February 2008
NC&C Madagascar Ruby
Stuller has announced the availability of natural ruby, untreated for color or clarity (NC&C), from Madagascar. Joe Orlando, vice president of the company’s gemstone business unit, says there are “thousands of rubies, 4 kilos of 1.25 mm to 4 mm rounds, possibly larger, along with 4-by-3, 5-by-3, 5-by-4, and 6-by-4 ovals.”
In general they appear eye clean and be possible to be slightly bluish. They alter from moderately included pinkish, purplish pink, medium to dark red to view clean and bright red.
“Several trade associations have urged the industry to cease using Burmese ruby due to the current human rights situation in the country,” says Orlando. “The lot provides concerned jewelers and designers with an choice to offer their customers.”
He adds, “These gemstones will also appeal to those consumers who are looking for a completely natural crops.” He notes that Stuller can guarantee the gemstones are unheated and totally free of enhancements or treatments, a reference to the proliferation of glass-filled Madagascar ruby.
Germans Honor Dyber
Michael Dyber, Rumney, N.H., won Honorable Mention in the 38th Annual German Award for Jewelry and Precious Stones 2007, in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. Dyber’s entry, an 89.91 ct. aquamarine titled Ice to Water, Metamorphosis, features a new lapidary technique he calls Photon Phacets. The theme of this year’s competition was Metamorphosis.
Dyber is well known for optical effects and makes the diamond tooling necessary for his designs in his New Hampshire studio. Now, with Photon Phacets, he’s created facets within the gemstone. “It has been a journey to produce facets that are optically correct,” he says. “The Photon Phacet reflects not only light, but image. What is reflected can be changed at volition during its materialization.”
Dyber will introduce Photon Phacets to the U.S. market at this year’s AGTA Tucson GemFair.
For more information on Dyber, call (603) 744-2161 or visit www.dyber.net.
The Job of a Sales Manager
The job of sales manager is one of the toughest in retail. Too often a person gets the position simply because he or she was one of the best salespeople. Too many times the sales manager is given the job lacking any formal training or guidance but is expected to get salespeople to perform.
Many retail jewelry organizations hire salespeople without anyone knowing if they’re actually good at sales. Then no one checks on their progress, and nothing is done to help them improve. From the employee perspective, a salesperson takes a job, reaches a level of competence (or incompetence), and then lets his or her knowledge and education stop.
A sales manager will fall upon three basic sales types: underachievers, who account for 10 percent of salespeople; safe-zoners (80 per-cent); and overachievers (10 percent). Each type requires different strategies and techniques from the sales manager, whose responsibility is to move the underachievers to the next level or replace them, increase the productivity of the safe-zoners, and keep the overachievers operating at peak performance.
Your success in the same manner with a sales manager is measured by means of the percentage of salespeople who reach their sales goals. If 100 percent reach their goals, you’re an effective sales manager. If 50 percent reach their goals, but your lay by reaches its goal, you’re missing an suitable to be a quota buster. If the store isn’t reaching its goal, then you’re not effective. Get all your people hitting or exceeding their individual goals, and the store goal will be shattered.
To fulfill your responsibilities as a sales manager you must provide the supremacy, knowledge, training, incentives, and consequences to recruit, hire, develop, and maintain successful salespeople.
Think about what you need to do to accomplish that. Do you be assured of for what reason to handle objections effectively? Do you apprehend how to turn a sale over without seeming pushy and aggressive? Do you understand the biggest deterrent to an effective T.O. program is the ego of the salespeople? What does it take to be an exceptional leader? Do you provide on-the-spot coaching and positive reinforcement?
Your company and your people are looking to you for leadership. You are expected to have the answers to the questions. The only way for you to answer the questions prosperously is to have the knowledge yourself and to have walked in their shoes.
