The Jeweller Magazine

JEWELLERTHE VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY www.jewellers-online.org £6.50NOV 09

T H E

Palladium: white metal of the future?

The Jeweller Interviews…John Ayton

Loughborough 2009reviewed

Jewels & MoreA whole new look at jewellery.

Bring LOVE & JOY into your life.

JUST J

www.justjjewels.com

LOVE SPARKLE FEARLESSJOY GRATEFUL TURNAROUNDSHINE FREE INNER PEACE

DMJ,

Redworth Road, Shildon,

County Durham, DL4 2JT,

Tel. 01388 770870, www.dmj.info

The Voice of the Industry 3

contents+contacts

features

The Jeweller interviews…

John Ayton 30

Jo Young talks to John Ayton about his and wife

Annoushka’s reasons for selling Links of London,

and their hopes for the future of their new brand.

Making the Mark 36

Palladium has finally received its hallmark and

official precious status. Amy Gregson asks the

industry what it thinks of the metal, and what

effect the new mark is likely to have on

palladium’s value to the consumer.

Truth about Fairness 61

Richard Peplow offers his view on Fairtrade gold:

its entry into the market, he says, can only really

be deemed a success if it is done properly

as part of broader industry-wide goals.

contents

The National Association of Goldsmiths78a Luke Street, London EC2A 4XG Tel: 020 7613 4445 Fax: 020 7613 4450www.jewellers-online.org

Editor: Jo YoungTel: 020 7739 0895Mob: 07507 347 [email protected]

Art Director: Ben [email protected]

Sales Director: Ian Francis

CUBE

Tel: 020 7833 5500

[email protected]

Publisher: Neil Oakford

CUBE

[email protected]

Contributors:

Amy Gregson,

Rex Porter,

Fergal Dowling,

Richard Peplow

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.

JEWELLERTHE VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY

T H E

news sections

Industry News 8

NAG News 21

regulars

Frontline 4

Editor’s Comment 7

The Jeweller Picks… 26

Vantage Point 44

Secondhand Jeweller 46

Training & Education 50

Legal Jeweller 53

IRV Review 56

Appointments 63

Display Cabinet 64

The Last Word 66

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Tel: 01388 770870Web: www.dmj.info

comment

4 The Jeweller November 2009

Metals still shine

Palladium has started well! The additionof a hallmark has given the metal a

considerable boost, with Birmingham AssayOffice numbers showing that between Julyand September 27,416 articles weremarked (there were 69,299 platinum arti-cles marked during the same quarter).Palladium has given jewellers a new story totell, and as we all know, consumers arelooking for an ‘angle’ that differentiates theirpurchase from the next. However, there isan ever present danger that palladium couldcannibalise platinum. As I have heard atleast one industry insider say, “tempting asit may be to offer palladium in an attempt

to generate sales, it shouldn’t be offered at the expense of platinum. Don’t fall into the trap of describing palladium as like platinum, but cheaper!”

Globally, in the first half of the year, over900 tonnes of gold jewellery have beenscrapped. In normal economic times all this scrap gold sloshing around the marketwould adversely affect its price on worldmarkets, but troubled times fuel the demandfor gold as a hedge against the unexpected.For the jeweller, this has led to an unforeseen bonus, with customers cashingin their old, broken, and scrap jewellery inexpectation of a cash windfall. My sourcestell me that this has brought forward a

torrent of unfashionable items for disposal,and the hope is that the resulting cashbonus will be rapidly converted into newitems at members’ stores. The potential is awesome, when you consider that 162million items of gold jewellery have beenhallmarked since 2001 (worth £2.76 billionat 2001 prices).

The case for Fairtrade gold

At a meeting a couple of weeks ago GregValerio, founder of the ethical jewellery

firm CRED and The Jeweller’s ethical correspondent, set out plans for the introduction of Fairtrade gold into the UK to an audience of industry insiders, coveringretailers, manufacturers, bullion dealers,casters and many other disciplines. His expertaudience listened with healthy scepticism toGreg’s plans to assist small-scale miners indeveloping countries by means of theFairtrade brand.

The Fairtrade movement now extends to some 4,500 products and accounts for

about £881 million of sales in the UK alone.While Fairtrade gold is currently in short supply and is unlikely to provide a solutionfor large-scale manufactures, with a set ofstandards due to be signed in October thisyear, it may provide an answer for the ethically driven consumer prepared to pay apremium for the peace of mind thatFairtrade assurance brings.

frontlineby Michael Hoare, chief executive of the NAG

It is cash – and nothaving to borrow any – that has kept many afloat.

Three cheers for Christmas – perhaps!

There is an optimism abroad about Christmas 2009 in most retail sectors, and all the signsare that the jewellery sector has a better than average chance of coming out on top.

No doubt, there are businesses that are clinging on by the skin of their teeth, but some ofthese would be in danger, recession or not. We at the NAG have been preaching sincemidsummer that Christmas is too late to think about training staff if you want to squeezeevery last drop out of the festive binge. And so it is with many of the other elements ofthe retail mix. If your ducks aren’t in a row by now, you’re relying on pure luck.

Is the optimism misplaced? I don’t know, but members of the Executive DevelopmentForum (EDF) are feeling quietly confident as they go into the future season showing anaverage 8 per cent year-on-year increase in sales, better stock turns than last year andgross profit margins that are holding up well.

Is it too soon to predict an end to recession? I think so, and anyone who says we are outof the woods already is on some very potent medicines! 2010 will see a further shake-out,with businesses going to the wall. Will a lot of them be jewellers? I hope not, and at leastthe bead and charm bracelet phenomenon, coupled with customers’ desire to trade in old gold pre-Christmas, have given jewellers something new to talk about, has helped drivefootfall into shops and generally helped generate some much needed cash with which tobuy Christmas stock. And that’s one of the key points about jewellers: it is cash – and not having to borrow any – that has kept many afloat. Many are self-financed, are not reliant on credit facilities, save for a small overdraft, and therefore not slaves to the banks.Long may it continue!


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Greg received an enthusiastic response from his expert audienceand most declared their support for the social, environmental andeconomic goals implicit in the initiative. The outstanding questionstill remains, however: can Fairtrade gold capture the consumersimagination in the same way as Fairtrade cotton and coffee? Whatdo you think?

The usual suspects

Iwas at the third Great Debate staged by the Birmingham AssayOffice at IJL, along with about 40 others. The event, designed to

encourage companies to work in partnership to deliver an ethicaljewellery supply chain, was chaired by Liz Barclay, consumer champion of Radio 4’s You and Yours. In just over an hour, thedebate brought attention to many issues including the forthcomingFairtrade gold project, ‘recycled’ gold, certification of standards asdevised by the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), the activities ofmining giants and consumer demand for ethical products.

Birmingham Assay Office chief executive Michael Allchin waspleased with the outcome, and cited the presence of multiple retailers,buying groups, niche independents, miners and processors and several groups – including the ARM, CAFOD, the RJC, the NAG and BJA – as evidence of success. Of course I agree with Michael’ssentiments, but in the closing minutes of the debate Liz Barclayasked all present what would be the one key development theywould like to see by the time we convene again next year. I supposemy one wish would be to see the debate extend beyond the listening ears of the ‘usual suspects’. Every one of the familiar faces around the room are committed to one degree or another to delivering the Millennium Goals, but are we reaching out to thecynics on the sidelines, or are we just enjoying a ‘heated agreement’amongst ourselves?

Long live Loughborough!

During the dying days of September, the indomitable SandraPage, ably assisted by Amanda Reavell on this occasion, played

host to 160 or so delegates, speakers and committee members at the 21st Loughborough Conference. A fine time was had by all atwhat has deservedly become a fixture in the annual timetable. Twentyone years is a fine innings, almost a coming of age, and under theauspices of the new Institute of Registered Valuers, Loughboroughcan look forward to many more years. However I don’t think we cantruly say it has yet reached the status of an ‘institution’.

During my summer ‘stay-cation’ I attended a dinner at KebleCollege to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the British Shops andStores Association’s (BSSA) Oxford Summer School, which hasbeen going strong since 1923, with only a break of six years for thesecond world war. This week-long event regularly attracts well overtwo hundred delegates and a stellar list of speakers from the retailworld, and I am honoured to say that I organised it for ten years during the nineties – and still have the scars to prove it!

Now, if you will permit me the use of an arboreal analogy for amoment, the great age and stature of the BSSA Oxford SummerSchool must justify its classification as a mighty oak of the genus‘annual conference’; the IRV Loughborough Conference is a sturdy,fast growing, sapling, and the NAG can surely be said to have planted an acorn this summer in the form of the EDF OxfordCongress. Plans are afoot for the nurturing of its tender young budsin June 2010!

All enquiries please contact our Customer Care Team on: 0800 169 3647 Website: www.dyrbergkern.com


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Editor’s LetterAutumn is probably my favourite season. I love the combination of the crisp chilly

air and clear blue skies, and the gorgeous changing colours of the leaves on

the trees. For those of us on the magazine, though, there has been little time to

spare these past couple of autumn months, as we’ve been working away at

producing this, the first of our ‘extra’ issues – because of course, The Jeweller is

now coming to you ten times a year.

For the retail trade, autumn is merely a ‘build up’ period. The clocks have gone

back now, which means that we’re officially into winter and officially into the most

important time in a retailer’s year – Christmas.

This year has been a strange one to judge, particularly from those of us like myself who merely sit on the sidelines of the industry,

rather than those of you who work every day on the high street.

Only you know how successful or otherwise business has been this year, and similarly, how significantly your sales have

been affected by the recession we’re now living through. And none of us yet know how Christmas is going to go. But there are

good signs out there: the financial markets are steadily recovering from their earlier battering, and many people are becoming less

fearful – as the media storm surrounding the credit crunch itself ebbs away – of losing their jobs and consequently less fearful

about spending their disposable income.

Whatever your circumstances, I hope that you’re all set for Christmas (got any good ideas for your window display this year?) and

that this last part of the year sees a good profit for all our readers.

This issue, we bring you the jewellery industry’s reaction to the changes in palladium hallmarking – will the hallmark give

palladium new cache among the jewellery public? I also interview Links of London co-founder John Ayton, and ask him what his

hopes are for he and wife Annoushka’s latest jewellery venture, and the NAG’s Sandra Page writes a full review of this year’s

Loughborough conference.

Hope you enjoy the read.

Jo Young, Editor Email: [email protected]

This month:“Anything that we didnext in the jewelleryindustry we wantedto be completely different to Links”

“Having enjoyedthe first few lectures, I beganto realise that my reservationshad been ill-founded.”

Page 30 Page 59


JEWELLER Industry News

Luxury group LVMH has defied analystexpectations by reporting a better-than-

expected 3 per cent drop in like-for-likesales for its final quarter. The group’s resultswere bouyed significantly by a ‘double digit’rise in sales at the flagship Louis Vuittonbrand, despite falling sales of watches andjewellery.

LVMH reported a 0.6 per cent decline insales in the third quarter, as demand fromretailers of its wine and spirits and watchesand jewellery remained weak due to theeconomic downturn. Sales for the quarterwere €4.14 billion, compared with €4.16billion a year earlier.

The company, the world’s leading luxuryproducts group, turned in revenues of€11.9bn in the first nine months of 2009,while delivering a solid performance in Asia,particularly in the burgeoning Chinese mar-ket. The increase in revenues generated inAsia – where the number of Louis Vuittonstores is set to double from 15 to 30 by theend of the year – has almost entirely offsetfalling sales elsewhere in the group, such asfrom the watch and jewellery division.

In the first nine months of the year, thewatch and jewellery division reported€533m sales, compared to €656m duringthe same period last year, a fall of 19 per

cent. However LVMH said this was notindicative of a weakening performance inany of its key watch and jewellery brands,such as TAG Heuer, but the results of thesoon-to-end de-stocking process.

“The watches and jewellery businessgroup recorded a revenue decrease in the

first nine months of 2009 due to de-stock-ing by distributors. In a still challenging environment, TAG Heuer is winning marketshare, notably in the US, and has focusedon its iconic lines, such as the automaticversion of Aquaracer 500 and new modelsin the Monaco line. Hublot showed a goodlevel of resilience despite the crisis. MontresDior successfully launched the Mini D andChaumet saw good growth at its own retailstores in the third quarter,” said the companyin a statement. According to the financialpress, LVMH is being closely watched byretail analysts as it is thought by some thatthe company may be on the verge of amajor restructure. LVMH itself said that itwould continue to make new internationalinvestments through the remainder of theyear, including the opening of a Louis Vuittonstore in Mongolia.

Interestingly, retail industry experts arepredicting that this quarter may turn out tobe the the weakest for the world’s luxurygoods companies, as demand for luxuryclothing, jewellery and accessories is showingsigns of stabilising. In a further indicator forthe UK market specifically, British fashion,jewellery and accessories brand Burberryalso reported a 5 per cent rise in salesrecently, again beating expectations.

LVMH jewellery sales still weak

Damas CEO resigns over‘unauthorised’ $165m Dubai-based jewellery retail group Damas has announced the resignation of its CEO

and managing director Tawhid Abdulla following the disclosure of his having made“unauthorised transactions”.

The company has now appointed Hisham Ashour, the former deputy CEO, to take overfrom Abdulla, who is understood to have made unauthorised transactions to a value of nearly $165m. The company also said that Tawfique Abdulla, Tawhid’s brother, would nowact as managing director on a day-to-day basis.

"The company today announces that it has accepted Tawhid Abdulla’s resignation as managing director and CEO due to his disclosure to the board of what is understood to beunauthorised transactions conducted by him. The full extent of these transactions has notbeen ascertained at this time but the company’s initial estimate is that these transactionscould amount to approximately $165 million,” it said in a statement last month.

Since the announcement, Damas has confirmed that Tawhid Abdulla and two other executives would be repaying almost $165m to the firm. The company said that the Abdullabrothers, who together own more than 50 per cent of the Dubai Nasdaq-listed firm, hadagreed to repay all the money involved, but no further details were given.

“The three Abdulla brothers have signed a formal settlement agreement with the companyin which they have committed to repay in full and in cash the full value of the transactionsunder review,” said a further company statement.

David Morrismakes Dubaidebut

Luxury jeweller DavidMorris has opened a

new boutique in the latest prestige shoppingcentre in Dubai, TheDubai Mall.

The David Morris brand, which is alreadypopular with buyers from the middle easternregion, is one of several new outletsopened under the David Morris fascia byMorris’ son and company creative directorJeremy Morris. The Dubai store follows similar boutique openings in Palm Beach in the US, Moscow and Qatar, and Morrissays there are plans to open a further storein Riyadh.

“I’m looking forward to expanding thebrand throughout the Middle East, alongwith our Dubai partners, over the course ofthe next few years,” said Morris.



Glasgow-based jeweller Rox has unveiled a ‘risque’ new advertising campaign, featuringits new faces, Miss Scotland winner Katherine Brown, and model Amanda Hendrick.

The retailer has released a series of images of the two models for its Christmas campaign,taken by leading Scottish fashion photographer Stephen Kearney. The shots are “a dramaticdeparture from the safe imagery usually favoured by premium jewellers”, says the company.

“We wanted to step it up a gear this Christmas to come up with a really high-fashion-ledcampaign to encourage our customers to get creative with their jewellery for the festive season,” said Rox co-owner Kyron Keogh. “We’re really proud of our Scottish heritage so itwas only fitting to have Miss Scotland, and Amanda, who has been hailed as Scotland’s topmodel by industry experts, at the heart of our campaign,” he added.

Rox, which was founded in 2002 by Keogh and business partner Grant Mitchell, runs threestores in Glasgow, in the city’s Argyll Arcade and Silverburn and Braehead shopping centres.The firm has also just opened a new £1m flagship store in Aberdeen’s Union Square, whichopened in October.

Also last month, Rox won the title of Independent Retailer of the Year at the Scottish RetailExcellence Awards. The company fended off competition from Boudiche, A Gift Tae Gie andUig Community Co-operative to scoop the prize.

