Jeweller g&j(jul14)

Jeweller the

July 2014

£7.50

The Voice of The Industry

Incorporating

Gems&Jewellery

July 2014 / Volume 23 / No. 6

Did Orlov buy the Or lov?

JCK Las Ve gas Gem-A AG M

Chronofighter Oversize Superlight

BJA and N.A.G. merger plans Enhanced member benefits Jeweller Picks — gift ideas for Christmas

managing the online revolution Online selling and order capture has become the most dynamic growth area in jewellery retailing. Our Pursuit software manages your shop and online transactions with immediate effect, eliminating duplication of effort!

Reporting facilities readily identify the level of trading and popular items, ranges and trends. A simple mechanism enables a new product to be placed on your website in 90 seconds and the entire website ‘shop window’ can be changed in minutes. Complimentary products can be linked, to encourage additional sales activity and when an item reaches a zero stock position it can be automatically removed. We are proud to be associated with the NAG, who support the Jewellery Industry of Great Britain.

Omni Channel System One system for control of shop and website stock Complete overview of sales from the web or in store Comparison by product by sales platform

To join the retail revolution and arrange a free, live online demonstration call

“We’ve seen innovative retailers using click and collect and other approaches to make a virtue of both their website and their physical shops.

And that’s something we see growing in importance.”

+ 44 (0) 1603 263800

HELEN DICKINSON Director General, British Retail Consortium

jewellery business software solutions www.pursuit.co.uk

Jeweller

Contents & Contacts |

the

The Voice of The Industry

C O N T E N T S

www.thejewellermagazine.com

J U L Y

1 4

Jeweller Picks … for Christmas

Editor’s Letter

5

Rawlinson Speaks Out

7

Industry News

8

International News

14

An edited selection of luxury gifts – from pens to pendants

N.A.G. News

16

United we stand

Member of the Month

18

Michael Rawlinson explains the background

Education & Training

20

and benefits of the proposed N.A.G./BJA unification

IRV Review

22

Business Support: Insurance

31

Business Support: Security

44

of the Association – Robert Eden reveals several

Interview: Gary Wroe

47

more that you might want to consider

Notebook

50

Show Preview: Scoop

52

Opinion: John Henn at CIBJO

54

Display Cabinet

56

Last Word

58

26

32

Member benefits

34

There are many advantages to being a member

Trending at JCK

48

Olga Gonzales reports from the Las Vegas show

July 2014 / Volume

Gems&Jewellery

Did Orlov

23 / No. 6

buy the Orlov?

JCK Las Vegas Gem-A AG M

Including Gem-A AGM 2014 report, JCK Las Vegas report, a look into the history of astorite and more…

The Jeweller is published by the National Association of Goldsmiths for circulation to members. For more information about The Jeweller visit: www.thejewellermagazine.com The magazine is printed on paper and board that has met acceptable environmental accreditation standards.

The National Association of Goldsmiths 78a Luke Street, London EC2A 4XG Tel: 020 7613 4445 www.jewellers-online.org CEO: Michael Rawlinson michaelr@jewellers-online.org Editor: Belinda Morris bmorris@colony.co.uk Art Director: Ben Page

Cover Image In conjunction with Graham 1695 UK Ltd To become a stockist call 020 8843 2934 www.graham1695.com

Sales Director: Ian Francis Tel: 020 7749 1705 Fax: 020 7729 0143 ian@jewellers-online.org Publishing Enquiries/ Classified Advertising: Neil Oakford neil@jewellers-online.org Contributors: Robert Eden, Olga Gonzales, Christopher Hamilton, John Henn

ben@jewellers-online.org The NAG is responsible for producing The Jeweller and, although every effort is made to ensure that the information supplied is accurate, the NAG does not accept liability for any loss, damage or claim whatsoever that may result from opinions expressed by contributors. Information and ideas are for guidance only and members should always consult their own professional advisers. The NAG accepts no responsibility for the content of Gems&Jewellery or any advertiser, advertisement or insert in The Jeweller.

Anyone having dealings with any advertiser must rely on their own enquiries.

The Voice of the Industry 3

WE WANT TO BUY YOUR CLIENT’S ROLEX EUROPE’S NO. 1 BUYER OF PRE-OWNED LUXURY WATCHES Record prices being paid now due to exceptional demand

bqw rolex specialist

We will also buy your client’s:

Buying & selling the world’s finest watches...

WATCH UNDERWRITING SERVICE: You can earn a healthy margin from buying your customers watches and selling them to us. t /P FYQFSJFODF OFFEFE o XF QSPWJEF LOPXMFEHF BOE FYQFSUJTF t *NNFEJBUF EFDJTJPOT BOE JOTUBOU QSPýUT XJUI OP SJTLT t 4QFFEZ USBOTBDUJPO o QBZNFOU UP ZPV XJUIJO UIF IPVS t *OTVSFE QPTUBHF QBJE CZ #28 JOTVSFE VQ UP b

BQ WATCHES BQW House, 1 Back Lane Edgware, Middlesex HA8 0HS info@bqwatches.com www. bqwatches.com

020 3538 5219

Royal Mail

IT REALLY IS THIS SIMPLE… so call or email us now.

Special Delivery

Comment |

Editor’s

Letter t’s been another busy month in the Wonderful World of Jewellery and Watches. Summer

I

This month: Andrew Hinds and Simon Johnson elected as new chairman and vice chairman of the Association

may well be the silly season for other sectors of the media, but not so for us – every week

since our last issue has brought more events to attend and report on. And, just to add a little extra spice to things, we at the Association are creating the news at the moment (some sporting bout in South America notwithstanding).

Our AGM in June – held at the achingly hip Saatchi Gallery on the first day of Jewellery & Watch London – was naturally the perfect opportunity for our CEO Michael Rawlinson to shed a little more light on the plan to unify the National Association of Goldsmiths with fellow industry body the British Jewellers’ Association. Members of both associations listened intently as he outlined the thinking behind this historic move. Practical and logistical details aside (of which read more on p32), if the success of unification can be judged by the broad smiles, loud laughter and general bonhomie during the meeting and the lunch that followed,

Page 17

then I’d put bets on a happy marriage!

So, if you’re reading this and you don’t happen to be a member of the N.A.G., a union that will create one voice for the industry presents a very good case for joining the family.

Should you need a few more reasons, turn to p34 where you will find an impressive line-up of companies offering products and services specifically aimed at the jewellery industry.

What’s more, membership development manager Robert Eden has managed to secure deals with these renowned businesses that make the benefits even more attractive.

Meanwhile, on with the busyness. As I write this I’m wondering what on earth to wear for the glam-fest that is the annual Jewellery Awards (thank you so much Clogau Gold for the kind invitation; Cinders shall go the ball). Hard on the heels of that will be the

New insurance replacement scheme revealed alongside other exciting new benefits and services for members

second London Watch Show, followed swiftly by Scoop (see our preview on p52) and then there’s the CMJ Autumn Trade Event just on the horizon… Phew! Have a happy and prosperous summer everyone.

If you would like to comment on any of the issues raised in this edition of The Jeweller or any other trade-related matters please email the editor at: bmorris@colony.co.uk

Page 34

The Voice of the Industry 5

Security Conference 21st October

Headline sponsor:

BRE Watford

A conference for retail jewellers, trade suppliers and individuals who travel with jewellery and other high value items The conference will focus on: t Insights on Snatch and Grab techniques t Robbery – Crime Prevention t Courier Fraud t Current CCTV Technology t Security Procedures for Travelling Representatives t Online and Card Payment Fraud t Practical Demonstrations This conference is free to Association and BJA members, TH March clients.

All other delegates only ÂŁ50 For further information and bookings please contact Hannah Harvey on 020 7613 4445 or events@jewellers-online.org.

For exhibitor package information contact Ian Francis on 020 7749 1705 or ian@jewellers-online.org

*Please note that this is a preliminary program and subject to change prior to the conference

In conjunction with:

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GOLDSMITHS

Comment |

Rawlinson

speaks out This month CEO Michael Rawlinson blows the Association’s trumpet – member benefits and education achievements both fall under the spotlight. e all live in the hope that it will never happen. That little dent received in the car park, the dropped iron on the carpet, the diamond that got rinsed down the sink!

But, you reply, thank heaven for insurance.

Well, you do when it works, which is why many of you work with TH March and offer March Guard. But many of your customers, sadly, decline this added value service preferring to attach the newly purchased jewellery to their existing household policy.

And we know how claims by most of the general insurance companies are dealt with.

Well not any longer!

My membership team has secured the contract for Association members to fulfil claims handled by Steam. Steam is a company represented in the UK by Jim Pitman, son of Jim Senior, past chairman of TH March. The proposition is simple. A client makes a claim with their insurer, and this is independently validated by Steam. The agreed claim is then passed to the N.A.G. which will send a voucher to the client with details of their nearest Association member (as many as there are). We will inform the members so they can expect the customer.

The customer comes and chooses their replacement item, and pays any difference.

A commission is deducted for the insurer (20 per cent) and a handling fee for the Association (three per cent). So, this is a cost effective scheme for members, you are able to deliver your normal great customer service, and finally your regular customers won’t be forced to buy from a competitor or multiple retailer who is tied into another scheme.

W

More details are given in our feature on new and updated member benefits and services on page 34. Here you can see at a glance the many great benefits of being a member as well as the services where we have negotiated on your behalf an improved offer – price, discount, enhanced features – that are only available to Association members. I’m delighted with the progress we are making and I hope you will be too. But, if you know of a service or benefit you think we should or could be offering for the benefit of all the members, then please don’t hesitate to let me know.

The Association has been proud of the JET education courses it has offered over the past 60 years, and now we have received external validation to prove that we are right to be proud. Over the past few months City & Guilds, the vocational education and training organisation, has been auditing our teaching materials and methods, our systems of evaluation, marking and moderation, as well as the administrative process for our JET1 and JET2 courses, and I am delighted to report that we have come out with flying colours. All future certificates and diplomas will carry the City & Guilds seal in addition to our own. This means that a JET1 certificate or JET2 diploma will carry even more weight for the student and will have a recognised and transferable value across to other sectors and industries.

The Association will now be looking to capitalise on this external validation and proactively market our retail jewellery education courses to those who are currently not in membership. This will bring a number

of benefits, including economies of scale, increased awareness and exposure to the wider jewellery industry, and as more individuals increase their knowledge and capability, this will improve the standard of professionalism and confidence in the sector overall.

Finally some highlights from last month’s AGM. Firstly thank you to Pravin Pattni, Frank Wood and Nick Major, retiring officers of the Association. Years of loyal and faithful service duly recognised and acknowledged.

Also to Fiona Hopper and John Henn who have stood down from the board of directors.

Both have served on, and chaired, various Association committees; a task that takes time, effort and commitment for which there is usually very little reward and glory.

I salute you all and thank you for making my life so much easier. Incoming chairman Andrew Hinds and vice chairman Simon Johnson were confirmed to their officer positions. Having worked with both of these gentlemen on the Board, I know the Association’s future is going to be very well represented and driven forward under their guidance. I am also looking forward to working with them to realise the vision of the Association, to hearing their words of wisdom and guidance, and having their support as we seek to build the best trade association for jewellers that we can. With this in mind, you will find a further update on the unification plans on page 32, which I presented at the AGM. Once again, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

The Voice of the Industry 7

| Industry News

National Association of Goldsmiths sponsors IJL Advice Clinics JL (Olympia Grand, 31st August – 2nd September, 2014) is launching a series of special Advice Clinics, sponsored by the National Association of Goldsmiths, to enhance its seminar programme. A first for the industry, the drop-in clinics are designed to give visitors and exhibitors the opportunity to meet experts drawn from a diverse range of business disciplines, on a one-to-one basis during the show.

These free practical sessions will run in half-hour slots and cover everything from business security, marketing and training to pensions, branding and visual merchandising know-how. Following each session, participants will be given a ‘to do’ checklist as a handy aide memoire.

The impressive line up of industry experts includes: Richard Pope, pension specialist, SIJ Wealth Management; Debbie Barrow, retail sales training expert, Virada Training; Hilaire O'Shea, retail security specialist, SPC Support UK Ltd; Paul Andrews, an expert in family succession planning, Family Business United; Christine Colbert, brand expert, House Creative, and Michael Donaldson, business benchmarking and planning

I

specialist, The Value Innovator. For details and timings visit: www.jewellerylondon.com Visitors to the fair are also reminded that one of the highlights of the event is the first ever Last Night Shopping Evening, which will be held on the first day of the show. In addition to complimentary drinks, live music and a runway show, IJL, in conjunction with the BJA, will host a charity auction in aid of Breast Cancer Care, the star of which will be a specially designed charm bracelet.

Featuring charms by leading designers Sarah Jordan, Tomasz Donocik, Andrew

Ring by KickStarter Kristian Eyjofsson

Geoghegan, Linda MacDonald and Alexander Davis, the bracelet has been designed by Jordan and will be cast by Hockley Mint.

IJL has also invited exhibitors to donate oneoff designs, or yet-to-be-launched pieces of jewellery for the auction.

One designer name-to-watch for the future is Kristian Eyjofsson, an IJL KickStarter who has been unanimously voted by the industry as the outstanding designer in the ‘People’s Choice’ Award. His fine jewellery “thrives on the energy of its London surroundings”, as well as its founder’s diverse backgrounds – resulting in Nordic-infused collections that are elegant and characterised by functionality and craftsmanship. These customisable collections are made from sustainably-sourced gold, silver, platinum and precious gems, and so make for bold design and an ecological statement.

The full line up for KickStart 2014 is: Agnieszka Maksymiuk Jewellery, Cara Tonkin, Cardinal of London, Charlotte Valkeniers, Jeanne Marell, Keep Me Jewellery Ltd, Kristjan Eyjolfsson Fine Jewellery, Majdan Rocks, Rosie May Jewellery and Sophie Alice Hirsch Jewellery.

Government announces plans for supply chains initiative he British Government announced last month that Business Minister Jenny Willott will work with the British Retail Consortium (BRC) to produce a number of recommendations for UK retailers to address human rights abuses in their supply chains. Later this year The BRC will work with its members and key stakeholders to produce a publication highlighting good practice and recommendations for companies on ethical accreditation and auditing.

The Jewellery Ethics Committee (JEC-UK), which includes representatives of the N.A.G., the BJA and Gem-A, has been working with bodies such as Fairtrade International to ensure that UK retailers are aware of supply chain issues, and welcomes the Government move. Michael Rawlinson, CEO of the N.A.G.,

T

8 The Jeweller July 2014

commented: “Retailers should be in a position to answer consumers’ questions regarding the source of their jewellery and the industry has been working for several years on initiatives that will enable greater transparency. We will be delighted to help the BRC in producing their report with information relating to initiatives in the jewellery industry”.

Simon Rainer, CEO of the BJA, said: “I am extremely pleased that BRC and HMG have chosen to highlight the issues prevalent in retail supply chains. I am even more pleased that the BJA, N.A.G. and Gem-A recognised these issues several years ago and have been working earnestly, with all stakeholders, to create and effect change for the betterment of the UK jewellery industry.”

"This is great news and reinforces the stance of JEC-UK,” added James Riley, CEO of Gem-A. “It shows exactly why the three associations are working so closely together on these issues. At Gem-A we are currently working in partnership with The World Jewellery Confederation and The World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation on a chain of custody solution which is accessible to SMEs and will help them tackle many of these issues.”

Chairman of JEC-UK Vivien Johnston said: “We’ve been developing a series of steps for each sector of the industry to apply to their supply chains. Ultimately, we see the need for a credible assurance system for small businesses to demonstrate their ethical behaviour.”

Industry News |

Bering Power List winners announced he first day of Jewellery & Watch London, held last month at the Saatchi Gallery, saw visitors and exhibitors gather for the revealing of the winners of the inaugural Bering Power List. Announced by i2i’s portfolio director Julie Driscoll, the winners and their respective categories were: Johnny Rocket (Independent Retailer); Beaverbrooks (Multiple Retailer); Stuart Laing of Laings of Glasgow (Individual Buyer); Fortnum & Mason (Department Store) and the Victoria & Albert Museum (Gallery/Museum).

While some exhibitors felt that the show was quiet in terms of visitor numbers, the general consensus was that the new venue for Jewellery & Watch was a great success and that the event felt “buzzy” and “vibrant”. The light, spacious galleries proved to be ideal for showcasing collections from many new brands and first-time exhibitors, alongside established names.

The event also saw a greater inclusion of watch brands among the 120+ exhibitors. One new name that attracted much attention was the Danish brand REC Watches (distributed in the UK by Since1853) whose concept is ‘recover, recycle, reclaim’, picking iconic objects and recycling them into timepieces. From ‘wreck’ to REC. The first collection has salvaged parts from the classic Mini Morris… others will follow, with customers invited to make suggestions.

Each watch is packaged with a copy of the specific history of the car concerned – VIN number included.

Underscoring the show’s commitment to the world of horology, on the second day of the event it hosted a Q&A session with Mark Hearn, UK MD of Patek Philippe, which is one of the founding members of the British School of Watchmaking. He explained that the independent institution (an affliliate of the Watches of Switzerland Training and Education Program, and established in 2006) looks for students “with the ability, aptitude and desire to become the exceptional watchmakers”.

Since its foundation, all 37 graduates of the School have taken up watchmaking positions throughout the world. With no government funding, the School is funded entirely by its founders and supporters (the latter including Berry’s Jewellers, Boodles, Bremont, LVMH, Wempe and the N.A.G.).

T

Fogging system foils another robbery robbery in a jeweller’s store in Berkhamsted in May, thwarted by the activation of Fog Bandit, has brought the total number of such successes in this sector to 26 in the UK, over the past three years. In the majority of cases there have been no (or just minor) stock losses, and no activation failures experienced. These incidents have taken place across the UK including Hampshire, West Sussex, Surrey, London, Middlesex, Berkshire, Birmingham, Lancashire, Cheshire and Yorkshire.

Bandit UK has recently become an accredited member of the National Association of Goldsmiths, the only supplier partner of its kind. Benefits available to the Association’s members include free survey, risk assessment and live activation tests within jewellery shops, so retail staff can appreciate how the system operates in protecting staff and stock. The company has also recently launched a new website: www.bandituk.co.uk

A

S N I P P E T S Biggest purchase of Fairtrade gold for new collector coin Fairtrade International has announced the launch of a new collector coin, commissioned by the Banque centrale du Luxembourg to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the nation’s independence.

The 2,500 gold coins represent the single biggest purchase of Fairtrade gold.

To make them, smallscale artisanal miners in Peru had to produce 15 kilos of gold certified on Fairtrade terms. As well as the fair price the miners were paid, the organisations received a development premium of €34,000 that will be used for carrying out social projects.

Fine jewellery designer opens London studio

Fine jeweller Fehmida Lakhany, who will be showing at IJL for the first time later this year, opened her new London studio at Porchester Place, W2, last month. The designer, who comes from a long line of jewellers, launched her own collection 12 years ago, and took the opportunity of the opening event to showcase her latest line of luxury pieces to national press and celebrity customers.

‘Gift with purchase’ at Tustains Leamington jewellers Tustains is running its first ever ‘Gift with Purchase’ offer, which will be available until the end of July. It is open to couples who purchase an engagement ring. Earlier in the year, the National Association of Goldsmiths member ran its first online competition – to celebrate the addition of the Breitling brand to its portfolio, it offered the chance to win a Breitling-branded iPad.

The Voice of the Industry 9

| Industry News

Italian ‘artist’ jewellery up for sale nnovative jewellery produced in the mid20th century by artists, in collaboration with Italian jeweller Mario Masenza, came together in a 220-lot sale of Fine Jewellery at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions’ Donnington Priory saleroom earlier this month. From UK and European collections, the sale spanned the late 18th century through Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco periods, to jewellery from the major ateliers of the 20th and 21st century.

Mario Masenza (1913-1985) sought a new path for the family business that would prove to bring inspiration to and revolutionise the Italian jewellery market and its approach to design.The auction included pieces by Sicilian sculptor Franco Cannilla who worked with Masenza until the late 1960s, as well as a clip brooch by Italian painter Afro Basadella – set with brilliant cut diamonds, square cut rubies and circular cut emeralds and sapphire (estimate: £1,200 - £1,500).

I

S N I P P E T S Theo Fennell awards talent A passionate nurturer and promoter of young talent, jeweller Theo Fennell hosted the annual awards at the Royal College of Art last month. Now in its 10th year, the awards recognise the work of graduating students from the Goldsmith, Silversmithing, Metalwork and Jewellery MA programme. The winners were: Max Danger (Overall Excellence), Sofia Winberg (Best Work in Silver), Mahtab Hanna (Best Work in Jewellery) and Jacob Reixson and Noemie Doge being highly commended. The winning designs will be showcased in Theo Fennell’s Fulham Road flagship store later this year.

Trollbeads expands UK team

RJC appoints new CEO he Board of Directors of the Responsible Jewellery Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Ashish Deo as CEO of the RJC. Deo will assume this position on the 8th of September and be based in the RJC’s London office. He brings global experience having worked with leading international consumer and luxury brands, and most recently from his work with the Fairtrade Foundation as its commercial director.

Deo’s work with major consumer brands across Asian, North American and European markets means he brings strong strategic and commercial skills to the Responsible Jewellery Council as it focusses on Asia as well as extending its reach in the other regions. The appointment will add to the strength and jewellery experience of long serving COO Catherine Sproule and director of standards development Fiona Solomon, as the RJC enters its 10th year of operation.

T

Borough Market gets Mondaine clock piece of Switzerland found a new home in central London last month as a unique version of the Swiss Railway Clock SBB by Mondaine was installed in the heart of Borough Market in Southwark.

The clock was specially commissioned and is a gift from Switzerland to the people of Southwark, to commemorate the borough’s hosting of the ‘House of Switzerland’ during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It was donated by Mondaine, which produces a range of timepieces based on the iconic design first created by Swiss railway employee Hans Hilfiker in the 1940s.

A

10 The Jeweller July 2014

Trollbeads UK has appointed three new full time area sales managers (shown here with UK sales director Henrik Leth Møller).

Elliejane Farris, formerly brand manager at Accurist watches, takes over the South East, London and East Anglia. Caroline Morse, previously at Hooper Bolton, Andersons and John Titcombe jewellers, will cover the Midlands and North Wales.

Andrew Martin, previously sales manager at Chamillia, will be responsible for Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The three will handle sales, training, visual merchandising and customer support throughout the UK. Summer sale at Post Office The Post Office has announced a summer sale of its Drop & Go service; aimed to save small businesses and internet sellers hundreds of pounds it is offering up to 50 per cent off fast track, pre-paid mail services. For instance, a First Class, Signed For medium parcel, up to 1kg is now £4.30, from £6.75. Available to existing Drop & Go customers the offer lasts until 27th July, 2014.