More on this next month.
| Author accusation |
| Author, trainer, consultant, and speaker Brad Huisken is president of IAS Training and the author of the books I’m a Salesman! Not a Ph.D. and Munchies for Salespeople: Sales Tips You Can Sink Your Teeth Into! He developed the PMSA Relationship Selling Program, the Professional Sales Management Course, The Mystery Shoppers Kit, and The Weekly Sales Training Meeting video series, as well to the degree that aptitude tests and proficiency exams for new hires, current sales staff, and sales managers. Huisken and his staff of trained professionals conduct in-house training and consulting all over North America on an ongoing basis. He in like manner publishes a free weekly newsletter called “Sales Insight.” For a free subscription or more information, contact IAS Training at (800) 248-7703, fax (303) 936-9581, e-mail: info@iastraining.com, or visit www.iastraining.com. |
Borsheims’ Jacques to kickoff WJA conference
Borsheims’ Jacques to kickoff WJA conference
February 05, 2008
 |
| Borsheims Fine Jewelry President and CEO Susan Jacques will provide the keynote address at the WJA’s “Women in the Know” parley next month. |
New York—The Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA) will clinch its fifth annual “Women in the Know Conference” (WITK) on March 7, through Borsheims Fine Jewelry President and Chief Executive Officer Susan Jacques kicking off the event.
Her keynote address, “From the Counter to the Corner Office,” resolution share her personal and professional go over the last 25 years, and will provide her insight and philosophy that contributed to her success.
The one-day conference, to be held from 8:45 a.m.-5:45 p.m. at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, is open to all industry professionals, and will feature speakers, networking opportunities and educational and motivational presentations.
Presentations will point of concentration on topics such as growing your transaction, advancing your career, communicating your way to success, negotiating effectively, promoting your business and additional.
General conference sessions will include the following:
Owning Your Power: Lifedesigns President and Chief Executive Officer Gail Blenke will address eliminating issues of self-doubt and insecurity to live an exceptional life.
Negotiating Effectively: How to Get What You Want Without Pounding the Table (or the Other Person!): Triad Consulting Managing Director Debbie Goldstein will provide a framework developed at the Harvard Negotiation Project for analyzing negotiations, examining common mistakes made and learning some approach to make up one’s mind conflicts with less anxiety.
How to Build a Better You: Dodge Development Inc. president, radio personality and professional speaker and coach Bryan Dodge will teach a stair-step method of how top producers and managers keep on the cutting edge and accomplish so much.
Breakout sessions will include the following:
Tips From the Trenches: How to Grow a Designer Business Faster and Smarter by Jewelers Resource Bureau President Cindy Edelstein.
Maximizing Media Exposure: Preparing You and Your Business for Media Success by Jewelry Information Center Associate Director of Public Relations Amanda Gizzi.
Soul Proprietor: Lessons From a Lifestyle Entrepreneur by certified professional co-active coach Jane Pollack.
How to Use Both Genders’ Strengths to Communicate Successfully and Lead a Team by National Jeweler Network Group Vice President Bailey Beeken.
Marketing to the Three Faces of Luxury: Unlocking Sales to the Super Rich by Elite Traveler co-founder and editor in chief Douglas Gollan.
In praise of the WJA’s 25th anniversary, an afternoon panel discussion will feature four of the WJA’s Hall of Fame Award recipients from the past 25 years, including Peggy Kirby, Katherine Kimmel, Laurie Hudson and Anna Martin. Ann Arnold, chief financial officer and vice president of Lieberfarb Inc., and former WJA president, will moderate the panel.
Early bird pre-registration for the conference costs $195 for WJA members (prior to Feb. 29) and $220 for nonmembers. Tickets are available for purchase from the WJA Web site, Womensjewelry.org, or by calling (708) 361-6266.
Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co. and the Platinum Guild International sponsor WITK events.
Founded in 1983, the WJA is an association of professional women in the jewelry, watch and related businesses. Through the national organization, headquartered in Chicago Ridge, Ill., and a network of 12 regional chapters, members benefit from educational and networking opportunities, scholarships, design competitions, annual women’s business conferences and recognition programs such as its annual Awards of Excellence Dinner.
Ptak introduces eco-conscious collection
Ptak introduces eco-conscious collection
February 05, 2008
Mamaroneck, N.Y.—Those choosing to wear Gary Ptak’s new collection will have a clear conscience about their obtain.
Ptak, a Mamaroneck-based jewelry manufacturer and Gemological Institute of America-trained gemologist, has launched the Conscience Collection, a line of colored-diamond jewelry that utilizes recycled metals and lab-grown diamonds and gemstones.
The line combines two trends: minimalist design in precious metals featuring colored diamonds, and the luxury jewelry market’s movement toward being more socially and environmentally aware, also known as being “green.”
Ptak said there are few differences between the lab-grown colored diamonds he uses in his pieces and diamonds that come out of the earth.
“These stones may have tiny inclusions, but for the most part, we be under the necessity seen that they tend to have other thing brilliance than mined stones while bypassing the unfavorable social issues connected with stones taken from the Earth,” he said in a statement. “In my opinion, they are as eligible as the most captivating stones taken from nature.”
