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Jeweller July 2010 £6.50 The Voice of The Industry the The Jeweller is produced in conjunction with the British Jewellers’ Association Colour confidence – coloured stones still in vogue Christmas gift ideas Young designer stars of the future Jeweller the

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JewellerJuly 2010 £6.50 The Voice of The Industry

the

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

Colour confidence –coloured stones still in vogueChristmas gift ideasYoung designer stars of the future

Jewellerthe

The Voice of the Industry 3

Contents |

Future Stars 24

We pick the designer names to watch and the

top trends for the year ahead

Christmas is Coming 30

It may only be July but already members of the

BJA are planning ahead to the Yuletide season

and have plenty of festive gift ideas

Colour Confidence 34

Big, bright and beautiful gems of every hue

are still in demand, reports Jo Young

Ruby Bluesday 46

Jack Ogden highlights the tricks of the

gemstone trade

C O N T E N T S J U L Y 1 0

The National Association

of Goldsmiths

78a Luke Street,

London EC2A 4XG

Tel: 020 7613 4445

www.jewellers-online.org

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 [email protected]

Art Director: Ben [email protected]

Publisher: Neil [email protected]

Contributors:David Callaghan, John Henn,Jonathan Lambert, NeilMcFarlane, Christopher MiltonStevens, Jack Ogden, 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

Member of the Month 16

BJA News 19

Jeweller Picks 22

BJA Advice 32

BJA Q&A 44

Opinion: John Henn 48

Antique Jeweller 50

Insurance Matters 54

IRV Review 56

Education & Training 59

Appointments 63

Display Cabinet 64

The Last Word 66

Cover ImageIn conjunction with bastian inverunTo be a stockist contact us by email or visit our website. Email: [email protected]: www.bastian-inverun.com

Or call our customer service: Mrs Emilia WeidnerTel: 00 49 421 3385 590Email: [email protected]

JewellerThe Voice of The Industry www.thejewellermagazine.com

the

Known Unknowns

Writing as I am in the run-up to theemergency budget on 22nd June, I

am conscious of the intense feeling of anticipation in the air and the questions thatare on everyone’s lips. What measures willthe Chancellor announce? What effect willthey have on the administration of my business? Will I pay more tax? Will my customers be worse off, and if so will theywant to spend money with me? By the timeyou read this column you will know theanswers to most of these questions, exceptperhaps the last one.

The effects of the Chancellor’s measuresmay take a little while to affect spendinghabits, but in the meantime there is a senseof unreality among jewellers – that thingshaven’t so far been as bad as they could be, given the uncertain times we inhabit. A kind of fatalism prevails, and the mostoften repeated refrain is ‘it could be worse’.Realistically though, we know that whateverbuoyancy there is in the market is due insome measure to the bead and charm phenomenon, and ‘cash for gold’. Perversely,the gold price – which has the potential to dampen jewellery demand – has fuelled a consumer rush to cash in, andgiven jewellers a sales opportunity to boot.

But underlying the short term sales boostare expensive inventories as the price of re-stocking increases.

In the calm before the storm it is worthreflecting on the underlying drivers. The goldprice story still has some mileage in it andderivatives of the bead and charm categorywill pick up some of the slack as the firstwave of enthusiasm inevitably wanes, butwhat next? Will the next trend be gold plated silver? At the moment most sales aredriven by self gratification, but as moneybecomes tighter, will the traditional driversof weddings, anniversaries, and christeningsreturn to prominence? Will we see a ‘returnto basics’?

In highly commoditised sectors there aretwo principle areas that retailers can flex toincrease turnover – price and relationship.The assumption is that we are in for a period of heavy price cutting, but in a competitive world that can only lead oneway. Would jewellers be better served byconcentrating on product over price? Will niche stories be the next big thing? If Ihad a crystal ball I’d tell you, but right now I think we will have to content ourselves byquoting former US Defense Secretary DonaldRumsfeld’s statement about the increasinglyunstable situation in Afghanistan, “there areknown knowns. These are things we knowthat we know. There are known unknowns.That is to say, there are things that we knowwe don’t know. But there are also unknownunknowns. There are things we don’t knowwe don’t know.”

I’ll Name that Tune…

As I am sure you all know, under theCopyright, Designs and Patents Act

1988, if you use copyright music in public(i.e. outside of the home) you are requiredto have two separate licenses; one fromPublic Performance License (PPL), and onefrom Performing Right Society (PRS). PPL isthe music licensing company which, onbehalf of 42,000 performers and 5,000record companies, licenses the use ofrecorded music in the UK – the license feesare collected and distributed as royalties toperformers and record companies. PRS is anot-for-profit membership organisationwhich collects license fees from music users,and distributes these as royalties to writersand publishers of music. Retailers can ofcourse avoid having to obtain both licensesby playing royalty-free music.

I only mention this because MikeMcGraw’s EDF members were discussingthis very topic recently, and when one wag

4 The Jeweller July 2010

M I C H A E L H O A R E ’ S

CommuniquéMichael Hoare ponders the possible effects of theBudget on jewellers, dares to hum a copyright tuneand welcomes the NAG’s new chairman.

| Comment

Michael at the NAG AGM 2010

said something like “Blimey, what about if you inadvertently whistleor hum a well-known tune in the shop – is that covered too?” I thought I’d find out more. A quick Google revealed that there ismore to this subject than meets the eye. Apparently, even ‘on hold’music – played to infuriate you while you wait for a call centre to condescend to answer you – needs a licence. But not if the composer has been dead for more than seventy years and is therefore out of copyright! Unless, of course, the work was recordedand released within the last fifty years, when you’ll need a PPL licence.

So if it comes to classics you’d better know the differencebetween Tchaikovsky, who died in 1893, and Shostakovich whopassed away in 1975. Come to think of it, unless you really knowyour classics, humming a medley from the former is probably theonly safe way of avoiding a fine. Let’s hope the Government’s redtape boys put this right at the top of their list!

Members on Top

Congratulations must go to Retail Jeweller magazine for publishing its excellent recent survey of the top thirty most

inspiring independent retail jewellers in the UK. Apart from being a beautifully produced booklet with some great images that willinspire other jewellers, the publication represented a goodly slice of NAG membership. I counted twenty among the thirty judged tobe best by their peers, but of course all our members are winnersin my book!

Hello, Goodbye

Last month we said a fond farewell to our ‘old’ chairman, FrankWood, and offered a hearty welcome to our ‘new’ chairman

Nicholas Major. Now I’ve seen a few chairmen – or should that bechairpersons – come and go in my time, and each one brings energy, enthusiasm, and a new set of objectives to the role. Frankwas no exception, and every speech marking his departure to the‘front benches’ extolled his dedication to the task. But, it is true to say, there has been one other remarkable feature of theWood chairmanship, and that was his dramatic conversion to golf.Thus it was only appropriate that the farewells should have takenplace at one of the temples of the English game – Wentworth.Hardly surprising also that almost every speech lauding Frank’sachievements drank deeply from the well of golfing metaphors todescribe his qualities. So much so that Nicholas Major also appearedaffected by the same malady when in his vision statement he likened the NAG’s role to that of a caddie that has “kept its members out of the rough and on the fairway”. At the risk of stretching a metaphor too far I offer you the following from HuxtablePippey, “Real golfers, no matter what the provocation, never strike a caddie with the driver. The sand wedge is far more effective.”Enough said?

The Voice of the Industry 5

Comment |

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The Voice of the Industry 7

Comment |

So, we now have a new chairman at the NAG – welcome to the top table Nicholas Major!

It was quite a Pretty Woman moment at the NAG last month as Frank Wood – outgoing

incumbent of the post – carefully, almost romantically, placed the impressive chain of office

over his successor’s shoulders. He even took the trouble to make a slight adjustment to how

the piece was sitting a little later on in the meeting. Sweet. Or perhaps you had to be a

woman to appreciate that little nuance?

Actually, Frank was just being an exacting jeweller – making sure the statement necklace

he was handing over was placed just so for maximum comfort and impact. And talking of

bold adornment it was there in spades at London Jewellery Week last month – along with

the delicate and fine, the quirky, the innovative, the bright and the beautiful.

After a shaky start earlier in the year – thanks Coutts – and a Herculean effort on the part

of the organisers, partners and participants to pull all the strands together, the result was

impressively ebullient, jam-packed and, crucially, successful.

A walk around the Treasure exhibition, which was just one element of the week’s events,

proved – should proof be needed – what a wealth of design and retailing talent we have in

this country. For the jewellery-loving consumer, discovering this Aladdin’s cave of… well,

treasure, must have been a ‘died-and-gone-to-heaven’ moment. While for me, I simply

wished I was buying for my own shop and not just there to make notes!

Not only did the week offer the buying public a chance to discover in depth London’s

great jewellery-making heritage; it also gave up-and-coming designer-makers much needed

exposure to the industry as well as consumers. On page 24 we explore the jewellery trade’s

attitude to emerging talent and reveal the names to watch.

If you snooze you lose!

Page 24

Page 34

Editor’sLetter

This month:

“Interest in design ingeneral has finally permeated into themainstream jewelleryretailers, who are realising that they needto modernise their offer to the public…”

“There is a wider publicinterest in the jewelleryindustry especially with people wantingcoloured stones andfeeling more confidentabout wearing them.”

If you would like to comment on any of the issues raised in this edition of The Jewelleror any other trade-related matters please email the editor at: [email protected]

Despite having, effectively, three monthsto turn the event around – Coutts having

pulled out of the sponsorship at the eleventhhour – the organisers of London JewelleryWeek have had “an overwhelmingly positiveresponse” to the event and a date has alreadybeen set for LJW 2011: 6th-12th June. In all,over 120 jewellers, retailers and institionsheld receptions, seminars, workshops, fashionshows, exhibitions, collection launches, consultations and demonstrations to pro-mote London’s jewellery trade.

“It’s too early to determine LJW’s impactin terms of jewellers’ revenue, but there wasno mistaking the buzz,” says LJW’s co-directorDella Tinsley. “I am slightly overwhelmed bythe support and hard work everyone has putin to what was initially seen as a transitionalyear. But it looked stylish, fresh and mostimportantly busy! I do love it when peopleleave a show like Treasure and say see younext year!” she adds. “There are things we cando more effectively and we are looking atthat right now so that we can plan for 2011.The challenge now is to build on that energyand sign up partners as soon as possible, sowe can surpass this year’s success.”

Another co-director Jayant Raniga, brandmanager of PureJewels, Green Street, is alsoencouraged by the “very positive” feedbackhe has received since the week. “Key industry

people are now willing to be part of anambassadorial committee – a non-executivesteering group – for next year,” he says.“The way to move forward is definitely toinvolve more people in the industry, whohave to participate at full force in order for2011 to have the same boost. This timearound a lot of people were sitting on thefence – although in fairness, it was very shortnotice for many retailers to get involved.”

A key focus of the week was the HattonGarden Festival which drew around 5,000people to the world-renowned jewelleryquarter to see open-air jewellery demon-strations, visit jewellery retailers on the street,listen to music and sip Champagne Lanson.“We showed the public what jewellery skillsare all about,” explains Barry Jacobs of

Jacobs Jewellery. “The marquee was full ofdifferent companies, showing differentaspects of the trade, including ring makers,setters, polishers, lapidary, a silversmith,engravers, laser machine specialist, cad camand designers. We produced hand-maderings and silver spoons on the day giving thepublic a chance to win these fantastic prizes,with all proceeds going to Holts Academy,which is bringing young people back intoour trade. Our thanks and appreciation goesout to Mr Lee Lucas of Holts, who made theday possible and has now put the HattonGarden Festival as a must see event on theLondon calendar,” he adds.

About 5,000 people also visited Treasure,the contemporary jewellery exhibition, whichwas opened by Jonathan Simpson, Mayorof Camden, who commented that the eventhelped London Jewellery Week to becomeon a par with the internationally-recognisedLondon Fashion Week. “In addition to goodsales, I made important contacts with media,galleries and collectors,” says Ute Deckerwho exhibited in the ethical Essence sectorof the show.

Genevieve Beddard of Swarovski, whichhad an Atelier Swarovski pop-up shop atTreasure, after a launch event for its newcollections, felt that participating at LJW wascertainly worth the effort, as it has raisedbrand awareness and provided an idealopportunity to network as well as supportthe industry. The media attention as well aspublic awareness that the company’sinvolvement generated was a particularbonus. As well as having a stand at Treasure,the designer-owners of ethical jewellery brandLeblas also (like many other jewellers) helda party in their own shop. “The week wasexcellent,” says PR assistant Nina Tukaj.“This is the second year we have participatedand this [event] was a much greater success.The organisation and awareness was betterand we definitely want to be involved nextyear. The shop increased sales by 20 per cent– a great result for a hot summer month!”

Sarah Hutchinson, manager of PlatformJewellery in Hatton Garden (which openedin June last year) was also extremely happy with the shop’s participation in theevent. “The sales were better than ever andwe hope the success of jewellery week will spill into the coming months,” she says. “We are already making plans to be includednext year.”

| Industry News

8 The Jeweller July 2010

A successful LJWplans for 2011

Revellers at the Leblas in-shop party

PureJewels Platinum Heritage collection launch

The Voice of the Industry 9

Industry News |

Acommemorative platinum and diamondpendant designed by Manoj Parmar was

the first piece of jewellery to be hallmarkedat the WB Group’s recently opened Sub-AssayOffice. The piece which won an in-housedesign competition for staff, will be kept –together with designs from three runners up– in the Group’s archive as souvenirs of thishistoric occasion.

“We wanted all our staff to be involved in this exciting new initiative so we threw a competition open to the entire workforceasking them to come up with a commemo-rative piece, and were absolutely delightedwith the results,” explains Domino’s salesdirector, Andrew Sollitt.

The brief was to design an item of jewellerythat would commemorate the opening ofthe Sub-Assay Office while also representingthe growth of the WB Group and its on-going development.

Manoj who is a sales administrator forDomino (one of the two companies – whichwith sister company Weston Beamor –comprise the WB Group) based his winningpendant design on the iconic Anchor, thehallmark of Birmingham Assay Office. Thediamond-set ribbon wrapped around theanchor represents the close and on-goingrelationship that binds the WB Group to the

Birmingham AssayOffice which willstaff and operate theSub-Office from theGroup’s premises inthe heart ofB i r m i n g h a m ’ sJewellery Quarter.

So where didParmar, who is nor-mally to be found atthe end of the telephone line, gethis obvious talentfor design? “I didactually study at the

School of Jewellery in Birmingham and havean HND in Jewellery and Silversmithing, so itis something I have done before; that said Iwas stunned and really delighted to win,”says Parmar. “I love design and hope to beable to do more. I guess you could say I’ma frustrated designer.”

A love of design clearly permeates theDomino workforce as the designs producedby Parmar’s colleagues Claudie Barratt,Shavinder Dhanoa and Lorraine Nelson, all of whom are also in the sales team,demonstrated. “The standard was so highthat we decided we would also make upClaudie’s ring and Shavinder’s and Lorraine’spendants and keep all four designs as part of our company’s rich and developinghistory,” says Sollitt.

Having the Sub-Assay Office is a tremen-dous additional facility for The WB Groupand means that there is no longer the needto move jewellery to and from BirminghamAssay Office in order to have the hallmarkapplied. “In these troubled times, the securitybenefits are a real bonus and while I hesitateto promise our customers a faster delivery,there is no doubt that having our own SubOffice will also simplify and facilitate ourproduction processes,” says the WB Group’sMD, Andrew Morton.

Commemorative designscelebrate first hallmarkstruck at the WB Group

S N I P P E T SSimon Carter celebrates silver jubilee this autumn

Menswear, accessories and men’s jewelleryand watch designer Simon Carter is cele-brating twenty five years in business thisautumn with the launch of a Silver Jubileecollection of limited edition cufflinks andwatches. The quirky character of Carter’spieces is evident: aviation motif cufflinks andhighly stylised rectangular-face watcheswith rubber straps. Having trained initially inmedicine, Carter began his fashion careerselling pewter brooches up and downLondon's King’s Road. Today his collectionssell in 40 countries across the world.

Watch brand teams up withcelebs for charity

Obaku Harmony by Ingersoll has asked anumber of British celebrities – Jade Jagger,Jo Wood, Yasmin le Bon and Sadie Frostamong them – to create a watch dialdesign, in support of a global initiative tohelp refugees. For every Obaku-Refugeewatch sold, 20 USD will be donated to thecharity Refugees United.Launched in 2007, theObaku collection focuseson simple design and afusion of European andAsian cultural references.The watches retail forbetween £75 - £170.

CIBJO to participate in world expo CSR event

The United Nations Institute for Training andResearch (UNITAR) has invited the WorldJewellery Confederation (CIBJO) to assumea key role in a Corporate Social Responsibilityprogramme at the Shangahi World Expo thisSeptember. The invitation was issued on thefinal day of the first Executive Course in CSRorganised by CIBJO last month. CIBJO willshare the experience of the jewellery sectorover the past decade in meeting ethical andsocial challenges, and then developing astrategy by which the industry could raise itsinvolvement in development programmes.

| Industry News

10 The Jeweller July 2010

S N I P P E T S

Accurist launch a charming watch collection

It had to happen… In a response to thedemand for beaded jewellery, British watchmaker Accurist has launched the firstbracelet watch that is compatible with allleading charm bead brands, includingPandora, Chamilia, Lovelinks and Truth.There are three styles in the range; Daisy,Passion and Crystal Row and the watchesare silver plated and feature mother of pearldials. Additional versions in sterling silverwill be launched later this year.

