Current Affairs

UK jewellers consider legal challenge to BAO over Indian hallmarking

A group of jewellers and silversmiths in the UK are considering a legal challenge to the Birmingham Assay Office over its practice of using UK hallmarking overseas. The news comes after the Birmingham and Sheffield Assay Offices’ marks have been approved by the British Hallmarking Council for use in their…

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ACID launches campaign to create new UK unregistered design law

Design and intellectual property (IP) lobbyist body Anti-Copying in Design (ACID) is spearheading a campaign to create a new UK unregistered design law. The campaign will aim to ensure that UK designers are not disadvantaged by any erosion or loss of access to EU design rights – both registered and…

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Mixed month for diamond prices in August

The price of diamonds reported a mixed month in August, as polished inventory increased with steady manufacturing and sluggish demand. The RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI) – from the Rapaport Group – found the price of 1-carat diamonds fell 0.8% in August, while the price of 0.30-carat was flat. The price…

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Iconic jewellery store to close after nearly 150 years

Prestons of Bolton – known to many as the ‘Diamond Centre of the North’ – is set to close its doors after nearly 150 years of trading in the town. The jewellery retailer, which has been based in Bolton town centre since it first opened in 1869, will shut down…

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UK Jewellers launch parliamentary petition to restrict offshore UK hallmarks

A group of UK silversmiths and jewellers have launched a campaign to restrict the use of distinctive traditional UK hallmarks, including city marks, to items hallmarked in the UK. For over 700 years UK hallmarks have only been struck in the UK, but the campaign said that there is now…

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Men in retail sector paid £4,523 more than women

Men in the retail and wholesale sector are paid on average £4,523 more than women, new research has claimed. According to figures released today by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and XpertHR, men are more likely than women to have been promoted into senior and higher paying management roles in…

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‘Unfair contract terms’ costing small firms billions

Half (52%) of small firms have been stung by unfair contract terms with suppliers, costing nearly £4bn in the last three years. New research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) found suppliers are failing to make auto-rollover clauses clear (24%), tying business into lengthy notice periods (22%), charging high…

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Birmingham Jewellery Quarter reaches another milestone in quest for £2m investment

Several roads around Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter are set to close this weekend to make way for a major filming production. The closures – beginning at 7am on 19 August until 6am the following day – are for the purpose of transforming the Jewellery Quarter’s streets into a “futuristic America” for…

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London Diamond Bourse announces EGM to discuss future location

The London Diamond Bourse (LDB) has announced it will hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) in the wake of data showing leases in the Hatton Garden area are set to skyrocket. The bourse hopes the meeting will provide an opportunity to consult its members as to the various options available…

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136.24-carat diamond recovered by Alrosa

Mining firm Alrosa Group has announced the recovery of a 136.24-carat diamond from its Nyurbinskaya mine. The gem-quality rough diamond, which is 3 Black Makeable 1 Сolour, measures 29.32 х 23.88 х 21.9 mm and is one of the largest rough diamonds ever to be recovered at the mine. Currently…

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