Editor’s Blog
-
Oct- 2015 -19 October
Editor’s Letter October 2015
If you follow business news closely and your confidence is affected by it day to day, then this month will have made for a turbulent one. Hallmarking was down in the month of August – a disappointing continuation of the surprise downward movement seen in July – but then global…
Read More » -
Sep- 2015 -1 September
Rumblings from the East
It has taken years for the jewellery industry to get back to a semblance of growth. But where once the whys and wherefores of economic rise and fall could be identified, isolated, and understood, they are becoming more opaque. This month the Chinese economy slowed to the extent that financial…
Read More » -
Aug- 2015 -14 August
I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party, CMJ
I was reminded of the old adage yesterday – turnover is vanity, profit is sanity. It’s so clichéd as to sound almost like bad advice, but of course anyone in business knows it holds as true today as it did when the first merchants started trying to glean a few…
Read More » -
5 August
Let’s go for optimism instead of fear
Too many jewellers are not prepared for a future where online sales will make up the majority of retail purchases. Most people agree that this brave new world is coming, but this industry has been particularly slow at embracing e-commerce as a revenue stream. There are some success stories out…
Read More » -
Jul- 2015 -1 July
The naysayers must now eat their words
Almost two years ago I wrote sceptically about the initial murmurings of a merger between the two major jewellery trade associations. Not out of any sense of doubt that a merger was possible, but because I was new to the industry and I asked dozens of people for their thoughts.…
Read More » -
Jun- 2015 -10 June
Who are we supposed to believe when the figures are so discrepant?
I don’t know about you, but, being a journalist, I don’t like being forced to have a stab in the dark where really important information is concerned. You wouldn’t guess your profit, you don’t guess how much you’ve sold this month. Can someone tell me, then, how it can be…
Read More » -
May- 2015 -19 May
Without tough penalties, this diamond grading issue will become a crisis
Put yourself in the shoes of one of your customers, for just a moment. You’ve saved for several weeks or even months to buy yourself or a loved one an expensive watch, locket or ring. You’ve been eyeing up what’s in the windows whenever you pass a jeweller, and probably…
Read More » -
Mar- 2015 -18 March
What makes our website better than before?
Hopefully you’ve noticed that you’re reading this blog on a vastly improved user interface. It’s true, we’re very proud indeed of the new-look website, with its Web 2.0 styling and quick-to-access news stories. So I thought I would take the liberty of offering some reflections and recommendations to help you…
Read More » -
Feb- 2015 -27 February
British-made has still got it
I’m a big fan of British-made. Over the course of history, in so many fields, British people and companies have earned a reputation for quality, creativity and ingenuity, and nowhere more so than in jewellery design and manufacture. I have had the pleasure of visiting two very British firms in…
Read More » -
Jan- 2015 -11 January
Two important hopes for a jewellery industry boom 2015
Two stories broke this week that give plenty of reason to believe that the UK jewellery industry can enjoy an upward trajectory in the year ahead. First, Signet announced that it’s UK division enjoyed sales growth of 9.7% in the Christmas trading period, compared with the same period last year.…
Read More »