DeWitt partners with Guards Polo Club

Swiss watch brandDeWitt, together withits new UK distributorLinder Luxury is therecently appointedofficial timing partnerof Guards Polo Club.The three year part-nership will includecustomised giantclocks around theClub’s playing field at Smith’s Lawn; adisplay of watches inthe Clubhouse; the organisation of jointevents and the development of two specially designed watches for gentlemenand ladies.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of theGuards Polo Club’s historic Queen’s Cupthis year DeWitt has designed two specialcommemorative watches. The gentlemen’sversion is inspired by the Twenty-8-TwentyTourbillion model, while the ladies’ modeltakes inspiration from the Dame de Pressy watch and is decorated with morethan 460 diamonds.

June’s ‘Emergency Budget’ was trailed as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the newGovernment to shape the future trend of the UK economy for decades to come. Radical

action, it was said, was needed from Chancellor Osborne. As well as shrinking the fiscal deficit and controlling national debt, he had to ensure that the emerging economicrecovery stayed on track, and protect the most vulnerable members of society.

An early strike meant the mess could still be attributed to the previous administration,that bad news was generally expected, and after the recent experience of European debt,early action to convince markets of the seriousness of the Government’s intent was a priority. Many of the measures had been well trailed in advance. The growth of the publicsector would be curbed; a range of benefits (tax credits for higher earners, child benefits,housing benefits and disability benefits) would be targeted for savings of £11 billion; VAT would rise to unspecified heights; and there would be a swingeing bank levy and apunishing increase in capital gains tax.

On the day, Mr Osborne talked tough. He met the key issues of the deficit, national debt,the welfare budget and the public sector head on, yet miraculously he could still point togrowth forecasts from the independent Office for Budget Responsibility that showed GDPincreasing and no adverse unemployment consequences.

If the hyperbole and rhetoric that preceded the event had encouraged speculation thatthis budget was to be a cataclysmic event, the reality proved almost an anti–climax, andto business leaders it looked positively benign. Yes, Capital Gains Tax is to go up, but only to 28 per cent and not 40 per cent as widely predicted. Yes, VAT would rise, but only next year. There were to be concessions for employers on National Insurance contributions, and Corporation Tax (including the small companies rate) was to bereduced. Just for once the usual duties on tobacco, alcohol and petrol would be leftuntouched – for the moment at least. The market was pacified, the bankers would gettheir bonuses, and yes, there was the promise of jam tomorrow!

But even as we basked in the rosy glow of Mr Osborne’s beneficence, grim reality beganto bite. First, Mr Cameron had to admit that yes, the pay freeze for fire fighters and publicservices was really a pay cut, and yes, the pension age was being put back by a year – fornow! As always, the devil is in the detail, and most of that won’t be revealed until October,but already there is talk of cuts in police numbers, and many commentators can’t squarethe proposed cuts in public service jobs with the optimistic employment forecasts.

Has the Chancellor done jewellers any favours? An increase in VAT is never welcome.Although it might deliver a brief Christmas bonanza as shoppers go for broke on big ticket items before it takes effect on 4th January, the impact on 2011 is unpredictable.Other than VAT, most jewellers will appreciate that administratively and financially thebudget served them well. What is less clear is how much Mr Osborne has added to the collective national gloom, and what effect that will have on customers’ confidence.Tempting as it may be to imagine that jewellers’ customers are all city business types, millionaires and bankers, in reality civil servants, teachers, nurses and the like provide theirbread and butter. Only time will tell how many of them will be enjoying a happy Christmasand a prosperous new year.

Thoughts on the Budget

Xionet Ltd – a retractionIn the June issue of The Jeweller it was incorrectly stated in the Watch feature that GK Woodsis the distributor for Vabene watches. This was an error on our part, for which we apologise.Xionet Ltd (part of the GW Group) is the UK distributor for Vabene watches.

Seven million reasonsto use T.H. March’s Customer Insurance Solutions

As well as looking after the business insurance needs of our clients in the trade, many of our jewellers also introduce their own customers to us. This has resulted in T.H. March paying over £7 million to jewellers in commission, replacement jewellery and jewellery repairs over the last four years.

Two thousand retail jewellers earn commission on any introductions to us as well as benefitting from replacement jewellery sales and repairs following a claim. This keeps customers coming back and spending in their shops, increasing both turnover and customer loyalty. In today’s tough markets, you know how important this is.

To find out how you can benefit, call any of our six branches nationwide, or John Watson on 01822 855555. You can also visit Your Customer’s Insurance at

www.thmarch.co.ukMIS/7MV1/25.06.10

The World Diamond Council (WDC) has called for all parties involved in the KimberleyProcess, to continue productive dialogue and co-operation, following the breakdown of

talks at the KP intersessional meeting in Tel Aviv last month. Regulators from 70 countriesfailed to agree on whether to allow Zimbabwe to trade diamonds after allegations of humanrights abuses in mines, as a result of which, the ban on the country's diamond exports is toremain in place. Since its inception in 2003, the KP has played a key role in the effort toeliminate ‘the scourge of conflict diamonds’ from the global diamond trade.

Famous Golcondadiamond up for sale

| Industry News

12 The Jeweller July 2010

In the space of a week Frank Wood hashad to reconcile himself to conceding two

much loved titles, as he not only handed overthe Chain of Office to new chairman NicholasMajor, but also the Bransom sponsored golfing Challenge Trophy to this year’s winner.

The second NAG Challenge Trophy golfcompetition, with many more competitorsthan the previous year, took place at FulfordGolf Club in York, on the 7th June and was won by Daniel Sullivan, a guest ofRobert McDonald of EW Adams, with a very high score of 41 points playing off ahandicap of 12. The worthy winner alsoscooped the ‘longest drive’ prize of a 32”widescreen TV (sponsored by Clarity andSuccess) and was part of the winning team!

Sadly, last year’s clear blue sky and toptemperature could not be matched for the2010 competition, which started wellenough but the ‘wet stuff’ eventually madean appearance and dampened the day.However, it did not dampen the spirits ofthe golfers, with some very high scoresbeing recorded.

The results are as follows:-NAG Challenge Trophy – Sponsored byBransom Retail Systems Ltd. The winnerDaniel Sullivan was presented with themagnificent Sterling Silver NAG ChallengeTrophy, by Bransom managing director Chris Garland (who also competed in the tournament).Team Prize – Sponsored by the NAG, waswon by Robert McDonald, Daniel Sullivan,Chris Rowell and Mike Goodman.

Putting Competition – Sponsored byBransom Retail Systems Ltd, was won byDonald Currie of Neil & Barker of Widnes.Longest Drive – Sponsored by Clarity &Success Ltd was won by Daniel Sullivan.Nearest the Pin – Sponsored by ConceptSmokescreen Ltd, this event was won byDavid Arundale.

As the players were raising funds for theCentenary Trust charity, there were fines for‘less than regulation’ play at various pointsout on the course: missing the green on apar 3, landing in the sand on one fairwayand missing the fairway on another hole.The fines raised £365, so a big thank you toall the ‘guilty’ parties for joining in the ‘fun’.

After the stresses of the golf round andthe putting competition, there was a relaxingafternoon tea, followed by a Champagnereception, sponsored by rolexrepairs.co.uk,before a magnificent dinner and the dreaded results. The scores this year, werevery impressive and there were several thatwould have won last year. To view images ofthe highlights of the day simply visit the professional photographers’ web-site at:www.eventphotosyork.co.uk

“We are very grateful to our main sponsorsof the day, to the companies which sponsored the tees, and all those personaland company gifts for the raffle table,” saysNAG deputy chairman Frank Wood. “Theirsupport is vitally important for ensuring asuccessful day. If anyone is interested inplaying next year, or in sponsoring an event (or both), then please contact me.”([email protected])

Your country needs you!

The next high profile golf competition isthe NAG International. This is a home

international between England, Ireland,Scotland and Wales, to be held on the 4th August 2010. The inaugural match will be hosted, once again, in York’s FulfordGolf Club, with future venues dependant onthe winning country.

Anyone interested in playing for his or hercountry should contact Frank Wood who willdirect them to the relevant team captain.The aim is to have around 20 players per country. No need to be a Tiger Woodsto play; the organisers are hoping for an enjoyable day with plenty of banter and fun.The competition is open to all sectors of thejewellery industry: retailers, manufacturers,suppliers and ancillary companies, will allqualify for what promises to be a very exciting event.

NAG Challenge Trophy Results

Ready to tee off: Mark Thorne of ConceptSmokescreens, Frank Wood and Mike Hughes,chairman of the BJA

WDC calls for ban on Zimbabwediamond exports to remain in place The celebrated 17th century Archduke

Joseph Diamond, which has resided inEurope for the past 200 years, is up for saleand could well be brought back to its homecountry, India, if enough money can beraised to buy it. The 76 carat gem from theGolconda diamond district (now in AndhraPradesh) has been valued at Rs 250-300crore. The ‘internally flawless’ D-colour diamond was last sold in 1993 for $6.5m.

| NAG News

14 The Jeweller July 2010

Is your business a bitunder the weather?There are numerous medicines and therapies to help one’s failing health, but what can be

done for a failing business? While acupuncture or herbal remedies will have limited benefits,we would advise retailers to consider a simple Business Health Check to inject some life backinto a business and give a fresh, unbiased perspective on how it can be improved.

Mike McGraw of Development Initiatives Ltd, which provides analysis and support for thiscircumstance through the NAG, says the recession has been a difficult three years hard grind formany jewellers, but ironically it has also been a profitable time for others. Why the difference?

“Of course there were local and national reasons why some struggled and are still struggling,but the main reasons separating the successful and unsuccessful jewellers are twofold,” he says.“Firstly, those who prospered measured precisely how their business was performing and were able to know which elements to manage and how to manage them. Secondly, withthis knowledge they were able to adopt a positive outlook which in turn provided positivemotivation to move forward” he adds.

McGraw believes that the coming years are a time of both challenge and opportunity. “Theprinciples of knowing how you are performing and what you can do to improve still stand.They are probably even more important when looking to gain a competitive advantage thansimply trying to survive.”

Which is why a quick and cost-effective NAG Business Health Check is a wise thing to have.It will assess where a business is strategically; how operationally excellent it is; where thereare any areas of complacency and whether the team is competent to take the business forward.Knowing where a business is and then taking effective action are the prerequisites to forwardplanning and creating an ability to take advantage of any opportunities.

The Business Health Check, which costs NAG members £25 + VAT or non members £50+ VAT, first involves completing a confidential questionnaire. Once responses have beenanalysed, written feedback will be provided along with guidance and suggestions on whereefforts should be concentrated. In addition, there will be a three month follow up supportfrom Mike McGraw to help with decision making.

Ruth Rees of Martin Rees Jewellers in Wrexham reports that the Business Health Checkwas well worth doing. “It was a really useful and cost-effective way of getting an outsider’sview on the business. It was nice to make contact with Mike McGraw – he gave some usefulfeedback and we felt he was there if we had any major issues,” she adds.

Any business within the jewellery sector, whether retailer, designer maker, supplier or manufacturer wishing to order the Business Health Check, contact Amanda White at the NAGoffice on 020 7613 4445.

The NAG’s Yorkshire Centre is preparing to dress to impress by hosting a James Bond themed dinner dance on Saturday 20th

November, 2010. The Goldfinger evening will form part of theirannual celebrations at the Beiderbecke’s Hotel in Scarborough. The black tie event will commence at 7:30pm with prosecco andcanapés on arrival followed by a three course “A Taste of Yorkshire”dinner at 8:15pm. Coffee and chocolates will then be served before dancing to Jazmattaz.A disco will round the evening off from 10:30 till midnight. Anyone wishing to attend canpurchase a ticket (£37.50) from either Justine Craven (president) on 01723 373122) orDianne Wood (secretary) on 01904 625274.

James Bond glitz comes to Scarborough

NAG AGM 2010The extremely salubrious surroundings

of Wentworth Golf Club provided thebackdrop of the NAG's 116th AnnualGeneral Meeting. And for all of those whowere unable to attend... you missed a goodone! With just the right blend of ceremony– befitting the levity of the occasion – andcamaraderie expected among memberswho are also friends, the important mattersarising were followed by champagne, a lavish lunch in a portrait-lined banquetinghall and then a round of golf for those whocouldn't resist the offer.

The National Association of Goldsmithshas appointed jeweller Nicholas Major as itsnew Chairman. Nicholas, who is co-ownerof Major Jewellers in East Grinstead, willreplace Frank Wood as the Association’sChairman for the next two years.

“It is an honour to be elected Chairman ofsuch a fine Association“ said Nicholas Major.“The NAG has supported the jewelleryindustry for 116 years and is recognised the world over for its high standards of education and professionalism. The servicesoffered both to the members and the public are exemplary.”

Nicholas Major has been an active member of the NAG for 45 years, whilerunning the family firm, which has been amember for approximately 100 years, andmaintaining the traditional principle of goodservice and values.

The new chairman used the occasion topay tribute to the NAG’s successes in thepast year. “If it is a caddie’s job to support,inform and educate the golfer on thecourse ahead, then the jeweller’s caddiemust surely be the NAG” explained the newChairman. “The NAG has kept its membersout of the rough and on the fairway, bymaking sure they are informed.”

The Voice of the Industry 15

NAG News |

Increase sales and boost confidence in promoting your product on the NAG’s EssentialSelling for Retail Jewellers Seminar with Nigel Amphlett, management and training development consultant. Learn the key steps to successful selling that will take you to ahigher level of customer service. 28th September, 2010 – London. Members £208 + VAT, Non-members £269 + VAT

What are your business’s unique selling points? What makes your shop visible? What makesa dynamic display? Learn the theory of display and then practise your knowledge with thehelp of Judy Head jewellery marketing expert. This Essential Window Display Seminarwill help you promote buying occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries and Valentine’sDay and create visually arresting displays that capture interest and make an impact.14th October, 2010 – London. Members £208 + VAT, Non-members £269 + VAT

Polish up your diamond grading skills with Eric Emms who will take you through all the relevant topics from a jewellery retailer’s perspective: identification, colour and clarity grading,symmetry and proportion, carat weight estimation, current diamond economics and socialresponsibility issues. This two day Diamonds and Diamond Grading Seminar is a mustfor building diamond knowledge and confidence in selling diamonds to an informed public.19th-20th October, 2010 – London. Members £375 + VAT, Non-members £512 + VAT

To book places contact Amanda White at the NAG on tel: 020 7613 4445 or email her at: [email protected]

An opportunity toimprove retail skillsPlaces are still available on our Seminars for September and October.

New Member Applications

To ensure that NAG members are aware ofnew membership applications within theirlocality, applicants’ names are publishedbelow. Members wishing to comment onany of these applications can call HarshitaDeolia on 020 7613 4445 or email: [email protected] within threeweeks of receipt of this issue.

Ordinary ApplicationsPeter Casey Jewellers (Peter Casey) WantageKim Wood Jewellers (Kim Wood) Sandwich, KentAlba Rose (Bruce and Ryan Edkins), Rayleigh, Essex

Affiliate Applicationswww.iconicwatches.co.uk

(Zachary and Gayle Coles) Blackburn

Alumni ApplicationsOliver James Cartledge, Louth, LincolnshireMargaret Elizabeth Howson, Cumbria

IRV Applications

If members wish to comment on any ofthese, please contact Sandra Page on(029) 2081 3615.

Upgrading from Member to FellowJohn C Benjamin PJValDip FGA DGA, Aylesbury

The 2nd Oxford Congress held on 24th Junebegan on a high note as host Mike

McGraw announced that EDF groups hadgrown from strength to strength with anoverall 11 per cent cumulative salesimprovement in 2009, and so far in 2010cumulative sales holding at around the +12per cent. The Congress was held at the SaidBusiness School in Oxford and attended by40 delegates who had travelled from allover the UK – members of the NAG’sExecutive Development Forum who werejoined by other jewellery industry members.

During the day, presentations were made by Sophie Hudson of Tui Thomson-Holidays, Martin Barrow of Virada Trainingand Mark Giddings of Giddings Design, with topics for discussion ranging from thecustomer experience and selling skills tovisual shop design.

Sophie Hudson focused on the customerjourney and the importance of creating salesthrough service. Though her presentation wasfocused on the travel industry, she pointedout that a holiday and a piece of jewelleryare both ‘emotional products.’ She exploredthe importance of the brand and highlightedthe importance of setting your businessapart from competitors.

Martin and Julie Barrow used role play toexplore the selling process and the relation-ship between customer and salesperson,describing how a change in approach cangreatly increase sales and retain customers.This opened up considerable discussion onhow to proceed when things don’t look toopromising – which was very entertaining.

Finally, Mark Giddings concentrated onvisual design and highlighted the importanceof the shop environment and appearance to

draw customers in.With great enthusiasmhe presented exam-ples of his work andshowed pictures of arecent project withNAG president, PatrickFuller of DominoJewellery, where his team was appointed to create a design for the creative suite.

