Beaverbrooks named in Sunday Times ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’

Family-owned Beaverbrooks has been recognised as the best mid-sized retailer to work for in the UK, coming 19th on the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For 2015.  Celebrating its 12th consecutive year in the top 100, Beaverbrooks ranked 19th in the 250 to 5,000 employee range, seeing off…

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Retail sales edge up in February

UK retail sales increased by 0.2% in February on a like-for-like basis compared to the same time last year.  This is according to the British Retail Consortium’s BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor which found on a total basis, sales were up 1.7%, against a 0.7% rise in February 2014. Adjusted for…

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Jeweller scoops prize at Heart of Manchester Retail Awards

Manchester-based Christopher James Jewellers has picked up the Retail Team of the Year gong at the inaugural Heart of Manchester Retail Awards. The awards were created to celebrate Manchester’s retail environment including the city’s mix of high street stores, department stores, luxury and independent stores. A statement from Heart of…

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Cash stolen from Bradford jewellers by armed thieves

A jewellery store in Bradford has been targeted by armed raiders who made off with an undisclosed sum of cash. A member of staff at the Cash for Gold, located on James Street, was forced to hand over a box containing cash by a masked pair at around 10am on…

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Valentine’s Day sales increase in 2015

Jewellers benefitted from a strong Valentine’s Day as sales of jewellery were up 7.3% in February compared to the same month last year, according to new figures.  This is according to Barclaycard’s monthly consumer spending index which shows that, following a slight dip at the start of the year, retailer…

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Man arrested in connection with jewellery store robbery

Police and Edinburgh have arrested and charged a 24-year old man in connection with an armed robbery on a jewellery store in Edinburgh. The robbery took place at around 9:30am on March 2, when a robber went into Laing The Jewellers on Frederick Street before threatening staff with a gun…

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Vintage watches to go on sale at Roseberys Fine Art auction

An 18-carat gold and diamond gentleman’s skeleton wristwatch from Swiss luxury watchmaker Corum is estimated to sell for £100,000 to £150,000 as part of Roseberys Fine Art Auction.  The watch, which will go on sale at the auction on Tuesday March 24, was commissioned and designed exclusively as a one…

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NEW: Introducing Jewellery Focus Visits

Jewellery Focus is proud to reveal the first iteration of a new video project, Jewellery Focus Visits.  The project is an informal series of short mini-documentaries focusing on manufacturers and craftspeople from across the jewellery industry, giving insight into their skills and their working environment. For the first instalment, Jewellery Focus editor Michael…

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Polished diamond prices continue decline in February

Polished diamonds continued to decline in February despite “improved sentiment” ahead of the Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem and Pearl show.  This is according to the RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI) which found prices for 0.30-carat diamonds declined by 1.3%, 0.50-carat diamonds fell by 1.4% and 3-carat diamonds decreased in price…

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GIA and De Beers to discuss synthetics at Basel

Researchers from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and De Beers will discuss ‘concerns’ over synthetic diamonds at GIA GemFest at Baselworld, March 22.  GIA said that technology for creating synthetic diamonds has “improved significantly” over the last decade and, as a result, gem-quality synthetic diamonds have appeared in greater…

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