Risque Rox ad campaign Herbert Brownplans for gold-fuelled expansionin 2010

Pawnbroker and jewellery chain HerbertBrown is planning a major expansion

programme, with 10 new stores scheduledto open across the UK by June 2010 and‘more thereafter’.

The company, which operates 30 storesaround the country, plans the fast pacedexpansion after enjoying a year of strongtrading, fuelled by the recession and thespiralling price of gold. “The combinedeffects of the recession, which has seenmore people looking for short term loanoptions, coupled with the increase in thevalue of gold has seen business boom,”said a company statement.

Of the new stores planned for the firsthalf of the year, four will be in GreaterManchester with several others scheduledto open in the firm’s native Yorkshire andelsewhere throughout the north of England.

The first of the new stores will open inDerby, Morecambe and Wolverhampton, allof which are scheduled to begin trading thismonth and all of which were previouslySignet stores, trading as H Samuel or ErnestJones.

The company is also planning to openseveral of what it is calling ‘gold kiosks’,which will be set up, in the run up toChristmas, in the shopping districts of majorcities, and at which customers will be ableto sell their unwanted gold and jewellery.

“The business is experiencing its highestlevel of footfall in its 169 year history, due to a shift in perception of the pawnbroking industry and the opportunityto trade online. As a result our customerbase has widened; we are now seeing asurge in customers seeking to buy vintagejewellery. In addition, pawnbroking hasbecome one of the swiftest ways to accessshort term loan facilities for individuals and businessmen alike. The next 18months will see a dedicated expansionstrategy rolled out across the country, withsignificant investment and job creation,”said Rod Mason, the managing director ofHerbert Brown.

Herbert Brown expects that its expansion plans will generate around 60new jobs. The company was recently giventhe title Employer of the Year – for the second year running – by the NationalPawnbroking Association.



In-store music victory bringsretailers near £20m paybackAlegal ruling over the copyright fees that

shops are charged for playing music instores could save retailers £5 million a year,says the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Shops, pubs restaurants and other busi-nesses that play recorded music (includingfrom television and in-store or conventionalradio stations) have to pay for a licence. In 2005, Public Performance Limited (PPL),the company that collects these fees onbehalf of the record companies, imposeddramatic increases in the licence fee charges.Some outlets saw their costs more thandouble overnight. According to the BRC, forexample, one clothing retail group’s bill rose from £176,000 to £408,000 a yearand the bill payable by one tiling chain wentfrom £25,000 to £73,000.

On behalf of a broad coalition of its members, large and small, the British RetailConsortium (BRC) joined with others in alegal battle to fight the unjustifiable scale of these increases, a fight that they won last month.

The Copyright Tribunal has now ruled that the increases were excessive andshould be capped at ten per cent. PPL hassaid it will appeal but, if the decision isupheld, retailers stand to benefit to the tuneof £5 million a year as well as receiving backthe money they have been overcharged.The excess charges levied over the past fouryears, says the BRC, could be as much as£20 million, an amount that retailers couldnow receive as a refund. In 2008 alone, PPL collected £127.6m in fees from UK

businesses of all types. Around £11m of thisis believed to have come from retailers.

“We welcome the Tribunal’s decisionwhich establishes a level of tariffs that’s fairfor all parties. This is a great example of the BRC helping retailers large and small topull together and fight an unfair cost thataffects them all.

“Being able to play music or have a radio on is important for customers andstaff in many shops. Artists and composersare entitled to a payment but increases onthis scale cannot be justified and are out ofreach for many retailers.

We regret that PPL is not willing to acceptthe outcome and has decided to appeal,”said Andrew Opie, the BRC’s food and consumer director.

Brilliantly Birmingham, the annual contemporary jewellery festival with its

roots in the city’s Jewellery Quarter, reachesits 10th year this autumn.

Established in 1999, when a group oflocal Birmingham designers joined forces topromote themselves as a single brand, theevent has grown in scale and importance,and now attracts designer makers fromaround the world.

The programme for 2009’s event –which runs from the 21st of this monththrough to February 2010 – includes twoexhibitions to be held at the BirminghamMuseum & Art Gallery. The first, Flux, is aregular selling show, attracting internationalentries from both new and establisheddesigner makers. This year there will also be a tenth anniversary retrospective show,featuring the work of seven designerswhose jewellery has headlined BrilliantlyBirmingham in years past. The retrospectivewill include the work of designer MikaelaLyons, who produces body adornment piecesand smaller scale jewellery made using

digitally manipulated photographs. Old travelimages have, in her work, been mountedonto oxidised copper settings and coveredin laser-cut acrylic, to create ‘fashionable,high impact and theatrical pieces’.

“As a student I was always inspired by thenature of the work on show at past BrilliantlyBirmingham exhibitions and to have my workincluded in this special year on all of theanniversary posters and brochures is a realhonour,” said Lyons.

Also appearing in the anniversary show is Kathryn Marchbank (from the UK) BettyPepper (UK), Lisa Juen (Germany/China)Anke Plath (Germany), Vaishali Morjaria(Kenya) and last year’s profiled designerSally Collins (UK). All the designers featuredthis year initially exhibited at the Birminghamshowcase early in their careers, since whenmany have gone on to establish successfulcareers, showing their work around the UKand internationally.

This year’s festival, which is sponsored by the Birmingham Assay Office, will alsoincorporate Paradigma, an international

exchange between Birmingham School ofJewellery and Barcelona’s Escola Massana, aswell as a series of professional developmentseminars sponsored by Business Link andthe city’s Assay Office, which is also runninga special open day for the public. There willalso be a return of the event’s popular‘Walks in the Quarter’ and Open Workshops,which provide a unique opportunity to see behind the scenes in designers’ andjewellers’ studios. The festival will include anumber of associated events by individualdesigner makers, such as James Newmanand Sara Preisler, and a collaboration with Birmingham City University’s NewGeneration Arts 2010.

Birmingham jewellery festivalcelebrates 10th anniversary

Staff members at high street multipleBeaverbrooks have been recognised for

their generosity, winning an award for theircharitable donations during the past year.

The company has been officially recog-nised as having the ‘most generous work-force in the UK’ at the National PayrollGiving Excellence Awards, held at theTreasury in London in October.

At the ceremony, Beaverbrooks receivedtwo awards from Angela Smith, MP andMinister for the Third Sector, and FinancialSecretary, MP Stephen Timms. The awardswere to congratulate Beaverbrooks on having the ‘best launch of a new [payrollgiving] scheme’ as well as for coming topwith the year’s most successful payroll giving promotion.

Both awards were won in partnershipwith the fundraising organisation, WorkplaceGiving UK, with whom Beaverbrooksworked to promote the employee initiative,with which it first signed up this time last year.

Since the scheme was introduced, 31 percent of the staff at Beaverbrooks, whichemploys over 780 staff in 65 stores acrossthe UK, contribute to charity through thepayroll giving scheme, one of the highesttake-up rates the scheme has enjoyed.Together, staff at the firm generated£37,800 for a total of 99 charities in its firstyear of participation.

“We care about our people and our peoplecare about others. We encourage our teamsto take part in fundraising activities andsponsored events and match fund anymoney our people raise for a registeredcharity. Each year, we contribute 20 per centof our post-tax profits to charity. IntroducingWorkplace Giving is another string to ourCSR bow,” said Beaverbrooks’ charity andwellbeing manager Susie Nicholas.

“New to payroll giving, Beaverbrooks hasset up, and delivered, a hugely successfulpayroll giving scheme. To set – and smash– a target of 10 per cent take-up in justeight months puts Beaverbooks in the elitegroup of employers that have received aGold Quality Mark Award and qualificationfor the National Payroll Giving ExcellenceAwards. Our judges were encouraged bythe immediate impact of the launch, andBeaverbrooks’ continued commitment toengage employees so that they wereinvolved in making payroll giving a success,”said Lee Grant, from award organisers, theInstitute of Fundraising.



Terry Burman, the group CEO of SignetJewelers, has been signed in as the

new chairperson of the board at the US jewellery industry trade association Jewelersof America (JA).

Burman, who is the head of the largestspeciality retail jewellery group in the world, succeeds John Green, of Lux Bond &Green, West Hartford. Burman was electedduring JA’s board of directors meeting inJuly, and his appointment was publiclyannounced in October.

Burman takes office at what JA called ‘an exciting phase in the association’s development’. He will lead the board as thestructure of the association is reorganised,thanks to its recently announced mergerwith the Jewelry Information Center.

“Terry is an exceptional leader in the jewellery industry, and he has greatlyenhanced Jewelers of America with his wisdom while serving on our executive and ethical initiatives committees. We are privileged to have him guide our board

of directors as they continue the significantwork that Past-Chair John Green oversawduring his term,” said President & CEOMatthew A. Runci of the appointment.

“It is an honor to serve as chairman ofJewelers of America. I look forward to workingwith my fellow board members, as well aswith JA’s staff, to continue the important workon national and global industry issues thatJA is undertaking on behalf of its membersand the fine jewellery retail marketplace,” said Burman.

Beaverbrooks staff‘most charitable’ inthe United Kingdom

From Left to Right: Peter O’Hara, Workplace Giving UK; Jenna Green, Beaverbrooks; Steven Timms,MP; Darren Daffin, Beaverbrooks; Maria Jacobs, Workplace Giving UK

Burman named as chair of Jewelers of America

German design since 1974

bastian. GmbH & Co. KG · Fon: +49 (0421) 33 85 - 555E-Mail: [email protected] · www.bastian-inverun.com

silver & diamonds

fall winter 2009


From November, The Jeweller will belaunching an online edition of the

magazine. As well as the printed version nowbeing published ten times a year, the onlineversion will give members an additionalopportunity to view the complete magazineon their computer. The software used forviewing the magazine electronically is thevery latest available; pages can be turnedand viewed singly or as spreads, the page size can easily be increased ordecreased at a flick of a button, and articlesof interest can be printed out. TheNovember issue will be the first availableonline on our newly updated magazinewebsite at www.thejewellermagazine.com,where other relevant information about The

Jeweller, such as circulation,readership details and advertisingrates can also be found.

Publisher Neil Oakford commented: “With the magazine now being publishedten times a year, these are exciting times forall of us here at The Jeweller magazine – weare committed to maintaining the magazine’sposition as the leading jewellery trade magazine in the industry. With the supportof the NAG’s resources fully behind themagazine, feedback from members informsus that we are delivering a high quality product that they enjoy reading and which isbeneficial to the running of their businesses.Plus, the increase in issues will ensure The Jeweller remains topical and always up

to date. The introduction of the online versionis a natural progression for the magazine,which will reinforce awareness as well ashelp members access the magazine moreimmediately on publication should the current postal strikes become a long, drawnout affair.”

As the magazine is produced on behalf of the NAG, the online issue will only beable to be accessed by its members andassociates via a user name and password.More information regarding these detailswill be announced soon.

Montblanc opens new Parisian boutique

Luxury goods brand Montblanc has opened a new 500sqm two storey ‘4810’ boutique inthe French capital, the brand’s fourteenth boutique of its kind to open around the world.The Paris store, which will act as the brand’s flagship in the city, is in Rue de la Paix in

the heart of the shopping district. It will sell a comprehensive range of the German brand’ssignature writing instruments, jewellery and watches, including several limited edition andunique pieces.

The new shop will also double as an art gallery, in which Montblanc plans to host exhibitionsof work by ‘promising artists’.

Diamond market ‘stable’, says De BeersThe market for diamonds has begun to

stabilise following the abrupt drop off indemand earlier in the year, according to thediamond mining giant De Beers.

The flagship mines operated by De Beersin Botswana is now operating at 80 percent of its capacity, the company’s CEO inBotswana, Sheila Khama, has said. Whileconsumption is still considerably lower than De Beers would normally expect, “theabrupt rate at which it was dropping hasstarted to stabilise,” Khama told the localpress in South Africa. "We are seeing animprovement in the level of sales and theavailability of finance to our clients as thepace of recovery quickens," she added.

De Beers’ Chairman Nicky Oppenheimerhas also said recently that, globally, demandwas “likely” oustripping supply. He con-firmed in interview that both Chinese andIndian jewellery consumers were showing“a tremendous desire” for diamonds, andthat the two countries were among themost important markets for De Beers andother diamond suppliers in the future.Around half of all diamond sales are stillaccounted for by the US market.

Jeweller magazineto be viewable online this month




Steven Jordan, the resident valuer at theGoldsmiths’ Company Assay Office in

London, this year won the coveted DavidWilkins Award, more commonly known asthe Valuer of the Year award.

Jordan, described by award organisers as“a popular winner”, was presented with histrophy at this year’s National Association ofGoldsmiths Institute of Registered Valuers’Conference held at Loughborough inSeptember.

Jordan was chosen from a group of fivefinalists, who themselves were shortlisted fortheir exemplary standards of professionalismand integrity.

The trophy honours the late David Wilkins,a former Chairman of the NAG’s valuations

committee. Wilkins, who died in 1994,helped encourage high standards in jewelleryvaluation throughout his long career in thesector. Steven Jordan, who received theaward from Wilkins’ widow Margaret, wasthe award’s 15th recipient.

Steven Jordan has headed up AssayOffice London’s valuation team, in conjunc-tion with The Guild of Valuers and Jewellers,since April 2008. He is a Fellow of theNational Association of Goldsmiths and aFellow of the Institute of Registered Valuersand is a qualified gemmologist and diamondgrader specialising in domiciliary and tradevaluations on items of jewellery, silver and timepieces. Before joining the AssayOffice, Jordan worked for several jewellery

businesses, including Phillips Auctioneers in New Bond Street, jewellery brand Mappin & Webb and royal warrant holders,Carrington and Co.

Cattin quits FranckMuller group over“disappointment” in management

Watch designer Rodolphe Cattin,founder of the Rodolphe Montres and

Bijoux watch company and the Rodolpheand Co. design studio, has announced he is‘quitting’ his role at the Franck Muller group,the firm that owns the two brands.

Cattin, who has resigned from all operational activities within the group as ofthe end of October, will remain a minorityshareholder in both Rodolphe Montres andBijoux and Rodolphe and Co. However,despite his continuing relationship with the group, he nonetheless issued a statementdescribing what he saw as “a series of disappointments” over parent Franck Muller’s management.

“It is with a mixture of sadness and reliefthat I am leaving the group with which webecame associated four years ago, because

I no longer sense that the group has anywish to develop the brand bearing myname. The same is indeed true of all theother ‘small’ brands within the Franck Mullergroup,” said Cattin in a statement.

“For the past four years, I have poured allmy energy into this magnificent adventure andour tight-knit and motivated team was ableto accomplish some excellent developmentwork during the first two years of the part-nership, resulting in particular in the Watchof the Year award won in 2006 for the InstinctChrono model, followed by a second prize in2008. However, these did nothing to con-solidate the brand’s position within the group.”

He went on to suggest that Franck MullerCEO Vartan Sirmakes was not sufficientlyinterested in his brands to ensure theirfuture development.

“On a more global level, conditions havesteadily deteriorated and it is now quiteobvious that the group CEO, Mr. VartanSirmakes, has chosen to devote his energyand his efforts elsewhere. Despite manydiscussions on this issue, there are no longerany signs of a will to improve matters,” he claimed.

“In light of these circumstances, I prefer to withdraw and in doing so leave my associates free to make their own choices,non-choices, decisions and non-decisions. I am above all a creative designer with littleinclination for corporate politics, plotting and U-turns. And I strongly deplore the attitude and behaviour of some of my closest associates who may well see in mydeparture a chance to grab the spotlight.”

Franck Muller did not comment.

Steven Jordan chosen as Valuer of the Year

Nicholson White & Co Ltd, St Mary's House, 68 Harborne Park Road, Harborne, Birmingham, B17 0DH

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New licensing dealannounced by Zeon and Braun

Zeon, a subsidiary of the Herald Group, hasannounced an exclusive partnership with

German consumer electricals brand Braun,to produce the company’s future ranges ofclocks and watches.

