Pandemic
The pandemic has had a lasting impact on the UK jewellery trade, reshaping consumer habits, supply chains, and retail strategies. For jewellers, manufacturers, and suppliers, understanding these changes is essential to adapting and building resilience. Jewellery Focus provides in-depth coverage of the pandemicโs effects on the industry, including market analysis, business recovery strategies, e-commerce growth, and insights into shifting demand patterns. Our reporting helps trade professionals navigate the ongoing challenges and opportunities in a post-pandemic landscape.
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Nov- 2025 -26 NovemberEconomy
BUDGET: Income tax bands frozen, minimum wage to increase, NI-exempt pension threshold scrapped
Income tax and NI thresholds will be frozen while the minimum wage will rise by 50p from April 2026, the chancellor Rachel Reeves said in her Autumn Budget statement today.ย Reeves announced a series of tax changes in other areas, including salary-sacrificed NI contributions on pensions, as part of measures…
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21 NovemberEconomy
Retail sales slip as shoppers await Budget and Black Friday
Retail sales volumes fell by 1.1% in October 2025, the first monthly drop since May, as retailers reported that many shoppers held off spending in the run-up to Black Friday. The fall followed a revised 0.7% rise in September and a 0.5% increase in August. Supermarkets, clothing stores and mail…
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Jun- 2025 -23 JuneTrade Organisations
GIA appoints Pritesh Patel as president and CEO
Pritesh Patel has been appointed president and chief executive of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), effective 4 August 2025. Patel, who currently serves as chief operating officer, will succeed Susan Jacques, who has led the institute since 2014. Jacques will stay on as a strategic advisor until her retirement…
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Mar- 2025 -19 MarchFeatures
Poppy Elder on trends shaping the bespoke engagement market
Engagement ring sales have grown by 14% annually, driven by a resurgence in marriages that has reversed years of decline in the UK, according to a new analysis by online diamond retailer 77 Diamonds. Exclusive insights from 77 Diamonds suggest that this post-pandemic wedding surge has continued since 2022. As…
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Feb- 2025 -28 FebruaryRetailers
Engagement ring sales surge 14%, 77 Diamonds finds
Engagement ring sales have grown by 14% annually, driven by a resurgence in marriages that has reversed years of decline in the UK, according to a new analysis by online diamond retailer 77 Diamonds. Exclusive insights from 77 Diamonds suggest that this post-pandemic wedding surge has continued since 2022. As…
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Nov- 2024 -1 NovemberEconomy
Footfall declines 1.1% in October
Footfall in the UK fell 1.1% in October compared with the previous year, according to data from the BRC. Alongside this, footfall fell compared with a 3.3% increase in September. High Street footfall decreased by 3.6% in October, down from a 0.9% increase in September. Also, shopping centre footfall fell…
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Jul- 2024 -9 July
Cold weather chills consumer spending in June
UK Total retail sales decreased by 0.2% year on year in June, against an increase of 4.9% in June 2023, as cold weather negatively affected spending particularly on โweather sensitive categoriesโ. The latest figures from BRCโs and KPMGโs retail sales monitor revealed that food sales increased 1.1% year-on-year over the…
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May- 2024 -24 MayManufacturers
De Beers fourth cycle diamond sales drops to $380m
The De Beers Group has reported that its rough diamond sales for its fourth sales cycle amounted to $380m (ยฃ298.7m) as at 22 May 2024. The figures mark a decrease on the $446m (ยฃ350.6m) sold in the fourth sales cycle of 2024, and is also down from $479m (ยฃ376.6m) in…
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Mar- 2024 -8 MarchRetailers
Queensmith acquires ingleandrhode.co.uk from administrators
Queensmith has announced the acquisition of ingleandrhode.co.uk from administrators. According to Queensmith, the acquisition marks a โsignificant milestoneโ in its commitment to sustainability and ethical practices in the jewellery industry. Ingle and Rhode has been a โpioneeringโ force in ethical jewellery since 2007, distinguished by its B-Corp certification and dedication…
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Jan- 2024 -29 JanuaryRetailers
Ingle and Rhode to enter liquidation
Ethical jewellery business Ingle and Rhode has announced that the business is preparing for liquidation as a result of recent rising costs and lower turnover. The company was incorporated in 2007 and traded from premises at 14 Gees Court (just off Oxford Street) London W1 and via their website. The…
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