All the speakers stimulated and inspiredwith their motivating presentations – whichwere enthusiastically received by Congressdelegates. It was apparent that those present were very keen and had attendedwith every intention of broadening theirknowledge and bettering their businesses.We recommend the Oxford Congress to all our members: it is a truly valuable andenjoyable day.

Oxford Congress 2010 reports EDF growth

Mark Giddings giveshis presentation

| NAG News

16 The Jeweller July 2010

Ethical jewellery has really come a longway. How difficult is it to encourage othersto follow the CRED lead?It really has come a long way. When we firststarted there was no such thing and most ofthe people that we approached in theindustry returned our questions with blanklooks. There seems to have been a stepchange in the last six months and we’ve hadquite a few artisanal makers and designersapproaching us. We are focused on growingCRED Jewellery but we’re not protective ofwhat we do and want to see the ethos ofCRED and fair trade jewellery improve thesocial and environmental impact of our trade.

What would you suggest as a startingpoint for people interested in making theirbusinesses more ethically sound? A starting point is transparency. You need tounderstand the social and environmentalimpact of your business. There’s no way ofknowing how to make changes until youknow where your materials are coming from.

Then it’s about using these answers todetermine your next steps, like looking forsuppliers whose ethics fit with yours.

When the business first started in 1996,were many people looking for fair tradejewellery? There weren’t as many as there are today,but enough to get us started. Our first customers were people who were switchedon to commercial justice issues, the peoplewho would look to buy fair trade productsfrom supermarkets, those who caredenough about these ethical issues to try andbe responsible consumers.

How do you promote the CRED ethos toyour customers? Are most of them alreadyinformed before they visit the shop?The majority are looking for fair trade jewellery,and generally find us via the website. It’s notreally something that you can find in anyjewellery shop. Our core focus is wedding andengagement rings, where there’s a lot of

education involved – fair trade is just anotherdimension. It’s important to explain wherethe materials come from and the impactthat they’ve had on the environment. Onaverage, three tonnes of cyanide or mercuryis the amount of waste material used torelease gold from its ore and it was thisawareness that set us on our journey ofdoing what we do.

Of all the jewellery you sell, is there anything in particular that is difficult toensure is 100 per cent fair trade?Yes, silver. We use recycled silver as we’re stillresearching to find a consistent source offair trade silver. It’s very much a journey; wego to great lengths to tell our customerswhere the materials are coming from and behonest about the strengths and weaknesses.

CRED hosted Essence at London JewelleryWeek, can you tell me more about this?There are a few other companies that havejoined us on this journey and Essence wasthe first collaborative show for these jewellers.It was a great opportunity to bring everyonetogether to show the diversity in the designsand the best of the UK’s new wave of social-ly aware and responsible designers.

Finally, can you share a story with ourreaders about memorable customers?A couple from West Yorkshire wanted to buytheir wedding rings from us but we didn’thave any appointments free for our Londonshowroom. We did however have availabilityin our Chichester branch so they droveanother few hundred miles just to comeand see us. It’s impressive that it meant somuch to them to buy fair trade weddingrings, that they went that extra length. We’vehad international visitors before, in earlyJune we had customers from South Africa!

Member of the MonthThis issue Harshita Deolia talks to Christian Cheesman, Director ofCRED Jewellery based in Chichester and London. A member since2003 and was the first European retailer to sell independentlycertified Fair Trade gold. Since then, fair trade jewellery and ethical issues are no longer ideas but very much a reality andat the forefront of many jewellers’ minds today.

Our first customers were those who cared enough aboutthese ethical issues to try and be responsible consumers.

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The Voice of the Industry 19

BJA News |

Once upon a timejewellery manufac-

turers made jewellery andjewellery retailers sold it.The two sides of theindustry were clearlydefined and never thetwain should meet: butnot any more.

Things, in our increasingly global industry,are a little different today. Many British‘manufacturers’ have turned into importers;as have some retailers. An increasing number of producers have turned their handto retailing – especially online – while someretailers are making forays into manufacturingoverseas. The edges between the two, onceclearly-defined, elements of our industryhave blurred.

This is clearly demonstrated by theincreasingly diverse membership of theBritish Jewellers’ Association – all of which isinvolved in ‘jewellery’, but much of whichdefies conventional pigeonholing.

Drawing all elements of our disparatetrade together has many advantages. Thereis strength in numbers and speaking withone voice on the threats which currentlyface us all – high metal prices, security, ethical matters and simply competing forour share of a tough consumer market –really makes sense.

Which is why I am so delighted by the factthat the BJA and NAG have entered an exciting period of greater cooperation. Thisbegan when Patrick Fuller, chairman ofDomino became the first ever manufacturerto hold the position of president of the NAG.

We have now taken this collaboration onestep further with each organisation inviting arepresentative of the other to sit in on itscommittee meetings. We look forward greatlyto welcoming NAG chairman to the BJA andto receiving feedback from BJA vice chairmanGary Williams who has been invited to attendmeetings at the NAG.

We have, I believe, much to learn fromeach other and I sincerely hope that this

move will be a first step towards a lastingdialogue and a more inclusive and strongervoice for the whole industry on the issuesthat affect us all.

Mike Hughes, chairman of the BJA

Changing world bringsAssociations closer

Designers at CMJ AnniversaryFollowing the success of the New Designers area at the Company of Master Jewellers’

meeting in March this year, there will be a showcase of designer talent at the CMJ’s 30thanniversary event this month. The BJA has once again helped to select and guide anothergroup of ten outstanding designer members for the meeting – to be held on the 19th and20th July. “The designers were very well received and found that many retailers were interestedin their quality and style,” comments Lindsey Straughton who co-ordinated the event. Billed under ‘New Ideas, NewOpportunities’, CMJ’s 30th birthday event promises togo with a swing with Alexander Davis, Ana deCosta, David Webdale, Eastern Mystic, FSA,Oria, Sarah Herriott, Tomasz Donocik andWilliam Cheshire exhibiting their collections.

With a view to advancing the cooperationbetween the two Associations, Gary Williams,vice chairman of the BJA, was invited to attend the recent NAG AGM.

Pieces by Alexander Davis (far left),Eastern Mystic (left) and Ana de Costa(above), three of the designers whosework will be on show at the event.

| BJA News

20 The Jeweller July 2010

This year, 170 BJA members are signedup to exhibit across five distinct product

areas: Gems, Fine Jewellery, Silver Jewellery,Design Gallery and Jewellery Solutions. TheBJA has negotiated an excellent package formembers, including 2.5 per cent discounton the cost of show stand space and a waiving of internet listing charges – saving£215 per company.

The BJA staff and service providers –including ‘Copywatch’ lawyers – will be onhand at the show on stand C50. All membersare encouraged to submit design depositsto the BJA prior to the autumn shows tohelp protect their Intellectual Property. This service is free for the first 25 a year to apply.

Once again the Design Gallery has provedextremely popular and space there has allbut sold out – showing just how importantand popular design-led jewellery is withinthe industry. The BJA will host the KickStartstand, an initiative between IJL and the

Association to guide a selection of first timedesigner member exhibitors at the show, ona prominent joint stand in the Design Gallery.There will also be an exhibiting master classfor first time exhibitors on 15th June.

The show attracts more trade buyers ofcoloured stones, diamonds and pearls thanany other UK event. Over 3,400 buyers whovisited in 2009 were looking for gemstonesand beads – up a significant 16 per cent on

the previous year. The 2010 exhibition isalready 95 per cent sold, but there are stilla few locations available for gems suppliersto join the 32 gems exhibitors who havealready secured participation.

The IJL organisers have ensured a numberof areas of interest for visitors, which willinclude the ‘Editor’s Choice’ product show-case at the front of the hall. Here severalexhibiting companies who have beenawarded Claire Adler’s Editors Choice, willhave their winning products displayed.There will also be several relevant and interesting seminars (that can be attendedby visitors and exhibitors alike) includingseveral hosted at the IJL Boulevard Bar. The IJL team has invited anonymous questions to be submitted prior to the show,which will be passed on to the ‘panel ofexperts discussions’ on either ‘Everythingyou want to know about buying but wereafraid to ask?’ or ‘Everything you want toknow about brand building but were afraidto ask?’ Just email: [email protected]

Countdown to EarlsCourt for BJA members Whether you are a wholesaler, manufacturer or designer,exhibiting at IJL is now the single best opportunity to reachover 9,000 jewellery buyers. According to research by the onlystand alone jewellery exhibition in the UK, 51 per cent of itsvisitors attend no other trade show in this country.

IJL Seminar Programme 2010The crowd drawing comprehensive seminar programme will be split into four streams:

Technical skills and product knowledge Gem sessions and valuation seminar fromindustry experts.Retail Strategy Including the professional American trainer Brad Huisken who will be inthe UK again after his successful JCK Vegas sessions.Jewellery Trends Featuring Joanna Hardy of Sotheby’s discussing ‘future icons’ – whatjewellery will stand the test of time? ‘Colour trends and its impact on the jewellery sector’by Global Color Research.Multichannel Retailing Various sessions teaching you how to optimise your website.For further information about IJL please visit: www.jewellerylondon.com

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FREDERIQUE CONSTANTIn celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frédéric Chopin, Swiss watch companyFrédérique Constant has launched the 2010 Limited Edition Chopin watch. In either steel oryellow gold plate, the classically styled timepieces feature a piano keys pattern in the centreof the dial. Each of the 1,810 pieces, come delivered in a miniature chopin piano gift box.

TIVON FINE JEWELLERYThe Eden collection was inspired by EdenTivo, daughter of Ariel Tivon who wanted torelease a line which represented a sense ofadventure, fun and fantasy. “Our childrensee the world this way and it is this sense thatwe, as adults, try to recapture all our lives,”explains Tivon. An array of fine colouredgemstones has been used for the big andbold 18k gold pieces which include thiscocktail ring which features a peridot as the centre stone.

TECHNOMARINEIf versatility and fun are two of the majorcurrent trends for fashion watches (as wellas jewellery) then Technomarine has it all sewn up with the new Cruise Sport collection which offers an interchangeablesilicone strap and case cover. All black for those cool, urban moods or a choice ofvibrant brights – orange, sky blue, hot pink and lime green – for the slightly morefrivolous customer…

GOLDMAJORWhile having earned a reputation as a specialist in amber jewellery, Goldmajor hasalso built up a strong collection of piecesusing a variety of other materials – such asmarcasite, jet, silver and a variety ofcoloured stones like citrine and turquoise.These combinations sit perfectly with current fashion trends for bold, impactivejewellery such as cuffs, large drop earringsand, of course, statement necklaces.

ORTAKLaunched this year, Ortak's Belle collectionmarks the return to the use of pearls, afteran interval of five years. The curved linessynonymous with the Art Nouveau period,form the basis of this mixed metal range,which comprises drop and stud earrings,bracelets and necklaces – perfect for latesummer brides.

SUKIE LAULaunching at Pure Womenswear next month,the new autumn Sukie Lau collection fromBalagan has, as its main focus, colour.Agates in deep purples, blues and darkgreens have been used for a very wearablerange of bead pieces (even the clasps aremagnetic, so no fumbling with catches).

THE BRANCHWhat began a few years ago as a collectionrevolving essentially around rosewood, hassince grown to incorporate silver, 18ct goldplated silver and now a variety of colouredstones. The beautifully tactile bangles, rings,pendants, earrings and statement necklacesutilise green avanturine, black onyx, fire agateand cornelian. The jewellery wholesalesfrom around £32 - £145.

KIRSTEN GOSSFirst seen on the international catwalks atleast two year’s ago, the statement necklacestill shows no sign of receding from fashion’sspotlight. A perfect summer example (greatwith a floaty black kaftan for ethnic eveningchic) is this Moroccan Collar by top jewellerydesigner Kirsten Goss. It incorporates 18ctgold vermeil, labradorite, chrysoprase, pyrite,smoky quartz, cherry jasper, sea bambooand sterling silver and, like all of Goss’ jewellery, is designed and crafted in-house,using stones sourced by her.

AAMAYA JEWELSThis hand-crafted bracelet is one of a newcollection of charm-like bracelets byAamaya Jewels, using roughly beaten goldplate and set with coloured stones – agate,aquamarine, citrine, topaz and black onyx –sourced by the fashion and jewellerydesigner Priyanka Lugani from Jaipur. Otherpieces in her collection include bold andunusual two and three stone rings usingsapphire, turquoise and amethyst.

HOT DIAMONDSThe new Ionia collection from HotDiamonds Black takes as its inspiration thefigurative representation of coral. Organicforms interweave to create pieces thatwhile modern in feel, also have an air ofother worldliness. The 20-piece line is inrhodium-plated sterling silver and, for the first time, 18ct gold plate and all piecesin the collection are set with the brand’strademark brilliant cut diamonds.

It’s a long-held view that the UK producessome of the most talented designers in

the world. They may not all have been bornhere and they don’t necessarily stay in thiscountry to ply their trade – but we sureknow how to train them. Our colleges, universities and art schools have a well-deserved reputation for discovering, nurturing and encouraging these creativeand innovative individuals.

I’m not just talking about fashion, with itshigh profile names like Galliano andMcQueen, but also jewellery of course. Inour industry too we have attention-grabbingcelebrity designers – Webster, Leane, Azaguryfor instance – albeit on a slightly less hysterical level.

However, while independent fashionretailers fight for the privilege of carrying thesought-after designers, and others activelyseek out hot new names straight from theirdegree shows, jewellery boutiques arearguably less adventurous.

Traditional jewellers in particular tend tobe more reticent when it comes to investingin new design. Which means that up-and-

coming designer-makers end up selling togalleries, fashion boutiques or direct to theconsumer. As Nathalie Kabiri, who ownstwo designer jewellery boutiques in Londonpoints out: “it is thought [by some] that it ismore ‘commercial’ to go with the knownrather than the unknown.” What a wastedopportunity! But things are changing…

“Jewellery students are often workingalongside fashion designers, but it has takentime for retailers to acknowledge a fashion-led approach,” admits Thorsten van Elten,curator of One Year On at New Designers,which showcases young design talent atLondon’s Business Design Centre thismonth. “But interest in design in general hasfinally permeated into the mainstream jewellery retailers, who are realising thatthey need to modernise their offer to thepublic, who appreciate contemporary design.”

Naomi Newton-Sherlock, head of newproduct development at Domino agrees thatjewellery retailers have, in the past, tendedto play it safe: “I think there has historicallybeen an underestimation of the adventur-ousness of the British consumer when itcomes to jewellery [meaning] retailers oftengravitate towards safer jewellery designsand tend to stick with what they know, andstocking the work of new and emerging jewellers will always be a risk that manyretailers are not happy to take,” she says.

“However, I do believe that this is slowlychanging. There’s a minority of retailers that

| Feature

24 The Jeweller July 2010

There’s a wealth of jewellerydesign talent out there – but do we fully appreciate it?Belinda Morris asks someindustry figures to predict thefuture stars and choose theirtop trends for the year ahead.

FUTURESTARS

Jayce Wong Linnie McLarty

Nicole Akong

is open to pushing the boundaries andexperimenting with new product,” sheexplains. “Over the past five years we haveseen a marked change in the UK consumers’approach to jewellery. We are becomingmore adventurous and increasingly seekjewellery that makes a statement about whowe are. As the rise of the self-purchasingfemale continues, it will be vital for retailersto offer jewellery that offers a point of difference. Those retailers that recognisethis are bound to reap the rewards.”

Sally Leonard, apart from being a jewellerydesigner, is business consultant for theCenta project Jewellery Connections. Thepan-London scheme – which runs until nextyear – provides a pot of money to helpdesigner-makers link up with retailers, man-ufacturers, cast-makers – anyone within thejewellery or allied trades. The aim is to helpbring new product to market and connectpeople, while taking away the stress and alot of the financial pressure associated withworking with a new person.

“There’s a real resurgence in British designat the moment – for a start there are no language, distance or time issues [whenworking with UK designers]. And there arealso economic and environmental benefits– no massive carbon footprint issues to dealwith,” she points out. “I would like to seemore retailers tapping into the pool of talentthat is here. Jewellery Connections offers a relatively low-risk way for retailers toexperiment and be pro-active – and it canprovide a point of difference to other retailers.There can be a lack of communication inthe trade – but there should be no ‘us’ and‘them’ – it should all be ‘us’.”

Certainly, any possible lack of activitybetween retailers and young designers cannot be blamed solely on the former. “I think it depends on how jewellersapproach retailers – some small designcompanies still do not take seriously thereality of running a business,” says DellaTinsley, co-director of London JewelleryWeek. “They might be great designers and crafts people, but struggle at running abusiness on their own. We foster and support collaborations and will be workingwith more retailers to facilitate those relationships,” she explains.

“It excites me to see someone with greatdesigns and a business that has vision,” sheadds. “Good examples are Katie Rowland,Josef Koppmann and Dennis & Lavery

who see what they do holistically – goodbusiness, great service and brilliant design.”

There really is little excuse for retailers notto explore the possibility of exciting newjewellery. At IJL in September for instance,two separate initiatives will showcase thework of emerging designers. “IJL is a verydesign-led show generally,” says SamWilloughby, acting event manager for theshow. “Many designers launch their firstproduct ranges at IJL, and the show team isconstantly scouting new talent. KickStart is agood example of where we will present upand coming design talent to the industry.This exciting feature is supported by the

BJA, and was launched at last year’s showas a bursary scheme for fledgling jewellerydesigners and acts as a commercial launch pad for those selected to take part,providing a boost for the industry and allowing retailers to find out about some ofthe freshest design talent.”

