The Jeweller Magazine December 2009 Issue

THE

JEWELLER DEC 09

THE VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY

www.jewellers-online.org

£6.50

Window Displays and Shop Design Issue Maharaja: India’s royal jewellery The Jeweller interviews… the new face of Technomarine

Wedding Rings 2010

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contents+contacts THE

JEWELLER THE VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY

news sections

contents

Industry News

features

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NAG News

The Jeweller Interviews…

Vincent Perriard, chief executive 30 officer, Technomarine Just weeks after his appointment as the new CEO of Swiss watchmaker Technomarine, Vincent Perriard tells Jo Young about his radical plans for the brand.

Interior World

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20

regulars Frontline

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Editor’s Comment

7

The Jeweller Picks…

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Vantage Point

46

Antique Jeweller

48

Training & Education

57

IRV Review

60

Appointments

63

Display Cabinet

64

The Last Word

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Belinda Morris asks some of the key players from the jewellery and retail design sectors what they feel makes an eye-catching store interior.

Is the Moon made of cheese?

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Physical traceability in the jewellery supply chain is not a preposterous, unachievable dream, says Greg Valerio.

Making service count

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Storecheckers’ MD Jeff Caplan explains why some retail businesses continue to thrive in the recession, and explains why he thinks ‘mystery shopping’ could help jewellers to greater success.

The Jeweller is published by CUBE Publishing on behalf of the National Association of Goldsmiths for circulation to members.

For further information about The Jeweller please visit: www.thejewellermagazine.com The magazine is printed on paper and board that has met acceptable environmental accreditation standards.

Contemporary jewellers – designed and installed by Hallmark Design and Shopfitting Ltd 266 Kings Road, Kingstanding, Birmingham, West Midlands B44 0SA Tel: 0121 355 3333 Fax: 0121 355 5017 Email: info@hallmarkdesign.co.uk

The National Association of Goldsmiths 78a Luke Street, London EC2A 4XG Tel: 020 7613 4445 Fax: 020 7613 4450 www.jewellers-online.org

Sales Director: Ian Francis CUBE Tel: 020 7833 5500 ian@cube-uk.com

Editor: Jo Young Tel: 020 7739 0895 Mob: 07507 347 920 joslyoung@gmail.com

Contributors: Belinda Morris Jeff Caplan Greg Valerio

Publisher: Neil Oakford CUBE neil@cube-uk.com

Art Director: Ben Page CUBE ben@cube-uk.com Although every effort is made to ensure that the information supplied is accurate, the N.A.G. disclaims and/or does not accept liability for any loss, damage or claim whatsoever that may result from the information given. Information and ideas are for guidance only and members should always consult their own professional advisers.

The publisher accepts no responsibility for 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

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frontline

by Michael Hoare, chief executive of the NAG What did the Romans do for us? may have said this before, but I am fed up with attempts being made in some quarters to poach our members, using half-baked versions of services we already offer as inducements to join.

I suppose it’s one of the hazards of our being an organisation that has been around since 1894, and one which has served the industry diligently and effectively all that time. I call it the ‘what did the Romans ever do for us’ syndrome: anyone who has seen Monty Python’s Life of Brian will know what I mean. We are such a familiar part of the landscape, that many have forgotten the innovations we introduced and issues we have done battle with.

In last month’s issue I wrote at length about some of the services we offer and I make no apology for that. Other organisations have, of course, every right to try and tempt jewellers with their wares and they would in turn be foolish not to consider

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Responsible Jewellery Council, CIBJO, the Assay Office, the Royal Mail, the Metropolitan Police or the Financial Services Ombudsman service, I’ll be fighting for your rights as JEWELLERS! The others won’t be there! Or if they are, how much will your views count amongst the amorphous and faceless mass, of whom they know nothing and care even less?

Party politics try to keep away from party political speculation when writing this column, but I think the prospect of an election next year prompts a little thought on the subject of who might form the best government to drag us out of the economic doldrums.

If two recent events are anything to go by, the Conservative Party had better think again if it believes it is the natural choice of business. Attending a presentation by the CBI Director General Richard Lambert a couple of weeks ago, I noted that, when asked, “‘Have the Tories got the right poli-

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Will the organisations assaulting your inbox with money-saving offers be standing in your corner when it comes to fighting for your rights as a jeweller? I think not! what’s on offer. But I ask them to consider this: will the organisations assaulting your inbox with money-saving offers be standing in your corner when it comes to fighting for your rights as a jeweller? I think not!

Next time I’m at the House of Commons, the Bank of England, the Treasury, the

4 The Jeweller December 2009

cies to take us out of the recession?”, the majority of the 300-strong audience of financial sector executives either didn’t know, or didn’t think so. Not, of course, that this implies their endorsement of the other parties, either. A couple of days later I was in the House of Commons for the launch of

an SME ‘Manifesto’, for which part of the background research had been a YouGov online survey of 1,766 business leaders and representatives. Once again the question, 'who is best for the business?' was asked, and although this time the Conservatives trounced Labour, Lib Dems and others, gaining 42 per cent of the vote, a combined total of 36 per cent responded, ‘don’t know’ or ‘none of them’! All very unscientific I know; my only real point is that in a political landscape where it is increasingly difficult to slide a fag paper between the main parties, they are all going to have to work an awful lot harder to convince the business community that they know what they’re doing.

Just reward he hallowed halls of Foster Lane again on Monday night, to attend the Gem-A annual awards ceremony. I was overcome by a strong sense of déjà vu when contemplating our own event, which takes place in March every year. I was also very impressed

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comment by the large number of overseas students taking gemmological studies seriously, and the enthusiasm of speaker Alan Hodgkinson, who urged his audience so frequently to ‘go the extra mile’ that they would have been half way home before he sat down if they heeded his advice. Regrettably, I had to leave before the refreshments, but my colleague, the NAG education manager Victoria Wingate, assures me that the party went with a swing.

Thirst for knowledge couple of weeks ago I reported on the retail jewellery sector to a panel at the Bank of England, consisting of about a dozen representative of small businesses. The results of our deliberations, and those of other panels, get fed into the Monetary Policy Committee as background or, if you like, grassroots opinions on the state of the economy. We also get the chance to have a bit of a moan about things – and at the last couple of meetings there has been plenty to complain about! With sectors as diverse as IT, housing, interior design and manufacturing around the table, you can imagine the range of perspectives on show, and yet there has been a pleasing level of positivity to be found recently. Figures released the previous day had shown that, officially, UK ‘plc’ is still in recession, but still most participants felt some cause for optimism.

The Bank’s own figures show that there is a better-than-even chance of a return to growth of about 3 per cent and inflation of 2 per cent by 2012, and if we were once all guilty of talking ourselves into the current recession then hopefully the reverse should be true based on the opinions of this group. But – and it’s a big but – while there is optimism around for change, there is plenty of work to be done to turn it into reality, and progress is patchy. The housing market, for instance, has began to return since April, but with hotspots. Yorkshire is the most buoyant area, while the North East, right next door, is the least. In the engineering sector, supply of spare parts for garages is on the up, while the manufacture of motors for construction plant is at an all time low.

