Out-of-town footfall jumps 3.8%

Footfall in March was 0.2% higher than the same time last year, an improvement on the 0.5% fall in February.  This is according to the BRC-Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor which found footfall was above the three-month average of -0.5% and was the best overall footfall performance since March last…

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RJC celebrates tenth anniversary with AGM in Mumbai

The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) has celebrated its 10th anniversary this week by hosting its first annual general meeting (AGM) outside of Europe.  Co-hosted by the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) and Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB), the AGM represented the organisation’s first conference held outside of Europe. The…

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Gemfields’ emerald and beryl production triples in Q1

Gemfields has reported an increase in its production levels as emerald and beryl production rose significantly during the first quarter (Q1) of 2015.  Production of emerald and beryl almost tripled in the first quarter of the year (ending March 31, 2015) at its 75%-owned Kagem mine with 9.9 million carats…

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EXPERIENCES: Gem hunting: Myth vs. reality

I had already planned a trip to Namibia in South West Africa when I first came across the show ‘Gem Hunters’ on the Travel Channel. BY EDWARD FLEMING I was interested that it appeared to give a blow-by-blow account of how to go abroad and buy stones. Certain scenes are…

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One in ten consumers considering smartwatch purchase

One in 10 consumers (10%) is considering buying a smartwatch in 2015, according to the Barclaycard Consumer Spending Report for Q1 of this year.  The figures suggest several million smartwatch sales could take place throughout the UK this year, yet demand could outstrip supply as only 28 million are expected…

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Gemporia unveils exclusive collection in House of Fraser

Online retailer Gemporia is launching its first high street product with retail stalwart House of Fraser. The previously online-only jewellery brand will be available in 20 stores from next week as part of a first-phase roll-out into House of Fraser. Gemporia will eventually be housed in 42 stores, including the flagship…

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Bystander catches armed raiders on camera

Two armed thieves who tried to raid the Uncle Jewellers and Pawnbrokers on Chapel Street, Wigan have been caught on a phone camera by a member of the public.  The robbery took place at the jewellers just before 1:30pm on Saturday, April 11, when two offenders pulled up outside the…

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LDB to offer support to those affected by Hatton Garden Raid

The London Diamond Bourse (LDB) has today announced it will act as centralised point of contact for members of the trade affected by the recent robbery in Hatton Garden.  The LDB said that it is concerned that there is no “coordinated effort” to manage the situation outside the consumer press…

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18ct gold grows 12% in Q1 hallmarking figures

The total number of articles hallmarked fell across all categories except platinum in March, according to figures compiled from all four UK assay offices, however 18ct gold stole a march for the Q1 period, taking up some of the slack.  After a strong February – hallmarking figures were 7.9% up…

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UK inflation rate remains at zero

The UK’s inflation rate remained at zero in March, according to new figures released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), this represents the lowest rate of inflation since records began in 1989 as a fall in clothing prices and a rise…

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