Bright Young Gems is another IJL featurewhich identifies some of the best as yetundiscovered designers. “Nominated byleading editors who know exactly what tolook out for – designers who are innovative,push boundaries, and ultimately createstunning pieces – Bright Young Gems is partof an initiative that has become iconic within the industry, for everyone from stylistsand trend forecasters to retailers, buyersand the consumer press,” adds Willoughby.

And it’s not just new design talent thatcan be seen at IJL for the first time – it’s alsonew trends. Visitors can get expert advicefrom leading trend forecasting agencies,

The Voice of the Industry 25

Feature |

“There’s a real resurgence in British design at the moment…there are no language, distance or time issues and there arealso economic and environmental benefits… I would like tosee more retailers tapping into the pool of talent that is here.”

Hannah Livingstone

Hannah Bedford

Nest Creates

Lyme Fine Jewellery

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The Voice of the Industry 27

Feature |

who are speaking as part of the JewelleryTrends stream of the seminar programme.”

“The new jewellery shoppers are verydesigner-savvy and are open to rising and edgy designers of which there is anabsolute army,” says celebrated designerStephen Webster. “These young designersare passionate about all aspects of jewellery:the legend, the romance, and the emotionthat can be evoked by it. Watch this spacefor a new attitude to the jeweller as thenucleus of a much wider portfolio of products and services. Some may even beelevated to the cult of celebrity, alreadyenjoyed by designers in other areas of fashion. After all what’s wrong with JewellerDJ’s or Jeweller TV presenters? Let’s face itthey all have a certain ‘ring’ to them.”

DESIGNER NAMES TO WATCHJoanna Dahdah – a recent Central St.Martin’s graduate who won the covetedBest New Designer award at Treasure forher fabulous spherical Muse Collection.Ute Decker – her passion and designs aretruly inspiring, alongside her commitment tousing recycled silver and ethical materials –amazing wearable statement pieces.Linnie McClarty – her new brooches arestunning and a real investment.Jayce Wong – her work, using created rubydiscs and pearls, together with naturally

fluorescent diamonds and rubies, glows thebrightest shade of red under UV. Della Tinsley, London Jewellery Week

Imogen Belfield – nugget rings and pendants in the One Year On showcase –she has recently been spotted by HarveyNichols (London).Peter Kumarasinhe – a rising star for hisostentation and luxurious settings. He hasalready won acclaim for his work as a City &Guilds Gold Medal Award winner, as well asawards from The Goldsmiths and the BJA.”Thorsten van Elten, New Designers

William Cheshire – creates fantastic, stylish,‘on trend’ jewellery for both men and women.His gold and diamond ‘Burlesque’ rangeappeals to the sophisticated end of the market, while his edgy ‘Lightening Bolt’range in silver, is accessible to everyone.Hannah Bedford – simple yet contemporarydesigns use the ancient granulation techniquein a classic, stylish way. Her most recentpieces in 18ct yellow gold add a touch ofluxury with little diamonds sparkling amongthe granules.”Sarah Hutchinson, Platform

Sian Bostwick – unique, handmade, fantasy,fairytale style for a grown up playfulness.The titanium collections combine silver andanodised titanium, for a range of brightblues and rich purples that, in contrast withthe silk finished silver, achieve an individualand elegant look. The Wonderland collec-tion features three-dimensional silver heartnecklaces. (KickStart, IJL)

Daisy Knights – who launched as a BrightYoung Gem at IJL 2009, creates timeless,wearable jewellery, inspired by nature…with an infusion of punk and rock ‘n’ roll.Every piece is handcrafted using silver andgold vermeil. She also creates bespoke

commissions in platinum, diamonds andgold. Passionate about ethically sourcedmaterials she uses 100 per cent recycled silver and ethically mined gold and diamondsin her fine jewellery collection. (KickStart, IJL)

Nicole Akong – Her pieces are fashionstatements and status symbols; each oneembodying the spirit of haute couture, using

high-quality materials, constructed usingtime-consuming, hand-executed techniques.Everything from gemstones, glass and crystal, to feathers, fur, velvet and lashings of gold and silver chains feature. (KickStart, IJL)

Lyme Fine Jewellery – Celia Weinstock,who studied at GIA, creates beautifulimpactive jewellery pieces with movementand a witty edge. Using a variety colouredstones she draws inspiration from the FarEast for her earrings, statement necklacesand cocktail rings, which are her most popular pieces and form the core of her collection – although she secretly hopes thatbrooches will one day make a comeback.

Dorit – Dorit Schieber’s jewellery is inspiredby natural forms, which are translated intoabstract shapes with clean, defined linesand textures. The designs are minimalist andcrisp but also feel very feminine and combine

Sian Bostwick

JoannaDahdah Dorit Jewellery

ImogenBelfield

28 The Jeweller July 2010

Stylesight’s Autumn/Winter 2011 MegaTrends predict a rich season, full of paradoxes, chicsimplicity, futuristic primitivism and techno-future aesthetic.Composition takes inspiration from Impressionism, soft painting, and modest design – a retro-handcrafted feeling. Bangles, bibs and collars have a craft-couture spirit. Evolution expresses a desire for Sci-Fi futuristic imagery tinted with a primitive attitude.Statement jewellery balances sharp rings with crystal spikes, with chain mails and stackedstrips of metal.From less is more to more is more – Rave has an upbeat free-spirited attitude. Strong architectural accessories break up the neutral palette with glossy, reflective surfaces and saturated neon hues that reinforce this geometric style. Sandrine Maggiani, European trend director, Stylesight.com.The New York based trend information company will be presenting its autumn/winter 2011MegaTrends Forecast at IJL at 12 noon on 5th September.

“There’s a lot of experimentation with new technologies within high fashion jewellery – CADand CAM, laser-welding, cutting and etching. And these designer-makers are also exploringdifferent combinations of materials like wood, ceramics and rubber. This is also linked, insome cases, to the trend for more ethical working – building a story around alternativematerials. Small businesses are where new ideas and trends are coming from.”Sally Leonard, Jewellery Connections

“For autumn winter… fashion jewellery will see: fur, brown and black, 70s looks and areturn to craft – but in a fashion aware manner. With fine jewellery there’s a more classic,chic eighties style... no more rock’n’roll motifs. We will also see conceptual arthouse jewellery, minimalism and space age seventies modern trends.”Nathalie Kabiri

“One thing is sure: ordinary and expensive is over. People are looking for many emotionsto be stirred if price means skipping a few mortgage payments. I believe smaller brandswho do not benefit from the international mega marketing of the big players, have to offera client the feeling that they belong to something special.Stephen Webster

“There’s a trend towards very large statement pieces, including brooches and emblematicpendants – it’s highly individual. However, there is also a strong sense of nostalgia – hark-ing back to traditional keepsakes in smaller scale jewellery, such as lockets and secret com-partments. One Year On at New Designers saw great contrasts between the dramatic andthe intricate, like the little boxes in precious metals by Hannah Livingstone.”Thorsten van Elten, New Designers

“I hope that the Ethical, Fair Trade, Fair Made movements will become mainstream and LJWwill continue to work with organisations to educate and inform retailers, the buying publicand designers. At the show large statement pieces were really making it into most collec-tions and that encourages the use of new and innovative materials and techniques, as thework becomes more like art.Della Tinsley, London Fashion Week

“At the Swarovski trend presentation during London Jewellery week, new strong femininitywas highlighted as the key trend. And nature will continue to have a strong influence withwater having a notable dominance in all areas of design. This week we launched Flow, ournew collection of diamond set rings, earrings and pendants which have a very natural,organic feel. I believe the consumer will seek out jewellery which excites and tells a story.”Naomi Newton-Sherlock, Domino

TRENDS FOR THE YEAR AHEAD

a range of precious materials including silver,gold, beads, stones and pearls.

Mishka – handcrafted in silver and gold vermeil, together with gemstones, pearlsand crystals, Mishka’s bold and sensuouspieces reflect a mix of cultural heritagesfrom the Middle East, Central and SouthAmerica. Her celebrity fan-base includessuch names as Pixie Lott, Kimberley Walshand Lemar.

JuditB – Judit Blumenfrucht works withclients to create their own one-of-a-kindpieces that reflect their personality just asmuch as hers. Her modern jewellery reflects her love of art and architecture, particularly the Art Deco period – designsare architectural with the sharp angles andgeometric shapes used to composeevery piece.

Nest Creates – design duo Zoe Youngmanand Kate Thornley celebrated Nest Creates’first birthday with the unveiling of theirClouds and Mosaic collections in platinum,18ct gold, orange sapphire and diamonds.The lineds are inspired by a mix of the historic (Indian miniature paintings) and themodern (computer generated pattern). �

EasternMystic

Daisy Knight

| Feature

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30 The Jeweller July 2010

SarettaGuarantee you get kissed under the mistletoewith this limited edition, ethically sourced silver and freshwater pearl pendant bySarah Bond for Saretta. RRP £149www.saretta.co.uk

Mounir LondonSwing from the chandeliers in these eye-catching silver and 9ct gold earrings from Mounir. There are three colour combinations combining different pearlsand gemstones. These are in black onyxwith ruby and pink topaz. RRPs from £195-£420. www.mounir.co.uk

Andrew GeogheganThis rutilated quartz ring is from theCelestials collection by Andrew Geoghegan– a name synonymous with designerengagement rings. Featuring stones sethigh off the finger, these statement designsuse 7ct quartz or Tahitian pearls. RRPs startat £1975 www.andrewgeoghegan.co.uk

Aventure LondonFor those looking for affordable luxury andsomething completely different, this hand-made cubic zirconia flower necklace withribbon fastening is designed by Jianhui Yan for Aventure London. RRP £415www.aventurelondon.com

Katie Rowland JewelleryThe Mademoiselle Libertine Collectionincludes rings and necklaces in a range ofgemstones including smoky quartz andamethyst. These St. Tropez rings in gold vermeil feature faceted amethyst and lemonquartz. RRPs £165. www.katie-rowland.com

Christmasis coming...It may only be July but members of the British Jewellers’Association are already planning for the Yuletide season and have plenty of beautiful, festively-themed and party-perfect pieces that will make great gifts this winter.

The Voice of the Industry 31

BJA Buyer Preview |

MishcaThis fashionable twisted pearl and Swarovskicrystal necklace comes in two versions. One(pictured) uses grey freshwater pearls with a striking crystal drop draped from adecorative silver chain and a distinctive H-shaped silver clasp. The other uses brownpearls with a gold vermeil clasp and chain.The RRP for both is £390. www.mishca.co.uk

Leblas Ethical JewelleryTurn heads with Leblas’s Harlequin collectionof pendants, earrings and rings in 18ct recycled gold. Designs come in threecolourways – peridot, sapphire and amethyst– using traceable gemstones. RRPs from£595-£845. www.leblas.com

Eastern Mystic JewelleryThis ‘Jalkari Tavishi’ necklace from the Indalicollection by Eastern Mystic Jewellery combines lapis, amethyst and fair-trade24ct gold vermeil hand-knotted on silk tocreate a real party piece. RRP: £835.www.easternmystic.com

Flash JordanThese innovative ‘Anaconda’ wrap aroundcufflinks from the Britton Bespoke range byFlash Jordan come in sterling silver with sixpear-shaped amethysts. Unlike conventionalcufflinks, they are designed to be viewedfrom every angle and stone options alsoinclude garnet and white topaz. RRP £350www.brittonbespoke.com

Nina BreddalNina Breddall’s new range of sterling silverjewellery has a diamond-cut finish to givereal glitz and glamour. The range includesbangles, earrings and pendants and is available with its own-brand box. RRPs startat £15. www.ninabreddal.com

VizatiVizati’s ‘White Satin’ range features some250 sterling silver designs of a highly organicnature including some enormous statementnecklaces. RRPs for the necklaces rangefrom £350-£400. www.vizati.com

All these companies and the many other suppliers of Christmas jewellery who belong to the British Jewellers’ Association can also befound at www.bja.org.uk

��

| BJA Advice

32 The Jeweller July 2010

They say a picture is worth a thousandwords. This may or may not be true,

but it is perhaps worth considering whatwords are conjured up by your publicityshots when viewed for the first time by ajournalist or a potential customer. Do theydraw compliments or sighs of despair as towhy anyone could believe that such anunattractive image could ever help anyoneto sell their wares?

I’ve done my fair share of sighing recentlyas the images for this month’s feature onXmas in July popped into my in-box. Some,as the published pictures demonstrate,were fabulous, but sadly some of those Ireceived were simply not fit for purpose;meaning that those companies missed out on a great PR opportunity and thechance to get their products in front of theirtarget audience.

In some cases the rejects were adequatein terms of composition but were suppliedat the wrong resolution and if printed wouldhave pixellated (i.e. broken up into littleboxes of colour) others were just plain bad.The resolution issue – while annoying andtime consuming for editors – can usually,providing the original image is large enough,be sorted out. What cannot be sorted outand what will guarantee that your picturegoes straight into the reject pile is a badphotograph.

So what defines a bad photograph? Formost of us an unpleasant picture of ourselvesis one in which we look less than fabulous; inwhich the lighting is wrong and exposes ourfaults rather than highlights our best features.Or maybe it’s just that the compositionimperfect. Surely the same maxim shouldapply to jewellery? If your product doesn’tlook fantastic then either the product itself isdodgy, or it is a bad photograph.

Here are a few common mistakes: Too many itemsMost images are used in magazines at creditcard size. If you supply a picture crammedwith widely-spaced items they will be far toosmall to be viewed at that size.

Bad props, accessories and lightingMany images are spoilt by inappropriateprops and backgrounds and, even more frequently, bad lighting. Invest in professionallights and use two to minimise shadows.Pick props very carefully to enhance yourbrand image. Less is often more.

Bad workmanshipIf your jewellery is badly made the imper-fections will leap to the forefront when photographed and enlarged. I regularly seeimages of purportedly polished rings with

surfaces like the dark side of the moon! If necessary ‘Photoshop’ the photograph toremove the faults together with any blackmarks caused by reflections in the metal.

Poor lifestyle imagesJewellery can really come to life when wornby a model but doing this on the cheap canlook awful. Close-up shots of wrists, ears ornecks of non-professional models cansometimes work well without the servicesof a stylist but beware bad hands (wrinkles,blotches, hairs, veins, bitten nails etc): handmodels aren’t paid a fortune for nothing.

The wrong resolutionAll magazines considering images for printrequire that they should be supplied aseither TIFF or JPEG files scanned to at least

300dpi (dots per inch) at 10cm. A dictum,which for the non-technical among us,means absolutely nothing and is hard toexplain in a few words. Suffice therefore to remember that imagesappear on your computer screen at 72dpibut are printed at 300dpi, approximatelyfour times as big. Test out whether or notyour image will stand magnification byzooming in 400%. If the image blurs orlooks rough around the edges it will lookeven worse on paper.

Not admitting faliurePhotography is something many peoplethink they can do themselves. But there isan art to it. If your results are less than ideal,it would be best to pay for the services of agood professional photographer. If a job’sworth doing…

Jewellery photography– the dos and don’tsNo-one who has tried it would suggest that photographing jewellery is easy, but why are so many jewellery suppliers still getting it so wrong? Lindsey Straughton takes a look.

Hand models aren’t paida fortune for nothing!

Zooming in to400% on screencan give an ideahow well the printedresult will come out

Too many widely-spaced items will be too small to have any impact

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Take yourself back (not far) to 2008, andone of the biggest ‘stories’ of the jewellery

year was that of coloured stones. Giddy withthe joys of a prolonged period of fashionand accessories (and, crucially, spending)excess, and what you may recall is thatwomen were only too happy to snap up thebrightly coloured jewels – both preciousand less so – that designers and retailerswere pushing out; stones of gobstopperdimensions, in fabulous children’s candyhues, that carried the kind of price tags ofwhich jewellers dream.

Fast forward now, if you will, to 2010:how the landscape has changed. We’ve seeneconomic turmoil of greater magnitudethan many in the industry can remember;we’ve watched in dismay as many aretail business has hit the buffers(among them more than a fewhousehold names), and we’reentering the second half of this yearunder the stewardship of a cost-cutting austerity government. Paying

the price of our earlier consumerist enthusiasms, it seems inevitable to the outside observer that giant coloured rocksshould be a fashion shelved. Bubblegum-coloured necklaces and garden pea-sizedemerald ear drops are inappropriate for allbut the most excessively wealthy in thesestraightened times, surely?

Not a bit of it, says Jeremy Kanzen ofSlade & Kempton, “We have seena marked increasethis year in the

better quality coloured gems rings that wesell. As wallets are tight, fine gem jewellerybecomes a more considered purchase andcustomers are showing much more interestin the quality of the gems and their origin.”

Award-winning designer Ornella Ianuzzi,whose latest pieces are fashioned fromrough opal agrees with Kanzen. “I would say the coloured stone market is definitelygrowing, and colours are generally extremely

popular, for sure,” she says. “Nowadayswomen are buying their own jewelleryand they often do it to match one of their outfits. Therefore, they tendto go for coloured stones, and most

of the time, they have various setswith different colours. From the last

commissioned pieces I had, all the stones I was given to work with werecoloured stones, so for me that market isdefinitely growing!”

