Mococo founders named Business People of the Year at local awards

Lee and Maureen Hooson, founders of jewellery retailer Mococo, have been named Independent Business People of the Year at the Merseyside Independent Business Awards. The husband-and-wife team and joint managing directors of the company scooped the accolade at a black tie ceremony held in Liverpool’s Titanic Hotel. Maureen said: “I’m…

Read More »

Inter City Group becomes UK distributor of Ice-Watch

Inter City Group, the UK’s largest privately held watch manufacturer and supplier, has been appointed by Ice-Watch as its new distributor in the UK. Inter City Group will begin distribution of Ice-Watch in the UK with immediate effect, with a new price strategy and new collections for autumn and winter.…

Read More »

Polished diamond prices continue decline in September

Diamond suppliers are under pressure as polished prices fell even further in September, according to figures released today by Rapaport. The latest RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI) saw the price of 1-carat laboratory-graded diamonds drop 3% during the month. RAPI for 0.30-carat diamonds declined 2.7%, while RAPI for 0.50-carat diamonds slipped…

Read More »

Largest database of stolen watches launched

The Art Loss Register, the world’s largest private database of stolen art and collectibles, has launched a new service called the Watch Register. The Watch Register – a database of over 50,000 timepieces – is the largest searchable database of watches available for due diligence. Each search costs £2 with…

Read More »

Hallmarking back on the rise but down Q3

Hallmarking figures resumed their upward trajectory in September after two consecutive monthly falls, but total hallmarking for Q3 is down. This is according to data released today by the UK’s four assay offices, and compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office, which found that during September there were a total of…

Read More »

Police investigating Ernest Jones raid

The Metropolitan police have confirmed that they are investigating an early-morning raid on the Ernest Jones store in Romford, north-east London. Police were called at 2:30am on Monday, October 12, to the incident in Liberty Shopping Centre on Western Road, in which they confirmed a number of items had been…

Read More »

Retail sales up in September but jewellery growth slows

UK retail sales in September were up compared with last year but growth in sales of jewellery and watches slowed. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG retail sales monitor found retail sales increased 2.6% on a like-for-like basis from September 2014, when they had decreased 2.1% on the preceding…

Read More »

Goldsmiths to invest £1m in London stores

Luxury jeweller has announced that it is to invest more than £1m in its London stores, including the addition of a fourth store. The investment will include a refurbishment of its premises in Canary Wharf, Victoria and Westfield, as well as the addition of a new fourth store located on…

Read More »

A Shore Thing

Shore Projects is a British watch start-up inspired by the coastlines of the British Isles. TOM DAVIS sits down with co-founder Jono Holt to learn more about the company’s recent growth  [divider style=”solid” top=”20″ bottom=”20″] Having only been in business 18 months, many brands in the watch industry would still…

Read More »

How is designer-maker jewellery sold now?

In a new series of articles about the changing face of contemporary jewellery, JACK MEYER investigates recent changes to the market in contemporary jewellery, and what this means for the new generation of designer-makers entering the industry now. [divider style=”solid” top=”20″ bottom=”20″] Over the last nine years I’ve been working with independent…

Read More »