Call us now on 01822 855 555 or visit www.thmarch.co.uk

T. H. March March Insurance Solutions Extra Income for Retail Jewellers ‘March Insurance Solutions’ can beneďŹ t both you and your customers. You will: t &BSO WBMVBCMF DPNNJTTJPO t (BJO SFQFBU CVTJOFTT t *NQSPWF DVTUPNFS TFSWJDF t ,FFQ ZPVS DVTUPNFST TQFOEJOH JO ZPVS TIPQ t #FUUFS TUJMM OP QBQFSXPSL t /P TFU VQ DIBSHF

,FFQ ZPVS DVTUPNFST TQFOEJOH JO ZPVS TIPQ t :PVS DVTUPNFS CVZT KFXFMMFSZ t :PV IBOE UIFN B SFGFSSBM DBSE BU 104 t 8IFO ZPVS DVTUPNFS JOTVSFT KFXFMMFSZ XJUI VT we’ll pay you commission

t *G UIFZ OFFE UP DMBJN GPS SFQBJS PS SFQMBDFNFOU

XIFSFWFS QPTTJCMF XF TFOE UIFN TUSBJHIU CBDL to you t (BJO SFQFBU CVTJOFTT GSPN SFQBJS SFQMBDFNFOU XPSL t $MBJNT DIFRVFT BSF QBJE EJSFDU UP ZPV t 8IFO UIF QPMJDZ JT SFOFXFE XF MM QBZ DPNNJTTJPO BHBJO

Hold onto your customers FBSO WBMVBCMF DPNNJTTJPO $POUBDU NZ DPMMFBHVF +PIO 8BUTPO PO 01822 855 555 UP mOE PVU NPSF

MIS/NRM/jEWELLER/JULY/2014

Neil McFarlane "$** $IBSUFSFE *OTVSBODF #SPLFS .BOBHJOH %JSFDUPS T. H. March Proud to be the National Association of Goldsmiths appointed insurance broker

| Industry News

New Designers winners announced enowned British jewellery designer Alex Monroe opened Part 1 of the New Designers exhibition in Islington on 25th June. The evening was then marked by the presentation of the New Designer Awards to this year’s most talented graduates in the fields of jewellery, precious metalwork, contemporary applied arts, fashion and accessories and textiles.

The Goldsmiths’ Company Award for Jewellery went to Karen Donovan from Edinburgh College of Art for her gold and titanium necklace. Her prize is a week-long internship with a London jeweller; living expenses and travel bursary up to £500 and a registration package at London Assay Office. In reaching their decision, the judges said: “We were impressed by the way this work exploits the strength of the material whilst resulting in a refined and delicate, yet contemporary piece of work.”

The Goldsmiths’ Company Award for Silversmithing went to Clive Taylor of Birmingham City University for his executive LED desk lamp (“traditional silversmithing meets 21st century technology”).

The Weston Beamor Award was won by Lindsay Hill, from the Glasgow School of Art, who has won £1,000 and a one week work placement, for her work entitled ‘Imperfections’ which demonstrated “conceptual ideas… and technical execution”.

R

Fund raising Diamond Extravaganza emmological consultant Roy Huddlestone is bringing out of storage his private collection of over 100 replicas of famous diamonds and other items, to help raise funds for a museum. The Diamond Extravaganza exhibition will be held at the Musical Museum, Brentford (where Roy is a volunteer tour guide) from 20th – 25th August, 2014.

The collection of life-size replicas (which has been 45 years in the making) includes the Cullinan Diamond, the Koh-i-Noor and the Taylor-Burton diamond. Visitors will also be able to learn how diamonds are cut and graded and will be invited to view their own items of jewellery under a microscope. Roy will be on hand to answer questions and the event also includes a photographic display. A raffle will offer prizes of natural coloured gemstones from Roy’s teaching collection.

Diamond Extravanza forms part of the Open Week to celebrate the museum’s 50th anniversary. The charity receives no external funding. Visit www.musicalmuseum.co.uk

N.A.G. members win UK jewellery awards ational Association of Goldsmiths members were among the winners at this year’s UK Watch & Jewellery Awards earlier this month. The annual event, which was held at the Hilton Hotel Park Lane in London, on 2nd July, saw Banks Lyon of Lancaster (shown below) walk away with the prize for Independent Retailer of the Year.

Chisholm Hunter was the recipient of the Multiple Retailer award and Adelle Thompson of Beaverbrooks (which was voted Employer of the Year) was declared Retail Star.

Among other notable recipients during the glittering evening (for which Clogau was headline sponsor) were: Fei Liu (Bridal Collection); Thor & Wistle (Boutique Retailer); Rachel Entwistle (Jewellery Designer) and Sarah May Jewellery (Store Design).

The last honour of the night – for Outstanding Contribution to the Industry – was presented to Simon Rainer, BJA CEO, whose input included work in the field of supply chain transparency. In his acceptance speech Rainer extolled the many virtues of the UK jewellery industry and urged the audience to have “passion, strength and commitment” to improve their businesses as well as the trade in general.

N

G

Fellows appoints new specialist ellows Auctioneers has appointed a jewellery and watches specialist, Kirsti Atherton, who will be heading up the business’ operations in London from its Mayfair office. JET2 qualified Atherton is a fully qualified professional with over 10 years’ experience gained within the luxury jewellery and watch industry. Until recently she was head of jewellery at David M Robinson, Canary Wharf, prior to which she worked for Breguet. She has also completed a training programme at Patek Philippe. Atherton also has an extensive knowledge of precious stones, pearls and bespoke jewellery. Her appointment will enable Fellows to establish “a higher and more personal level of service for those based in and around London”.

F

12 The Jeweller July 2014

Security supplier introduces modular vault strong rooms ecurity supplier Securikey has launched the Modulprim, a new range of on-siteassembled modular vault rooms for both new build and existing buildings that require a high security room. Consisting of four walls, a floor, ceiling and vault door, it offers a complete storage facility for jewellery, money, important documents and other valuables. All vault elements are subjected to extremely rigorous tests to meet European security standard EN1143-1.

S

Industry News |

Watches of Switzerland’s largest showroom opens in London rum Group-owned Watches of Switzerland has opened its largest ever showroom on Regent Street in London last month. At 17,000 square feet, and covering three floors, the new showroom is the largest of its kind dedicated to luxury watches in Europe. There are 12 individually branded in-showroom boutiques, representing brands including Rolex, Patek Philippe and Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Each of the three floors has been equipped with cutting-edge customer engagement tools aimed to make the experience truly memorable. The lower ground floor, known as The Calibre Room, will be devoted to Watches of Switzerland’s international visitors, who the company says “are looking for an efficient experience”. The ground floor will cater to aspirational customers, “whose first step across the threshold may also be their first experience of a luxury watch store”. The first floor will service long-standing customers, many of who are collectors of fine watches. The space, designed by New York architects Callison, is intended to be flexible – the showroom will host events and exhibitions during the course of the year.

A

Beaverbrooks sponsors Cornerstone project eaverbrooks the Jewellers, which celebrates its 95th anniversary this year, is the first company to sponsor Paul Spurgeon in his quest to empower disadvantaged people through the Cornerstone project – Sponsor a Goldsmith (SAG).

The project aims to teach and mentor students in South Africa, Uganda and beyond to create jewellery that can be sold through the Cornerstone brand globally, creating sustainable jobs to bring dignity and possibility for lasting change. Spurgeon, Cornerstone’s CEO said: “It is with great pleasure and encouragement of this excellent project that we can announce that Beaverbrooks has agreed to be a major sponsor of SAG. We hope that many will follow its example in assisting us in our cause of empowering the disadvantaged.”

The money raised will be used for tools, equipment, materials and associated costs connected to the project. Spurgeon’s personal commitment is to spend between three to six months per year supporting the Cornerstone project for the next five years. Mark Adlestone, chairman of Beaverbrooks, said: “We are really pleased to be able to support the programme. A big part of our ethos is to make a difference by supporting local communities and charities across the UK and beyond, and this is a great example of a project we are proud to be involved with.”

B

S N I P P E T S New sales director for Gecko Richard Cox, previously a main board director at Design Objectives, has joined Gecko – part of WB The Creative Jewellery Group – as sales director. Part of his role will be to create a new programme of support for independent jewellery and gift retailers and the move also heralds the expansion of the brand abroad, the US in particular. Under his guidance Gecko will introduce promotional items for the independent retail sector, including free-standing units, point-of-sale and display materials.

LucyQ to launch Couture line British Jewellery designer Lucy Quartermaine of LucyQ is to launch her first Couture Collection at the end of September.

The line will echo her popular Drip Collection pieces, but now incorporating gemstones and pearls for the first time.

The Collection, including a necklace, earrings and ring, is available in sterling silver and gold vermeil.

New ops man joins Domino Birmingham-based jewellery producer Domino has appointed a new operations director. Mark Thomas joins the business from ceramics company Emma Bridgewater where he was head of manufacturing. One of Thomas’ first tasks will be to introduce cellular manufacturing into the brand’s production processes.

Winterson pearl prize awarded

Genuine Gemstone customers take India trip ix customers of The Genuine Gemstone Company have just returned to the UK following a gem-hunting trip to Jaipur with TGGC’s CEO Steve Bennett. They won the tickets for the trip at a charity auction held last December for the Equal World Foundation.

During the four days, the group experienced gem excavations, factory visits and a hands-on trip to a jewellery workshop. The highlight of the trip proved to be a visit to Steve’s close friend, Glenn Lehrer's, workshop in Jaipur. Here the team spent the day learning how the lapidarist cuts his gemstones with his signature TorusRing design.

Steve Bennett commented: “Not only did we uncover some fantastic gemstones, but it was great to share the experience with customers and give them an insight into the entire jewellerymaking process… and it was a great opportunity for me to learn more about our customers.”

Bennett auctioned another gem hunting expedition to Oregon at the TGGC’s Summer Ball on 13th June 2014, and proceeds also went to the Equal World Foundation.

S

Felicia Swartling is a name to watch in the world of pearl jewellery design.

The student from Central Saint Martins was the winner of the Winterson Prize for Best Use of Pearls.

This is the second year that the luxury London-based jeweller (which has a 50year heritage of classic and contemporary pearl design) has sponsored this award.

Swartling’s four-piece collection was chosen for its technical accomplishment as well as inspired design.

The Voice of the Industry 13

| International News

Fabergé launches Rococo collection abergé has launched its new Rococo collection this month, a modern take on rococo style, reinterpreting the iconic scroll motif through a range that celebrates the house’s illustrious heritage, technical skills and artistry.

The collection takes inspiration from the gold scrolls featured on the legendary Rocaille Egg, an original Fabergé Easter Egg created in 1902 for Russian heiress Varvara Kelkh, which recalls 18th century Louis XVI style and the rococo artistic movement. Additionally, scrolls were a prominent feature on historic jewellery and decorative Fabergé pieces such as cigarette cases, fans and picture frames.

The Fabergé Rococo jewels form sensual arabesques of precious gems, the swirls interspersed in a kaleidoscope of colours, through mosaic pavé setting combined with significant centre stones. Jewellery designs range from cocktail rings and bracelets to necklaces and drop earrings, all set with rare centre stones. The coloured gemstone suites feature perfectly matched, large dusky pink and purple spinels, vivid emeralds, luminous amethysts and radiant aquamarines.

F

South Africa show drums up support ewellex Africa, Africa’s premier jewellery and watch showcase is set to take place from 2nd – 4th August this year, at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

While the Jewellery Council of South Africa has hosted the event for over 40 years, CEO Lorna Lloyd explains that local support for the event has dwindled in recent years.

“An event like Jewellex Africa relies heavily on the support of the local industry. This event is aimed at all jewellery manufacturers and wholesalers, not only in South Africa, but Africa and the rest of the world as well. However, as the home of Jewellex, support from the local manufacturers and wholesalers is undeniably important for the success of this event,” she said.

“South Africa has a long and proud history in terms of being a global hub for jewellery trade and design. Further, we have some of the world’s most talented jewellery designers and manufacturers, and Jewellex Africa provides a platform for us to showcase this to the rest of the world,” she added.

J

Dhamani opens Dubai store uxury jewellery house, Dhamani, which was founded in 1969, opened a signature boutique named ‘Dhamani 1969’ at The Dubai Mall last month. Speaking at the opening, Amit Dhamani, CEO and managing director of the United Arab Emirates business said: “For 45 years, we have been building on our heritage and world class skills in satisfying the needs of our global customers.

“House of Dhamani has ensured that customers have always had access to the most brilliant stones and perfect cuts through skilled workmanship and ethical sourcing…

With Dhamani 1969, we are taking our beautifully timeless yet individual styles to international jewellery connoisseurs.”

L

14 The Jeweller July 2014

S N I P P E T S Tiffany Diamond leaves NY The famous Tiffany Diamond – one of the most renowned fancy yellow diamonds in the world – made a rare appearance outside of its usual 5th Avenue home last month. The 128.42 carat, golf ball-sized diamond, which was re-set in a necklace of over 100 carats of white diamonds, was the centerpiece of an exhibition to mark the opening of the Champs-Elysées flagship store.

Gemfields ruby sale success Gemfields’ first auction of Mozambican rough ruby and corundum generated sales of USD 33.5 last month. The auction was held in Singapore from 12th to 17th June and a total of 55 companies placed bids.

Of the 62 lots offered, 57 were sold – 1.82 million carats in total. The availability of rough rubies, via Gemfields’ auction platform, generated considerable market excitement, underpinning, it says, robust global demand.

‘Exceptional’ blue diamond recovered at Cullinan, SA Petra Diamonds Ltd has announced the recovery of an exceptional 122.52 carat blue diamond at the Cullinan mine in South Africa. The stone will require further analysis in order to assess its potential value and, upon completion of this process, Petra will be in a position to evaluate its optimal route to market.

Cullinan is known as the world’s most important source of blue diamonds and, since Petra acquired the mine in 2008, it has continued to produce a number of exceptional blues.

| N.A.G. News

The N.A.G. team (centre) plus Members and guests at the Association’s AGM

N.A.G. News |

New chairman and vice-chairman elected at AGM ndrew Hinds, director of F Hinds, was elected as the new chairman of the Association during our AGM, which was held on 18th June, the first day of Jewellery & Watch London at the Saatchi Gallery. Simon Johnson of Marmalade in Chiswick, was elected as his vice-chairman. Marmalade has been a full member of the Association since its creation in 2004 and Johnson joined the Board of Directors in 2012.

Speaking of his appointment, Andrew Hinds said: “I am both honoured and delighted to be elected chairman of the Association and know that I have a tough act to follow in Pravin.

The biggest item in the ‘in tray’ is clearly the on-going discussions with the BJA and I expect us to be able to champion the industry even better – both to our customers and the world – as a result of working together.

“I am also excited about the Association’s prospects over the next couple of years. I expect us to make further progress in both education and through the benefits of membership that we offer to all jewellers, to the extent that I hope that every jeweller will want to join.”

Johnson said: “There are many challenges facing the jewellery trade in the coming years, not least the rise of internet sales, technology advances and a loss of key skills that have formed the heart of our trade for many years.

“Fortunately the Association, under the previous chairman, started to rise to these challenges and is now changing the playing field in order to continue providing the assistance, guidance, support and education the jewellery retailer and trade needs now and going forward.

“I am one hundred per cent committed to helping push forward with these ground breaking changes under the excellent leadership of Andrew Hinds,” he added. “We have accepted the challenge and understand the requirement to unify the various bodies within our sector in order to better serve the trade as a whole – in a more efficient and productive way.

We are looking forward to working closer and more happily with everybody in order to achieve our goals.”

The AGM was followed by a three-course lunch and later that afternoon N.A.G. and BJA CEOs Michael Rawlinson and Simon Rainer took part in a Diamond Supply Chain Seminar, where speakers included other members of the Jewellery Ethics Committee – Fairtrade jewellery activist Greg Valerio and ethical jeweller Vivien Johnston, the Committee’s chair.

A

Simon Johnson and Andrew Hinds

Association’s chain of office receives a new home he Association would like to thank Patrick Kelly of Midland Displays of Oldbury, who very kindly agreed to supply a new bespoke box to hold the grand chain of office. The outgoing chairman, Pravin Pattni, had noticed that the existing box was beginning to come adrift at the hinges and approached Midland Displays while at Jewellery & Watch Birmingham last September. Mr Kelly graciously agreed to make a customised box, with the appropriate channels to hold the chain, and to do so free of charge. We thank him for his generosity. The new box had its first airing during last month’s AGM, when Pravin handed over the chain of office to new chairman Andrew Hinds.

T

New member applications Members wishing to comment on any of these applications should call Catherine Mone on 020 7613 4445 or email her at: catherine@jewellers-online.org within three weeks of receipt of this issue.

Ordinary Applications DCP Jewellers LLP T/A Pawan Jewellers, Middlesex

Corporate Business Applications Clarity & Success Software Ltd, Stafford Outwork Jewellery Services Ltd, Birmingham House Creative Agency Ltd, Cheshire Royal Insignia, Singapore

Alumni Applications Jan Lillian Baker, Australia (Associate) Delyth Du Plooy, South Norwood (Associate)

IRV applications New Member Applicants Deborah J Manley FGAA GAADipDT, The Guild of Valuers & Jewellers, Bath

Upgrading from Member to Fellow David M Byrne MIRV PJValDip PJDip FNAG FGA DGA, Cradley Heath

The Voice of the Industry 17

| N.A.G. News

Member of the Month Hamilton & Inches is almost 150 years old. The flagship store and silver workshops are based in George Street, Edinburgh, with a further boutique in Knightsbridge. Arafa Kumbuka spoke to MD Stephen Paterson.

H&I has been in the industry for close to a century and a half – how has the trade changed in that time?

Today people have much more time to shop, and they are wealthier than ever. In a digital, mass market era, our customers are looking for an experience as well as quality products.

Trust and the customer/retailer relationship are more important than ever. Those on our sales team are passionate about our products and therefore are well informed. They’re also receptive to the training that the company provides, so we can be sure that our service is exceptional.

How important is your heritage?

We are very proud of it. The longevity brings a stability to our profile; people know that we have strong foundations; they can trust that we’re not just going to make a sale, then disappear. We become our customer’s personal jeweller, looking after them and their jewellery for as long as they wish. Our silver workshops have also stood strong since 1866, and the craft itself has changed very little over the years. The ancient tradition of creating things by hand was developed by necessity, but these days it’s very much a luxury to own a handcrafted item. It’s so important for us to be able to offer that service; it really sets us apart.

What is the most popular service that your workshop offers?

The repairs and servicing department is by far our busiest, and one of the most important.

We have experts in silversmithing, watch servicing and repairs, gem setting, polishing and hand engraving, which means that we can care for our customers’ pieces in-house rather than sending them out. A piece of jewellery is only measured by its monetary worth until it is owned by a person, then sentimentality comes in to play. We are incredibly sensitive to that and take great care of our customers’ goods. However, the real benefit of the workshop team is the sheer variety of pieces that we can produce. The same team who worked on the Lord Justice Mace and the Scottish Open Golf Trophy, also created the silver jewellery collections.

How can craftsmanship remain traditional, while appealing to contemporary customers?

Our silversmiths and jewellers are never happier than when presented with fresh challenges. Their skills and experience are regularly exercised with new and exciting projects. We’re never restricted by traditional techniques; if anything, they allow for a great deal of creativity and diversity. Our master craftsmen are also responsible for the training of new silversmiths. We’re developing an apprenticeship programme so that the techniques are handed down to the next generation. Our first apprentice, David, qualified as a silversmith last year and our new student, Paul – who is the son of Panos Kirkos, who has been a silversmith with us for 26 years – has now completed his first year. The younger silversmiths bring with them fresh ideas – we also bring Edinburgh University students in for summer internships, and a few years ago created a silver jewellery collection based on the designs of student Kathrine Pelosi.

Security is a major issue for jewellers.

How are you responding to this?

Obviously, considering recent events, security is of great importance to us. We do have security measures in place and are given

18 The Jeweller July 2014

strict guidelines in the event of an incident, but these can always be improved. Being involved in a major crime has brought this aspect back to the forefront of our minds and we’re looking at increasing security and ensuring our staff are equipped to deal with an incident. The dilemma is that to increase security may create an unfriendly façade – a possible deterrent to potential customers.

While there is obviously a balance to be found, protecting our staff will always remain our top priority.

The Association is holding a security conference to tackle these issues; would more security events be beneficial to jewellery retailers?

Definitely. We recently received a talk from one of our security team, a retired police officer, regarding handling yourself when in a dangerous situation. The individuals involved in our robbery really appreciated this – although in a panic, the points raised were firmly in their mind and they acted, in the words of the police, impeccably. I can’t emphasise enough the need for training on this subject. It would also be beneficial to see new security technologies and products, so we can make informed choices on protecting our business.

Finally, please share a memorable store anecdote with us This is a story that has been long told in Edinburgh, but it’s still one of our favourites.

In the city centre, people check their watches daily by the famous one o’clock gun which fires from Edinburgh Castle. According to history, a journalist asked the gunner how he knew the exact time to fire it. The reply was “Easy, I check my watch by the clock in the window of Hamilton & Inches each morning on my way to work.” The journalist then visited Hamilton & Inches and asked how they checked the accuracy of the clock in the window. “Och easy,” came the reply, “By the one o’clock gun!”

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (No. 306522)

| N.A.G. News: Education & Training

May’s star student The much-coveted Bransom Award for this May is Nancy Doble.

We tracked her down to gain an insight into her achievements.

irst we asked how long Nancy had been in the jewellery business and what made her want to work within the industry?

“I began working for Doble Jewellers every Saturday for a couple of hours when I was 14 years old,” she explained. “I was curious about the jewellery industry, and having three older generations of my family owning jewellery shops, I felt that I should try to get involved. I am now working for Doble Jewellers in Exeter, Torquay and Brixham, in between my studies as a fine art painting student in London. I absolutely love working in jewellery and seven years on, I have been able to gain a good understanding of what it takes to run a business and hope to provide my family with the next generation of family-run Doble Jewellers shops.”

F

20 The Jeweller July 2014

So how did she feel when she won?

“It has been difficult to fit in the JET1 studies in between my university course and work at Dobles, so I am very pleased that the work has paid off and I have been given the Bransom Award,” she told us.

“I can see that for anyone starting out in the jewellery industry it must be vital to complete the JET1 course. I have felt that it would give anyone a basic understanding of the ins and outs of jewellery and the jewellery industry. In particular I have enjoyed exploring the range of different subjects that JET1 provides, and have learnt lots of new things, while at the same time revisiting old topics.”

It’s always interesting – and gratifying for the education department – to realise

just how useful our courses are, especially when it comes to the prospect of furthering a career. In common with all the students we have spoken to (whether Bransom winners or not) Nancy is certain that the course will help her to progress in the industry. “I have found that the JET1 course has underpinned knowledge that I already had, while also giving me an extra qualification,” she explained. “For these reasons I look forward to progressing on to the JET2 course where I can be pushed further. I would definitely recommend this to others if they want to make a career in the jewellery business.”

Her tutor Anne Kings, impressed by her progress and achievement so far, said of Nancy: “She is a very busy lady and works under the guidance of her manager Emma, who has also achieved her JET success.

Nancy has worked in Doble’s for five years, and her role involves helping out on the shop floor with sales of new and second hand jewellery and watches, advising and taking in repairs of stock and customer jewellery, machine engraving customers’ jewellery and helping out in the workshop.