Chief among the practical issues concerning all sectors, however, was the squeeze on credit, be it the lack of credit insurance for exporters, or money to finance manufacture when big new orders are secured. And most agreed that the high street banks are playing a devious game by converting small businesses’ existing overdraft facilities into loans secured against assets (mostly property), thus generating a fee and massaging their lending figures into the bargain. But, even if the green shoots of recovery are poking their heads gingerly skywards, it appears that austerity still stalks the corridors of Threadneedle Street – lunchtime wine was off limits!

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Not so sheepish fter my shamefaced admission last month that my IJL seminar had been poorly attended, I felt a little sheepish about giving a repeat performance at October’s National Pawnbrokers’ Association annual conference at the Royal Lancaster in London.

I needn’t have worried, as this time around the room was packed (no it wasn’t a telephone box!), the audience was enthusiastic and even applauded! My subject? The Road to SaferGems! I urge you to get on board.

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The Voice of the Industry 5

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Editor’s Letter And finally, Christmas is here. I’m no ‘Mystic Meg’ and make no pretence at knowing more about the vagaries of our nation’s economy than the next person.

Instead, I turn to reliable sources like the British Retail Consortium (BRC), respected market research firm Verdict and others of a similar ilk to get my information about which way the winds of commerce are likely to blow during the festive season.

Unfortunately, sifting through the available information as I have been these past couple of weeks, I’m afraid things appear as clear as mud, at least to my untrained, non-financial mind. Firstly, the BRC tells me that retail sales in London for the month of October were 4.2 per cent higher than a year ago – an indicator, it says, that ‘bodes well’ for Christmas.

Unfortunately, Verdict then tells me that, despite some of the bellweather high street names enjoying “positively booming” sales, people are likely to spend less this Christmas for the first time since the late 1980s.

Oh well. It seems the well-informed voice of encouragement that I had been hoping to adopt this month will, by necessity, evade me. The message to retailers this Christmas seems to be (as – whisper it – it is most years) that this could be a strong, ‘recovery’ Christmas, a marked improvement on last time around, and we could all end the year on a high note.

Equally, it could be the toughest quarter that the high street will face in a while.

This Christmas, as with most aspects of business I suspect, it will be up to individuals and their businesses to do their best and to make their own luck.

On that note, I hope that you’re all enjoying good trade and continue to do so over the all important coming weeks, and I wish all our readers well into the New Year.

Merry Christmas, folks.

Jo Young, Editor

Email: joslyoung@gmail.com

This month: “We want to create

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“To say it isn’t possible

emotion in that segment:

to offer traceability

we want to use the

to jewellers is a

design codes that you

disproven theory, like

see at the higher end,

the flat earth theory

and bring them to an

or the pseudo-science

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Page 42

of creationism.”

The Voice of the Industry 7

Industry News

JEWELLER

Half of retail workers who have quit blame bad management lmost half of those working within the retail sector have left a job due to bad management, according to the latest figures released by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).

The Institute’s survey also revealed that more than half (53 per cent) believe that they could do a better job than their current manager, and would be prepared to take a pay cut in order to work with a better manager.

Meanwhile, 70 per cent of managers surveyed in the sector confessed to being ‘accidental’ managers, not aspiring to occupy management roles at the start of their careers. A similar number (68 per cent)

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admitted to not wanting the responsibility of managing people at all, while 59 per cent of managers said they had had no management training. Only 22 per cent of managers surveyed held any type of formal management qualification.

“The figures reveal the depth of the crisis of confidence in UK management and leadership and the enormous toll bad management is taking on the UK economy and people’s wellbeing,” said Ruth Spellman, chief executive of the CMI. “It’s not surprising bad management is such an issue in the UK. We invest less in our managers than our global competitors, and it shows. It’s telling that the majority of

“Government and employers need to address this worrying skills gap.”

Ruth Spellman, chief executive of the CMI individuals never set out to manage people, and have not been trained to do so. If we’re going to stay competitive internationally, the Government and employers need to address this worrying skills gap,” she added.

HRD Antwerp sets standards for new Antwerp Twins cut certification RD Antwerp is now fully certifying the new Antwerp Twins cut diamond, for which it has set up the standards of certification in collaboration with WTOCD, the Antwerp-based scientific diamond research centre. This means that a dedicated certificate can now be made for the new cut.

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8 The Jeweller December 2009

The new diamond cut derives its name from its two faceted domes on the crown and pavilion side.

The Antwerp Twins diamonds all have one feature in common: a fully faceted, dome-shaped crown, with either no table at all or only a tiny ‘culet’-style facet in the

centre of the crown. The new cut design for stones in different shapes creates a very sparkling design and no compromise on light output.

“We are very happy we can partner with an innovative company that is willing to invest in new products in these challenging times. HRD Antwerp and WTOCD made their scientific know-how available to design the new certification standard,” said Georges Brys of HRD Antwerp.

The newly designed stone has been introduced to the market by the Antwerpbased company 3D Diamonds.

“Our city’s centuries-long tradition of craftsmanship receives worldwide respect.

With this new cut, we want to offer the world a step ahead in jewellery design and a demonstration of the leadership of Antwerp in diamonds”, said Eva Van Looveren, the CEO of 3D Diamonds.

The Antwerp Twins diamond was formally launched at the Hong Kong Jewellery and Watch Fair this autumn.

Industry News

JEWELLER

Councils warn public over ‘rip off’ gold buyers ocal councils have begun issuing warnings to the general public about selling their unwanted gold through ‘buying services’, suggesting there is a high risk of being ‘ripped off’.

Camden Council in London, which, along with Hertfordshire Trading Standards office, has become one of the first to release a warning to the public, said that people ‘should be careful about how they sell’ their unwanted gold. The council’s trading standards team said that it had received a surge in complaints about gold buying services, a rapidly growing number of which are now advertising on television, the internet and elsewhere in the media.

‘There has been a recent increase in companies offering to exchange gold for cash, fuelled by the recession and the current high price of gold. However, whilst they seem convenient, members of the public using these services may not be getting the best deal,’ said Camden Council in a statement released last month. ‘Such companies treat gold items as scrap, so the value of the item is determined by the weight and quality of the gold, rather than the retail value of the piece. This also means people are not paid for the weight of any gemstones or non-precious metals.’

Camden, like other councils seeking to warn the public about rip-off gold buyers, has urged consumers to use a reputable jeweller to value their items properly, ‘so if they are not happy with the price being offered they can walk away.’ However, it issued a number of tips to those sellers still intending to use a gold buying service, including advice to remove any gemstones before sending in their items (which, it said, would otherwise ‘be lost’), to compare different companies using customer feedback, to take photographs of all items, particularly hallmarks, and to read all terms and conditions carefully.

“The number of complaints to Camden Council’s trading standards team about gold buying services has increased recently, indicating that some companies are not providing value for money. I urge residents to do their research before selling their gold. Gold prices fluctuate daily, and anyone in the gold buying business is out to make a profit. This means people may be able to get more money by selling their items another way,” said local councillor Chris Knight, Camden Council’s executive member for environment.

Both Camden Council and Hertfordshire Trading Standards have urged anyone with complaints to contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or by visiting their website: www.consumerdirect.gov.uk

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Dudley jeweller up for business award udley-based jeweller Lora Leedham has been picked as a finalist in the 2009 NatWest everywoman awards, which are designed to recognise the success of ‘the UK’s most inspirational female business owners’.