The new worldwide partnership betweenZeon and Braun’s parent company Proctor &Gamble will see the first new-generationBraun watches and clocks launched at nextyear’s key BaselWorld exhibition, to be heldin March 2010.

Zeon, which is the largest watch companyin the UK, was one of the first companies to be involved in licensing fashion and consumer brands for watches and clocks. It already holds the watch licenses for severalbrands including fashion brand Bench, Italianmoped firm Lambretta, superclub Ministryof Sound and British car company Mini.

In recent years, Braun has moved awayfrom manufacturing timepieces. “As muchas Braun clocks and watches have become

iconic products over the last three decades, they do not belong to Braun’s core business categories any more,” explained Markus Strobel, the vice president of P&G Global Braun. “To ensure that consumers worldwide will continue to be delighted with great clocks andwatches under the Braun label in the future, we have made a conscious choice to partnerwith a strong external, highly specialised partner.”

Richard Tibber (pictured), the managing director of Zeon in London, welcomed the collaboration. “We will be developing a full range of Braun clocks and watches, and will bereintroducing some of the past designs which today have become collectables, as well asnew, exciting and innovative products,” he said.

Safeguard runsfirst radio adcampaign

Safeguard, the independent jewellery valuations service at the Birmingham

Assay Office, has run a small advertisingcampaign on the West Midlands-basedcommercial radio station, Smooth Radio.

The campaign, which kicked off on 6thOctober and ran for three weeks, was timedto promote the SafeGuard jewellery, watchand silverware valuation days at the AssayOffice headquarters.

Irish retaileropens newYorkshire store

Jacob Banda, the president of the New York Diamond Dealers Club (DDC) has died, aged62, after a short illness.Banda, who held his post at the DDC for the past nine years, was also a member of the

World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB). Born in Israel, Banda had lived in the USsince 1964 and had been a member of the DDC for the past 30 years. Having started hiscareer in the jewellery industry as a diamond cutter, he later specialised in fancy colouredstones.

Several members of the industry expressed their sorrow upon hearing the news. “On behalf of CIBJO, I would like to pass on the organisation’s heartfelt condolences

and best wishes to his wife and family. Jacob was a dear friend, and I know he will be sorely missed by his many friends and colleagues in CIBJO. He was a highly professional and experienced member of the world diamond community, and always wanted to know whatwas happening in the jewellery pipeline,” said CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri.

Tributes pour in after death of DDCPresident Jacob Banda

Left to Right: Mayoral consort Mr Jones; AngelaFrizzell, marketing manager for Argento andRos Jones, Civic Mayor.

Leading Irish jewellery retailer Argento iscelebrating the opening of its 28th store,

which opened its doors in Doncaster at theend of October.

The store, which is the company’s first inYorkshire, is midway through an aggressiveexpansion programme throughout the UK,with further store openings planned.

“We chose Doncaster because of its flag-ship shopping centre, overall regenerationand the financial investment that the townis enjoying. It is a town that is going places.The store has already enjoyed a wonderfulreception from local shoppers, and the official opening event has highlighted thatthere is a significant market for high fashion,collectable jewellery pieces,” said AngelaFrizzell, the marketing manager for Argento.

The firm, which was founded in 1997and which claims to be ‘bucking the trend and enjoying retail success’, is one of the largest stockists of the popularThomas Sabo brand.

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JEWELLER NAG News

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.

Affiliate ApplicationsSterling Mint (Meer Jalali) Sudbury, Harrow

Cash My Gold (Justin Pritchard) Crewe, Cheshire

IRV Applications

If members wish to comment on any IRVapplications they should contact SandraPage on (029) 2081 3615.

Application to become a MemberPatricia Negus PJDip PJGemDip PJValDip,Durham

Ian Saunders PJDip PJGemDip PJValDip DGA,Market Harborough

Jill Howe PJValDip, Tavistock

Upgrading from Member to FellowGeorgina Deer MIRV PJDip PJValDip FNAG FGADGA, Manchester

Michael S Inkpen MIRV FGA, Torquay

NAG Staff News

There is a new face at NAG HQ: Ritu Vermahas recently taken over the role of PA

to Michael Hoare following the departure of Kate Richards, who has moved on topastures new. We all wish Kate well in thefuture and welcome Ritu to Luke Street.Ritu is looking forward to her new role andis hoping that her strong family ties withinthe jewellery trade will help on her ownjewellery career path in the future.

As the golden hues of autumn were settingin for a warm October afternoon, I thought

I’d take a trip down to Goldsmiths’ Fair to seethe talent that was shining in the rather grandvenue that is Goldsmiths’ Hall.

For the past 27 years, Goldsmiths Fair haspresented jewellery and silverware by someof Britain’s finest talent, and this year’s eventwas certainly no exception. One of the nicestthings about the fair is that you see wellestablished names exhibiting side by sidewith new, up-and-coming designers, all ofwhom are happy to spend some time discussing their work with you. Seeing their passion and enthusiasm for what theydo gives you an understanding of eachdesigner’s unique style and inspiration.

As I looked around, I came across someunusual pieces by Zoe Arnold. Her collectable,one-off pieces are inspired by poetry andhave a distinct style about them. I particularlyliked her Memory Necklace, which is normally made up for a customer based ontheir personal memories and artefacts.“Sometimes people have an odd earringfrom a pair that they really liked, or perhapsa ring that’s been passed down that theydon’t wear because it’s not quite their style.Instead of getting rid of these objects, I turn them into Memory Necklaces. You can add ortake pieces off as you want, or wear all the memories together.”

An unusual collection of brooches by Roger Morris also stood out, thanks to the unusualcombination of materials used – gold, acrylic, resin and gemstones. “I’m a great believer indrawing. The inspiration from these brooches came from working on Renaissance and

architectural studies,” he said. In each piece,the design has been laser cut into acrylicand filled with resin, with gold then riveted toit. Morris has used a slightly unusual clampsetting to secure the stones in place, a tech-nique also used on his collection of rings.

It was really nice to finally see the 24 caratgold jug created last year by Martyn Pugh,which has been much talked about forbeing the largest object created out ofalmost pure gold; until now the largestknown was a wedding ring. The jug lookedso fluid and effortlessly created, that I didn’tquite realise how heavy it was. The designerallowed me to handle the piece, and evenkept a straight face when I almost droppedit (I didn’t realise its £250,000 value at thetime). As a self-proclaimed “sucker for achallenge”, Pugh said his next project will bea set of palladium jugs, and maybe even aplatinum jug one day too.

Goldsmiths’ Fair 2009The NAG’s membership administrator Harshita Deolia reviewsthe work on sale at this year’s exhibition.

Zoe Arnold

Roger Morris

Martyn Pugh with his 24 carat gold jug


JEWELLER NAG News

Continuing an annual tradition, the international precious metals consultancy

GFMS announced the launch of its GoldSurvey 2009 on 14th September at Grocers’Hall in London.

GFMS Chairman Philip Klapwijk presentedthe main findings of this bi-annual report onthe gold market.

In addition to offering a review of recent developments in all areas of the gold market,the presentation looked at future possibilitiesfor the various components of the supply/demand balance and what this might meanfor the gold price. A couple of interesting points regarding goldsupply and demand were noted:• Global Scrap supply surged to a record

high of almost 900 tonnes in the firsthalf of 2009. The majority of the actiontook place in the first quarter of the year,in reaction to high gold prices, whichreached record local levels in severalinstances. Distress selling, in reaction

to GDP declines or slowdowns, addedto the total. Significant gains in scrapsupply were seen from the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East andEast Asia, while Europe and the USposted new record highs.

• Jewellery offtake fell by almost 25 percent in the first half of 2009, to around760 tonnes. Losses were recordedacross the board of key jewellery fabricators, with India and Turkey registering the sharpest falls. Chinaproved the exception, as its fabricationrose by 7 per cent. The weakness of jewellery offtake in the period ishighlighted by it falling below levels of scrap supply. The second half of2009 is expected to register anotherfall, taking the full year total to its lowest level in over two decades.

The 40 page publication can be ordereddirect from GFMS for £250 – telephone020 7487 1750 or email: [email protected]

The final NAG Council Meeting for theyear 2009 was held at Pewterers’ Hall,

London on Tuesday 6th October. Upon arrival at the Pewterers’ Hall,

members were greeted by the Beadle, whogave a tour of the building and explained its

history. Guests were then led to the Courtroom for the Council Meeting to commence.

The meeting began with Frank Wood welcoming members, followed by a twominute silence, which was held in honour ofJim Collier and Jack Clelland-Brown.

Reports from each department weregiven, after which Michael Hoare offered afew words of optimism to encourage allmembers, emphasising that the jewelleryindustry is still going from strength to strength.

Council members were joined by guestspeaker Mike McGraw, the director ofDevelopment Initiatives, who gave a pres-entation on the NAG’s newest education initiative, JetPro. Mike discussed the benefitsof the course and Council members weregiven the opportunity to voice their opinionson the new proposal.

Finally the meeting concluded with a buffet lunch in the grand Livery Hall, afterwhich guests departed for the day.

Council Meeting October 2009

NAG attends GFMS gold launch

GFMS Chairman Philip Klapwijk


It is difficult for me to remember exactlywhen first I met Jim, for it seems that I

have known him throughout my ‘NAG life’.However, the records show that he waselected to the NAG Council in 1977, whichwas the mid-point of my Chairmanship allthose years ago. By then he had alreadyendeared himself to those of us who regu-larly attended the NAG Annual Conference.In no time at all, it seems, he was elected tothe NAG Executive and became NAG

Chairman in 1986. Following his term ofoffice he became very active in the affairs ofJoGBI, becoming its Chairman in 1991.JoGBI was the NAG’s promotional company,whose main responsibility was the annualtrade fair now known as IJL. His energy andenthusiasm in that role laid the groundworkfor what is now a highly successful andthriving relationship between the NAG andIJL. However anyone can look all this up inthe records: it won’t tell you anything aboutJim, the man. Let me try to do this.Jim was a ‘sunny’ man: whenever you methim he brightened your day. Invariablysmartly dressed for the occasion (even ifthere wasn’t one!), his personality broughtcheer to the forefront. So much so that hecould always be relied upon to play the partof the clown. He could be the clown, andoften was, and years ago many peoplethought of him as only a clown. How wrongthey were. He was a good businessman,and was very highly respected throughout theareas of the trade who knew him. He waswell known in Europe too, because he wasa very early member – if not a foundermember – of the Goldring buying group.Amongst his many friends there, he wasaffectionately known as Lord Necklace – apun on his family name.However, like many ‘clowns’, Jim had morethan his fair share of sadness in his personallife. He hid it well though, and his childrenare fortunate to have inherited the sunnyside of his personality. When I look back

over the many hours of good humour Ihave shared in his company, I realise how fortunate I am to have known Jim. Thinkingof the alphabet there is hardly a letter beginning a word that would not be part of Jim’s character. Starting at the far end,Zest comes to mind – zest for life;Youthfulness; Willingness; Vigour – and soon until you come to the letter that begins it all, the letter A. Amongst the wordsbeginning with that letter is the dread wordAlzheimer, and it was that sinister conditionthat robbed Jim of his personality and hislife. It was a cruel blow to him, of course,and to his family and friends.On the last Friday of September a huge crowdgathered together on the most beautiful ofdays – it was England at its autumnal best –to say goodbye to Jim. We all had ourfavourite Jim ‘story’ and every one was oneof fun: F is the easiest letter in the alphabetto pin on Jim.Many years ago I came across some lineswritten by the American poet Bret Harte:If, of all words of tongue and pen,The saddest are, ‘it might have been’More sad are these we daily see,‘It is but hadn’t ought to be’Those words sum up my sadness and realsense of loss at Jim’s death. All of us whoknew him have our own favourite memoryand I am sure all of us are saying the samething; in the song made famous by anothergreat ‘clown’, the late Bob Hope: “Thanks forthe memory.”

Jim Collier 1945-2009

A tribute by David Callaghan

JEWELLER NAG News

Data protection may not be the most thrilling of subjects for a seminar, but with companiesnow holding vast amounts of personal information, the ownership, use and safeguarding of

this sensitive data has become a national issue. Luckily three erudite speakers, from varying data protection backgrounds, were on hand to

guide CEO, Michael Hoare, information manager Faye Hadlow and finance administratorHenrik Dinesen through all the major themes of the vast subject.

There are no hard rules governing data protection, rather there are underlining principlesguided by the Data Protection Act. The real key to good information handling comes downto using common sense and fairness. Individuals should ideally have had to take positiveaction in order to supply their personal information. Once received, the company shouldminimise the use, access to, storage time and processing of this sensitive information, as wellas regularly ensuring it is kept accurate and secure.

Breaches of data protection are headline news, especially when it occurs on a large scaleinvolving sensitive information. Companies spend thousands in fear of hackers and thievesbreaking into their systems when this only accounts for 3 per cent of the national recordedbreaches. Half are in fact down to the businesses’ own employees, a problem easily reducedby good staff training and adequate security procedures.

More information on all aspects of data protection can be found on the InformationCommissioner’s office website at: www.ico.gov.uk

Understanding data protection NAG runners raise£500 for charity

Three staff members from the NAG have raised over £500 for charity after

successfully completing a 10k run in Londonon Sunday 18th October 2009. HenrikDinesen, Faye Hadlow and Jason Harrisonwere sponsored by family, friends and NAG members to run on behalf of CancerResearch UK.

It is not too late to donate. If you wouldlike to sponsor the NAG runners pleasevisit: www.justgiving.com/NAG-NAG1/

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Autumn launches from watchmakers, fine and fashionjewellery brands and up-and-coming designer makers.

BREIL MILANOBloom is a clever two-in-one collection from Italian jewellery and watch manufacturer BreilMilano. The piece pictured starts life as a choker, featuring a chunky steel heart. By twistinga hidden clasp, the necklace grows to reveal a cascade of metal chains with either blackonyx or steel disc adornments. This can then be worn as a more delicate-looking fulllength necklace. Bloom is available in both choker to necklace and bracelet to necklaceversions, in stainless or polished steel.

LAPPONIACelebrated Finnish jewellery brand Lapponia,which celebrates its 50th anniversary nextyear,has introduced its first guest designerinitiative. The first of these guest designersworking under the Lapponia brand banneris Finnish gem cutter and designer TimoMustajärvi. Known for his uncompromisingdesign ideology and his passion for well-specified and clear forms, it is in this spiritthat Mustajärvi has created Mondo, his debutcollection for Lapponia (pictured).

LAURA STRANDLaura Strand's collection of soft and sculptural pieces are intended to be reminiscent of wintery coastlines andmoody, dramatic skies. Called Wave, thecollection is made from recycled silver with a satin finish. Prices are from £70 for aring to £380 for a bangle.

EASTERN MYSTICThe Jahanara Rani Necklace from EasternMystic Jewellery is designed as occasion-wear: the showstopping piece, for whichmatching earrings are available, is made upof several necklace strands embellished withfaceted amethyst and fairtrade 24 carat goldvermeil. As the company says, “it wouldreally complement a flattering low neckcocktail dress or ball gown”.

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FLASH JORDANDerby-based designer jewellery brand FlashJordan has unveiled a new range of cufflinksand tie links called Britton Bespoke. The collection’s tie-links (pictured) are a new andunique concept, in which the mini handmadesilk tie wraps around the outside of the cuffand buttons down, keeping the cuffs neatlytucked away inside. The mini tie attaches tothe silver cufflink bar with a watch strap fitting,so the tie style can be changed easily or thesilver link can be worn alone.

ZELIA HORSLEYLondon-based fashion jewellery designerZelia Horsley has released several ranges ofnew jewellery this year, including the Cock& Bow Story range of which this necklace ispart. All Horsley's jewellery is handmadeand features coloured resin enamels andSwarovski crystals to create dramatic andunique pieces.