The Conscience Collection includes rings for men and women, earrings, bracelets and pendants.
The pieces are made in 18-karat gold in all colors, palladium or platinum—80 percent of which is recycled—with yellow, model or blue diamonds.
Other gems, including rubies, emeralds and sapphires, are also available.
The Conscience Collection is a subsidiary of Gary Ptak LLC.
Need a watch with a working slot machine?
Need a watch with a working slot machine?
February 05, 2008
 |
| Girard-Perregaux’s “Vintage 1945 Jackpot Tourbillon” featuring a working slot machine will retail for $625,000 at Wynn and Co. Jewelry in Las Vegas. |
Las Vegas—Luxury watch brands and the Las Vegas set have become a staunch pair in addition the last few years, with companies such as Corum sponsoring pro poker players and watch designers whipping up a flurry of timepieces marked with poker chip- and playing card-inspired insignias.
And now, another Swiss watch brand, Girard-Perregaux, has taken a cue from the casinos, designing the first-ever timepiece to combine a tourbillon with a working slot machine.
The thunderbolt’s “Vintage 1945 Jackpot Tourbillon” features a handle on the right side of the case, which, when pulled, allows three reels at the top of the dial to spin. A striking mechanism allows the guard to chime every time a spin stops.
The ultimate gift for the gambling aficionado, the timepiece comes encased in a black lacquer box that stands hind part before 18 inches tall and 14 inches wide. The box’s two doors open to reveal a red-velvet lining and a light that beams down upon the watch. On the inner of each passage is a holding place for an included established of playing cards, and a drawer at the bottom of the box contains custom Girard-Perregaux dice and poker chips.
The first Vintage 1945 Jackpot Tourbillon is available exclusively at Wynn and Co. Jewelry located within the Wynn Las Vegas. It will retail there for $625,000.
“Wynn provides the perfect atmosphere for our brand as they specialize in providing exclusivity for their guests, just as Girard-Perregaux does for our customers,” Ron Jackson, president and chief executive officer of Girard-Perregaux North American distributor Tradema of America, said in a statement. “Wynn and Co. Jewelry is the perfect retailer to introduce this innovative piece as it caters to the watch enthusiast and is among some of the finest luxury retailers.”
Girard-Perregaux plans to fabrication only 39 more of the timepiece to be distributed worldwide over the next four years.
For more information about Girard-Perregaux, visit the company’s Web site, Girard-perregaux.ch.
Badgley Mischka adds bold necklaces to fall fashion
Badgley Mischka adds bold necklaces to fall fashion
February 05, 2008
By Mary Wisniewski
New York—Although most fashion designers opt beneficial to jewel-free runway looks, Badgley Mischka’s Fall 2008 show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City today showed plenty of bling, with bold necklaces excitement the lead.
Necklace looks specifically included layers and massive, bold pendants.
Dangling earrings and daring bracelets—all designed by Badgley Mischka—also complemented most of the looks sent on the ground the runway, which generally channeled high glam or a day out in the woods (think beaver and fox vests).
In terms of color, black, burnt-orange, chocolate-brown, evergreen, green-apple and purple popped up frequently on the form-fitting designs. Some of the clothing sparkled on its own, while some had jewelry added to get the extra shine.
Jewelry wasn’t the only accessory taking center stage. Floppy hats, handbags and gloves had a place in the collection too. Even fringe made its way into the show.
Kay Jewelers Sponsors NBC Valentine Event
NBC self-reliance celebrate Valentine’s Day with a week of marriage proposals as five couples from around the country share their intimate moment with viewers for the period of primetime interstitial segments Feb. 10-14 in a partnership with Kay Jewelers, which will godfather this weeklong event.
In addition, NBC.com will provide viewers the opportunity to log on and enter to gain a 1-ct. Kay Jewelers diamond engagement ring.
"The cooperative campaign with Kay Jewelers illustrates how we are continuing to integrate our marketing, digital and sales efforts in creative and diverse ways," reported John Miller, chief marketing officer, NBC Universal Television Group. "This promotion also celebrates everything that Valentine’s Day represents and adds a little additional excitement to the NBC viewing experience–it allows viewers to share in the joy, work of fiction and humanity of a special moment in the lives of these five appealing couples."