Leedham has been put forward in the Artemis category, which is open to entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 25. The designer set up her company Jewellery by Lora Leedham using a small Prince’s Trust grant of £2,500. She has since received commissions from the Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Charles, for whom she designed a tie pin and a jewellery range carrying the Highgrove crest. She has also exhibited at London Fashion Week, lectures regularly on young enterprise, and now sits on the Prince’s Trust panel.

“Year on year we are overwhelmed by the calibre of entries to these awards.

This year we had the highest number of entries to date and yet again we are seeing some outstanding individuals who deserve to be recognised for their extraordinary contribution to UK plc”, said Karen Gill cofounder of everywoman.

This year’s winners will be announced over a lunch ceremony on 2 December held at The Dorchester Hotel in London, where guests will include VIPs from the fields of business, government, media and others in the public eye.

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Watch brand returns to TV atchmaker Accurist has reprised its well-known 1970s television advertisements, starring former Monty Python actor John Cleese.

The new advert, which forms part of the company’s £1m Christmas advertising push, has been created as an updated version of

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one of the storylines from the original advertisements, with a new voiceover and a new ending. The 30 second commercial, which will air throughout December, is the first television advertisement that Accurist has produced in over a decade, and will be shown in several primetime slots.

According to Accurist chief executive Andrew Loftus, the idea behind rereleasing a 30 year old advertising campaign was to reinforce the brand’s image as a British classic.

The original series of ads, which ran throughout the late 1970s, featured the slogan “Accur-ankle, Accur-wrist!”, which has also been reprised for the new version.

The classic series garnered much praise when first shown and won a number of advertising awards.

The Voice of the Industry 9

Industry News

JEWELLER

London proves the exception to gloomy Christmas sales predictions

ith Christmas now only weeks away, retail experts are predicting a poor turnout from the nation’s shoppers, who are expected to spend less this Christmas for the first time since the late 1980s.

According to retail research firm Verdict, underlying Christmas retail sales will be down for the first time since its records began in 1989. The firm estimates that the market will shrink by £535million or 0.7 per cent, due to a double whammy of woes: shoppers avoiding the high street, and the looming threat of the VAT cut, which is likely to reduce the value of total high street sales.

‘As consumer expenditure includes tax, the 2.5 per cent cut in VAT has been a significant factor in the reduction in spending in nonfood (food and grocery is largely VAT free).

In order to maintain sales at last year’s level, retailers would have to increase volume or prices, but overall both have declined as competition has intensified,’ said Maureen Hinton, an analyst at Verdict Research.

The slightly gloomy predictions come despite some retailers – including the high street ‘bellweather’ chain John Lewis – turning in strong and unexpected sales performances over recent months. According to Verdict’s own figures, sales are positively booming at John Lewis, with the most recently-announced weekly takings, for the week ending November 14th, up 17 per cent on last year. However the retailer’s own

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10 The Jeweller December 2009

director of operations Andrew Murphy has said that he does not expect trading to necessarily be sustained across the festive period.

“Our view is a fairly conservative one. We are not drawing a straight line from the end of this year into 2010 thinking it will all be milk and honey,” he said.

Department store Debenhams made waves by announcing a £250m price slashing promotion in November, which it predicted would spark a price war among its high street rivals. However Marks & Spencer’s Stuart Rose stated earlier in the month that his chain – another of the ‘bellweather’ retailers – was not expecting to take part in a repeat of 2008’s price war frenzy. Rose said M&S would continue to trade at full price up to Christmas Day. In London, meanwhile, the picture remained more positive, with October’s like-for-like sales up 4.2 per cent on a year ago, when sales fell by 2.6 per cent off the back of the collapsing financial market.

According to the figures, released by the British Retail Consortium and KPMG, retail footfall was just slightly higher in the capital in October than in 2008, with the unseasonably mild weather (particularly compared to the snow and cold experienced last time around), half term and Halloween sales increasing traffic into stores.

‘Sterling’s weakness against the euro continued to attract western Europeans.

Middle Eastern visitors were also good customers for many, though less numerous than in September. Food sales growth weakened a little further, affected by lower food inflation. Homewares benefited from better consumer confidence and housing market news but the gains were against a weak October 2008 and often discountdriven,’ said the Retail Sales Monitor report, released last month.

Stephen Robertson, the BRC’s director general, said that the latest figures ‘bode well’ for Christmas sales in the capital.

“These are the first solid signs that it will be a better retail Christmas than 2008. London sales were well up on the dismal performance of a year ago and outperformed the rest of the UK, though not to quite the same extent as in recent months.

“Consumer confidence in the capital was stronger than the rest of the country, which together with housing market stability, helped homeware sales. But milder weather than last October meant customers delayed spending on winter clothing and footwear.

“The weak pound continued to attract European visitors. There was also a boost from Chinese tourists visiting London as part of their ‘Golden Week’ – when several of their public holidays fall around the same time,” he said.

Helen Dickinson, KPMG’s head of retail, agreed that the figures were significant.

“October’s like-for-like sales growth of 4.2 per cent is encouraging in the lead-up to Christmas, and compared with the 2.6 per cent fall in like-for-like sales last October, shows that for at least some of the capital’s consumers, confidence is on the up. The next few weeks will be crucial for retailers but these latest figures should hopefully be cause for greater optimism,” she said.

Both images this page courtesy of New West End Company

LIFE HAS ITS MOMENTS...

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...MAKE THEM UNFORGETTABLE

Industry News

JEWELLER

Glasgow student scoops Young Silversmith prize aruka Usui, a fourth year silversmithing and jewellery student at the Glasgow School of Art, has been awarded the Young Designer Silversmith Award for 2009.

The award was presented to Usui at a ceremony at the city’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and museum by Rupert Hambro, the prime warden of the Goldsmiths’ Company, organisers of the prestigious annual prize.

The designer, who is the 15th winner of the competition, won the £500 prize and certificate for her ‘charming’ and ‘visually playful interpretation of the brief, which was to design a carafe and two beakers.

The Young Designer Silversmith Award, which is open to any student under 30 in the United Kingdom on a BA or Master’s degree course, was established in 1994

by Rosemary Ransome Wallis, curator of the collections at Goldsmiths’ Hall. It is intended to act as an encouragement to students to show their artistic individuality when working in silver.

‘The carafe she designed is in the shape of a bird and the beakers in the shape of eggs, which are carried on the back of the

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bird form when not in use. The designer calls her winning design ‘tori’ with 2 egg cups – ‘tori’ is Japanese for bird,’ said the Goldsmiths’ Company in a statement.

“The judges were hugely taken with Haruka’s original interpretation of the brief.

The duality of the piece being both functional and ornamental creates a sense of fun yet

it retains its seriousness as a work of contemporary silver,” said award founder Rosemary Ransome Wallis.

Usui’s winning silver bird carafe and cups have now been given over to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, where they will become part of the gallery’s permanent exhibition.