CASIOJapanese brand Casio has launched a newmodel watch to celebrate the F1 success of its brand ambassador Sebastian Vettel.Fittingly, the watch, part of Casio’s Edificecollection, has been inspired by motorsports.The chronograph model has a steel case carrying Vettel’s signature and logos,engraved on the casing base. The watchcarries Vettel's team colours of red, blueand yellow. The watch is limited editionwith only 100 pieces available.

JUNGHANSThe new Mega 1000 Titanium watch fromJunghans is a key new model in the brand’scollection. The watch is essentially a ‘spaceage’ variation on its 2005 classic, the Mega1000. Noted for its high strength-to-weight ratio and typically used for sporting goods, titanium has grown enormously inpopularity within the watch industry, havingproven to be both dent and corrosion-resistant, as well as durable and lightweight.

KENNETH JAY LANEPart of a new 25 piece collection, this striking antique-effect gold and turquoisecoil snake bracelet is designed to coil, serpent-like, around the wearer’s wrist,adding drama and luxury to a daytime orevening look. The turquoise stone and crystal embellishment is designed to givethe gold setting an antique luxury feel.Priced at £175.

EMILY RICHARDSONTops and Tails is a collection from designerEmily Richardson that's all about dressingup: these evening wear pieces are hand-made with onyx and Australian diamonds,using fairtrade-sourced 18 carat gold fromOro Verde. The prices for Richardson'spieces are £2000 for a necklace, £2500 fora ring and £3000 for earrings.

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A. LANGE & SÖHNEThe Lange 31, the first mechanical wristwatchto feature a power reserve and constantforce delivery across an entire 31 day period,is now available in pink gold. Initiallylaunched in platinum two years ago, the newversion adopts several of the same designand technical features of the company'soriginal 1990 Lange 1 watch, including theoff-centre outsize date, the lancet handsand the power reserve indicator.

FIFI BIJOUXJewellery brand Fifi Bijoux has produced a fun set of seahorse cufflinks, made from 9 carat gold. Designed as a possiblewedding gift for grooms (seahorses partnerfor life, see – ahhh), these are made with ethically-sourced gold and carry a retailprice of £480.

PUNKY ALLSORTSSinger and jeweller designer Alayna Slaterhas brought out a new range of sweetybracelets, which have been seen on awhole catalogue of celebrities includingKaty Perry, Fearne Cotton and Cheryl Cole.The new purple ‘bow’ bracelet is one ofseveral new colour and pattern combinationspriced at £14.50.

TOMASZ DONOZIKThese godfather-esque ‘horse head’ cufflinksare made by jeweller of the momentTomasz Donocik. Fashioned from yellowgold-plated silver, these unusual cufflinksare finished with a faceted onyx sphere.They cost £315 a pair.

TAMARA TUGNOVANova is a new collection from designerTamara Tugnova that has been made fromrecycled silver. Tugnova’s designs areintended to demonstrate ‘the tensionbetween the organic and designed world’and are priced between £180 for the ring(pictured) and £600 for a necklace.

TAWNY PHILLIPSTawny Phillips designs jewellery for men and women, adopting a rugged, chunky but fluidstyle, such as with this teardrop shaped bracelet. Her work, which sells for between £65 andseveral thousand pounds, has been picked up by designers Donna Karan and Paul Smith,and employs a wide array of materials from sharks' teeth to black pearls and bronze.

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SWISS MILITARY WATCHThe Swiss Military Watch brand has unveiled a new record breaking watch, called 20,000Feet, which is the only mechanical timepiece on the market that is able to descend morethan 20,000 ft. The watch, which can withstand the pressures equivalent of 750 kg/cm2

experienced at the bottom of the ocean and has apparently been tested to withstand majorblasts, is now duly featured in the Guinness Book of Records.

DOMINOSienna Neckwear is a new collection of earrings, pendants and necklaces fromDomino. The company has combined classicdesign principles with contemporary styling;taking its cue from the already-successfulSienna ring mounts, the neckwear collectionis available in 18 carat white gold, pre-setwith diamonds, each is ready to be set with a coloured stone or diamond of your choice.

ROCIO ILLUMINIRocio Illumini is a silver, rhodium-plated brandmade with ‘Enlightened’ Swarovski elementsdistributed by CL Edwards. Launched atSpring Fair this year, the brand added twonew limited edition sets to the collection atIJL, which featured black cubic zirconia from Swarovski, only 250 of each beingproduced. The company also enhanced itsEridani collection with Swarovski champagnestones. Prices from £40 to £175.

ANNABEL PANESThe Mali collection by Annabel Panes hasbeen inspired by the West African country ofMali. According to Panes, “the pieces tell thestory of the River Niger. The bird’s eye viewof the river inspired the line and shape foundin each link that makes up the collection”.All the collection’s pieces, which cost from£70 to £180, are made from recycled silver.

BALAGANThese Tower rings, which made their debut at this year’s Autumn Fair at theBirmingham NEC, are intended to buildupon the bead phenomenon sweeping the industry. The collection will featureapproximately fifty styles of ring that can be worn either individually or as a set, and includes birth stones, flowers and butterfly designs.

SWAROVSKIRed and elegant, the Parellele collection by Swarovski has a sparkling and trendylook perfect for the Christmas party season.The gold-plated ring (pictured) features afacetted crystal in a deep red shade which, coupled with the matching necklace,offers wearers a bold eyecatching look.

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John Ayton co-founded Links of London in1990 with his wife Annoushka Ducas.

Between them they successfully stewardedthe company through a long period ofgrowth and expansion that saw Linksbecome, by the time they sold the firm in2006, a key British luxury brand with aturnover of over £50m.

This summer, the husband and wife teamlaunched a new company, their first retailjewellery business since leaving Links ofLondon, which it sold to Greek jewelleryand watch manufacturer Folli Follie. Thecompany, called Annoushka, specialises infine jewellery, which will be sold through itschain of concessionary boutiques in high enddepartment stores. The first, which openedin Harvey Nichols in July, was followed byfurther openings in Harrods, Selfridges,Liberty and House of Fraser, as well as theWest London shopping mall Westfield.

Ayton and Ducas – the latter designing allthe jewellery for this, her eponymous brand– have high hopes for the new venture;Ayton recently said that he hoped the business would generate £10m in its firstyear of business. Clearly, Annoushka hasbeen a long time in the making.

“This whole new venture came aboutbecause we had sold Links of London andwe were planning a new project in the jewellery trade. We had actually registeredthe trademark many years ago, and hadalways planned something like this but afterselling the business we took some timeaway,” he says. “We spent time travelling andchilling out. Annouska spent a lot of timeduring this period sketching and working onher jewellery designs.

“She also did a bit of consulting, but inthe luxury sector, not jewellery. Annoushkafelt that she wanted her own thing, and we were also both keen to work on a newproject together. It was not a premeditatedthing in any other respect than that: we enjoyworking together, we enjoy the jewelleryindustry and this was something that it justseemed right to do.”

This project has its roots in another brandpurchase made by the couple after their(highly profitable) departure from Links ofLondon. After selling Links, they bought the jewellery concession business Pascal,which operated the 11 concessions in keydepartment stores around the UK whichhave now been rebranded as Annoushka.The purchase gave the pair a fabulousready-made foothold in the high enddepartment store concession business.

“The opportunity to set up a new brandarose when we were approached and asked

In the midst of the launch of his and his wife Annoushka’s newand much-anticipated jewellery venture, Jo Young talks to JohnAyton about the pair’s feelings about selling Links of London,and their hopes for the new Annoushka brand.

JEWELLERT H E

interviewsJohn Ayton, co-founder ofLinks of London and partner in

new brand, Annoushka

to buy the Pascal business. We knew thebusiness already and in many ways it represented a unique opportunity,” he says.“We bought Pascal because it had the bestdistribution of any business of its kind in the UK, in terms of department stores. Whatwe wanted to do with Annoushka wasalways going to be very well suited todepartment stores, because we knew thatwe wanted to sell our own jewellery directlyand not get involved with wholesale.Essentially, we wanted control of the sellingwithin our own business,” he explains.

Ayton recognises that high end departmentstore retailing – which is where he sees the future for the Annoushka brand – isquite a different proposition in terms of sector positioning than the Links of London offer that he and his wife had successfully established.

“Anything that we did in jewellery weknew we wanted to be different to Links ofLondon. We wanted to get involved withsomething more precious. This is different,although I don’t think it is a big leap neces-sarily; we were doing high-end stuff in Links,using diamonds and making some moreprecious pieces,” he says. He suggests thatthe current Links of London product profile– the company is now arguably best knownas a middle market silver ‘brand’ – is notespecially one of his and his wife’s making.

“Links of London were, at the time thatwe left, doing a lot more precious pieces.The company has really only now reverted todoing silver products, with less aspirationalstuff at the higher end. To be honest youcan’t really compare the Annoushka brand toLinks because it is targeting quite a differentmarket; it is very much about good designand individuality.”

Indeed, the jewellery within the Annoushkacollection is very different to any branded

high street offer, Links or otherwise. In someways – and the brand name is not the only clue – this feels very much like a labourof love for the designer Annoushka Ducas.She has allowed herself free reign with thisjewellery to create the kinds of pieces she loves, for buyers with an enviable budget; this is not a collection, one feels,that has been creatively ‘tempered’ toaccommodate the less wealthy or the lessadventurous buyer.

“The stuff Annoushka is designing nowwe are making on short runs, and they are crafted, rather than being produced invast numbers. We are appealing to a moresophisticated consumer than we were with Links of London,” agrees Ayton. “Thecollection uses a lot of precious stones, lotsof big semi-precious as well as diamonds,and they are being used in a much bolderway. What Annoushka is doing now is, basically, bolder.

“We have been in the industry for 18 years,and in some ways, we had slightly createdour own straightjacket with Links, becausewe were known for silver. With this, we canbe bolder with what we sell. Annoushka hasfound it hugely enjoyable,” he says.

Apart from the 11 department concessionsthat Annoushka has opened – what werepreviously Pascal concessions – in stores in London, Leeds, Manchester and Glasgow,the new company will also open its own


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“Annoushka felt that shewanted her own thing, and we were also bothkeen to work on a newproject together.”

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‘full’ store in London’s Cadogan Gardens.This, the first of Annoushka’s standaloneretail outlets, will operate both as a brandflagship and a studio for Annoushka and the company’s design director Liz Olver. It isfrom Cadogan Gardens that AnnoushkaDucas plans to collaborate on new projectswith up-and-coming jewellers, as well assculptors and artists on small capsule jewellery collections.

“This is a much smaller business than theone we ran before. When we left Links wehad 70 stores, and we had to think of everything a year ahead. So for us, having asmaller business is actually fantastic,” helaughs. “The expectations and the wholeway of working are completely different towhat we were doing before, particularly forAnnoushka. For example, she now worksdirectly with a modelmaker and can nowenjoy the challenge of making short runpieces to an eight week deadline.”

In just the few short months since thebrand made its debut in Harvey Nichols,Annoushka has since opened across severalcities, launched a new collection and is nowgearing up for the opening of a London flagship. This is something of a breakneckspeed of progress for a retail brand, by anyone’s reckoning; Ayton agrees that the couple’s strong reputation within thejewellery trade has helped them immenselyin this regard.

“We have been in the industry for 18 years, and in some ways, we hadslightly created our own straightjacket with Links.”

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“People have said to us that this is not agood time to launch a new business, but we don’t agree really. It’s tough out there,but there is a great deal of potential for finejewellery in department stores and we’re ina much better position doing what we’redoing now rather than two years ago.People know us, too, which helps a hugeamount. I suppose in some ways peoplerecognise that we’ve been around a bit andwe’re a safe pair of hands.”

Although he is not saying as much, onedoes get the impression that there was, professionally and creatively, a sense ofrelief and release that came from walkingaway from the Links of London business.Links was, when they sold to Folli Follie in2006, one of the most successful and widelyrecognised jewellery names on the highstreet and there is no questioning the pridethat Ayton and Ducas feel from havingestablished and nurtured that business from the beginning. However, as Ayton says,success means growth, which means a lossof creative control. With the smaller scale ofthe Annoushka business, along with the moreindividual and specialised designs beingproduced for – and the resultant higherprice tags carried by – this prestige brand, it seems that the pair are once again at the helm of a business that they love andthat is still very much ‘theirs’.

“Well, yes, to an extent that’s true. It wasvery difficult to work for the new owners, in the sense that it is difficult to develop andrun your own business and then to handover control to new owners who have different ideas about how that businessshould be run. It is far better for them andfor us that they should go their own way.

We helped as much as we could, and thenit was right for us to move on,” says Ayton.“I think they have, by their own admission,lowered the focus of it, made it more avail-able and more mainstream. That inevitablycomes when you aspire to opening so manystores, and as far as I know, they are doingvery well.”

So, after an incredibly busy year, planningand setting up this exciting new venture, will next year be a time of consolidation?Perhaps.

“Annoushka has been incredibly busy overthe past nine months, putting together hercollection. It is not our aspiration to go intoa big store opening programme. This is avery personal thing, with a small number of boutiques, and it is very right for now.That’s where we are,” he says. “Annoushkais very detail driven: she really does take it very seriously, in terms of how the brand is presented. She has high standards.She wants it to be perfect.” �

Annoushka’s flagship standalone storewill open in Cadogan Gardens in London,SW3, on the 21st November.

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“It’s tough out there, butthere is a great deal ofpotential for fine jewelleryin department stores.”


raphaelT H ETM

C O L L E C T I O N

The Finest Bridal & Eternity Rings

32–34 Greville Street London EC1N 8TBTel: 020 7242 1080 Fax: 020 7831 1080

E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.gemex.biz

Est. 1967DIAMOND MERCHANTS–MANUFACTURERS

www.theraphaelcollection.com

F/G VS Quality Diamonds Platinum 18 Carat Palladium 950

The hallmark has been used for hundredsof years, as a legal assurance that a

product made from a precious metal is of acertain standard. The act of assaying precious metals began in 1300 and is oneof the earliest examples of a system to protect consumer rights, as it helped guardthe public against unscrupulous traders selling worthless metal as ‘solid silver’, aswell as ensuring that retailers were notundercut by rivals selling goods that wereactually base metals that had simply beengive a thin coating of silver. The leopard’shead symbol was used (and still is by theLondon Assay Office) to provide proof that

the goods on sale were of the required silvercontent. As the hallmarking of silver becamewidely accepted, gold began to be assayedin the same way.

Under the UK Hallmarking Act 1973 it isan offence for any retailer to describe an un-hallmarked item as being made partly orwholly from a precious metal such as silver,gold or platinum, as well as it being anoffence to supply or offer to supply any un-hallmarked articles that have beendescribed as precious metal.

To the consumer, a hallmark is an obvioussign that they are ‘getting their money’sworth’. For many people it signals that the

piece they are buying has been given a certain status and value by experts, and thisincreases their confidence when purchasingjewellery. Hallmarks are the most easilyrecognisable way – for those of us who may not be able spot the intricacies of aparticular stone setting at a hundred paces– to know that what we are buying is of a legally defined and assessed standard.They have become synonymous with carefulcraftsmanship and thoughtful design, andeven if the general public do not understandwhat every tiny symbol actually means, they do know that what they are buying isthe genuine article.

Making Mark

Palladium has finally receivedits hallmark and official precious status. Amy Gregsonasks the industry what itthinks of the metal, and what effect the new mark islikely to have on palladium’svalue to the consumer.

GEMEX

the

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Consumers still place a lot of faith in ahallmark, but the market is always moving.Designers are now using a wider range of materials than ever before in their collections and very often in recent times,customers did not have a hallmark to help them judge their purchases. In light ofthis, the ancient art of hallmarking hasundergone some fairly radical changes overthe last few years.

The most recent and arguably the mostsignificant of these changes has been made to the metal palladium. It now joinssilver, gold and platinum as a recognisedhallmarking metal. The voluntary hallmarkingof palladium was introduced on 22nd July2009, and it will be compulsory from 1stJanuary 2010. Any pieces described as partly or wholly palladium that are sold after this date must be hallmarked, thoughretailers may sell existing stock without ahallmark before then.

