MARKET ANALYSIS: precious metals and the market

[intro]After a turbulent couple of years, more reasonable metal prices are creating the conditions for hallmarking figures to climb steadily. TOM DAVIS speaks to some of the best-known bullion houses and assay offices to find out their thoughts on where the market for precious metals is heading.[/intro] There’s no doubt…

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Q&A: Orbitvu (photography equipment)

[intro]Jewellery Focus chats to Andrew Dibben, owner of AJ’s Studio & Camera Supplies, the official supplier of Orbitvu in the UK, on what makes this innovative photography technology so unique.[/intro] Could you tell me a little about Orbitvu, how it works, and what it does? The Orbitvu Alphashot Micro is a…

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NEW: Our new, next-generation website

Jewellery Focus is proud to announce the launch of its new, next-generation website. As part of a rolling programme of investment in the Jewellery Focus brand, the website, designed afresh from the ground up, draws from the look and feel of cutting edge news sites such as Time.com, the Guardian…

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Firms to ‘overpay £221m in business rates’

More than 110,000 firms in England and Wales are likely to miss 31 March deadline for appeals over business rates, and at least £221 million in potential relief will lie unclaimed. This is according to CBRE, the commercial property and real estate services advisor, which conducted research into the “scramble to…

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Valentine’s Day saves poor online sales in February

Strong Valentine’s Day sales helped boost a sluggish February for online retailers.  This is according to latest figures from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index, which found online retail sales grew by 6% year-on-year but were down 12% when compared with January this year. This is in contrast with February…

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Argos to trial 3D printed customisable jewellery

Argos has announced that it is to trial a jewellery collection that can be customised and 3D printed to order, before being dispatched to the customer.  Using a newly launched website, customers will be able to select accessories from a range of 10 items initially, add their own personal touches,…

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Net loss of UK stores almost triples in 2014

Nearly three times as many shops disappeared from UK high streets last year compared with 2013, according to new figures released today.  The research from PwC, compiled by the Local Data Company (LDC), found that 5,839 stores closed in 2014 compared to 4,852 openings. This equates to a net reductions…

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‘Radical’ review of business rates underway

A “radical” review of the business rates system has been launched which could pave the way for changes to how businesses across England pay tax, the Treasury has said.  The review, which is set to report back for the Budget in 2016, will examine the structure of the current system…

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February footfall figures dip marginally

Footfall in February was 0.5% lower than a year ago, however it marked an improvement on the 1.2% fall in January.  This is according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC)-Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor which found the decline was above the three-month average of -0.8% and the best overall performance…

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Goldsmiths’ Company to stage jewellery careers event

London’s Goldsmiths’ Hall will host what it claims is the UK’s ‘biggest’ careers event for students of jewellery and allied trades. Make Your Mark, which will be hosted on April 17 and 18, follows on from its inaugural event last year which attracted over 800 students from across the British…

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