The Jeweller Magazine April 2010 Issue

BaselWorld 2010 unveiledLapponia’s 50th anniversary celebrationTrend spotting at Top Drawer

JewellerMarch 2010 £6.50 The Voice of The Industry

the

The Jeweller is produced in conjunction with the British Jewellers’ Association

Jewellerthe

The Voice of the Industry 3

Contents l

Straight out of the Top Drawer 28

Lindsey Straughton goes trend spotting among BJA

members showing at the recent Earl’s Court exhibition.

Time Honoured 30

Just ahead of BaselWorld, we offer a sneak preview

of some of the new models to be revealed by the

biggest names in watches and jewellery.

Industry Update on Nickel 38

Geoff Field reports on the latest developments

regarding the use of nickel and explains why

jewellers should be concerned.

Snow Wonder 40

Belinda Morris travels to Finland to discover the

inspiration behind the Lapponia brand, in this,

its 50th year.

Specialised Partners in Crime 52

Michael Hoare explores how jewellery retailers and

suppliers can protect themselves against the threat

of violent robberies.

C O N T E N T S M A R C H 1 0

The National Association

of Goldsmiths

78a Luke Street,

London EC2A 4XG

Tel: 020 7613 4445

www.jewellers-online.org

Acting Editor: Belinda Morris

Tel: 01692 538007

[email protected]

BJA Marketing & PR Manager

Lindsey Straughton

[email protected]

Tel: 0121 237 1110

CUBE Publishing

Sales Director: Ian FrancisTel: 020 7833 5500

[email protected]

Art Director: Ben [email protected]

Publisher: Neil [email protected]

Contributors:Michael Ferraro, John Henn,

Greg Valerio, Stephen Welfare,

Stephen Whittaker, Jo Young

The Jeweller is published by CUBE Publishing on behalf of theNational Association of Goldsmiths for circulation to members.For further information about The Jeweller please visit:www.thejewellermagazine.com

The magazine is printed on paper and board that has metacceptable environmental accreditation standards.

Although every effort is made to ensure that the information supplied is accurate, the N.A.G. disclaims and/or does not accept liability for any loss, damage or claimwhatsoever that may result from the information given. Information and ideas are forguidance only and members should always consult their own professional advisers.The publisher accepts no responsibility for any advertiser, advertisement or insert in TheJeweller. Anyone having dealings with any advertiser must rely on their own enquiries.

Communiqué 4

Editor’s Letter 7

Industry News 8

NAG News 14

BJA News 21

The Jeweller Picks… 24

Opinion: John Henn 42

Ethical Jeweller 44

Antique Jeweller 48

Education & Training 54

IRV Review 58

Insurance Matters 60

Legal Jeweller 62

Appointments 63

Display Cabinet 64

The Last Word 66

Cover ImageIn conjunction with Alessandro Baldieri

Since 1853 LtdTelephone: 0844 911 1853Email: [email protected]

Website: www.ABwatches.net

Illustration by Valerio VolpiTelephone: +39 334 340 3678

JewellerThe Voice of The Industry www.thejewellermagazine.com

the

Happy Birthday

When somebody tells you it’s their sixtyfifth birthday, you almost instinctively

think of retirement. But not so for our trainingdepartment, which celebrates sixty five yearsthis year, but still manages to retain itsyouthful air. Some say that you are ‘as old asyou feel,’ others that age is a state of mind.I’ve always taken that for granted, but our training department is living proof thatmixing with young, active and enquiringpeople keeps your mind agile.

Last week I was in Westminster attendingthe All Party Parliamentary Group for Retailmeeting, to discuss the Government’sNational Skills Strategy for the retail sector. It proved to be something of a ‘love in’ forthe British Retail Consortium and theSkillsmart Retail, the Sector Skills Council,who are justifiably proud of the way the bigretailers have embraced training as centralto business success.

I think we can be equally proud of the factthat for sixty four years we have providedjewellers with specialised product knowledgeand selling skills; tapped the fathomless pit of professional expertise personified byour tutors; and nurtured new generations of young jewellers – without help from

government! Now that’s what I call ‘by thetrade for the trade’!

Snow Hysteria

Last year, around this time, i.e. Spring Fair,we enjoyed, if that’s the right word, a

heavy snowfall that kept us indoors for afew days. At the time I commented on theFederation of Small Businesses’ assertionthat the effect on industry would be a catastrophic loss of business – £3.5 billion ifmy memory serves me well. As I pointedout, their calculation was based on outdatedeconomic models that only served to give a wholly unrealistic picture. Well the pundits are at it again, with journalists upand down the land handing us headlines

like Retail Week’s “snow chaos cost grocersmillions – their premise being that lorriesstruck in the snow cost money, and thatshoppers stayed at home.

This is undeniably true but is it the end of the world? Firstly, footfall indicesshow that people stay at home anyway

in January because they are repaying their credit card bills. Secondly, is this business lost forever or just displaced to another day? Surely people haven’t given up eating – they’ve just raided theirstore cupboards and will return the nextweek to replenish them! Not lost sales, just misplaced!

Legislation

When the battle lines for the forthcomingelection are drawn I expect we’ll see

the familiar tug of war between the mainparties over who can claim to reduce theweight of legislation on business. Each willclaim to be the businessman’s friend, liftingthe ‘yoke’ of burdensome laws from theshoulders of beleaguered small businesses’.

Call me a sceptic, but I don’t believe anyof them. Politicians, of whatever stripe, can’thelp themselves. But if any are going tomake good on their promises post electionthey’ve got an awful lot to get their teethinto. Take employment legislation as anexample. Our solicitors, Boyes Turner, havejust written to us with a list of changes due in the first half of the year.

Among things to ponder is the govern-ment’s consultation on the default retirementage that closed in February, which couldresult in a shift in the current default age

of 65 years. Next come ‘family friendly’developments that will extend paternityleave and pay in April 2010 (coming intoeffect on 3rd April 2011) – whereby qualifying employees will be able to benefitfrom up to 26 weeks’ additional paternityleave, subject to various conditions.

The chain of trust is easily broken… nothing can be takenfor granted when it comes to guaranteeing consumer confidence in our products.

4 The Jeweller March 2010

M I C H A E L H O A R E ’ S

CommuniquéThe NAG’s CEO reports on his month including trainingin the retail sector, snow business, pre-electionpromises, responsible jewellery and gem testing.

| Comment

Next come the government’s intention to introduce the right torequest time off for training for employees in firms with 250 or morestaff – to be extended to all employees in 2011; wide rangingchanges to the Equality Act; changes to statutory maternity, paternityand sick pay payments; and adjustments to tribunal awards. Otherissues of note are ‘blacklisting’ and the new ‘fit note’ system.

With so much to go at, politicians, legislators, and solicitors, are infor a pretty busy time. We of course will be keeping you up to datewith developments.

Chain of Trust

After nearly four years of painstaking work, The ResponsibleJewellery Council system went live at the end of 2009. As a

founder member, signatory to the original declaration of intent, andBoard member, I know only too well the amount of serious effortthat has gone into getting this far. We will be following its progress in these pages over the forthcoming months; meanwhile I for one wish it every success. The current unease about Zimbabwediamonds is surely a timely reminder that the chain of trust is easilybroken, and that nothing can be taken for granted when it comes toguaranteeing consumer confidence in our products.

As I write I am collecting my thoughts in preparation for the CIBJOCongress in Munich over the coming weekend, where many of the world’s jewellery sector associations gather to chew over issuesof nomenclature, particularly where it applies to man-made stones.No doubt the Zimbabwean situation will raise the temperature ofthe debate too.

Reader’s Letter

Closer to home, the subject of gem testing facilities, certification,and laboratories has come to my attention via a letter from

member Teddy Shattock, of Aldridge Jewellers, who wrote to mebefore Christmas:-I was shocked to hear of the demise of the Gem-A laboratory as anofficial body for gem testing in the jewellery industry. I wish to drawyour attention to the fact that London, the centre of a thriving jewellery trade, is without a worldwide recognisable certificationsystem for gems and diamonds. This state of affairs must be rectifiedby the whole jewellery industry. We have plenty of well-qualifiedgemmologists and it is ridiculous to provide an educational facilityand not have a lab to back it up. I believe that the NAG could helpus organise a new Gem-A lab, which would give us an internationalreputation like we used to have. I understand that Gem A hasmade arrangements with a gem laboratory in Switzerland but I stillfeel this is totally inadequate because the service will not be to thesame standard. Are there others out there who believe this too?

I reproduce Teddy’s letter to stimulate debate, not because Ibelieve the NAG is in any position to take on the role suggested, but the prospect of a London-based accredited lab is clearly of interest to some readers. I will happily forward your replies.(Any comments please email: [email protected])


Comment |

Another landmark Eterna innovation.

Eterna · Spherodrive

Innovation on the move.Eterna Madison Three-Hands with Eterna Spherodrive. Revolving on

the new Eterna Spherodrive ball bearing system, the spring barrel of the

Eterna 3505 proprietary movement rotates more smoothly and

effi ciently, guaranteeing extended longevity and easier servicing of the

movement. Eterna’s innovative spirit once again drives traditional

watchmaking forward.

www.eterna.com


Comment |

Oh for heaven’s sake – enough of all this snow! As I write this it’s snowing again and

I am wearing fingerless gloves and a pashmina wrapped twice round my neck. At this

rate I will have to be surgically removed from my thermals and sheepskin boots when

the thaw eventually does come (please tell me it will come). I am also bored with talking

about the weather.

So, stop it now… no whingeing. We should look on the bright side. Our survival could

be dependant on selling linen frocks and open-toe sandals but, as it is, our industry is not

so rigorously season-driven. Few women will feel like investing in a new sundress at

the moment, but they are still lusting after jewellery – providing they can actually get to

the shops that is.

It may be winter outside but, in this issue of The Jeweller at least, it’s spring and there is a

pretty upbeat mood in the air. The economic recovery may still be in its very early stages,

but psychologically, the fact that we’re officially out of recession, even marginally, has to be

a boost to trade.

No-one is being bullish, but the word in the aisles at Spring Fair, Top Drawer and

Inhorgenta is of cautious optimism for the future. In fact the mood among the 35 or so

British suppliers – many of them BJA members – showing at Inhorgenta last month was,

apparently, positively perky as the designers received plenty of attention from international

press and buyers. Only a Lufthansa strike on the last day of the show put a slight dampener

on things.

Looking back to our report on BaselWorld this time last year, the forecast was a gloomy one,

but just ahead of 2010’s grandaddy of all jewellery and watch fairs, there’s a sense of chirpy

confidence that business might be getting back on track. As the images in our BaselWorld

preview (p.30) clearly show, the past 18 months of doom and gloom have had a negligible

effect on the creativity and scope of watch designers or the optimism and excitement

of those who are responsible for persuading the public to buy into the new collections.

The trick, I truly believe, is to talk things up – so here’s to the power of positive thinking.

Belinda Morris, Acting Editor Email: [email protected]

“the sleek, simple but

strong forms created by

Hirvonnen, who was

inspired by listening to

powerful jazz harmonies,

which are counter-balanced

by Popovits’ fluid yet

angular asymmetric silver”

Page 30

Page 40

Editor’sLetter

This month:

“We’re still confident that

our success in such

difficult times is due to

the nurturing of strong

relationships with clients,

supporting those who

have supported us”

| Industry News


According to the fair’s organisers, therevamped Jewellery Show, which took

place on February 7 – 11 at the NECBirmingham, “smashed” previous attendancefigures by drawing over 20,000 buyers.Following consultation with retail customers as well as exhibitors the showwas “comprehensively re-edited” for its2010 launch and was generally judged to be a resounding success. Along withindependent retailers, the show saw thereturn, after a 20 year absence, of majorjewellery buying group, the Houlden Group.

In fact it was a rewarding five days for allof the Spring Fair. Retailers with a combinedspending power of £12 billion heralded aboon of record-breaking transactions formany exhibitors at what is the biggest homeand gift event in the UK buying calendar.

It is estimated that around £2 billion oforders will be placed by buyers as a directresult of their attendance at the show.

As Barry Bennett, MD of Gecko enthusedon day one of the show: “We’ve written the most orders we’ve ever taken at anytrade show.” And another happy exhibitor,Gary Wroe of Hockley Mint observed: “I thinka massive difference has been made to The Jewellery Show this year. It feels farmore special and upmarket – a lot moreexclusive – and the entrances look great.”

Italian watch designer Alessandro Baldieriused the show to introduce his latest collection. “The Spring Fair at the NEC wasthe first chance for the UK market to see myentire watch collection and the response wasamazing and everyone loved it,” he said.”On the back of the show new stockists

range from Selfridges in London to smallindependent retailers from all over the UK.”

A key draw for buyers and exhibitors alikewas arguably the new catwalk show, sponsored by Pandora. The centrally situatedCatwalk Café area (with its daily HappyHour), with a show held several times a day(along with talks and seminars) created abuzz that is more commonly associated withfashion exhibitions, and came as a welcomebreath of fresh air.

It certainly worked for one visitor: GeorgieCahill, joint manager of George BanksJewellers in Preston, said: “I think thePandora Catwalk brings pizzazz to TheJewellery Show and encourages people tovisit the stands of those companies who areshowing their jewellery on models. It looksso different to what it does in a display cabinet and gives you a better idea of howwearable the jewellery is. I will now visit morestands as a result of seeing the catwalk show.It’s a great idea.”

Adding to the directional feel of the show,the market-leading global trends forecastingwebsite WGSN provided future trends forthe catwalk shows, where models displayedone-off pieces and new season’s designsfrom The Jewellery Show’s exhibitors. Five keythemes for 2010 were highlighted – Punk,All that Sparkles, Exotic, Futuristic and WarriorPrincess – selecting cutting-edge designsfrom jewellers including Peter Lang, Vizati,Mark Milton, Pascale Forcetti, Barbara Easton,Kokkino, Kleshna, So Jewellery, Lunasky,Dower & Hall and Babette Wasserman.

‘Record breaking’transactions atSpring Fair 2010

AlessandroBaldieri


Industry News |

The new look Jeweller magazine was officially launched at Spring Fair on the

NAG stand with a champagne celebration.Early indications are that the new style magazine, and in particular the larger formatand the absorption of the BJA into the

publication, have been well received by NAGmembers and the industry as a whole.

In his welcoming speech Neil Oakford,publisher of The Jeweller magazine, waskeen to focus on “The Jeweller’s uniqueposition in the market” as he was in no

doubt that the unrivalled and exclusive support of both the industry’s trade associations, had reinforced The Jeweller’sclaim to be ‘The Voice of the industry’ and confirmed its status as ‘the must-readindustry publication’.

He also stressed how important it was for members to take a more active role insupporting “their” magazine, either in theform of editorial contributions or simplythrough written feedback to articles and the magazine in general – whether good or bad! “The inclusion of commentary fromthe BJA broadens the scope of The Jeweller,makes us more inclusive and provides aconsiderable opportunity to reach a widerprofessional audience,” added NAG CEOMichael Hoare. “The two associations haveco-operated over a number of industryissues in the past and this developmentadds to the authority of our voice.”

NAG chairman Frank Wood attended thelaunch and keenly supported the newmove: “I am delighted to see The Jewellermagazine extending the number of issuesto 10 per year. This, in conjunction with the n-gauge e-newsletter, will keep themagazine at the forefront of current affairsand maintain its place as the premier jewellery trade magazine,” he said.

The Jeweller – the must-read industry publication!

Neil Oakford, publisherand Frank Wood, NAGchairman at the launch

Claudia Sarti, a graduate of Houlden’s exclusive training courses, has scooped the NAG’sGeorge Greenough Trophy, becoming only the second Scot to win the accolade since

the awards were founded in 1945. Beating off competition from over 150 candidates, 27year old Claudia, a sales consultant with Laings of Glasgow, is to be presented with the trophyat an awards ceremony to be held in the Goldsmith’s Hall in London on 10th March. The Trophy is presented to the most out-standing candidate who has demonstratedgood exam results and course work, on theAssociation’s JET 2 Professional Jeweller’sDiploma course. The Diploma takes overeighteen months to complete and is inter-nationally recognised. Claudia successfullystarted her training programme by under-taking both the Dynamic Sales training courseand the IGI Diamond Grading course.

Commenting on her award Claudia said,“I’m really a bit shocked, as I found theexam really difficult so I couldn’t believe thatnot only had I passed but that I’d come outas the top graduate.” The Trophy is usuallypresented on an annual basis but only if asuitable candidate merits the award.

