Laings partners with British Heart Foundation

Luxury jewellers Laings announced it is providing CPR training for its staff in collaboration with its charity partner, the British Heart Foundation.  The jewellers held CPR training sessions, hosted by the BHF, across all of its stores in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Southampton, as well as its head office, in…

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Coronavirus dampens markets but boosts mask producers

Some years ago Bill Gates was asked in an interview what future scenario it was that kept him awake at night. To the surprise of the interviewer, he did not say climate change, or financial collapse, or nuclear war. He said he most afraid of the next major pandemic, in…

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Fuli Gemstones appoints new CMO

Fuli Gemstones announced it has appointed Pia Tonna as its new CMO. She will oversee the launch of Fuli Gemstones’ new peridot mine located in the Changbai Mountains in China. The mine is the world’s largest known, natural deposit of peridot. Tonna brings with her a “wealth of knowledge” from…

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57,000 retail jobs lost in 2019

Some 57,000 retail jobs were shed in 2019, according to the latest retail employment monitor from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). In the fourth quarter of 2019, there was a 1.8% year-on-year decline in full-time retail employees, which equates to the loss of 57,000 jobs since the same period in…

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Ted Baker hanging by a thread amid £58m balance sheet black hole

If you have shares in Ted Baker, you are probably not having a good morning. The price has tanked by almost 7% after news broke that the fashion brand has found a £58m black hole in its accounts. There’s being a few hundred thousand or a few million short, but…

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3 Great Benefits of Collecting Jewellery – What to Know

Jewellery has always been part of human culture for nearly 75,000 years, all for varying reasons. It was once a symbol of power and royalty before modern society, but in recent decades, it serves as either a sentimental piece or a fashion statement.  Whether it’s for vanity, style, or familial…

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William May celebrates ‘successful year’

Jeweller William May has announced it is celebrating its “best 12-month trading period yet”. The Manchester-based jeweller said its overall sales increased by 40% year-on-year, with “particularly” strong growth in its second-hand jewellery collection. The company also announced the appointment of three new members to its team within the last…

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IJL to move to Alexandra Palace for 2020 show

International Jewellery London (IJL) has announced it will move to the “iconic” Alexandra Palace to celebrate its 65th anniversary this year. Organiser Reed Exhibitions said that as well as creating a new show floor experience, there will be other “innovations” for both buyers and sellers, driven by the “core objective…

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Gold and silver fall in December hallmarking

The number of gold and silver pieces hallmarked in December 2019 decreased by 7.1% and 12.7% respectively, according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. Gold hallmarked pieces decreased from 312,281 to 290,186 and silver items decreased from 373,756 to 326,442 during the month. Additionally, palladium decreased by 37.7%…

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Signet Jewellers performance ‘falls short’ over Christmas

Signet Jewellers, the parent company of H. Samuel and Ernest Jones, has reported a dip in like-for-like sales over the Christmas period. Its UK division saw like-for-like sales slide by 3.1%, which reflected a “difficult operating environment in the UK”.  Whilst e-commerce sales grew by 15.8%, brick and mortar sales…

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