It is expected that, now palladium can behallmarked, it will replace white gold in alarge number of pieces. It has the similarbright, white qualities of white gold, but has

the added advantage of not requiring rhodium plating; this means the colouringwill not wear away. It also has an advantageover platinum because, while it is of thesame family, it is not as dense and thereforedesigners are able to use it to make largerpieces. Palladium is malleable and is wellsuited to gemstone setting, as well asresponding well to hand crafting, whichmeans it is a good choice for designers who make mainly bespoke pieces. Themonetary value of palladium is somewherebetween 9 carat and 14 carat gold, and whencompared to a platinum piece the equivalentitem produced in palladium would costaround a tenth of the price to make.

Lee Ruben, sales manager at GEMEX“We have an extensive range of palladium 950 eternity and diamond set wedding bands.In fact all our range is available in palladium 950. It’s too early to see whether the new hallmarkwill make any difference to our business commercially, but we expect that the new hallmarkwill make the public more aware that palladium is a precious metal. As this news spreads, weexpect palladium jewellery to become a popular choice with the general public and as thedemand grows with the public, demand will grow automatically with our retail customers too.

A vast majority of our customers, being high street retailers, are already stocking palladium. In some areas of the country, palladium jewellery is very popular whereas inother areas, some retailers just don’t want to know. However, I think their attitude towardspalladium will change once they start getting asked for it more and more. Many of our customers have had enough of the poor quality Asian white gold alloy used to make rings,because it often turns a yellowy colour as soon as the rhodium comes off, whereas palladium remains naturally white forever. Furthermore, with the steady but ever increas-ing price of gold, palladium is an excellent alternative for white gold jewellery. Of course,palladium is quite a difficult metal to work with, so manufacturers have to have the mosthighly skilled labour and best machines.

I don’t think that palladium will ever replace platinum as the number one choice,because of the kudos associated with platinum. However, when it comes to gent’s rings,because of the traditional large widths associated with them and hence their heaviness,palladium may dominate in this market.”

It is expected that, now palladium can be hallmarked, it willreplace white gold in a large number of pieces.

Birmingham Assay Office

B&N

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The palladium hallmark is made up ofthree compulsory symbols, and up to twovoluntary ones. The compulsory marks are,as with the other precious metals, theSponsor or Maker’s mark, the Assay Officemark and the Fineness mark. The finenessoptions for palladium are 500, 950 or 999 parts per thousand. The optional picture symbol is Pallas Athene, the GreekGoddess of War, Wisdom and Crafts, afterwhom Palladium was named. The secondvoluntary mark is the date letter whichchanges every year.

Of course, the question is, why choose toinclude palladium in the list of hallmarkingmetals at all? The three previously recognisedprecious metals have served the jewelleryindustry well since the introduction of theHallmarking Act in 1973, so was there a needto add a fourth one? “The palladium changecomes from pressure within the trade”, saysMarie Brennan of the Birmingham AssayOffice. “Two or three years ago, Americandesigners were showing palladium pieces at

trade fairs and they were selling incrediblywell. Understandably, UK designers wantedto be able to have some of this success aswell. There is great willingness within thetrade, and all the consultation we have hadwith the trade has been very positive aboutbringing in the palladium hallmark.”

However, not all designers are as excitedabout the changes as the Assay Office.Brighton-based jewellery designer Jeremy

Hoye does not see the changes in legislationmaking a difference to his business. “Wewon’t be using palladium when the changein hallmarking comes in. It’s another metalto educate the public about, and somethingelse to muddy the waters with when theycome into the shop,” he says.

Kerry Gregory of Christopher GeorgeJewellers in Cardiff is little more positiveabout the changes, however. “We don’tstock palladium at the moment, but we willget it in if a customer requests it. We havethree goldsmiths in the company and they don’t have the experience of workingwill palladium; we’d need to retrain themand also buy new tools so we’d go to oursuppliers who have the expertise to workwith it.”

Marie Brennan feels that this change inhallmarking law will be key to an increase in the use of palladium in the jewelleryindustry. “The success of palladium as amaterial depends on UK manufacturersbeing able to hallmark it. The consumer stillplaces great trust in a hallmark, they see itas a guarantee that they are getting exactlywhat they are paying for.”

In addition to the changes relating to palladium, further legislation amendmentshave been made in relation to mixed metalhallmarking. Until recently only items made from silver, gold or platinum could behallmarked, and then only if the metal within a piece was a single hallmark-eligiblematerial. This meant that any piece whichwas made of mixed metals, such as an 18

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For many people, a hallmarksignals that a piece has beengiven status and value byexperts, and this increasestheir confidence when purchasing jewellery.

Dan Dower, designer and co-owner, Dower & Hall “A few of our male bespoke customershave chosen to use palladium for theircivil ceremony rings. You tend to get the same scale in a high white finish, butwithout the price of platinum. The weightisn’t an issue as the scale is larger, butI’ve found it doesn’t suit women’s ringsas well. On a smaller, more delicate scale,you lose the weight that gold or platinumdelivers, which can be an important quality with higher investment pieces suchas with engagement or wedding rings.

Having the hallmark does help customers to understand it is a preciousmetal, though, and thus makes it a moreattractive choice for them.”

Birmingham Assay Office

GEMEX

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carat yellow gold and steel bracelet, couldlegally only be described as a ‘yellow metaland steel bracelet’. While this description wascorrect according to the letter of the law, itmeant that very expensive items were oftenforced to be described in terms which madethem seem less valuable than they actuallywere. This gave designers a dilemma: do youcreate the pieces you want to, knowing thatthey won’t be able to gain a hallmark, or playit safe and design pieces in silver, gold orplatinum that offer the public the reassurancethat a hallmark often provides?

This problem was solved in April 2007,when changes to the hallmarking legislationallowed pieces made from mixed metals tobe hallmarked. The changes gave designersthe opportunity to be more adventurous withtheir combinations of materials, and alsoprovide customers with the reassurance thata hallmark gives. These changes havewidened the design possibilities and manyjewellery makers, especially those who create men’s pieces, are taking full advan-tage. The use of materials such as titaniumand steel has risen over the past few yearsand these are increasingly being teamedwith precious metals and well as materialssuch as rubber and leather. However, thereare still some restrictions in place regardingthe combinations of metals that are eligible

for hallmarking, as Marie Brennan from theBirmingham Assay Office explained. “Mixedmetal legislation states that the base metalmust be easily distinguishable from the precious metal, either by colour or texture.The Assay Office has been unable to hallmark pieces where the base metal hasbeen indistinguishable from the precious,for example a 9 carat gold and brass piece.”

This restriction applies not only to metalswhich naturally look very similar; the basemetal element of a design must not be plated in any way to make it resemble aprecious metal. Marie Brennan adds that“the +METAL marking is there to ensure thatthe consumer is not misled and that they areaware that the piece contains base metal.”

The mixed metal hallmark is, in fact, twomarks. The precious metal is assayed andmarked in the same way as it is for a singlemetal piece and the +METAL mark is placednext to the hallmark to indicate the inclusionof a base metal. The precious metal still hasto meet the minimum legal finenessrequirements to be marked; for gold this is375 parts per thousand, 800ppt for silverand 850ppt for platinum. Wherever spacepermits the word METAL or the name of thematerial should also be applied to the basemetal parts of the piece. In order for amixed metal piece to be hallmarked, theprecious metal component must be largeenough to take the standard hallmark aswell as the +METAL symbol; a hallmark can-not be placed on the base metal.

The mixed metals legislation does not justapply to pieces made from precious and basemetals; it also allows pieces that are madefrom two precious metals to be hallmarkedfor the first time. Full hallmarks are struck onthe least precious metal (silver, gold thenplatinum) and only the minor mark is put onthe higher metal. This means that a silverand 9 carat gold necklace will have a fullhallmark on the silver part, and a minor mark

Amber Saunders, B&N“We launched our palladium collection three years ago and we haven’t looked back since!We introduced it as an upsell from 9 carat white gold, with the added benefits that it’s hardwearing and doesn’t need rhodium coating as 9 carat white gold does. However, we’vealso noticed, for gents who can’t stretch to a platinum band, that palladium has been amore affordable alternative, ensuring that the women can still have the platinum band tomatch her engagement ring.

We were delighted that the hallmark was finally passed – albeit much later than originallyanticipated. Most of our retailers had been selling palladium successfully long before thehallmark came in, so it hasn’t made a huge difference to our palladium sales. It has, however,convinced some of our more cautious customers to finally join our palladium revolution.

I think platinum will always be the ultimate white metal of choice, for its aspirationalqualities that are continually being reinforced by the media. However, especially for men,platinum wedding rings aren’t always affordable and for those consumers on a budgetwho simply can’t stretch to platinum, palladium is a good alternative.”

Palladium is malleable andresponds well to hand crafting, which means it is a good choice for designers who make mainly bespoke pieces

Pallas Athene – Birmingham Assay Office

GEMEX

GEMEX

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indicating the gold at 375. Here too thereare regulations regarding the types of pre-cious metals that can be included in a pieceto be hallmarked. The Birmingham AssayOffice states that ‘the item can only be hall-marked if, in the opinion of the Assay Office,

an ordinary person will be able to determinewhich part is which precious metal’.

Arguably the change is purely a semanticone. Designers have always produced piecesthat combined precious and base metals,even when they could not legally describe

the precious metals they used in those terms.If jewellers were happy to sell mixed metalpieces before the change in the hallmarkinglegislation, has the legitimisation of theseproducts really made a difference to what isbeing produced?

“Mixed metal is still a growing market and there hasn’t been the influx of piecesbeing submitted for hallmarking that weexpected,” admitted Brennan.

Kerry Gregory echoes this sentiment, butdoes add a positive note. “The mixed metalhallmarking isn’t making much of a differenceto the pieces we sell, as our customersaren’t really that bothered about whether apiece has a hallmark or not. However, froma legal point of view, it’s great that we cannow describe pieces as gold or silver whenthey’ve got other metals in the design.”

As with any changes to legislation theseamendments to an act that has been in placein one way or another for over 700 yearswill take time to come to full effect. As newgenerations of designers come through who have only ever known palladium as arecognised, hallmarked metal, its use willgrow. Its place in the industry is almost certainly assured by the fact that it is both ahardwearing alternative to white gold andan affordable option instead of platinum,something not to be underestimated in thecurrent economic climate. �

Zinzi Coetzee, of design partnership Francesca Sibylla Augusta (FSA)“FSAugusta use silver and 18 carat gold plate in our fashion collection and 18 carat goldin our fine collection. We have not used palladium, for two reasons. The first is that it hasnot had the hallmark and hence there was no consumer awareness of the metal or itsvalue. Secondly, we find that in the luxury jewellery market, price points tend to bepolarised. The consumer either wants silver or plated jewellery, or at the high end, 18 carator 22 carat gold. Palladium is currently positioned just above 9 carat and 14 carat gold,and for us it is just too much in the middle to fit in with our consumer’s wants and needs.

However, the hallmark definitely makes a difference to us. It means that in the future, ifwe feel our customer base recognises palladium and we do want to work with it, then thereis nothing to stop us. FSA prides itself on being a luxury brand – even our fashion collectionmakes use of 925 silver and 18 carat gold plate and precious stones – therefore it wouldnot have sat well within our brand ethos to have offered a metal that was not officiallyrecognised by the Assay Office.

Whether or not people will now choose palladium over precious metals – that’s goingto be interesting to watch. Palladium is already selling as an alternative metal for weddingbands. I see that happening in the trade, and in many ways I can see why. The price pointis certainly more appealing that 18 carat white gold or platinum – especially since themetal prices have been soaring throughout the recession. Some of the model makers andcraftspeople I work with on a regular basis actually prefer to work with palladium. Palladiumcertainly has some appealing qualities, such as its pure colour, and it will be interesting tosee how these are embraced by the trade and, more importantly, how the precious metal issold as an appealing and desirable choice to the consumer. I think that may take some time.”

Mark Adlestone, MD, Beaverbrooks“We have stocked a gents range of wedding rings for a number of years. We started with gents as we felt the ‘new’(or new to the modern market) metalwould be more interesting to gents – ina similar way to titanium. The hallmarkwill make a difference in terms of acceptance and legitimacy to the public,not necessarily to the trade. The now precious metal aspect could help palladium expand its acceptance intoother areas of the jewellery market, more mainstream areas of jewellery like pendants and earrings and so on,therefore creating possible opportunitiesfor retailers. We are carrying out a smalltrial of some palladium engagementrings – I guess this is our next step.

If the market expands rapidly, palladiumcould have an impact on white gold. It isdifficult to see that palladium would affectplatinum to any great extent, given thehuge variance in price – some customerswould down trade, but not many.”

“It's too early to see whether the new hallmark will makeany difference to our business commercially, but we expectthat the new Palladium hallmark will make the public moreaware that Palladium is a precious metal.”

B&N

opinionjeweller


Remember Norway last year, when youwere dragged round the rain-soaked

country with me on a motorbike vainly look-ing for retailers, but experiencing muchmore? This year we decided on Morocco –we figured that there must be many moreretail stories to tell in this corner of northAfrica, and frankly, if it rained on this tripthey would think we were divine.

My travel companion Nigel and I (and ourtwo trusty bikes) were safely deposited inMorocco at the end of September, whereinmy first encounter was with a man calledHassan.

Hassan, it turned out, walked amongstthe Berber villages of the Middle Atlas col-lecting jewellery – handmade in the truemeaning of the word – before making hisbi-annual pilgrimage to the coast and thetourist resort of Essouaria. I explained that Iwas a retailer from another time zone; thatI too had stock, indeed, rather more than

him, and that it had been a difficult year. Tothis he replied, “every year is difficult”. Notsurprising, coming from someone whowalks 2000 vertical metres ever week.Either way, Hassan successfully turned hisstock twice a year, something I would bethrilled with. We made a purchase of threesilver bangles and two cans of coke for £25.It was worth it just to meet him, and if MrsHenn likes the bangles, it will be a bonus.

As we proceeded across the country wefound the roads littered with people sellingvarious items. There were butchers with livechickens running about their feet, fruit sell-ers with boxes of pomegranates and applesand, if we stopped, children who wouldappear from nowhere and mob us. All wereasking for money, and all they got from mewas a lecture – “begging is not an occupa-tion”, “go to school then go to work” and soon – but Nigel was much softer and gaveout some boiled sweets. One smart young

lad was already receiving one such lecturefrom me before it was pointed out that itwas, in fact, a Sunday – whoops, sorry.

The blankets, sold all over Morocco,looked beautiful, so we thought we wouldexplore the costs and do some marketresearch. The starting price for these itemswas 800 Dirham (about £70). They werebeautiful; we selected two and made anoffer of 350 Dirham for the two. This wasmet with a pained look of despair, and theretailer let us walk: he did have the beststock and the best shop by far, so I wantedto buy from him. Does this sound familiar?Clients come into our stores because theywant to buy from us; the question is, whatis the item worth to the client?

We left the store saying we would returnas we left town. We now knew that a 350Dirham offer was too low. A hour or so later,we rode back up to the store with theengine running. We offered the man 400Dirhams, he smiled and the deal was done.As we rode off into the desert with our newpurchases, I wondered if the owner wasthinking, like I might have, “bloody cus-tomers”, or whether he was thinking, “goodgame, good game”…

We were at our most southerly point onthe edge of the Sahara when we met ourmost extreme retailer. We were having a dayoff the bikes, and were exploring the area ina 40 year old Mercedes. At a local lake thatsupported a flock of flamingoes, westopped to admire this extraordinary phe-nomenon in this arid land, whereuponMohamed appeared from behind a bit ofmaterial 100m or so from us and motoredacross to us on his ageing moped.