Claudia sparkles in jewellery awards CW Sellorssecures listingwith bmibaby

CW Sellors hasannounced a deal

with low cost airlinebmibaby to supply an exclusive silverpendant based on thecompany’s baby logo.

The pendant forms part of a select collection of jewellery offered to passengersflying to over thirty European destinationsfrom the airline’s four UK bases at EastMidlands, Birmingham, Manchester andCardiff. Priced at £24.99 RRP, the design isthe result of consultation between bmibabymerchandisers and the CW Sellors designand manufacturing team and appears in theairline’s in-flight magazine. Twelve Boeing737 aircraft will be carrying the product,operating up to 700 flights a week duringhigh season.

| Industry News


Patrick Fuller, the current NAG President and chairman of Birmingham-based preciousmetal casting company Weston Beamor awarded the first prize of the company’s annual

design competition to Siobahn Maher, a second year student at Birmingham City University. Studying for a Higher National Diploma in Jewellery and Silversmithing at the city’s prestigious

School of Jewellery, Maher (25) won the prize for her ‘Inferno’ men’s ring design. The briefto the students for this year’s competition – now in its eighth year and a compulsory elementof the course – was to create a design for a man’s ring aimed at a target audience of theirown choice. As well as designing the ring using computer aided design, they were also askedto create appropriate ‘virtual’ marketing based around their design concept.

Jewellery design is a second careerfor Siobhan, who already has an Englishdegree and worked as a recruitmentconsultant before enrolling on theHND course. “I’ve always loved jewellery and know that I am nowdoing exactly what I want to do. I particularly love CAD work so winningthis competition was hugely excitingand is also an affirmation that I havethe right commercial mind set tohopefully make a success in theindustry,” she commented.

Weston Beamorunveils 2010 designprize winner

NAG ChallengeTrophy – theChairman’sChallenge

Frank Wood, chairman of the NAG andlast year’s novice winner of the NAG’s

golf competition, the Challenge Trophy, hasissued the challenge to the jewellery tradeto come and take it off him – if you can!

The competition this year, with a trophysponsored by Bransom Retail Systems, willtake place in York at Fulford Golf Club onMonday June 7. The event is open to allNAG members, non-members including staff,and associated jewellery companies. Thereare also sponsorship opportunities for anyinterested companies. Beside the Bransom-sponsored trophy, the champagne reception– sponsored by www.rolexrepairs.co.uk andthe ‘Nearest the Pin’ prize, donated byConcept Smokescreens Ltd, there areawards for: ‘Longest Drive’ (available at acost of £500); the Putting Competition’(available for £500); the ‘Individual Tee’sponsorship – includes sponsor board, witha few tees still available at £100 per tee andthe ’Team Prize’ (available for £500).

Entry prices are: NAG member (any category) £70. Non NAG member £90.Spectators are welcome too. To play, or tosponsor – or both – contact Frank Wood:Tel: 01904 625274. Fax: 01904 630896.Email: [email protected] Jeweller to run London Marathon

for British Heart Foundation

Jonathan Stoner, managing director of Phillip Stoner the Jeweller, Leeds, is running thisyear’s Virgin London Marathon to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation. Jonathan’s

father, Phillip, suffered a major heart attack in 2007 and has since made an excellent recovery, largely due to work of the British Heart Foundation.

So grateful is Jonathan for the British Heart Foundation’s involvement in his father’s recoverythat he decided to do something special to show his gratitude. After two years of applyinghe has secured a place in the Virgin London Marathon on 25th April 2010 running for theBritish Heart Foundation team.

This will be Jonathan’s first marathon and he’s currently running in excess of 50 miles perweek as part of a gruelling training programme. He hopes to complete the race within fourhours. Jonathan aims to raise at least £2,000 for the British Heart Foundation.

“I’ve never been a runner and never entered a race so the challenge is exciting, if a littledaunting,” says Stoner. “The race is now only a few weeks away and the enormity of the taskis starting to dawn on me. I’m sure the race will hurt but I will be spurred on knowing thatmy dad and wife, Helen, will be along the course cheering me on and that the money raisedwill go to such a fantastic cause.”

To sponsor him simply visit: www.justgiving.com/jonathanstoner or call into one of thePhillip Stoner shops in the Victoria Quarter and The Light, Leeds, or Southgate, Halifax.

GIA’s Winter2010 DistanceEducationQuarterly nowavailable online

The Gemological Institute of America’slatest Distance Education Quarterly is

now available online. Outlining the differentopportunities for Distance Education it alsogives details on GIA’s gemology educationcurriculum, lab classes offered at twelveworldwide campus locations and prestigiousjewellery credentials.

Visit the GIA website www.gia.edu underLibrary Resources, Design Contests.

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| Industry News


CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation has reiterated its endorsement of the KimberleyProcess and the World Diamond Council’s Supportive System of Warranties. At its annual

meeting in Munich, Germany, in February, it called on members of the diamond, gem andjewellery industry and trade to significantly boost the industry's efforts to ensure that no diamonds from the Marange diamond fields are traded, specifically until the KimberleyProcess (KP) monitor is in place and will be actively and effectively controlling rough diamondexports from this specific area.

CIBJO strongly believes that the KP has prevented and will continue to prevent the flow ofconflict diamonds into the legitimate markets. It therefore expects full and timely implementationof the stringent controls pertaining to the Marange diamond production in Zimbabwe thatwere agreed at the KP Plenary meeting in Swakopmund, Namibia, in November last year.And it joins the World Diamond Council, the World Federation of Diamond Bourses and theInternational Diamond Manufacturers Association in all efforts to end and prevent the use ofrough diamonds for the purpose of funding conflict, anywhere in the world.

CIBJO insists that all participants in the supply chain for diamonds are responsible forapplying intensive due diligence to ensure that no diamonds from Marange are traded untilthe KP monitor is in place, and is controlling exports from that area. It also wishes to remindthose trading in diamonds, to use the System of Warranties every time these products(rough, polished, or in jewellery containing diamonds) are sold. This system was designedto provide assurances through the entire supply chain down to the consumer that they donot purchase diamonds that have been traded in violation of any KP requirements.

Historic decision made at CIBO 2010 conference

Among the highlights of the 2010 CIBJO Congress in Munich was a decision by the CIBJODiamond Commission to broaden the number of acceptable terms to describe synthetic

diamonds. The resolution presented by the Diamond Commission that was approved by theCIBJO Board of Directors was worded as follows: “In the best interest of consumer protectionand industry harmonisation, CIBJO accepts the terms ‘laboratory-grown’ diamond, ‘laboratory-created’ diamond and ‘synthetic’ diamond to describe non-natural diamond. CIBJO recognises that its standards are subject to government regulations in the respective jurisdiction of CIBJO members. In the event that the national jewellery association, which is a member of CIBJO, deems that there is no acceptable local direct translation of the English terms ‘laboratory-grown’ or ‘laboratory-created,’ then only the translation of the term ‘synthetic’ should be used.” This brings the CIBJO in line with the position adoptedearlier by other major industry groups.

CIBJO calls for controls onMarange diamond production

Van Cleef & Arpelssponsors GraceKelly exhibition

Luxury brand Van Cleef & Arpels is sponsoring a V&A exhibition that

explores the style of screen icon Grace Kelly.Displayed along with dresses from two ofthe films she appeared in (High Societyand Rear Window), the outfit she worewhen she first met Prince Rainier in 1955and her haute couture gowns from the ‘60sand ‘70s, will of course be her jewels.

An admirer of Van Cleef & Arpels, GraceKelly became a great muse of the house,when, a few days after their engagement,HRH Prince Rainier of Monaco went to itsNew York boutique to choose a ‘souvenir’for his fiancé. Looking for the perfect gem, he was persuaded that a pearl anddiamond necklace and ear clips wouldmost suit Miss Kelly’s delicate beauty.

Admission is £6 and tickets can bebooked online at: www.vam.ac.uk

Jewellery designer commissioned by National Portrait GalleryBritish jewellery designer Emma Chapman has been selected by the

National Portrait Gallery to design a range of jewellery to tie into its forthcoming The Indian Portrait exhibition which opens in London thismonth and runs until June. The pieces will be on sale in the Gallery shop.

Emma’s glamorous, opulent and exotic gemstone jewellery is inspired by trips to the FarEast and ancient regal eras – and then given a contemporary twist.

The Indian Portrait Exhibition 1560-1860 tells the story of the Indian Portrait over threecenturies. It explores the fascinating way in which Indian artists have approached the depictionof the human form and the changing role of portraiture in Indian history.

Clogau Gold launchWelsh RU Collection

Welsh jewellery brand Clogau Gold hasannounced the launch of an exclusive

new jewellery collection in association withthe Welsh Rugby Union. The collectioncomprises cufflinks, tie clip, pendant, ring,lapel pin and money clip; all display theWRU Logo in shimmering rose gold, set intosolid sterling silver. The collection has beenkept understated in its design to emphasisethe glowing rose gold WRU logo.

| NAG News


Marange Diamonds and the RJC Certification System

In November 2009, shipments of diamondsfrom the Marange fields were suspended,

pending the appointment of a KimberleyProcess Monitor for the region. However,there are reports that Marange diamondshave been and still are being smuggled out ofZimbabwe with illicit or counterfeit KimberleyProcess Certification Scheme (KPCS) certifi-cates. While no goods from Marange can belegally exported from Zimbabwe at present,illicit diamonds may be entering the supplychain as a result of illegal practices.

The smuggling of rough diamonds from acountry enforcing Kimberley Process law is acrime, as is the use of ill-gotten KP certificates.

RJC strongly supports the efforts of lawenforcement agencies in combating the issue.Certainly the appointment of the SpecialMonitor and progress in implementing theJoint Working Plan will assist in maintaininggood order in the Kimberley Process.

RJC reminds its members that no-oneshould be dealing in recently exportedMarange diamonds and that they are there-fore expected to demonstrate due diligenceas they continue to fully comply with theKPCS and World Diamond Council Systemof Warranties. Members are advised to exercise extreme caution when buying roughdiamonds on the market to ensure that theydo not originate from Marange, despite thecurrent KPCS suspension. Once the KPMonitor is in place in Zimbabwe, all exports

from Marange must bear the signature ofthe Monitor on the KP Certificate.

In light of the serious situation in Zimbabwe,the RJC will ensure that auditors place anextra level of vigilance on the potential fornon-conformances in this area. Auditors willbe kept updated on the situation via trainingdelivered by the RJC and alerts on relevantdevelopments.

The RJC will continue to monitor progresson KPCS implementation in Zimbabwe andurges all parties to work diligently towardsresolution of the situation in Marange.

For more information on the RJC pleasevisit: www.responsiblejewellery.com or youcan email Catherine Sproule at:[email protected]

Responsible Jewellery Councilissues reminder to members

2010 Annual General MeetingThe date and location of this year’s AGM

meeting has been confirmed – it is tobe held on Monday 14th June atWentworth Golf Club, Surrey. Wentworth isa prestigious privately owned golf club andhealth resort renowned for its associationswith professional golf. It also has threeimpressive eighteen-hole courses, great forthose golfing fanatics! Additional details willfollow shortly.

Figures show that students have moreself confidence and do better in the

examination if they attend one of the JET Valuation tutorial sessions offered bythe NAG. In a friendly and relaxed atmosphere it is the perfect opportunity tomeet your course tutor, along with otherstudents on the course. Tutorials are located in London and usually commenceat 10am and finish by 4pm and will include:how to write good descriptions in clearEnglish; the requirements for compiling legible and concise working notes and how to arrive at accurate values using thestandard pricing sources available

Please note, the JET Valuation coursetutorial has been rescheduled for Tuesday30th March 2010.

To book your place send your bookingform with fee (£96 + VAT) to EducationDepartment, 78a Luke Street, London,EC2A 4XG or call 020 7613 4445

Are you worriedabout passingthe valuationexam?

The Green Street Jewellers Association (GSJA), located in Forest Gate, east London, host-ed a successful networking event during which a lucky winner was picked for the group’s

£3000 Christmas incentive. The promotion ran between November 20th and December31st and was open to shoppers spending more than £250 at participating stores in the area.

“For the jewellers on Green Street, this was a fantastic opportunity to say thank you to ourclients, giving them the chance to win a nice pick-me-up during the festive season,” saysVikram Santilal, vice chairman of the GSJA.

The lucky ticket drawn from more than 4000 entries belonged to Ms Sonal Makani fromKingsbury, Middlesex. Around 100 people attended the prize draw at a cocktail and canapésevent in London with the support of Clydesdale Bank on January 18th. The incentive and theevent received great coverage within the Asian media channels.

Green Street jewellers’ £3000 prize-winner


NAG News |

New Member Applications

To ensure that NAG members are aware of

new membership applications within their

locality, applicants’ names are published

below. Members wishing to comment on

any of these applications can call Harshita

Deolia on 020 7613 4445 or email:

[email protected] within three

weeks of receipt of this issue.

Ordinary ApplicationsJewellery & Gifts Ltd (Maria Grazia Cooke)

Aldridge, Walsall

Hanningtons (Patricia Hunnisett) Haverhill, Suffolk

Richard Miles (Dinesh Dewchand/Vikash Dewchand) Chingford

W H R Newcombe (Susan Bailey) Sherborne,Dorset

Uno (Jonathan Faull/Susan Faull) Llanrhidian,Swansea

Acton Jewellery (Rachael Anderson) Mansfield,Nottinghamshire

Lauren Ashley Jewellers (Lauren Ashley Carter)Bolton

Whitley Jewellery & Antiques Ltd(Philip Stephenson) Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear

Vishal Jewellers (Vishal Jogiya) Leicester

Affiliate ApplicationsGorringes LLP (Clifford Lansberry) Lewes, Sussex

The Bench (Deborah Macklin) Jersey

Allied ApplicationsPandora Jewellery UK Ltd (Peter Andersen)

Hebburn, Tyne & WearMichael Jude (Michael Jude) Alcester

Alumni ApplicationsKehan Li, Enfield

IRV Applications

If members wish to comment on any of

these, please contact Sandra Page on

(029) 2081 3615.

Applications to become a MemberJohn F Baxendale PJDip PJManDip PJValDip

FNAG FGA, Ely.

Nicholas D Hadler PJDip PJGemDip PJValDipBA(Hons), Bath.

Kehan Li PJValDip FGA DGA, Enfield.

Elizabeth McAuley PJDip PJGemDip PJValDipBA(Hons), Bedford.

Upgrading from Member to FellowAlan T Johns FBHI, Truro.

Palladium ChangesFrom January 1, 2010 hallmarking became a compulsory legal requirement for all palladium

articles weighing over one gram, with recognised fineness standards of 500, 950 and 999.As with platinum the most popular palladium fineness is 950 and the trade has

expressed so much concern that the two metals will be confused that the four UK AssayOffices have taken the unprecedented step of changing the original fineness mark to makeit more distinguishable.

The first shape was a trapezium, clearly different from platinum when perfect but withpotential to be reduced to fainter straight lines as the hallmark becomes worn. After manykey businesses voiced their worries the outline was amended to three adjoining circles, so all lines are curved.

The new shape was introduced last month but the trapezium remains legal and there isno need to re-hallmark anything.

Under the Hallmarking Act 1973, every person ‘dealing’ in precious metal is legally requiredto display the statutory dealers notice and this has now been redesigned to include palladium.

A new statutory ‘dealers notice’ which all those dealing in precious metals are legallyrequired to display, is available from the Assay Offices from January 2010, clearly showingboth versions of the palladium mark.

The new version is available as a free download from any of the Assay Office websites,and high quality printed versions are also available. For those requiring large quantities ofnotices the artwork is available for retailers to produce their own signs.

Dealers have twelve months to change to the new notice, which became compulsory from1st January 2011.

Platinum Fineness Marks Palladium Fineness Marks Palladium Fineness Marks 2009 2010 onwards

Shining a light on hallmarking?There are still a few places available on the JET 2 Hallmarking Information Seminar from

the London Assay Office at Goldsmiths’ Hall on 31st March 2010. This one day seminarhas been specifically arranged for JET 2 students and will cover all the essentials of hallmarking for the exam and beyond, such as the hallmarking process, reading hallmarks aswell as a practical hands-on assaying and hallmarking session. The day also includes a tourof the Assay office and laboratory – all for just £85 + VAT. For more information call 020 7613 4445 (option 1) or email: [email protected]

More sales through better selling skillsDo you want to improve your selling skills? Do you need help to reach sales targets?

Maybe you want to learn how to get repeat business, but can’t take more than a dayaway from the shop? Or perhaps you just need to improve your confidence?