Couples were recruited through iVillage, through its online community boards on love and dating. Once the romantic tales were collected at iVillage.com/proposal, five couples were chosen based upon their proposal ideas and background stories. Each couple selected has a compelling story to tell about how they met, what kept them together, and why they fell in love. A distinct, meaningful location has also been chosen for each. Each of the five primetime interstitial proposal segments will feature the "big" question at the top of the commercial break and discover the answer during the final moments.
The couples are:
Mark and Suzana of Boston
Mark and Suzana each have a five-year-old child. Mark, who suffered from a coeval with birth heart defect, had surgery a couple of years ago, but believes Suzana is the one who really fixed his broken heart. She devoted all her time to taking care of him, working full time, and caring for their children. The two are Red Sox fans, so Mark will propose at Fenway Park.
Jeffrey and Kristen of Beaufort, N.C.
High-school sweethearts, Jeffery and Kristen both live and work on the North Carolina coast. Kristen is an artist who loves the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. She has painted and photographed it many times but has never been inside the historical structure. With an elaborate plan, Jeffrey will work magic to create a dream proposal inside the lighthouse.
Giles and Kimberly of Memphis, Tenn.
Giles, a dentist, and Kimberly, a medical resident, find it tough to find time to spend together. Giles is also an aspiring actor and has concocted an complicated plan to bring Kimberly with him on a "commercial shoot."
Jake and Adria of Park City, Utah
Jake and Adria together have four boys. Adria is a hard-working single mom raising three boys, so Jake wanted to do something very special for her. They both love the outdoors, so Adria won’t suspect a thing when the two head up the mountain together—but her life will be changed forever when she reaches the bottom with Jake and her four boys in tow.
A yet to be identified couple from San Francisco will join the other four.
NBC.com will feature five three-minute segments on one and the other couple’s tender. In addition to offering viewers the opportunity to log on and enter to win a 1-ct. Kay Jewelers diamond engagement ring Feb. 4-11, NBC.com will also offer viewers the chance to share their own proposal stories and to send Valentine’s Day e-cards from the site. Mobile Valentine e-cards will be available taken in the character of either a Valentine image, a video featuring one of five NBC series couples in a romantic impetus, or as a solo paragraph message.
Consumers Likely to Pay-Off Debt with Rebate
Americans who are likely to receive government-funded rebates are most likely to use the wealth to pay off debt, according to a consumer survey by the International Council of Shopping Centers, Inc.
The survey, commissioned by UBS Securities and conducted between Jan. 31 and Feb. 3, asked 1,000 Americans what they would do with the money whether the legislation was signed into law: increase spending or increase savings or pay off debt. Forty-three percent of respondents said they would use the money to pay off debt; 26 percent said they would put the money into savings and 24 percent said they would spend it.
"Consumers see this tax rebate program similar to earlier ones and will act in a similar fashion using the lion’s ploughshare of the rebate money for debt relief," uttered Michael P. Niemira, ICSC chief economist and director of research. "Lenders will see the money before retailers do. But still, about $25 billion will head into the spending stream and that is positive beneficial to the economy."
With the United States facing a recession, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would put in the hands of the consumer, $600 for individuals and $1,200 for couples (single people with income of up to $75,000 and married couples with income of $150,000 or under would qualify). The bill is now in the Senate.
Red carpet ripped out from jewelry designers
Red carpet ripped out from jewelry designers
February 05, 2008
 |
| Without the “Globes,” jewelry companies are placing product at smaller events. Sarah Michelle Gellar wore 18-karat yellow gold rose-cut diamond earrings and bangles by means of Amrapali of Jaipur to the premiere of “The Air I Breathe” in Los Angeles on Jan. 15. |
Hollywood, Calif.—George Clooney and Julia Roberts were not the only losers at the 65th Golden Globe Awards. Also among the disappointed were fashion houses, makeup artists, hotels and—of course—jewelry designers.
The Globes appeared a lot less golden this year, as organizers did away with the red carpet and the traditional black-tie trappings. The annual ceremony, which kicks off Hollywood’s awards season, has served in the past as a harbinger of jewelry and fashion trends for the Academy Awards and the rest of the year.
“The Golden Globes give such exposing. to jewelry designers,” says Helena Krodel, associate director of media for the Jewelry Information Center. “A good picture of a celebrity wearing a designer’s jewelry will appear not only in coverage of the event but also throughout the year in trend reports and in dos and don’ts lists.”