He stopped and undid a small roll ofbrightly-coloured acrylic bead and shell jewellery. Not only was he waiting there in45C heat on the off chance that someonemay turn up, but he was optimistic enoughto hope that if they did they would like tobuy some of his gifts. There was no oneelse around for at least five miles, and not acloud in the sky. This for me was retailing on the edge of survival. After we left I felt, asa fellow retailer who doesn’t know themeaning of hardship on this scale, weshould have bought his entire stock. The lotwould have cost us less than £10; maybethen he would have been able to do something less painful, or maybe like us allhe would have doubled his stock and comeback the next day!

The full account of John Henn’s tourthrough Morocco can be read on his travelblog at: www.thefoxandthehen.co.uk

vantagepoint

J O H N H E N N ’ S

Meeting Morocco’s retailers

The House of Fabergé was founded, inthe heyday of Imperial Russia, by Gustav

Fabergé, the father of Peter Carl Fabergé –the member of the Fabergé family nowmost associated with the brand. Gustav wasa German-born jeweller who trained as agoldsmith under Andreas Spiegel, one ofthe city’s leading jewellers, specialising indecorative gold boxes. His family were originally French Hugenots who, as a resultof persecution, had fled to Russia at thestart of the century. Gustav earned the title of Master Goldsmith in 1841, andopened his own eponymous shop the following year, in a basement location in

one of St Petersburg’s most fashionableareas. He built a thriving business from thislocation, eventually bringing two of his sonsinto the trade with him.

The good son

A jewellery brand is arguably only as goodas its designers are talented, and inFabergé’s case, there was one man at theheart of the business whose work gave thecompany its reputation and success andwith whom it will always be associated.Peter Carl Fabergé was born in 1846 in St Petersburg to Gustav Fabergé and hisDanish wife Charlotte Jungstedt.

Like many young men of his generation,Peter Carl undertook what was then knownas a Grand Tour of Europe (more commonlythought of today as a ‘gap’ year!). In doingso, he was exposed not only to the art and history of the continent’s major culture centres, but also specifically to the craft of jewellery making, receiving several years’ tuition from goldsmiths in Germany, France and here in Britain, an experiencethat cemented his interest in the jewellery industry.In 1872, at the age of 26, having completedhis apprenticeship in jewellery-making andmarried and settled back in St Petersburg,Peter Carl took over his now-retired father’sbusiness. At first he worked under the tutelage of Hiskias Pendin, the talented jeweller who had run the workshop alongside Peter Carl’s father. In 1882, whenPendin died, Peter Carl took over sole ownership of the business and was giventhe coveted title of Master Goldsmith.

Royal patronage

By this point, Fabergé had already createdquite a name for himself as a craftsman; in that same year, the House of Fabergé(with Peter Carl and his brother Agathon atthe helm) won a gold medal at the Pan-Russian Exhibition held in Moscow, andPeter Carl was also given the St StanislausMedal. Perhaps most significantly, theFabergé brothers’ success at the exhibitionled to the brand’s ‘discovery’ by the Russianroyal couple, Alexander III and his wifeMaria. The then-Tsar was so impressed byFabergé’s work – most particularly, a replicaof a 4th Century gold bangle from theScynthian Treasure in the Hermitage, whichhe declared as being indistinguishable from the original – that he ordered Fabergé’swork to be displayed in the St Petersburg

museum as the best example of contem-porary Russian craftsmanship. It was thismove, effectively, that cemented the Houseof Fabergé’s longstanding patronage by the Russian royal family and Imperial Court,

jewellerS E C O N D H A N D

Fellows & Sons

Fellows & Sonse s t a b l i s h e d 1 8 7 6

i n a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h

Secondhand Jewellery and Watches – Thurs 19th November and Thursday 3rd DecemberAntique & Modern Jewellery – Thurs 26th November

From Russia with loveAs Fabergé announces a return to the jewellery-making craftthrough which the brand originally found fame, Jo Young charts the history of this iconic Russian jeweller.

The Fabergé brothers’success at the Moscowexhibition led to thebrand’s ‘discovery’ bythe Russian royal family

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and by 1885, the firm had been given thetitle of goldsmith ‘by special appointment tothe Imperial Crown’.

Style shift

During this period, the style of work beingproduced by the design house was beginningto shift under Peter Carl’s stewardship; he moved the company away from the classic (but fashionable) French 18thCentury style and began concentrating muchmore on gemset pieces. The companyfocused quite an extraordinary attention todetail where gemset objects were concerned:apparently, it was entirely usual for Agathonto make as many as ten or more wax models of pieces he was working on toensure he’d got the right design to show offthe stones used to their best effect.It was at this stage – in the late 1880s – thatthe company also began to concentrate on

the creation of luxury objects, such asenamelled gold cigarette cases.

The good egg

Say Fabergé to most people, of course, andthey will immediately think of the spectacularand precious jewelled eggs upon which thecompany built its reputation. The story ofhow these fabulous (and often fabulously-kitsch) objects came into being is in itself afamous one.

While the term Fabergé egg can be used todescribe any of the thousands of jewelledeggs made by the firm from 1885 onwards,the most famous and treasured of these are

those that were commissioned by the royal family. The Tzar Alexander III, in thesame year that he made Fabergé the royalfamily’s official jeweller of choice, first commissioned the firm to make an easteregg for his wife in 1885, possibly as a 20thwedding anniversary gift. He was evidentlypleased with his choice, as he repeated thecommission the following year and the oneafter that. By 1887, Peter Carl Fabergé wasdesigning these eggs annually, according

to designs of his own choosing – that yearand onwards, the designs became famouslyelaborate and often fantastical. The storyhas it that members of the royal family

Silver, Plated Ware, Medals, Coins & Costume Jewellery –Mon 30th November

Catalogue 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.

Memory of Azov egg

The story has it that members of the royal familythemselves did not know what kind of an egg they would get each year

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themselves – the intended recipients of theseincredibly elaborate Easter souvenirs – didnot know what kind of an egg they wouldget each year; the only stipulation was thateach egg should contain a surprise of somekind. This tradition continued right throughuntil the revolutionary year of 1917, withTsar Nicholas ordering two each year – onefor his wife and one for his mother. Of the 50 eggs made for the Russian royals, 42 of these have survived. They andthe other eggs produced by Fabergé arenow regarded as extremely collectible andcommand enormous prices when theycome to market.

The violent and abrupt way in which theFabergé company was dissolved in 1917has inevitably meant that these eggs arefew in number, and the value of the largereggs gave them enormous currency to theSoviet political regime. In what some mightsee as a cruel irony, Stalin himself sold offmany of the eggs that remained in Russia in1927, while wealthy collectors and dealersfrom around Europe bought many more asthey came to market in the 1930s.The fact that Fabergé is now so well knownfor its jewelled eggs is, however, perhapssomething of a distraction from the true scaleand success of this company in its heyday:by 1917, Fabergé was the largest jewellerybusiness in Russia, employing over 500people and making a vast range of jewelleryand jewelled objects. It had branches in several major Russian cities, and producedan estimated 200,000 objects in the yearsfrom 1882 to 1917.

The end

In 1916, the House of Fabergé became ajoint stock company, and was well on theroad to further success until the outbreak ofthe October Revolution. Fabergé – noted asa favourite of the doomed Russian royalfamily – was first taken over by what wasentitled ‘a committee of the employees ofthe company K Fabergé’ and was then officially nationalised by the Bolsheviks, thefirm’s existing stock confiscated. After his business was taken over, Peter CarlFabergé left St Petersburg for Latvia, fromwhere he had to flee a second time as therevolution spread. He and his family settledeventually in Switzerland, but – the storyhas it – this most talented of jewellers and businessmen never recovered from theloss of the business he had built. He died a thoroughly broken and disspirited man,just three years later in September 1920.

The Fabergé legacy

Fabergé jewellery and objet d’arts are – andhave always been – very collectable and veryvaluable. Only a very small number of antiquejewellery dealers and retailers in the UKhandle Fabergé pieces in any great number,and when individual items come to auctionit is always a cause for some excitement. For example, the largest collection ofFabergé eggs was assembled in New York in2003, which was put up for auction, in itsentirety, at Sotheby’s in early 2004. By the

Peter the Great egg

A piece fromFabergé’s new collection

The company focusedquite an extraordinaryattention to detailwhere gemset objectswere concerned



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time the auction started, the collection hadalready been bought by the super-wealthyUkranian businessman, Victor Vekselberg,for between $90m and $120m. To date,Vekselberg is the single largest owner ofFabergé eggs in the world.Later still, in 2007, Christie’s sold a Fabergéclock – called the Rothschild egg – for £8.9m.This sale set two new records: it was themost expensive timepiece ever sold at auction, and at the same time, the mostexpensive Russian object, surpassing the$9.6m price fetched by Fabergé’s 1913Winter Egg in 2002.

Fabergé today

Now, a new chapter is being written for theFabergé name. Having been bought out bya South African-led group of private equityinvestors in 2003, Fabergé is now designingand launching a full range of new fine jewellery pieces, which it will sell online. Itwill be the first in-house designed collectionfrom the firm since the dark days of 1917,which saw the Fabergé family flee Russia.This new collection is made up of 100 items(such as the seahorse piece pictured left)ranging in price from £26,000 to £6.2m.This collection has been designed by theParisian jeweller Frederic Zaavy, with thefirm’s creative director Katharina Flohr. The company also enlisted the help of Peter Carl Fabergé’s great grandaughter

Tatiana Fabergé, to better lend creative and historic authenticity to the new collection. It was her view, at the launch,that relaunching the Fabergé name wouldgreatly please her famous forebears – particularly the thoroughly modern way in

which it is being done. “He [Peter Carl Fabergé] was one of the first to electrify his workshop and to havetelephones installed. He also published amail-order catalogue in the 1890s. He wouldhave embraced the internet.”

Having listened to daily declarations aboutthe value of gold being at historical highs, I guess we must all be wondering where itis going to end up. I suppose we all knowthat, at some stage, the value will inevitablycome down, but the jury is still out on whenthat might happen. Frankly, if any of usunderstood the whys and wherefores of thatparticular market, we probably wouldn’t bedoing the jobs we are!One thing is for certain, however: sellinggold is very difficult. If you could, would

you want to restock at the current price? The reality is that, with millions of pounds ofold gold being scrapped each day, there islittle or no appetite for gold at auction unlessit is of exceptional quality or from a wellknown brand. There are, however, peoplewith money to spend and their purchasingpower is being concentrated on better qualityitems, such a certificated diamond piecesand quality watch brands.Despite what the press may be sayingabout ‘green shoots of recovery’, there is still

a perception that now is a bad time to sell.The result of this is that the fewer items that are coming to market are consequentlybeing more fiercely competed for – muchto the benefit of the vendors. Good quality items are going to be increasinglyexpensive over the coming months, and asthis happens the upward pressure on priceswill continue.

Stephen Whittaker is managing partner at Fellows & Sons, specialist valuers andauctioneers of jewellery, silver, watches andfine art based in Birmingham’s JewelleryQuarter. He can be contacted by email at:[email protected] or by telephone on0121 212 2131.

Whittaker’s WorldEver onwards and upwards!

Fabergé cufflinks

This most talented ofjewellers and business-men never recoveredfrom the loss of thebusiness he had built

The local media often has a significant roleto play in a retail jewellers’ marketing plan,

yet few companies take full advantage of theopportunities a regional newspaper can offer.

“Advertisements are important, as theyhelp raise brand awareness, but they areexpensive,” says Jason Harrison from theNAG’s communications group. “Editorial features, on the other hand, are free and arefar more likely to elicit an emotional responsefrom the reader, which will promote yourbusiness just as effectively as an ad.”

Jacqueline Winski of A J Winski Jewellersin Dunfermline regularly advertises in herlocal paper, but decided to approach her localnewspaper about running an editorial articleon her after she passed her ProfessionalJewellers’ Diploma in October last year; the results were encouraging.

“There has been a definite increase innew customers asking about gemstones andadvice in general,” says Winski. “There werea lot of positive comments from regular customers, cards and even a bunch of flowers from a valued long term customer.”

So why don’t more businesses exploit thismore cost-effective option? The NAG’s JasonHarrison suggests that many think there is more work involved in getting a story published than there actually is; some –particularly among the smaller independentretailers – are daunted by the prospect ofgetting involved with the press.

“It is worth remembering that local papersneed local stories. They have a set amountof space to fill every day, so they actuallyneed you to send them your articles and

pictures or they don’t have a paper. There isno reason to be nervous, particularly if you arealready advertising with them. No one wantsto lose advertising revenue in the current climate,” he advises.

Jacqueline Winski agrees that using herexisting advertising links with the papermade it easy to contact them to place anarticle and adds that writing the article was not difficult either. “We used the NAGpress release template. It was not only useful, but also supported my achievementand promoted education courses with the NAG.”

But how do you know what will make agood story? Harrison recommends making itpersonal rather than business related.

“These papers want to write about people living in the community and theiraccomplishments; they don’t want to simplypromote individual businesses. Passing theProfessional Jewellers’ Diploma, for example,is a great story, because not only are youfocusing on an individual’s achievement, youare giving the reader confidence in yourcompany. Jacqueline’s story works so wellbecause she highlights why customers cantrust her, yet she showcases her stock too.”

The NAG has so much confidence in thesuccess of these kinds of stories that theAssociation now provides press release templates to all JET graduates. The publicitydoes not necessarily need to end there,however. Jacqueline Winski’s article hassince been repeated, for example, and notonly that, after the first few stories, themedia will eventually come to you.

“Once the journalists and editors begin tosee you as a source for stories, they will startto come to you, even if it is for somethingsmall like a comment on a national story or for something larger like a full fashionfeature. There is so much happening in thejewellery industry at the moment that it isthe perfect time to make the most of every opportunity by making editorial a fundamental part of your marketing plan,”explains Jason Harrison. “The NAG is morethan happy to help where possible.”

To download your press release template,go to: www.jewellers-online.org

Jacqueline Winski is from AJ Winski Jewellersin Dunfermline (www.winski.co.uk)

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How to… get freelocal press coverage

Press Release Tips:• Never go over one side of A4 and always include contact details.• Always include a photo with your press release.• Most papers will ask for similar and related stories and print contact details at the end

of an article. • Make sure you read your local newspaper to see what kinds of stories are being used.

Papers are unlikely to repeat stories.• Focus on the local i.e. ‘A Norwich man’ or a ‘Stafford woman has…’Download a press release template at www.jewellers-online.org or call 020 7613 4445for help or further advice.

They actually need you tosend them your articles and pictures, or they don’thave a paper.


training&education

Members of the NAG’s ExecutiveDevelopment Forum (EDF) are bucking

current economic trends and recording avery credible increase in sales compared toother independent retailers and multiples,according to new figures. Jewellers involvedin the EDF, which was set up four years ago,are likely to record a 4-6 per cent increaseon cumulative sales in 2009, its organisershave found.

“While it is difficult to get comparableongoing performance figures, anecdotalinformation and company reports wouldindicate that EDF members should beproud of what they are achieving,” said Mike McGraw, the director of DevelopmentInitiatives and facilitator of the EDF. “The total group now has an annualturnover in excess of £20m and, in goingthrough the difficulties of the last 12months, each member is quietly confidentof their performance.”

The figures also show that, had salesincreases not been interrupted by the recession, 2009 would have seen a 9-10per cent increase in comparable sales.Improvements in stock management are alsoanticipated. Members’ performance on stockmanagement has been improving steadilyover the last four years, with stock levels invalue terms currently running 2 per cent belowthose of 2008. Considering the replacementcosts of stock with the price of gold at $600per ounce as at January 1st 2007 versus$900 per ounce at January 1st 2009, anyreal increases in stock turn are remarkable.

An upturn in gross margins from an averageof 52.5 per cent in 2006 to an anticipated56 per cent in 2009 (not adjusted for thechange in VAT rate) demonstrate how hardmembers of the EDF are working their stock.

The success of the Forum, says its members, can be attributed to the close,confidential community it creates, in whichskills, experiences and perspectives can beshared. “It is all too easy to despair aboutone’s ability to solve problems. EDF helpsyou put your problems in context andrealise that others are tackling the sameissues,” said EDF member Simon Johnsonof Marmalade in Chiswick.