In which case, the NAG’s Essential Selling seminar might be the answer. This one-day seminar given by specialist training and management development consultant Nigel Amphlettpromises to improve selling style with help on beating targets, converting sales, gainingrepeat business and dealing with customer queries and concerns.

The seminar will take place at NAG HQ in London on 23rd March 2010 and in expectedto run from 10am to 4pm. NAG Members £208 + VAT, Non-Members 269 + VAT. To booka place call Amanda White on 020 7613 4445 or email: [email protected]

| NAG News


An invitation to theEDF Congress OxfordFollowing the great success of last year’s Executive Development Forum Congress, the

National Association of Goldsmiths would like you to join us for the 2nd Oxford Congresson Thursday 24th 2010. The event is unique within the jewellery industry and provides theopportunity for business professionals to consider what is happening in and around jewelleryretailing. We encourage all our members to attend as it promises to be a very enjoyable andworthwhile experience.

“Running a jewellery shop can be a lonely business and the NAG is here to support ownersand proprietors, however we have taken this idea to another level through the EDF whichencourages already forward thinking business owners and executives to reach greaterheights of sophistication,” says NAG’s Chief Executive Michael Hoare. “The Oxford Congressis an important milestone in the progress of the initiative, bringing together powerful personalities and generating exciting ideas. Don’t get left behind!”

If you would like further information please contact Ritu Verma at the NAG office on02076134445 or email: [email protected]

SaferGems, the initiative against crime inthe jewellery, antiques and fine art

trades, has issued its first monthly bulletin to members indicating summaries of suspicious incidents and attacks across theUK. It also warns jewellers of numerousattempted fraudulent payments whichcould potentially be linked to an Orientalgang that has been operating throughoutthe country. SaferGems data shows that of the thirty incidents in January this year, nine have been

linked to the gang. With this informationbeing circulated, a number of jewellers haveturned away those fitting the description ofthe offenders preventing them being subject to a similar offence. Although anumber of arrests have been made, it is notyet confirmed whether the suspects arebehind the activity.Michael Hoare, Chief Executive of TheNational Association of Goldsmiths welcomes the new move. “This is a veryuseful summary of criminal activity in the preceding months and will provide a usefulmemory-jogger for those receivingSaferGems alerts,” he stated. The scheme, which was launched in June,

is available to full members of the NAG and clients insured with T H March. It hasreceived a positive response from users andhas gained interest from various policeforces across the country. “The bulletin has been produced to give

the industry a monthly insight into activityaround the country, not just a specificregion,” says Darren Baker of SaferGems. “It’s also an output that can include additionalinformation, provide basic analysis, and can display stories from the media that maynot have been reported. Maps, images ofsuspects, and methods of offences can also be beneficial, hopefully preventingsuch further incidents in the future.”

Safergems issues first monthly bulletin

Spring FairInternational 2010Many thanks to all NAG members who

visited us on our stand at The JewelleryShow at Spring Fair International 2010.Please make space in your diaries for SpringFair International 2011 which takes place atthe NEC Birmingham from the 6-10thFebruary. For a full review of the EducationDepartment’s The summer holidays aretoo late campaign, please check out theEducation & Training pages.

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| NAG News


What type of jewellery do you offer? We stock a mix of branded jewellery andindividual pieces, so there’s something foreveryone. We try to look after the little boythat comes in with his dad to buy a Mother’sDay gift for ten pounds, to the husbandwanting to buy his wife an eternity ring, or acouple looking for wedding and engagementrings. We stock a range of brands like DKNY,Diesel, White Ice and Fiorelli for the youngermarket too. Items over £1000 are normallyhandmade and the customer is involvedwith the process from start to finish givingthem complete flexibility – it’s also importantto us that we keep to customers’ budgets.We also have a workshop where we carryout jewellery, watch and clock repairs, andwe also do probate valuations.

Palladium is a hot topic at the momenthaving received its hallmark, but someretailers are uncertain about this metal.What made you choose it?We’ve stocked palladium wedding bands foraround four years now; we sell so manymen’s wedding bands that we now have arange of palladium engagement rings too.We’ve even had items made for customerswith the use of a CAD designer. The beautyof this metal for me is that it’s dense, pureand white in colour for around the price of

9ct gold. I wear a palladium wedding bandso any customers contemplating buying itcan see that we’re passionate about it, andI think this is really important. I think peopleused to view it like steel or titanium but Ithink it will be really big, especially now thatit has got a hallmark.

Great to see you at Spring Fair, what didyou think of the show? I liked the show, there seemed to be a goodturnout. The main drawback for me is thatit’s so big and there’s so much choice thatyou really need two or three days to lookaround. Although I didn’t really find anythingnew, I feel like I’m not missing out on something like a new trend perhaps.

What makes your shop stand out inDevizes? How do your customers view Lee’s? As we stock branded jewellery many peoplethink that we’re a chain because departmentstores carry similar stock, so customers then start thinking that we’re bigger than weactually are. We try and keep the shop looking as nice as possible. When I wasredeveloping the shop a couple of yearsago, I asked myself “would I want to buyfrom this shop?” and the answer was “probably not”. I redesigned the interior and

exterior so it looks like a shop you wouldlike to visit. We have a fish tank at a goodheight for children in pushchairs and wealso have a spaniel, so people often comein to see them! I always hope that if we cando a good service on wedding rings, it meansthat people trust you enough to come backfor occasions like birthdays, anniversariesand christenings. Weddings are stressfulenough so we try to make it as easy forthem as possible by advising what we thinkwould be best.

You’ve just signed up a member of stafffor Jet 1 – how important is it to youthat they have a qualification like this?It’s really important for two reasons I think.Firstly, for their self confidence. Young members of staff sometimes aren’t takenvery seriously by customers, but they can be won over if they have a good knowledgeof what they are selling. Secondly, I can’t doeverything by myself! There’s less pressureon me if I know my staff are capable ofdealing with a variety of things.

You must have plenty of interestinganecdotes about customers… care to share one?Yeah – here’s a classic one. Most jewellersoperate a non cash refund policy, as we do.About four or five years ago one ChristmasEve, we were getting ready to lock up whena young guy came in, a little drunk, and saidhe’d forgotten to buy his girlfriend a gift. So he picked out a ring for about £100, andpaid in cash. When we opened up again afew days after Christmas, he came into theshop, looking quite sober and a bit sheepish.He asked if he could have a refund on thering so we asked “Did your girlfriend not likethe ring?” He explained, looking embarrassed,that he’d been out and had a good timeand realised afterwards that he didn’t have a girlfriend! We refunded the money in the end. It was quite a funny situation!

Member of the MonthIn the second of our series Member of the Month, HarshitaDeolia talks to Stuart Wright of Lee’s Jewellers based in Devizes,Wiltshire, who has been a NAG member since April 2003.

Stuart and his staff at Spring Fair 2010

Arelatively snow-freeSpring Fair 2010

proved the tonic the tradewanted with a vibrant and colourful relaunch ofThe Jewellery Show atSpring Fair International.Wide aisles, glamorouscatwalk models, topspeakers and seminars all combined to givea fresh new look which swept away thememories of a snowbound NEC just twelvemonths ago. What’s more the buyers cameand exhibitors had something to smileabout again. The Pandora effect continuesto dominate the market with sponsorship of the Catwalk and bar by the Danish trendsetter and a cluster of charm suppliersriding the Pandora wave. Some of last year’s absentees returned to the show,including Dower and Hall, and the growth infashionable design-led silver jewellerybrands masked what appeared to be ashrinking fine diamond jewellery sector.

After nine Spring Fairs representing the BJAas a show sponsor, I have decided to retire from my role as chief executive of the BJA to join my wife, Maggie Nichols assales director of her family business, SuttonTools. Hopefully I have many more SpringFairs in me – but as an exhibitor, with asmile and a handshake for customers andfriends alike. Over the last eight years serving the BJA I have seen the Associationand its members through vital issues suchas the Kimberley Process, the EU threat tocompulsory hallmarking, Royal Mail’s plansto ban jewellery from special delivery nextday, the growing campaigns for ethical supply chains and the explosion in TV and internet shopping. It has been great fun and I have made many firm friendshipsin this wonderful and vibrant industry. I’ll see you all at IJL.


BJA News |

And so it’s goodbyefrom him…

BJA Chief ExecutiveGeoff Field

BJA National Committee Members2010 -2011ChairmanMichael Hughes, Jewelcast LtdT: 0121 212 1372E: [email protected]

Vice ChairmanGary Williams, Brown & Newirth LtdT: 01707 255 000E: [email protected]

Deputy ChairmanBarrie Dobson, Intl. Bullion & Metal T: 020 7025 2500E: [email protected]

Alex Bassalian, Bass Premier CoT: 020 7242 2278E: [email protected]

Barry Bennett, Gecko Trading LtdT: 020 7534 3211E: [email protected]

Vanessa Burkitt, Catherine Jones Jewellery LtdT: 01223 361596E: [email protected]

Cindy Dennis Mangan, Dennis & LaveryT: 01273 204886E: cindydennismangan

@dennisandlavery.com

David Doyle, Jewellery BrokersT: 0121 236 7545E: [email protected]

Richard Haruni, Intl. Gemstones LtdT: 020 7242 3748E: [email protected]

Jason Holt, R Holt & Co LtdT; 02074055286E: [email protected]

Nick Kasler, Alfred Terry LtdT: 0208 446 9319E: [email protected]

Josh Kindness, Thomas Sutton (B’ham) LtdT: 0845 094 1884E: [email protected]

Helen O’NeillThe PMC StudioT: 08708500151E: [email protected]

Martyn Pugh, Martyn Pugh Gold andSilversmithT: 01527 502 513E: [email protected]

Mark Senior, M&M JewelleryT: 01215233030E: [email protected]

Report from the BJAAnnual General MeetingHeld at the Spring Fair on February 9, the AGM of the BJA saw Mike Hughes, managing

director of Jewelcast, the Birmingham-based casting house, appointed as chairman and welcomed Gary Williams of B&N Rings as his vice chairman. Both stressed that the security problems affecting the trade would be a priority. The outgoing Barrie Dobson, in bidding farewell to the chairmanship highlighted the successful defeat of the proposedpostal changes for special delivery and the funded export projectand website LondonJewelleryExports.com The BJA NationalCommittee, the voluntary body of 14 elected representatives whosteer the Association’s work, received four new elected membersto add to the broad cross-section on individuals, representing the whole of the supply chain: Mark Senior, managing director ofBirmingham manufacturers M&M Jewellery; retailer Jason Holt of R Holts Lapidary; distributor Helen O’Neill of The PMC Studioand Cindy Dennis Mangan of Dennis & Lavery representingdesigner-makers’ views. Mike Hughes, the newly appointed

chairman of the BJA

To celebrate the recently ratified changesto the Hallmarking Act, the subject of this

new annual competition – which is organisedby the BJA and supported by Spring FairInternational and British Jewellery and GiftwareFederation – was Palladium Jewellery andthe winners were presented with their prizesby BJA deputy chairman Barry Dobson atSpring Fair last month.

The first prize in the Commercial Rangecategory was awarded to Global Edge, partof the Abbeycrest Group, for its Osare Curvarange of men’s jewellery, while the honoursfor the Statement Design was given to AtelierGilmar for its bold ‘Star-Gazer’ pendant fromits Jenga collection.

Created in 950 palladium and black diamonds, the Osare Curva Collection, bringsa sophisticated new twist to men’s jewellerydesign with a matching ring, cufflinks and abracelet with a black leather strap. Osare,which means ‘dare’ in Italian is an apt namefor the suite which is aimed at professionalmen who dare to be different.

Hand-made in 950 palladium and 22 ct.gold set with a mouth-watering 12mmTahitian pearl and a 0.15ct brilliant-cut diamond, the Star-Gazer Pendant by AtelierGilmar, is big and bold and with its multi-strand collar in stainless steel. Gill and AlanSaunders of the Welsh design business,

Atelier Gilmar commented: “The design forStar-Gazer evolved from new work to belaunched in spring 2010. Using palladiumenabled us to construct a large statementpiece without the constraint of size-to-weightratio.” As a prize, Atelier Gilmar will be givena free stand at next year’s Jewellery Show.

James Newman, one of the competition’sfive-strong panel of judges, himself adesigner jeweller selling his own range ofpalladium men’s wedding rings with somesuccess in his Birmingham shop was, he said,interested to see the many different ways inwhich those entering the competition hadworked with the metal: “All the pieces wereof a good standard and well executed anddemonstrate how well, because it is relativelylight and relatively inexpensive, palladiumlends itself to both large contemporarydesigns as well as commercial ranges.”

Two highly-commended awards, one ineach category, were also made. CharlesGreen & Son, the long-establishedBirmingham producer impressed the judgesin the Commercial Range category with its‘Reflect’ wedding ring collection, while theAngelett Gallery from London’s HattonGarden, was chosen in the StatementDesign category where its ‘After the Rain’ring with pearls and diamonds was considered worthy of special mention.

| BJA News


Palladium Winnersat Spring Fair 2010The champagne and compliments flowed as the winners of thefirst BJA Award were unveiled at The Jewellery Show

The BJA Award 2010 at The Jewellery Show for Palladium Jewellery – sponsors and winners.Left to right: Julie Driscoll, The Jewellery Show event director. Alan and Gill Saunders, Atelier Gilmar.Pip Beale, Charles Green & Sons. Joanna Angelett, Angelett Gallery. Gary Thompson, Global Edge.Barrie Dobson, BJA deputy chairman. Commercial first prize winner

The ‘Osare Curva’ collection of men’s jewellery by Global Edge

Statement second prize winner‘After the Rain’ ring by the Angelett Gallery

Commercial second prize winnerThe ‘Reflect’ wedding ring range by Charles Green & Son

Statement first prize winnerThe ‘Star-Gazer’ pendant set with a Tahitian pearl, by Atelier Gilmar

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BABETTE WASSERMANRenowned for her dynamic and glamorouspieces, Babette’s collection continues toexpand on and develop existing styles – infact a discounted limited edition of past bestsellers such as her chunky crystal rings hasbeen made available. The popular ‘scarf’collection has been updated by ‘Amazon’ –tube chains in gold plate or silver that canbe worn singly as a necklace or doubled onthe wrist. Her chains made from links of silknow feature large drops in jet, brandy orclear crystal. Charms are another importantfeature of her line: including natural shapessuch as starfish.

Jewellerthe

picks...Highlighting some of the most popular and directionalpieces, hot from The Jewellery Show at Spring Fair.

PD MANNoted for its innovative cufflink designs, men’saccessories brand, PD Man has introducednew stones into its gemstone collection, to give a sense of added luxury to the architecturally inspired styles. An extra burstof colour has redefined the Spectrum rangewith its new enamel and acrylic designs.

CLOGAU GOLDAs the Welsh gold brand moves further in the direction of more contemporary jewellery, thisseason sees the introduction of a new collection by Clogau Gold. In keeping with the hugelypopular trend for personalised jewellery, Inner Charms offers sterling silver lockets that opento reveal intricate charms of silver or gold within. As lockets and charms are sold separatelythe customer can choose from the range of designs, according to taste and mood.

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NOMINATIONComposable jewellery brand Nominationhas expanded the silver collection Argento toinclude three new ranges: Perla – Majorcanpearls; Luna silver globes on chains andVenere silver hearts on chains. New for2010 is the first range for children – Kikiwith pendant necklaces and bracelets, withfive cute character charms.

ORTAKScottish gold and silver jewellery manufac-turer Ortak unveiled ‘Maggie’s’ collection,with 10% of every item sold being donatedto Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres. The rangein polished silver incorporates green hotenamel. The main range comprises: Zest(polished silver accented by bright enamelswith amethysts and opal triplet cabochons);Pirouette (hammered satin silver); Amour(silver, scarlet cold enamel, mother of pearl and Swarovski crystals) and Belle (art nouveau-inspired curves of silver, gold,diamonds and pearls).

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For further information about our brandsplease email Malene Taylor at [email protected]

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TROLL BEADSSpring is in the air in the latest Troll Beads collection with a treasure chest of pastel shades,nature-inspired forms and romantic motifs for the new beads on offer. Colours are soft andfeminine, as seen in the new gemstone beads (primarily jade and amazonite), while silverparadise birds, delicate zucchini flowers, variations on the silver heart theme and even a tinysilver football give something for avid collectors to get excited about.