It is only in the last six months or so that she has been able to take the time to do her JET1, which she has sailed through with some excellent assignment results.

Her final project was wonderful; full of good diamond knowledge and very well presented. It certainly had to be given the opportunity to speak for itself under the scrutiny of the Bransom judges.”

All of us in the education department wish Nancy the very best for the future.

The Bransom Award In July 2010 the N.A.G. launched an award with the aim of recognising the very best JET1 projects. Course tutors put forward nominations before the winner is chosen by our chief moderator.

The individual who is awarded the highest assignment mark is rewarded with a trip to the historic and prestigious Goldsmiths’ Hall in London for the presentation of their certificate at our annual award ceremony. The award, which is sponsored by Bransom Retail Systems, is made on a monthly basis.

The Executive Development Forum – actively delivering value to its members since 2005 The Executive Development Forum (EDF) provides a unique opportunity for independent jewellery retail owners and directors to meet with like minded professionals in a confidential forum that fosters supportive and trusting relationships. These enable them to benchmark their business with other jewellery businesses, develop their strategic thinking, invest in their own professional development and, ultimately, grow their business.

Monthly update

The EDF facilitates the sharing of members’ experience, knowledge and expertise for the benefit of those running retail jewellery businesses. It provides its members with access to:

Educational store visits In May over 20 EDF members visited the Jeremy France store situated on the historic Pentice of

• A question and answer service, that finds answers from the membership to questions asked by members, on topics as diverse as: “Which suppliers can you recommend for product X?” and “What types of staff commission schemes do you operate?”

Winchester’s High Street – and what an education the two groups received over separate morning visits, hosted by Jeremy and his daughter Harriet!

Jeremy France Jewellers first opened in Winchester in October 1990, after his having a successful shop in Kent for a number of years. Last December the business moved into the former Blacks outdoor clothes store – a Grade Two-listed Pentice building –

• A new flash service, where relevant industry news stories and business articles are emailed to their inbox

with their five goldsmiths, two designers, 11 sales staff, and a shop full of stories and advice to share with the EDF visitors.

• Benchmarking against other retail jewellery businesses monthly performance data, which is supplied, collated and circulated in the strictest of confidence

Jeremy had spent three years trying to secure premises on the High Street “down the hill”, where over the years Winchester’s retail centre and shoppers

• Regional groups which meet three times a year. The meetings are facilitated and work to a formal agenda that helps to stimulate, challenge and motivate attendees; as well as providing the opportunity to share any immediate issues and informally network together

had migrated. “It’s difficult to get a place on the High

• Educational store visits which are hosted by members for other members, offering a valuable opportunity to learn by seeing and hearing first hand what other business owners are doing in their stores

the size of the previous shop, affording them the

• The Annual Oxford Congress which gives all the regional groups an opportunity to engage with each other, and to hear from invited experts who contribute their unique perspective from their specialist fields

from silver brands to bespoke, in-house diamond

Street. Landlords don’t look at independents when they want to move to the High Street: they want big brand names,” explained Jeremy.

The shop has three floors and is three times opportunity to really differentiate themselves not only from other jewellers but other retailers.

The ground floor is devoted to product showcases, suites. The first floor – visible from the ground floor through a feature opening in the ceiling – is accessed by a sweeping, handcrafted oak staircase. Once upstairs customers can select their bridal jewellery

“

in a dedicated wedding lounge, work with their own

Information is the life blood of any business, and one of the

designer to create their own piece of jewellery, or watch the goldsmiths working hard at the bench.

principle benefits of the EDF is the trading of information between us…

”

EDF member

On the third floor – and by special invitation only – clients can enjoy a glass of Jeremy France Champagne in the relaxing and superbly styled French Bar, while watching the world go by on the two floors below.

Call Amanda White on 020 7613 4445, email her at amandaw@jewellers-online.org or ring Michael Donaldson, EDF facilitator, on 07817 305 122 for further information

| N.A.G. News: IRV Review

N.A.G. Institute of Registered Valuers R

E

V

I

E

W

Loughborough 2014 – more than just valuing This year our annual two-and-a-half day Institute of Registered Valuers’ Loughborough Conference takes place from Saturday 13th to Monday 15th September. Organiser Sandra Page reveals some of the details. his is our 26th Conference (our 24th at our regular venue, Loughborough University in Leicestershire) and we have another jam-packed programme offering delegates a heady cocktail of main presentations, discussion meetings and the ever popular workshop sessions. The weekend also offers attendees the chance to catch up with friends and colleagues within the trade, some of whom are more usually phone, text or email buddies.

Though the Conference starts on Saturday, this year any keen ‘early birds’, who plan to arrive the day before (to avoid potential weekend travel problems) are invited to a late morning tour of the Birmingham Assay Office.

This year’s Conference programme includes over 20 of the very popular workshop sessions across the three days.

Topics covered will include diamonds (price guides, synthetics, old-cuts); silver; branding; insurance; auctions; price guides; gemmology (pricing, testing, treatments, identification, amber, jet); photography; watches; antique jewellery, and then others such as using MS Word/Excel to create valuations, updates on using GuildPro and how to become an expert witness. There will also be a CAT pre-exam

T

22 The Jeweller July 2014

tutorial for CAT students sitting the October 2014 exam.

With so many workshops to chose from – but being restricted to just five sessions – this is the hardest thing for delegates to deal with when it comes to attending Loughborough. How to narrow down such an enticing menu, to just a few dishes!

This year’s line up of guest speakers who will be offering workshops and main presentations includes many regulars, a few guest speakers we haven’t seen for a while and a number of new faces. All will help the Institute to give delegates another great event from which they will, as always, gain so much.

This year’s main guest speakers are: • David Callaghan: one of our regular – and always entertaining – guest speakers • Kym Hughes: president of the National Council of Jewellery Valuers, Australia • Richard Pope: specialist in businessto-business finance • Tony Saggers: providing training, mentoring and development in expert evidence consultation • Adrien von Ferscht: Honorary Research Fellow at University of Glasgow’s Scottish

Centre for China Research and consultant to Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions • Joanna Whalley: special metals conservator at the Victoria & Albert Museum • Stephen Whittaker: another of our regular guest speakers, the managing director Fellows, Auctioneers & Valuers of Birmingham.

Focussing on the social side of the Conference, after dinner on Saturday night we shall announce the winner of the 2014 David Wilkins Award and present certificates to those members of the Institute who have become Fellows. We shall also be presenting CAT certificates to those individuals who passed the CAT exams held in October 2013 and May this year.

The Conference will also have the following sponsors taking part (who have confirmed at the time of writing): Fellows, the Gem-A and T H March & Co Ltd. We welcome the following who will exhibit at the Conference (also confirmed at time of writing): PAS (Quantum Leap) and Pursuit. On Sunday evening H S Walsh & Sons Ltd will be supporting FIRV Ken Massow, who will be offering a demonstration on the correct way to remove a watch back (for the younger delegates or those who have never been taught the correct way to do this).

The Conference Package Fee starts at the exceptional price of £445 for N.A.G./IRV members and £545 for non-N.A.G. members, plus VAT per delegate. The fee includes all the Conference sessions, accommodation and meals during the Conference. Please note, if you’re the member of another trade organisation, and four other members from the same body want to attend, you can do so at the N.A.G. member rate. We also offer a 10 per cent discount for the third (and fourth, etc) delegate if a business wants three or more staff to attend.

Full details about the whole programme are contained in the Loughborough Conference brochure, which is available upon request at: irv@jewellers-online.org

More than just valuing A great networking event with IRVs, non IRVs, members (including junior staff members, managers and jewellery retail owners), auctioneers, insurers and gemmologists attending each year.

Guest Speakers: David Callaghan: In the Beginning Kym Hughes: Australian Argyle Pink Diamonds Richard Pope: Workplace Pension (Are You In) Tony Saggers: Expert Evidence – From the Jewellery Box to the Witness Box Adrien von Ferscht: The History of Chinese Export Silver (1785-1940) Joanna Whalley: Metals Conservation – What’s it Worth?

Workshop Sessions: CAT Pre-Exam Tutorial Diamond Price Lists Old-Cut Diamonds Branding Insurance Auctions Silver

Gemstone Pricing Gem Testing Gemstone Treatments Gemstone Identification Amber Whitby Jet Photography

Contact Sandra Page 029 2081 3615 or irv@jewellers-online.org for: • Booking • Non-residential participation is available – prices upon application • Rates for Friday night arrivals • For further information

Watches Historical Jewellery Guildpro® Updates Becoming an Expert Witness Help for Msword/Excel Users

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GOLDSMITHS

Jeweller picks...

F O R

C H R I S T M A S

From luxurious writing instruments and stylish, silver home accessories, to jewellery that offers something just a little different, we’ve selected pieces that have ‘festive gift possibility’ written all over them.

GEORG JENSEN

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Georg Jensen’s Christmas Collectibles – new for 2014 is a collection by designer Karen Bit Vejle inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s classic Christmas tale of the fir tree. Less obviously festive are stylishly clean and contemporary salt and pepper sets, nut crackers, bowls and a thermos jug.

LAPPONIA CHRISTOPHER HAMILTON

Silversmith Christopher Hamilton adopted the ‘beehive’ motif in 1997 when he first produced a simple, ribbed sterling silver honey pot and spoon, which formed the centrepiece of an entire breakfast set – from eggcup and toast rack, to pill box and silver bell. Items are also available individually. The ribbed, beehive theme runs throughout his silverware and jewellery, part of a house style that celebrates weight and balance.

Bambu is a new piece from Lapponia, created by the jewellery designer, sculptor and ceramist, Zoltan Popovits, a Lapponia artist since 1975. In sterling silver with a combination of matt and polished finishes, the hallmark of the brand. All Lapponia jewellery is produced in small series and hand-finished by craftsman in the company’s own factory in Helsinki in Finland.

LILY CHARMED

This family-run business specialises in matt satin or polished gold and silver charm jewellery, that come packaged with a personal message. For the festive season there are necklaces featuring charms such as angel wings, snowflakes, stars and stags. Messages for a number of occasions are available, or the customer’s own message can be created.

DEAKIN & FRANCIS

The collection of cufflink styles available from Deakin & Francis (based in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter since 1786) is limited only by the imagination of the seventh generation owners, brothers Henry and James Deakin. The range is therefore vast! The limited edition cufflinks shown here are made from the aluminium pistons of a Bugatti Type 57 engine, finished with sterling silver fittings. Steering wheels, bees, skulls, green wellies, animals with moving parts, drums… also available.

Part of a collection that includes timepieces and jewellery, the Mont Blanc Meisterstück fountain pen is from a line of writing instruments, which have been iconic items since 1924. Created in Hamburg, every nib is hand-sculpted in solid gold by master craftsmen. Special edition versions in red gold have been made to celebrate the 90th anniversary.

CARRS SILVER

MONT BLANC

Sheffield-based Carr Silver (established in 1977 by Ron Carr) has built its reputation on encompassing new technologies and techniques, while employing the finest of traditional hand skills. Production processes including metal-spinning, silversmithing and buffing are still traditional for instance.

Shown here is a crystal spirit decanter with sterling silver collar.

CAROLYN STEPHENSON

Having spent a number of years creating smaller pieces, award-winning silversmith Carolyn Stephenson is now working on larger, more sculptural designs both in silver and gold, as well as exploring traditional silversmithing techniques. The ancient art of repousse is now a signature style and Carolyn chases, forms and decorates each of her very individual pieces herself. Shown here is a shell bon-bon dish and spoon.

GTO LONDON

GTO London offers a unique range of luxury men’s accessories – the beautifully crafted cufflinks and leather accessories are based on inspiration taken from the classic GTO Ferraris.

This is something close to the brand’s heart as the parent company, GTO Engineering, has a long history of refurbishing, restoring and racing vintage Ferraris. Some of the pieces in the jewellery collection (such as the Grille cufflinks seen here) are made from a classic model – Real Ferrari Metal (RFM) which has been melted down in order to be useful once more.

MOLLY BROWN

ALLIED GOLD

Serenity Pearls from Allied Gold are a marriage of tiny freshwater pearls in dove grey, peach or cream, with the super bright, low maintenance Argentium™ 960 silver.

Items in the collection include pendants, earrings and bangles with the RRP starting under £50, making them a perfect gift.

The children’s jewellery brand Molly Brown has launched its new Honey Collection of necklaces and bracelets featuring sterling silver and silver and gold vermeil bees. The bees, which sit off-centre on the necklace, are 3D in design, thereby showing the bee detail on each side. Prices start at £34 RRP.

GEMMA J

Linsey Evans, founder of Gemma J has created a collection of pendants and charms that celebrate ‘the best of all things British’. These range from a silver tea pot, cup cake and bejewelled rose gold strawberry, to a London bus, Jack Russell and riding boot. The line comes with point of sale support, branded packaging and graphics.

X BY TROLLBEADS

RAW PEARLS

Raw Pearls – which makes its debut at IJL this September – has launched its new ‘Premium Collection’, a range of South Sea and Tahitian cultured pearl jewellery, new for 2014. The new line is designed to suit all budgets (with necklace prices from £45 to £5,000 trade) and is created with the quality independent jeweller in mind.

Launched in the UK barely a year ago, the new jewellery concept X by Trollbeads is expanding the possibilities of the linking system that it introduced. What began with simple rubber links, with further links and locks in bronze, gold and silver, has been joined by sculptural links featuring flowers, animals, stars, skylines, cars, instruments…

And now there’s a new necklace collection featuring a cord with links at either end, onto which can be attached a chosen link from the collection – such as this bird’s skull.

ALEX YULE

A love of beach-combing, combined with architectural influences have informed the work of jeweller Alex Yule, who studied at Sir John Cass. For the ‘Mussel’ collection she replicates the original natural forms by creating a mould of each ‘valve’, into which hot silver is poured to form solid, shell-shaped casts. Pieces are oxidised and polished to bring out the textured outer surface, with the inner finished in 18ct gold plating or turquoise enamel.

MARTYN PUGH

TREGAWNE

A hot-forged, solid silver tapering handle floats beside the fused, jointless, tall slim body of this elegant Jug from the 'Arc' series. The unique durable, fingerprint-proof white-silk surface, if used frequently, may be simply washed to retain its finish.

Tregawne also offers a wide range of sterling silver, pewter and plated gifts such as tableware, Christening items, desk accessories and cufflinks. Sitting alongside best sellers, such as the silver Marmite lid, is a new double money/cred card clip and hammered silver cufflinks.

Links has extended its popular ‘Hope’ collection with 20 new statement designs for 2014. The range incorporates the recognised egg shape, with a focus on elegant cocktail jewellery, including chandelier earrings, sterling silver necklaces and 18ct gold pieces.

WALDMANN FROM TREGAWNE

LINKS OF LONDON

Tregawne, is the sole distributor in the UK for Waldmann writing instruments, which offers a wide range of silver pens (RRP £90.00). Each is presented in a luxury gift box, which includes a 10 year guarantee.

July 2014 / Volume 23 / No. 6

Did Orlov buy the Orlov?

JCK Las Vegas Gem-A AGM

ŔŒ AUG – œ SEPT œőŒŕ OLYMPIA LONDON

BE INSPIRED by the finest in jewellery NEW LOCATION

O LY M P I A LO N D O N

REGISTER NOW jewellerylondon.com/register

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014 t

Editorial

Gems&Jewellery

July 14 Contents

4 Gem News

5 Gem-A Events

7 Through the Microscope

8

Of all the tasks that come with my position, nothing is more pleasurable than signing diplomas.

The knowledge of the pride and sense of achievement that the individual will feel is, for us as a gemmological organization, what it’s all about. Watching students troop in and out of the building this week for their exams and seeing the nerves, the relief or the disappointment — depending on how it went for them — is another key stage in the process. Of course I am going to say that education in our trade is absolutely essential, but the phrase ‘knowledge is power’ has never been more apt. If you have the knowledge you can translate that into your buying and selling and use it to build a rapport with your customers and suppliers, and tailor your business to the best possible advantage. Our qualifications give credibility to you as an individual and no one can take your diploma away. I know most of you treasure your diplomas and certificates and, as time progresses, are even proud of the person who signed them. My grandfather’s diploma was signed by BJ Tully and FH Knowles Brown, while my mother’s was signed by Basil Anderson. I somehow think that by comparison, being a minor league player, the current crop of graduates are being short changed having me sign their diplomas, but perhaps when I’m six feet under, someone might say: “I wonder who that chap was?”

Of course getting a diploma is just the start of the journey and in order use the letters FGA or DGA you need to become, and remain, a member of the Association. Those of you reading already know this, but it’s sad how many either forget or don’t want to remain part of the family. Hopefully we give good value and provide a point of reference, not just for our graduates but for the trade in general. We want to encourage people to join and that’s where you come in. Do tell people about us.

I know that most of you are very proud to be FGAs or DGAs, or both. It is galling to see those who aren’t members still claiming the distinction. You can help stop this by applying peer pressure and, for our part, there will be a list of all graduates, together with the names of current FGAs and DGAs, available on our new website which will be launched in September. This will be available to the public to check up on the person they are dealing with, to find out if they are bona fide. It’s amazing the complaints we get about ‘members’ who it transpires are not members at all.

It was a pleasure to see many of you at the AGM on 12 June, as well as others at the N.A.G. AGM. At our AGM, the chairman Jason Williams asked those present if they had any questions or comments on how the Association is run, and if they would like to see anything done differently.

While it’s always nice to imagine that everything is fine when there are very few questions, the only way we can move forward is by you sharing with us your ideas. We do have constraints as a charity, but you as members of the Association have a say in what you would like to see us doing.

Our chairman, Board, senior staff and myself would like to hear your views and thoughts. There’s no guarantee we can wave a magic wand… but we’ll try!

Over the last couple of months you might have seen me mention the Precious Stone MultiStakeholder Working Group, a self-appointed body of people seeking to implement their rules and ideas on our trade. Following the CIBJO congress in Moscow and the World Diamond Council congress in Antwerp, I am delighted that the true leaders of our trade have got together so that our voice is heard (see Gem News, page 4). We are a conduit to the success of this by feeding in relevant information from you as members so, again, feel free to contact me at james@gem-a.com.

James Riley Chief Executive Officer

Gem-A AGM 2014 AGA Report Gem and Jewellery History

9

Cover Picture A Paraíba tourmaline from Brazil on display at JCK Las Vegas.

Photo courtesy of Joe Gil at Akiva Gil, New York. See Shows and Exhibitions, page 16.

10 July 2014 / Volume 23 / No. 6

Gems and Minerals

13 Did Orlov buy the Orlov?

Shows and Exhibitions 16 Hands-on Gemmology 20 Book Shelf

22

Any opinions expressed in Gems&Jewellery are understood to be the views of the contributors and not necessarily those of the publishers.

JCK Las Vegas Gem-A AGM

Published by The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) 21 Ely Place, London EC1N 6TD t: +44 (0)20 7404 3334 f: +44 (0)20 7404 8843 e: editor@gem-a.com w: www.gem-a.com

Editor James Riley

Registered charity no. 1109555 Copyright 2014 ISSN 1746-8043

Design and Production Zest Design +44 (0)20 7864 1504

Production Editor Georgina Brown Advisory Board Mary Burland, Harry Levy

Advertising For mediapack and advertising rates please contact Ian Francis at the National Association of Goldsmiths on tel: +44 (0)20 7749 1705 or email him at: ian@jewellers-online.org

Page 3

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Gem News

Gem news

Four industry bodies create joint committee The Presidents of The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO), World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) and World Diamond Council (WDC) met during the World Diamond Congress in Antwerp last month to establish ‘The Presidents’ Forum’, the aim of which is to coordinate strategies on issues of common interest.

The heads of the jewellery and diamond industry’s four leading international representative bodies have agreed to come together to discuss and formulate coordinated strategies and policies for the industry on important issues of common interest.

Hosted by Dr Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO, the meeting on 17 June included Ernest Blom, president of the WFDB; Maxim Shkadov, president of the IDMA and Edward Asscher, president of the WDC. It was chaired by Eli Izhakoff, honorary life president of CIBJO, WFDB and WDC. Following the meeting, The Presidents’ Forum issued the following statement: “The objective of The Presidents’ Forum is to reflect the interests of all participants and stakeholders in the industry through discussion and coordination. Among our first order of business the presidents of

Page 4

CIBJO, WFDB and IDMA will engage with the Precious Stones Multi-Stakeholder Working Group to discuss the creation of acceptable due diligence guidelines to defend the integrity of the supply chain.

The President of the WDC will be consulted.”

At the close of the World Diamond Congress, which saw the attendance of representatives of 30 bourses affiliated to the WFDB, Blom said: “At the heart of our discussions were the sustainability and reputation of the diamond industry and trade at large. Among others, the WFDB resolved to build on its communications strategy and to expedite communications on a global level.”

Talking of the discussions between IDMA members and the WFDB, Shkadov added: “We talked at length about issues such as financing and the manufacturers’ relationships with the banks and other financial institutions active in the diamond industry and trade. In addition, we expressed our concern regarding the significant diversities of laboratory diamond grading standards and their impact on consumer confidence in diamonds; spoke about the DDI and the necessity of promoting advances in social and economic conditions throughout the diamond mining sector worldwide; and reviewed the FATF report about money laundering.”

New staff join Gem-A Gem-A would like to welcome two new members to the team: Natalie Harris FGA, who joins us as Membership Secretary, and Vivien Johnston, who joins us as Ethics Manager. Natalie, a current student of Gem-A, has worked at an independent jewellers in Surrey for the past six years and is currently studying for the Diamond Diploma.

Vivien Johnston is a trained goldsmith, design graduate and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Since 2011, she has been appointed by the National Association of Goldsmiths (N.A.G.), The British Jewellers Association (BJA) and Gem-A to chair the Jewellery Ethics UK committee. Vivien authored The Gold Paper, in association with the N.A.G. and BJA, which was published in February 2013. She supports the development of new standards of best practice and is an active stakeholder within processes being developed to improve the industry’s practice.

GIA gifts DiamondCheck to London Diamond Bourse The great and the good of the UK diamond industry descended on Hatton Garden on Thursday 22 May, to witness the presentation of GIA’s brand new DiamondCheck machine to the London Diamond Bourse (LDB), following an agreement between GIA and the WFDB. The event, hosted by the LDB, gave members of the wider industry a chance to learn more about the new device through a talk from GIA Research Scientist Dr Ulrika D’Haenens-Johansson, and address questions about the new arrangement to GIA and LDB staff.

Victoria McKay, chief operating officer at the LDB, noted how “the device itself hopes to assist the LDB with two critical elements when it comes to synthetics: detection and disclosure”. She went on to say, “The DiamondCheck will help prevent synthetic diamonds from entering the market as natural diamonds through easier detection. It will also help maintain consumer confidence, which is an urgent requirement to the industry worldwide.”

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Gem-A Events

Gem-A events Gem-A Conference 2014 Business Design Centre, Islington Gem-A will host its internationally acclaimed annual conference at the Business Design Centre, Islington. Welcoming a host of speakers from across the globe, the Gem-A Conference has a reputation for tackling the most innovative and contemporary gemrelated topics, whilst bringing together some of the leaders in the field for a weekend of networking and special events.

