Covid-19: JCK Las Vegas postponed

JCK Las Vegas, the largest jewellery trade show in North America, has postponed its 2020 event after “careful consideration”. Organisers announced they had made the “difficult decision” that the JCK and Luxury event will now take place in June 2021 in Las Vegas.  For 2020, however, JCK organisers will “shift…

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Will there be coronavirus help for small company directors who are paid by dividend?

The financial plight of limited company directors has been raised by the Tory chairman of the Treasury select committee. Mel Stride, a former Treasury minister, said chancellor Rishi Sunak needs to view company directors as a tranche of people who have ‘slipped through the net’ of all the other largesse…

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The Goldsmiths’ Company launches £1m Covid-19 Fund

The Goldsmiths’ Company has announced the launch of a £1m Goldsmiths’ Covid-19 Fund to provide support to individuals working in the jewellery, silversmithing and allied industries. The group said that the funds intended to help these individuals through a “period of hardship”, and sustain the “craft, skills and future of…

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Companies House suspends strike-offs amid Covid-19 crisis

Companies House has announced it has temporarily paused its strike off process to prevent companies being dissolved amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The government announced changes to Companies House enforcement last week (16 April), which gives businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak the time they need to update their records and…

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Sheffield Assay Office re-opens

The Sheffield Assay Office has announced it will re-open in order to “provide safe support for valued customers”.  From tomorrow (21 April),  the office will offer a restricted service every Tuesday at its premises in Hillsbrough, Sheffield. Both its hallmarking and analytical services will now be available to customers once…

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Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme portal goes live

The portal for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is now live, with the government saying that businesses with validated claims will receive payments within at least six days. Under the scheme announced last month, employers can claim a grant covering 80% of the wages for a furloughed employee, subject to…

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Robinson Pelham launches competition to raises money for the NET

Jewellery store Robinson Pelham is calling upon all its friends, customers and colleagues to come together and help it raise money for the National Emergencies Trust (NET). The jeweller said that having spent some time thinking about how it can help during the current Covid-19 situation, it is “excited” to…

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Former NAJ CEO Michael Hoare passes away

The National Association of Jewellers (NAJ) has announced that the former chief executive of the association, Michael Hoare, has died. President of the NAJ, David Doyle, delivered the news “with a heavy heart” and said that Hoare was known to many from serving in the NAJ (formerly the National Association…

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Hallmarking falls by 35% as coronavirus impact hits

The extent to which the coronavirus outbreak has impacted UK hallmarking has been revealed as the latest figures show both the number of gold and silver pieces hallmarked during March fell by over 30% each. The number of gold and silver pieces hallmarked in March 2020 decreased by 32.3% and…

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Government extends lockdown for ‘at least’ three more weeks

The government has announced an extension to the coronavirus lockdown for “at least” a further three weeks. The decision was announced at today’s (16 April) press briefing which was led by foreign secretary Dominic Raab. It also comes after Raab led an emergency Cobra committee and cabinet meetings about the…

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