The National Association of Goldsmith’sExecutive Development Forum was originallyset up in 2005 to encourage and enableeven higher levels of retail and businessskills within NAG members’ companies.Groups of between eight and ten peoplemeet six times a year with external consultant Mike McGraw of DevelopmentInitiatives, to discuss issues and topics chosen from ongoing research according to each group’s specific requirements. Themeetings are fully confidential and realisticin time and cost , and are held at a time andvenue that suit the participants.

EDF member Shane Green of Green +Benz agrees the benefits to business are clear. “EDF helps us benchmark ourbusiness, and the interaction we get withour members helps us expand our viewfrom shopkeeper to businessman,” he said.

The clear bottom line benefits created byEDF membership means that the future ofthe Forum is also looking promising.

“We would like to add another two or three groups,” said Mike McGraw. “TheForum could also expand its boundaries to look at best practice in other businesssectors, while continuing to focus on essential management skills and one to one support.”

For more information on how to getinvolved with the EDF or future events, contact Amanda White on 020 7613 4445or go to: www.jewellers-online.org

Executive Development Forum defies industry trend

The success of the Forum, says its members, can be attributedto the close, confidential community it creates, in whichskills, experiences and perspectives can be shared.


NAG members save over £150,000 on education and trainingN.A.G. members saved an estimated £150,000 on JET education andtraining courses in 2008 simply by belonging to the Association. Membersare automatically entitled to significant reductions on enrolment fees for anyof the Professional Jewellers’ Diploma courses as part of their membershipbenefits package, while non-members are forced to pay full price. This couldmean savings of up to £200 per student per course for jewellers who havejoined the N.A.G.

The figures also reveal huge member savings of £80,000 for JET 1 andover £60,000 on JET 2, with large reductions for JET Gemstone, JETManagement and JET Valuations too.

“It confirms what I have always known – that these courses are value for money, especially when you think educationis just one of many member benefits,” said Victoria Wingate, N.A.G. Education Manager.

The benefits are not just financial. Surveys have shown that a more educated management and salesteam not only leads to more sales and higher profits, but an informed sales staff also inspires customer confidence and repeat business. Mrs. Wingate added that thecurrent economic climate has led to further educational considerations.“We know from experience that employers consider things like qualificationsand experience when they have to make difficult decisions.”

For more information on JET courses go to:www.jewellers-online.org or call 020 7613 4445 (option 1)


Statistics have often been treated withsuspicion, which probably explains how

the phrase “lies, damn lies and statistics”came into common use. Too much exposureto statistics can also, in the views of some,help to induce sleep. Employers may wellbe advised, however, to wake up and smellthe clichéd coffee where some statistics areconcerned, in this case those concerningthe Employment Tribunals and EmploymentAppeal Tribunals (EAT) for 2008/09. Morespecifically, employers should pay attentionto the increase in the number of claims forunfair dismissal, breach of contract andredundancy pay over the past year.

Unfair dismissal claims were up by almost30 per cent for the twelve month period to

March 2009. During the same period, therewere also two and a half times as manyclaims in cases where bosses failed to consult workers’ representatives beforeimplementing redundancies, and redundancypay claims rose by 48 per cent.

Employers, meanwhile, may want to notethat the highest award for unfair dismissalwas in excess of £84,000 and the award for race discrimination was over £1.3m.Perhaps one should at least take heart thatthe number of sex discrimination casesdropped by 31 per cent to March 09.

I have a number of thoughts relating tothis. First, I believe there is a correlationbetween the rising number of redundanciesand dismissals, stress arising from the fear

of being out of work and the need to dosomething about it. These are, of course,the product of the nation having been in thegrip of a recession.

My second thought concerns communi-cation: why is it that some organisations failto communicate with their employees

and/or representatives and discuss theirconcerns about job security? So doing couldpre-empt any actions that a minority ofworkers might feel they need to take with aview to enhancing their career prospects,such as soliciting clients or removing data.

My third query is, why don’t companies,that are unsure of their procedures simplyseek legal expertise before engaging in theprocess of redundancies and/or dismissals?It would be far less stressful to involve anemployment law expert at the outset, ratherthan face the prospect of potential legal proceedings, the associated costs – in financial and resource terms – and anyattendant publicity.

Feedback from senior managers whoattend our mock employment law tribunalsamply demonstrates that these three issuesare of serious concern to employers.

The number of employment tribunalsbetween 2008/09 dropped by 4 per cent

It would be far less stressfulto involve an employmentlaw expert at the outset,rather than face theprospect of potential legal proceedings.

J E W E L L E R

Wake up to the statisticsThe truth about tribunal statistics could keep employers awakeat night, says Fergal Dowling.

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legaljeweller


(or 20 per cent if one includes multipleresubmissions of claims by airline crew).Any fall may appear to be good news on theface of it, but the total is still 14 per cent upon the level of tribunals for the year toMarch 2007.

Figures suggest that costs were ordered inonly 25 per cent of tribunal cases, soemployees may feel it is worth the risk totake a shot at a tribunal, even if the groundson which they pursue their claim may betenuous. Clearly, these figures may beencouraging for ex-employees consideringtribunal action.

As indicated earlier, legal action is sometimes attributable to existing or formeremployees whose behaviour breaches contracts of employment, possibly by theft ofintellectual and/or other property or unfaircompetitive advantage through solicitationof clients/employees.

It can also result from previous employers’attempts to restrict the opportunity of theemployee to trade. Contracts of employmentthat restrict trade are generally unenforceable.However, they may be justifiable if they protect a legitimate business interest usingmeans that are reasonably necessary, especially relating to the duration, scope and

effect of the restriction. Protecting confidentialinformation, customer and supplier detailsand relationships and preventing the poaching of key staff may all be viewed aslegitimate interests.

Any judgment on the reasonableness of arestriction clause will take into accountdetails such as the position or status of theemployee and the geography of the newventure; for example, how many miles fromthe original place of work the employee isprohibited from trading.

The courts have shown an increasinglypragmatic approach in determining theenforceability of clauses, looking at theintention of the clause and not just the literal interpretation.

I have seen an increase in the enforce-ment/defence of restrictive covenants litigation and actions surrounding breaches

of post-termination contractual terms, leading to rulings known as ‘springboardinjunctions’. In such instances, legal pro-ceedings come under the High Court.

Injunctions are not designed to preventan individual from earning a living. Their

purpose is to protect the interests of any organisations for whom they had previously worked and ensure that all parties respect the contracts of employmentpreviously entered into.

One key consideration for a court indetermining whether to grant an injunctionto prevent a breach of contractual terms by an employee leaving a business, apart fromthe actual merits, is timing. For example,there was once a case involving a funeralbusiness in which the employer was madeaware, several months in advance, of twoformer employee’s plans to set up a rivalbusiness. The company in question failed to secure an injunction against its formerstaff because it delayed in making the application to prevent them going ahead.

My advice to any employer considering areduction in the workforce is to seek expertlegal counsel to reduce the risk of becominga statistic. �

Fergal Dowling is partner and head ofemployment law at the Birmingham officesof law firm Irwin Mitchell, one of the country’slargest law firms. For more informationplease visit www.irwinmitchell.com or youcan contact Fergal on 0870 1500 100.

Employees may feel it isworth the risk to take a shot at a tribunal, even if the grounds on whichthey pursue their claim may be tenuous.

irvreview

We’ve done it again. We don’t knowhow, but once again the annual

NAG’s Institute of Registered Valuers’Loughborough Conference for valuers andjewellers was a resounding success for the160 people who attended. Now in its 21styear, the event took place at its regularvenue, Loughborough University, over theweekend of Saturday 19th to Monday 21stSeptember. Many people genuinely saidthat it was the best ever – I know we saythat every year, but it’s the truth!Participants included well over a quarter ofthe Institute’s membership, all of whomgained Continuing Professional Development(CPD) points towards FIRV (Fellow of theInstitute of Registered Valuer) status, alongwith people with a passion for our trade whowant to share in the unique experience thatis Loughborough. Considering the economicclimate, the Association was concerned thatdelegates would be unable to support this

year’s event but, in fact, we were delightedwith the support and dedication of those whoattended. As many said, there was no waythey were going to miss what is now part oftheir life as a valuer/jeweller. As is usual for this event, amongst the participants were a number of first-timers.Many of these have said how great the eventwas, and how they felt they had missed outby not attending before. It would appear that,although we have shouted from the rooftops for many years that Loughborough reallyis a great event, it is not until you physicallyattend that you realise the experience is oneyou cannot afford to miss…This year’s programme was slightly differentto that of previous years, but still includedthe ever-popular programme of workshopsessions, main presentations and discussions.Once again delegates, guest speakers andsupporters of the conference enjoyed awarm and sunny two and a half days, which

provided ample opportunity for attendeesto expand their knowledge and share theirexpertise with others.

Saturday

The conference started off on Saturdayafternoon, with a welcome from NAG valuations committee Chairman, JonathanLambert. He promised delegates a full andentertaining conference programme, bothon a business and social level. This was followed by a few words from IRV forumcandidate MIRV Geoff Whitefield ofParkhouse Jewellers, Southampton whowas one of two IRVs standing for the vacancyon the IRV forum. The position has becomevacant as MIRV Tricia Morris, of John PassJewellers in Crewe, is standing down afterserving her two year term on the forum.Unfortunately the other candidate, MIRVRoy Egginton of Bournemouth, was unableto attend. A ballot for the vacancy took placeduring the Conference.

Next followed a main presentation on gemstone treatments and an update on newgemmological finds, from Tracy Jukes of E-Jewel. This particular presentation followedthis year’s main theme of colour, particularlyin relation to valuing coloured gemstones. Before breaking for coffee, Geoff Whitefieldgave a main presentation on insurancereplacement and post-loss assessments.The next part of the programme was thefirst of five workshop sessions on offer overthe weekend. No less than 14 differentclasses were put on over the weekend, covering all manner of topics including valuing jade, identifying the latest Chinesecounterfeit wristwatches, valuing customisedwristwatches, grading coloured gemstones,using price guides, relating colour assessmentto price guides, grading and valuing cultured

Loughborough 2009This year’s Loughborough Conference was said by many to be the best yet, says organiser Sandra Page. Here she gives a review of the Institute of Registered Valuers’ conference as it enjoyed its 21st outing.

IRV review


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pearls, valuing coloured gemstones, valuationmethodology and auctions, to name a few.Saturday evening’s welcome reception provided time for delegates to renew friend-ships and welcome into the fold those 21individuals mentioned earlier who wereattending for the first time. One of thesefirst-timers, Rex Porter of A W Porter & Son,Hartley Wintney in Hampshire [see page 59],was attending under the generous sponsor-ship of Fellows & Sons Auctioneers, whichcovered the cost of attendance for the students who gain the highest marks in theNAG’s JET 2 exams. Rex attended with hisfather Mark, who is an MIRV and a regularattendee at Loughborough.This year, in conjunction with Bransom RetailSystems, we offered another free place atthe conference for one lucky first-timer. Alldelegates attending their first LoughboroughConference had their names put in theproverbial hat, from which one lucky delegatewas drawn – MIRV Alan Ferris of Ferris FineJewellery, Newry, Northern Ireland. “Sponsoring and attending the Conferencefits perfectly with Bransom’s ethos – trainingand ongoing education are of the utmostimportance. We hope to help the Instituteencourage more people to attend theLoughborough Conference and help promotethe benefits of meeting, in person, some ofthe most knowledgeable people in the jewellery trade who give up their time toeducate all who attend. This is a weekendnot to be missed,” said Daren Daniels, salesand marketing manager for Bransom, whohas been going to the LoughboroughConference for 13 years and was himself aRegistered Valuer for four years.The evening continued with an informal ceremony in which awards were presentedto attendees. This year, certificates werehanded out to those MIRVs who had

achieved FIRV status. The recipients were:Heather Callaway, Steven C Carson, James EChanter, Anne M Gill, Pauline Hartley, PeterJ R Jackson, Steven Jordan, HeatherMcPherson, Avril F Plant, Philip Stephenson,Richard P Taylor and Terence J Watts. OtherFIRVs present at the dinner, Rosamond SClayton, Brian R Dunn, David J Harrold,Kenneth J Massow, D John Sayer and BarrySullivan, joined delegates in congratulatingthese valuers on achieving FIRV status. TheInstitute now has 22 FIRVs.Next, Jonathan announced the introductionof a new award. As delegates were aware, atthe end of last year Michael Norman had astroke, which sadly resulted in the need forhim to be placed in the care of a nursinghome. The IRV forum and valuations committee put forward a proposal to theAssociation’s board of directors that Michael’sunique contribution, not only to the trade butparticularly to valuations, should be honouredin some way. Jonathan was delighted to

report that the proposal had received the board’s wholehearted support, andannounced plans for the introduction of the The Michael Norman Fellowship. Thecriteria for the award is as follows: “The boardof directors of the National Association ofGoldsmiths may award The Michael NormanFellowship to an individual who has givenoutstanding service throughout their career,in the sphere of jewellery appraisal and valuation and in particular to the Institute ofRegistered Valuers. The award, which is onlyto be given in very exceptional circumstances,will be held by the recipient for life”. Theaward will be held by no more than threerecipients at any one time. It cannot bestressed too highly that this fellowship isonly to be awarded in very exceptional circumstances, and then only with the totalagreement of the IRV forum, the valuationscommittee and the board of directors. Each recipient of the fellowship will effectively become a life member of theInstitute, not dissimilar to the Association’svice presidents.The Michael Norman Fellowship carries no trophy or physical award. However a certificate marking the creation of the fellowship has been designed and, followinga visit to Michael’s nursing home at thebeginning of September, in the presence of Michael’s partner, Ann, sister Sue andbrother John, this was presented to him byJonathan Lambert and David Callaghan.Although the stroke has made it difficult forMichael to communicate, it was clear to allthat he was extremely honoured and touchedby this award. Jonathan was able to show thedelegates photographs that had been takenduring the visit, and delegates burst into around of rapturous applause; they gave their

FIRVs collecting their IRV Certificates on the Saturday night. From left to right: Terence Watts, PhilipStephenson, Richard Taylor, Anne Gill, Avril Plant, Steven Jordan, Heather McPherson, NAG ValuationsCommittee Chairman Jonathan Lambert (who presented the certificates), Steven Carson, Peter Jackson,Pauline Hartley, Heather Callaway and Jim Chanter.

It is not until you physically attend the conference that yourealise the experience is one you cannot afford to miss.

All conference photos courtesy of Daren Daniels, Bransom Retail Systems

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full support not only to the award, but alsoto the presentation of it to the special personafter whom it was named.Jonathan then called upon Margaret Wilkinsto present the David Wilkins Award to this year’s winner, namely Steven Jordan, apopular winner with all those present.Steven was very honoured to receive thetrophy from David’s widow, and said that itwas because of people like David andMichael Norman that he had aspired to bea good valuer. In addition to Steven, IRVsRoy Egginton, Alan Hayes, Michael Normanand Adrian Smith were nominated this year.Delegates brought their day to a close byvisiting the trade stands in one of the common rooms where Alan Clark of theGem-A sold books and instruments.Representatives from the Guild of Valuers &Jewellers, the Birmingham Assay Office andBransom also had stands selling their goods.