AARGAARDDanish brand Aargaard continues to build on personalised jewellery with a collection of linksand beads with love and harmony as the central theme. There are more than 20,000 piecesthat fall within the three brands – Lovelinks: variously coloured strings with links of gemstonesand new links in the click series; the young, fashion-led Petite, shown here: Murano glassbeads, fine pavé links or silver links with letters and Blog: a masculine range revolving aroundblack and white and inspired by rough textures and revolving around a cross symbol. A newlaunch for 2010 is a men’s jewellery line incorporating steel links, solid leather and cool tones.

RONIT ZILKHA AT UJTBritish fashion designer Ronit Zilkha hasjoined forces with UJT to create her ownline of strong, trend-led jewellery. Createdfrom a combination of silver and differenttypes and textures of leather, the necklaces,bangles and bracelets are colourfully stylish,individual to the point of being quirky andwill retail between £49 and £499, with thepossibility of adding gold and gemstonesfor higher end pieces.

GOLDMAJORDemonstrating the versatility of amber, oneof the trends launched this year by amberspecialists Goldmajor is the ‘warrior’ lookand this design of amber paired withturquoise, from the Pagoda collection, sumsup the mood. In Memoirs, pod-like stonesof amber are encased in silver strands forbracelets, earrings and necklaces, while theEarthlink line features lightly toned woodpartnered with golden amber for pendants.

DOWER & HALLTo mark their 20th anniversary, foundingduo Dan Dower and Diane Hall havelaunched a vintage-inspired collectioncalled Spiral. Incorporating their signaturestyle of hand-carved detailing and a playfuland versatile attention to detail, the piecesfeature open work pods and pearls thatmove freely between delicate silver discs.Also in the new collection are heart andoval-shaped hand-carved lockets set withgemstones and a line of twisted, wovenand knotted freshwater pearls mixed withflat brushed silver discs, fine silver chains forsingle or multi-strand necklaces in peacock,dove grey and classic white.

KIT HEATHKit Heath’s collection has a feeling for bolderpieces for 2010. Inspiration has been takenfrom Japanese blossom which appears in theform of silver chunky bangles, rings and dropearrings as well as a ‘cascade’ necklace.Complementing this are butterfly pieces invarious shapes and sizes with turquoisestones to provide a summery accent. Newto the Heritage collection is a range of Celticcharm beads.

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Form and function blend harmoniously in this Retro styled legendary Mondaine wrist watch.With curved sapphire crystal and the integrated leather strap or metal bracelet.

Available in 40 and 28 mm. Recommended Retail Price: £ 175 (leather strap) £ 199 (metal bracelet)

Prime t=me.

For further information contact Raj Vadera at Burton McCall ltd on 0116 234 4656 or email [email protected]

| Feature


Top Drawer Spring which took place at Earls Court, London in the middle of January certainlyprovided a positive start to this year’s trade fair circuit. It not only looked stylish, with its daffodil

floral displays adding a welcome touch of spring, but also had a real buzz. With attendance figures up a sizeable 19 per cent on 2009 the show also promised some much needed ‘greenshoots’ to the industry.

Among the 650 businesses exhibiting, a good quarter offered jewellery. It was a varied selectionof fashion and silver designs with more expensive hand-made, precious-metal pieces available inthe ‘Design Collection’ area. Walking the aisles and speaking with exhibitors it was easy to indentifysome strong recurring themes:Purple and green were ubiquitous, used together or singly across the board, as beads, as pearlsand as precious stones.Beads are still booming and colourful and just about anything goes… but especially materialsthat sparkle, although black and white ‘Op Art’ styles were also prevalent.Natural materials like pods, seeds, mother-of-pearl and sea shells provided an artless feel tomany pieces.The pearl, both fresh-water and synthetic crosses the generations. Whether huge and cream orsmall and multi-coloured, for this season’s pearly queens more is definitely more.On your bike and think retro because leather, rockers and attitude are back. Bad girl tattoomotifs – skulls, birds, love hearts and arrows – once worn on the skin are now hung on silver atthe wrist, the throat and the ear.Gold-plated silver gives all the glam of yellow gold at a fraction of the price. One company that was right on trend was Kirsty Davies who scooped the Best New Fashion Productaward for her sculptural, neoprene, butterfly-inspired jewellery in vivid colours. Her designs weredescribed by the judges as providing ‘a fantastic blend of commercial appeal and directional ontrend style.’

Straight out of the

Top DrawerTop Drawer Spring is a

great place to spottrends for the comingseason as the British

Jewellers’ Association’sLindsey Straughton

discovered when visitingmember companies

exhibiting at the show.

Neoprene butterfly bracelet createdusing the ‘Make It, Wear It, Love It’range by Kirsty Davies, winner ofthe Best New Fashion Product atTop Drawer. The pieces are providedin a branded box for the buyer tomake up into their own jewellerydesigns. RRP £20

These sterling silver ‘Swallow’ earringswith matching pendant are fromMartick Jewellery’s ‘Tattoo’ range.RRPs are £18 for the earrings and £25for the pendant.


Feature |

Big beads from Jewelcity which offers a wide range of enamel,metal, resin, glass, shell and pearl jewellery at wholesale prices ranging from 97p - £3.95.

These ‘Rich Tone’ multicoloured freshwater pearls are from HeavenJewellery. Individually knotted and dyed to the company’s ownspecification the strand is 64” long and can be wrapped around theneck up to three times. A matching bracelet and earrings are alsoavailable. RRP (necklace) £49.50.

The natural look is captured perfectly in the ‘Oceanus Collection’from Mirabelle Jewellery. The range which uses sea shells andbrass includes necklaces, rings and bangles. RRP £45 - £60.

Multi-coloured, bezel-set, semi-precious stones and 24ct gold platinggive this large structural bangle from the Athena Collection thesumptuous feel of real gold at an affordable price. RRP £165.

| Feature


It’s the biggest and most important fair ofits kind globally… and that isn’t just

BaselWorld talking, that’s a fact according toanyone who visits or shows at the event. Itis here that the major international brands –behind closed stands – unveil the wondersof their new collections to the invited few. It might cost a small fortune to have a presence there – whether as an exhibitor orretailer – but for many it’s a date in the diarythat cannot be ignored.

“Basel gives us a connection at the highestpossible level — some of our retailers areglobal so we see CEOs and presidents. It’s also great to meet up with our team,”says Laurie Milne marketing director ofSteerwell (Hugo Boss, TW Steel, RaymondWeil and Juicy Couture). “An enormous element of being at Basel is being seen tobe seen, but the stands are so expensivewe need to come away with orders, a result.It sets the tone. Basel is a good indication as to where the retailers are, what they’respending and ready to release budgets on.As a show it tends to show whether thingswill be strong sellers.”

Paul Harry, sales and marketing director ofPeers Hardy agrees: “Basel is a very importantarena in which to be seen, rather than a traditional trade fair. Attendance gives anindication of the strength of the industry andthe fair is a showcase to the world of almosteverything that is happening in the watchindustry. Key customers come to see what’snew and learn about plans for the year ahead.It’s also a welcome opportunity for us to catchup with our customers, to see and to be seen.”

For Simon Gilham, general managerof Zeon (Bench, Ed Hardy, Ingersoll,Replay, Superdry), attendance atBaselWorld is perfect for gatheringinformation: “Having virtually theentire trade in one place allowsthe sharing of news (as well asthe circulation of rumours),” hesays. “But also the presence ofmost of the largest brands from all over the world gives the fair its cachet and gives aclear direction regarding trends– in Zeon’s case colour, plastic,charms and chains.”

“Being at the heart of the Swiss watch-making industry worldwide, Basel is the bestindustry seminar possible and being soimpressive it motivates those who attend,”adds Derek Salter, UK brand director,Mondaine.

Given the exhibition’s location, in the heartof the Swiss watch-making industry, a first-timer would be forgiven for imagining thatBaselWorld is all about watches. Not so –jewellery plays an important part in the event.

TIMEhonouredWith just days to go until the start of BaselWorld and withanticipation mounting, Belinda Morris manages to prise a few details of launches from some key exhibitors.

Attendance gives an indication of the strength of the industryand the fair is a showcase to the world of almost everythingthat is happening in the watch industry.

Eterna

Roamer

B A S E L W O R L D


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“Our expectations for Basel World 2010are very high. Last year was a huge successfor us and this year the aim is to broadenbrand recognition even further and expand within our focus markets, such asGermany, Switzerland and the UK”, saysSøren Lynggaard, CEO of Ole LynggaardCopenhagen. He echoes the feelings ofoptimism voiced by many exhibitingbrands, that after a tough 18 months or so,the future looks (cautiously) rosy.

“As for most of the luxury jewellery sector,2009 was a comparatively quiet year,”agrees Rosario Autore, CEO and founder,Autore, “but despite this, we achieved morethan satisfactory results. We’re still confidentthat our success in such difficult times isdue to the nurturing of strong relationshipswith clients, supporting those who havesupported us. It is too early in the year tosay how things will be for 2010, but we haveprepared for Basel with some optimismthat the global economic trends are improving. We’re careful about forecasting,but the general feeling is that we can alllook forward to a stronger year.”

Kirsten Crisford, marketing manager,Seiko UK is more circumspect: “it is still veryearly in the year to be able to gauge themarket, but the fact the we are now officiallyout of the recession in the UK is a step inthe right direction,” she says. “We recognisethat the volume of sales will be the samebut some customers may be looking forlower cost models, so we will be providinga more value orientated line to meet this need. The watch industry is veryresilient and its tradition is a powerful andpositive influence on its stability, even attimes of economic difficulty. We feel that watch lovers will remain watch lovers,even in tough times, and that demand will grow again very soon, especially inEurope, which is still the heart of the globalwatch business.”

“After a difficult 2008 we anticipated that2009 would be tough,” says Vicki McCabe,director of sales at Sequel UK (Guess & Gc).“In fact, quite the reverse happened, withour business really ramping up the lastquarter of the year. We focused on the key areas of business and with our majorcustomers appear to have gained marketshare. 2010 has started well – our retailershad successful Christmas trading, so thevibes are good!”

Ole Lynggaard CopenhagenAccording to Danish jewellery brand Ole Lynggaard Copenhagen, personalised jewellery hasreinvented the way for customers to compile their own truly unique pieces, “insuring thatindividualised fine jewellery will remain strong in 2010.” With the luxurious Sweet Drops collection, which is designed by Charlotte Lynggaard and was launched at Basel World lastyear, customers can give free reign to expression. In 2010 a new generation of changeablecharms has been designed to offer fans another way to customise an existing handmadeleather bracelet. New to the concept is the elegant Sweet Spots, which come round — withor without diamonds — or as hearts, which all feature diamonds.

Swarovski Watch CollectionFollowing the launch of its watches, andseries of Limited Edition pieces released in2009, Swarovski has 16 new watches. TheOctea, Piazza, Elis and D:LIght lines havebeen strengthened and this year will also seea number of new ranges, including Dresstimeand new variations to the Octea Sport.

Created from a succession of horizontaland diagonal lines and surfaces, Dresstimedraws its inspiration from urban architecture,combining elegance, femininity and precision.Dynamic colouring is the key ingredient in the functional-looking Octea Sport. Theclear crystal rotating bezel has highlights of orange, with the colour repeated on the face and rubber strap.

LuminoxLuminox is best known for its lighting systemused on the hands, hour markers andbezels of every model. This ‘always visible’technology glows for over 20 years withoutneeding to be switched on/off or recharged.The glow from these tiny lights is brightenough for the watches to be easily read inall light conditions. The Blackout modelshows this feature best since it features ablack face and black PVD coated stainlesssteel case and strap. So urban it hurts!

| Feature


MondaineThis year Mondaine unveils the new Retro Automatic watch at Basel. With its integratedleather band and curved sapphire crystal to magnify the simply-styled dial, it will appeal toanyone looking for a timepiece that can shift easily from classic to casual. Also in the rangebeing shown is the Savonette pocket watch made from matte brushed stainless steel andfeatures a push-button to lift the lid and reveal the time, as well as a 41cm snake chain withhook and red leather pouch. Mondaine Watch Ltd is the creator of the Official Swiss RailwaysWatch collection.

Autore GroupThe new collection for 2010 from Sydney-based South Sea pearl jewellery companyAurore is Venezia: an elegant and refinedrange inspired by the romance and artisticexpression of Venice. Featuring rose cut diamonds, micro settings and milgrain, theline blends ornate architectural detail withthe subtle seasonal colours reflected in the waters of the canals which accent theinspirational city.

EternaIn 2010, Eterna has selected the Madison Eight-Days design to reaffirm its long-standing traditions of pioneering technology. Launching at Basel, this stylishly trim new timepiece hasthe hand-wound 3510 movement featuring the new Spherodrive construction – a newspring barrel design rotating on ball bearings.

Along with the understated elegance of its stainless steel case with its discreet lateral decoration, this watch comes with a choice of silvered, grey or black dial faces with centrecobbled texture and sunray-pattern surround. A scratch-resistant and antireflective crystalcompletes this unusual dial face. Secured by four screws, the case back features a sapphirecrystal porthole revealing the movement’s intricate workings.

Gc WatchesRelatively new to the UK, the Swiss madeGc brand of men’s and women’s watchesincludes three main areas: Sport Chic, GlamChic and Precious. This timepiece is fromthe new Sport Class XL collection and continuing Gc’s iconic rose gold and ceramictrend, the style shown features a rose goldbezel, black dial and steel bracelet with atextured middle link.

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| Feature


Just J JewelsA variation on the increasingly popular theme of charms and customised jewellery, Just JJewels brings together combinations of different materials, from the simple cords and ribbonsto the myriad metals and stones that can adorn them. Customers can mix and match thejewels to create their own looks – with or without meanings and messages (such as ‘love’,‘joy’, ‘fearless’ and ‘inner peace’. The charms can be hooked or threaded onto the ribbonsand cords – which can in turn be worn singly or wrapped several times around the wrist for greater effect. The Just J collection being shown at Basel will also include pendants,bracelets and earrings.

Maurice LacroixMaurice Lacroix’s avant-garde Pontos collection unites Swiss watchmaking tradition,technical know-how and modern design.Stripped of inessentials the architecturalfeatures of the collection is immediatelyobvious. The collection is a blend of accuracyand creativity, from a young brand for whichinnovation is as important as aesthetics.

This year, four new watches have beenadded to the Pontos line. Equipped withself-winding mechanisms, each one is anillustration of individuality. The Pontos DayDate and Pontos Réserve de Marche models add energy to their classical outlines. The Chronographe Full Black offersa personally tailored, athletic body.

CorumTo celebrate the 30th anniversary of itsGolden Bridge movement, Corum launchestwo new models. The more feminineexpression of the collection – which has atits core a masterpiece of micromechanicsand transparency – is Miss Golden Bridge.Until now, women wanting to wear GoldenBridge had to choose from either masculinemodels or high jewellery pieces. And nowthe movement can be viewed from all sidesof the slender and curved tonneau-shapedcase, with its hand-stitched alligator strap.

Guess WatchesIt promises to be a big feature across Basel,and, at Guess, colour is definitely a key direction. With the Prism Polycarbonate line,the bigger, the bolder… the better. Here theongoing trend for chunky, larger watches iscombined with the feminine touch of blingthanks to crystals and a number of differenthot brights and each style has a multi-function dial.


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D&G TimeClassic and modern come together in theD&G Time range. The youthful and sparklingHoop-La line contrasts oversized roundcase dials with thin leather straps, whileTexas has a sporty elegance with its coolsteel case and silver or black leather strap.

RoamerDistinctive cases, flexible silicon straps,modern colour schemes and a complexdesign – the R-Line from Roamer epitomisesthe values and vision of the Swiss-madebrand. The stainless steel dial displays a distinctive structure, effectively interruptedby the radial markings for the hour indices.

The men's chronographs of the R-LINERectangular range feature a display of seconds, minutes and weekday, while providing a design highlight through the useof a circular pattern in modern pink gold.

CasioCasio continues to use fashion trend watching as a guide to colour watches – thebrand is releasing several limited editionwhite G-Shock’s. The trend for womenremains loose bangles and therefore manyof the Baby-G products have beendesigned with this in mind – their fullyadjustable straps allow women to alterthem to their perfect bracelet size.According to Casio the trend for eco-friendly products will continue to be strongthroughout 2010, which means that Casiowatches with solar technology, receive thermal and electrical energy that rechargesthe watch batteries through solar panels onthe face of the watch.

Oakley To celebrate 10 years of watch making, Oakley is launching three new styles the Warrant™,the 12 Gauge & the Time Bomb® II. The Warrant™ in stainless steel is both refined androbust in design. Beneath a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, the dimensionally layered dial face features a three-hand analogue display and a date indicator. A dual-sealedcrown maintains superior water resistance, and comfort is offered by a rubber strap.

