ready and prepared to do it,” Morrison said. “We’ve been doing this a long time, and the trade is used to working with us in a particular way. It’s ingrained.”