Rare British-owned gemstone to be sold by Bonhams

A rare British-owned gemstone is set to be offered on sale by auction house Bonhams for the first time in 98 years.  The Hope Spinel was part of one of the world’s greatest gem collections until its owner, London banker Henry Philip Hope, died in 1839. It has not been…

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Jewellery Focus to host e-commerce seminar at IJL

Jewellery Focus is to host a seminar at International Jewellery London (IJL) revealing the results of several months of research into e-commerce.  The seminar will reveal data from a survey investigating to what extent independent jewellers are introducing e-commerce and click-and-collect into their business offering. Jewellery Focus’ editor Michael Northcott,…

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Vacancy rates improve but long-term vacancy increases

Shop vacancy rates have improved in the first half of 2015 but the number of long-term vacant shops has increased by 24.4%.  This is according to new figures from the Local Data Company (LDC) which found that the retail and leisure vacancy in the UK fell from 11.9% in the…

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INFOGRAPHIC: How a diamond is made

Diamonds first formed in the earth  some 1 billion to 3 billion years ago, and is now the most sought after gemstone within the jewellery industry. In the below infographic Gear Jewellers, a jewellery retailer in Dublin, talks us through every stage of the diamond industry, from how they are formed to the buying process.

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Hatton Garden Safe Deposit enters liquidation

The Hatton Garden Safe Deposit company, which was hit by a £10m jewellery heist earlier this year, has gone into liquidation.  The firm, which is owned by Sudanese father and son Mahendra and Manish Bavishi, appointed accountancy firm SPW after it became insolvent. Speaking to Jewellery Focus, Stella Davis of…

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Rumblings from the East

It has taken years for the jewellery industry to get back to a semblance of growth. But where once the whys and wherefores of economic rise and fall could be identified, isolated, and understood, they are becoming more opaque. This month the Chinese economy slowed to the extent that financial…

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Watches worth over £20,000 stolen from Lake District jewellers

Watches worth more than £20,000 have been stolen from a jewellers in Ambleside, Cumbria, over the bank holiday weekend. The incident happened on Saturday, August 29, at 3:40am when a metal traffic restriction bollard was used to smash the glass and gain access to the window display of Horsman’s Jewellers…

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NPA pledges to further work with Scotland Yard

The National Pawnbrokers Association (NPA) has pledged itself to further developing its work with London’s Metropolitan Police in its fight against crime. The commitment follows a series of successful networking event between the police and London NPA members. Ray Perry, chief executive of the association, said that the association works…

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Four appear in court over Hatton Garden jewellery heist

Four people appeared in court yesterday (Thursday) in connection with the Hatton Garden jewellery raid, in which an estimated £10m worth of jewellery was stolen. Brenn Walters, also known as Ben Perkins, 43, Laura Perkins, 40, Terri Robinson, 35, and Steven Robinson, 46, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with…

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Gem-A reveals new board following election results

The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) has unveiled its new board members following a vote held at its annual general meeting (AGM) on Wednesday, August 26. The AGM, which had previously been postponed earlier this year, saw the appointment of seven new board members from the UK along with…

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