Month: June 2016

Petra recovers 121.26-carat white diamond

Mining firm Petra Diamonds has announced the recovery of a 121.26-carat white diamond from its Cullinan mine in South Africa. The stone is a type II diamond of ‘exceptional colour and clarity’ and is an example of the large and high-quality diamonds the mine is known. The largest rough diamond…

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Benjamin Pritchard receives Goldsmiths’ Young Apprentice of the Year award

Former Goldsmiths’ apprentice Benjamin Pritchard has been named the Goldsmiths’ Young Apprentice of the Year. The medal, which Pritchard picked up from Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, at the Prince Philip Medal Awards Ceremony at Buckingham Palace, depicts the leopard head of the Livery Company’s coat of arms and was…

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FOCUS ON: Education and training in the jewellery industry

Training methods in the jewellery industry haven’t changed much over the years, although new establishments have provided a structured approach and increased access to funding. As technical skills and mass manufacturing continue gradually to move abroad, what’s next for the industry? [divider style=”solid” top=”20″ bottom=”20″] Education and training may seem…

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Mappin & Webb name Gabriella Wilde as first brand ambassador

Luxury retailer Mappin & Webb has announced British actress Gabriella Wilde as the brand ambassador for its new Forever Since 1775 campaign. The company said the new campaign featuring Wilde draws inspiration from British romance and highlights Mappin & Webb’s “deep-rooted heritage and unwavering royal connections”. The Forever Since 1775…

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Police hunt car following armed robbery on Manchester jewellers

Greater Manchester Police are appealing for the public’s help to trace a car they believe was used in an armed robbery on a jewellery store in Rusholme. Shortly before 1:50pm on Sunday 12 June 2016 two men got out of a black BMW 5 series and smashed the windows of…

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Brexit could trigger ‘gold bullion rush’

British online gold bullion and coin dealer, BullionByPost, is forecasting its busiest every trading day of voters decide on a Brexit, citing there could be a ‘gold bullion rush’. Rob Halliday-Stein, who founded the Birmingham-based company in 2008, has predicted that a decision to leave the EU will prompt an…

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Gold continues to perform well as overall hallmarking figures fall in May

Gold jewellery continued to perform well in May as overall hallmarking figures fell 7.2% when compared with the same month last year. Hallmarking figures from the four UK assay offices – and compiled by the Assay Office Birmingham – found there was a total of 713,564 items hallmarked in May,…

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90% of fashion designers against Brexit, claims study

A survey from the British Fashion Council (BFC) has revealed that the majority of UK designer businesses would prefer Britain to remain in the EU. Some 290 designers responded to the survey, with 90% stating their preference to remain in the EU, 4.3% voting to leave, 2.4% were undecided and…

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Belfast jeweller awarded MBE in Queen’s Birthday Honour list

Belfast jeweller Peter Lunn has been awarded with an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honour list for service to commerce, charity and sport in Northern Ireland. Lunn, who is the executive chairman of Lunn’s jewellers which was founded by his father in 1954, a founding member and retired director of…

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Five jailed over £7m Monopoly money scam on jewellery stores

A gang of conmen who used Monopoly money to trick jewellery store owners as part of a £7m scam have been sent to jail for a combined total of 22 years. The sentencing follows an investigation into organised frauds, including an elaborate fraud in Bristol where a jeweller lost £420,000…

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