News

Valentine’s Day sales increase in 2015

Jewellers benefitted from a strong Valentine’s Day as sales of jewellery were up 7.3% in February compared to the same month last year, according to new figures.  This is according to Barclaycard’s monthly consumer spending index which shows that, following a slight dip at the start of the year, retailer…

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Man arrested in connection with jewellery store robbery

Police and Edinburgh have arrested and charged a 24-year old man in connection with an armed robbery on a jewellery store in Edinburgh. The robbery took place at around 9:30am on March 2, when a robber went into Laing The Jewellers on Frederick Street before threatening staff with a gun…

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Polished diamond prices continue decline in February

Polished diamonds continued to decline in February despite “improved sentiment” ahead of the Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem and Pearl show.  This is according to the RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI) which found prices for 0.30-carat diamonds declined by 1.3%, 0.50-carat diamonds fell by 1.4% and 3-carat diamonds decreased in price…

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GIA and De Beers to discuss synthetics at Basel

Researchers from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and De Beers will discuss ‘concerns’ over synthetic diamonds at GIA GemFest at Baselworld, March 22.  GIA said that technology for creating synthetic diamonds has “improved significantly” over the last decade and, as a result, gem-quality synthetic diamonds have appeared in greater…

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Shop prices continue to decline in February

Shop prices declined for the 22nd consecutive month in February, driven mainly by the falling prices of non-food items such as clothing and electrical goods.  Figures released today by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and research body Nielsen show that shop price deflation accelerated to 1.7% in February, after falling…

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Trollbeads appoint interim managing director

Danish jewellery brand, Trollbeads, has announced the appointment of Henrik Leth Møller as interim managing director of Trollbeads UK.  The announcement comes after David Riddiford, the brand’s UK chief executive, stepped down from this role to go into semi-retirement. Leth Møller joined the brand as sales director from Danish watch…

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Weston Beamor to sponsor award at ‘New Designers’

Weston Beamor, the Birmingham-based jewellery casting and 3D printing company, has announced that it will once again be sponsoring an award at the New Designers annual exhibition.  The Weston Beamor award for ‘the most innovative use of CAD in jewellery design’ will be made during the first day of the…

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Rapaport to auction ‘record’ quantity of diamonds

Rapaport is set to auction a ‘record’ quantity of diamonds, with 98,000 carats on show at its melee auction in Hong Kong today.  The auction consists of recycled and finely assorted premium quality diamond parcels in all shapes, qualities and sizes, sourced from retailers, pawnshops and refineries around the world.…

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Consumer confidence remains stable in February

Consumer confidence in the UK has remained stable in February as low inflations and rising wages made Britons more confident about their finances, according to new figures released today.  This is according to Gfk’s latest Consumer Confidence Index, which found that consumer confidence remained at +1 during the month. The…

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Houlden Group CEO Stuart Laing to retire after 40 years

The Houlden Group has announced that its founder and CEO Stuart Laing will retire in June 2017, with a successor planned to be announced in June 2015.  Applications for the role were encouraged at the company’s first meeting in 2015, and it is expected that the new leader will come…

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