April 2008

Star Gems reveals new catalog

Star Gems reveals new catalog
April 07, 2008

Star Gems’ latest catalog is available at no charge to retail jewelers.

Atlanta—Star Gems, a supplier of loose diamonds, mountings and finished rings, has released a new catalog featuring 128 pages of the latest jewelry designs, up-to-date pricing information and high-quality images.

Retailers are encouraged to request the immoderate catalog and also to become registered users on Star Gems’ Web site, Stargems.com. The company has more than 24,000 designs in its database, all of which are accessible to Star Gems’ registered online users.

Star Gems has office locations in Atlanta and Chicago, and services more than 300 independent retailers nationwide.

To obtain the new catalog, call Star Gems at (800) 474-5579 or visit them online at Stargems.com.

Southwest Fine Jewelry Show canceled

Southwest Fine Jewelry Show canceled
April 07, 2008

Grapevine, Texas—The Southwest Fine Jewelry Show has come to an end, with the year’s show, set for September, canceled.

Vendors who were planning on attending the Sept. 6-8 event in Grapevine, Texas, have been informed.

In a media release, organizers of the Southwest Fine Jewelry Show thanked exhibiting vendors and retailers, as well as the many others who have shown support for the show, wishing them the best for continued endeavors success.

GIA names first BBA grads

GIA names first BBA grads
April 07, 2008

Wade H. Clar Jr.

Carlsbad, Calif.—The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has named Wade H. Clar Jr. and Tyler Harden as the first two graduates of its bachelor of business administration (BBA) program.

The GIA’s BBA program provides a comprehensive business education through a specialized focused in the jewelry industry.

Clar, from Canandaigua, New York, received his BBA onward December 21, 2007, and soon after gained a position as an inventory mastery manager for America’s Value Channel, a gems and jewelry shopping network.

In his new role, Clar desire act being of the kind which a liaison with manufacturers and marketing services, both on a national and international level.

“My experience with the BBA program completely exceeded my expectations,” Clar said in a statement. “Everything was first-rate—from the breeding and mentorship I received to being provided access to first-hand materials, entirely of which furthered and enriched my learning process.”

Tyler Harden.

Harden, from Ontario, Canada, received his BBA on March 28. His immediate plans include operating in his family’s commercial-development business heading the leasing department.

“The concentrated focus the BBA classes provided, especially those courses related to sell in small quantities and consumer behaviors, will serve as a strong asset to understanding business fundamentals across the board,” Harden said.

GIA’s BBA program is offered either on campus or through distance education. The academic focus includes marketing, retail management, accounting and finance, entrepreneurship, and international law and trade specific to the jewelry industry.

For more information about GIA’s School of Business, contact a GIA admissions representative at (800) 421-7250 ext. 4001 or visit the education section of the GIA’s Web site, GIA.edu/education.

Analyst downgrades Tiffany, Blue Nile stock

Analyst downgrades Tiffany, Blue Nile stock
April 07, 2008

New York—Merrill Lynch analyst Lorraine Maikis has cut her stock ratings for Tiffany and Co. and Blue Nile from “neutral” to “sell,” CNBC has reported.

According to the word source, the cuts come amidst an unstable economic environment, where rising food and gas prices, the credit crunch and a weak housing market are forcing consumers to cut back on big-ticket luxury items of that kind similar to jewelry.

High metal prices also are creating turbulent epochs for retailers.

In addition to Maikis, Oppenheimer analyst Roxanne Meyer downgraded Tiffany from “outperform” to “perform,” despite the fact that the company reported strong fourth-quarter financials and raised its 2008 profits. guidance.

Tiffany reported a 7 percent increase in same-store U.S. sales for fiscal year 2007, yet remains “cautious” adhering the U.S. market, according to the company’s latest earnings report. Overall, the company’s U.S. retail sales rose 4 percent in 2007, and Tiffany opened three new stores while closing one in Maui, Hawaii, in the fourth quarter.

“We think quarter-to-date U.S. comp trends could easily turn south, and are concerned that a second-half rebound in the U.S. luxury market will be tough in light of turmoil in financial markets and workforce conversion,” Meyer wrote.

Police hunt for culprits in West Coast robberies

Police hunt for culprits in West Coast robberies
April 04, 2008

The FBI and the Eugene, Ore., police need help identifying suspects (one, pictured above) in four 2007 armed robberies of jewelry stores in three states: Oregon, California and Nevada.

Eugene, Ore.—The FBI and police in Eugene, Ore., are on the look for the perpetrators in a string of jewelry store robberies occurring in three states, according to an alert from the Jewelers’ Security Alliance.

The robberies took place between June 6 and Oct. 6 of last year at Beaudet Jewelry in Eugene, which was robbed twice, Steve Schmier’s Jewelry in Tahoe City, Calif., and J.P. Chadom Jewelers in State Line, Nev., according to Eugene newspaper The Register-Guard.

The Register-Guard reported that the robberies have netted the thieves more than $150,000 and that much of the merchandise was recovered at pawn shops, where it was sold for a fraction of its value.

The suspect in the robberies is described as a dark-haired white male in his 20s, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall and 160-180 pounds, with a medium build.

According to The Register-Guard, police also are on the hunt for an Asian man believed to be working with the suspected robber.

Authorities believe the suspects may live in, or have ties to, Eugene; Portland, Ore.; Reno, Nev.; or San Francisco.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to contact the Eugene Police Department at (541) 682-5175 or the FBI in Portland at (503) 224-4181.

Ritani repositions brand with emotional ads

Ritani repositions brand with emotional ads
April 04, 2008

Images like this one, supporting Ritani’s new brand positioning, will appear in print magazines such as Elle and Harper’s Bazaar.

New York—Fine-jewelry company Ritani is unveiling its new brand positioning to the public through a marketing campaign that is currently being unrolled in print magazines and online.

The brand’s new positioning focuses on the range of emotions consumers feel when they give or take in a picture of Ritani jewelry.

“Whether they be feelings of have a passionate affection for, surprise, ecstasy, relief or all of the aforementioned, the fact is that there is this universal feeling of beyond belief emotion that comes over a person at the moment they receive a piece of jewelry—especially a fire-arm of Ritani jewelry. And it’s a feeling like none other,” Ritani founder, president and persuade designer Harout Aghjayan said in a media release. “Capturing this extremely emotional ‘moment’ is truly an evolutionary new chapter in the Ritani brand strategy and one which we are extremely excited about.”

The integrated marketing campaign will be headlined by a national print advertising program in magazines like as Elegant Bride, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, Martha Stewart Weddings and W, among others. In addition, the strategy will also be reflected on Ritani’s new Web site, Ritani.com, as well as in new point-of-sale materials for retailers, a new consumer brochure, customer catalogs, billboards and Duratrans.

Ritani’s new brand positioning is the product of many months of research, strategy and design with its creative agency, KraftWorks. The consumer-targeted, print advertising campaign was photographed by Stewart Shining, who regularly shoots for Allure, Glamour, Vanity Fair and Vogue, and Andy Bettles, a still life and landscape photographer who’s advertising clients receive included Calvin Klein Fragrances, Gucci, Cole Haan and David Yurman, among many others.