Year: 2018

RJC announces updated Chain of Custody Standard

The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) has announced the launch of its new Chain of Custody Standard (CoC). The CoC standard was launched in 2012 as a voluntary standard for creating a chain of custody for precious metals that are responsibly produced, processed and traded through jewellery supply chains, and that…

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UK online SMEs ‘confident’ in 2018 sales growth

UK SME online retailers have expressed confidence in the year ahead with 74% anticipating sales will increase in 2018, according to a study commissioned by Royal Mail.Some 70% of retailers asked said they had experienced an uplift in sales in 2017 compared to the previous year. The health and beauty…

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December 2017 sees retail sales slump

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that December 2017 had the weakest retail sales in over four years. The quantity of items bought in December decreased by 1.5% when compared with the stronger sales in November 2017. Although retail sales increased by 1.3% in December compared with the…

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Tiffany & Co sees sales festive sales increase

New York based jeweller Tiffany & Co has reported a strong performance over the festive period as sales increased worldwide. Net sales increased by 8% over the two month period ending December 31 2017 taking the total to £720m. Comparable sales also rose by 5%. Tiffany & Co attributed the…

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Jewellers warned the Darwin £10 note is almost extinct

The Bank of England has warned that it will withdraw legal tender status of the paper £10 note featuring Charles Darwin at 23:59 on Thursday 1 March 2018. With six weeks to go, all jewellers that handle cash need to plan and prepare for the change. After the deadline, businesses…

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Holts Gems founder Robert Holt dies at 94

The founder and a director of Holts Gems, Robert Holt, has passed away aged 95 while holidaying with family. The eponymous fine jewellery store was established in 1948 by Holt when he was a pre-war Jewish refugee from Vienna. A spokesperson said: “On 11th January, Mr Robert Acker Holt, founder…

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Hallmarking figures drop by 7.4% for December

Hallmarking fell by an average of 7.4% in December 2017 compared to the same period in the previous year, according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. The average volume of gold hallmarked in December fell by 6.9% to 322,033 compared with 346,082 the previous year. Silver fell by…

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Gem Diamonds recovers ‘exceptional quality’ diamond

Gem Diamonds has recovered an 910-carat diamond from its Letšeng mine in Lesotho, South Africa.   It is the largest diamond ever recovered from the mine and the fifth largest gem-quality diamond ever recovered by the company. Clifford Elphick, Gem Diamonds CEO, said: “Since Gem Diamonds acquired Letšeng in 2006,…

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Weston Beamor reaffirms ‘Ethical Jewellery business of the Year’ title

The ‘Ethical Jewellery Business of the Year’ award winner, Weston Beamor, has continued its good work with every member of its customer team becoming a Fairtrade Gold Sales Ambassador. Each member of the 12-strong customer facing team at Weston Beamor has successfully completed the Fairtrade Foundation’s online ‘Fairtrade Gold Sales…

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De Beers launches diamond blockchain pilot

De Beers Group has launched a pilot that uses blockchain technology to provide a tamper-proof and permanent digital record for diamonds registered on the platform. Following the success of an initial proof of concept trial, which resulted in a working prototype, a pilot is now underway involving a small number…

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