One month left for IJL KickStart entries

There is just one month left for designers who want to enter the International Jewellery London (IJL) KickStart initiative in 2015.  Entries for the initiative, which will see 10 winning designers offered the chance to exhibit their products in a designated area at IJL 2015 for free, will close on…

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Jewellery sales set to rocket for Valentine’s Day

Jewellery retailers are set to find themselves inundated with ‘panic-stricken’ shoppers, according to payment processing company Worldpay.  According to Worldpay’s analysis of retail spending in 2014, trading in jewellery stores remains fairly flat right up until the day before Valentine’s Day where sales suddenly rocket by 70% versus the season…

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Ernest Jones set to upsize at WestQuay shopping centre

Ernest Jones is set to upsize to a larger store at Southampton’s WestQuay shopping centre.  Due to open in March, the new 3,200 square foot store will be located on WestQuay’s upper level adjacent to brands such as Jack Wills. Sarah Mander, assistant director for retail leasing at Hammerson, a…

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Sotheby’s unveils 100-carat ‘perfect’ diamond

Today global art business Sotheby’s has unveiled a 100-carat ‘perfect’ diamond, which is set for auction later this year.  The diamond, which is reportedly the largest perfect diamond with a classic emerald cut ever to be offered at auction, is currently being unveiled in Sotheby’s new Bond Street Galleries. The…

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FEATURE: Hot Diamonds, hot results

A standout company for its sales performance in 2014 was Hot Diamonds. The firm’s revenue growth of 101%, however, is not an accident. We caught up with commercial manager Adryan Cresswell to find out what the secret is. First, it is important to state the figures – they are the…

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Thieves slip on jewellery store floor during raid

CCTV has captured a gang of thieves falling over on a polished floor after ram-raiding a jewellers with a stolen Mercedes.  Security cameras at Gem Jewellers in Station Street East, Coventry, show the silver car – which was stolen and had false number plates – smash through the glass shop…

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High Street footfall suffers against out-of-town shopping

Footfall on Britain’s high streets has declined yet further thanks to the rising popularity of out-of-town shopping complexes, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).  The BRC/Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor found that town centre shopping malls reported the largest decline in footfall, falling 2.8% compared with the same time…

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SOAPBOX: Fancy colour diamonds in today’s market

Eden Rachminov, one of the founders of the Fancy Color Research Foundation, explores how the rising popularity of fancy colour diamonds is affecting the jewellery industry, and what the increasing prices will mean going forward. There is a growing trend in jewellery design: the post-recession global economy coupled with a…

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Hallmarking figures drop in January

After a strong year of growth for hallmarking figures in 2014 the total number of articles hallmarked was down 7.6% in January 2015 compared to the same time last year.  According to data from the four UK assay offices and compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office, there was a total…

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Fancy colour diamonds not affected by diamond price falls

Fancy colour diamonds are continuing to show consistent price levels, despite a backdrop of commodity value declines in Q4 2014.  This is according to the first Fancy Color Diamond Index developed by the Fancy Color Research Foundation (The FCRF), which was launched in November last year. The index revealed that…

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