Having presented the prize, Goldsmiths’ prime warden Rupert Hambro presented the Glasgow School of Art’s head of silversmithing and jewellery Helen Marriott with a commemorative silver plaque of the Goldsmiths’ Company’s coat of arms, designed and made by Keith Redfern and engraved by Stanley Reece. The plaque is retained by Glasgow College of Art for a year. Haruka Urui is the seventh student from the art school to win this award. Katherine Agnew won the third prize and Allyson Gee and David Finlay were each awarded a commendation.

Other major museums that have received pieces as part of the Goldsmiths’ Company’s Young Designer Silversmith Award include Aberdeen Museum, Manchester City Art Gallery, Birmingham Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Silversmith Howard Fenn, in whose Southwark workshop the winner designer made her pieces, together with this year’s competition judges, Martin Drury, past Director General of the National Trust and the silversmith Grant Macdonald, both of them past prime wardens of the Goldsmiths’ Company, as well as artist-silversmith Rod Kelly and Annamarie Stapleton, consultant to the Fine Art Society London, all attended the prize-giving ceremony.

Job hopes rise among retail firms K retail firms appear to be bucking the job cutting trend, with one in five retail employers planning to increase their staff numbers before Christmas.

The figures, released by the Santander Corporate Banking group, show that, despite the bleak UK-wide forecast that three million will be out of work by the end of the year, the retail workforce is likely to be less affected than many other sectors.

The bank’s study showed that 18 per cent of retail companies is to increase staff before Christmas, compared with just six per cent planning to shed jobs – a positive

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12 The Jeweller December 2009

balance of 12 per cent – with 68 per cent expecting to maintain current staffing levels.

The jobs boost confirms the growing signs of optimism among UK retail SMEs. Santander’s Business Confidence Index has shown that two in three business owners (68 per cent) in the sector are confident in the prospects of their own business during the remainder of 2009.

UK unemployment currently stands at a 14-year high of 2.44 million, according to the Office for National Statistics, with forecasters predicting that this will top three million by the end of 2009.

“SMEs have proved remarkably resilient throughout the recession despite considerable difficulty. It is encouraging to see the confidence recorded in our Index may be translated into jobs.

“Unemployment is traditionally a lagging indicator and is expected to keep rising even when the recession is officially over.

It would appear that smaller businesses, and particularly those with a turnover of less than £5 million, are emerging from recession slightly quicker than larger rivals,” said Steve Pateman, the head of Santander Corporate Banking.

Industry News

JEWELLER

Retailers urged to adopt new apprentice logo etailers are being encouraged to show their support for apprenticeships by displaying a new Apprentice logo throughout their businesses.

The apprenticeship employers’ badge, which was launched last month, was commissioned by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), in response to ‘consumer demand’.

The organisation, which was launched in April this year, hopes that retailers will include

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the new logo on their websites, in their stores and on company stationery.

According to a recent survey by the NAS, 64 per cent of consumers would use a register that allowed them to choose a business that hires apprentices, and over 80 per cent of those questioned said that they would be more likely to choose a business if it offered apprenticeships to young people.

All organisations that place the new logo on their websites will in turn have their

own name/logo added to the National Apprenticeship Service site, ensuring that their customers can see that they support young apprentices, of which there were 11,800 last year alone.

“I am pleased to announce the launch of the apprenticeship badge for employers and businesses. Recent research shows a high majority of consumers prefer businesses who take on apprentices and this is a great way for those businesses to show their commitment.

“The badge scheme will demonstrate which businesses support young people through offering Apprenticeships and will provide a service for consumers to choose.

The scheme will add to the numerous benefits apprentices bring to a business,” said Simon Waugh, chief executive of the National Apprenticeship Service.

“We already know some of the real business benefits apprentices can bring to the organisations they work for. In addition, it’s now encouraging to see consumers are asking for apprentices and choosing to use a business which supports young people over one which doesn’t. This consumer choice gives employers another bottom line reason to hire apprentices, commented Iain Wright, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for 14-19 Reform and Apprenticeships.

Businesses that hire apprentices can download the badge by visiting apprenticeships.org.uk, clicking on Employers then Employers’ Badge. Employers who want to know more about apprenticeships can call the NAS on 08000 150 600.

Boodles to open Savoy store uxury jewellery chain Boodles has signed up to open a new 850sqft flagship in the leading London hotel The Savoy, as part of the landmark building’s £100m refit.

The hotel, one of the best known in the capital, is due to reopen in mid2010 after a major restoration and refit.

The work is being led by the architect Yves Rochon, who also worked on the renovation of the iconic Parisian hotel the George V. Boodles is one of the first of several luxury signings that the hotel plans for its lobby and public areas. Retailers chosen are expected to, said the hotel, ‘compliment the Britishness of The Savoy’, and it expects further interest from luxury retailers following Boodles‘ signing.

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“It has never been a challenge to get luxury retailers into The Savoy. But our strategic positioning is much more defined. Being a British hotel we wanted something to reflect this. Boodles has a long history – it is several centuries old and to have them in our main Front Hall fits perfectly with the character of The Savoy,” said Kiaran Macdonald, the general manager of The Savoy.

The Boodles store is being designed by architect Eva Jiricna and will compliment the Edwardian grandeur of the hotel.

“Boodles in The Savoy is a marriage of two very English brands. We feel it is a great opportunity to attract more overseas customers in a solus environment and look forward to the 2010 opening,” said Michael Wainwright, MD of the jewellery chain.

Photo by Strollerdos

The Voice of the Industry 15

Industry News

JEWELLER

Independent Waltons of Chester enjoys centenary celebration

– an Edwardian silver sugar caster with a Chester hallmark from 1909, the year in which the store was established.

“Waltons are what businesses are all about. It is an astonishing achievement to have survived 100 years. Waltons have been a hallmark of excellence in Chester for so many years,” said the Duke of Westminster. “Waltons is one of the few independents in a prime location left in Chester. We have seen five different monarchs, two World Wars and are in the middle of the worst economic climate.

Waltons is delighted to be part of the Chester renaissance,” added Hogben.

The company, which has 33 staff and outlets in Chester and Wrexham, was founded by Bertram Walton, during the reign of Edward VII.

ndependent jeweller Waltons of Chester celebrated its 100th birthday last month, attended by the Duke of Westminster.

The company, which has traded from the same prime location in Chester throughout its history, held a celebratory champagne reception at its store. During the event, general manager Richard Hogben presented its guest of honour with a special memento

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Only NAG Members to view ‘The Jeweller’ online in entirety he recently-launched Jeweller website (www.thejewellermagazine.com) has proved to be an instant success with already over 500* people making 7,945* unique page views of the magazine online.

Although during the month of November the online magazine could be viewed by anyone visiting the site, from December the online issue will only be able to be viewed in its entirety by NAG members who will be able to access this section of the site by completing the security password with their membership details.

This will also include access to archived issues on the site. Non members will be able to view certain sections of the latest issue as well as general information about the magazine.

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16 The Jeweller December 2009

CEO of the NAG Michael Hoare commented ‘We are very pleased with the initial statistics from the online issue which is a natural progression for the magazine in this digital age. We believe The Jeweller is a great product which our members enjoy reading and as such is one of the many benefits NAG membership offers.

