Year: 2016

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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Retail footfall edges up in May

Retail footfall edged up 0.3% in May compared with the same month last year, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard. The latest Footfall and Vacancies Monitor found the increase in retail footfall was up on the 2.4% decline seen in April and significantly above the…

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Watches of Switzerland set to open new Knightsbridge store

Watches of Switzerland is set to complete what it calls a ‘golden triangle’ of London stores with the opening of its new Knightsbridge store later this month. The three-storey showroom will open on Brompton Road on 27 June and will feature the UK’s largest Patek Philippe in-store boutique, a rolex…

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