Sunday

The dawning of Sunday saw delegates start out on what was nearly a ten hour programme of events. The morning started with a main presentationfrom Barbara Leal, entitled Colour Speak,which gave delegates food for thought onthe subject of describing coloured gemstones.Barbara was followed by her husband, Peter Buckie, who had decided to changethe content of his presentation in light of avaluation he and Barbara had been asked tocarry out a week or so before the conference.They had been called upon to value a goldprayer mat encrusted with diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds, weighingaround 22kilos. Certainly not what most valuers come across in their day-to-day livesas valuers! The first half of the morning’sprogramme concluded with a main presen-tation from Tracy Jukes, who gave delegates

the lowdown on current pricing trends forcoloured gemstones – many a pen couldbe heard scribbling upon paper during thispresentation.Following the coffee break, delegates wentalong to their second workshop session ofthe conference (the first of three taking placethat day). After lunch there followed anotherworkshop and then, after a coffee break,delegates returned to one of the main lecture theatres for an illustrated presentationfrom ex-Crown Jeweller, David Thomas, whohas now retired from Garrard. David gavedelegates an insight into his life as the CrownJeweller and shared a number of personalexperiences with the delegates. There weremany tales he could have told, but heexplained that he would have had to shooteveryone if he had done so!Although dinner that evening was relaxedand informal, the Association’s ChairmanFrank Wood gave a brief after dinner speech,thanking those involved for contributing somuch to the event and making it such asuccess. Delegates had sat down for dinnerat 7.30 but there were still many sat at theirtables chatting when the University closedthe adjoining bar at midnight. This wasn’tnecessarily the end of the day, as many didn’t actually get to bed until well intoMonday morning! A true testament to thecamaraderie of this event.

Monday

The last day of the conference started offwith the results of the IRV forum ballot. Of the 84 IRVs present, 44 voted and theresults showed a ratio of 3:1 in favour ofGeoff Whitefield. The programme then continued with DrSally Baggott, the Curator of the BirminghamAssay Office, who gave a main presentationon the founder of their Assay Office, the great

silversmith Matthew Boulton. Sally also ranworkshop sessions on the silversmiths’ workand brought many pieces of his silver withher for delegates to handle – a once in alifetime experience for all. After a coffee break,the fifth and final workshop session tookplace. Delegates then returned to one ofthe main lecture theatres for a report on thisyear’s monitoring exercise and Happy Hour,our usual opportunity to raise subjects fordiscussion and consideration for the associ-ation’s valuations committee and IRV forum. Finally, Jonathan thanked everyone forattending the Conference and for continuingto support it year after year. Those thankedcomprised guest speakers who ran workshopsessions (Sally Baggott and Craig O’Donnell,

Peter Buckie, David Callaghan, RosamondClayton, Brian Dunn, Peter Hering, GailHislop, Tracy Jukes, Barbara Leal, RichardPrice, Terence Watts, Geoff Whitefield andHaywood Milton and Stephen Whittaker and Richard Slater); those who gave mainpresentations (Sally Baggott, Peter Buckie,Tracy Jukes, Barbara Leal, David Thomasand Geoff Whitefield); members of the valuations committee (Avril Plant, PeterHering, Pravin Pattni and Jon Tabard) andIRV forum members (Heather McPherson,Tricia Morris, Peter Buckie, David Callaghan,Michael Ferraro, Alan Hayes and DavidHolgate) for their support throughout theyear. He also welcomed Geoff Whitefield tothe forum and thanked me for my dedication.Finally, MIRV Fiona Hopper asked everyoneto join her in a round of applause to thank Jonathan for an absolutely marvellousconference. �

Jonathan Lambert and David Callaghan visitedMichael Norman in his nursing home early in September and presented him with hisMichael Norman Fellowship Diploma.


irvreview

Next time…

We look forward to welcoming everybody back next year, when the conference will be heldfrom Saturday 18 to Monday 20 September, again at Loughborough University. For moredetails of the event, please contact Sandra Page at the NAG on (029) 2081 3615 or emailher at: [email protected]

The Association is extremely grateful to the following companies/organisations for theircontinued support of the conference: Bransom Retail Systems, Fellows & Sons, the Gem-A,the Guild of Valuers & Jewellers and T H March & Co. The Birmingham Assay Office, in conjunction with AnchorCert and SafeGuard, were onceagain this year’s principal supporters. “The Conference is a fantastic event and a credit toall concerned. It’s an excellent opportunity for jewellery professionals to exchange views,update their knowledge and socialise with their colleagues from all over the UK and fur-ther afield. I find the level of experience and expertise here incredible. We believe that intough times it is even more important for the jewellery trade to stick together and maintainits standards, integrity and professionalism and The Birmingham Assay Office is really proudto support this conference,” said the company’s sales and marketing director Marion Wilson.

Having been invited to take a sponsoredplace at the Loughborough conference

and with the great reviews that my father (a regular attendee) always gives the event,I felt that an opportunity to attend was onenot to be missed.

Prior to the event, I had my reservationsabout how much I would gain by attendingthe conference, as I had envisaged I wouldbe far too inexperienced to follow the lectures and workshops. I imagined all theother delegates would be wise old jewellerswho had already spent two of my lifetimesin the trade!

Whilst I was correct about there beingwise old jewellers at the conference, therewere also plenty of younger, equally wise,jewellers and valuers attending. After havingenjoyed the first few lectures, I began torealise that my reservations had been ill-founded. The majority of the content covered was easy to comprehend and heldreal relevance to my day-to-day business asa retail jeweller. In fact, I think anybodyinvolved in the trade would have found thetopics covered throughout the weekend tobe both interesting and useful.

The main highlights of the event for mewere the lectures from David Callaghan:Cometh the Day Cometh the Jewel, RichardSlater and Stephen Whittaker: Jewellery from

an Auctioneer’s View and David Thomas:My Life and Work as the Crown Jeweller. I think the reason that I enjoyed these lectures in particular, apart from the jovialand enthusiastic way in which they were allpresented, was that they were about piecesof jewellery that had an interesting history orstory attached to them. This, I feel, is themost charming aspect of the jewellery trade;the fact that you never know when youmight come across an item of jewellery thatprovides a window into the past; that has atouching story attached to it or that mighteven be a significant discovery that could

fetch thousands in an auction.Richard Price’s workshop on the latest

‘top of the range’ Chinese wristwatches wasof particular interest to me. It was a veryhands-on session, which allowed delegatesto get to grips with different standards ofreplica wristwatches. We examined bottomend examples available from market stalls,which frankly would not fool the mostgullible of punters, to replica watches costing£200, which might deceive even the mostdiligent of valuers. These watches could evenbe supplied with authentic-looking packagingand paraphernalia. Certainly, for me, thesession was an hour and a half well spent,which may very well help prevent me frommaking an expensive mistake in the future.

This was a session that would appeal toyounger people new to the trade as well asthose who are more experienced.

I also attended a workshop with BarbaraLeal on grading coloured gemstones. Thesession helped delegates gain specificknowledge on what has always been a grey area (or green, red or blue!) Using theparameters of hue, tone and saturation, I went from being a total novice, with reasonably inarticulate descriptions ofcolour like ‘light blue’ and ‘reddish pink’, tofeeling like I could record the colour of agemstone within a more structured objectiveframework. I hope to use this system in yearsto come, but feel a little more practice mightbe required first.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Loughborough2009 experience and would like to thankFellows & Sons Auctioneers for sponsoringmy place. I hope to attend the event in yearsto come, as it offers a prime opportunity tolisten to up-to-the-minute insight from specialist speakers on a host of interestingand relevant topics. The food, accommodationand complimentary wine were gratefullyreceived and enjoyed by all, and the atmosphere was friendly and welcomingthroughout.”

Prior to the event, I had envisaged I would be far too inexperienced to follow the lectures and workshops.

First person viewFirst-time Loughborough attendee Rex Porter talks us throughhis Loughborough debut.

Rex Porter (right) with Stephen Whittaker of hissponsor Fellows & Sons Auctioneers

“


There are many problems facing our industryin ethical and environmental terms, and

Faitrade gold is just one of several possibledevelopments that are being considered for the jewellery sector's future. The UN's Global Compact and MillenniumDevelopment Goals [details of which are setout below] describe very clearly what ourindustry should be doing and what theobjectives are. Of the ten Global Compactprinciples – while all are relevant – thoseconcerning labour standards and the environment are of particular importance tothe jewellery industry.

The jewellery industry worldwide is represented at the United Nations withSpecial Status in the Economic and SocialCouncil. The World Jewellery Confederation(CIBJO) is already working closely with theUN and is committed to the implementationof these goals.

The introduction of Fairtrade gold, then,can only aid these specified goals if it isapplied to the entire industry throughout theworld. Put bluntly, if Fairtrade were to existin the US and all over Europe, it would still bedoing very little to help those people so

clearly mentioned in the UN principles. Thelargest volume of gold is used in Asia andtherefore the Fairtrade concept mustinclude those working in that continent.

The World Jewellery Confederation has a membership of some 50 nations currently, including China and India, as wellas most of the largest producers of goldwho are Associate Members and now havevotes and representation on the board ofdirectors. All these members are involved

in the ideals of the United Nations. The factthat the Confederation has no funds, despitehaving all these members, suggests that ourindustry is not really interested in fulfilling itsresponsibilities; the industry should, I think,show its strength by providing adequatefunds to allow us to work closely with theUnited Nations, alongside other industries –after all, this is a wealthy industry and one which is highly successful in some partsof the world. The origins of jewellery andgold are, after all, very much part of theGlobal Compact.

The larger operatives are anxious to reassure the industry that they are adheringto high ethical standards and responsiblepractices. Yet we can see from elsewherethat such reassurances are not necessarilyindicative of what is taking place in reality.For example, we hear almost daily about thedestruction of our rainforests, despite thepublicity to the contrary. I have personallyseen this destruction taking place, in forests in South America, India, Thailandand other parts of Asia. Why? Because thewestern world only pays lip service to theseideals and looks at the situation from a

Truth about fairness

Gold mining in the Phillippines.Photo by Annie Bungeroth/CAFOD.

While the introduction of Fairtrade gold into the UK retail market is both admirable and welcome,the move will only be a success if it is done properly as part of broader industry-wide goals,warns Richard Peplow.

CRED jewellery designed by

Sophie Harley

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feature

commercial point of view, often aided bygovernments in the afforested countries thatare desperate for funds. Positive publicitysimply enables them to demonstrate that atleast some forest has been saved. Is this tobecome the situation with gold?

Gold is a complex area, because moregold has been mined over many centuriesthan the miners can expect to recover inmaybe the next half century. The gold heldat Fort Knox in the US will not be ‘clean’gold in the context we are talking about, evenif some of it is. Sadly our own government,in its wisdom, decided to dispose of a lot ofthe UK gold when the price was extremely

low, so the UK holds even less unclean gold!Gold is a commodity that endures for centuries and, unlike bananas or coffee, for example, it is not here today and gone tomorrow.

Some people buy Fairtrade food andother durables and they pay extra. Do wereally want to have a situation where theconsumer pays extra for, say, a weddingring, which is intended to last for the rest of their life? Is it a moral act to take extraprofit in this way in order to help a few artisinal miners in parts of the world towhich we have access? Of course, it couldbe good for some miners, as well as beingpositive publicity for the industry, but theplaces not involved in Fairtrade will still haveimpoverished people and the environmentwill go on being damaged.

The diamond industry was faced with adilemma a few years ago and, rather thanrisk losing everything, it established theKimberley Process and set up a systemworking with many different governments to

combat the problem of conflict diamonds.The gold industry has not got the same pistol being pointed at it, but is it any lessserious? Can the industry envisage adoptingpartially responsible practices in order topreserve its image? NGOs – of which CIBJOis one – should quickly realise this wouldonly be a publicity fix.

The jewellery industry needs to realisethat its target solution must be to adhere to the Global Compact and MillenniumGoals as enshrined by the United Nations.The UK could be the catalyst to ensuringthat adequate funds become available fromour industry right around the world, fundsthat would enable the achievement of theseideals. The miners need our help, the environment needs our help and our generation should provide that help. The aimsmay seem insurmountable – they are not.

Richard Peplow, of the Worcester-basedfamily jewellery firm Peplow Jewellers, isvice president of the World JewelleryConfederation (CIBJO).

What is the Global Compact?The United Nations Global Compact is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that arecommitted to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principlesin the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Below is a summaryof the ten principles of the Global Impact:

Human rights: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationallyproclaimed human rights; and make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.

Labour: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognitionof the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsorylabour; the effective abolition of child labour; and the elimination of discrimination inrespect of employment and occupation.

Environment: Businesses are asked to support a precautionary approach to environmentalchallenges; undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; andencourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.

Anti-corruption: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, includingextortion and bribery.

Gold is a commodity thatendures for centuries; unlike bananas or coffee, it is not here today and gone tomorrow.

The eight Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) – which range from halvingextreme poverty to halting the spread ofHIV/AIDS and providing universal primaryeducation, all by the target date of 2015 –form a blueprint agreed to by all the world’scountries and all the world’s leading devel-opment institutions. They have galvanizedunprecedented efforts to meet the needs ofthe world’s poorest.

Building upon a decade of major UnitedNations (UN) conferences and summits, worldleaders came together at UN Headquartersin September 2000 to adopt the UNMillennium Declaration, committing theirnations to a new global partnership to reduceextreme poverty and setting out a series oftime-bound targets – with a deadline of2015 – that have become known as theMillennium Development Goals.

The eight areas that are covered by the UN’sMillennium Goals are:• Ending poverty and hunger• Universal education• Child health• Gender equality• Maternal health• The combat of HIV and AIDS• Environmental sustainability• Global partnership.

What are the UN Millennium Goals?

CRED jewellery designed by Sophie Harley

�

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Whether you live in the South West or are based elsewhere in the UK we would be interested in hearingfrom you. LMG offers flexible working and an excellentbenefits package, to include pension and tiered holiday.

For an application form contact Lucy Helps on 01225788740 or email: [email protected]

Are you looking to recruit staff for retail, manufacturing, design, sales, jobbing,

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Window Madness

Just recently, when I was visiting family in the fine East Midlands town of Lincoln,

I had my attention drawn to a most peculiarretailing phenomenon that, frankly I’d neverencountered before.

On Lincoln’s main high street, just as youpass under the historic Tudor gateway calledthe Stonebow, you come to a pair of shopsoperated (under two different fascias) by a

well known jewellery retail group. (I’d risk thepotential upset of naming them but, frankly,life’s too short). All appears to be well with both these stores on first glance –they’re clearly holding their own against thehealthy competition offered by Lincoln’sindependent jewellery sector.

Except. I popped in for coffee with an industry friend

(one of the aforementioned independentjewellers, with a shop on the high street).

“Notice anything unusual about thosewindows?” he said, casually, leading me ontothe high street for a nosey.

And then I spotted what he meant. There was no jewellery in them. Literally.

Neither of these chains appeared, from theoutside, to be selling jewellery at all. Instead,the windows of one contained nothingexcept branded watches, while the other,incredibly, carried a wide range of tacky-looking ceramic figurines and garish crystalobjects, the like of which would not havelooked out of place at a tombola. Or yourgreat-nan’s sideboard.

Allow me to repeat that: these were a pair of stores run by one of the country’sbest known jewellery firms, operating sideby side on a major high street, and they didnot, to all the world, appear to be sellingjewellery. Overhearing my incredulity, onepasser by said, “Oh yes, it’s been like thatfor a while”.

Now, allowing for the possibility that thegood folk of Lincoln share an inexplicabletaste and enthusiasm for ceramic ‘Victorian-themed’ shepherdesses and miniature crystalanimals (and as an explanation, it is fairlyinescapable), what on earth would possessthe owners of two successful jewellery businesses to do something like that?Moreover, if head office hasn’t allowed it (andknows nothing about the eccentric visualmerchandising choices being taken inLincolnshire), why haven’t they implementedsome kind of programme of quality controlwhere its displays are concerned?

I must add, while I’m at it, that this is acuriosity that has not bypassed the attentionof some of the company’s incredulous staff.Indeed, one lovely and friendly saleswomantold my husband that she thought theneighbouring chain’s window “looked like a Skegness amusement arcade”. Not onlysearingly accurate, but funny with it: at leastthey’re doing something right in hiringfriendly and intelligent staff.

Is this a common thing, jewellery folks?If so, please be so kind as to enlighten

me: why?

the lastwordJo Young takes a wry look at the weird, wonderful and downrightridiculous happenings in the jewellery retailing world.

“Notice anything unusualabout those windows?”he said, casually, leadingme onto the high street.And then I spotted whathe meant.


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