12 Gauge combines the precision of scientific instrumentation with the refinement ofSwiss made 13-jewel movement. An integrated chronograph offers accumulated and interval timing, and like the integrated audible alarm, it comes with a dedicated sub dial.

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StorywheelsLaunched in the UK last year, Storywheelsoriginated in America in the 1990s to createa piece of jewellery to “honour a woman’slife and memories.” The circles, or wheelscame together to form a lifeline chain. The concept was later expanded to turnStorywheels into a collection combiningdiamonds and gemstones with 14 carat yellow and white gold or sterling silver.Enamel has been added to the mix. AsStorywheels’ parent company is a loosestone-cutting facility, the design team has awide choice of stones and settings to createever more creative and exciting designs.

Peers HardyAmong its stable of watches, Peers Hardywill be presenting many new trends at Baselbut majoring on colour, different materialssuch as fabrics and moulded plastics andsmaller, more feminine watches for women.Created to be as much a fashion statementas a timepiece, Ice Watch will make thebiggest impact as far as colour is concerned,with gift boxes to complement the coloursand textures of the watches. Also from the group is the new BCBGMaxAzria – created by Hollywood designer-to-the-starsMax Azria.

SeikoAmong the new timepieces Seiko is launching at Basel this year is the KineticPerpetual watch. Part of the Premier range —which is known for its modern interpretationof a classic theme — this model is solid andrefined and features a rose-gold tone casewith a leather strap. The aim of the creator was to design the ultimate low-maintenance watch.

The kinetic movement that powers it,draws its energy from the movement of thewearer, which converts it into electricity,delivering 15 seconds a month accuracy.The calendar adjusts itself automatically toleap years, while the Auto-Relay functionallows the watch to go into ‘sleep’ modeafter 14 hours of inactivity. While asleep thehands stop, but the watch remembers thetime for up to four years.

Camel ActiveRunning alongside the Camel Active clothingand accessories lines, Camel Active Timewearis a new brand to the UK, distributed bySanglobe. The Swiss made watch collectionfeatures a mix of tradition, high-tech innovation and hip urban lifestyle pieces.One of the best sellers in the collection isthe Black Cruiser model featuring a brushedblack stainless steel case, with either a black carbon or black leather strap with contrast stitching.


| Industry Update


We are all aware of the misery causedby allergic reactions. It might be to

foodstuffs like peanuts and gluten; to drugssuch as penicillin and aspirin; to tree, grassand flower pollens or… to certain metalssuch as nickel. For the jewellery industrynickel is of course a very important whitemetal – used to whiten gold and improve its durability, as a substrate for plating, andfor stainless steel. And it is also attractive foruse in costume jewellery.

But why do some people develop anallergy to it? According to the UK’s NickelInstitute, wearing nickel in direct contactwith the skin for prolonged periods cancause it to react with bodily fluids such assweat, causing the release of nickel ions intothe skin. These ions can cause symptomswhich we recognise as dermatitis – anuncomfortable itchy rash. If exposure tonickel ions is high enough, the individualcan become ‘sensitised’ to nickel meaningthat future exposure will cause dermatitis atmuch lower levels – something which all inthe industry will want to avoid.

What level of exposure is safe and how do we test it?In 1994 the European Commission decidedthat a safe limit of exposure to avoid nickelsensitisation was 5 micrograms per squarecentimetre per week – written as 0.5µg/cm2/week. The risk is higher wherethere is a piercing and since 2005 a tighterlimit has been applied of 0.2 µg/cm2/weekfor items worn in a piercing – regardless ofwhether the wound has healed or not.

The Nickel Directive (94/27/EC) wasintroduced to ensure compliance with theselimits and the European Standards body,CEN, was asked to devise a test to simulateexposure to bodily fluids of earrings, piercingjewellery, clasps, chains, necklaces, bracelets,rings, watch straps, buckles, zips and labels

etc. Called EN1811:1998 for the last 10years it has been used by laboratoriesacross Europe to measure nickel releaserates. To compensate for inter-laboratoryvariations and measuring inaccuracies, theCommission agreed that measured releasecould be multiplied by an ‘adjustment factor’ of 0.1 before comparing it to the permitted limit. So under current law, itemswith a measured release of 5 µg/cm2/weekcan be declared as within the limit of 0.5µg/cm2/week.

Retailers and their suppliers in the UKhave a duty of care under The DangerousSubstances and Preparations (Nickel)(Safety) Regulations 2005 not to marketproducts which do not comply with the limits and which might therefore sensitisewearers to nickel. They exercise this duty ofcare by submitting samples of jewellery to alaboratory for testing under EN1811:1998.Articles with a protective non-nickel coatinge.g. a plating or lacquer, must comply for atleast two years of wear and so there is anadditional corrosion and wear test EN12472to simulate two years wear, after which thearticle must then pass EN1811.

What’s the latest position?In 2007 the European Commission instructedCEN to review the test procedures inEN1811:1998 to prepare a new standardwithout an adjustment factor or with asmaller adjustment factor if appropriate and to report back within 3 years.

Over the last two years a series of meetingsand discussions, plus ‘round robin’ testsinvolving fifteen laboratories across Europe(including Birmingham and Sheffield Assay offices) have resulted in new, moreconsistent test methods but instead of the x 0.1 adjustment factor, the proposed newEN1811 standard introduces a 46% ‘factorof measurement uncertainty’ which is

applied to the test results. This in effectmeans that for an item to comply with themaximum limit of 0.5 µg/cm2/week it mustbe measured at a safe level of 0.28. At 0.88µg/cm2/week or it will be deemed to havefailed and for any result between 0.28 and0.88 no decision can be declared becauseof the ‘factor of measurement uncertainty’.For compliance with the limit of 0.2µg/cm2/week for piercings, nickel releasemust be measured at a safe level of 0.11µg/cm2/week and between 0.11 and 0.35no decision can be declared. BirminghamAssay Office claim that the majority of nickelwhite golds received for testing will fail thisnew test, although there is no evidence thatthey are causing nickel sensitisation.

The UK BSI Committee, on which the BJAand NAG are represented, has rejected thisproposed new test standard but we nowknow that we are only one of two countriesout of 27 to have done so.

Where do we go from here?The campaign is therefore a tricky one –Birmingham Assay Office have called for theproposed new test to be voted down, fornew medical research to identify the safelevel of nickel release and for chemists andmetallurgists to develop a new test with reliability, repeatability and a clear pass orfail decision. However, if 15 laboratories(including Birmingham Assay Office) havebeen trying to do this for the last 2 years,what are the chances of the Commissiongoing back to the drawing board? Or shouldthe trade abandon alloys which releasenickel or indeed – if it cannot be measuredaccurately – should the EuropeanCommission ban nickel in the interests ofpublic safety?

If you have any comments please email: [email protected]

Nickel – why shouldjewellers worry?Geoff Field gives readers an update on the current situationand issues regarding the use of nickel in jewellery.

| Feature


Strictly speaking it isn’t essential to visitFinland to appreciate the almost mystical

quality of Lapponia jewellery – but it suredoes enhance the experience. This yearmarks the fiftieth anniversary of the Finnishjewellery brand and to celebrate the occasionthe company generously invited customersand press from around the world to view thebest-loved pieces from the brand, in whatmust be the best setting possible – theSnow Castle in Kemi, Lapland.

Snow, ice and below freezing temperaturesare nothing new to us hardy Brits of course,so I and my lucky fellow UK guests – salesstaff and owners from Davidson’s, Newcastle(winners of Lapponia’s window displaycompetition); Argenta, Fulham; Berry’s,Glasgow; and Catherine Jones, Cambridge(who were joint winners of a sales incentive)– felt very much at home as we gazed atthe pieces against their staggering Narnia-like frozen backdrop. Renowned for itssculptures the Ice Castle had even createdhuge ice recreations of two of the most dramatic Lapponia styles.

Founded in 1960 by entrepreneur andgoldsmith Pekka Anttila, Lapponia pioneeredjewellery art and established itself as anindependent and revolutionary spirit in whatwas then a traditional jewellery industry.Together with designer-artist Björn Weckström– who remains a pivotal member of thefive-strong creative team today and with hisaward-winning ‘Flowering Wall’ gold neck-lace kick-started the brand in earnest –

Lapponia broke all the rules of jewellerydesign in the 60s.

These days there are fewer rules to break,but Lapponia’s artistic heritage and its ethosof free expression – inspired largely by Nordicnature – is as strong as ever. Weckstrom’soriginal sculpture-like pieces, influenced bythe shapes and surfaces of rough goldnuggets from Finnish Lapland (“I have aromantic attitude toward gold – for me ithas drama”) secured the brand’s creativephilosophy. That same character and energywas revealed in the unveiling of the 2010collections last month.

A highlight of the visit was certainly thethirteen-piece Vintage Collection. To celebratethe anniversary, seven artists who haveworked for the company over the past fivedecades, were asked to choose pieces fromtheir personal back catalogues… items thatthey feel truly reflect the Lapponia character.Only one piece of each jewellery design willgo on sale in 2011, after the anniversary year.

Equally special and slightly more accessibleis the Limited Edition Anniversay Collection.The designers – Christophe Burger fromFrance; Pekka Hirvonen (Finland); Chao-Hsien Kuo (Taiwan); Zoltan Popovits(Hungary) and Weckström – were givenfree reign to demonstrate their creativity,which has resulted in a range that is as varied as the personalities and sensibilitiesof the people who contributed to it.

But at the same time the spirit and energysynonymous with Lapponia runs throughout

Jewellerthe

Brand ProfileLapponia

Belinda Morris joined in the celebrations of Finnish jewellerycompany Lapponia’s 50th anniversary in their snowy homeland.

Quadro pendant designed by Björn Weckström

and to highlight this mood of individualitycombined with freedom of expression,Lapponia collaborated with fashion and textile design students from the HelsinkiUniversity of Art and Design to create outfitsto complement chosen pieces of Lapponiajewellery. From Popovits’ B2 Bomber-inspired ‘Flight of the Spirit’, made from anold vinyl record and his circuit-board style‘Spirit of the Age’ pendant, to Kuo’s beautifulsilver curved petal ‘Silver Bloom’ necklace, it made for an interesting exercise in howjewellery can actually come before clotheswhen putting together an outfit. It also nicelyillustrated Weckström’s conviction that ‘jewellery should be worn, be wearable, butlike art, should also function beautifully –otherwise it’s just a sculpture.”

In a shift away from his expected forms,Weckström’s geometric designs are basedon a urban-planner’s gridiron drafts (tinydiamonds punctuating the squares as streetlamps pierce the gloom). ‘Lately I’ve beeninspired by architecture, and as I’ve beenusing nature-based influences for so long, I felt like making angular pieces for a change,”he explains, not unreasonably. ‘Maybe peoplewill be disappointed by the change, but Ican’t think about them, I have to do my ownthing.” Which is what Lapponia jewellerydesign is all about, after all.

But for those customers craving organicshapes and moods, there’s Kuo’s molten silver forms recalling icicles that slowly melt

as they hang from eaves – the dropletsforming a stream that becomes a necklace.As the only woman in the design team shebrings a softer more feminine touch to anotherwise cold, hard ice theme.

Then there’s the sleek, simple but strongforms created by Hirvonnen, inspired by listening to powerful jazz harmonies, whichare counter-balanced by Popovits’ fluid yetangular asymmetric silver necklace, clearlyfollowing the lines of a creeper’s leaves.Burger’s circular forms created from largesilver rings, in turn find an echo in the ‘PrettyEarth’ silver pendant, included in the line to

honour its retired creator Poul Havgaardwho worked for Lapponia since 1971.

For we visitors, a visit around Lapponia’sHelsinki factory was one eye-opener, but fora further insight into the inspiration andinfluence for many of the different collections,we were required to hop on a plane, don waterproof overalls, heavy boots andbalaclavas and get up close and personalwith the wilder side of Finland. Before wegot to see Lapponia’s pieces in their shimmering ice cases, then feast on fishserved on ice-slab tables, there was an action-packed day on the frozen Bothnian Sea.

With the temperature a chilly 10 degreesbelow, retailers, sales reps, Lapponia teamsand a smattering of press bods, bondedover dog-sledding, reindeer sleigh rides, ice-hole fishing and snow mobile treks acrossthe eerily frozen sea. Otherworldly, exciting,beautiful and eye-wateringly nippy doesn’tbegin to describe it! This winter, Finlandexperienced its heaviest snowfall in 40 yearsso not even the locals were blasé about thewinter wonderland. It wasn’t hard to imaginehow such a dramatic setting – also beautifulin summer – might inspire an artist.


Lapponia’s designers at the Snow Castle

Lapponia pioneered jewellery art and established itself as an independent and revolutionary spirit in what was then a traditional jewellery industry.

Silver bloom necklacedesigned by Chao-Hsien Kuo

| Opinion : John Henn


There is a time, albeit short, just beforeimpact when you wonder what you

were thinking about when you agreed toput yourself in this predicament. Charity wasthe motivator and the Lord Mayor ofLondon was the instigator. The event was‘The Inter Livery Company Ski Competition’,the venue, Morzine a French Alpine town onthe border with Switzerland. The oppositionincluded Freemen and Liverymen fromCompanies including the Ironmongers,Shipwrights, Barbers, Spectacle Makers,Salters, Vintners, Farmers, Merchant Taylorsand a lone Launderer.

We had been invited along at our owncost to participate on behalf of ourCompanies who in turn paid a contributionto ‘Pitch Perfect’ the Lord Mayor’s charity for2010. There are 108 livery companies inthe City of London and the ‘great twelve’include the Goldsmiths Company, who

amongst other things, have run the LondonAssay Office since 1300 AD. To some it is amystery what they get up to in their sparetime and it is no surprise that when you areinvited to join a Livery Company you are,and I quote, ‘Admitted into the Freedom ofthe Mystery of the Company,’

If you have ever wondered where thephrase ‘being at Sixes and Sevens’ originated,it’s because The Skinners, and The MerchantTaylors could not agree as to who was more important so it was decided that they should annually alternate betweenposition six and seven. The Goldsmiths are

number five. The full list can be found at:www.fishhall.co.uk

This year’s Lord Mayor’s charity is aimedat getting young people to play music andcricket, diverting them away from crime.”More information can be found at:www.pitchperfectlondon.org

For the record the Goldsmiths Companywill dispense upwards of £900k in charitablegrants to a variety of causes, all off the main stream. On top of this there is theeducational department which gives away afurther £300k each year. There is anapprenticeship scheme which will supportmaster craftsmen to take on apprentices, upto 25 schemes run each year. It is onlywhen you begin to dig under the surfacethat you understand just how many peoplebenefit from their activities.

Back to the piste. We began as a team of two and with an additional two ‘ringers’we were able to put on a credible display ofteamwork. The Vintners with their amazingturnout of 17 skiers were going to be quite

a force; one of them turned up in a Spandexsuit and was a local. Yet I was confident thatif they beat us on the course I would wagerRobert’s knowledge of wine and Oliver’scapacity to consume, against the best of them– not that it was in any way competitive!Vicky, who works at the V&A, was our secretweapon – not only did she raise the tone ofthe whole event she won Top Lady over thetwo days. She went home with a classy goldplated and plastic 30cm high trophy whichwill look great next to Michelangelo’s David.The team came second to the Vintners, asyou might have guessed.

As to that collision, the Americans callthem ‘Yard Sales’ — when the snow settlesevery thing is everywhere and very little isstill attached to the original owner. That wasthe case for me — I’ve not had a crash likeit for thirty years. Unfortunately, in the com-pany of Spandex Man I was psyched out,my super-sharp rental ski hit gate three attop speed and no divine intervention wasgoing to save me. With the help of somekind Ironmongers I put myself back together,dusted myself down and later posted anaverage second run. The night belonged toSpandex Man who was as good as his suitsuggested. Day two saw him victorious again,though magnanimous in victory. But it is thetaking part, and there is always next year…

All in the name of charity

John Henn takes on skiers from Companies such asthe Shipwrights, Barbers and Spectacle Makers butmeets his match in Spandex Man...

When the snow settles everything is everywhere and verylittle is still attached to theoriginal owner.

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| Ethical Jeweller


Jewellers who are rightly concerned aboutthe providence of their raw materials will

no doubt be concerned to have read at thebeginning of the year another account of anirresponsible Canadian gold mining company.Goldcorp Group has been accused byCAFOD, the UK Catholic Aid agency, of polluting the local river systems of the Siria Valley, Honduras.