1 and 2 November: Conference 3 November: Seminars 4 November: Natural History Museum visit Early bird bookings now being taken!

Contact events@gem-a.com for a booking form.

Gem Central evenings Gem Central evenings take place once a month, at the Gem-A Headquarters from 18:00–19:30. Gem Central and Career Service evenings will resume from September 2014.

Gem-A Workshops Our range of introductory ‘Understanding’ workshops are ideal for jewellers with no gemmological background, or for anyone who needs a refresher. The intermediate ‘Investigating’ workshops are for gemmologists and jewellers with gemmological knowledge.

Understanding gemstones Thursday 28 August Gem-A Headquarters, London This one-day workshop will provide you with the perfect introduction to the fascinating world of gemstones, and is perfect for retail staff. Covering all aspects of the most popular gems (ruby, sapphire, emerald and others), you will learn about origin and lore, as well as the more practical aspects of their physical properties, including care and caution advice.

Gem-A/NAG/BJA Members and Gem-A Students: £100, Non-members: £120

Understanding practical gemmology Friday 29 August Gem-A Headquarters, London This one-day workshop focuses on the practical aspects of gemmology, and covers the effective use of all the readily available instruments and testers that you are ever likely to need. The 10× lens, polariscope, spectroscope and refractometer are all looked at in detail, and, under the guidance of our expert tutors, you will quickly learn the basic principles and techniques needed to use them efficiently. Previous practical experience is not necessary. By the end of this workshop you will be able to use the equipment correctly and have an appreciation for their value in testing.

Gem-A/NAG/BJA Members and Gem-A Students: £100, Non-members: £120 Understanding diamond grading 25 September 2014 Gem-A headquarters, London This specialist workshop focuses on the key aspects of diamond grading, giving a unique insight into the 4Cs and their impact on value. Led by Gem-A’s experienced diamond tutor (with prior retail experience), Claire Mitchell FGA DGA, participants will be guided through the underlying theory before seeing the practical side of cut, colour, clarity and carat weight on both loose and mounted

Show Dates Gem-A will be exhibiting at the following shows:

International Jewellery London (IJL) Stand J31, Olympia London 31 August – 2 September

Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair Booth 3M046, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre 15 – 21 September

diamonds. This course provides the perfect foundations for those wanting to either go forward to study the full Diamond Diploma course, or to embark upon a career in the retail diamond market.

Gem-A/NAG/BJA Members and Gem-A Students: £100, Non-members: £120 Understanding diamond simulants 26 September 2014 Gem-A headquarters, London An important practical workshop for those working or considering working in the diamond market. Andrew Fellows FGA DGA explains the key differences between diamond and its simulants, and how to

The Gem-A Photo Competition is now open!

Submit your photographs for the 2014 Photo Competition and you could win a year’s FREE Gem-A Membership. There are four categories under which an image may be submitted: Natural – Must be a digital Last year’s winner photograph (including

by Michael Hügi FGA photomicrography) with minimal post-production work (may include basic cropping, contrast and minor hue/saturation adjustments).

Treated – Digital photograph (including photomicrography) with significant post-production work (such as background manipulation, HDR and contrast masking).

Synthetic – Computer-rendered 3D models of gemstones, crystals, crystal structures, images from microtomography, etc.

Melange – This category covers any gem-related image that doesn’t fit in the above and may include such things as photos of a spectrum, a scanning electron microscope image, mining, cutting, etc.

The subjects may include any type of gem material (including organics), crystals or cut stones, and internal or other features of these. Jewellery settings may be included, even wearers, but the gem or gems must be the main subject. In the case of categories 1, 2 and 4, the original photo as taken, with no cropping or manipulation whatsoever, must also be submitted to us.

Please submit all entries to editor@gem-a.com

by Friday 19 September 2014, taking care to read the Rules of Entry first. For more information and for Rules of Entry, please visit www.gem-a.com/ membership/photographic-competition.aspx

Page 5

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Gem-A Events

Gem-A Events (cont.) recognise them both as loose stones, and in set or mounted jewellery. Using basic observation techniques and readily available instruments, such as diamond and combination testers, participants will be taught to quickly and effectively separate diamonds from all other imitations, thus preventing costly purchasing errors, and allowing informed buying decisions to be made. The two main commercially available simulants (synthetic moissanite and CZ) will be available for testing throughout the day, along with lesser-seen stones that have been used predominantly in antique jewellery, such as colourless sapphire, zircon, synthetic spinel and paste.

Gem-A/NAG/BJA Members and Gem-A Students: £100, Non-members: £120 Investigating Gemstone treatments 3 October 2014 Gem-A headquarters, London This one-day specialist workshop focuses on the common treatments currently seen in the gemstone industry, and their detection using readily available instruments and techniques. Treatments covered will include glass-filling and heat-treatment of corundum (ruby and sapphire), laser-

drilling and/or fracture-filling of diamonds and diffusion treatments, amongst others.

Gem-A/NAG/BJA Members and Gem-A Students: £100, Non-members: £120

Other events and conferences IRV Loughborough Conference 2014 13 September 2014 Burleigh Court Conference Centre, Loughborough University Gem-A will be joining the Institute of Registered Valuers for its annual Loughborough Conference. As one of the highlights of the UK’s trade-show calendar, the Loughborough Conference gives valuers, jewellers and gemmologists the chance to come together, and share knowledge, tips and advice about their areas of expertise. The three-day conference comprises a number of feature lectures, supported by individual workshops and evening social events.

Jewelry Television Conference 18 July 2014 Knoxville, USA Jewelry Television's (JTV) annual ‘Gem Lovers’ Conference is becoming one of

the major gem events in the US. Over the course of four days JTV invites delegates from across the world to join it in Knoxville, Tennessee, to share in a collective love of gems. A refreshing new show that aims to give an alternative from the three major US gem shows in Tucson, Las Vegas and New York, JTV’s Gem Lovers Conference is gradually growing into the forth big name on the North American gem show circuit.

GemWorld: World of Gems Conference 20-21 September 2014 Chicago, USA Gem-A is proud to be Gold Plus Gala Sponsor for GemWorld’s: World of Gems Conference 2014. The World of Gems Conferences are highly-acclaimed international events with top international speakers and include networking, social events, and of course gemmological information and pricing and marketing information. New this year will be the opportunity to stay an additional two days for the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers Mid-Year Conference, to be held following the World of Gems Conference.

Gem-A Shop

Don’t miss this month’s SPECIAL OFFERS on instruments and books from the Gem-A Shop.

Page 6

Visit www.gem-a.com/shop.aspx

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Through The Microscope

Dot on the landscape

1

Anthony de Goutière GG photographs a strange inclusion in colourless topaz.

While attempting to photograph a small cluster of quartzite crystals in a colourless topaz specimen, I spotted nearby a tiny red spot in what appeared to be a cleavage plane (1). Under my highest magnification it was just a very small, solid red circle (2). Under oblique illumination there were some faint interference colours visible around the red dot. I then tried crossed polarizers and, as I rotated the polarizers, a shadow in the form of a Maltese cross appeared in the red dot (3 and 4).

As the cleavage with its red dot was about 2 mm below the surface of the specimen it was very difficult to obtain a sharp photomicrograph. However, I think the accompanying photos show this micro-phenomenon quite clearly. The area photographed was approximately 1.5 Ă— 2.5 mm. The red dot is roughly the size of a full stop on this page and is very likely reddish brown hematite, which is often encountered in topaz.

2

3

I've observed clusters of these tiny objects in other topaz specimens, but this is the first time I've been able to get useable photomicrographs, and the first time I've seen the little cross.

Perhaps the hematite circle might be very slightly lenticular giving it just enough thickness to react to the crossed polarizers.

4

Page 7

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Recent Events

Gem-A AGM 2014

(From left-right) Gem-A President Harry Levy, CEO James Riley, Chairman of the Board Jason Williams and Finance Manager Hayley Farr.

The 2014 Gem-A AGM was held on Thursday 12 June at Gem-A Headquarters in Ely Place.

Proceedings began with Chairman of the Board, Jason Williams, introducing the current President, Harry Levy, and Gem-A CEO James Riley and Finance Manager, Hayley Farr. The annual report and accounts were adopted and Harry Levy was re-elected President from 2014–2016. Andrew Rankin stepped down from the Board and was thanked for his time as trustee and president.

Andrew was elected Vice President of the Association. Mary Burland, Miranda Wells and Jason Williams were re-elected as trustees and Jonathan Lambert, having beeg co-opted during the year, was elected as a trustee.

After the nominations Jason gave an overview of the role and activities of the Board, and asked the members present for comments on Gem-A and its progress and direction. Peter Dwyer-Hickey, Gem-A examiner, commented that he was pleased to see Gem-A getting more “socially involved” in Hatton Garden events. The new look Journal of Gemmology was praised and thanks were given to Editor Brendan Laurs.

It was also suggested that a précis of each Board meeting should be posted online for members to view. While this is not possible, James Riley assured the floor that

Page 8

anything that needed to be communicated to members would be done so through Gems&Jewellery and the monthly members’ newsletter. All Board minutes are also filed with the Charity Commission for public record. The minutes of the 2014 AGM meeting will also be published on the Gem-A website.

After the AGM a drinks reception and buffet were held in Ely Place, where members were treated to a beautiful summer’s evening, catching up with colleagues and old friends.

Following the drinks reception members were invited to stay for a talk by Vivien Johnston, chair of the UK Jewellery Ethics Committee and newly appointed Gem-A Ethics Manager, on the role of ethics in the gem and jewellery industry.

Vivien urged the trade to become more familiar with their supply chains, noting that because customers are becoming more aware of their ethical and environmental footprint, it is necessary for the trade to become familiar with theirs. The trade needs to be aware of how their products are sourced and where they come from, not just to maintain trust between jewellers and their customers, but also for the sustained credibility of the whole industry.

To read more about ethics and the trade see Vivien’s article ‘Ethics and the human supply chain’ in the June issue of Gems&Jewellery, page 13. Vivien and Greg Valerio will also host a seminar as part of the Gem-A Conference programme, titled ‘Global ethical challenges in the industry’ on Tuesday 4 November.

For information on how to book see www.gem-a.com/news--events/gem-aconference-2014.aspx

Members enjoying drinks outside Gem-A Headquarters.

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Recent Events

AGA Report James Riley FGA DGA gives his feedback on the AGA Conference, held in June in Las Vegas.

One of the great things about the two big US trade shows (AGTA Tucson GemFair and JCK Las Vegas) is looking forward to the AGA conferences. In Las Vegas it is a halfday affair, but with a line-up and a topic which would make you stand up and listen anywhere in the world. Now, in these pages you may well be fed up with reading about synthetic diamonds — and to be honest we are all probably sick of hearing about them — but they are the hot potato of the moment and thus we have to report on them. What then did Jim Shigley, Dusan Simic, Tom Chatham and Ronnie VanderLinden have to say on the subject?

GIA’s Jim Shigley reminded us of the referral and detection techniques currently being used by laboratories around the world, and the instruments available on the market.

The overall message was that synthetics are all detectable at the moment… but it can take time. These stones require identification based on not just their gemmological properties and visual characteristics, but also on fluorescence, colours and patterns, spectroscopy techniques in the visible spectra (for optical defects and cause of colour), infrared (for diamond Type and evidence of impurities) and photoluminescence (for optical defects), alongside a database of information. Synthetic diamonds still ‘exhibit distinctive features related to their growth history and optical defects’.

Dusan Simic of Analytical Gemology & Jewelry (AG&J) has spent many years researching what happens when you treat diamonds, and has also been involved in the setting up of many synthetic diamond plants. He showed us that the range of colours of synthetic diamonds is getting bigger, and that manufacturers are perfecting the production of both HPHT and CVD-grown diamonds by adding on extra processes to the initial growth of

the diamond. Thus stones are often irradiated, annealed, subjected to the HPHT process or a combination of all three.

These follow-up treatments often mask the familiar characteristics that we associate with synthetic diamonds. Because of this labs are finding identification more and more difficult — it is not so much that they cannot tell if it is synthetic, more that they

(Top) CVD-grown HPHT-treated diamond and (bottom) growth zones in CVD-grown diamond © Dusan Simic, AG&J

cannot say exactly what has happened.

This is because most of the well known instruments operate on a system of referrals rather than detection. Stones will be identified as needing further testing and as not being of a certain Type, but often they are classed as indeterminable.

Effectively then, you have three classes of diamond: natural, synthetic and ‘don’t know’… This last category may be a sweeping statement, as the fact that the stone is not classed as natural almost certainly means that it isn’t. However, at what point do the characteristics of a treated synthetic match those of a treated natural diamond? Should we care? How do you differentiate on price? It seems to me these questions are more relevant than the simple “Is it synthetic or not?” Simic poses numerous questions which labs and the industry may not want to answer, but, sooner or later, will have to.

Tom Chatham, as you would expect, has addressed the issue and embraced it.

He gave us an overview of the history of synthetic diamonds and showed us that they have been around for a long time.

For example, in Russia they may have been produced before the patents in the West were even applied for… Tom’s clear message was that these things are OK, providing you have disclosure.

The message was similar from Ronnie VanderLinden. Both Ronnie and Tom openly sell synthetic diamonds with full disclosure.

There is a market for these stones, as natural diamonds become more and more valuable, and (if one believes the reports) as natural diamonds become harder and harder to find. Current projections predict a very different market in 50 years. There is certainly no shortage of kimberlite pipes, but whether they are worth exploiting is another matter.

Synthetics are of course here to stay and will no doubt become cheaper to produce — the starting price for a CVD or HPHT machine is around $150,000 — and how we as a trade deal with the marketing of them will be of great interest.

The scientists are still ahead of the game and that’s what matters.

Page 9

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Gem and Jewellery History

Did Orlov buy the Orlov?

Among the few remaining large Mughal-cut diamonds, the most important is the Orlov diamond. Currently located in Russia, the popular story of how the gem was obtained by the Court of the Tsars differs significantly from its actual history. Anna Malecka investigates how the famous diamond really found its way to the imperial treasury.

The Russian emperors’ gold sceptre is housed in the Moscow Kremlin, shown as part of the Diamond Fund collection.

Created for Catherine II (r.1762-1796) by the two jewellers, Leopold Pfisterer and Ivan Leonovich, the item is made of gold and decorated with 197 diamonds with a total 1 weight of 242.82 ct (Kuznetsova, 2009).

Of the total weight, up to 189.62 ct falls to one gem: the Orlov, one of the largest Mughal-cut diamonds, which was

incorporated into the sceptre in 1774 (Rybakov, 1975; Polynina, 2012).

The gem is, in my view, identical to the one mentioned in the work of the famous gem merchant and traveller Jean Baptiste Tavernier (1605–1689), and known in Western literature as ‘the Great Mughal’s Diamond’, or more frequently ‘the Great Mughal’. In the seventeenth century, the emperors of Delhi kept the diamond in the treasury, from where it was looted by

The Orlov diamond, featured in the Imperial sceptre. © Elkan Wijnberg.

Page 10

Nadir Shah (r.1736-1747), the king of Iran, during his raid on India in 1739. The history of the gem after Nadir Shah’s death is the subject of numerous stories. For the purposes of this article it is sufficient to explain that in 1766 the diamond was brought to Amsterdam from Isfahan, the former Persian capital, by Grigori Safras, an affluent Armenian gem merchant.

Contemporary authors writing on gems, including Lord Ian Balfour as the most prominent authority on historic diamonds, believed that the gem in question was purchased in Amsterdam by Russian prince Grigory Orlov (1734–1783), former favourite of Catherine the Great, who then gave it to the Empress as a gift to try and win back her graces. While accepting the most popular version of how the Empress obtained the diamond, Balfour nonetheless mentioned the existence of unspecified Russian documents, which were supposed to shed light on the process of the transaction (Balfour, 2009; India, 2014).

The earliest historical record of the Orlov is in the last will of Safras or, more precisely, Grigori Shafras Khodiminasov (son of Khwaja Minas), the name by which he was known in Russia. The author of this document, written in 1771 in Petersburg, asked his relatives (the Empress’ banker and jeweller Ivan Lazarev (1735–1801) and his brother Akim Lazarev) to go to Amsterdam and take with them a 779 Dutch grain diamond (approximately 190 ct), which he had 2 deposited in an Amsterdam bank in 1767.

The gem was the common property of Safras and Ivan Lazarev. It is known from Lazarev’s testimony made in Petersburg in 1779, on account of the division of property between Safras’ heirs that on 20 October 1772 he had given 125,000 rubles to Safras to pay off the remaining 50% of his 3 share of the gem (Pyliaev, 2007). Probably both businessmen obtained the gem in Persia while working in close partnership, which was often the case with very expensive jewels (Huvhaniyan, 1379).

According to a very popular version of the story, Lazarev sold the diamond to Prince Orlov, who presented it to Catherine on her name-day on 24 November 1773.

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Gem and Jewellery History

The gem was given in a decorative case in the form of a red egg (Potto, 2007).

This actually did take place. However, historical records show that in reality the former favourite of the Empress was only an actor in the great diamond performance, directed by Catherine herself.

The Empress was interested in buying the gem no later than in March 1773, when a model of the diamond was already in her court. Her correspondence with Adam Olsufev, the Empress’ personal secretary, reveals that she paid for the diamond herself, taking 265,000 rubles out of the treasury between 1774 and 1780. The remaining 135,000 (of 400,000 — the total cost of the stone) had been paid earlier. In a letter dated 11 January 1774, addressed to Olsufev, the Empress insisted that her payments be made in secret and ordered him to pay in this way 75,000 rubles to Lazarev.

The transfer was to take place “at such a moment that would coincide with the time Orlov had contracted to purchase the gem from the jeweller prior to giving it to her as a gift”. And so it appears that even the court jeweller was unaware of the Empress’ schemes. It is all the more probable since he entered into a formal agreement of purchasing the diamond with the count.

It was therefore not Orlov who bought the gem, but Catherine herself. Why then did she take so much care to create the impression in the court that the diamond was purchased by Orlov? The key to answering the question is the date the diamond was purchased. In 1773, Russia was struggling with two military undertakings: the war against Turkey and Pugachev’s rebellion. In these circumstances, buying such a costly and excessive gem would definitely be treated by the Petersburg court as a controversial idea, to say the least (Baziiants, 1982).

It is known that the Empress was an enthusiast and collector of diamonds. Was the reason for her decision to purchase this stone tied only to this? Catherine was probably aware that the specimen offered to her is larger than other stones found in the possession of contemporary European rulers, and owning this exceptional stone

Oil on canvas portrait of Empress Catherine the Great by Russian painter Fyodor Rokotov, 1763.

would give her distinction among these rulers. Could this have been the reason for Empress Catherine’s decision to acquire that diamond?

Acknowledgement Research for this article was made possible by generous financial support granted by the Mellon Foundation.

Notes 1. In Edward Twining’s classic book A History of the Crown Jewels of Europe, Twining claims that the sceptre was designed by a man named Troitinski, who is in turn called Troitnoki by Lord Balfour (Twining, 1960; Balfour, 2009). Russian records of Catherine’s sceptre do not mention any person by this name. It is likely that both writers misspelled the name of a man called Troinitski, who was not actually a jeweller but a director at the Hermitage Museum from 1918 to

1927, and was the author of several works on historic Russian diamonds.

2. The Lazarevs were an Armenian family residing in Isfahan, Iran, since the seventeenth century, where they were involved in the gem and jewellery business.

One of them, Lazar, was to become a jeweller for the Persian Shah Abbas II (r.1642–1666). During Nadir Shah’s reign, when Armenians were being persecuted, the father of the future Empress’ jeweller, Lazar Lazarian, who was also in the gem trade, emigrated to Russia (SAOOIA, 1838; Kuznetsova, 2009).

3. Another important gem which came to Russia through Safras is the 46.92 ct diamond from the imperial orb. This stone was bought by a Russo-Armenian prince, Ivan Abamelek, who later traded it with Tsar Paul I for land (Baziiants, 1982; Kuznetsova, 2009).

Page 11

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Gem and Jewellery History

Did Orlov buy the Orlov (cont.)

References Balfour, I., 2009. Famous Diamonds.

Antique Collectors Club, London, p.211–214

Malecka, A. Have you deceived us, Monsieur Tavernier? On credibility of a classic source pertaining to the Great Mughal Diamond (in preparation)

Baziiants, A. P., 1982. Nad arkhivom Lazarevykh : ocherki. Izdatelstvo Nauka, Moskva, p.112–114, 117, 120–121

Polynina, I., 2012. Sokrovishcha Almaznogo Fonda Rossii. Slovo, Moskva, p.190

Huvhaniyan, H.D., and Minasiyan, L.G., 1379.

Tarikh-i Julfa-yi Isfahan. Nashr-i Zindahrud : Naqsh-i Khvurshid, Isfahan, p.119 India: Dragotsennosti, pokorivshie mir.

Moskovskii Kreml, Moskva, 2014, p.15 Kuznetsova, L.K., 2009. Peterburgskie iuveliry : vek vosemnadtsatyi, brilliantovyi.

Tsentrpoligraf, Moskva-St. Petersburg, p.168-171, 164-166; 144

Page 12

Potto, V., 2008. Kavkazskaia voina: Persidskaia voina 1826-1828gg, Tsentrograf, Moskva, p.356 Pyliaev, M.I., 2007. Dragotsennye kamni : ikh svoiistva, mestonakhozhdeniia i

primenenie. Oniks, Moskva, p.75 Rybakov, B.A., 1975. Sokrovishcha Almaznogo Fonda SSSR. Izobrazitelnoe Iskusstvo, Moskva, p.79 SAOOIA, 1838. Sobranie aktov otnosyashikhsia k obozreniu Armyanskogo naroda, Vol. 2. Lazarievykh Inst.

Vostochnykh Iazykov, Moskva, p.298 Twining, E. F., 1960. A History of the Crown Jewels of Europe. B. T. Batsford, London, p.533

About the author Anna Malecka is a former Mellon Fellow with the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem and is currently writing a book entitled Amulets, Poisons and Royal Splendour: Diamonds in the Islamic World.

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Gems and Minerals

Astorite Helen Serras-Herman FGA investigates a rare pink gem with historic mining roots.

Astorite is a rare rock composed mostly of pink rhodonite along with various amounts of quartz, rhodochrosite, gold, silver and other minerals. It is mined exclusively at the historic Toltec mine in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, about 10 miles from Silverton — an area that became famous for its silver and gold mining at the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth century.

Silverton and the San Juan Mountains The San Juan mountain range is part of southern Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.

Surrounded by great natural beauty, the town of Silverton is a US National Historic Landmark, with many of its original buildings still standing. Gold was discovered at Silverton in 1860 and, after negotiations with the Ute Indians, the town was created in 1874, doubling in population within a year. Silverton is located in San Juan County at 9,318 ft elevation, and the mine is situated in a remote area, above 10,000 ft.

Driving on the ‘Million Dollar Highway’ that connects the historic mining areas of Silverton and Ouray, the traveller is rewarded

with breathtaking scenery of deep gorges, mountain lakes and landscapes packed with evergreen trees.