Savvy to this significance, Platinum Guild International (PGI) has, for the past five years, hosted a suite to equipment celebrities with millions of dollars in borrowed jewels on this account that the bash.
In early January, PGI decided to cancel the suite because many actors had said they would not cross picket lines to attend the Golden Globes. A few days later, NBC and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced plans to downsize the Golden Globes from a three-hour, glitz-filled TV event that draws more than a thousand celebrities and media moguls to a Golden Globe Awards Winners Special hosted by Billy Bush and Nancy O’Dell.
In the absence of the red carpet, celebrity presenters, audience members and the actual handing out of awards, Bush and O’Dell were reduced to delivering the names of the winners as if they were a couple of news anchors. Normally fantastic fodder for the juggernaut of celebrity media, this year’s event received little coverage.
 |
| These sapphire and diamond earrings in platinum by the agency of Oscar Heyman exemplify the type of blockbuster-level jewelry Hollywood stars might have worn on the red carpet at the “Golden Globes.” |
“From the [perspective of the] jewelry industry, it is really a shame,” says Michael O’Connor, PGI’s senior vice president of marketing communication and public relations. “We had 42 designers [who would have shown in the suite] who literally had the red carpet pulled out from under them. They have lost the consumer brand awareness and celebrity placement that they normally get.”
Besides garnering press play for stars and for platinum, the PGI awards suite provides stylists and their famous clients access to lesser-known jewelry designers.
The writers’ strike began on Nov. 5 when scribes walked off the job after failing to arrive at an agreement with studios regarding, among other things, their right to digital division profits.
“Even the big houses rely so heavily on public relations and the red carpet at these events,” Krodel says. “This is one of the only chances beneficial to the actually inflated pieces to get exposure.”
The People’s Choice Awards, typically less important for jewelry designers, also cancelled its red carpet and traditional format when it aired on Jan. 16. The Screen Actors Guild Awards proceeded as planned on Jan. 27, thanks to its union ties and included a red carpet. bound it was barely a blip on the ratings radar, with just 6.1 million viewers compared with the nearly 40 million who watched last year’s Academy Awards.
At press time, writers had not yet announced whether or not they would picket the more influential Academy Awards, set for Feb. 24, which could lead to a like scaling down of the ceremony.
 |
| These rose-cut diamond earrings by Amrapali of Jaipur would likely have made the red carpet at the “Globes.” |
“We are keeping our fingers crossed, because the Golden Globes are important, but the monster is the Oscars,” says Chris Aire, a jewelry designer and red-carpet regular. “If the Oscars still happen, I think we’ll be OK.”
At press time, writers had agreed not to picket the Grammy Awards, scheduled for Feb. 10.
However, Aire and other designers get also begun looking at other opportunities in the place of product placement to fabricate up for the lost Globes red carpet. Aire has jewelry appearing in three upcoming movies and plans to bulk up his advertising this year.
Bochic, the New York-based designer-jewelry settled, saw its star soar last year after Angelina Jolie wore its vintage-style necklace and earrings to the Golden Globes, and that alone seems to have prevented a case of red-carpet withdrawal this year.
“Red-carpet events are a fixture right through the year in Hollywood, and because we have the Bochic collection in our public relations showroom year-round, we are known to celebrities and their stylists as a source for red-carpet jewelry,” says Ginnina D’Orazio of D’Orazio and Associates, which handles publicity for Bochic as well as for other red-carpet brands such as Le Vian and Hellmuth. “In addition, we provide jewelry for manifold editorial shoots with celebrities throughout the year, so in many ways, it’s simply business as usual.”
Globe trends that struck out
If the Golden Globes had aired, you would have seen these trends, experts say:
Shorter earrings: Shoulder dusters get brushed aside this year for shorter drop earrings and larger cluster-style earrings that lie on the lobe.
Brooches: Pins have popped back into fashion’s forefront, especially flower- and starburst-themed brooches.
Colors: Large, smooth gemstones—particularly in pink, blue and green hues—accent colorful gowns that stars are choosing lately. Cocktail rings remain a red-carpet favorite.
Yellow gold: While platinum remains a hands-down favorite at Hollywood’s most dressed-up events, risk-taking, fashion-forward celebrities have made the move to rich, yellow gold designs.
Bold pendants: Shorter earrings put the emphasis attached the neck, where big, vintage-feeling medallions look just right this season.
Editor’s note: This story first appeared in the February issue of National Jeweler.