To briefly recap: in September 2008CAFOD found clear evidence of the contamination of water sources at aGoldcorp mine site. CAFOD’s report revealsacidity of the water at two sites reached levels of a pH between 2.5 and 3, which istypically very damaging to stream biology(distilled water has a pH of 7, vinegar 3 andlemon juice 2), as well as high levels of toxic

metals, including cadmium, copper and iron.Roger Abraham, the vice-president of theSiria Valley Environmental Committee said,“the water tastes like acid, like somethingout of a car battery’.

Hard rock mining will more often than notinvolve ‘cyanide leach pools’. This is aprocess where cyanide is poured over rockto leach out the crushed gold ore. In doingso the leaching will also filter out other metals and potential contaminants likearsenic, mercury and lead. If this process is not managed to a high level of environmental security and safety then thelocal rivers and groundwater can becometoxic through seepage. According to CAFODthe contamination was caused by acid minedrainage in the Tajo Palo pit.

CAFOD as well as Paul Younger fromNewcastle University, independently of eachother, found considerable evidence of toxinsconsistent with The Goldcorp subsidiary inthe local groundwater supply. Additionallythe local community complain that since‘Entremares’ (the wholly owned subsidiaryof Goldcorp) have affected the local rivers.The 18 riverbeds that fed the valley have nowbeen reduced to three as a result of thecompany using approximately 220 gallonsof water per minute during their operations.

Goldcorp naturally deny all the accusationsthat have been made, stating that theHonduran authorities checked the water bi-monthly for contaminants and found noevidence to support the claims being madeby the community or the international NGOs.

Despite the best efforts of a concerned and dedicated few, the quest for clean gold is still beingthwarted, discovers Greg Valerio. But jewellers as well as major corporations hold the key to change.

Truth or Dare...– the legacy of gold mining

Gold mine in the Democratic Republic ofCongo (Photo: Richard Wainright/CAFOD)

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| Ethical Jeweller


This is despite the fact that in 2007Entremares was fined $55,000 for ‘pollutingand damaging practices’. Currently the mine is now into its closure phase thatshould include an environmental clean upprogramme. As with all these cases of badpractice the mine arrives, extracts as muchas it can and then leaves, moving ontoanother location that will no doubt impactanother community.

Truth or DareThere is no doubt that, in this world of truthor dare, the average consumer or jeweller isjustified in being confused by the myriad of claims and counter claims over ethicalissues in the mining sector and how theyrelate to the jewellery product. There is naturally a cost to every activity and thisincludes gold mining. We can either acceptthis and work towards the improvement orbe one of those who continually deny anyproblems exist, as a staff member of theWorld Gold Council once infamously statedat the end of a talk I gave by declaring:“there is no toxic waste in large scale goldmining”. Clearly this expert wasn’t dialledinto the realities of life.

Yet as I witnessed on a recent trip to Peru to film at what will hopefully becomeone of the new fairtrade/fairmined goldsites, it can be done responsibly, transpar-ently and with concern for the environment,even when using substances like cyanide.This community-based mining organisation

is a small operation run by its 84 membersof whom seven are women. Processingtheir gold ore, they use cyanide in leachpools as Goldcorp do, yet they manage thewater issue very well through an enclosedsystem where all the water is recycled backinto the leach pools. In the desert water isas precious as gold. A responsible system

should never pollute. Given that this minewill be independently certified as fairtradeand fairmined, a jeweller can invest in thissort of operation with total confidence.

In ConclusionJewellers are the key to solving this kind ofmalpractice and promoting the positivework that is being developed right acrossthe industry. Our first step lies in asking thesimple question: “where does this materialoriginate from?” It’s a question loaded withthe power to change two principle practices.Given that physical traceability in the jewellery supply chain is the defining issue,the more we ask it, the more our gold and stone suppliers will have to change

their supply chain practices to meet theircustomers demands. Whether you are alarge multiple retailer or a recently graduateddesigner out of art college, the question creates change.

The question also impacts on ourselves. It forces us to start the search for traceablematerials, because unfortunately manyoperators in the supply chain just don’t care where their goods come from.Jewellery with integrity demands the higheststandards and there is no place in our business for those who don’t care. A humanlife is worth more than gold, which is why we need clean gold that can be provenas such.

The footnote to this piece, is that despiteGoldcorp saying it is innocent, the SiriaValley community together with the publicprosecutor in Honduras, has begun aprocess of investigation to establish who by action or omission are responsible forthis environmental crime categorised inHonduras’ Law of the environment basedon the following sections of the law:Article 104, subsection b): ‘Discharge ofdangerous contaminants which are prohib-ited or which have not been treated intonational waters including sea/coastalareas, or in continental and undergroundwaters including water supplies, or infiltratingthe soil or subsoil, sewage water or waste,which could cause the death of one or morepeople, or serious damage to human healthor the ecosystem in general.’

Article 105: ‘Action will be taken against theperson directly responsible for the action oromission. The person directly responsible isunderstood as the person who orders orparticipates in the carrying out of environ-mental crimes, intellectually or physically.’

Article 106: ‘The commission of the crimesclassified in letters a) and b) will be punishedwith the a sentence of imprisonment ofbetween 3 and 10 years, aside from thesentence given for the specific crime which was committed as a result of theaction or omission. In this case, the disciplinary measures that could also beimposed are definitive closure, confiscation,cancellation or reversal/revocation, compen-sation and restitution’. �

Jewellery with integrity demands the highest standards andthere is no place in our business for those who don’t care.

Images this page courtesy of CAFOD


From designers and manufacturers to retailers and media, our trade directory is an essential catalogue of contacts for UK’s jewellery industry.

Expand your networks and business leads at ChangeActShare’s online trade directory.

It’s free to register and easy to use. Telephone: 020 7974 8113 Email: [email protected] Website: changeactshare.org

Polisher Diamond Mounter Graphic DesignerElectroplaterWhatever you need, find it at changeactshare.org

R E C R U I T M E N T

Are you looking to recruit staff for retail, manufacturing,design, sales, jobbing, management, admin and finance?

Advertise your jewellery and watch vacancies in The Jewellermagazine Appointments section and on the JewellerRecruitment online site (www.jeweller-recruitment.co.uk)simultaneously at very competitive rates.

Call Ian Francis on tel: 020 7833 5500 or email him at:[email protected] to book your recruitment advertising in The Jeweller magazine.

| Antique Jewellery


Ask most people where a pearl comesfrom, and they’ll tell you that pearls

are made by oysters. Except (as, apparently,all good zoologists know), all molluscs witha shell are able to produce a pearl – pearlsbeing formed from ‘irritants’ making their way into the shell and being createdslowly within. This means, of course, thatpearls can be and are found in other less familiar shells. In recent years, pearls thatare harvested from alternative molluscshave gained greater acceptance (and insome cases have become increasingly fashionable) within the jewellery world.

White, too, is not the only colour. Pearls ofdifferent hues have grown hugely in popu-larity among buyers in the last decade par-ticularly, and have helped fuel what somesee as a resurgence in the pearl market:coloured pearls have helped capture theattention of jewellery designers as neverbefore.

Black Tahitian pearls have been added to the colour palette, and have grown considerably in popularity, while the marketfor Chinese freshwater pearls (which arecreated by the freshwater mussel) hasexploded in recent years, due primarily to

the freshwater pearl’s attractive price andready availability.

In the main, however, alternatively-coloured pearls are still considered some-thing of a rarity and, as such, have neverreally made much of an impression on thejewellery market. Orange, red and even bluepearls have existed, but only really asnature’s anomalies rather than holding any major potential as materials for jewellery making.

The conchThere is one exception, however: the pinkpearl. Where other coloured pearls are seensimply as unusual curios, pink pearls are theonly non-oyster or mussel pearls that canclaim to have made a significant impressionon the jewellery market.

Pink pearls are produced by a specifictype of Caribbean sea snail, which has astriking, flamingo-pink shell and a somewhatdisappointingly pedestrian moniker – thequeen conch.

The queen conch, as those lucky enoughto holiday in Barbados will already know, isan almost iconic feature of the Caribbeannatural seascape (and a regular feature inthe islands’ gift shops). As well as being carried home as a souvenir in the hand luggage of tourists, the conch is crucial tothe Caribbean region’s fishing industry andeven its cuisine: locals use the edible conchmeat to make salad, chowder and stews, ordeep fry them to make conch fritters that aresold all over the Caribbean by street vendors.

Briefly, the queen conch (pronouncedkonk) can grow to around 30cm in length,and has a large spiral shell with a flared,bright pink ‘lip’. It reaches full size in fouryears, and can live up to ten years or more,changing shape throughout its lifespan.According to marine biologists, the chanceof a queen conch surviving into adulthood isincredibly slim, around 500,000 to one.Perhaps unsurprisingly, its most fearsomepredator is the human, for whom it has somany practical and decorative uses.

As recently as the 1970s, the conch wasrelatively easy to find: you didn’t even needto go to sea to get them. Rather, you couldsimply pop down to the ocean and pickthem out of the water by hand, since theycovered so many acres of the Caribbeansea bed. However, by the mid-1980s theshallow waters had been over-fished and

AntiqueJ E W E L L E R YIn the PinkJo Young charts the history of the beautiful pink pearl and itsappearance in some of the most celebrated jewellery collections of the age.

I n a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h F e l l o w s & S o n s


Antique Jewellery |

today conch fisherman have to travel todeep water and dive for them, a skilled andoften dangerous activity.

Flaming pinkWhat makes the pink pearl so special is itsincredible appearance: unlike with other(what are known, fact fans, as nacreous)pearl types, light interacts with the conchpearl’s surface in a different way. The pearlhas an almost porcelain-like surface appearance, and (particularly with good

quality examples) has what is known as a‘flame structure’, caused by the way the lightworks with the unique ‘prismatic’ crystalarrangement within the pearl. In short, thepearls themselves take on the appearanceof soft-hued moiré silk – an effect that hasyet to be successfully replicated in non-natural pink pearls. The pink pearl’s crystallinemake-up also makes them ideal for jewelleryuse, as they are particularly tough: on thehardness scale; they come in at 5-6, compared to 3.5-4 for other pearl types.

The pink pastUse of the conch shell in decorative termsgoes back centuries: conch has been foundin art produced by pre-Columbian civilisationsas early as 100-300AD. However, the use ofthe pink pearl has a relatively short historywithin the jewellery market.

Despite appearing in the collections ofmany choosy jewellery aficionados, the pink pearl actually seems to have beenused quite rarely as a jewellery material untilthe latter half of the nineteenth century.Indeed, the earliest recorded conch pearlcollector was Henry Philip Hope (he of theHope diamond fame), a London bankerwho amassed a hugely impressive andwide-ranging jewellery collection throughout

The history of the conch shell’s use in decorative terms goesback centuries: conch has been found in art produced bypre-Columbian civilisations as early as 100-300AD.

the early 1800s. (Some of Hope’s pinkpearls now form part of the awesome Jewel Gallery collection at the Victoria andAlbert Museum).

The earliest pieces that can be found onthe market today come from around themiddle of that century, with the conch pearlmaking an appearance at the first and mostinfamous of the Great Exhibitions, held atLondon’s Crystal Palace in 1851.

Tiffany’s pearlsUnder the guidance of its then-chief gembuyer, George Frederick Kunz, the famed USjewellery brand Tiffany, also began workingwith conch pearls in the late 1890s, and inthe following decade, the pink pearlappeared as part of a major pearl exhibitionhosted by the company.

Tiffany was a leader in the field of jewellery design and true to that reputation,it was arguably the trendsetter where conch pearls were concerned: it was thefirst company to properly promote their usein fine jewellery, and is still the name most associated in the industry with thepink pearl. Tiffany’s success with the conch pearl was due in no small part to the company’s designer Paulding Farnham,

who worked for Tiffany during the 1890s.Eschewing the more staid design conventionsof the age, Farnham produced jewellery thatboasted design influences from all over theworld, including oriental and Aztec art. Whilehis conch pearl designs tended toward themore classical, it was nonetheless his workfor Tiffany that began to put pink pearls onthe jewellery map.

Nouveau pearlsArt Nouveau, being as it was a reaction tothe design aesthetic of the machine age,was all about curves, organic colours andnatural shapes: in short, it was an artisticmovement into which the conch pearl fitted perfectly.

The conch pearl, particularly when usedin plique a jour pearl jewellery, became amainstay of the Art Nouveau movement,particularly in Paris and in London, where it was used regularly by former Tiffanydesigner Herman Marcus of Marcus & Co.Though never quite as strongly associatedwith the pink pearl as its American counter-parts, Cartier – a uniquely powerful pearlbuying firm – also produced a small number of pink pearl pieces during the middle years of the movement (between1910-1920).

Victoria’s choiceProbably one of the best known of history’spearl fans was Queen Victoria. From hercoronation right through her marriage andinto her prolonged period of mourning

| Antique Jewellery


Pink pearls are the only non-oyster or mussel pearls thatcan claim to have had a significant historical impacton the jewellery market.

following her husband’s death in 1861,Victoria was to be seen wearing pearl necklaces, brooches and rings, and theseincluded conch pearls. Along with othermembers of the royal family and wealthyaristocrats keen to follow their fashion lead,Victoria was fond of the lavaliere, a thinchain-style necklace which often featuredlarge, colour-contrasting drop pendants andused pink pearls for colour contrast.

The popular trefoil brooch, made popularby Queen Mary in the very early 1900s,again tended to use pearls of differentcolours – Queen Mary was a big fan of the pink pearl; she wore pink pearl jewellery

of several different styles, including an ArtDeco conch pearl brooch during the 1920s.Some of the best examples of antique pinkpearl jewellery were originally made for theroyal collection, but many of the notableroyal items have since been sold to privatecollectors at auction, fetching sums into fivefigures per piece.

By the 1920s, however, pink pearls had fallen dramatically from fashion. Thetrade from the Caribbean had dwindledaway to almost nothing, and the pink pearl’srelatively brief heyday – from the 1850s tothe 1920s – was over, conch pearl jewellery-making all but non-existent.

Why this happened is hard to say: ArtNouveau and its love of nature and theorganic form fell out of favour around thetime of the First World War, which had aneffect, while the Great Depression thatbegan in 1929 helped kill off supply of thepearls themselves. Conch fishermen beganfishing for personal consumption and theconch pearl’s value as a commodity wasbasically forgotten.

Rarity and collectibilityFine pearls are, of course, naturally rare, and this rarity always fetches a high pricefrom jewellers and at auction. This is true for conch pearls particularly. The odds of

coming across an ‘acceptable’ pearl are one in every 10,000 collected shells, and for gem quality pearls fit to be used byfamous jewellery names, those odds areeven greater.

There are fakes, as there seems to bewith everything: some contemporaryexperts suggested that fake pink pearls havebeen on the market since the late 1800s.However, the good news is that these fakes are simply bead-like in appearanceand do not possess anything like the ‘flame’quality seen in a natural pink: they can beeasily spotted by anyone who knows whatthey are looking for.

There is a trade in modern pink pearl jewellery, but again, pieces are rare: andsince the heyday of pink pearl jewellery wascomparatively short and ended abruptly inthe 1920s, antique conch pearl pieces arerare and collectible.

It is also their association with the famousdesigners, brands and artistic movements ofthat creatively challenging time (names andstyles like Art Nouveau, Tiffany and Marcus& Co) that lends antique conch pearl jewelleryits appeal: the better pieces (mostly held in museums or in private collections) cangenuinely be counted as being amongsome of the finest examples of their kind.


Antique Jewellery |

United we stand, divided we fall!The Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham has seen a variety of hardships in its 250 year historybut few of the challenges it has faced match the current ones. Difficult trading conditions,uncertainty about the future price of gold, and questions about Birmingham City Council’scommitment to one of the city’s few remaining ‘gems’ might be the final straw for the fainthearted. But interestingly there appears to be a bit of ‘the bulldog spirit’ coming out andvarious previously independent interest groups are finally talking to each other and poolingideas and time to see what they can do together to protect and nurture a truly uniquearea. Jewellers who have previously rejoiced in their ‘independence’ are now prepared tocontemplate working together for the greater good of the majority.So why does this affect jewellers outside Birmingham? Well, firstly there are far too manyhidden treasures of craftsmanship and expertise dotted around the Quarter which benefitthe entire UK jewellery trade to allow it to die. More importantly however, is the hearteninglesson that the new found combined strength of these interest groups has persuadedBirmingham City Council to mitigate some of its plans for cuts and proves that you caninfluence your own future even when up against seemingly unmovable forces. The moralof the story is that however insurmountable the problem may be – don’t be cowed by the enormity of it – the combined will and effort of a few determined individuals can make a difference. If you want to know more about Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter’sstruggle go to: www.jqlobby.co.ukStephen Whittaker is managing partner at Fellows & Sons, specialist valuers and auctioneersof jewellery, silver, watches and fine art based in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. He canbe contacted by email at: [email protected] or by telephone on 0121 212 2131.

