Shop prices fall for 25th consecutive month

Shop prices were down 1.9% in May compared with the same time last year – unchanged from April’s rate of decline.  This is according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Nielsen Shop Price Index which recorded its 25th consecutive month of shop price deflation, with falling non-food prices now…

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Bonhams: £60m of jewellery ‘gathering dust’

There is an estimated £60m worth of vintage jewellery gathering dust in drawers and attics across Britain, according to Bonhams.  The auction house said that millions of pounds worth of earrings, necklaces, bracelets and other pieces of jewellery are simply set aside and forgotten as a result of changing tastes.…

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Iggy Azalea’s $500,000 yellow diamond engagement ring

A yellow diamond given to pop singer Iggy Azalea by her partner for their engagement is worth around £250,000, according to the CEO of Gemporia. Steve Bennett said as a stand-alone stone the central diamond would cost close to £175,000; the surrounding white diamonds are over 2 carats and have…

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‘You picked the wrong guy’: jeweller chases off armed robber with baseball bat

Devon & Cornwall Police have released CCTV footage of an attempted armed robbery after the owner of a jewellery store successfully chased the suspect away.  The robbery, which took place at Coopers Jewellers in Barnstaple on the afternoon of Thursday May 28, was unsuccessful after the store’s owner, David Bruce,…

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Gem-A announces AGM details

The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) has said its AGM will take place at 11am on Wednesday June 24 at The Crypt Restaurant in Ely Place.  The meeting will be followed by a talk from the association’s CEO James Riley on his recent field trip to Mogok, Burma. Gem-A…

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Delivery volumes for online sales up 11% in April

Online delivery volumes from UK retailers were up 11% in April compared with the same month last year, according to new figures.  The IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index showed that the growth rate for delivery volumes from the year to date (May 29) has now reached 10.9%. This is below…

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‘Tax freedom day’ falls on 31st May

This year’s Tax Freedom Day, the day when Britons stop working to pay their taxes and start earning for themselves, falls on 31st May, according to Adam Smith Institute calculations. The Institute estimates that Britons will work 150 days this year solely to pay their taxes. This is one day…

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TH March to feature in BBC documentary

Jewellery insurance brokers TH March has announced it will appear on a BBC TV documentary about insurance claims.  The documentary series, Claimed and Shamed, is now in its fifth series and looks at the “ever-growing problem” of insurance fraud, often featuring “outlandish” claimants as they’re caught on camera. TH March…

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Consumer confidence falls in May

Consumer confidence fell in May after holding steady in April at its highest level since 2002, according to new figures from research firm GFK.  GFK’s latest Consumer Confidence Barometer decreased three points to 1 this month, with all five of the measures used to calculate the index reporting decreases. The…

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The Duchess of Cornwall receives student-designed Livery Badge

The Duchess of Cornwall, Honorary Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Plaisterers, was presented with a new Livery Badge at Plaisterers’ Hall, London, on Wednesday, May 27.  The jewel was designed by Joshua Gane, a 19-year-old trainee on the foundation programme at the Goldsmiths’ Centre in Clerkenwell London, and was…

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