John Jacob Astor IV The Toltec Mine was originally owned by Colonel John Jacob Astor IV (1), one of the wealthiest men in early twentiethcentury America, who owned several gold and silver mines in the Silverton mining district. Astorite is the trade name given to this material, to honour the mine’s original owner.

John Jacob Astor IV, born in 1864, was an American business man, inventor and writer. He was a member of the prominent Astor family. He served as lieutenant colonel during the Spanish-American War of 1898. His 1894 science fiction novel A Journey in Other Worlds: A Romance of the Future was a success. Astor was a real-estate magnate, and became famous for building the luxurious 17-storey Astoria Hotel in New York City in 1897, adjoining the 13-storey Waldorf Hotel, which was owned by his cousin William Waldorf Astor.

The combined historic landmark properties known as the Waldorf-Astoria became a prestigious destination for travelling visitors.

2: Large slabs of astorite that display a good balance combination of soft pink colour, black veins, striking lacey patterns of white chalcedony and ‘wires’ or tendrils of gold and silver.

Approximately 6 x 5 in.

1: John Jacob Astor IV with his wife, Madeleine Talmage Force, on the RMS Titanic.

Photo Wikimedia Commons.

After his first marriage ended in divorce in 1909 and, even though it was considered to be scandalous at the time, at the age of 47 John Jacob Astor married 18-year-old Madeleine Talmage Force. The couple went on a long honeymoon in Europe and Egypt, and because Madeleine became pregnant, they were returning home aboard RMS Titanic on that fateful voyage in 1912. Astor and his new bride were the wealthiest people on board. Just before the ship sank Astor helped his wife, her maid and her nurse get into a lifeboat, but he was not allowed to embark, and died when the ship sank. This heartbreaking story of love and tragedy has added another layer of history, lore and mystique to astorite.

After Astor’s death, the entrance to the mine was sealed and not reopened until 2001, when the new owner Will Benham — an enthusiastic rockhound — acquired the patented mining claims through a bid to the United Bank of Denver. It has also been speculated that the entrance to the mine was shut by Astor himself, wanting to save it for future exploration.

The mine claim later changed hands and since 2003 has been owned by Keith and Connie McFarland of K&C Traders in Silverton, Colorado (Laurs, 2007).

Page 13

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Gems and Minerals

Astorite (cont.) and tetrahedrite. The term ‘ore gangue’ refers to material that surrounds (or is mixed together with) a main mineral or ore deposit.

Many mineral sceptics still argue that the material is simply rhodonite, but Raman spectroscopy performed on two cabochons at the GIA lab in Carlsbad, California, proved that the rock is composed of rhodonite, quartz, rhodochrosite and other minerals (3). It also showed that the black spots match chalcocite, galena, pyrite and sphalerite (Laurs, 2007), unlike black manganese veins that run through rhodonite (Yakabowski, 2003). There are also some rare mineral inclusions of helvite, rose red crystals of friedelite, and transparent colourless fluorite and calcite (4). The amount of these minor minerals varies in each piece of rough and, consequently, in the cut slabs. The rock is not considered gold or silver ore, although it does assay at approximately 3: The difference between astorite (bottom left and centre), gem rhodonite from Australia (bottom right), and ‘gemmy’ rhodochrosite from Argentina (top) is evident.

Astorite composition and properties My husband and I first purchased some rough material in 2002 from Will Benham (2), and I am thankful that he provided us with the mineral data.

Based on its composition, astorite is a somewhat familiar, although mystical,

gem material. What makes the rhodoniterich astorite an exceptional material is the addition of three more major components: rhodochrosite, quartz in the form of pseudomorphs and chalcedony, and ore gangue, which is a highly silicified, complex sulfide with native metallic elements of gold, silver, copper, lead, chalcopyrite and magnetite, as well as galena, tenninite

4: The black inclusions in astorite match chalcocite, galena, pyrite and sphalerite. Beautiful stone images of two ‘love birds’ appeared when we consecutively cut these slabs.

Page 14

5: Easily cut into cabs and free-forms astorite takes an exceptional polish.

0.1 oz of gold and 7.75 oz of silver per ton.

The material is highly fluorescent under both shortwave and longwave UV light.

All these additional mineral inclusions make astorite a unique lapidary material, with an attractive colour combination of soft pink, grey, black veins and tan spots, with beautiful translucent lacy patterns and fortification bands, and ‘plumes’ of white chalcedony. Pink gemstones have a love-hate audience, and because of this it is sometimes difficult to sell pink gemstone jewellery. That said, the delicate, pastel pink colour with gold and silver flecks, makes astorite gemstones

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Gems and Minerals

beautiful, distinctive and eye-catching, and desired treasures for collectors.

The hardness of astorite is approximately 6.5–7 on the Mohs scale, depending on the amount of chalcedony quartz present. It is easy to cut into cabs and free-forms and takes an exceptional polish. The addition of chalcedony veins brings the hardness of this lapidary material up, facilitating a better and higher polish. Thin slabs retain good sectional integrity.

One-of-a-kind cabs and jewellery My husband and I first visited the historic towns of Ouray and Silverton in 1994, but at that time we were not familiar with astorite. However, we recognized the beauty of the material and that the layers of history and lore behind it would make astorite a desirable gemstone. Since then we have cut most of our rough and sold slabs and one-of-a-kind cabs (5). Astorite lends itself beautifully to carving, and I have created some lovely pieces by incorporating them into my jewellery artwork (6 and 7).

7: The colours of astorite complement many other materials, like these shells in this ‘Astorite Tempest’ necklace, now in private collection. Design Helen Serras-Herman. Photo by Michael Colella.

At present, rough material and slabs of astorite are seldom sold and are considered very rare. Large slabs of astorite that display a good balance combination of soft pink colour, black veins, striking lacy patterns of white chalcedony and ‘wires’ or tendrils of gold and silver, are considered extremely rare in the market.

A unique gem, astorite is certainly one worth adding to your collection.

All photos by Helen Serras-Herman, except where otherwise stated.

6: Astorite necklace designed by Helen Serras-Herman.

References Laurs, B., 2007. Gem News International.

Gems & Gemology, 34(2), 164–165.

Yakabowski, J.R., 2003. Astorite — A distinctive new gem material.

Wire Artist Jeweller, 6(6), 4-5.

Further reading Mindat.org website (http://mindat.org/ min-32145.html) Newman, R., 2012. Rare Gemstones. Intnl Jewelry Publications, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Serras-Herman, H., ‘Astorite’, The Dopstick, June 2003.

About the author Helen Serras-Herman is an acclaimed gem sculptor with over 30 years of experience in unique gem sculpture and jewellery art. A 2003 National Lapidary Hall of Fame inductee, Helen’s award-winning work has been exhibited worldwide and published in over 140 trade magazine articles and books. Visit her website at www.gemartcenter.com

Page 15

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Shows and Exhibitions

Gems in the Nevada desert Gary Roskin FGA takes us on a gemmological tour of JCK Las Vegas 2014.

Considered to be the largest jewellery show in the Americas, JCK’s 23rd annual jewellery show in Las Vegas was certainly all of that.

From a gemmologist’s perspective good walking shoes, a water bottle and a keen eye while moving quickly were the necessities of the show. With over 2,500 exhibitors and covering two convention hall floors and numerous adjacent ballrooms of the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel & Casino, it was, as it has been before, impossible to actually see everything in the four (or five) short days of the show.

Among the exhibitors, there are displays of loose gems, finished jewellery, manufacturing and gemmological equipment, as well as educational and business-related offerings.

Gem-A was well represented, with CEO James Riley and marketing and events manager Amandine Rongy, in the booth selling courses and gem instruments, and promoting the upcoming annual conference from 1 – 4 November. Olga Gonzalez and I also helped out, along with Gem-A members who would pass by, step in, and create that necessary gathering which drew even more attention to the booth.

We also had Mikko Åström and Alberto Scarani and their portable Raman spectroscope, the GemmoRaman, running spectra and promoting the very latest in gemmological testing.

JCK is full of other activities pulling you away from the show floors, such as seminars, working breakfasts and fashion shows. It all just seems a bit much to take in, but this allows everyone an opportunity to find what’s important to their business. (Yes, there are the additional after-show extravagant Las Vegas performances, such as rock’n’

Page 16

roller Rob Thomas, singer/songwriter from the band Matchbox Twenty, at JCK’s ‘Rocks the Beach’ concert and the Diamond Empowerment Fund’s ‘Diamonds in the Sky’ event, featuring 10-time Grammy Awardwinner singer/songwriter, Chaka Khan.

Then there was the Plumb Club’s double event: breakfast with ‘Shark Tank’ TV personality and entrepreneur Daymond John, founder and CEO of the iconic fashion brand FUBU, as well as an evening gala with comedian Jerry Seinfeld.)

Officially, the show is only four days long: Friday 30 May — Monday 2 June.

However, the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), North America’s natural colour gemstones and cultured pearls suppliers’ organization, is allowed to open its two adjacent ballrooms one day earlier to get a jump on the finished jewellery competition from Thursday 29 May – Monday 2 June.

If that’s not enough, there are two other gem and jewellery shows in Las Vegas. At the Mirage Resort Hotel, with the flaming volcano and indoor rainforest, is the annual Gem & Lapidary Dealers Association (GLDA) gem show, while across the street and up the block at the Paris Resort Hotel is the annual Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show.

But who has time for all of that?

Let’s talk gems!

1: Most of what you see at JCK are the heat-treated black diamonds shown here — round brilliant cuts and faceted beads. The poor quality starting material is always evident under magnification and even here in the image — you can see pits, cavities and fracture lines on many of these random samples. Obviously, these gems are admired for their colour and their lustre (adamantine).

Courtesy of Danis GMBH, Tiefenbronn, Germany.

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Shows and Exhibitons

Diamonds in Las Vegas News touched on around the show was the possibility of CVD synthetic diamonds ending up in parcels of natural diamond melee. In fact, I was at one booth feeling comfortable about the melee they were offering as all natural, and then wouldn’t you know, two booths away I was talking with a prominent and well-respected diamond supplier about that very melee and he asked in a whisper: “Is it natural?”

It was also very evident that almost everyone seems to be comfortable talking ‘CVD’ and ‘HPHT synthetic’, as well as ‘HPHT-treated’. I don’t recall that from last year.

Rough diamond crystals, low quality diamond slices, black diamonds (1), and mounting diamonds upside down to reveal the culet (2) are still being offered by cutters, jewellery manufacturers and jewellery designers. But there were fewer seen (unless the rough diamond crystals start becoming more gemmy/cuttable), so look for that trend to start fading. Still popular are fancy pink diamonds, shown in 3.

Around the pearl Also seen (4) was some interesting nacre on fresh bead-nucleated South Seas rounds; a very small hammered appearance, similar, and yet tiny, when compared to natural pearls (not cultured). We also saw some baroque-shape grey Tahitian cultured pearls (5). Apparently, these were nucleated using baroque-shaped beads.

Colour prices going up If you haven’t taken notice, large coloured gems are being priced for sale higher than in past years. Those in the know are concerned that supplies will not be as forthcoming as they once were. Restocking large 10, 15, 20 ct tourmalines, for example, is not going to be easy, and certainly no less expensive. See the beautiful examples of Tsavorite from Bruce Bridges shown in 6, and some wonderful Paraíba tourmalines from Akiva Gil, shown in 7.

2

3

4

5

6

7

2: Rose cuts are still very popular, as are fancy colour diamonds and faceted diamond slices.

Combine the look of fancy colour, low quality diamond slices and rose cuts, and we get what we see here. Are they popular? Are they trending? That’s not for me to say but it makes sense that someone sees this as a possible popular look. Courtesy of Facet, Barcelona, Spain.

3: L J West Diamonds, New York, is one of the leading fancy coloured diamond suppliers at JCK Las Vegas. Fancy pink diamonds are still one of the most popular, and pricey, of the ‘commercially available’ fancy colours. The earrings seen here feature a 1.22 ct and a 1.05 ct centre round brilliant cut, graded Fancy Intense Pink and Fancy Intense Purplish-Pink respectively, accented by 2.32 ct total weight of pink pear-shapes and surrounded by 20 colourless pear-shapes.

4: These beautiful 17 mm round cultured pearls left us scratching our heads as we had never seen the micro-hammered nacre before. Pay no attention to the larger dimple just below the bright reflection. Cast your focus into the centre of the pearl where the dark shadow meets the reflection of the cotton. Natural pearls often show this ‘hammered’ appearance, but mostly in larger surface indentations. In more than 12 years of taking close-up images of large South Seas and Chinese freshwater cultured rounds, we have never seen anything quite like this.

Courtesy of Jack Lynch, Sea Hunt Pearls.

5: Is this a first? These are baroque 14 × 15.1 mm Tahitian cultured pearls, created using baroque-shaped mother of pearl nuclei. It’s the first time we have seen them, and leave it to Jack Lynch of Sea Hunt Pearls, San Francisco, to bring them to the show. Known for searching out the very latest, Jack is always our first stop on the gem show circuit.

6: Expanding the talk of large colour becoming rare and pricey, here we have a fabulous suite of tsavorite garnets from Bruce Bridges, Bridges Exploration, Nairobi, Kenya. Founder of the green gem, Bruce brought out these three gemmy beauties, noting just how important and how difficult it is to match up a trio like this. Large cushion brilliant, 10.75 ct, and smaller matching pair, 13.52 ct.

7: Courtesy of Joe Gil at Akiva Gil, New York, a glimpse of Paraíba tourmaline. It was refreshing to see the Brazilian material here in Las Vegas since almost everyone else had tourmalines from Mozambique. That said, we really did not see any noticeable difference in colour quality from one locale to the other, reinforcing the notion that the best Brazilian material is not only rare, it may be historical.

Page 17

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Shows and Exhibitions

Gems in the Nevada desert (cont.)

We finally found it!

We’ve been looking for the glass-filled blue sapphire ever since Bear and Cara Williams first mentioned it (see Cara’s article ‘Seeing red when blue’, page 20) and showed us images online over a year ago. There it was, right next to the glass-filled composite

8

red corundum, both priced at just $0.99 per carat (8). That’s right, less than one dollar per carat. Asking prices for faceted materials varied from an overheard high $150 per carat down to roughly $5 per carat, which is what we spent to acquire the oval seen here (9).

9

8: While you shouldn’t make your identification based upon price, this seems to be giving us fair warning that this is not just heat-treated corundum. Noting that numerous pieces of the original starting material have been joined together, the obvious determination is that this is indeed rough cobalt glass-filled blue corundum. Most of the pieces seen here weighed 50 ct and up, so we opted not to purchase any at this point in time. From Colombin Stone Co. Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand.

Last but not least A couple of quirky and wonderful items that we chanced upon on our travels are shown in 10, 11 and 12.

10

11

9: We have been waiting to see glass-filled blue sapphire at the shows, and that day has finally come. While there is no ‘flash effect’ as we see inside glass-filled ruby, the flattened gas bubbles, numerous fracture lines racing in every direction across every facet, as well as showing red beneath the Chelsea Colour Filter, the identification of cobalt glass-filled sapphire (composite sapphire) is not difficult. Prices can vary. Courtesy of Vijay Tak, of Colombin Stone Co. Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand. Also seen here were diffusion-treated star sapphires, as well as what appeared to be $5 per ct beryllium diffusion-treated sapphire.

10: You’ll just have to believe us: this is colour-change sphene from Afghanistan’s northern province of Badakhshan, bordering Tajikistan and Pakistan. Shown by Eric Braunwart at Columbia Gem House, Vancouver, Washington, this gem variety is not new, but the depth of colour and the colour change was remarkable. What we saw was what you see here: a dark brownish-green to what appeared to be a dark reddish-brown colour change. (Lighting colour-change gems in typical convention show lighting is frustrating at best.) The classic sphene dispersion was nothing less than amazing against the dark coloured background.

11: Conni Mainne Designs, in Mendocino California, is one of our favourite designers, always managing to find the most unique gem materials for her exquisite jewels. Conni loves to search out gemstones with interesting textures and inclusions. This year she’s found yet another inclusion; a splash of pyrite in rock crystal, creating an eye-catching feature for her designs.

12: You don’t have to love dogs in order to appreciate the cameo work seen here, from Herbert Stephan KG, Frauenberg, Germany. It offers custom gemstone engravings and carvings, as well as assembled gem materials.

Page 18

12

Gem-A is getting social, so why not join us?

Gem-A is expanding its online activities and we want you to be a part of it! Join Gem-A’s online revolution by following us on Facebook or Twitter.

@GemAofGB

fb.com/GemAofGB

Understanding Gems Visit www.gem-a.com

TM

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Hands-on Gemmology

Seeing red Cara Williams FGA discusses the limitations of using the Chelsea Colour Filter to identify treated blue sapphire.

While the Chelsea Colour Filter (CCF) can help to identify when a sapphire is filled with cobalt-coloured lead glass, it is not diagnostic.

Quick tests can lead to the wrong conclusions if all parameters are not understood. While such tests often provide a quick and handy means of eliminating certain options, they can seldom be relied on for diagnostic identification. When cobalt-coloured, lead glass-filled sapphires (‘hybrid sapphire’) first began to enter the market in a significant way, I advised clients that there was little to worry about regarding this material as it was readily identifiable with the CCF, which would make it appear red rather than the greenish colour of naturally coloured blue sapphire. This quick test was proven

1: Dyed opaque sapphires showing deep royal blue colour.

Page 20

2: Close-up showing dye concentrations along fissures and twin planes.

insufficient when sapphires set in silver jewellery (1) were recently submitted to confirm treatment by lead glass filling. These stones were obviously not glass-filled and tested negative for either cobalt or lead, yet still appeared red when viewed through the CCF. It was explained to the client that it is not just cobalt that will cause this reaction. If one digs far enough, there is an exception to every rule in gemmology.

The submitted items were not gem grade sapphires, but even this term needs revision, as nowadays it is very common to see this grade of gem material — what we once considered non-gem grade or specimen grade — set in fine jewellery with diamonds.

Many of these stones are completely natural, such as well-formed but opaque diamond crystals or sapphire slices, while others are treated in various ways. These stones were opaque and resembled deep blue lapis lazuli, especially with the sub-surface fissures creating a reflectance effect, subtly twinkling like pyrite inclusions might do.

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Hands-on Gemmology

residues. As destructive testing was not possible, the original colour could not be determined. It should be noted that some dyes are much less impervious to solvents, some even water-soluble.

The CCF can identify these as other than natural blue corundum (4), but further observation and testing should be done to confirm whether the stone is dyed or filled with cobalt-coloured lead glass.

Cobalt will cause the lead glass filler to fluoresce, but the high iron content of these stones and the nature of this dye did not allow any fluorescence to be observed. Cobalt glass-treated sapphire will also commonly show air bubbles within the glass areas, but the opacity of these specimens prevented the observance of any internal features.

3: Cobalt-coloured lead glass-filled sapphire (‘hybrid sapphire’), rough and faceted.

Microscopic observation revealed numerous surface pits and repeated twinning with open fissures, typical of low-grade corundum that could allow the admission of foreign substances (2). Following these lines were concentrations of blue colour. There was none of the glassy, smooth appearance of a filled gemstone (3), and fissures remained unfilled, although there were minor polishing residues that remained within some surface pits. No fluorescence was observed under UV excitation. RI readings were not ideal due to the irregular surface, but weak dual RI readings of approximately 1.76 and 1.77 confirmed these to be corundum. Identification as corundum was further confirmed on several surfaces with Raman, which will also detect glass when present.

Swabbing with acetone yielded very little colour in this case — so little as to be inconclusive whether it was dye or merely polishing 5: These dyed corunda were originally greyish in colour. CCF reactions were the opposite of what would be expected based on appearance.

It should be noted that corundum of low quality can be dyed various colours. Grey corundum that has been dyed red is not ruby, although it may look like it and test like ruby in some ways. Green dyes may cause a stone to resemble emerald, but such material would not qualify as emerald or green sapphire; it is best described as dyed green corundum (5).

All photos © Stone Group Labs.

About the authors Bear and Cara Williams operate Stone Group Laboratories, which provides non-destructive, advanced gemmological testing services to the trade and offer global consulting services as well as custom research projects regarding coloured gemstones.

Cara is also tutor for the Gem-A Gemmology Diploma Open Distance Learning course.

4: Dyed sapphire viewed through CCF.

Page 21

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Book Shelf

Silversmithing A Contemporary Guide to Making This publication is authored by veterans of the industry Brian Hill and Andrew Putland. Brian is consultant secretary to the Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council, and has over 40 years’ of expertise in the practice and teaching of silversmithing at the University of Creative Arts in Rochester, while Andrew, who studied at Rochester, went on to form the silversmithing partnership Padgham and Putland, and was involved in the production of silver plates for the Vatican as part of the Church 2000 project.

The publication refers to a selection of renowned work from the silver collection of the Goldsmiths’ Company, and presents key

Silversmithing: A Contemporary Guide to Making

By Brian Hill and Andrew Putland Published by The Crowood Press Ltd, 2014.

ISBN: 978-1847976154 RRP £25.00

Page 22

historical facts about each item, along with an analysis of the skills involved in making the piece. A beautiful example of a sweetmeat basket produced by William Plummer in 1759 is featured with the pierced, saw-cut method being highlighted as its main trait.

Brian and Andrew add that the techniques used to create this piece are enhancements to its functionality.

The authors seek to promote the traditional methods of silversmithing, deeming them to be irreplaceable linchpins of the trade and which hold the key to high quality work. Thus the main section of the book details the core manufacturing techniques such as hammering, raising, soldering, spinning, polishing and finishing, with the use of visual step-by-step guides, which are either handdrawn, or in some cases, detailed through a series of photographs.

Decorative treatments such as engraving, enamelling, chasing and etching (amongst others) are also detailed, using examples from different designers to highlight each of these techniques. Also included is a description of the history and processes of hallmarking with procedures and tips on how to get an item hallmarked in the UK. Although the main focus of the book is to understand the fundamental aspects of silversmithing, the authors feel that “it is important to participate actively in the arm of technology that promotes and enhances one’s work.” The next section therefore goes on to explain the positive impact of technological processes on the craft, such as computer aided design, laser sintering and casting. These processes are described in detail and illustrated with pictures, making them easy to follow and understand.

The final two sections of the book look specifically at key designers involved within the industry. The authors have selected work from an eclectic mix of contemporary established designers including Brett Payne, Hiroshi Suzuki and Alistair McCallum. Samples of each designer’s work are presented with a description of their artistic strengths and specialist techniques.

Brian and Andrew conclude by highlighting a mixture of up and coming designers to demonstrate that the next generation will “promote, protect and enhance the traditional craft of silversmithing in a contemporary domain” — a statement which is reflected throughout the book. The authors show an obvious passion to instil those values within the trade and their readers, and state that whilst the book is predominantly a teaching journal and a contemporary guide to assist people in learning the values of silversmithing, it should also be used as a foundation for skillsbased learning. The book certainly fulfils its purpose and acts as an excellent reference for those already practicing silversmithing or those who have a developing interest in the field.