Fellows & Sons (Est. 1876) Forthcoming Auctions

• Secondhand Jewellery & Watches –Thursday 11th & Thursday 25th March, Thursday 15th & Thursday 29th April

• Antique & Modern Jewellery – Thursday 8th April• Wrist & Pocket Watches – Monday 12th MarchA catalogue is available at www.fellows.co.uk or by post. Online bidding is available at www.invaluable.com/fellows

For further information please call Heather Bailey on 0121 212 2131.

Whittaker’s WorldSome of the best examples ofantique pink pearl jewellerywere originally made for theroyal collection.

| Feature


It has become an inescapable fact of lifethat retailing, in all its forms, now carries a

risk to personal safety and recent BritishRetail Consortium figures show a rise in violent offences with robberies 15% higherin the first ten months of 2009. But by their very nature, jewellers have alwaysbeen associated with a higher level of risk —if only because of the character and value ofmerchandise handled. However, the climateof fear has increased lately because of anumber of highly publicised assaults onLondon jewellers, and there is little doubtthat as other ‘traditional’ prey such as banks and cash handlers have becomemore sophisticated, criminals have turnedtheir attention to ‘softer targets’. Town centre

CCTV has also caused a ripple effect, pushing casual criminals outwards intomore vulnerable areas.

To quote Neil McFarlane, T H March salesand marketing director, writing in lastmonth’s Jeweller, “over the past ten years,the severity of in-store armed robbery losseshas increased markedly. In fact, both the frequency and severity has increased significantly over the past three years.

The factors influencing this relate to highervalues being carried by jewellers in theirshops (including top level brand watches)and the general increase in commodity pricesof diamonds and gold over this period. If wecouple this with the fact that thieves canquickly transport goods out of the countryafter they have been stolen, the UK retailjewellery sector has unfortunately becomean increasingly favoured target not just forthe domestic criminal but for those visitingfrom Europe or beyond.

As regards the topic of violence in armedrobberies, regrettably this is something thathas increased in the recent past, with armedrobbers using both firearms and knives,including machetes, to intimidate their victims.

The threat has become much more real, inthat there is no doubt that a lot of the ‘shortbreak’ criminals are prepared to use theweapons they come armed with.”

None of this will come as much of a surprise to jewellers and in 2009 the NAGand T H March began the fight back againstcriminal activity by jointly funding theSaferGems initiative, designed to assist the police with the gathering of intelligence.

But while intelligence can play an importantpart in preventing crime and catching criminals, jewellers are increasingly concernedabout protecting their staff, their property,and increasingly their homes by practicalmeans. Of course, there are numerousdeterrent devices — including smoke, alarms,CCTV, and forensic markers — available tojewellers these days, but their effectivenessdepends very much on the circumstances oftheir deployment, and the capacity of staff toremain calm under threat. We all know thatrational thought and action can fall victim toextreme stress, and that criminals canbecome more dangerous when confrontedor surprised. Neither criminal nor victimreacts well under stress; neither party isthinking straight, and a situation can rapidlyget out of control when somebody doessomething unexpected.

Over the years the NAG has workedclosely with Training For Success, providers

Specialised Partners in Crime

Michael Hoare explores

how jewellery retailers

and suppliers can protect

themselves against the

threat of violent robberies.

Decisions taken in a clear-headed manner by a trained professional must dramatically reduce the possibility of dangerous errors being made by terrified staff.


Feature |

of specialist training services, on preparingmanagers and staff to cope under such circumstances, and this has proved verysuccessful. However, inculcating learnedbehaviours has its limitations in dampeningdown a situation, so to reduce the risk evenfurther some high risk environments havemoved to a higher level of security by handing control of their premises to 24-hourremote monitoring centres. Our relationshipwith Training For Success is such that theyhave recommended the covert services of aspecialised partner who has developed anumber of cutting-edge pro-active CCTV andasset-tracking solutions that incorporate theremote management of robbery and highrisk situations by trained professionals.

I have seen one such facility in action,and I have to say it is impressive. Not onlycan the operator, once alerted, see and hear everything that is happening during araid, in certain circumstances they can takecontrol of alarms, doors, smoke and chemicalmarkers, often liaising directly with localpolice to contain a situation. To my mind,decisions taken in a clear-headed mannerby a trained professional must dramaticallyreduce the possibility of dangerous errorsbeing made by terrified staff, that could leadto an escalation in violence.

The service can also be extended to thehomes of owners and key personnel whomight be at risk from threats and kidnap,and while this might presently be regardedas a limited threat, it is one that should beborne in mind when considering personalsafety. In this case TFS’s recommendedpartner has extensive experience protectingdirectors and key workers running sensitiveinstallations, and the resources I sawdeployed give a very high level of reassurance. Finally, and perhaps of particularinterest to our colleagues at the BJA, I sawthe latest satellite tracking technology in use

protecting vulnerable mobile personnel. It is difficult not to sound alarmist when discussing the threat of violent robbery, but experience shows that preparation andplanning can go a long way when it comesto protecting your business – particularlywhen your planning is done in conjunctionwith experienced partners.

In the end there are many levels of security and only you can choose what isright for your circumstances, but if you wouldlike to discuss any aspect of the services Ihave described, please contact me at LukeStreet, or Ian Kirke, managing director TrainingFor Success at: [email protected] toarrange a confidential discussion.

One year on from a snow-ravaged SpringFair and with threats of another cold

spell, it was left to the NAG to bring the sun-shine to this year’s Jewellery Show at SpringFair International at the NEC in Birminghamlast month… and bring it they did.

The summer-themed stand not onlyincluded a deck chair, beach ball,Hawaiian lei, strawberries and Pimms,but a full sandpit complete with NAGsandcastle. Yet, it was the HolidayLucky Dip that brought out not justthe sunshine, but the smiles.

“We usually have agiveaway for memberson the stand” said StacySimpson, who organisesthe stand for the NAG.“Last year, we offered atrip to Paris, but thisyear we wanted to do

something a bit more fun that reflected thesummer theme of the stand.”

NAG members were invited to visit thestand during the five day show and choose a raffle ticket. That ticket number

then corresponded to one of many holiday prizes ranging from adeluxe picnic hamper to coconutsand travel wash.

“The response was amazing”added Stacy. “The members reallygot into the spirit of things and

had fun with their prizes.We had tried to chooseuseful, if not glamorous,prizes and reactionswere brilliant. Onemember, who won a

toothbrush holder,was absolutelydelighted.”

The star prize picnic hamper went toBanks-Lyons Jewellers in Lancaster, whohad just stopped off to ask about JETGemstone courses. Sophie Hughes andSamantha Ireland were delighted with theirwin and promised alfresco company feastsfor the summer ahead.

Familiar faces also showed of their prizes.Jeweller columnist John Henn was naturallythrilled with his sunflower seeds, while F Hinds’ Peter Troth was strangely slightlyless enthusiastic with his ladies’ flip-flops.

While cute and entertaining, the prizesand summer decorations were also illustratinga message: they formed part of the NAG’slatest campaign to get staff trained beforethe summer holidays.

“When your most experienced sales staffgo on holiday, a junior or new member ofstaff can often be caught out by consumers,particularly if colleagues are busy coveringfor their absent co-workers. These mistakesnot only cost you and your store valuablesales and repeat business, and can harm yourreputation” says Victoria Wingate, Education

and Training Manager at the NAG. “But astudent who enrols on JET 1 now couldhave finished by this summer and completedtheir Professional Jewellers’ Diploma bynext summer.”

For more information on the JET Courses,go to: www.jewellers-online.org or call 0207613 4445 (option 1). For more photos goto the NAG Members Facebook group.

| Education + Training


L A T E S T N E W S F R O M T H E E D U C A T I O N D E P A R T M E N T

NAG brings sunshine & smiles to Spring Fair

Sophie Hughes and Samantha Irelandfrom Banks-Lyons Jewellers

John Henn

| Education + Training


The Jeweller: What made you want totake the Retail Jewellers’ examination?Peter Troth: I started in the industry when Iwas only 16 or 17 and my employer waskeen for me to get as much training as pos-sible. I had actually already taken the Fellowof the Gemmological Association beforetaking the Retail Jewellers’ Examination.

How did it feel winning the Greenough Trophy?Getting the top marks for the whole year is really something special, so winning theTrophy was fantastic. I had not heard of theTrophy before, so it was totally unexpected

when they had told me I had won it. I certainlyhad no idea that I could achieve the bestresults. The Presentation of Awards made it even more special. There was a real sense of occasion. I was living in Jersey

when I took the course, but I had movedand started working for FHinds before theactual ceremony. The Chairman Roy Hindscame to the awards and my family werethere, so it was a very special night.

How do you feel the course has helped your career in the last 25 years?The knowledge the course has given me,coupled with the experience of working withthe NAG, has really helped progress mycareer. [Peter is now Operations Managerfor FHinds] I have been working with theNAG Education Committee pretty muchever since winning the Trophy. I became an

examiner and am now Chairman of the NAGExam Moderating Committee. Having seenthe courses from both sides, I can definitelysee just how much they’ve helped me andstill help students starting out.

What advice would you give current students?I think the most difficult decision is choosingthe career in the first place. My advice wouldbe to do as many varied courses as possibleto gain as much knowledge as possible.That’s why when I started in the trade I studied gemstones as well as management,so that I could get the product knowledgethat I needed for this industry.

What changes have you seen in the jewellery industry in the last 25 years?Consumers are not the same. They nolonger just come into the shop and buy.Access to information is so much greaterthese days with the internet and TV, whichmeans that the expectations of customersare much higher.The only way to keep customers is for thesales staff to be more knowledgeable aboutthe products they are selling, which is whythe JET courses are so important.

The latest winner of the Greenough Trophywill be featured in April’s issue along with around up of the Presentation of Awards andlistings of all last year’s JET graduates.

Award-winner revisited

Peter Troth (left) with Roy Hinds, Chairman of F Hinds & Son, 25 years ago

My advice would be to do as many varied courses as possible to gain as much knowledge as possible.

With just days to go until this year’s Presentation of Awards,The Jeweller speaks to Peter Troth, the 1985 winner of the coveted Greenough Trophy, which is awarded to the candidatewith the highest aggregate marks in the Association’sProfessional Jewellers Diploma programme. Twenty five years on,how has winning the Trophy impacted on Peter’s career?

THE SUMMERHOLIDAYSARE TOOLATE....

OUR CONTACT DETAILS

The National Association of Goldsmiths78a Luke Street, London EC2A 4XGEmail: [email protected]: 020 7613 4445 (Option 1)Download a JET Course prospectus atwww.jewellers-online.org

A student who enrols onthe Professional Jewellers’Diploma now could havefinished by this summer and could have passed JET 2 and mastered all the practical skills that a retail jewellerrequires by next summer.

....TO STARTTRAINING

YOUR STAFFSTART NOW TO

MAKE SURE YOURHOLIDAY COVER

IS COVERED


This year the emphasis will be on valuationmethodology. And in the immortal

words of the National Lottery you have tobe in it to win it – attend the LoughboroughConference in order to learn to earn! Theconference takes place over the weekend ofSaturday 18 to Monday 20 Septemberinclusive, and, as the name suggests, willtake place at its usual venue, LoughboroughUniversity in Leicestershire (just off Junction23 on the M1). Full details will automaticallybe sent to all IRVs and non-IRV delegatesfrom the 2008 and 2009 Conferences.Those who have not been for a while orhave never attended and would like toreceive details, should register their interestwith Sandra Page by contacting her [email protected] or phone on 0292081 3615.

NAG Institute of Registered Valuers’ Forum

The NAG is inviting IRVs to put themselves,or fellow IRVs forward to be elected to

serve on the the Association’s Institute ofRegistered Valuers’ Forum. The IRV Forum isa platform through which IRVs can discussall valuation related issues and put forwardideas, plans and concerns for theAssociation’s Board of Directors to consider,

via the Valuations Committee. The Associationis delighted that the IRV Forum has been aresounding success; a much needed platform to which any IRV can belong. Thecurrent IRV Forum consists of the following:Voting Members – Jonathan Lambert (asNAG Valuations Committee Chairman), twomembers of the NAG Valuations Committee(Avril Plant, Peter Hering, Pravin Pattni andJon Tabard take it in turns) and HeatherMcPherson, Alan Hayes and GeoffWhitefield as the elected IRVs. Non-VotingMembers: Peter Buckie, David Callaghanand Michael Ferraro. The term of service isthree years and Heather McPherson’s termcomes to an end this September. Heathermay put herself forward for re-election. If necessary a ballot will take place at theLoughborough Conference when delegateswill elect a Voting Member of the IRV Forum from the IRVs who have been nominated or volunteered for the vacancy.The Association would encourage IRVs to put themselves forward for the position.Any elected IRV may only serve on the IRVForum for a maximum of six years. All IRVswill be invited to submit nominations or put themselves forward. It is hoped thatmany will support the election and putnames forward.

NAG calls for nominations for ‘David Wilkins Trophy’ for excellencein valuation and appraisal The NAG’s Institute of Registered Valuershas announced its call for nominations forthe seventeenth annual David WilkinsAward in recognition of exceptional skill,dedication and service in the field of jewellery appraisal and valuation.

David Wilkins (1931-1994), former Chairmanof the NAG ValuationsCommittee, had a distinguished career inthe jewellery industryand was widely knownand respected both forhis outstanding personal qualities and greatexpertise. More than any other individualDavid sought to encourage high standards ofconduct and professionalism in respect ofvaluations. The award that he sponsoredremains as his legacy in promoting the aimsfor which he strove for so long. The Board ofDirectors of the National Association ofGoldsmiths may award the David WilkinsTrophy if an individual has demonstratedoutstanding skill, dedication or service inrespect of jewellery appraisal and valuation.This award is made on an annual basis andas such may only be referred to by therecipient in the relevant year.

The Trophy, which was first presented in1994, comprises an Elizabethan-style silverdish which is inscribed with the name of thewinner, who retains it for the relevant year. It is complemented by the award of £100 inbook tokens for supplementing the winner’spersonal reference library.

NAG Institute of Registered Valuers R E V I E W

Loughborough Conference 2010Plans are already under way for this year’s NAG Institute ofRegistered Valuers Loughborough Conference in September witha full programme promised, and the Institute’s IRV Forum andValuations Committee will offer delegates yet another selectionof top class experts covering topics dear to a valuer’s heart.


IRV Review |

An IRV may nominate himself/herself or any other individual they feel meritsnomination. A nomination may also bemade by an NAG Ordinary Member.Completed nominations for the 2010 awardmust be sent to the NAG Cardiff office to be received not later than 30 April 2010.The name of the successful nominee will be announced, and the presentation made,at the annual Loughborough Conference(18-20 September 2010).

Who is likely to qualify for the David Wilkins Trophy?There is no official list of criteria that willenable a nominee to fulfil the citation but thefollowing examples of conduct may providesome guidance: • Consistently producing valuations of

exceptional standard.• Giving help and guidance to colleagues

or to members of the public.• Working to promote and further the

aims of the NAG’s Institute of Registered Valuers.

• Providing information/resources for IRVs. • Achieving exceptional results in training

and/ or examination.• Demonstrating high integrity.• Showing diligence in research and

information gathering.• Displaying general conduct likely to

enhance the reputation of IRVs.

Previous WinnersTerence J Watts – 1994; Alan J Smith –1995; Roy V Huddlestone – 1996; J LouiseButterworth – 1997; Peter J R Jackson – 1998;Brian R Dunn – 1999; Michael S J Norman –

2000; Philip L Stocker – 2001; Rosamond SClayton – 2002; Paul Templeton – 2003;John S Harris – 2004; Heather McPherson –2005; David J Callaghan – 2006; AlanHodgkinson – 2007; Peter Buckie – 2008;Steven Jordan – 2009

Last year’s winner FIRV Steven Jordan says, “I was privileged during last year’s annualConference at Loughborough to be awardedthe David Wilkins Trophy. I was, as I believemost recipients are, surprised to receive theaward. It was only when I turned the trophyover and saw my name engraved there in suchillustrious company that it began to sink in. I have always striven to maintain high standardsin valuation work and professional qualificationsand will continue to do so. However, I owemuch to the guidance from people like thelate David Wilkins and the sadly missedMichael Norman. My own work is primarily inthe London high net worth field, with occasional assignments to Europe and theMiddle East. The work, and particularly thetravel, can be very demanding. But I enjoyabsolutely every minute. I enjoy the scienceof gemmology, the history of jewellery andthe privilege of meeting the rich and famous.That’s the important thing about valuationwork, you have to love what you do. As mylate father once said, ‘Find something thatyou like and stick with it.’ I found somethingthat I like… and now I’m stuck with it.”

