Harriet Kelsall apprentice named UK ‘fine jewellery champion’

An apprentice working for bespoke jeweller Harriet Kelsall has been named the UK ‘champion for fine jewellery making’ at the World Skills UK competition.  Will Lander, who fended off competition from six other competitors to pick up the gong, had to create a sterling silver pendant to a very specific…

Read More »

Steffans jewellers hit by store raid

Two men have been charged for burglary in connection to a raid on a jewellers shop in Northampton where a car was used to smash down a door.  According to a report from Leicestershire Police, Steffans Jewellers in The Square, Market Harborough, was targeted at around 4:45am on Friday November…

Read More »

Shop vacancies rise for first time since Q1 2013

The average shop vacancy rate in town centres in the UK was 10.3% in October, up from July’s rate of 10.1%, and the first time the figure has risen since the first quarter of 2013.  The British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) Footfall and Vacancies Monitor for October found footfall was 0.8%…

Read More »

Demand for gold jumps 18% for Q3, but jewellery drops 4%

UK demand for gold rose 18% in Q3 compared with the same period last year, according to the latest data from the World Gold Council (WGC). Within that, jewellery demand softened by 4% year-on-year, but the WGC said “the comparison continues to be heavily influenced by the events in 2013”.…

Read More »

BJA and NAG call for greater honesty in diamond trading

The British Jewellers Association (BJA) and the National Association of Goldsmiths (NAG) have today made a call for greater honesty and transparency in diamond trading, following the release of Martin Rapaport’s ‘Honest Grading’ report. The BJA and NAG have released a statement in which they said the issue of diamond…

Read More »

CONTRIBUTED: The Watch Gallery presents a Christmas-worthy portfolio

We’ve only just hit November and Christmas countdown has begun – that’s if store displays of premature tinsel and pine trees are anything to go by. Despite the usual statements of ‘it’s far too early’, preparation is key in delivering the finest present you can, and what better way to…

Read More »

IWC auction exclusive watch to raise funds for children’s charity

Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has auctioned an exclusive watch, with the entire proceeds going to the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation.  The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition ‘The Last Flight’, designed to commemorate writer and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was sold at Sotheby’s auction in Geneva for CHF40,000 (£26,322). The…

Read More »

HALLMARKING: Gold keeps climbing, silver lets the side down

Gold continued its upward trajectory in the month of October with a 22.1% rise in the number of articles hallmarked, totalling 115,815 overall. The figures, released by the Birmingham Assay Office using data collated from the four UK assay offices, showed that 9ct remained the strongest performer of all metal…

Read More »

Fossil renews Michael Kors license

Fossil Group has today announced that it has renewed its global licensing agreement for watches and jewellery with fashion brand Michael Kors.  The agreement, which will run until 2024, marks the extension of a partnership between two companies which first began in 2004 when Fossil Group was initially licensed to…

Read More »

New index for fancy colour diamonds released

A new index by The Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF) shows that fancy colour diamonds have delivered strong and consistent price increases, outperforming key global asset indices, since 2005.  The Fancy Color Diamond Index has been developed by the FCRF from proprietary access to tens of thousands of fancy colour…

Read More »