8 arrested following spate of jewellery store robberies in West Yorkshire

Eight people have been arrested following a series of three jewellery store robberies across West Yorkshire. Jewellery stores were targeted in Hebdon Bridge, Halifax town centre and in Brighouse over a seven day period from 24 June to 30 June. Kingston Diamond Merchants, Duranczyk T&G and Neimantas Jewellers were all…

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Brand Q&A: Going for growth, with Buckley London

Buckley London has established itself as a mainstay of fashion and costume jewellery in the UK market since it was founded in the 1980s. As the firm prepares to launch seven new collections for the autumn-winter season, MICHAEL NORTHCOTT decided to find out more [divider style=”solid” top=”20″ bottom=”20″] Please give…

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Largest diamond discovered in a decade fails to sell at auction

The world’s largest rough diamond found in a decade has failed to sell at a London auction after bids did not reach the minimum reserve price. The 1109-carat ‘Lesedi la Rona’ – the largest rough diamond in existence today – was uncovered by diamond production firm Lucara in November 2015…

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Jacobs the Jewellers names ‘Young Designer’ award winners

Reading-based Jacobs the Jewellers has announced the winners of its annual ‘Young Designer’ competition. The competition, which is held in association with the Bishopsland Educational Trust, HS Walsh and the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, saw four young jewellery designers at Bishopsland – a jewellery design postgraduate course provider – showcase…

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Rough diamond demand stable in fifth sales cycle, says De Beers

The De Beers Group of Companies has announced rough diamond demand is stable in its latest sales cycle. Provisional sales for the company’s fifth sales cycle of 2016 stood at $560m (£420m). This was down on the $636m (£473m) raised in its fourth sales cycle of the year, but De…

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Houlden Jewellers founder brings retirement date forward

Houlden Jewellers has announced Stuart Laing, founding director of the group, is bringing forward his retirement date. Originally due to retire in June 2017, Laing and Houlden Jewellers have reached an agreement that as of 1 July 2016 Laing will retire following a recent health scare. A statement from Houlden…

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World Gold Council: gold price soars in wake of Brexit

The price of gold bullion has surged following the UK’s decision to leave the EU in last week’s referendum, according to the World Gold Council (WGC). The council said the price of gold jumped to $1,315.50/oz (£988/oz) on 24 June, following the announcement of the referendum. Gold was up 4%…

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NAJ: The UK’s vote to leave the EU will ‘take some time to settle in’

Michael Rawlinson, CEO of the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ), has said the news of the UK’s vote to leave the EU is going to “take some time to settle in”. In a dramatic night in political history, the UK voted to leave the EU with the Leave campaign edging…

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Millennials to drive jewellery trends in 2017

Millennials and the merging of polarities – the attraction of complementary opposites – is driving jewellery trends for 2017. In its latest Gem Visions Trend Directions 2017, Swarovski claims that millennials are driving jewellery trends through their philosophy of merging polarities, such as art vs science, natural vs manmade, young…

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Can’t stand the heat?

I watched a documentary the other day about Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. It revealed a side of the tale that I had not heard before but which resonated with me. In the early days of computers, years before they would become poster boys for the world of business, Jobs…

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