Zuza Jungowska, from fine jewellerybrand Mounir, agrees that the sales upliftseen across the industry for coloured stones

34 The Jeweller July 2010

ColourC O N F I D E N C EWith cost-cutting the phrase on everyone’s lipsthis post-election summer, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the fashion for jaw-droppingcoloured gemstones was behind us. But wait…don’t pack away the big bright baubles just yet,says Jo Young.

Main image courtesy of Ornella Ianuzzi

Stephen Webster

in recent years is showing little sign of abating. “Sales are on the increase this year,and I would say that its been helped by anincreasing awareness and knowledge ofsemi-precious stones by the consumer,”she says. “For us, customers are not fixed onone specific style; they like colour across theboard, and in my view, our sales are drivenprimarily by our designs.”

“The last year has brought change in preferences,” comments Ariel Tivon of TivonFine Jewellery. “We have seen an increase insales and requests for rare and more unusualgemstones. Contrary to what was predicted,demand for higher ticket items has grown,such as large tanzanites, aquamarines and raretourmalines. Consumers see value in trulyfine jewellery and gemstones. Also bespokeone-off pieces have been more popular.”

London-based designer Robert Tateossiansays that colour “has always been veryimportant in the Tateossian line of jewellery”,with smoky quartz playing a particularlyimportant role in the current collection. “Weexpect to see our sales increase in the currentyear, because there seems to be a return toconsumer confidence in the market. Currentlywhat is selling very well is smoky quartz,combined with beads made of water snakein a beige colour – so very soft, pastelcolours,” he says.

Another stone that looks set to be bignews this summer is amethyst, with severaljewellers producing designs in this ever-popular purple stone for summer wear. “I think coloured stone jewellery is becoming much more popular with customers, particularly those who are morefashion conscious,” says designer KatieRowland. “Cocktail rings are a great example of this trend. I see women buyingsome of the most beautiful cocktail ringswith amazing coloured stones. I love cit-rines, amethyst and my all time favourite,smoky quartz. Although I use other stones,such as rubies, garnets and sapphires, the smoky quartz pieces are hugely popular, as are those in amethyst. Smoky quartz is a wonderful stone, an underrated classic inmy opinion.”

A necessary caveat, of course: anyone inthe business of selling coloured gemstonejewellery is likely to suggest that their product is selling – or going to sell – like hotcakes this summer. And it is certainly truethat, in the writing of this article, I discoveredmore than one jewellery brand that has quietly dropped coloured stones from their collections. Make of that what you will.Yet, there is evidence – more than anecdotal – to suggest that the market for coloured stones remains large and is growing.

Colour academyFirstly – always a reliable bellweather eventfor jewellery fashions to come – there was theOscars earlier this year. At what is probablythe world’s highest profile trend-sendingevent, colour was everywhere. For the mostpart, coloured jewellery was muted in tone– neutral, ‘nude’ diamond shades like beige,pastel pinks and yellow were particularlypopular – but there was nonetheless a strongshowing too for precious blue, red andfuschia, which the most couture-confidentmatched with their dresses.

Kate Winslet, for her part, topped the lotwith a one of a kind, art deco-styled yellowdiamond necklace, made for her by Tiffany.This $2.5m bauble she wore with a pair ofcanary diamond drop earrings and a yellowdiamond bracelet. (The actress set all this off

not just with a handful of discreet securityguards on standby but with an advisedlysimple and sophisticated cream satin frock.Smart girl!).

What’s interesting about this turnout forcoloured stones at the Oscars – as well as atthe Golden Globes that preceded it – is thatthe Oscars ceremony has always been aboutwhite diamonds. Actresses are paraded,year after year, as human advertisementsfor America’s finest diamond retailers, amongthem awards night favourites like Neil Laneand Harry Winston, well known for theirspectacular, flawless white diamond creations.At the Oscars, diamonds are usually every-one’s very best friend. This time, however,the living-and-breathing billboards were putto equally good use promoting colouredstone jewellery. And that’s quite telling.

The Voice of the Industry 35

Feature |

The smoky quartz pieces are hugely popular, as are those in amethyst. Smoky quartz is a wonderful stone, an underrated classic…

Prism

Slade & Kempton

Futhermore, the celebrity appetite forantique or vintage-look fine jewellery doesnot seem to have abated so far in 2010, nortoo, it seems, has the general public’s, andvintage coloured stones are in high demand.“Vintage jewellery is a major inspiration formy designs, in particular from the Art Decoperiod and has proven very popular withclients. My pieces pay homage to antiquedesigns, but I give a contemporary twist by using coloured gold and coloured diamonds,” says Celia Weinstock of LymeFine Jewellery, who reports particularlystrong sales of sapphires at the moment.

As well as being bright, the look is big,too: chandelier earrings have been seen onall the major red carpets this spring andsummer, alongside statement-sized cocktailrings in – what I like to think of as ‘the bigboys’ – coloured diamonds, emeralds,rubies and sapphires, alongside turqoise,amethyst, aquamarine and coloured opal.

Auction successWhere actresses have borrowed, thewealthy appear to have been busy buying.Several of the UK’s major auction housesreport that sales of coloured stones havebeen healthy this past year, some notably so:Christie’s recently announced that, duringthe final quarter of 2009, it set an all-timerecord for the number of sapphires andcoloured diamonds on the auction block.Most impressive is the number of high endpieces that Christie’s sold for way beyondtheir estimate – among them untreatedBurmese rubies, Kashmir sapphires,Colombian emeralds and fancy coloureddiamonds. Rare coloured stone designs –

| Feature

36 The Jeweller July 2010

Tips for selling coloured stones� To start off with, (and this sounds daft, I know, but...) find out what it is that your customer

genuinely wants. Give them a seat, and a cup of tea or a glass of water, and then findout what’s most important to them: the colour, or the design? The price? Do they wanta faceted or a cabochon stone? Sometimes buyers aren’t as sure as they think theyare, and they need a bit of a steer; in any instance, you can save a lot of time and getcloser to securing a sale if you bring out the right jewellery from the outset.

� If a customer says they want to see a ruby ring, say, or a pair of emerald earrings, alwaystry to bring out a variety of pieces at different price points. Customers will appreciateyou not trying to ‘push’ the most expensive pieces you carry, and it may be helpful toyou to have stones of diverse quality on hand if you need to explain your pricing laterin the conversation.

� Remember that buyers may not be as au fait with coloured stone prices as they arewith white diamonds. You may need to do more of the work in making your customerappreciate why a piece is priced as it is – and to understand the sheer range of qualitywhere stones are concerned.

� First things first: explain to your customer that they cannot judge a stone upon the caratalone. A one carat sapphire can be many things – and many prices.

� If you can, show and tell: put a high quality, high clarity one carat stone side by sidewith a stone of poorer quality. As with any high value purchase, the discerning customerwill believe what you’re saying if you put the proof of it in front of them, and they willtrust you considerably more if you make the effort to do this without prompting.

� Mask your frustrations! I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve heard jewellers complainabout customers coming into the store demanding to buy a 3 carat ‘ruby’ at the sameprice they saw it on Tumbling Price TV or similar. This isn’t your customer’s fault, andyou’re not going to make a lifelong customer of them if you’re impatient with them.

� Smile, and take the time to explain the range of gemstone and jewellery manufacturingquality on the market today, and you just might make that sale.

Lola Rose

Fei Liu

by the likes of Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels,JAR, Tiffany and Bulgari – commanded particularly high prices, many fetching morethan double their estimates and some evenbreaking new records.

At the company’s latest sale in HongKong, held in early June, Christie’s realisedHK$470.5m, with 89 per cent of stock soldby lot, 94 per cent sold by value; one of thetop pieces to go under the hammer was aKashmir sapphire bracelet.

“At more than US$60 million, this auctionis the most important ever organised byChristie’s anywhere in the world. It is inter-esting to note that the Kashmir sapphirebracelet which sold for US$6.9 million hadbeen sold by Christie’s previously in 1988for US$902,000, which represents US$1.7million in today’s currency. Kashmir sapphires,Golconda diamonds, natural pearls, andimportant jade are faring better than ever,with prices reaching new levels,” said VickieSek, the director of jewellery and jadeite for Christie’s Asia.

Price and Design For most designers and retailers, the attraction of coloured stones for customersis in the design. Roger Latham, of fashionjewellery brand Lola Rose, says that thegrowth in the market for coloured stones isbeing driven by womens’ increased fashionawareness. “Our sales have increased thisyear, and this is partly due to the fact thatcustomers are more aware of colour trends

in fashion; we match our stones to the hotcolours of the season,” he says. “In terms ofdriving coloured sales, celebrity has definitelyhad an effect. Lots of TV stars are wearinghuge, coloured, semi-precious rings, necklacesand bracelets. Plus the press has had a bigimpact, often featuring coloured pieces.”

Designer Rachel Galley, who is justlaunching a new collection of blue topazjewellery, also cites celebrities as a majorfactor in the continuing popularity of colour. “I think celebrity endorsement has ahuge factor,” she says. “If a certain celebritycommissions a high end piece of jewelleryin a pink diamond then the demand for allpink stones pick up whether in high endjewellery or fashion jewellery. Also greaterproduct understanding helps towards drivingsales towards a certain stone or away froma certain stone or colour,” she says.

“I think the design is the main factor,” saysOrnella Ianuzzi. “There are some amazingcreators out there who know how to usecoloured stones in their jewellery, and the

result is some extraordinary pieces thatwould seduce anyone. But fashion and trendscan be strong motors for some women:they would be influenced by what theyhear, read or see, and if a coloured stone ispicked up as ‘the stone of the moment’,then they would probably want to have thatparticular stone to wear too,” she muses.

Designer Karl Karter of London Rocks, whosays that coloured stone jewellery “is a bigpart of his business”, believes that thesteady growth of the coloured market isdriven primarily by the parallel growth inpurchasing confidence among jewellerybuyers. “Over time, my clients have grownmuch more adventurous and confident withwhat they purchase and wear. I think there

| Feature

38 The Jeweller July 2010

Lots of TV stars are wearing huge coloured semi preciousrings, necklaces and bracelets. Plus the press has had a big impact, often featuring coloured pieces.

Clogau Gold (this imageand top of next page)

Tivon

London Rocks

The Voice of the Industry 39

Feature |

Question: Do you find thatcustomers are concernedabout whether or not stoneshave been treated?

“We haven’t had any issues and the couple of times we’vebeen asked, once we’ve given an answer – for example, thatPersian agate is heat-treated to enhance the coloured banding– they are quite satisfied.” Roger Latham, Lola Rose

“Some people are more aware than others, and some people justlove that colour or that design rather than the value purely beingin the stone.” Rachel Galley, designer

“Yes, the ones who are aware of these processes always ask.I am concerned about it and do my best to stick with 100 percent natural. It is the foundation of my work really: to createjewellery with natural beauties.” Ornella Ianuzzi

“No, we find that people are not really concerned about treatments,they are more concerned with the price points.”Zuza Jungowska, Mounir London

“Yes they do, and they appreciate being told – something wealways do with the certificates that accompany our pieces.Ultimately, it depends how much they are spending. If theyare spending over £500 then they expect to know all theinformation about the stone.” Robert Tateossian

“In some cases, yes, they do ask, especially if the stone is a particularly vivid colour, but I don’t think this affects the sale of thepiece.” Fei Lui

“A lot of customers are not aware of treatment techniques –I always point these options out to the clients as it can affect anyfuture work that might need doing to the piece.” Karl Karter

“Gem stones don’t have a grading system as well known as that of diamonds, so buyers are more likely to judge quality by theorigin of a gem stone and always ask if it’s treated. They have anatural aversion to treated gems, as intervention with the gem’spurity seems to take away the magic.” Jeremy Kanzen, Slade & Kempton

“Generally, no. Customers are more concerned with the qualityof the stone, its weight and clarity.” Ken Jones, Clogau Gold

“There is concern. Sourcing is key and it’s all-important that youcan trust the source of your gemstones. I think that is why peoplecome to us and they know we take great care in ensuring thequality of our gemstones.” Ariel Tivon, Tivon Fine Jewellery

| Feature

40 The Jeweller July 2010

is a wider public interest in the jewelleryindustry at the moment, especially withpeople wanting coloured stones and feelingmore confident about wearing them. Thiscomes back again to the availability of moreadventurous designs,” he says.

Interestingly, some designers and retailerssuggest that coloured stones attract buyersthrough their affordability. “I think colouredstone jewellery is growing in popularity as itseen as a more contemporary way to accessorise and make a fashion statement,and they can be much better value for buyers,” says Celia Weinstock. “I think that

the recession has increased the demand forcoloured stones as white diamonds areseen as more expensive and flashy, so inthe current economic climate people wishto wear more low key jewellery.”

Karl Karter agrees. “If anything, the recession has helped coloured stone buyingas when people are researching into gettinga piece made for them, instead of choosingthe obvious stones such as diamonds, theyare looking for something cheaper and thishas opened up a new realm for people finding alternatives to mainstream stones.

People are looking beyond the main preciousstones and are realising there are many gorgeous stones out there that they nevereven knew existed...”

“The recession has made consumersmore discerning,” points out Ariel Tivon.“Whereas previously many consumers mayhave bought cheap and cheerful dress ringsfor an occasion, this has been replaced bythe likes of the bead and silver companies.However, purchases of better quality pieces,like tanzanite jewellery have risen.”

Hue don’t cryI wonder, though, whether it is the colourthat purchasers are most interested in whenbuying coloured gemstones? Or are theyinfluenced by other things? Speaking for

Fashion and trends can be strong motors for some women:they are influenced by what they hear, read or see, and if acoloured stone is picked up as ‘the stone of the moment’,then they would probably want to have that to wear too.

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myself, I am a sucker for green stones, andI’d happily wear anything ‘statement-y’ andfabulous if it came in a vivid leaf-green;whether it were a real emerald (yes please)or something at the more affordable end ofthe purchasing scale – it wouldn’t matter.But is that just me?

Designer Fei Lui – whose fine jewellerypieces often incorporate ‘lesser seen’coloured stones, but which nonethelessmaintain essential commercial appeal –suggests that the accessibility of colouredstones is at the very heart of their appeal.Yes, we all love the precious stones, but isn’tit nice that we can also buy in to a look at a lower price point?

“Design is always fundamental in the success of a collection, and many collectionswill transcend trends, but most people willbuy coloured stones because they like thepiece or it complements their look. The precious stone groups such as ruby andsapphire will always be purchased for theirintrinsic value, but semi-precious stonesoffer a range of colours that allow a lot moreaccessibility, and I think this is why they areso popular,” he says.

“Certainly in our collections most peoplewill be buying the pieces for the colour andthe scale. Many of our pieces are over 15ctper stone – a size that would be far moreexpensive if it were a precious stone. I stillthink, however, that for some, rubies,

sapphires and emeralds are well worth themoney and those customers will alwaysprefer to purchase them.”

For jewellery brand Pomegranate, buyerspurchase for a “general love” for colouredstones, rather than being fixed on a particularstone type. “Part of the appeal of colouredgemstones is that it is possible to matchjewellery to the latest trend, or to a particularoutfit, while knowing that you are buyingsomething with quality and longevity,” saysa spokesman for the company.

The beauty of coloured stones, of course,is the fact that designers can work with thesame colours at different price points, asRachel Galley points out. “I personally usesemi-precious stones in my main ranges inorder to keep the price points reasonable,but for commissions, depending on thebudget of your client, you can explore otheroptions if they want a precious stone.”

Robert Tateossian agrees price is alwaysgoing to be one of the most crucial factorsfor buyers of coloured stones: let’s face it, ifyou’ve got your heart set on that gobstoppercabochon, you’re going to be hard pushedto make it happen with a Burmese ruby.

“It really depends on the price point,” hesays. “I suspect that if you are selling anitem for more than a couple of thousandpounds then your customer will expect thepiece to be ruby not red spinel, or emeraldnot green garnet. At the lower price points,consumers are happy to go with colourrather than the family of the gemstone.” �

| Feature

42 The Jeweller July 2010

The precious stone groups such as ruby and sapphire will always be purchased for their intrinsic value, but semi-precious stones offer a range of colours that allow a lotmore accessibility, and I think this is why they are so popular

Mounir

Rachel Galley

Pomegranate

There is one particular facet of the industry that truly can be saidto attract interesting, passionate characters – individuals whosetrade requires them to absorb a great deal of information in orderto acquire the necessary broad knowledge. They are the gemstonespecialists. Lindsey Straughton asks four BJA members, as wellknown UK gem experts, to pick their favourite stone.

| BJA Q&A

44 The Jeweller July 2010

Harry Levy, Levy Gems LtdI find it difficult to reduce my favourite gemto just one as almost all the top quality ofany type can inspire. I am passionate aboutopals, where each gemstone is like a workof art! A fine emerald, ruby, sapphire evenquartz can take one’s breath away. Whatmakes a stone ‘fine’ is a good even colourwith no zones, and usually with no inclusions.

My father told me that if I wanted to buyand sell stones I should never fall in love withone – a rule I have often broken. My staffsometimes don’t understand when I say Ido not have a certain stone for a customer,even though they have seen it in the safe.