Gems&Jewellery / July 2014

Book Shelf

Ruby&Sapphire A Collector’s Guide Anything by Richard Hughes is always a joy to behold, and this is no exception. This book gathers together numerous photographs and Hughes’ vast knowledge of the history, occurrences and gemmology of these marvellous stones. It should be noted that this not an update of his tour de force Ruby & Sapphire published in 1997, although owners of that will definitely want to take a look at this.

This book is more about people and Hughes’ lifetime love affair with these gems, and is almost a social commentary on the ruby and sapphire market today. There are photos from deposits around the world showing where these stones are mined and, more importantly, the people doing it. There is a fantastic scope of pictures, from young children with rough stones which have just been unearthed to images showing traditional heat-treating techniques, as well as pictures of some of the world’s most famous gems. The quality of the photos is superb, and this book is a must for your collection.

Available to order from www.ruby-sapphire.com/ruby-sapphire-collectors-guide/indexruby-sapphire-collectors-guide.php

Terra Spinel and Terra Garnet

Ruby & Sapphire: A Collector’s Guide Richard W. Hughes Publisher: Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand, 2014 ISBN: 978-6169145035 $99.00 (plus shipping)

Terra Spinel and Terra Garnet, both by Vladyslav Yavorskyy, also have scintillating photographs and print quality. Perhaps more in the line of ‘coffee table’ books, both reinvigorate these often maligned and forgotten gem species. The books display exquisite photos of cut and rough stones alongside photographs of the people involved in mining and selling, adding a warm, human element to the story of these beautiful gems and to the industry. Images of the lands from where these stones are mined build a complete picture. These books need to be seen to appreciate the beautiful imagery. Both will soon sell out so reserve your copy today.

Both books are available to purchase from Gem-A Instruments.

Contact shop@gem-a.com or +44 (0) 207 404 3334.

Terra Garnet

By Vladyslav Yavorskyy, with Richard Hughes Privately published, printed in Hong Kong, 2014 ISBN: 978-0615925332 £70.00

Terra Spinel

By Vladyslav Yavorskyy, with Richard Hughes Privately published, printed in Hong Kong, 2010 ISBN: 978-0615409016 £125.00

Page 23

Business Support: Insurance |

Are your customers being unfaithful to you?

Picture the scene… They’re in love and want to buy something very special from a jeweller they know and trust – you! hey’ve talked, you’ve listened and advised.

You may have then designed, made and ultimately supplied the chosen item.

Something that will be very special, forever a token of love, and very likely a future family heirloom. It is the purchase of a lifetime made with your help.

Every day jewellers all over the UK, all over the world in fact, are afforded a privileged glimpse into the personal lives of their clients. A position of trust, a window to hopes and dreams!

T

Fast forward five years: park, baby, feeding the ducks The ring has been lost – swallowed along with the bread! What happens now? Will your customer be driven into the arms of a rival jeweller as their insurance company seeks a replacement elsewhere or will they be able come back to you for the replacement ring? As far as the latter goes – quite probably not! Many insurers will send them off with a voucher or a pre-paid card usable only in ‘chosen outlets’. All is not lost, however…

Back in 1937 TH March (THM) launched a unique scheme with the aim of combating a problem that is still faced by independent jewellers today: how to keep your customers spending in your shop. Thousands of jewellers are missing out on valuable income from repairing or replacing their customers’ jewellery when it is the subject of an insurance claim.

Will some other jeweller get the business?

Sadly that is so often the case. Most insurers like to deal with a central supplier of their choice for all their claims, because it cuts down on costs and it is easy to do. This works well with TVs or fridges, but not with something as unique as a piece of jewellery.

Most of your customers will probably have their jewellery covered under home and contents insurance. This is because they simply don’t understand the ramifications of not having bespoke cover and they don’t realise how claims for jewellery are usually settled.

TH March ensures that the cover it organises is the best available on the market and backs it up with a claims network and service that is unrivalled in the UK. More importantly for you and your customers, wherever possible all March Insurance Solutions policy holders are sent straight back to their own jeweller (if they are one of TH March’s introducing jewellers) for any repair or replacement work that is needed.

Ring my bell!

Working in partnership with Lloyd’s of London, THM developed schemes that not only help jewellers hold on to their customers, but, at the same time, earn commission and repair and replacement business for them.

Additionally, jewellers’ customers can be offered the added value of standalone personal jewellery insurance

with instant cover at the point of sale. It is a simple yet revolutionary idea that some have tried to copy, but cannot replicate due to THM’s unique relationship with the jewellery trade.

The N.A.G., TH March and SaferGems Working together, TH March and the National Association of Goldsmiths were responsible for setting up the highly successful SaferGems anti-crime initiative in 2009.

THM’s managing director, Neil McFarlane said: “In the past 127 years THM has grown and developed to meet the ever-changing needs of the jewellery trade. We have always listened carefully to our partners in the jewellery trade associations and the setting up of SaferGems is one of the many tangible results of that way of working.

Thousands of jewellers are missing out on valuable income from repairing or replacing their customers’ jewellery when it is the subject of an insurance claim.

“Today we offer a wide range of insurance products suitable for both commercial and individual needs, including financial planning services and our commitment to the UK jewellery trade has never been stronger. It is why this company was established in the first place and it is at the centre of everything we do. The jewellery trade is in TH March’s DNA and that will never change!”

How you can keep your customers spending in your shop and earn valuable commission too!

Chartered insurance broker and jewellery industry expert TH March, provides simple insurance schemes that pay commission to introducing jewellers, and help ensure customers return to their own jeweller wherever possible when repairs or replacements are needed.

Contact John Watson on 01822 855555, email: insurance@thmarch.co.uk or visit their website: www.thmarch.co.uk to learn more.

The Voice of the Industry 31

| Association Update

United we stand

The memorandum of understanding

Michael Rawlinson outlines the background to the current plan for the Association to unify with the British Jewellers’ Association and sets out some of the benefits that are being targeted. rade associations are usually formed by a group of commercial businesses that operate in a defined business sector, which come together with a common cause or purpose. The scope of the cause or purpose can be either broad or narrow. To give you an example close to home, a broad scope might be to represent the interests of the UK jewellery industry, from manufacturer to retailer and all points in between. A narrow scope – to represent the interests of retailers of fine jewellery, who have a shop located in a prominent retail location, with clearly priced stock displayed within a window visible to the consumer. This same pattern can be repeated across many sectors and industries.

The key factor in either situation is for the association in question to define its role, based on its members’ needs. The benefit of a narrow cause is focus and clarity, the

T

By 31st December 2014: • To have formed and be ready to operate as The National Association of Jewellers (NAJ – NewCo) that will incorporate The National Association of Goldsmiths (the legal entity that will allow for the ongoing use of the Grant of Arms, and allow for a two year grace period within which the N.A.G. could withdraw from the unification process) and the British Jewellers Association (an association within the British Allied Trades Federation. This structure will require the agreement of the BATF) • To have undertaken due diligence on the structure of NAJ to include the business, financial and legal structures • To have created governance statutes, codes of practice and by-laws • To have prepared a budget for NAJ to include the membership structure and fees, staffing requirements, and operational locations • To have undertaken to meet with members through all appropriate communication channels, including Town Hall gatherings at industry events including Jewellery & Watch London (June), The Watch Show (July) and IJL (September), with a view to having the members of each organisation voting to ratify the unification proposal • To have established and agreed the initial strategic objectives for NAJ, and the opening member benefits and services • To have agreed and established a joint working fund (contributed to equally) to finance any external consultancy support or other costs required to achieve the above objectives

a paradigm shift and work towards having just one association to represent the whole UK jewellery sector.

Over the past 18 months the two associations have met, discussed, pondered and considered how we might work more closely together. This resulted in the signing of a memorandum of understanding back in April setting a number of agreed objectives that both organisations would, in good faith, try to achieve. These joint discussions were skilfully and sensitively guided by Patrick Fuller, chairman of Weston Beamor and good friend of both organisations. In the initial stages of the discussions, the questions and concerns related to failed attempts to merge the two organisations that had been tried in the past. This time around both sides tried to look beyond the past to a new future and new way of thinking.

This time around both sides tried to look beyond the past to a new future and new way of thinking. disadvantage is the potential to fulfil the goal and lose the need to exist. Or, the goal posts move and the defined membership basis becomes outdated and leads to an everdecreasing membership base.

No one working in our sector would argue with the fact that the world of jewellery manufacturing, distribution and retailing has changed considerably in the last few years.

The arrival of branded jewellery, the rise of the designer makers and non-specialist retailers, together with Internet resellers, changed the trading landscape and has ushered in a new era. A huge amount of manufacturing capacity moved overseas, undermining the ability to invest in training and apprenticeships.

Both the BJA and ourselves have taken a step back, reviewed our traditional roles representing our respective memberships, and concluded that the time is right to make

32 The Jeweller July 2014

A top level strategy paper was prepared as a starting point by the BJA vice chair Helen O’Neill, that identified many clear benefits. Debate and discussion refined the initial draft resulting in the memorandum, which sets out the proposal: • To unify The British Jewellers’ Association and The National Association of Goldsmiths (Incorporating IRV) into one organisation that will be incorporated within the British Allied Trades Federation • That the unified organisation would have one non-executive committee driving strategic direction and policy, facilitating the opportunity for the industry to have gravitas and impact with policymakers, regulators, civil society and consumers • To remove competition in the trade association arena and help to

•

foster cooperation and trust across the supply chain To achieve operational efficiencies and financial savings

Association Update | •

•

•

•

• •

To create a larger market for benefits and member services allowing for better discounts or reduced fees To support greater opportunities to sell our existing educational courses to new markets and to develop new courses within existing and new markets To recruit more members in order to increase the opportunity to establish local groups/chapters for networking and support purposes To support better consumer messaging and increase standards and trust generating increased confidence in the sector To raise standards To improve business development training and mentoring with the objective of improving the professionalism of the sector

This proposal is fully supported by the Association’s board, and they, on your behalf, have already secured two key commitments from the BJA: • The N.A.G. grant of arms be retained as the consumer-facing brand identity • Security of N.A.G. assets for the sole use of jewellers, meaning they will not be absorbed into the British Allied Trades Federation (BATF) funds available for other sectors’ use.

Questions raised so far… and the answers Will the N.A.G. (and BJA) still exist after the unification?

The plan is to form the new organisation jointly and for new member companies to join this new company from 1st January 2015. Once everything is settled and the N.A.G. is satisfied and agrees with all the details and its members have ratified the agreement, then the N.A.G. will transfer fully into the new company, just as will the BJA. Will the N.A.G. become part of the British Allied Trade Federation?

The new company will be part of the Federation, and so N.A.G. members will be part of the BATF. What will happen to N.A.G. assets?

When the Association is fully integrated

CEO Michael Rawlinson outlines plans for the proposed merger at the recent N.A.G. AGM.

The next steps The two CEOs are currently working on detail of the unification plan, which will provide the road map. There will be a lot of issues to be discussed and debated, and the options will be laid out for the respective boards of directors to decide. Once a plan is agreed, the boards for each association will vote on whether to proceed. with the new company, our assets will be added to the BJA’s assets and will be used fully and exclusively for the benefit of the jeweller members.

What will be the criteria for membership?

Will the new company uphold the high standards set by the N.A.G? Both the N.A.G. and BJA have tried in the past to set appropriate standards of ethical and legal business trading for their members and we will ensure that the new company does the same. Coming together is about being stronger and maintaining the highest standards that will deliver consumer and stakeholder confidence.

Where will the new company be based; will the N.A.G. move to Birmingham?

No definite plans have been made yet, but the consensus of thinking so far is to have at least two offices, one in Birmingham and

During the ongoing process each organisation will be regularly updating its members so that everyone knows what is being planned, and questions and concerns can be asked and responded to. If you have any comments or queries please do not hesitate to contact the Association on the dedicated address set up for this purpose: unification@jewellers-online.org one in London. The respective associations want to ensure that the new company delivers more for the same cost, rather than the same for less cost. We want to build a stronger and better organisation.

Is this a merger, takeover or unification?

Both of the existing organisations see this as creating one new unified jewellery industry trade body. Both the BJA and N.A.G. have a long history and heritage and it would be wrong to think we are going to lose any of this. The vision is to build on the past and create a new organisation fit for the future.

How has the announcement of this process been received by other trade organisations?

The response has been completely positive, with other trade and industry bodies welcoming the news and expressing a desire to work closely with the new body.

The Voice of the Industry 33

Membership Benefits and Services 2014 The Association’s membership development manager, Robert Eden, has now completed an exhaustive overhaul of our benefits and services, and is now able to extend this roll call of those companies that will be working with us, and the membership, to offer relevant and business-related services and offers.

Financial The National Association of Goldsmiths’ Insurance Replacement Scheme – We have negotiated a scheme with an insurance validation service, for our members to supply insurance replacement work. The scheme operates with an automatic opt in and every member will be signed up initially. (If you want to opt out, please call the membership department and advise). The basics of the scheme are: • The Association will send a letter to he consumer listing the amount of the replacement, together with tear-off voucher or replacement card. The letter will list their five nearest members • The consumer will be asked to call us to validate the claim • The consumer takes their validated claim into one of the jewellers and buys/ orders an article/s of their choosing • The retailer takes the voucher, plus any further payment for the article, and issues a receipt • The retailer sends/preferably emails a copy of the voucher and receipt to us at Luke St and within 30-40 days we settle the amount by BACS, less 23% • If the consumer underspends on their voucher/card, the retailer issues a credit for the difference. This ensures the claim can be paid and the rest of the voucher/ card is used in your store • There is no cash alternative

34 The Jeweller July 2014

Gift Cards & Loyalty Cards – Within 12 months Insurance Replacement Cards, which is a National Scheme and open only to members of the Association. We really need your support on this; the more members that sign up the better for everyone involved.

The scheme is centrally managed, but will give you access to a web portal so that you can add and remove funds from the cards.

The beauty of the system is that we, as a family of members, can offer something no one else in our industry can – i.e. an Association member in nearly every town or city in the United Kingdom.

Perhaps someone wants to buy a gift of jewellery for a family member who lives 200 miles away… but is unsure of what they like. Simple.

They buy a gift card from you and send it to the recipient wherever in they are in the UK. The family member can redeem it at their local jeweller… it’s as easy as that.

The cards are refillable and can be used in stages. All cards will be valid for 13 months.

The Loyalty Card – This is tailored to your store, but will work the same for each outlet. The card can be filled every time a customer spends a pound in store; one point for every pound spent. Suggestions for rewards would be a service – maybe cleaning jewellery or watch battery replacements. However this will be up to you to manage and decide.

The scheme offers the possibility to build your customer base through loyalty, and to know more about your customers than ever before. You can acknowledge birthdays, anniversaries, offer special promotions at certain times and even drive products for special occasions.

Benefits and Services | The costs of the scheme is an initial oneoff payment of £199 and then £30 per month, plus the price of the cards: about 80p each. The member accepting the card pays a premium into the scheme of 10 per cent. This is then payable to the member who sold the card, to cover their administration and the card cost. This will be capped at £150, hence costing the redeeming member £15.

Pay4later and V12 – Both of these partners, enable the member to offer finance promotions (including zer per cent interest free credit) to their customer’s via a complete multi channel portfolio. In a marketplace where credit is widely available, we recognised that our members need to offer a scheme for their needs. Luckily we have managed to secure two excellent offers so members can choose which scheme suits them, and their clients, the best. The possibilities with both schemes will add a further service to your current portfolios and give you the best chance of up-selling and/ or being able to support your customer when they need it.

Luckily we have managed to secure two excellent offers so members can choose which scheme suits them, and their clients, the best.

WorldPay – WorldPay offers unrivaled global card payment coverage and functionality across all of the leading schemes. It provides both the access to global markets and the card payment expertise that will help your business succeed. We have been given some very competitive rates from WorldPay and I urge you to see if these are more competitive than those you are currently getting. The card terminals available are the most up-to-date and secure on the market, and WorldPay can offer an interactive online portal to accept payments.

Equifax – Equifax is working with the Association to provide members with services to help with electronic ID Verification, credit risk, affordability and fraud prevention

while helping them meet regulatory requirements. Here are some of the benefits of using Equifax: • Compliance: Equifax’s solutions are designed to help regulated companies comply with various regulatory requirements. These include antimoney laundering, treating the client fairly, responsible lending and data protection from the European Union 4th Money Laundering Directive, Office of Fair Trading, Financial Conduct Authority and Information Commissioner Office • Customer Friendly: the customer does not require paper-based documents, which will also reduce ‘walk-aways’ when they do not have these to hand.

Those using Equifax have reported up to an eight per cent increase in sales due to walk away reduction • Credit Risk: customers applying for finance can avoid declaring current financial situation, also they can be unaware of some past/present financial commitments, CCJs and bankruptcies.

The report will allow lenders to access over 450 million financial records to get a true picture of the customer credit-worthiness, so the company can offer the best product for the customer.

Applicants may also have an address history which shows up negative information that would otherwise be unchecked, as the service checks up to six years’ worth of residency • Fraud Prevention: Know Your Client (KYC) checks on customers can not only help with AML compliance, but help combat fraud via fake/tampered papers, documents and identity theft (where fraudsters use another person’s identity to apply for goods and services)

•

Easy to use: a completely online instant verification solution will help companies process applications faster, avoid paper-based documents, allow reports to be stored easily and electronically and requires minimal information – just name, date of birth and address

Pawnbroking FundingSecure – Peer-to-peer asset-based loans. A new take on pawnbroking, this exciting scheme allows any store to set up a system of pawnbroking without the capital outlay or an FCA licence.

The scheme works by the jeweller valuing an item and informing the borrower of the maximum loan amount (70 per cent trade value). The cost of borrowing is then explained to the customer who decides whether to proceed. If this is the case, the jeweller fill out the form on the supplied tablet and takes photos and information about the product and customer before sending this securely to FundingSecure. The company will then send by email a signed loan agreement to the jeweller’s and the customer’s email addresses. The jeweller will then need to run through the agreement with the customer, print it and get it signed. The customer will keep a copy of the agreement and the jeweller will advise FundingSecure that the agreement is signed.

The funds are then transferred directly to either the borrower’s bank account or, in the case of cash, to the jeweller’s bank account.

A copy of the transfer is sent to the jeweller and the customer for their records.

The customer leaves… hopefully happy!

The Voice of the Industry 35

Slow Summer Sales?

Add sunshine with V12 Retail Finance options.

As temperatures rise, customers hit the beach not the High Street, so it’s vital to make every sale as easy as possible. With the latest retail finance products, paperless eSign and simple identification procedures from V12 Retail Finance, you have more options than ever to offer your customers:

Interest Free

Buy Now Pay Later

Take 5 Instalment Plan

Interest Bearing

Contact V12 Retail Finance today to see how we could help you warm up those summer sales!

Call 02920 468900 or Email jewellery@v12finance.com for more information today!

v12retailfinance.com

Retail Finance

Benefits and Services | Security Skyguard – The MySOS device, exclusively developed by Skyguard, is Europe’s smallest personal safety device that incorporates the latest GPS and GPRS technologies. Featuring mobile phone position request enabling you to see where the device is at any moment, as well as the SOS alarm function, this is the perfect solution for lone worker protection, the elderly and vulnerable. Fully certified to the highest industry standards; BS 8484: 2011 and ACPO’s Secured by Design.

The Association feels that security is a must and this little device is brilliant. The The MySOS personal safety device

by Skyguard and their incident management centre.

also offers security consultancy services and services security systems for many of its clients.

The product potentially of most interest to members is the MEMO Diamond Motion system, which was developed specifically for the jewellery and watch market and is recognised by several insurance underwriters throughout the world. The MEMO system is installed in many locations around the world. Elelock, specifies and supplies the system for Rolex, Richard Mille and DeBeers among others in the UK. It also supports

some premium retailers in Europe and the Middle East.

For the member who may not require a system like the MEMO, Elelock also offers the PS Lock system. This will fit virtually any showcase, cabinet or drawer and is retrofitted. There are no wires as the units run on a battery that allows approximately 30,000 operations. These units are supplied to our membership at a substantial discount and offer additional security for staff and showcases. They also have a door open alarm, and can be tailored to work in various different ways to suit your business.

built-in safety features and the online tracking gives complete piece of mind – for the equivalent price of a (very reasonable) mobile phone contract. The unit, which is the size of an alarm fob, can record your location, send assistance, call a designated number and act as a two-way radio.

The Association is the distributor for Skyguard and feels it is a must for anyone within this trade, particularly those who open and lock up, agents and reps on the road and anyone else that maybe at risk.

Protection from £9 per month! (Payable in full at start of contract.)

Over the last three years, Fog Bandit has successfully thwarted 26 jewellery robberies, without any injuries to the people exposed to what is typically a most frightening experience.

Fog Bandit – With the way the world is, you can never have too much security and with Fog Bandit you have a very sophisticated system that makes it temporarily impossible to see. In fact the systems are so effective, there have been no activation failures!

Our members will benefit from a free survey, risk assessment and live activation tests within jewellers’ shops, so staff can appreciate how the system operates in protecting staff and stock.

Elelock Systems – Elelock is a designer, developer, manufacturer and reseller of electronic locking solutions. It specialises in small enclosure security, such as showcases, but has also created secure cash-handling equipment and void property security systems.

Elelock manufactures and supplies products to the security, retail, healthcare, leisure, cash-handling and aviation industries and

Fog Bandit in action – the speed of the fogging process can clearly be seen on the digital counter!

The Voice of the Industry 37

| Benefits and Services The jewellery sector remains an important one to Bandit UK. Over the last three years, Fog Bandit has successfully thwarted 26 jewellery robberies, without any injuries to the people exposed to what is typically a most frightening experience.

Fog Bandit’s aim is to communicate a clear deterrent message to the criminal fraternity, that targeting premises with a Fog Bandit system installed, is a fruitless exercise and heightens the likelihood of being caught.

Strandna – Protect your business and home with Chain Reaction DNA, a simple-to-use door security device that, if activated, sounds an alarm and sprays intruders with a forensic marker linking them to the crime. The Strandna chain lock system can be fitted by any individual with a little DIY knowhow and the correct tools, in about 10 minutes, to almost any stand doorway. However, if you don’t want to risk getting it wrong, an approved locksmith can be recommended to do the job for you. Strandna also offers members a discount off of the RRP if you order through the Association.

This service is included in your membership fee and is available directly to you.

The helpline can offer advice on any legal matter and is there 24 hours a day to assist you.

TSI – Total security for your premises and PROSYNC security locking for safes and doors. TSI is a specialist in the field of security and is already supplying systems to members of the Association. Its newest addition is a unique safe-tracking system. The system will tell you if you safe is open when it should not be; if the door is not closed after a set period of time and if the safe is being tampered with, and has various other in-built security functions. One key advantage of the PROSYNC product is that it can be retrofitted (by a professional installer) to any safe. It reduces the need to replace keys, service old locks and remember that combination. It also allows you to remove users, so that when an employee leaves the business you don’t

38 The Jeweller July 2014

need to reset you combination locks or worry about lost keys.