It is therefore totally right that the introduction of our online version offers our fee paying members added value as well as a choice as to how and where they view the magazine. We are not excluding non members totally as they will be able to view certain elements of the

latest issue on the site which we hope will act as the catalyst for them to consider membership or if not to take a subscription to The Jeweller magazine’. * Source: ISSUU Site Statistics

Industry News

JEWELLER

Platinum jewellery forecasts 310,000 ounces in 2009. The lower metal price has reduced the incentive for consumers to cash in second hand jewellery and the rate of recycling of jewellery scrap will therefore fall sharply.

North America The jewellery market in North America has struggled in worsening economic conditions. Net platinum demand is forecast to fall by more than a quarter this year to 140,000 ounces as consumers’ disposable income has shrunk and retailers have again reduced working stocks.

Global demand for platinum and the newly hallmarked palladium (pictured) is set to rise despite the slump in white metal in some markets. All images this page courtesy of Birmingham Assay Office.

he global demand for the platinum jewellery is expected to climb by almost 80 per cent to 2.45m ounces this year, according to precious metal firm Johnson Matthey's Platinum 2009 Interim Review, fuelled largely by demand from the Asian market.

According to the company's findings, net demand will fall in Europe and North America, reflecting the tough economic conditions in those markets. However, this will be heavily offset by activity elsewhere. In Japan, lower prices have reduced recycling flows and, although manufacturing levels will rise only slightly from 2008, net demand will climb strongly. In China, the metal price has continued to encourage the jewellery sector; demand should, said Johnson Matthey, leap to a record level of 1.75 million ounces in 2009 due to strong consumer purchasing and hefty restocking throughout the industry.

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The survey findings, in brief: China The lower price of platinum compared to the first half of 2008 has had a hugely positive effect on net Chinese jewellery demand, which is expected to rise to a record 1.75 million ounces this year. Lower prices provided retailers and wholesalers with the opportunity to replenish and expand stocks, increasing platinum’s share of counter space where it replaced white gold jewellery.

Attractive profit margins also encouraged new retailers and new manufacturers into this sector. Although the platinum price has risen since the start of 2009, retail prices remain some way below the levels of late 2008, suggesting that consumer purchasing should stay close to its current elevated level.

18 The Jeweller December 2009

Europe Purchases of platinum by the European jewellery and watch industries are forecast to decrease by 15,000 ounces to an estimated 185,000 ounces this year. The European luxury jewellery manufacturers have struggled with the effects of the financial crisis and demand will fall as a result. However, demand for platinum in the key UK market has been supported by a robust bridal market and platinum demand is likely to be steady year-on-year. Platinum use in the Swiss watch industry will drop due to lower watch production and careful stock control by manufacturers and retailers.

Japan Net Japanese platinum jewellery demand is expected to climb by 255,000 ounces to

Platinum jewellery outlook According to Johnson Matthey, platinum demand from the jewellery industry is likely to soften somewhat during the next year.

The very strong levels of platinum demand in China since the last quarter of 2008 have been partly due to a high degree of stock building which is unlikely to be repeated in 2010. However, unless the retail price of platinum jewellery rises sharply, any decrease in consumer purchasing or any increase in the use of recycled metal should be limited.

With the price of platinum well off the peak levels of 2008, an upturn in the world economy in 2010 is likely to lead to a slight increase in demand in other markets.

Palladium Jewellery Outlook After several years of development, the Chinese palladium jewellery market appears to have stabilised. Demand is expected to

show only organic growth from today’s levels in this market. Outside China, considerable potential remains for growth: the introduction of a hallmark within the UK has provided a boost in that market and the growing familiarity of US jewellers with palladium alloys should see North American demand rise next year.

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NAG News

JEWELLER

The world’s most valuable christmas tree bauble!

John Henn and his wife with Sally Ann and Mark at the unveiling of the bauble (inset)

s part of its year-long celebrations to commemorate 30 years of trading, Hallmark Jewellers has recently unveiled the world’s most valuable Christmas tree bauble.

Hallmark Jewellers, an NAG member for the last 15 years, held a VIP gala evening on Saturday 7th November to share the unveiling of this grand Christmas bauble.

The sphere-shaped bauble, which is of a snowflake cut pattern, has been made in 18 carat white gold and pave set with 1578 diamonds. It drew many admirers at the

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Are you getting n-gauged? he NAG’s newsletter n-gauge provides regular updates on topics affecting you, the retail jeweller. If you aren’t already receiving this monthly email, please email ngauge@jewellers-online.org with your contact details.

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20 The Jeweller December 2009

event, which took place in the workshop of Hallmark Jewellers in Ticthfield, Hampshire.

Three stunning one carat diamonds adorn the centre band of this unique and spectacular Christmas decoration, which is orbited by two ruby encrusted rings.

The concept was dreamt up by Hallmark partner Mark Hussay on Boxing Day last year, and the design work started the very next day. After researching the initial idea, Hallmark Jewellers realised that the existing most expensive bauble in the Guinness

Book of Records was valued at £26,874.

With this in mind, as soon as the bauble was completed, the National Association of Goldsmiths did not hesitate in offering its valuations service free of charge for such a magnificent creation.

The valuation was completed by Steven Jordan, a Fellow of the Institute of Registered Valuers and the National Association of Goldsmiths, who has over 35 years experience. He has headed the team of valuers at the London Assay Office since April 2008, and was recently awarded the title of 2009 David Wilkins Valuer of the Year at Loughborough.

He independently valued the gold and diamond bauble to be worth £82,000, confirming that Hallmark Jewellers of Titchfield had indeed created the most valuable Christmas tree bauble in the world.

John Henn of T A Henn & Son, who attended the event on behalf of the NAG, said, “With this decoration, Mark and Sally Ann have put themselves, and their dedicated team, at the top of the pile of enterprising specialists that this country produces.

Congratulations for taking the leap of faith”.

NAG News

JEWELLER

NAG Challenge Trophy – chairman’s challenge! he date is set and the venue is arranged: are you up for the challenge? The NAG Challenge trophy was won by the NAG Chairman in 2009 – me! I was very surprised that my score of 37 points (one stroke below my handicap) was sufficient to win the competition and bring home, to me, the magnificent Challenge Trophy. This now has pride of place in my office, so it is up to you to come and take it off me!

Next year’s competition will take place at the same venue, the superb Fulford Golf Course in York, on 7th June 2010.

This course, the former home of the televised Benson and Hedges competition, is a testing, championship course that offers a great day’s golf.

There are sponsorship opportunities available for various parts of the competition:• The Actual Trophy – Have your company’s details engraved on the trophy for a one-off charge of £5000. This will then be ‘engraved for eternity’, or for the life of the competition (the NAG Yorkshire Centre competition has just been played for the 63rd year!).

• Nearest the Pin - Already booked for this year, by Concept Smokescreen.

• Longest Drive - Available at a cost of £500 • Putting Competition - Available at a cost of £500 • Champagne Reception – Already booked for this year by www.rolexrepairs.co.uk • Individual Tee sponsorship – Includes sponsor board. There are a few tees still available to sponsor at £100 per tee.

• Team Prize – Available at a cost of £500 All sponsors will be recognised via entries on the day, via sponsor boards in the clubhouse, entries on the dinner menus, and the major sponsors will be mentioned in The Jeweller magazine. We can also accept individual or team entries, for the golf, from the sponsors.

