Current Affairs
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Apr- 2015 -10 April
Bonhams proclaims 2015 as ‘year of the coloured gemstones’
Coloured gemstones, such as rubies, sapphires and emeralds are this year’s must-have gems, according to Bonhams. The auction house said that this demand was thanks to their being sported by A-list celebrities such as the Duchess of Cambridge, Beyonce, Naomi Watts, Rosamund Pike and Mila Kunis. Jean Ghika, head of…
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9 April
NAG and BJA respond to Hatton Garden raid
Michael Rawlinson, chief executive officer of the National Association of Goldsmiths (NAG) has released a response following the recent raid in Hatton Garden. The response, which was released on behalf of NAG and the British Jewellers Association (BJA), follows the recent robbery in Hatton Garden where raiders took, according to…
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Mar- 2015 -19 March
BUDGET: BRC welcomes Osborne rates review, NI abolition for under-21s
The Chancellor has used his last budget of this Parliament to reconfirm his commitment to carry out the most “far-reaching” and “radical” review into the business rates system in a generation. The government first revealed that it would carry out a “comprehensive review” of the current outdated system during last…
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18 March
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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16 March
‘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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Feb- 2015 -13 February
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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13 February
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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Jan- 2015 -23 January
Birmingham Assay Office receives RJC recertification
The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) has announced that the Birmingham Assay Office has achieved re-certification. The re-certification was achieved by meeting the “highest ethical, social and environmental standards” established by the RJC. Stella Layton, chief executive and assay master, who was recently appointed chairman of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, said: “[The…
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12 January
INFOGRAPHIC: Colour diamonds, the facts
Diamonds are amongst the most sought after pieces of jewellery in the world, but there is an increasing trend for their colour counterparts, fancy colour diamonds. In the below infographic Excalibur Royale (ex-royale.com), a Canadian diamond retailer, talks us through some of the key facts regarding colour diamonds.
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5 January
New firm to challenge UKs ‘outdated’ pawnbroking industry
A new online peer-to-peer lending platform has launched in an effort to challenge what it describes as the UKs ‘outdated’ pawn and secured lending industry. The startup, called Unbolted, lets consumers use their high value personal assets to access loans of up to £1m. Loans can be secured against anything…
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