Brinks – A renowned and trusted brand name, Brinks has an offer to members for the movement of goods in the UK and abroad. It can also offer an import service that will allow you to bring goods into the UK, have them hallmarked and delivered to your door. This service can save a couple of weeks in the normal turnaround routine.

Brinks remains responsible for the goods in their possession at all times.

Stores and staff Wirehouse – Provides a full employment law and H&S service, which includes the writing of contracts and systems. The service fee gives access to Wirehouse’s 24-hour legal advice line and includes an indemnity guarantee covering tribunal representation costs and awards and H&S legal representation fees, which ensures that you are fully compliant with legislative requirements.

Legal Helpline – This service is included in your membership fee and is available directly to you. We have continued this year with this excellent benefit, as the feedback in the past has always been very positive. The helpline can offer advice on any legal matter and is there 24 hours a day to assist you.

the future, PJH can offer a friendly ear and sound advice on your options. There are no borders to its work and it will happily deal with you whether you are in the south or north of the country.

Visualsoft – Visualsoft is one of the UK’s leading web development companies, providing website design, development and online marketing services to a range of retailers from around the UK and Europe.

Since the company was established in 1998, its online expertise has helped it to gain over 50 specialist jewellery retailer clients.

Viaualsoft is offering members a special deal on a website and mobile site inclusive offer.

It is also (in some cases) able to integrate your website with your EPOS system.

The Jeweller magazine –– Published by the Association especially for its members, as well as the wider jewellery world. You’re reading this along with an approximate readership of 25,000. The ‘Voice of the Industry’ as it is known, is not only our best way to speak to the trade, but also your vehicle to be heard. Help keep us informed of what is going on in your business and we will keep the industry aware. Send your story to: membership@jewellers-online.org

r e l l e w Je the

stry

The

July

PJH Solicitors – All legal services relating to business and personal situations, no matter what they maybe. PJH’s mission statement is: “Our hallmark is accessible legal expertise in all aspects of business and personal litigation.”

It covers all legal issues and has a department for any litigation matter members may encounter. Whenever you are moving premises, renewing a lease or thinking about

2014

e Indu of Th Voice

er y Jewell Gems&

£7.50

ing rporat Inco

23 / No. 6 July 2014 / Volume

Orlov?

Did Orlov buy the JCK Las Vegas Gem-A AGM

ofighter Chron perlight ize Su Overs

r plans A.G. merge BJA and N. ember benefits m as Enhanced r Christm ft ideas fo Picks — gi Jeweller

The world’s most powerful burglary and robbery deterrent system

TWENTY SIX UK jewellery robberies foiled with ZERO failures!

SPEED & DENSITY ❯

RELIABILITY ❯

ULTIMATE DETERRENT 24/7 ❯

0844 5577 870

NEW website launched — see www.bandituk.co.uk

The Voice of the Industry 39

| Benefits and Services Edenred – Implementing a Childcare Voucher scheme is one way to help your working parents cope with the crunch, and this particular scheme from Edenred is a sure fire way to help you get the right benefits for your business, and the right results. It’s a great benefit that you should be offering your employees.

WPA Health Insurance – WPA is one of the UK s most respected health insurers offering excellent value and quality of service that is second to none. Its direct representative can talk to you and your staff about the best options available.

Storecheckers – Has built a reputation for providing top quality mystery shopping, market research and training, based on building long-term relationships with clients who have increased sales and profits by continually improving customer service. The Association has used the Storecheckers service in the past and with great results.

It provides storeowners and management an insight into their staff, and the view of their store, from a totally independent source.

LSI Utility Brokers – LSI is a one-stop shop for your energy procurement needs.

Receive a free-of-charge assessment of your current business energy contracts and power your business for less. LSI Utility Brokers offers you a great chance to save your Association membership fee, and more, in one simple process. All of us have bills to pay, but LSI just wants to save you money if it can!

LSI Utility Brokers

Display Lighting

Storecheckers provides storeowners and management an insight into their staff, and the view of their store, from a totally independent source.

Display Lighting – Display Lighting has agreed to offer members 25% discount off most display lighting product ranges that it offers, as well as a free lighting design survey/service for jewellery stores. It can even offer advice about a Carbon Trust Interest Free Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme.

Lighting has changed from the fluorescent tubes of old into bright low heat white LEDs that show-off stock in a totally new dimension.

A window and store can be transformed at a reasonable cost and the results can truly be amazing.

Magpie / Gemtags – Is a leading manufacturer/supplier of jewellery labels, printers and jewellery labeling. The GemTAGS brand of labels is designed for jewellery, watches and glasses and come in a wide range of shapes and colours, and are suitable for all thermal printers. Made of durable material, GemTAGS withstand ultrasonic bath cleansing

40 The Jeweller July 2014

and the intense heat from window/cabinet lighting, to maintain a professional, high quality appearance.

Magpie also supplies tamper-proof labels, thermal printers, ink ribbons, stock control software and hardware.

VM Events Ltd – Visual merchandising has never been more important to retailers – not only to attract new customers, but to persuade potential repeat customers from opting for alternative retailers due to price point alone. VM Events is offering a range of services to help maximise sales performance, and strengthen the brand of its clients.

Idex – Idex is an innovative diamond and jewellery trading environment linking diamond merchants and jewellers around the world.

As a leading online diamond exchange and information provider, Idex offers everything from breaking news to in-depth analysis, from provocative commentary on the diamond industry to business resources.

From mining to retailing, offline and online, Idex serves the entire diamond and jewellery community. Idex offers its members: • Special Price first year 350 USD or First Two year membership 600 USD • 30 days trial to Association members who want to try us before joining

/displaylightingltd

@displaylighting

See Jewellery in a New Light tel: 0161 207 3355 fax: 0161 207 3356 email: sales@display-lighting.com

display-lighting.com

VM AND EVENTS LTD VISUAL MERCHANDISING AND EVENT SERVICES

Power your business for less!

Electricity Procurement Gas Procurement

Specialists in the presentation and promotion of products by combining environment and space into stimulating displays.

Telecoms (land-line & mobile)

Our aim is to encourage interest, attraction and ultimately increase sales.

Energy Management

For more information on how we can improve the look of your business, please contact Suzanne on: Tel: 01244 380768 Mob: 07590 383445 Email: vmandevents@live.co.uk or visit: www.vmandeventsltd.co.uk Twitter: #vm and events ltd

Free Analysis As a NAG member your eligible for a free of charge energy audit, contact LSI today to take advantage.

Contact us today:

barrie@lsiutilitybroker.co.uk 0800 019 9595 or 0172 787 7039

The Voice of the Industry 41

| Benefits and Services As part of the new membership benefits programme, we have further enhanced this relationship by offering the membership the opportunity to tap into TH March’s excellent financial services programme.

Whether it is Key Person Insurance, financial planning for the future or Directors Loan Insurance there is a product that will help you and your business be better protected.

Another important service that the Association is happy to endorse is March Guard insurance services. As well as a brilliant way to up sell, it also helps you to be first in line should the worst happen and the customer needs to make a claim.

The fun stuff

Maker Mends

Whether it is Key Person Insurance, financial planning for the future or Directors Loan Insurance there is a TH March product that will help you and your business be better protected.

Repairs Maker Mends Ltd – Maker Mends is now the largest jewellery repair company in Europe. It was developed to meet the needs of modern day jewellery retailing and uses the latest systems to support the high volumes of work that are created by High Street jewellers. Maker Mends has developed, and now uses, arguably the most sophisticated tracking system used in this industry. The service is adapted to fit in with each customer’s existing needs and demands. By doing so the company has attracted high profile jewellery retailers, watch brands, television channels, importers, designer labels, insurance and catalogue companies. The independent retailer can benefit from using the comprehensive and varied services provided. In addition, Maker Mends offers members a discount on any work undertaken.

42 The Jeweller July 2014

Insurance TH March – Insurance & Financial services.

Specialist bespoke insurance and financial planning for the jewellery industry. Over the past few years, we have been lucky to have an excellent relationship with Neil and everyone at TH March.

Emerald Travel

The Association’s reward scheme – This free service is included in your membership portfolio. Available through the Association’s (soon to be launched, new) website or at www.nag-rewards.co.uk. Subscribed members will soon be emailed a user name and password to access many lifestyle choice benefits varying from discounts on hotels throughout the world to specialist days out.

The offers will be changing all the time and you will notice some are tied in with the important dates in the UK jewellery calendar.

The benefit is available to anyone connected to your business.

Emerald Travel – Specialises in international travel and offers members a bespoke travel service, whether for business or pleasure.

Included in its offer will be hotels and flights for the international calendar of trade shows.

Emerald is IATA and ATOL registered and has a list of very satisfied clientele.

Jewellers, are you looking for a source of extra income and want to increase foot traffic?

FundingSecure has just celebrated its 1 year anniversary with £1.2m of loans already issued and we are now looking for jewellers to partner with us to support our continued expansion. Contact us now for more information.

Peer-to-Peer Asset Based Loans Loans of £500-£500,000

From 2% pm (25% APR)

6 month terms available

No monthly repayments

0800 690 6568 info@fundingsecure.com Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

www.fundingsecure.com

SKYGUARD’S PERSONAL SAFETY DEVICE COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE! Skyguard’s personal safety service provides 24-hour protection at the simple touch of a button. Using GPS-enabled devices fitted with mobile phone technology, you can raise the alarm wherever you are, whatever the time.

ALARM Using palm-sized personal safety alarms, specifically and exclusively developed by Skyguard, fitted with the latest mobile phone and GPS technology, a call for help is just one button away.

24 HOUR BACKUP At the press of a button, Skyguard’s Controllers will be on hand to backup and assist in any emergency... at any time. As soon as the alarm is raised, Controllers will know who you are, where you are, vital details and your personalised contacts.

RESPONSIVE Skyguard has direct access to Police control rooms, bypassing the 999 service and providing a faster response in an emergency.

GPS LOCATING Upon alarm activation, Controllers can pinpoint your exact location as seen on an on-screen map - vital for directing help to your position... fast!

TWO-WAY AUDIO Skyguard’s alarms come equipped with two-way audio, which allows Controllers to talk to and reassure the user when the alarm is activated, if safe to do so.

MANDOWN ALARM Automatically sends an alarm to Skyguard in the event of a fall or sudden impact – vital if you slip, trip or are knocked unconscious and unable to raise an alarm manually.

CARRY The compact and lightweight design of Skyguard’s MySOS device makes it convenient to use in everyday situations. It can be worn around the neck, attached to a keyring, a belt or in an identity badge holder.

SHARE / POOL DEVICES Share personal safety devices between multiple users at no extra cost. Changes can be made instantly via Skyguard’s online Customer Service Centre portal.

For more information about how Skyguard can protect you and your employees, contact the Membership department on:

020 7613 4445 The National Association of Goldsmiths

www.jewellers-online.org

www.skyguardgroup.com

The Voice of the Industry 43

| Business Support: Security

Security Conference 2014 On 21st October the Association, together with the BJA and TH March, will host a Security Conference, focussing on the needs of the smaller, independent retailer. Covering all aspects of crime facing the industry – from smash and grab to fraud – experts and suppliers will reveal the latest facts, figures and trends, as well as discuss and demonstrate security products and services. Here we offer a précis of some key speakers…

Fog Bandit (headline sponsor) The security system Fog Bandit, launched in 1998 (Bandit UK was established in 2004) is now established as the market leader of security fogging systems in Europe. It is used widely 24/7 to protect people and assets across many sectors, including the jewellery industry and cash and valuables in-transit.

Bandit UK has recently become an accredited member of the National Association of Goldsmiths, the only supplier partner of its kind. Benefits to N.A.G. members include free survey, risk assessment and live activation tests within shops, so staff can appreciate how the system operates in protecting staff and stock.

The new website www.bandituk.co.uk has been designed as the best place to access all information relating to the Fog Bandit.

It includes latest news, a video library with live CCTV and test activation footage, case study applications and client testimonials.

Neil Chrismas, sales and marketing director – who has been instrumental in adapting and expanding the use of the Fog Bandit from an overnight asset protection system, to a proven deterrent and defence mechanism against jewellery robberies – will talk about security fog deterring and foiling raids across the jewellery sector, including the latest CCTV case studies and best practice approach.

SaferGems Launched in 2009, SaferGems is an initiative against crime in the jewellery, pawnbroker and antiques industry; it collates attacks, incidents and intelligence in relation to such crimes around the UK. It is funded by the jewellery industry through the membership of either the National Association of Goldsmiths, TH March Insurance Brokers or the British Jewellers

44 The Jeweller July 2014

Association and hosted by The British Security Industry Association (BSIA).

SaferGems records details of crimes against the jewellery industry, records details of suspicious activity, creates a link between the industry and police, circulates images, new crime trends and details of both stolen/ seized property and assists police in linking offences and offenders.

The mainstay of the operation is Lee Henderson who, almost from its inception, has run the operation almost single handedly and is now a leading expert in jewellery crime and jewellery criminals in the UK. This year he was joined by an assistant, Simon Gardner, and they are supervised by Dick Hanks, who was instrumental in SaferGems’ creation.

All three have previous police experience and Lee and Simon are employed by the BSIA as intelligence officers. They will be speaking about the background to the initiative, its roles, good news stories and current crime trends.

Glassolutions The UK’s leading provider of glass and glazing solutions, Glassolutions is part of the global Saint-Gobain Group and, through its decades of experience, it provides amongst the highest quality and most innovative glass products and services in the UK market today. Its continued customer-service focus is backed by industry-leading technical expertise and on-going investment in our people, our products and the latest technology.

The Glassolution product manager will be presenting the key benefits of using the enhanced security glazing range of composite security products, which combines the mechanical strength of polycarbonate with the abrasion resistance of glass, providing a robust solution to aggressive manual attack on vulnerable, high-value display windows.

Skyguard Europe’s premier personal safety service for lone workers and people at risk, Skyguard uses state-of-the-art personal safety devices linked to its own purpose built, UK-based Incident Management Centre. It also provides 24-hour backup and protection at the touch of a button.

Skyguard’s MySOS personal alarm comes fully equipped with the latest mobile phone and GPS tracking technology. As soon as the alarm is raised, Skyguard controllers will know who is calling for help and where they are.

They’ll listen in to what is happening via the device and talk and reassure, if it’s safe to do so. They’ll assess the situation and assess the right course of action, calling the emergency services if needed. They also have direct links to all of the UK’s police force’s control rooms, bypassing the 999 system and guaranteeing a faster response.

Skyguard’s service is fully audited and approved against the highest industry standards, including BS8484:2011 Sales manager Warren Ottaway will discuss why you should protect your lone working staff, what can happen to you and your organisation if you don’t, and how issuing personal alarms helps fulfill employer’s Duty of Care, while increasing staff confidence and morale.

For full details on the Security Conference, 21st October, BRE Watford, contact: hannah@jewellers-online.org

THE crime prevention initiative to get involved with...

Brought to you by the N.A.G. and T.H. March SaferGems is a major initiative against crime in the jewellery, antiques and ďŹ ne art trades The SaferGems team has links to all the UK police forces The team co-ordinate data from the trade on incidents and suspicious activities and send alerts to members of the NAG, BJA and TH March SaferGems ultimately helps the police to identify and convict criminals

get involved... www.safergems.org.uk 0845 272 7802

T 020 7613 4445 E nag@jewellers-online.org W www.jewellers-online.org

The Voice of the Industry 45

The Voice of the Industry is louder than ever...

Increased circulation in the UK as well as overseas!

r e l l e Jew the

stry

The

2014 July

TARGET THE UK RETAIL MARKET

e Indu of Th Voice

er y Jewell & s m e G

£7.50

g oratin

23 / No. 6 July 2014 / Volume

Orlov?

Did Orlov buy the JCK Las Vegas Gem-A AGM

rp

Inco

fighter Chrono perlight e Su Oversiz

r plans .A.G. merge BJA and N ember benefits m as Enhanced r Christm ft ideas fo gi — ks Pic r le el w Je

Do you want to do business with the UK’s leading independent and multiple jewellery retailers as well

July 20 14 / Vol ume 23 / No. 6

Did Orl ov buy the Orl ov?

JCK La s Vegas Gem-A AGM

as Gem-A members (gem and diamond dealers, designers and gemmologists)?

‘The Jeweller’ is the only publication that you need to target the people that you want to do business with.

With relevant editorial features and a more competitive rate card than our rivals, ‘The Jeweller’ magazine should be your first choice for targeting the UK jewellery and watch industry.

THE JEWELLER MAGAZINE (incorporating Gems & Jewellery Magazine) Circulation: 6,000 Readership: 25,000+

To advertise in the magazine contact sales director Ian Francis on tel: +44 (0) 20 7749 1705 or email: ian@jewellers-online.org For subscriptions call Amanda White at the NAG on tel: +44 (0) 20 7613 4445 or email: thejewellersubs@jewellers-online.org

Feature |

Gary Wroe — one from the heart Managing director of Hockley Mint and Merrell Casting, and the recently elected chairman of the British Jewellers’ Association, Gary Wroe spoke to Belinda Morris about his hopes and plans for the future of our industry.

What does being elected as BJA chairman mean to you?

The BJA is very close to my heart. When I was 16 I went on to the Youth Training Scheme (YTS), which was administered by the BJA. They paid my wages! The Association means a great deal to me, and this position will allow me to give something back – which is very important to me.

Being chairman also means that I am more closely involved in what goes on in the industry.

Which particular aspects of the industry are you thinking of?

I’ll be involved with bodies such as the Responsible Jewellery Council and CIBJO. There’s been a big push in the direction of ethics in the past two years, and if I can add anything towards making ours a better industry, then I’ll be happy. Being more ‘responsible’ is about thinking differently, that’s all. It’s not just about sourcing responsibly. For instance, when we refurbished our building recently, we installed eco-friendly lighting and we can now recycle rainwater. We collected 36,000 litres last year. Doing these things also makes commercial sense. Everyone has the power to do them, but it has to come from the heart.

What else is Hockley Mint doing in the way of ‘ethical thinking’?

Do your customers ask about this?

No, customers don’t ask how ethical we are, but we’re in the preparation stages, so that when people do start asking, we’ll be ready.

We don’t shout about it; our customers trust us to do the right thing – trust is a big thing in this industry. We’re licensed for Fairtrade

gold and we’re currently working to achieve RJC certification. It’s hard going, but easier for us as a larger company than for some smaller businesses. I think the process needs to be simplified, somehow, for them.

It’s something that I have been talking to Simon Rainer [BJA CEO] about.

As BJA chairman, what particular subjects are on your personal agenda?

There are lots! The apprenticeship scheme – now in its second year – is going well and I want to see it continue to gain strength.

We took on three apprentices here at Hockley Mint and it’s been very worthwhile.

I’m also keen to see that communication between the Association and the members is maintained. If there are any changes in legislation, then it’s important to make sure that all members know about them.

Describe the mentoring programme…

It was set up by Gordon Hamme 12 months ago and is very successful. I am a mentor to Louise Mary of Louise Mary Designs. We have monthly meetings to talk about business plans and to look at any issues that may have come up. I’m someone with experience who is on the end of the phone for her. I want to share my experience; to pass it on. It’s a voluntary role.

The merger between the BJA and the N.A.G. must be high on your agenda?

Definitely! I was brought onto the merger committee in July last year and there many positive vibes around the plan. It makes total sense – the boundaries between the two associations are becoming skewed, with a lot of work being duplicated. Coming together will mean combining resources, strengthening

training and, ultimately, gives us more power, more bite, as one voice for the industry.

There will be a few logistical matters to sort out of course…

How did you enter the jewellery world?

Ever since I was at school I wanted to work in jewellery – I loved making it. Becoming a father at 16 meant that I had to get a job, so I left school and joined the YTS. When I was 17 I went to work for Merrell Casting, learned the whole process and then went on to become operations manager.

At 30 I went to university to do an MBA in business administration; I wanted to give myself back-up. I now have a strategic view and am heavily involved in all areas of the company. What do I enjoy most? Efficiencies in production and solving problems!

Beyond the BJA and business, what drives you, what are you passionate about?

The community within the Jewellery Quarter!

The Business Improvement Districts initiative is working on matters like street lighting, security and a general revamp of the area, but it’s also really important to attract people to the area. We need better marketing to make the Quarter as accessible and exciting as it can possibly be.

Gary is also passionate about supporting good causes. On the 13th June he took part in the Great North Swim (5 kilometres across Lake Windermere) and in September there will be more open water swimming, this time from end-to-end of Lake Coniston (5.2 miles). He will be supporting The Jewellery Benevolent Society as well as the children’s charity www.edwardstrust.org.uk for anyone who would like to sponsor him.

The Voice of the Industry 47

| Show Review

Trending at JCK Olga Gonzalez FGA reports from the recent JCK show. ye candy for the industry, JCK in Las Vegas is one of the most important international trade shows for discovering the ‘Who’s who’ of up-and-coming designers, and spotting future trends as they begin to emerge from the designer palette and mood board. From the opening hour on Friday through to close of play, there was a noticeable buzz in the air, with buyers confidently shopping and exhibitors delighted to make sales.

E

•

more fancy cut diamonds (marquise, cushion, pear in particular) • lots of halos, to give the illusion of a larger centre stone • yellow and champagne diamonds rising in popularity • return of the rose-cut diamond • vintage-inspired ring designs Another major trend that recurred at the show was the concept of interchangeable jewellery. Customers are looking to get more wear out of their jewellery, so pendants that convert into rings, or earrings which become a necklace, are in high demand. Elena Kriegner said: ”I design interchangeable jewellery because I love the challenge of seamlessly connecting a design and having it work out technically; clients love it because of course they get more out of one piece.”

Still, there will always be a place for pieces that incorporate a stunning gemstone, and those who dealt in rare stones/objects seemed to enjoy a very good show. Neha Dani of Shrisha Jewels said: “Being a Rising Star at JCK has been great.

Shrisha Jewels

Alongside the traditional fine jewellery pieces that we all love to see, I was interested to see a noticeable shift in design to attract the millennial customer. Born between the early 1980s and 2000s, this generation is attracted to products that are less expensive, but which still provide a big look.

In Bridal, the direction that is attracting this particular group has taken the following forms in design: • use of rose gold as the preferred metal of choice

48 The Jeweller July 2014

Rona Fisher

Elena Kriegner

We have received lots of press interest, as well as designers visiting the booth. All of our collections are one-of-a-kind, so we are in a unique market, but it is in high demand.” Lord Jewelry designer, Sinork Agdere, impressed visitors during his second time of exhibiting, by showing off gemstone art objects, including a cat and birdcage sculpture, and a series of miniature guitars.

Brother and sister team Alberto and Silvia Prandoni of Italian Design attracted buyers with their one-of-a-kind to limited production jewellery (up to eight pieces per style) designed around coloured gemstones.

Show Review | Overall the show was a successful one.

There was a noticeable amount of business being done, it was well-organised and a few new changes made things run more smoothly than it has done in previous years.

I now look forward to seeing what new trends 2015 will bring…

Irthly Jewelled Adornments

The market catering to high-end clientele and unique pieces is definitely growing, and many designers expressed their success with the business model.