The NAG raised over £1000 for the charity Centenary Trust last year and we are aiming to exceed that figure with the next competition. There will be professional photographers out and about on the course, and videoed first tee shots, team images, individual images and winners photographs will all be available.

Prices for the (inevitable) bacon sandwich and coffee/tea, round of golf, putting competition, afternoon tea, champagne reception, dinner in the evening with wine, will be as follows:• NAG member (any category) £70.00 • Non-NAG member £90.00 You would, of course, be most welcome to attend as a spectator, and/or to stay for dinner in the evening, if you are a non-golfer.

Interested? To play, or to sponsor, or both, contact Frank Wood on 01904 625274/0777 1616457 or via email at: golf@braithwaitesjewellers.com

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Stay informed with Facebook and Twitter or all the latest news and information on the NAG join the NAG Facebook groups: JET Courses and Members or follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NAGEducation or www.twitter.com//NAGMembers

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New Member Applications To ensure that NAG members are aware of new membership applications within their locality, applicants’ names are published below. Members wishing to comment on any of these applications can call Harshita Deolia on 020 7613 4445 or email: harshita@jewellers-online.org within three weeks of receipt of this issue.

Ordinary Applications Clogau Gold of Wales (Ben Roberts) Bodelwyddan, Wales

Allied Applications European Jewellery Company (Jay Shah) Hatton Garden

NAG diamond training for IRV Members and Fellows

he NAG is preparing a series of one day seminars on diamond grading for IRVs presented by Eric Emms in 2010. To help formulate content relevant to members and fellows, Eric and the education department of the NAG are canvassing opinion from prospective attendees. Following the distribution of the flyer at the Loughborough conference, we wish to hear opinions on the extent of each topic that should be taught during the day, such as identification of a diamond, its treatments, clarity and colour assessment, weight determination, synthetics and so on.

Please send your responses to Eric at: ericemms@aol.com or Amanda White at the NAG at: amandaw@jewellers-online.org

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The Voice of the Industry 21

NAG News

JEWELLER

It’s December, which means its festive fun for all. To get into the spirit, we're testing your NAG HQ knowledge! Can you guess which NAG staff members these festive babies grew up to be?

See how many you can get right and take our quiz now! Answers next issue...

1

3

2

4

ÂŽ

5

22 The Jeweller December 2009

6

7

8

9

10

11

速

12

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

A.

Stacy Simpson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

E.

Communications officer

B. Victoria Wingate . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Education and training manager

C. Henrik Dinesen . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Finance administrator

D. Ritu Verma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PA to the chief executive

Amanda Reavell . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I.

Executive manager, finance and administration

F.

Jason Harrison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Information manager

J.

Education administrator

G. Michael Hoare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Membership administrator

Amanda White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Front of house co-ordinator

K.

Chief executive

H. Harshita Deolia . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Faye Hadlow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mandy Kelly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Education co-ordinator

L.

Sandra Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Institute of Registered Valuers co-ordinator

The Voice of the Industry 23

24 The Jeweller December 2009

As the year draws slowly to its festive end, we look at some of the freshest offerings coming up for Spring.

FURLA

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Italian accessories label Furla has included this cheeky and fun watch as part of its Talent Hub project, an unusual scheme in which the brand gives young designers an opportunity to create capsule collections under an established fashion label. The model, called Leit Motif, has been inspired by the 1865 children’s novel by Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland.

Award-winning jewellery brand Monica Vinader has unveiled a new rose vermeil collection, which made its debut in high end department stores Liberty and Harrods in November. Part of the spring/summer 2010 collection, the rose vermeil range of signature cocktail and stackable rings is made in silver and set with chalcedony, amethyst, smoky and rose quartz stones.

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The London-based designer jewellery partnership has several new pieces out this Christmas, including new additions to its iconic twinkle ring range. The new rings have been set with an eclectic array of rainbowcoloured stones in different shapes and sizes, which look great worn together. This season’s colour additions include monochrome shades in onyx and white topaz.

STRAWBERRYWOOD

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MONICA VINADER

DOWER & HALL

The latest collection of bespoke rings from fine jewellery brand StrawberryWood have – somewhat unusually – been designed to complement 1980s style power dressing.

The brand’s creator Lesley Spencer, explains that “shoulder pads have slowly made their way back into fashion”, and these less-thansubtle pieces – which use tanzanite, kunzite, morganite and tourmaline set against diamonds in platinum – are the perfect complement to statement dressing.

GOLDMAJOR

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With these new pieces, Goldmajor has contrasted the familiar yellows and cognacs of amber with strong luscious blue shades of turquoise beads for a visually stunning effect.

The necklace and matching bead bracelet are new additions to the company's range for 2010, costing £81 and £48 respectively.

TARTAN TWIST

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Tartan Twist is a Scottish design-led gift company, which launched at Scotland’s Trade Fair last year, where it won Best Scottish Product. Among its new products for 2010 are these fabulously quirky ‘Lucky Bags’, which are made with silver and amethyst and which each contains a secret fortune or prediction for the wearer.

TAGUA

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The Tagua brand specialises in ethical and environmentally-conscious jewellery. Available in a range of naturally-dyed bright colours, each piece in the new collection is made entirely from natural products – specifically, the ivory-like nut from which the company takes its name – that have been ethically sourced. Prices for the new pieces start at £9.99.

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ECO SECRET GARDEN

Using silver and bronze, US designer Cynthia Gale’s Eco Secret Garden collection – inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic children’s story – incorporates flower, owl, key, lock and keepsake box motifs.

Made from 80 per cent recycled silver, this nostalgic collection is designed to evoke happy childhood memories in its wearers.

SAINT HONORE

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Coloseo, the latest women’s model from Swiss watchmaker Saint Honore, has been designed on the principle of aesthetic opposites – a classic shape, enhanced with unusual fine materials, such as lacquer, mother-of-pearl, diamonds and onyx. The watch has a mother-of-pearl dial with an open date aperture, and diamonds that form an original off-centre pavé at 3 o'clock.

The whole effect is topped off with a black onyx crown.

BASTIAN INVERUN

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German firm Bastian Inverun, which is internationally known for its gold and silver jewellery, has produced its first ever comprehensive range of cufflinks, called Brooke by bastian inverun'. The company has attempted to offer cufflinks for every occasion – from classic models set with natural gemstones, to purist silver designs and fancy, playful sets such as these, pictured. All 42 sets of cufflinks in the range are made in silver.

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TATEOSSIAN

The luxurious new PreciouSkin collection from designer Robert Tateossian has been created from the most tactile of materials: alligator, snake and stingray skin. Pieces in this women's range, including oversized ‘bead’ bracelets, cuffs, earrings and necklaces, have been combined with ebony wood, creating an unusually fashion-forward, edgy and unique collection.

CORUM

BCBG MAXAZRIA

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BCBG MaxAzria has announced the UK launch of its new women’s watch collection as a celebration of its 20 years in the fashion industry. The collection, comprised of 15 models including this fun purple number, will be distributed by watch and jewellery group Peers Hardy, which also represents designer watch brands Ted Baker and Kenneth Cole New York.

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Swiss watch brand Corum is celebrating, as its Ti-Bridge watch has won second place – from a shortlist of 40 timepieces – in the hotly contested Watch of the Year award.