We are told that inclusions are bad butoften they can give character to the stone.Our urge to posses a good stone has led totreatments to improve colour and removeinclusions – something that could eventuallykill the natural gemstone industry.www.levygems.co.uk

Richard Haruni, Intl. GemstonesMy favourite gemstone has to be sapphire.For me, this stone shows the true spectrumof colours, which when cut well, can radiatevibrance and lustre not seen in moststones. My favourite colour of sapphire is aroyal blue natural colour of Burma.

Rarely do you see stones which just bythe way they look, command your attention.The fact that the word royal is used todescribe the colour says it all.

I’m not sure where or how I came to likethis stone so much – it must be exposure.Having grown up around the business andhaving been fortunate enough to see suchimportant stones has, it would appear, hada definite impact.www.thegembank.com

Robert Holt, Holts GemsThere are a variety of reasons to prefer onegemstone to another. One might be attractedto the colour or perhaps the durability aswell as the cost.

In my case none of these options play apart. As a new gemmologist I met a gemdealer in Brazil. As a parting gift he gave me alarge, dull-looking, greenish opaque pebble.“One day”, he said, “when you have thechance, get this stone cut and polished”.

For years the stone sat on my desk, notattracting attention. Having set up the busi-ness we still lacked the facility and skill forgemstone cutting but finally we overcamethis shortcoming. As a first experiment weused the pebble I had been given and, hav-ing penetrated the external skin, we founda perfectly clean translucent area of beauti-ful vivid emerald green. The colour was fur-ther enhanced with cutting and faceting. Arevelation! That evening I asked my futurewife what her favourite gemstone was. Shereplied: “My birthstone – emerald”. Hencechoosing my favourite stone is easy.www.holtsgems.com

Kathy Whitehouse, Marcia LanyonYou cannot work at a company that deals incoloured stones without loving all kinds ofgemstones, so it is difficult to choose justone. We are lucky enough to see such awide variety of pieces pass through ourdoors, that anything particularly beautiful orunusual gets remembered. However, if Ihave to choose, my personal favourite istourmaline. When people ask me what kindof stones we deal in, or when I am lookingfor something to photograph for a publicityshot, I always think of tourmaline first. Thestone epitomises what we do here – theyare all about rich and glorious colour.

The variety is something to really beimpressed by – bright fuchsia pink, neonblue Paraiba, deep forest greens… And thenof course there are watermelon tourmalines– juicy candy colours combined into singlegemstones. They are fun as well as elegant.If they didn’t exist already I have no doubtthat we would be trying to make them. www.marcialanyon.co.uk

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| Advice Jeweller

46 The Jeweller July 2010

Aruby which sold for thousands of dollarsin an auction has been identified as

glass-filled; a major US company is haranguedin the press because its sales staff wereunaware that their rubies were glass-filled; arepairer and his customer are shocked whena simple sizing job turns nasty as a large rubyemerges from the pickle looking like crazypaving. New true horror stories erupt everyday. Even in the UK, where new treatmentsare often relatively slow to appear, glassfilled rubies are now turning up in quantitiesand many jewellers, valuers and repairersreport encountering them.

Trick or treatIn essence this glass treatment is simple. A piece of ruby rough barely deserving ofthe name ruby, and which you wouldn’tstoop to pick up from a gravel path, isbleached or acid cleaned (Figure 1 above),and the flawed, porous results immersed inmolten glass (Figure 2 right). Once cut, theresults can look magnificent – the glass isoften coloured which helps. Some rubieshave minimal glass, some great puddles ofit and some have separate bits of ruby

cemented together with glass (figure 2).The process is being carried out on hugequantities of poor quality rubies fromMadagascar and Mozambique. These cutstones are available by the wheelbarrow loadfor as little as £1 a carat and can easily foolthe unwary. (Figure 3).

Spot the dogThere is some good news. Spotting thesetreated rubies is not that tricky for a jewellerwith some experience of gems. Once you’veseen a few, you’ll recognise most of them.The typical identifying features under 10x orgreater magnification include: • Wispy blue to purplish flashes

(not unlike that seen in fracture filled diamonds) (Figure 4)

• Gas bubbles (usually spherical or nearspherical) (Figure 5)

• Localised change in surface lustre or levels (Figure 6)

• Visible filler

Do note, though, that not all of these will be observable in all stones, and withsome of the more recent treated stones,distinguishing features may be more difficultto see. Try different lighting directions and,however experienced you are with a 10xloupe, consider buying a basic gemmologicalmicroscope – more a necessity than a luxurythese days.

Take careIt is not illegal to produce, buy or sell treatedgemstones. They can provide good consumerchoice at great prices. But consumers doneed to be aware of what they are buying. Inthe case of the glass-filled rubies, customers

Ruby BluesdayRubies are in the news, with the media, web forums and tradeshows all buzzing. But mostly for the wrong reasons. Jack Ogdenadvises the industry to beware the tricks of the trade.

Figure 1One end of a cabochon, glass-filled ruby revealsthat it consists of ruby fragments in a yellow-glassmatrix. Yellow glass is used to counteract thebluish colour of some of the rubies. This photohas been digitally manipulated to exaggeratethe colour contrast, the actual difference betweenthe ruby and the glass is far less obvious.

Figure 2Left: The ruby rough before bleaching or acid cleaning. Right: after glass filling.

Figure 3A glass filled ruby of the quality that sellsfor two or three pounds per carat.

The Voice of the Industry 47

should know that they are buying a productwhich, however visually attractive initially, isof minimal value compared with untreatedrubies of similar colour and size, and may lack the durability of an untreated ruby.You might decide not to sell jewellery setwith glass-filled rubies, but you still need tobe vigilant about what you buy or offer torepair or value. In a manufacturing or repair-shop context avoid obvious potential dangerssuch as high temperatures, acid pickles andplating solutions, but even simple cleaningusing ultrasonic or steam cleaners may causeproblems. Customers should be advised to treat the stones with care and especially

to avoid contact with acids (including lemon juice or vinegar) and any harshcleaning methods.

Have a lookOnce you’ve seen a few of these glass filledrubies, you’ll recognise most of them. Fairenough, but where can you gain this initialfamiliarity? If you are a Fellow, Member orCorporate Member of Gem-A you can visitour London headquarters for a focused andfree 15-20 minute hands-on Gem-Mentoringsession (preferably by appointment: 0207404 3334). Gem-A will be providing asimilar opportunity for all attendees at theNAG Valuers Conference at Loughborough(18th to 20th September).

Positive actionThe answer for the trade, of course, is tokeep up to date with what’s out there on themarket and to have practical skills honed to recognise what needs recognising. Sadlyyou can’t always rely on your suppliers to have done their homework (or their suppliers), so ask probing questions, andcover yourself by asking for suitable disclosure on any invoice or memo. With care,

experience and honesty these glass-filledrubies, also called ‘composite rubies’,shouldn't be a problem. That might soundoptimistic, but there is nothing wrong with viewing our trade through rose-tintedglasses, just preferably not when that rose-coloured glass is filling a ruby.

All images in this article are copyrightGem-A. Photos: Jack Ogden.

Figure 5Gas bubbles visible within the glass filling a cavity in a ruby.

Figure 6Glass is softer than ruby, and thus the ruby maystand proud of the glass, filling a cavity in apolished stone. Here this border between rubyand glass is revealed by the light reflecting offits edge – the irregular white line starting somethree-quarters up on the right, and travellingdiagonally down towards the left. The glass isto the lower side of this line.

Figure 4Wispy blue and purplish flashes deep within the ruby reveal the glass filling the fissures.

| Opinion : John Henn

48 The Jeweller July 2010

Robert Osborne, my climbing companion,and I contributed around £5,000 to The

Royal Marsden Cancer Campaign – every bitbrings a solution a little closer. If you feel afterreading this we have earned it, you can stilldonate online via www.justgiving.com/JohnHenn-Mont-Blanc or just have a look atthe pictures. I’m not sure I can relate thisstory to jewellery in any way, but hope youenjoy reading the account of our longest day.

The alarm went off in the Cosmiques Hutat 1am. 1,400m below the summit of MontBlanc about 30 of us – of all nationalitiesincluding just two English – kitted up with allthe required hardware including, crampons,ice axes, transceivers, and Kendal Mint Cake,filed out into the night. We were just four inour group: Robert and I and our guides Milesand his wife Liz. Soon we were in the middleof a column, like glow worms twinkling inthe dark along our route up the face of thefirst glacier. (With ‘skins’ stuck to the undersideof our skis we are able to slide forward but notback). After the first couple of hours theorange moon sank below the cloud as dawnbegan to seep into our frozen world.

Not frozen enough it seemed. As we zigzagged across the paths of fallen blocksof ice the size of transit vans, the skis came

off and the crampons went on – we werenow sinking up to our knees in the soft snow.Mini bite-sized sandwiches stashed in thefront of my jacket were by now rock hard andcompletely inedible – I didn’t get much morejoy from the Mars bars as they fractured intoa million pieces. We should have done theBritish thing at the top of this glacier andstopped for a brew, but on we went todescend 100 hard-won metres to a shortplateau before the next part of the ascent.

In front of us was another difficult threehour climb. The top section was too steepfor skis, putting us back onto crampons,ending with a 70 degree, 100m climb withice axe and crampons. The start of this stuntwas to jump at the ice, taking a swipe withthe axe to stop slipping backwards whileyour feet try to find grip. Skis on our backsalong with the rest of the kit there was nogoing back. Miles took the precaution ofattaching us to something solid. I took theliteral leap of faith and everything caught asI landed like a splat. So focused were wethat it never occurred to us to look behind.Liz’s photo shows Chamonix waking up11,000 feet below.

By now after 10 hours there was very littleleft in the tank and after descending another

125 metres we sat down on the last plateaubefore the summit. We were finished and weknew it. In the interest of us both returninghome, this time we were not going to standon the top of Europe’s highest mountain. At 4,350m, 460m short of the summit weturned away. We had covered 90 per cent ofthe distance, and crossed the previous twopeaks. We felt sick at letting our supporters andsponsors down, but secure in our decision.

The ski down was no walk in the park –a lot of ‘breakable crust’, where a ski can breakthrough the surface crust usually resulting inyou performing a somersault; many veryexposed ‘don’t fall here spots’; some ratherscary seracs (blocks of creaking ice justwaiting to tumble) and, of course, the crevasses. We were skiing roped togetherthrough the worst places, peering down intothe depths of the monster as we silentlypassed overhead.

The final step was the hour long cross-country traverse to the ski lift to return toChamonix. Now below 2,300m with snowbetter served in a cocktail than under footand with home in sight, Robert was caught

in a small slide. He got very wet and stayedon his skis, but still sustained a nasty tear tohis calf muscle, resulting in a painful lastkilometre home.

We had a beer; Miles drove us to our hotel;we had a big meal, which we couldn't finish,then slept for a very long time. We stretchedourselves physically to the limit. Somehowwe are pleased that the mountain is noteasily taken… and we are determined to tryagain in the future. It seems the depth andtemperature of the snow was our biggestobstacle, apart from the moral killer ofdescending down each of the first twopeaks after just scaling them.

Thank you again to the manufacturers,retailers and individuals who helped push usso far. Hopefully next year we will be backfuelled with better food and the benefit ofexperience, and of course Kendal Mint Cake,without which we would still be out there.

Mont Blanc remainsunconquered by me...…but a big thanks to all of you who sponsored me!

We should have done theBritish thing at the top ofthis glacier and stopped fora brew, but on we went…

Fulco di Verdura, or to give him his fulltitle, Fulco Santostefano della Cerda, was

one of the best loved jewellers of high society throughout the 1930s and 1940s.He collaborated with some of the mostfamous and best loved names of twentiethcentury fashion – most notably, CocoChanel, for whom he designed jewellery forseveral years – was courted by Hollywoodduring its most heady, glamorous and decadent years, and, something of a playboyhimself, enjoyed the company of famousartists, socialites and sophisticates fromTallulah Bankhead to Salvador Dali.

BackgroundVerdura was, it is fair to say, not brought up in poverty-stricken obscurity. Born intoSicilian aristocracy in Palermo in 1898 – his cousin was writer Prince Giuseppe diLampedusa, author of the famous Italiannovel The Leopard – Verdura enjoyed a languid, priviledged early life. Spoilt terriblyby his indominatable ‘granmamà’, youngFulco enjoyed all the trappings of wealthyupper class life until the death of the family matriarch and the resultant squabbling saw him lose most of his expected inheritance; when he was 17 hewas then enlisted to fight in the first worldwar, from where he returned, injured, toSicily until the end of the war.

However, unlike many of his aristocraticcontemporaries, Verdura was not destinedto spend a lifetime in bored luxury withdwindling funds and without proper purpose.From childhood, he had shown an easy talent for drawing and design, and in the1920s – having inherited his title upon hisfather’s death in 1923 – Verdura left theconfines of Sicilian society, enthusiastic (like all good artists) about experiencing thecreative inspirations of poverty, the freedomsof big-city life and with vague aspirations of becoming an artist.

Meeting CocoVerdura immediately threw himself into the social scene of 1920s Paris – so muchso that, according to Verdura’s biographerPatricia Corbett, his “pockets were [soon] alittle empty”.

Luckily, however, he was, by all accounts,a very charming man, with the kind of readywit and humour that made him a bit of asocial darling, and gained him many valuableand influential friends. Of course then, asnow, one’s connections are everything inlife, and it was through Verdura’s social connections that he got his first major breakinto the fashion and jewellery world.Through his good friends, the composerCole Porter and his wife Linda, who he hadfirst met in 1919 when they honeymoonedin his native Palermo, Verdura was introducedto the legendary Coco Chanel, landing himself a position at the company’s Parisianstudio, as a textile designer and later as ajeweller. He described her, simply, as “themost chic woman I ever met”.

The Verdura StyleIt was while working for Chanel that Verdurafirst developed his jewellery style – whichwas naturalistic and – for the time, unusually– organic, but which was nonetheless sufficiently elegant and traditional to remainappealing and wearable to Chanel’s wealthy,chic clientele. Through his collaboration withthe canny (and surprisingly experimental)Coco Chanel, Verdura helped to take jewellerytrends of the 1920s forwards from thesomewhat rigid, uncomprising and often‘mechanical’ aesthetic of the Art Deco period,into something softer and more natural.One of his signature motifs, which he usedrepeatedly throughout his jewellery-making

| Antique Jewellery

50 The Jeweller July 2010

AntiqueJ E W E L L E R YThe Jewellery DukeTwentieth century society jeweller and Italian duke Fulco di Verdurahas always been best known for his work with Chanel. However,with interest in the Verdura name and collectibility of his elegantjewellery steadily growing, Jo Young takes a look back at hisremarkable life.

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

Drawing for a clamshell compact, made withsapphire and diamond ‘seaweed’ on its lid.

‘Caged’ ring of bombé design, the openworkgold domed cage filled with variously-shapedblue topaz, mounted in gold.Photo: Christie’s Images Ltd. 2010

career, was seashells, which he often elaborately encrusted with precious colouredgemstones. Then, it is worth remembering,such a thing (the merging of natural materialswith fine jewellery-making ingredients) wasjust not done within mainstream fashion.

Together, Verdura and the French legendof couture helped to move fashion forwardin that iconic decade, and to change theway women wore their jewellery. BeforeChanel came along, it was fairly unheard offor a woman to mix and match fine jewellery with the cheaper stuff. For Chanel,however, this approach to jewellery wearingwas a nonsense; she wanted jewellery piecesmade with bones, feathers, even plastic andsequins, but she wanted women to wearthem together with their ‘good’ pieces. “A woman should mix fake and real. I find itdisgraceful to walk around with millionsaround your neck, just because you’re rich.The point of jewellery isn’t to make awoman look rich but to adorn her; not thesame thing,” she is reported to have said.

Consequently, Verdura was able to setnew trends in jewellery design and wear. He was one of the first designers to make itfashionable to wear diamonds during theday and the evening – such a thing wouldpreviously have been considered a little crass– and was also one of the first designers to set coloured gemstones in yellow gold. At the time, the standard was for diamondsto be set in platinum.

As well as features from the natural world,Verdura was inspired in his designs by morecerebral influences – such as Christian andAncient Greek iconography and the strikingrepeated patterns of Byzantine art. It was

the latter of these influences that broughtabout the design for Verdura’s famousMaltese cross cuffs.

These bold-looking bracelets became asignature look for Chanel, who wore themoften. It was pieces like these cuffs thatsummed up, really, what Chanel’s taste wasall about: made in eye-catching materials,such as gold-studded ivory, and set withbright cabochon gemstones, this was thetrue opposite of the delicate jewellery thatwas then being produced by Cartier and

other big name jewellery houses. Again, itfalls to Chanel herself to perhaps say it best:“A jewel should not be meager,” she onceremarked. Indeed.

I want to be in AmericaOf course the time eventually came forVerdura to step out independently fromCoco Chanel’s stewardship, and in the early1930s, as she was in the throes of businessconcerns of her own, he decided that thetime was ripe to make a move. The luxurytrades of Paris were, by this stage, beginning to really feel the pinch followingthe devastating Wall Street Crash of 1929,and, though the social whirl of life continuedfor folks like Verdura and his contemporaries,some of the shine must have been comingoff for them.

At this stage, Verdura began flirting withthe idea of Hollywood – considering a tech-nical advisory job on the ‘period’ moviesthat were ludicrously popular at the time –and along with a gaggle of other similarly-minded, disillusioned aristocrats, he set offfor the US in the autumn of 1934.