The ‘who’s who’ of up-and-coming designers at the show exhibited in the everpopular Rising Stars section. They included Irthly Jewelled Adornments (who use tagua nuts to mimic ivory and mixed with diamonds and gemstones for a high-end look), Kaura Jewels, Natalie Dissel and Shrisha Jewels.

The JCK Rising Star programme, started in 1995, seeks out new and innovative designers who are reshaping the trade, and whose work shows exceptional design and originality. Rona Fisher was also a much talked about designer, who made her JCK debut with a mix of fun and wearable twotone and mixed metal collections.

Rona Fisher

Italian Design

Lord Jewelry

Shrisha Jewels

The Voice of the Industry 49

| Regular

Notebook

Where to go, what to read, what to see…

Jewellery & Watch Trade Fairs July 13th - 15th: Scoop, Saatchi and Phillips Galleries, London Four hundred international contemporary and emerging fashion labels and jewellery designers. www.scoop-international.com August 31st – 2nd September: International Jewellery London, Olympia, London The N.A.G.-sponsored Advice Clinic, KickStarters, Bright Young Things, awards, catwalk shows, late night shopping… and of course exhibitors of jewellery, watches, gems, equipment and services. www.jewellerylondon.com September 1st – 4th: International Diamond Week, Israel A customised diamond sales event for accredited diamond dealers. www.en.isde.co.il

5th – 8th: Bijorhca, Porte de Versailles, Paris Five hundred exhibitors of fine and fashion jewellery; newly established designer makers alongside international brands such as Vendome, Les Néréides and Trollbeads. www.bijorhca.com 22nd – 28th and 30th – 5th October: Goldsmiths’ Fair, Goldsmiths’ Hall, London Prestigious selling exhibition of fine jewellery and contemporary silver, the work of 180 British designer-makers. www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk

Sales & Exhibitions

N.A.G. Diary Dates September 13th – 15th: IRV Conference, Loughborough University A packed weekend of keynote speakers, seminars and workshops, open to all in the trade, but of particular benefit to valuers.

See p22 for a preview of the event.

Email: irv@jewellers-online.org for details.

and as the iconic blue and white porcelain. www.nms.ac.uk August 2nd – 19th October: A Bestiary of Jewels, Harley Gallery, Worksop, Notts An encyclopaedia of bejeweled animals created by artist-goldsmith Kevin Coates, created in gold and silver, shell and other materials. www.harleygallery.co.uk

July Current – 19th October: Ming: The Golden Empire, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh A collection of original artefacts from the Nanjing Museum. Luxury items and rare objects, including gold and jades and examples of elaborately enameled cloisonné,

September 18th – 21st: Chelsea Antiques Fair, Chelsea Old Town Hall, Kings Road, London SW3 A boutique-style feel for this fair showcasing collections from dealers in silverware, jewellery, fine art, antiques and design. www.penman-fairs.co.uk

Van Cleef & Arpels was not only ‘a purveyor of jewels to these men and women… but also their confidant’. In the middle decades of the 20th century, the nouveaux riches rubbed shoulders with the likes of the Maharani of Baroda, the Duchess of Windsor and Princess Grace of Monaco. All of them possessed the most fabulous jewellery, collectively worth millions (in any currency) and all with tales to tell.

Few are more jaw-droppingly fantastical than that of the jewels of the Maharani, who left post-independence India on a private plane laden with crates of gems and jewels – many of them legendary. (In 2009 a pearl carpet from her estate sold for almost €5m.)

Once in Paris the ‘Indian Mrs Simpson’ found herself on the most prestigious guest lists and it was to Van Cleef & Arpels that she turned to augment her jewellery

collection, or, more pertinently, have some of the heavier, more masculine pieces, re-set.

The detail of this book is incredible – moving from Wallace Simpson, to the Shah of Iran, Princess Grace, Marlene Dietrich, Maria Callas and the jewellery house’s family members themselves. One chapter is devoted to the three stones that inspired the ballet ‘Jewels’ – emeralds, rubies and diamonds. Famous and infamous examples of these gems are described – tales involving murder, mystery, money and the Van Cleef & Arpels connections.

ACC is offering readers a 30% discount (so £38.50) on this title. Register on: www.accdistribution.com and enter the code VC1 at the checkout. Alternatively, place your order by telephone: 01394 389977.

Postage and packaging is £4.00, overseas rates available on request.

Book Reviews Van Cleef & Arpels – Treasures and Legends by Vincent Meylan £55, Antique Collectors’ Club This history of this prestigious Parisian jeweller is well-documented, the roll call of its celebrated, infamous and regal customers hardly a state secret. But this book is no mere chronicle of the French house, which was founded in 1896 by Alfred Van Cleef and his uncle, Salomon Arpels.

Rather, it is the revealing of some of the more fantastic and fascinating stories behind the clients and their jewels.

As the author explains in his introduction (that includes a gossip-laden account of a Parisian dinner party) a jeweller such as

50 The Jeweller July 2014

Regular | Silversmith Christopher Hamilton reviews Russian Decorative Arts by Cynthia Coleman Sparke

Russian Decorative Arts

by Cynthia Coleman Sparke (£55, Antique Collectors’ Club) ‘As any Muscovite schoolchild will know, the Kremlin Armoury Museum is a popular destination for class outings.’ So begins chapter one of Russian Decorative Arts. The author’s family collected Russian art and lived in both Moscow and St Petersburg.

Cynthia Coleman Sparke clearly remembers.

This book is timely. Boom-time prices are being paid for pre-revolutionary Russian artefacts as oligarchs scramble for hidden Fabergé eggs. Now readers of Russian

Imperial gold-mounted turtle, Fabergé, St Petersburg, 1890–1903. Wartski, London

Decorative Arts can benefit from the shrewd eye of an expert who has spent much of her career in auction houses: running the Russian department at Christie’s in New York; working with the Hillwood Museum’s Fabergé and Imperial porcelain holdings in Washington D.C. Now specialising as a consultant for Bonhams (which provides many of the beautiful colour plates in this book of almost 300 pages), she naturally keeps a beady eye on the sale room throughout her narrative.

In an introduction, Imperial festivities held at the Winter Palace in 1913 serve as an armature to all the richness that follows.

Crucially, we are shown that in that last and greatest blowout of Russian opulence – marking 300 years of Romanov rule – all that glistered was by no means gold.

A broad range of materials is already hinted at by images on the rear of the book’s cover: wood, bone, porcelain, stone, enamel, and parcel-gilt and niello, modest materials exquisitely wrought. A turtle, made for the Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, sister of Tsar Nicholas II, shows an ethos typical of Fabergé’s workmasters: as much attention is given to the naturalistic carving of the creature’s jasper ‘shell’ as to the chasing of its gold ‘legs’. Simpler still is a gold, silver gilt and nephrite picture frame by Fabergé, where the simple beauty of the Siberian jade sits centre stage.

Coleman Sparke is modest too, and wears her knowledge lightly, describing her book as a ‘guide’. Of all the clearly written chapters the first four may be most immediately interesting to readers of this magazine: Precious Metal; Enamel; Jewellery; Fabergé.

The first will be useful to collectors where it clarifies some of the extreme complexities of Russian assaying and hallmarking, with quantities in zolotniks. So labyrinthine and various were the processes, that marks were sometimes applied fraudulently or avoided altogether. Fabergé ended up in dispute with the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in 1911, having imported finished gold and enamel work to London from St Petersburg – omitting to submit it for assay – but this was for a different reason.

Russian Decorative Arts achieves a good balance between basic facts – of interest to those with little or no knowledge of a subject – and technical detail, the scope of which can pleasantly surprise those who

A series of silver parcel-gilt and niello spoons.

Maria Semenova, Moscow, c.1893. Bonhams

think they do know a bit about it. In Chapter Two, Enamel, a transparent description of the optical effects achieved by the guilloché process is complemented by details of the demanding techniques involved.

Where Coleman Sparke shares her knowledge of Russian history, of the daily lives of the Romanov family, of politics or peasantry, it is page-turning stuff. Vernacular, quirky, practical and entirely impractical objects, so appealing to the Russian soul, were of their time. But that appetite for novelty at any price seems to strike a chord again today – and not just among oligarchs rich enough to buy them. Chapters on Hardstone; Awards and Decorations; Porcelain; Glass; Metalwork; Bone; Lacquer; Woodwork will prove absorbing to serious collectors, enthusiasts and general readers alike. A class outing.

Gold, silver-gilt and nephrite frame, Fabergé, Hjalmar Armfelt, St Petersburg. Bonhams/ Fabergé Museum Baden-Baden

The Voice of the Industry 51

| Show Preview

What a Scoop!

If you’re in the market for jewellery with a strong fashion flavour or contemporary edginess, then a return visit to the Saatchi Gallery might be in order this month.

Laura Lee

uplift the spirits, collections are imbued with symbolism and meaning, from crystal stones to ancient talismans, as seen in the Crystal Cave collection.

Laura Lee is a handmade jewellery brand inspired by global travel. Blending luxury with practicality, her designs are delicate yet bold. The label’s signature antique coins, gemstones and gold charms have accrued a

ow in its third year, the bi-annual fashion exhibition Scoop International (13th – 15th July, Saatchi Gallery, SW3 and nearby Phillips, SW1) brings together an eclectic mix of women’s wear and accessories – among them a generous selection of designer jewellery. Some names, like Sushilla and Kirsten Goss will be familiar to visitors to the larger trade events like IJL, Jewellery & Watch and CMJ, but there are certain to be new discoveries to be made.

N

Sushilla

Sushilla is introducing a collection of chandelier earrings with a delicate, romantic feel and available in a wide range of stones and colours, including iolite, blue topaz, chrysophrase and amethyst. Meanwhile, Ingenious Jewellery’s line includes the Poetry Collection inspired by Eastern philosophy and art, and incorporating gemstones set in sterling silver and rose and yellow gold plate.

The best part of Mirabelle Jewellery’s Collection is produced by fair trade suppliers, using sterling silver 22ct gold plated metals (including brass, silver and bronze). With a strong belief in the power of jewellery to Ingenious

Mirabelle Jewellery

Kirsten Goss

A qualified gemmologist, jewellery designer Kirsten Goss’ passion for craftsmanship is evident in her collections. Her pieces are a result of experimentation with metalsmithing techniques, stone cutting and inspirational combinations of the two. Her latest line – Shaman – is inspired by a recent visit to Accra, Ghana, with references to tribal themes in the geometry of the pieces, and a striking use of colour and texture.

52 The Jeweller July 2014

large following among fashion devotees.

Amulette offers competitively-priced silver, gemstone and contemporary high-end fashion jewellery. Ethically sourced from all over the world, the range of contemporary and classic designs are chosen for their craftsmanship and good design.

For full details on Scoop and the designers showing across the two venues, visit: www.scoop-international.com

| Opinion: John Henn

(Another) postcard from the Kremlin A trip to Moscow had to require more than a single missive.

An inspired John Henn offers part two of his report on CIBJO 2014. In last month’s issue we left the hungry delegates wolfing down jelly babies during the first day’s session. Now read on… he speakers continued. If I précised them all you’d stop reading, so I’ll skip this further lost hour. When it finally came to an end we didn’t bother to wait for the lift. The stairs were our first big test – they were laid unevenly, in height and number, but worse, they were tiled in a chequerboard style that made them invisible to anyone with less than 20/20 vision. A German lady was the first to fall, taking a nasty tumble and spending the rest of the congress in a wheel chair. And so to lunch… finally! The red soup seemed a good option, except when we stirred it up, all sorts of strange things floated to the surface.

I can eat most things, but dessicated fish and red wreckage soup?

The afternoon session was on ‘Synthetic Diamonds’ and was fascinating. We heard from the Basel SSEF lab which has developed a machine that can detect white synthetics of a small size, with a processing rate of 4,000 per hour. At a cool CHF400,000 per device, it’s not going to be on everyone’s shopping list, but De Beers research division continues to make the DiamondSure and DiamondView at a more modest £40,000.00, and now the DiamondPlus, which uses liquid nitrogen to detect even the most sophisticated synthetics.

We were thrilled to hear that these machines can detect 100 per cent of all the material currently on the market. There may not be

T

54 The Jeweller July 2014

many incidences of synthetics being mixed into parcels of natural material, but while there is a risk the screening must be undertaken.

In the future, as synthesising processes speed up, the natural producers should embrace their synthetic counterparts. We need to learn to live together.

Day two started with the Precious Metal Commission, handled for the last time by our own – truly professional – Michael Allchin (I was taking the minutes). Our newly curtained off area was intended to hide the distractions of the enormous room behind us. However, it would only take an errant pair of Christian Louboutin-clad feet, attached to 47-inch sheer-stockinged legs, for us to lose the Mediterraneans… Michael remained in control of his audience however and we

the Democratic Republic of Congo). There is currently an appeal in progress against this legislation, believing it may challenge one of their Amendments. German manufacturers are already being requested by their government to certify their gold is conflict free. We on the other hand, have narrowly missed similar legislation arriving in the EU, thanks to CIBJO – a voluntary code of practice will see refiners on an approved list of suppliers who provide conflict-free gold.

Those that conform to the London Bullion Manufacturing Association (LBMA) standards will be automatically listed as ‘approved’.

There are one or two notable transgressors of this ethical standard. Currently it is OK to bring as much silver into Dubai as you like so, in order to satisfy the increasing demand in the local manufacturing market for gold, crudely-refined fine gold is being painted silver in Africa and brought into Dubai in suitcases. Needless to say this refinery is not on the LBMA listing. Along with another tale of smuggled West African diamonds turning up repeatedly in the trading centres of the eastern Mediterranean, it just goes to show that the UK retailer has to ‘just ask’ – in the words of the CMJ’s Willie Hamilton. If your manufacturer cannot tell you where his stock was made, it is then your choice whether to purchase or not.

Back to the Precious Metals meeting: the nickel questions (within R.E.A.C.H.) were still in circulation. ‘Prolonged contact’ with the skin is now defined as ‘being worn for 30 minutes once in two weeks’, or ‘10 minutes on three occasions over the same period’. This is an EU directive, and yet the widely circulated €1 coin fails to make the grade! The Swiss watch industry is requesting exemption – the manufacturing of cases without some lead in the brass is significantly more expensive. Just about all

However, it would only take an errant pair of Christian Louboutin-clad feet, attached to 47-inch sheer-stockinged legs, for us to lose the Mediterraneans… discussed the Swiss’ request to introduce a new 500 quality of platinum; the Germans are already using 585 platinum in the home market and would approve a new quality of 600 parts per 1000, if generally acceptable.

The USA’s Dodd-Frank Act is back in the news (it bans the use of certain minerals from

US-made children’s jewellery fails to meet the standards… so you won’t be seeing much of that any time soon.

(At this point I noticed the representatives from Japan had fallen asleep – clearly too much Saki the previous night… I hope you on the other hand are still with me!)

The Voice of the Industry 55

T

H

E

J

E

W

E

L

L

E

R

C

L

A

S

S

I

F

I

E

D

D I S P L AY C A B I N E T Amber Jewellery

Computer Systems

Diamonds & Gemstones

Endorsed by the trade • • • •

Diamonds & Gemstones

70 CMJ members use Bransom 50% of Houlden members use Bransom 83 Pandora concept stores use Bransom 80% of Pandora gold stores use Bransom

Diamond Jewellery

Diamond Setters

karunaGEMS Diamonds • Gemstones • Fine Jewellery Since 1976 KarunaGems have established and developed direct contacts with diamond and gemstone cutting centres around the world, thus ensuring we can supply the stones

Special Approval Enquiries Diamond Jewellery All Styles Tel: +44 (0)20 7404 4022 info@karunagems.com • www.karunagems.com

Engravers Machine Engraving available on request NAG Prize Winners

MASTERS Hand Engravers Traditional hand engraving service at its best.

Competitive price structure with fast delivery and turnaround.

07768 893474 info@mastersengravers.co.uk www.mastersengravers.co.uk

Jeweller the

Leslie Donn Ltd 454 Bury Old Road, Prestwich, Manchester M25 1NL

Tel: 0161 773 0000 www.donnsjewellery.co.uk

For Sale

For Sale For

e Sale Sal r o F For Sale for For Sale sale FOR SALE Thinking of selling your business, your premises, your stock or your display cabinets? Advertise here to reach 25,000 potential buyers in the trade!

Call Neil in our classified section on

020 7864 1504 Instruments

The Voice of The Industry

Incorporating

Gems&Jewellery

Now increased circulation (6,000+) and a wider readership (25,000) Now greater focus on gems and gemmology Now distributed to all NAG and Gem-A members (UK and overseas)

Advertise here for a cost-effective means to reach the buyers you want!

Email: neil@jewellers-online.org

Gemstones

GL Gem Spectrometer GL Gem Raman PL532 Gemlab Research & Technology Vancouver, B.C. CANADA Tel. +1-604-530-8569 gemlab@cigem.ca www.gemlab.ws

Jewellery Manufacturing

T

H

E

J

E

W

E

L

L

E

R

C

L

A

S

S

I

F

I

E

D

D I S P L AY C A B I N E T Jewellery Repairs

Labels & Tags

Personalised Jewellery

Insignia Jewellery

M J Plunkett Jewellery Repairs

• Initial rings

Established 1985

• Nameplates • Cufflinks

Services include: repairs, restorations, stones supplied & set, bespoke jewellery Friendly, prompt & professional service.

Quality assured. All items covered through TH March Insurance

• Tie pins • 16, 18 &

21 pendants Plus much more!

01843 292731

Specialists in Personalised Jewellery

Call today for more information & price list

19 Highfield Road, London NW11 9LS Tel: 020 8455 8525 Fax: 020 8455 8992 Email: insigniajewellery@yahoo.co.uk

Email: mjpgold@gmail.com 19 Market Place, Margate, Kent CT9 1ES

Photographic Services

Point of Sale

Precious Metals

Retail Opportunity

Retail Services

America’s A me m rica a’s N No.1 o.1 Diamond Dia amond Cleane Cleaner r is n ow a vail a la able in the U now available UK

WE WANT TO BUY YOUR ROLEX

Portrait and still life photographer in London 07984 236 928 • info@minnarossi.com www.minnarossi.com

Precious Metal Reclamation Trusted Since 1945 Scrap purchased Lemel processed Precious metal recovered Chemical diamond removal Gold investment bars

FAST RELIABLE & TRANSPARENT mastermelts.co.uk

Ra R azzle Dazzle – the ultimate jeweller y cleaning product.

and many more...

t Ammonia free, non abrasive and biodegradable. t Gives amazing results and is safe to use on all jewellery, including pearls and opals.

RECORD PRICES BEING PAID NOW

t POS support makes it easy to market guaranteeing additional sales opportunities.

0207 404 0903 (London) 0121 200 555 (B’ham)

M More ore det details ails ccall all 01274 800 069 o orr em email ai l en enquiries@claritydistribution.com quir ies@cl ar it ydist r ibut ion.com

Shopfitting

Shopfitting NICHOLAS INTERIORS Ltd Fine Retail Solutions

020 3538 5219 BQ Watches

T

H

Free initial survey and design to your requirements Prices to suit every budget Quality manufacturing in our own workshop Display units available for hire

tel: 0151 924 1352 email: info@nicholasinteriors.co.uk web: www.nicholasinteriors.co.uk

J

E

W

E

L

L

E

R

D I S P L AY CABINET

• • • •

E

info@bqwatches.com

C l e a r, u n c l u t t e r e d d e s i g n One uniform size One great value price Volume discounts available Free ad design service

Only £100 per insertion!

To learn more or to make a booking in The Jeweller Display Cabinet email Neil Oakford at:

neil@jewellers-online.org

| Regular

The

Last Word Having recently been elected as our vice chairman, we thought you might want to know a little more about jeweller Simon Johnson… so we’ve put him under the searching spotlight that is The Last Word.

Personal Profile Simon (41¾) has been in the jewellery trade since he was 12 years old, working with the family business, selling and making jewellery. Then, 10 years ago, after training at the De Beers Diamond Academy, together with his wife Nadine, he bought Marmalade in Chiswick from his family and they started working together selling fine jewellery.

As well as vice chairman of the Association Simon is chairman of our Standards Committee. In the past he was a keen runner, but now prefers a spot of pilates and the occasional glass of Chablis. In his spare time he can be found pottering around his garden or walking along the river.

Who has been the biggest influence on your life?

Without doubt my wife Nadine; we met 14 years ago at the Spring Fair. We’ve been working together in the store for the past 10 years and she is without question the captain of the good ship Marmalade! I always tell people that she is the captain and I’m the engine. We’re a great team. If you both have the same skills, then one of you is redundant; we work well together.

If you could go back in time, what era or moment would you choose? Why? I’m fascinated by Shakespeare, and all things Elizabethan. We regularly go the Globe on the Southbank. That era, the exploring, and the lives were the cornerstone of Britain’s heritage and literature. It would be fascinating to see it all first hand.

Properly smelly though!!

What three words describe you best… in your view and according to others?

Me: patient, loving and giving…(ish) Others: super, smashing, terrific (sort of)

58 The Jeweller July 2014

What aspect of your career would you do differently if you had your time over?

Not a lot. I would have installed more security sooner and probably learned to coach my team better from an earlier age, but other than that I’ve been extremely fortunate – very lucky actually.

If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about the jewellery industry, what would it be?

Abracadabra and our world is a better place – by having lots more retail and trade apprentices, having a unified and happy trade association and having some sort of retail rent arbitration panel that is more accessible and affordable to retailers nationwide.

Fortunately aspects A and B are both being worked on – things are looking good.

What has been the highest point of your career so far?

I’m fortunate to have a couple of choices – it would be between winning the Independent Retailer of the Year or being asked to be vice chairman of the N.A.G.

If not the jewellery industry, what might your alternative career have been?

To be honest I’ve absolutely no idea, I’ve been doing this since I was 12 years old. I’ve never worked for anyone else or even considered it. If I was pushed… I love wine, travelling and gardening. International, landscaping, bon viveur – that sounds good!

Favourite shopping destination – why?

I love small, owner operator independents.

The choice is more distinctive, individual and the service generally much better than chains.

Windsor, Brighton, Islington, Glasgow all have a great shopping vibe for me.

What film did you last see at the cinema?

We love the cinema and go to either the posh screen at Westfield or an independent cinema in Barnes. Our most recent view was Maleficent with Angelina Joli. Great!

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

Definitely can’t tell you here…

Tell us something not many people know about you.

I’ve run a couple of marathons in the past and love gardening.

What keeps you awake at night?

Everything! I don’t sleep much; my mind is always ticking over. I used to keep a notepad by the bed, but now it’s all on the iPhone!

Quick Fire Cats or dogs? Goldfish Bentley or Rolls Royce? Aston Martin TV or radio? Online TV Jewellery on men? Yes or No? Absolutely!

Delegator or control freak? Getting better at both Beatles or Rolling Stones? ‘Stones’ all day Paperback or e-reader? Both

USA +1-212-382-3528 | BELGIUM +32-3-234-1157 | ISRAEL +972-3-612-8995 | INDIA +91-22-612-73333 CUSTOMERSUPPORT@IDEXONLINE.COM