The Ti-Bridge, pictured, was beaten only by the Historiques American 21 by Vacherin Constantin. One of the key launches for Corum, the model is designed for watch fans with sporty elegance in mind.

SAM UBHI

KIT HEATH

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British jewellery brand Kit Heath has launched a new collection called Beachcomber which, as the name suggests, has been inspired the wild and windswept coastline of the British isles – specifically North Devon, where the designer has his home. The concept of the bracelet is simple: a contemporary take on the uber-fashionable charm bracelet, each piece is adapted by the individual through the addition of semi-precious and silver ‘pebbles’.

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Jewellery brand Sam Ubhi, nominated for brand of the year in this year’s UK Jewellery Awards, has chosen a theme of ‘strong tendril like shapes’ for its three collection launches for Spring/Summer 2010. The serpentine range features silver spiral pieces, intertwined and overlapped to create spectacular statement chest piece necklaces, earrings and cuffs, in a contemporary take on an African tribal jewellery technique.

CLOGAU GOLD

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Welsh gold jewellery manufacturer Clogau has unveiled its new Wennol collection, named after the Welsh word for swallows – those traditional symbols of love and commitment. The image of these graceful birds in flight has been captured in this yellow and rose gold pendant and earring set, suspended on 18 iinch chains. Each piece, as ever, contains rare gold mined in Snowdonia. The pendant is priced at £365 and the earrings at £129.

GOODMAN MORRIS

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VOSTOK EUROPE

Russian watchmaker Vostok Europe specialises in timepieces that commemorate Russia’s achievements in the history of space travel and exploration. The term Vostok is itself a reference to the first Soviet space ship, and the firm, which originated in Moscow, has been manufacturing mechanical watches for 60 years. The latest model has a classical shape and a rugged, hard-wearing appearance.

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Jewellery designer Bbel has released a new selection of delicate handmade necklaces and hair accessories, which have been inspired by the natural world. Moreover, these pieces are themselves constructed with a mind to the wellbeing of nature; each is made from fine metals and recycled sheet from items as diverse as yogurt pots, refrigerator seals and coffee cups.

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The new Planet Sweet collection from Brighton-based jewellery designers and retailers Goodman Morris – which includes this unusual black diamond and labradorite ring – plays upon the brand's trademark bold, tactile and weighty design motif. Each handmade piece has been inspired by the ‘unctuous curves and feminine silhouettes’ of the solar system, combining smooth textures with graphic bold lines.

ORNELLA IANNUZZI

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Up-and-coming designer Ornella Iannuzzi recently launched an exciting new collection called Into the Wood, which she showcased at several of autumn's exhibitions and fairs.

This ring is one of the collection’s key pieces, and like all the pieces in this new range, is intended to be reminiscent of unusual growths, shapes and patterns of tree roots and branches.

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BRAYBROOK & BRITTEN

BBEL

London-based silversmiths Braybrook & Britten has designed these unusual, delicate flower-shaped earrings, which are made with red Tiger’s Eye, which has been coloured a rich flame mahogany. The earrings are perfect for everyday wear and are priced at £50.

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NOMINATION

Italian brand Nomination, best known for its steel jewellery, has recently unveiled a collection of sleek and fashionable watches, to retail at affordable prices. There are two collections – the men’s steel and rubber range Milano and the women’s Paris collection with mother of pearl dials. Prices start at £98 for the classically styled women’s watch with the composable link strap.

THE

JEWELLER interviews Vincent Perriard chief executive officer, Technomarine Just weeks after his appointment as the new CEO of Swiss watchmaker Technomarine, Vincent Perriard tells Jo Young about his radical plans for the brand. pon meeting Vincent Perriard, barely have the coffees been served before he is expounding with his mile-a-minute theories as to the reasons behind Technomarine’s fashion-ability fall from grace.

“Technomarine was cool in the 1990s, and now it has completely disappeared,” he declares. “In some markets it is still doing very well, in places where you would not expect it, exotic places like Venezuela, but elsewhere it has lost that and it has disappeared.”

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30 The Jeweller December 2009

As I scribble, it occurs to me that I hadn’t really realised – until now – that Technomarine had, in fact, ‘lost it’, and I say as much. Perriard laughs. “Yes, yes sure: what you will realise is that I am unusual, I will tell you what I think, I will be honest with you. Do not be shy with me.”

Fair enough. This is Perriard’s first press trip to London since the announcement of his appointment in late October, and with his rebranding plans and the eye-watering

schedule within which he wishes to achieve them (more of which later) it makes sense that Perriard should want to waste little time getting his message across.

“What has happened to Technomarine is this: we did the very first plastic diamondset watch. We created our own space by doing something completely new that nobody else was doing. We were very visible, we created the buzz. We became ‘cool’,” he explains, waggling his fingers.

“Not just anyone in the crowd can afford a $500 watch, but for others this was very exciting.

“The second step was where things slipped away. There was not the second stage ‘cool’ product that Technomarine needed to follow up the diamond-set plastic watch with. The company, basically, wasn’t able to recreate the DNA with the second stage of product,” he says.

For Perriard, the reason why he is here and the reason why Technomarine needs a new burst of energy and inventiveness is because the company failed to consolidate the success of its early product innovations – the aforementioned, neverbefore-seen diamond-set plastic timepieces – with a second generation of equally innovative products.

“There was confusion about what Technomarine was about. The thinking was that the company’s products, the Technomarine DNA, was obviously all about diamonds and plastic. No. The DNA of Technomarine was to create a clash between the idea of lower and higher, not the materials themselves. It is about the collapse of two universes that you don’t usually see together,” he explains, with (it must be said) the kind of poetic verbal aplomb rarely seen outside the Swiss watch industry.

Perriard is, himself, very much a product (and some might suggest, a minor star) of that industry. His credentials for the new job are sound, his confident manner and occasionally-disarming conversational delivery borne from solid industry credentials. He has been picked for the job because he has a proven track record of taking watch brands – namely, in his case, Concord – from the industry periphery and making them talked about.

He has, as his biography tells it, held several ‘leadership positions’ in marketing product development and general management at several brands, such as Audemars Piguet, Hamilton, part of the Swatch Group, and as global president at Concord.

His relaunch of the Concord brand in 2007

feature

Becoming fashionable is a kind of minor alchemy that will either happen or it won’t.

different, they are fickle. Trendsetters move from brand to brand, they do not have loyalty. They are a very educated crowd, and you need to be creative as a brand to sustain demand, which Technomarine didn’t do,” he says.

Where Technomarine – and several other watch brand names that Perriard was savvy enough to ask me not to repeat – lost the interest of the all-important trendsetting watch buyers was in attempting to appeal with decent ‘all rounder’ product. To Perriard, this was a grave mistake. His argument, an interesting one, is perhaps valid for the whole of the watch and jewellery industry: as he implies, you can produce a nice, good quality product at an attractive price and make a living; where this path will never take you is to the cutting edge.

“Technomarine was saying, we are a cool brand with a good looking watch at a good price. This is OK, but the value for money thing is a disaster,” he says. “You stop bringing aspiration into it. The brand, the emotions, the point of view

disappears and you just become a collection of products.”