Following (naturally) a leisurely tour of thecountry, from Hollywood to Palm Beach,

The Voice of the Industry 51

Antique Jewellery |

Fans of VerduraCoco ChanelIt was Chanel who helped to kickstart Verdura’s career as asociety jeweller, but she was also a fan of his work herself.She was keen on pieces of jewellery that mixed and matchedprecious materials with non-precious in bold and highlycreative ways, and was often photographed wearingVerdura’s signature cuff bracelets.

Tallulah BankheadThe fabulously naughty bad girl of early cinema, TallulahBankhead was one of the most famous women of her day,and was a friend of Fulco di Verdura’s with whom he wouldgo drinking in the bars and pubs of Soho.

Hepburn, Garbo and CrawfordThe actresses Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford and Katherine Hepburn – who wore Verdura’sjewellery in her classic 1940 performance in The Philadelphia Story with Cary Grant –were all fans of Verdura, and all were photographed a number of times wearing his pieces.

The Duchess of WindsorThe German-American photographer Horst P. Horst famously said – in possibly one of the finest backhanded compliments I’ve ever heard – “Verdura alone knew how to makeher a duchess”.

Cole and Linda PorterLifelong friends and supporters, the Porters owned vast quantities of Verdura’s work. Linda Porter commissioned a custom-made cigarette case to celebrate each opening ofCole’s musicals.

Verdura showing his cuffbracelet to Coco Chanel, 1935.An 18k gold chain link bracelet, suspending a

heart-shaped amethyst. Photo: Christie’s Images Ltd. 2010

A pair of mabe pearl, diamond and gold earclips. Photo: Christie’s Images Ltd. 2010 �

| Antique Jewellery

52 The Jeweller July 2010

Verdura settled in New York. Interestingly, he had abandoned all plans for a glitteringmovie business career upon finding that –probably for the first time in his life – hisaristocratic Sicilian connections were not as socially powerful in California as theywere elsewhere. Anti-Italian sentiment was strong throughout the US at this time,and after waiting months for the phonecallfrom Hollywood, he got fed up and wentback to business.

Calling, once again, on his influentialfriends, Verdura’s US career began when hewas introduced by Chanel client DianaVreeland to the society jeweller Paul Flato.Verdura brought his signature motifs to Flato’scustomers – pieces that mixed precious andsemi-precious materials in organic, romanticor classically-inspired shapes – and beforetoo long, Verdura’s work was being worn bymost of the leading ladies of the day, thelikes of Joan Crawford, Jean Howard, GretaGarbo and Katherine Hepburn all steppingout in Verdura jewels.

In 1939, Verdura opened his own showroom on Fifth Avenue in New York.Much as he had done in Paris, he charmedhis way easily into New York society, andestablished himself as an important jew-ellery name within the city. Once again, hecultivated friends in high places – countingthe Astors and Vandebilts, Marlene Dietrich,Orson Welles and the Duchess ofMarlborough as among his mates.

The later yearsDuring the 1950s and beyond, Verdurashowed little sign of slowing down creatively.He began, however, exploring objets d’artand small piecework, like cigarette cases(now highly prized by Verdura collectors),makeup compacts and small scuptures.

Some of the jeweller’s more unusualpieces during this time had maritimethemes, including more shells and seahorses,as well as other small animals, insects andfruits, most notably, pomegranates, pricklypears and other native flora and faunaremembered from Sicily.

Verdura, who never married and nevertook up American citizenship, remained inNew York until 1973 when, at the age of 74,following a road accident, he sold up anddecamped to a flat in Eaton Square inLondon, a city he had always loved. He wasplagued thereafter by ill health, and died in

August 1978, but what short retirement he did have, Fulco used to write his auto-biography, The Happy Summer Days, a fondremembrance of his childhood in Sicily.

The Verdura name todayIn the US, Verdura’s name was always animportant one and as such, was deemedsufficiently iconic to warrant proper resurrec-tion just a decade or so after the Duke’sdeath. In 1984, Verdura’s New York store wastaken over by new ownership, and an entirecollection of jewellery pieces created fromthe approximately 4000 sketches and paintings said to have been left by Verdurain the archives. This ’new’ Verdura jewelleryis also now making its way steadily back intofashion, and – in a development that wouldno doubt have delighted Fulco himself – it isregularly seen on today’s celebrity elite. �

The last of a generation?I am sure that there will be far better tributes paid to Michael Norman than I will ever managebut nonetheless, as an ‘outsider’ to the ‘black arts’ of the world of IRV, I feel compelled tomark his sad passing with a short comment. The enduring image of Michael I will alwayshave is of a big man – ‘big’ in size, yes, and ‘big’ in his warmth and kind heartedness to others,but more importantly ‘big’ in his desire to pass on his knowledge and enthusiasm and to persuade others to adopt his professional approach to valuing jewellery. His crusade wasn’ta lonely one – others before him contributed a lot and the mantle will now fall to othersequally able. As a casual observer of the growth of the success of IRV and the LoughboroughConference, I have watched the sterling efforts of ‘the few’ who labour away to achieve this– to those who benefit from the hard work that is quietly going on in the background, I simplysuggest that now is the time to more actively engage in this process. It is your industry andperhaps more importantly the visible improvements in professionalism propounded by thelikes of Michael will provide you with a future.Is he the last of a generation? I think Michael would hate that idea… I suspect he would want to be remembered as one of the guardians of everything that is good about valuers inthe UK, and he will be watching over all of us to make sure that we carry forward what he(and others) aspired to!Stephen Whittaker is the Managing Partner of Fellows & Sons, specialist auctioneers ofJewellery, Silver, Watches and Fine Art based in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. He can becontacted on 0121 212 2131 or [email protected]

Fellows & Sons (Est. 1876) Forthcoming Auctions

• Secondhand Jewellery & Watches –Thursday 22nd July, Thursday 5th & 19th August, Thursday 9th September

• Antique & Modern Jewellery – Thursday 2nd September• Silver, Plated Ware, Coins & Medals – Monday 6th September• Costume & Silver Jewellery & Novelties – Monday 6th SeptemberA 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 World

Verdura’s amoeba brooch, set with rubies anddiamonds, 1940.

The Voice of the Industry 53

Cmatch your Colour

Tel: 07884 [email protected] - www.5c-group.com

It is sometimes argued that insurers shouldtake the values claimed against items on

trust alone. We disagree. In effect, insurersare trustees of premiums for the benefit ofall whom they insure. Taking values on trust would make them vulnerable to thefraudulent minority in the trade and could encourage poor stock records andaccidental over or under-claiming. Thiswould lead to an inevitable rise in premiumsfor everybody.

As a result of the diversity of stock recordsystems in use and variations on the waythey are used, we cannot ‘approve’ any system or individual client’s method. That isfor an accountant to do, not an insurancebroker. However, we can offer guidance:• The policy will contain a condition that

you keep detailed records of all sales,purchases and other transactions andthat those records will be available tothe insurer representatives in the event of a claim.

• The above condition applies not only to your own stock, but also to customers’ goods and money.

• Most insurers do not expect you tovalue each of the goods you hold for

repair. At a minimum you need arecord of the numbers of such itemstaken in and a brief description ofeach. Some jewellers do this by takinga photograph, or by spreading theitems out on a photocopier, accordingto which items have been sent towhich outworker and when and, importantly, which have been returnedto the customer. See also the NAG’srecommended Taking in Procedurefor valuations.

• If you sell customers’ jewellery oncommission, keep a record of theprices at which items are offered, any reserve price if there is any leeway on the offer price, and theagreed commission.

• Log the movement of items between different branches.

• Computer systems are only as good as the training of the operator and the data entered. It is important that your physical stock take is fully reconciled to the computer record, otherwise computer errors can accumulate to make even the best system unreliable.

• If you manufacture or hold a stock ofmaterials for repairs, keep records ofyour purchases of such materials, butalso keep a job sheet for each time to show what materials you have used.

• Suitable recording methods for salesstock will depend on the type of stock and your trading methods, e.g. itemised computer records, stockbooks with sales marked off by date or, if a class or goods can be valued by weight, a log of weights sold and the date.

• If you carry goods away from thepremises, don’t keep the only record of those goods and items sold fromthe range in the bag in which you carry them.

• Log entrustments to customers, and if you have undertaken to use formalappro notes for outgoing entrustments,make sure you do so.

• If proprietors or staff entrust personalproperty to the business for sale, repair or safe keeping, ensure that it isproperly documented; otherwise yourinsurers may insist the owner claims on their own policy. Most jewellerytrade insurers require notification ofgoods held solely for safe custody.

• If recording large numbers of low value items is a problem, discuss itwith your broker. There may be somesimplification acceptable to insurers.

Do not rely on:• Memory• Photographs of your shop window.

Values change and you cannot tracksales between photographs. Nor will a photograph show the identity of individual pieces.

• VAT or turnover alone. They may begood enough for HMRC, but they donot meet the policy conditions. Goodstock records avoid customer disputes,enhance management information and profitability, and speed up the settlement of insurance claims

T.H. March & Co Limited is a well-estab-lished family owned firm of insurance bro-kers founded in 1887. With offices inLondon, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow,Sevenoaks and Yelverton near Plymouth,the company has departments coveringhousehold, motor, life and protection, travel,commercial and scheme insurance. To findout more visit: www.thmarch.co.uk

| Insurance Matters

54 The Jeweller July 2010

Time to take stockInadequate stock records are the most common cause of delayin settlement of an insurance claim. Neil McFarlane of T.H. Marchexplains the details of insurers’ requirements for stock records.

A full audit trail not only allows you to viewmovements in a variety of ways, including bystock no., process date and document no., but also simplifies traceability. Viewing thedetails reveals who dealt with any movement,time stamp and even has the option to view the scanned document.

Stock taking with mobile scanner providesaccurate results in hours rather than days orweeks thereby reducing the costs, effort anderrors. Images of stock, available at the touchof a button, helps find missing items quicklywhile the simple traffic light system used by theBransom BSMART system, with full auditing,ensures stock checks are manageable andmissing stock easily traceable.

Images this page courtesy of Bransom Systems

The Voice of the Industry 55

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56 The Jeweller July 2010

Most of us can recall our school daysand along with memories, some

teachers are remembered with affectionand even admiration. Those rememberedbest didn’t lecture, but guided us throughtheir chosen subject with enthusiasm andencouragement. They fired our imagination,our curiosity and, above all, instilled in us adesire to learn. So it will be that MichaelNorman will be remembered fondly by allwho, figuratively, sat at his feet during hisvaluation tutorials and seminars. With hispassing the trade has lost a man whosecareer and accumulated knowledge had animmense impact on all of us who knewhim. To those of you who never met him, letme try to introduce him to you.

Michael – never Mike nor Mick nor anyother diminutive – was a large man, standingover six feet tall, with a powerful voice tomatch his imposing frame. His voice wasrich in tone with an endearing West Countryaccent acquired from living in Bath since theage of seven. Born in Corsham his familymoved to Bath in 1940 where they lived inprobably the most prestigious address inthat city – No 1 Royal Crescent. He lived inand around that city for the rest of his life.He joined the jewellery trade when he wasapprenticed to the Bath firm of Dickinsonsand, in common with many men of his generation, his career was interrupted byNational Service. He joined the Army, eventually serving in the military police. Hewas well suited to the job being clearly theright size and must have been an awesome

sight to transgressors! He thoroughly enjoyedhis time in the Army, so much so that heseriously considered making it his career.However, fortunately, he chose the jewellerytrade – so Captain Michael Norman joinedhis father at the Bristol firm owned by Mr. Chilcott. His father was the manager andon his retirement Michael succeeded him.Following Mr. Chilcott’s death the firm wasacquired by the Northern Goldsmiths andMichael left to establish his own business asa specialist valuer.

Having obtained his FGA in 1960 Michaelwas the ideal man, alongside the late DavidWilkins, to run the NAG’s valuation seminarswhich began in 1975. David and he travelled all over the UK and Ireland with

their seminars, which were very successful.This would be many people’s first introductionto a structured approach to their valuations.Michael and David were invited to join theNAG’s working party to develop a nationalscheme to regulate the work of valuers Thislead to the establishment of the RegisteredValuers Scheme, with which both men areindelibly linked. It is now the NAG’s Instituteof Registered Valuers.

It must be 30 years ago that Michael andI first met. We quickly became good friendsand I treasure all those years. However, it isover the last 10 years or so, when he and Iworked closely together helping to moderatethe work of those who were monitoring thework of registered valuers, that we reallycame to know each other well. We attendedthe Valuation Committee as observers andhad the greatest respect for each other’sviews. I am not sure whether I enjoyed morebeing in agreement with him or holding anopposing view! Sadly our ‘joint venture’ was cut short after Michael suffered his firststroke in 2008.

Michael’s two abiding sporting passionswere cricket and rugby – having played bothfor much of his youth. Unlike many who retirefrom the game and take a back seat, Michaelcontinued to give support by umpiring. He was so addicted to the game of cricketthat he regularly supported England by travelling to such places as South Africa andAustralia for test matches.

But life can be cruel at times and this wasparticularly so for Michael. His serious strokemeant that he lost the power of speech andthis was devastating for a man whose greatesttalent was his ability to communicate.However it did not rob him of his sense of

NAG Institute of Registered Valuers R E V I E W

Michael Norman FGA (1933-2010)

Michael was a regular guest speaker at theLoughborough Conference, in 2007 giving apresentation on how to avoid legal problems.

The Voice of the Industry 57

IRV Review |

humour and this was very evident whenJonathan Lambert and I visited him in thenursing home where he was to spend thelast 15 months or so of his life. We travelledthere for Jonathan to present him with theinaugural award of the Michael NormanFellowship of the NAG’s Institute of RegisteredValuers. Already having been awarded thetrophy named after his great friend DavidWilkins, this new award was established inhis name to recognise ‘an individual who hasgiven outstanding service throughout theircareer in the sphere of jewellery appraisaland valuation and in particular to the Instituteof Registered Valuers’. For his family members, Jonathan and me, it was a verymoving, joyous occasion, made all the moreso as Michael knew nothing of theFellowship, let alone that he was to receive it.

There have been many tributes toMichael, all saying how much each personowes to him since they came into his sphereof influence. Now it is my turn and I do sowith a heavy heart, but not because Michael’slife has been taken, for that was inevitableone day. Yes, we all feel the sense of lossbut we had grown used to that because wehad already ‘lost’ Michael following hisstroke. However, I am one of the lucky onesto have enjoyed the warmth of his smile, hishuge laugh, and experienced his kindnessand consideration. Shaking his hand wasalways something of a challenge, as he had a very large hand, and you anticipatedpossible broken fingers! However, while he

certainly knew his own strength, he couldnever have measured the strength of affection and respect in which he was heldby all who knew and worked with him.

On 3rd June over 150 people gathered ata hilltop chapel on the outskirts of Bath tosay goodbye to Michael. It was particularlyfitting that the first hymn we sang was toWilliam Blake’s familiar words beginning:And did those feet in ancient times walkupon England’s mountains green? TheEnglish countryside was at its best – the sunshone on us all, just as his personality did.

It was the most perfect day for a game ofcricket as we laid a very special English gentleman to his rest.

God bless you Michael – our gratitudegoes with you.David J. Callaghan FGA, NAG Vice President

Michael Norman, along with his greatfriend and colleague David Wilkins,

can undoubtably be considered one of thefounders of the original Registered ValuersScheme. It was a great benefit to us all thatMichael was able to be involved with thedevelopment of that scheme into the current Institute of Registered Valuers. His wise words and unrivalled experienceinfluenced us all and our current successesare in no small part due to Michael’s passion and dedication to the science ofvaluations and to the jewellery trade as awhole. As a trade we owe him a great debt of gratitude and with his passing thejewellery trade and indeed the world is apoorer place.

For my own part I have lost a valued colleague, an unstinting supporter, a trustedadviser but most importantly a true friend. I was so pleased that we were able to hon-our him last year with the Michael NormanFellowship and it was one of the proudestand indeed most emotional moments ofmy life to be able to present it to him onbehalf of the Institute.God bless you Michael and thank you.Jonathan Lambert

Michael seems to have been around as long as the jewellery trade has

existed – a sort of figurehead, the chairmanof the board to most of us. His presencealways meant several things; there wouldbe dialogue, one of Michael’s favouritewords; you were guaranteed many funnymoments as his sense of humour wasalways to hand, and definitely a few digressions to discuss the cricket or rugby.Above all you would get the benefit of his wisdom and enthusiasm on whateversubject he was teaching or advising.

I got to know Michael properly in 1992when he became the appraisal advisor forthe development of the valuation software‘Appraiser’ now ‘GuildPro’. His input wasimmense. It ran into many months of workand continued refinement over the years –in order to get the flow and terminologyright – which is a testament to his belief inwhat was thought at the time to be a project too far for the traditionalists of thetrade. His irrepressible optimism for thetrade he served so diligently over his lifetime was always near to hand; in themany meetings we shared when Michaelwas in the chair no-one would interrupt hisflow as he commanded their attention andrespect. I have never heard a bad word saidabout Michael in all the years – not that he didn’t ruffle a few feathers at times, and deliberately make his fellow committeemembers feel his presence and will overvarious subjects dear to his heart.