What would the collective noun for a group of David Wilkins Trophy award winners be? Perhaps a‘brilliance’, a ‘wisdom’ or maybe an ‘erudition’! This group photograph was taken at the 2008Loughborough Conference: standing (from left to right) Roy Huddlestone (1996), Michael Norman(2000), Terence Watts (1994), David Callaghan (2006), Peter Buckie (2008), Margaret Wilkins,Alan Hodgkinson (2007), John Harris (2004), Peter Jackson (1998) and Brian Dunn (1999).Seated (from left to right): Heather McPherson (2005) and Rosamond Clayton (2002).

Rules1. Nominees may include members of the NAG Valuations Committee.2. Nomination must be by either an IRV, an NAG Ordinary Member or someone

qualified to make an informed judgement as to the merits of the nominee.3. Self-nomination must be seconded by some such person as in 2.4. When considering nominations the NAG Valuations Committee may call for further

proof or particulars to support a particular nomination and may at its discretionexclude a nomination without stating reasons.

5. The NAG Valuations Committee shall seek nominations annually by written notice toall IRVs and NAG Ordinary Members.

6. The selection from the nominations received will be by the NAG ValuationsCommittee.

7. These rules may be amended at any time by the NAG Valuations Committee whichhas an absolute discretion in all matters to do with the award of the Trophy.

The deadline for receipt of nominations is 30th April 2010. Nomination forms can beobtained from the Sandra Page. Call 029 2081 3615 or email [email protected]

FIRV Steven Jordan receiving the David WilkinsTrophy from Margaret Wilkins at the 2009Loughborough Conference.

It had been a rough Christmas, and nowSteve was beginning to despair of ever

getting the business back on target.Sue had started planning the Christmas

orders in late summer. This was always oneof her strong points — thorough and with agood eye for what would sell well. Her caraccident had put a stop to that and whenshe died in early October, Steve had tried topick up the pieces. Just being in the shopwas difficult enough without her. He missedher sense of humour — the shop now feltvery dull. He put off the buying and advertisedfor a manager with buying experience, butthis close to Christmas he couldn’t afford tohire the only applicant who seemed to himto be any good.

In the end, he bought what he thoughtwere the best ranges, but found that someof the pieces he wanted were out of stock,and he misjudged the market for some ofthe others.

Yes, it had been a rough Christmas, andnow he had to cope with Sue’s widower,Bob. He was a nice bloke in some respects,but irritatingly interfering. He had been too

distraught when Sue died to worry aboutthe shop, half of which had effectivelypassed to him on her death. Steve hadwanted to buy out his share, but the poorChristmas trade had left him without theincome he needed. Now that his first family Christmas without Sue was over Bobdecided to throw himself into the business.Within a few weeks he had insisted onrestocking. Steve didn’t rate his own experience of buying too highly but Bob,frankly, was a disaster. The shop’s cash flowwas deteriorating, and Steve felt he had toface up to their bank manager, particularlysince Sue had jointly guaranteed their business loan. It was not a happy meeting.

It had not been the best Christmas. Steve wasexhausted, but at least trade had held up.After Sue’s car accident and death in early

October, Steve had advertised for a managerwith buying experience. He had been horrified at the salary demanded, but atleast he had the proceeds of the life assurance Sue had organised. Steve had

initially balked at this precaution — they wereboth fit and young, but Sue had insisted thatthey should each insure their lives for eachother’s benefit. She was like that — foreverplanning ahead, ready to take risks, butalways anticipating the worst-case scenarios.

Steve had been fortunate with Peter, the new manager. He seemed to knowinstinctively what stock the shop needed forChristmas and where to get it. Steve of coursebore the brunt of customer relationships,but Peter was getting to know them. He could see that in a couple of years hemight even offer him a partnership. If onlyhe had Sue’s sense of humour!

Meanwhile, now that his first familyChristmas without Sue was over, Bob, herwidower who had inherited her share of thebusiness, was starting to interfere. Not a badguy in many respects, but no businesssense. Sue had foreseen that too, and withthe cross-option partnership agreementsuggested by their insurance broker andsolicitor, and the balance of the life assurancemoney, Steve was able to insist that Bobshould sell Sue’s share of the business back to Steve. It gave Bob some capital tohelp look after the family, and Steve evenmanaged to pay off the bank loan.

If felt cruel to cut Bob out so soon after hisloss, but at least it would keep the businessalive and satisfy the bank manager.

In small businesses there is often an overlap between the need for Partnership orShareholder Assurance, Keyman Assuranceand Loan Protection. Partnership orShareholder protection allows surviving partners or shareholders to buy out thedeceased partner’s or shareholder’s interests.Keyman Assurance protects the businessagainst a drop in profit following the deathof a person on which the business depends.Loan Protection allows the business torepay loans on the death of an owner orguarantor, otherwise the bank may demandrepayment once they learn of the death.

T H March can offer all three forms ofcover. In some cases one insurance willserve more than one purpose. Ring StevenClemence on 01822 855555.T H March is authorised and regulated bythe Financial Services Authority.

The Legacy ofChristmasA sudden death of a business partner is not only a sad eventbut can also have dramatic repercussions. But there’s morethan one way to deal with just such a tragedy…

| Insurance Matters


| Legal Jeweller


There is a well trodden path for landlordsto follow in order to claim dilapidations

from tenants and for tenants to challengesuch claims. In the vast majority of casesmatters are agreed without difficulty, so BJAmembers The Angelett Gallery were notunduly worried when the short underleasefor their retail premises in Sussex expired.

Angelett Gallery left their unit in a goodstate of repair – in fact rather better thanthey had found it – and were confident ofreceiving back their £5,581 deposit. Imaginetheir horror when their request was declinedand they had a schedule of dilapidationsserved on them, not by their immediatelandlord, Brook Street (UK) but by the owners of the premises, Friends Provident,with whom Brook Street had a lease on

their premises. The demand was for thewhole £5,581.

Despite the demand having been servedby solicitors, and purportedly prepared by aqualified surveyor, Angelett Gallery did notaccept the liabilities imposed on them anddecided to make their own enquiries. Theysoon discovered that the schedule they hadreceived did not relate to their premises atall, but was in respect of ‘reconstructionwork’ on an industrial workshop in Readingsome 100 miles away.

They vacated the premises in accordancewith the expiry of their lease but wereunable to recover their deposit from theowners who went to elaborate lengths tojustify their demands, even though AngelettGallery obtained written confirmation from

Brook Street that the premises had been left in an acceptable condition and that nofurther monies were due.

Angelett Gallery were outraged that theirdeposit was being withheld on falsegrounds. Enquiries to the police brought nosatisfaction. They were told it was a civilmatter and that they should find a solicitorbut were warned that the process would belong and expensive and could cost morethan they might get back. That is when theyturned to the BJA who referred them toRoyds solicitors.

When faced with all the facts and thedetermination of the Angelett Gallery toseek legal redress the landlord’s agentsbacked down and a full refund was eventually made.

Even though interest was paid on the monies returned, it is nevertheless scandalous that Angelett Gallery had to waitseven months to recover its deposit andincurred legal costs to do so.

If your retail lease is coming to an end, docheck that any demands served on you inrespect of dilapidations are not only withinthe terms of your lease or underlease, butthat your landlord has not in turn received ademand from the owner. If the freeholdowner is taking back the premises from yourlandlord at the same time and is making no claim for dilapidations then there shouldbe no claim down the line to you. Do notjust accept that you owe monies to yourlandlord because a solicitor or a surveyorsays so. Get your own advice.

A question and answer ‘Fact Sheet’ prepared by Royds, giving further informationon leases and tenancies is available to BJAmembers in the ‘Members Only’ section ofthe website or telephone 0121 237 1108 toreceive a copy.

Stephen Welfare is a partner at Royds LLPsolicitors, a long-established 16 partner citylaw practice well known for its commercial,retail, property, employment and commerciallitigation practices. The firm also providesthe BJA’s ‘Copywatch’ intellectual propertyservice. T: 020 7583 2222.The information in this article refers to thelaw at the date the article was written andis provided for general information purposesonly. It should not be applied to specific circumstances without prior consultation witha solicitor.

Jeweller winsagainst landlord

When a business tenancy ends one would expect to seethe return of a deposit, less any legitimate deductionsfor dilapidations. But be warned, things may not alwaysgo to plan — as one BJA member recently discovered.

Stephen Welfare, a partner at Royds solicitors, looks at some ofthe pitfalls of the commercial lease.

Exceptional opportunity at

Jacobs of Readingpremier Berkshire independent jeweller’s

in-house bench. We are looking for a self-employed, experienced and all-roundmaker/ goldsmith to work at our premises.

Immediate start available. We aim to provide steady stream of work

for right candidate. Apply to Adam Jacobs on tel: 0118 959 0790

or email: [email protected]

APPOINTMENTST H E J E W E L L E R

Jackson Maine is the specialist recruitment consultancy forthe jewellery and watch industry and we cover all disciplines

in London, the South East and throughout the UK

We urgently need Watchmakers at all levelsRetail Sales and Management, Field Sales

and Brand Managers, Administration, Merchandisers and Stock ControllersRegister now for vacancies in 2010

Looking for a new position?Jackson Maine does not distribute CVs without candidate

permission and maintains client confidentiality completely.To register send your CV today.

Looking for staff?Please call or e-mail for a copy of our résumé

and terms and conditions

This is a brief selection of our current vacancies, for more information on national opportunities

visit our website, e-mail [email protected] call Katie or Grant on 01756 753 555

www.jewelleryjobs.com

JACKSON MAINEThe Recruitment Specialists to the Jewellery & Watch Industries

Goldsmith wantedin Berkshire

Kit Heath is one of the UK’s leading jewellery brands with a clear focus on national andinternational expansion.

Senior Jewellery Designer

To work in a supervisory capacity within a dedicated design team, creating concepts through tofinal designs for both the Kit Heath brand products and bespoke projects.

The ability to create innovative commercial designs from a brief is essential as is the ability towork to tight deadlines.

Experience working as a commercial jewellery designer is essential.

If you are interested in the above post please send your CVand covering letter to Yasmin Moss, Kit Heath Ltd,Millennium House, Brannam Crescent,Roundswell Business Park, Barnstaple,EX31 3TD alternatively you can [email protected].

Closing date: March 31st, 2010

www.kitheath.com

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| Regular


The Youth of Today

Every so often there are mutterings in themedia – ok, in the Daily Mail – about

how older people (by which it is meant anyone over 45) should get a fairer deal.Why (oh why, oh why) is it that the worldseems to revolve around the young, theysay, when there’s the wealth of wisdom andexperience of the post-war and babyboomer generations to be tapped?

It’s the sort of talk you get during a quietnews week or the day after some old blokehas taken Tescos to task for letting him go infavour of some poncy student. And thensometimes a backbencher might chip in withsome well-intentioned musings on how our‘valued’ older citizens should be made tofeel ‘included’ and ‘engaged’.

It’s all guff though, isn’t it? I mean really,life, like Christmas, is for the young. Even themost level-headed and least vain among usis wondering whether the occasional shot ofBotox might be a good idea as we panderto the cult of youth.

It’s been many years since I was theindulged baby journalist in any press contingent, but this isn’t wistful frustrationtalking (bitter, moi?). It’s just that a couple ofobservations made recently have focussedmy thoughts on demographics.

The first occurred during a recent shoppingtrip. My partner A and I were in a branch ofa well-established jewellery chain (ok, it wasBeaverbrooks) in an out of London mall, sothat he could buy a watch. It had been winking at him from the window for weekswhile he justified the purchase to himself(not to me, the more watches he has themore jewellery I can amass – known fact).Anyway, while we were being assiduouslyattended to and A was taking in the nitty

gritty of the Tag’s finer qualities, my gaze beganto wander around the shop. It alighted ontwo boys receiving the same undivided careand attention at an adjacent table, as one inparticular also studied a watch.

Nothing too weird, except these two ladswere not teen type youths – they couldn’thave been more than 11, 12 at the most. I looked round for a parent – no, they wereshopping alone. I really wanted to go over,with my Jeweller hat on, and ask what hewas buying… but I resisted the urge. Ten-to-one though that it was not a Man fromU.N.C.L.E (or was it Action Man?) watch,which, if I remember rightly, was what mybrother was craving at that age. I had to waituntil I was 14 before I had a ‘proper’ watch– a gorgeous space-agey Seiko. And it wasdefinitely bought for me.

No, this particular purchase looked likeserious, adult stuff (this was Beaverbrooksremember) and certainly the child was gettingall the courtesy that we adults were enjoying.I was transfixed – such sophistication!

Surely, at any moment a dad would appear,nod approvingly at the choice and finalisethe transaction with plastic. Not so. Thedecision having been made, the boy settledup with cash and was handed his chic littlecarrier bag. Then sales staff and child shookhands – or did I make up that bit ? Well, theymight as well have done. And I also have tosay that the kid left the shop with far moreinsouciance than did A, who was grinningwith guilty excitement at his own purchase.

My knowledge of jewellery retailing is stillin its infancy and there may well be many ofyou now thinking: “yawn – so what, we selldiamonds to seven-year olds all the time”.But it made an impression on me – is thisa trend? Ok, maybe pre-teens shopping forrelatively high-priced goods without adultsin attendance is relatively uncommon, butit’s obviously no surprise that jewellerswould wish to snare their customers whilethey’re young and nurture them through thevarious celebratory milestones of their lives.

And what was once a trade that revolvedaround engagement, wedding and commit-ment rings and fine jewellery, has nowwidened to embrace a much more youthfulclientele. You only had to glance around The Jewellery Show last month to note thatthe youth-oriented bead and charm brands(yes, I know they sell to adults as well, but

the principal aesthetic is youth-driven) torealise how things have shifted. And I knowthere are more than a few retailers gratefulto Pandora, Troll Beads and the like forkeeping their heads above water for thepast year or so.

And just to underscore the fact that thespending power of children is a very realphenomenon, according to a LondonSchool of Economics study at the end of last year, children pumped a staggering£4.9bn into the British economy during therecession, despite a fall in their parent’s disposable income. And according to findings, the average child will spend over£6,000 between the ages of 7-15. Amazing!All hail the age of inexperience.

Last WordThe

Belinda Morris takes a wry look at some of the weird andwonderful happenings in the world of jewellery retailing.

According to findings, theaverage child will spendover £6,000 between theages of 7-15.

THE DIAMOND RETAIL BENCHMARK

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THE DIAMOND SRP LIST

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E 5982 5381 4629 41783877 3090 2602 2439

1951 1464 976

F 5681 52304328 3877

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1301 1138650

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1464 1464 1301 976650

L 21141951

1951 1789 1789 16261464 1138

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F 7394 68275700 5090 4684 3871 3262 3059

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I 5090 4481 42783871 3262 3059

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N 2197 19771758 1538

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D 15154 1215310727 9653

8961 78327112

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E 1177010727

9787 92388404 7546 6815

57715158 3556

F 10727 9921 9238 8684 79757112

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G 9787 8961 8404 78327260 6519

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H 8961 8261 7689 71126667 6075

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I 7689 7260 6963 65196075

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J 6075 59255771

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K 5465 53115158 4698 4539 4221

3893 372533

L 4698 45394380 4221

4062 3893 3556 3388 2

M 4380 42214062 3893 3725 3556

3388 3211

N 4062 3893 3725 35563388 3211

3211 3032

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IFVVS1 VVS2

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D 9035 7583 6638 5882 5496 4278

E 77727016

6071 5496 5090 4074

F 7394 68275700 5090 4684 387

G 6827 6071 5293 4684 4074 34

H 6071 5496 4887 42783668 3

I 5090 4481 42783871 3262

J 3871 3668 3465 30592856

K 3465 3262 3059 2637241

L 2856 26372637 2417

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D 9366 8149 7192 65

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F 7843 7192 6374

G 7192 63745681

H 6541 5854516

I 5681 4989 46

J 4619 4248 4

K 4248 3878

L 3693 3507

M3116

291

N 2519 23

This price list r

eflects suggeste

d retail prices

for

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lease visit

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E M B E R

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Documents

The Jeweller Magazine April 2010 Issue