Michael has been a true and loyal friendand been inspirational in what I – and Iknow many others – have achieved. Hisenthusiasm was infectious and whoever he came into contact with could not fail tobe impressed by this, along with his honestopinion and of course his laugh, his louderthan life laugh.

We all shall miss him, but he will remain with us on a daily basis, as he hastouched so many of us in so many ways toonumerous to mention.

Michael was one of a rare breed – askanyone that knew him to describe him andthey would say Michael was a true gentleman. Christopher Milton Stevens

Michael receiving the Michael Norman Fellowshipaward from Jonathan Lambert (front) and DavidCallaghan (back).

His wise words and unrivalled experience influenced us all and our current successes are in no small part due toMichael’s passion and dedication to the science of valuations and to the jewellery trade as a whole.

THECHRISTMASHOLIDAYSARE TOOLATE....

OUR CONTACT DETAILSThe National Association of Goldsmiths 78a Luke Street, London EC2A 4XGEmail: [email protected] Tel: 020 7613 4445 (Option 1)Download a JET Course prospectus at www.jewellers-online.org

A student who enrols on the first part of the Professional Jewellers’ Diploma now could have finished by this Christmas and could have passed JET 2 and mastered all the practical skills that a retail jeweller requires by next Christmas.

....TO STARTTRAINING

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The Voice of the Industry 59

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 relaunchesChristmas campaignThe NAG’s Education and Training department has once againlaunched its ‘Christmas is too late to train your staff’ campaignfollowing the success of its Christmas-themed stand atInternational Jewellery London in September last year.

The Birmingham Assay Office is offering ahallmarking seminar to all JET 1 and JET

2 students, as well as all NAG members.Designed to broaden students’ knowledgeof hallmarking in the UK, the half daycourse will include an interactive hands-onhallmarking session, an overview of the UK jewellery market and a summary of theUK Hallmarking Act.

The seminar will be held on Tuesday20th July at the Birmingham Assay Officefrom 10am to 1pm with Marie Brennanand Dr Sally Baggott. The course will also cover understanding the Hallmark; testing methods used in the hallmarking process; tooling and hallmarking; conventionhallmarks, Houtwipper Compliance and thehistory of hallmarking. The course fee is £50per delegate.

“This is a great opportunity for students”says Victoria Wingate, NAG Education andTraining manager. “Hallmarking is almostalways raised by examiners as the areawhere students let themselves down mostin the exams, so any extra help studentscan get would be invaluable.”

For more information about the seminarplease contact the Birmingham Assay Officeon telephone: 0121 236 6951 or email:[email protected]

Yet another charity run successfor JET tutor Eddie Stanley

Congratulations to tutor Eddie Stanley who recently completed the BUPA Manchester 10kilometer Charity Run along with 9.000 other competitors in his section.

“I really enjoyed the run and had a steady pace all the way. I’m not bothered about thetime,” says Eddie, who was running for the Stroke Association and raised over £200.

Eddie who has completed five marathons, one 15 mile run and five 10 kilometer events.His next 10k will be on 4th July. To donate to the Stroke Association send cheques madeout to The Stroke Association to Eddie who will forward them on.

Birmingham AssayOffice offers NAG hallmarking seminar

The NAG’s Education and Training department has once again launched its ‘Christmas istoo late to train your staff' campaign following the success of its Christmas themed stand

at International Jewellery London (IJL) in September last year.“July may seem way too early to be thinking about Christmas,” says NAG Education and

Training manager Victoria Wingate, “but jewellers really need every member of staff workingto their full potential at the busiest time of the year. A student who enrols now on the firstpart of Professional Jewellers’ Diploma could have finished [the course] by this Christmasand could have passed JET 2 and mastered all the practical skills that a retail jeweller requiresby Christmas 2011.”

It is hoped that the campaign will encourage jewellers to think about their training requirements earlier, rather than think about their education and training needs when it istoo late – which has often been the case in the past.

“The campaign is just a bit of fun to highlight a serious issue,” adds Victoria. “Ill-informed staffwill not only lose sales, but can cost reputation and repeat business. It’s really about assessingyour business needs now so you can capitalise on the most productive part of the year.”

Last year the Yuletide theme involved plenty of mince pies and sherry and we promiseeven more Christmas goodies are planned for IJL later in the year, including festive raffleprizes, a Christmas cake and a Christmas tree... with a difference.

IJL will also mark the conclusion of the NAG’s 65th anniversary of education celebrationsand will see the launch on online courses and the newest JET course – JET Pro. IJL will beheld at Earl’s Court in September.

| Education + Training

60 The Jeweller July 2010

I found the tutorial extremely helpful, givingan insight as to what to expect on the day

of the exam,” commented one JET studentin the anonymous survey. “Extremely welltaught class… very clear and interesting,”remarked another student.

Tutors were also highly praised in the survey. “I found Brian [Dunn] very helpful,funny and extremely approachable,” saidone attendee, while another thanked AnneBray: “Anne genuinely cared. It was goodthat she picked up on what people wereworrying about.”

In the questionnaire which was sent outearlier this year to help encourage all JET

students to attend one of the free day-longtutorial sessions, those surveyed were alsoasked which subject areas they found particularly useful. Almost half of respondentsfelt the time spent on hallmarking was particularly useful, while 31 per cent found

the gemstone section of the day especiallyconstructive. JET 2 students were also askedif they had felt the tutorial had helped preparethem for the exam, with a resounding 100per cent of exam candidates agreeing thatthe day had been worthwhile.

“I found the tutorial very useful and it willhelp me in doing my exam in May, as I knownow how much I have to do,” explained oneJET 2 student, while another added “I’m glad we looked at hallmarking, it saved a lotof anxiety in the exam”.

These findings reflect past NAG reportsthat demonstrate that the students whoattend tutorials do significantly better in theJET examinations than those who don’t;although it is too early to report how wellthe respondents of this survey have done in their exams.

“To calm exam nerves, make sure youattend a tutorial,” advises tutor Mark Houghton.“They are free and you then have an insightinto what to expect in the actual exam.”

On the whole, students were also happywith the location of the tutorials. JET 1 andJET 2 tutorials take place in a number of venues across the country including Belfast,Birmingham, Edinburgh, Stockport, Leedsand London. All attendees said that theywere either happy or reasonably satisfiedwith the location, although one student didsuggest “more biscuits” for future tutorials!

Additional locations may also be includedexplains the NAG’s Education and Trainingmanager. “We are happy to organise tutorialsin other locations if there are enough students, who wish to attend. We generallyneed six students to attend to make a tutorial feasible to run.”

It is hoped that the on-going survey willassist the NAG to continue to provide thebest possible service as well as relevant and appropriate programmes of study to allits students.

JET tutorials fullyendorsed by studentsAccording to recent figures, JET students overwhelminglyendorse the tutorials for their usefulness. Feedback from thespring JET tutorials earlier this year found that 100 per cent of attendees found them to be beneficial, with the same number describing their tutor on the day as supportive.

Tutorial dates:JET 1

Belfast or Dublin – 20th September

Birmingham – 16th September

Edinburgh – 13th September

Leeds – 20th September

London – 14th September

Stockport – 14th September

To calm exam nerves, makesure you attend a tutorial –they are free and you thenhave an insight into what toexpect in the actual exam.

The Voice of the Industry 61

The only trade titlewith the exclusivesupport of both theNAG and the BJA

The Jeweller is the only trade title to enjoy the unrivalled

support of both UK trade associations, the National

Association of Goldsmiths (NAG) and the British Jewellers’

Association (BJA). This gives the publication a broader

appeal right across the industry for all retailers, suppliers,

manufacturers and designers. Editorial includes news

and comment from both associations which reinforces

The Jeweller’s position as the ‘Voice of the industry’.

Now published ten times a year and with a controlled

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Contact Ian Francis at CUBE Publishing on 020 7833 5500

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For subscriptions telephone Amanda White at the NAG

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| Education + Training

62 The Jeweller July 2010

How long have you been an NAG tutor?Since August 2007

What drew you work for the NAG?I spent a few years teaching the FGA courseat Central Manchester College when livingin the North West (alongside fellow tutorEddie Stanley). Now that my children havegone to university and college I have foundtime to return to education and hopefullygive back some of my years of experiencewithin the jewellery trade.

How long have you been in the industry?Thirty years – the last 21 have been withFraser Hart and the first nine were spent in the North West. It was in Manchester that I studied for my JET, FGA & DGA qualifications and our current chief examiner,Eddie Stanley, was my tutor.

What made you choose jewellery as yourcareer path?I was lucky enough to get a Saturday job atMappin & Webb while doing my A-levelsand became hooked on jewellery and gemmology in particular.

Why should people study a JET course?It provides a unique, all-round high skill levelof knowledge; and a JET Diploma is a highlysought after qualification by employers.

How would you describe the JET coursesin one word?Invaluable.

What is your top study tip?Do short sessions of regular studying(around four times a week) and stick toyour timetable!

What tip would you give a new student?You can’t avoid hallmarks, so thoroughly learnthe notes in the front of Bradburys. It’s smallenough to go in your pocket and ten minutes study each day while travelling towork will soon get you familiar with its layout.

What’s your favourite item of jewellery?Cufflinks. I don’t feel fully dressed withoutthem. Also I find you do convert a lot of cufflink sales just by the fact that clients seethem in your cuffs.

What’s the best thing you ever bought?Cufflinks from Tiffany in New York. They’re aclassic oval design in sterling silver and areengraved Please return to Tiffany & Co NewYork, which is what I intend to do in thefuture – I could have stayed there all day!

What is the best thing about JET courses?They build up your confidence to convertmore sales which in turn improve your status.Plus the end reward of seeing studentsbeing presented with their diplomas in thefabulous surroundings of Goldsmiths Hall.

And the worst thing about them?When students excel in passing JET 1, but don’t continue their studies to the diploma level.

If you could tutor anyone from history,who would it be?Winston Churchill – I’m sure his assignmentswould read like his speeches and he wouldhighlight the human effort that goes intomaking the jewellery we sell.

Meet the tutors:

Mark HoughtonHow much do you know really know about the tutors guidingyou through the JET courses? In this occasional feature The Jeweller will get the lowdown on these industry mentors.First up is newest tutor Mark Houghton who talks confidence,Churchill and cuff links.

Biography in brief:Position: TutorBirthplace: Newcastle-upon-TyneFamily: Married, three childrenHome: YorkQualifications: JET Diploma, 1981;

FGA Diploma 1983;GA 1984; Management 2003;Registered Valuer

Current job: Manager of Fraser Hart,York branch

Hobbies: Fly fishing, gemmology, football (alas watching not playing), reading

Plus: Branch chairman ofNE branch of Gem-A

R E C R U I T M E N T

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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.

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66 The Jeweller July 2010

How would you describe your personal style?Hands on – I think I am willing to have a goat anything, but perhaps you should haveasked my wife this question.

Where is your favourite holiday destination? Why?We have always had a dog and I love holidaying in this country, enjoying thecountryside and walking. Having said thissome of our best family holidays have beenbareboat sailing, particularly off the coast of Turkey. In the past I have always been theskipper, but I have two boys who vie for theposition now.

What three words describe you best… in your view and according to others.Receptive, calm and determined, but thosethat know me very well, may have witnessedme exploding occasionally! I am not easilyrattled, but it has been known. How do others view me? Well I hope trustworthy,dependable and sympathetic.

Looking back at your career, what onething would you do differently if youhad your time over?Listen to my father more!

Tell us something not many peopleknow about you…Given the opportunity I love to take part intrack days, racing my Morgan +8, which Iusually manage at least once a year. This isof course best done solo so Jane does notrestrain me from testing its performance!!

If you could wave a magic wand andchange one thing about the jewelleryindustry, what would it be?That British-made goods were promotedmore. Normally the quality is so much better than goods bought abroad and theafter sales service is superior. I also like theold fashioned values in business, when trustand loyalty meant more. Too often today wesee some suppliers demanding unreasonablerequests from the retailer and also dealingwith the public direct. As a trade we should

boycott these suppliers and deal only withthose that offer good quality merchandiseand the service we expect.

Do you know the price of a pint of milk?My wife tells me it is 59p!!

To what do you attribute your success?Hard work, traditional values, sense of fairplay, determination and the backing of family and friends. I have a family weddingthis year and a very good friend who was in asimilar family jewellery business is travellingdown from Scotland for the week-end tostep into my shoes.

Favourite shopping destination (shop, street, city or country)East Grinstead of course. It has all I need.

If you hadn’t gone into the jewellery trade,what career would you have chosen?I think I have been a jeweller for so long nowI can’t imagine doing anything else. However,being a vet or a farmer sounds appealing,but then the grass is always greener…

Quick fire (no deliberating, straight offthe top of your head please)• Red or white wine? Red, but my

favourite tipple is a pint of Harvey’s!• Football or cricket? (team?)

Cricket. England• Diamonds or coloured stones?

Diamonds• White or yellow metal? Yellow• TV or radio? Radio• Bentley or Roller? Bentley• Delegator or control freak?

Control freak (so I am told!)• Fish and chips or Chinese/Indian?

Indian• Beatles or Rolling Stones?

Stones

Last WordThe

This month, the honour of The Last Word is bestowed uponNicholas Major, chairman of the NAG and owner of WilliamMajor & Sons, East Grinstead.

Personal ProfileHaving started his apprenticeship in the workshop of the family business in 1965,Nicholas went on gain horological and jewellery repair skills and then trained as aretail jeweller. Several qualifications followed – the most recent being made a fellow of the Institute of Registered Valuers. He has also, in his time, been: thesole agent and distributor for a Swiss watch maker; a jewellery claims consultantfor the insurance industry; chairman of his town's Chamber of Commerce andpresident of the East Grinstead Tennis & Squash Club.

Poop poop!

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/5 (0.

18-0

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IFVVS1 VVS2

VS1VS2

SI1SI2

SI3I1

I2I3

D 7035 58325080 4478

41783252

2765 24392114

16261138

E 5982 5381 4629 41783877 3090 2602 2439

1951 1464 976

F 5681 52304328 3877

35782927

2439 22771789 1301 976

G 5230 46294027 3578

3090 2602 22772114

1626 1301 813

H 4629 41783740 3252

2765 24392114

19511464 1138

813

I 38773415 3252 2927

2439 22771951 1789 1464 1138

813

J 2927 2765 2602 22772114

19511789 1626

1301 1138650

K 2602 24392277

19511789 1626

1464 1464 1301 976650

L 21141951

1951 1789 1789 16261464 1138

976813

488

M 1789 1789 1626 1464 1464 1301 1138 976813

650488

N 1626 1464 1301 11381138 976

813813

650 488488

Rou

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(0.4

5-0.

49)

IFVVS1 VVS2

VS1VS2

SI1SI2

SI3I1

I2I3

D 9813 85277549 6886 5826 4711

4334 39323128 2491 1843

E 8527 77166886 6533

5651 45233932 3731

2923 22751627

F 8205 7549 67106179

5275 43343731 3530

2923 22751627

G 7549 67106003 5463 4711

41333530 3329

2707 20591402

H 6886 61795463 4899 4334 3932

3329 31282491 2059

1402

I 6003 52754899 4334

3932 35303128 2923

22751843 1402

J 4899 45234334 3731

3329 31282923 2707 2059 1843 1168

K 4523 41333932 3329

3128 2707 2491 22751843 1627

1168

L 3932 37313530 3128

2923 2491 2275 20591627 1402 935

M 3329 31282923 2707 2491 2275

2059 1843 1402 116893

N 2707 2491 22752275

2059 20591843 1627

1168 9359

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29-0

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IFVVS1 VVS2

VS1VS2

SI1SI2

SI3I1

I2I3

D 9035 7583 6638 5882 5496 42783668 3262 2856 2197 1538

E 77727016

6071 5496 5090 40743465 3262 2637 1977

1318

F 7394 68275700 5090 4684 3871 3262 3059

24171758

1318

G 6827 6071 5293 4684 4074 3465 3059 28562197 1758

1099

H 6071 5496 4887 42783668 3262 2856 2637

19771538

1099

I 5090 4481 42783871 3262 3059

2637 24171977

15381099

J 3871 3668 3465 30592856 2637

24172197 1758 1538

879

K 3465 3262 3059 26372417

2197 19771977

1758 1318879

L 2856 26372637 2417

24172197 1977

15381318

1099 659

M 24172417

2197 19771977

17581538 1318

1099 879659

N 2197 19771758 1538

1538 13181099 1099 879

659659

IFVVS1 VVS2

VS1VS2

SI1SI2

SI3I1

I2

D 15154 1215310727 9653

8961 78327112

60755311 3725

E 1177010727

9787 92388404 7546 6815

57715158 3556

F 10727 9921 9238 8684 79757112

6371 56185005 338

G 9787 8961 8404 78327260 6519

5925 5465 4851 3

H 8961 8261 7689 71126667 6075

56185158

4539

I 7689 7260 6963 65196075

56185005 4698 4380

J 6075 59255771

53115158 5005 4698 4221

406

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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/4 (0.

70-0

.89)

IFVVS1 VVS2

VS1VS2

SI1

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

24

M 24172417

2197 1977

N 2197 19771758 1538

IF

D 13406

E 1046

F 95

G 8

HI

J

IFVVS1 VVS2

VS1

D 9366 8149 7192 65

E 8149 73556541 6

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

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