Of course, as I say to him, you can’t just orchestrate that unknown, unknowable magic that makes a brand suddenly fashionable. Becoming trendy is a kind of minor alchemy that will either happen or it won’t; it can be helped along by clever marketing, packaging and exciting product innovation, but surely you can’t simply set out to “be fashionable again”?

Perriard, unsurprisingly, disagrees.

“The entire system is a very complex and unrational marketing concept. You have to think about who you are, and who is your target: for Technomarine, it is completely wrong to be about ‘diamond meets plastic’; it is the system behind that first product step that we’re interested in. If we do our homework and deliver 80 per cent of what we say we will, the last 20 per cent is then all about luck.”

But, airy declarations about appealing to fashion’s elusive early adopters in Tokyo, London and Madrid aside, what exactly about

and the C1 Quantum Gravity watch won the highly prestigious design award at 2008’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve.

“I think that we can do this. We know where Technomarine went wrong and we are confident now. Let me explain. With the second generation products that I was talking about, Techno kept trying to do more diamond-set plastic, the same as the first, except now loads of other people were coming on board and doing it really well. People like Michelle, Toy Watches.

Technomarine was the leader in the segment, doing something that most people thought Swatch would be the first to do, really, since they had been the innovators with plastic watches – plastic was their thing!

“Swatch didn’t do it, Technomarine did.”

He pauses, shrugs. “So… it is difficult to be the first.”

So – to the future. Clearly, Perriard is nearscarily confident (it is, in case I haven’t made this quite clear enough, somewhat unusual for a newly-appointed boss to set out quite so clearly – in print – where he thinks his inherited brand has gone wrong). And clearly, while his honesty is refreshing and much of his reasoning logical, it is no small task he is setting for Technomarine, as he elaborates further on where he wants the company to go and how he thinks he’s going to get there.

“The thing that a brand has to do if it wants to be perceived as ‘cool’ is to talk to trendsetters. These people are selective, they are

The Voice of the Industry 31

¯

Technomarine is going to change, I ask?

First to get an overhaul, says Perriard, is the people: there have been sweeping changes at the management level at Technomarine, a process that is still ongoing.

“You’ll see that the way we speak about Technomarine today is very self confident.

We say we’re going to do it,” he says, gesturing toward my notebook. “We believe we know what we have to do: firstly we are recruiting the very best talents of the industry. Over the last ten years, all the people coming into the company were coming from outside the watch industry.

To me, this is a mistake: watch people have a very distinct understanding of watches and the industry that someone from outside, however good they might be, will not have.

We are bringing in new designers, new marketing people, and so on – we’re working with the best designers, people responsible for creating the most successful watches that you will find in the marketplace today,” he says.

As Perriard is only too aware, where branding is concerned, product is really only the beginning: for Technomarine to be sexy again, the company will have to bring out the marketing big guns. And so it seems is the plan.

“We are in the process of appointing a new advertising company,” he explains. “Advertising will, of course, be key. Of course it helps us that our name has a great advertising history, a great track record of ‘destructive ideas’ and memorable ad campaigns.”

The company is working on its new advertisements as we speak, which will

32 The Jeweller December 2009

launch as a global campaign with a new brand image and new logo early next year.

As Perriard explains, Technomarine plans to effectively relaunch itself with new designers, new staff, a new logo and advertising package and – most significantly – a new product, at 2010’s BaselWorld show in March.

That’s remarkably swift work, I suggest, for a man who has only been in the job for a month so far.

“Yes. We have some good stuff in the pipeline,” he laughs. “BaselWorld will be our launch from box to ad to logo. We will be introducing a new USB stick that will describe how to use the watch, and there will be all new displays and so on at the show itself. Everything is being rethought, from the inside out. We will be discussing things in January with our distribution partners, and the dream is that this process of transformation will happen over the period of a year.”

One of the few elements of the Technomarine package that will not be changing is the existing price bracket within which the company’s watches sell. “We definitely think that, price-wise, this is the right time to be pitching at this price. £260 upwards is the right segment to be in, I think,” says Perriard. “Over the last ten years, everyone left what was called the affordable luxury sector, because the

economy was booming and it was possible to scale upwards. People were selling fewer units for more money. Perfect, until the market changes,” he explains.

While he does not think that the market is going to return to where it was a decade ago, Perriard does think that we “will see it go back to much more affordable prices.

The proof will come in Basel,” he says.

Perriard does not, for obvious reasons, want to divulge exactly what Technomarine are planning to launch in Basel next Spring – although, given what he has told me, it would be fair to assume it will comprise some kind of unexpected combination of expensive and inexpensive materials.

However he believes that, if it gets the product mix right, Technomarine is ideally placed in price terms to appeal to the recession-conscious watch buyer.

“We want to create emotion in that segment: we want to use the design codes that you see at the higher end, and bring them to an affordable watch. We want to bring a point of view and a personality that is missing from lots of brands selling in this same segment.”

He goes further: “It’s not about a product, it’s about an idea, a concept. If you want to make a brand credible again, you need to get people interested, you need to appeal to the best retailers in the industry. All the

“We want to create emotion in that segment: we want to use the design codes that you see at the higher end, and bring them to an affordable watch.” big accounts should be interested in 12-18 months from now,” he says.

With the kind of money that Technomarine is evidently spending on its brand overhaul, the returns will need to be good – and will need to be quick – if Perriard is to continue to be feted as the brand’s great new hope.

In the UK, where the company currently sells through 35 ‘doors’, Technomarine has earmarked an expansion to several times that number: it is hoped that Technomarine will be selling through 250+ doors within three to four years. No small challenge, then.

“The products are going to look different and, we hope, will have additional credibility in the industry. We are looking for around 250 points of sale, primarily within independents and chains,” he says. “There is a lot of money involved, yes, so what we I are doing will have to work.”

Case Study – So Chic With 60 stores across Europe, Istanbulbased So Chic has recently opened a UK flagship store in Westfield, London. The look is contemporary and relaxing, with comfy sofas on the mosaic floors.

Interior World Belinda Morris asks some of the key players from the jewellery and retail design sectors what they feel makes an eye-catching store interior. here are many factors that contribute to the success of a retail shop. Great stock, dedicated staff, optimum location, for starters, are all crucial. A favourable economic climate would also be helpful…

But for one reason or another, window display and store design have not always figured highly on the list of priorities with UK jewellery retailers. There are exceptions, of course, but as a country we have lagged behind others in this department and as a sector we’ve been a poor relation to the

T

34 The Jeweller December 2009

likes of hotels, restaurants and ‘high’ brand stores when it comes to interior design.

Given the importance of ‘setting out your stall’, this is puzzling, but things are rapidly changing — we’re catching up with the frontrunners. And of course jewellers have very particular issues to take into consideration — security being not least of these — making display and store design an exacting business.

“Jewellery stores in Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland are acclaimed for their attention to detail and high standards of

finish,” says Mark Giddings, managing director of Giddings Design, “but I do think the UK has finally the talent and ability to soon add its name to that list.”

So, what is good design? Clearly, this is a subjective thing, but there are certain criteria that should be acknowledged by all, from the swankiest Bond Street emporium to the smallest county jeweller. Judy Head of Head Creative Associates puts it in a nutshell.

“Good store design, and that includes the layout of the jewellery in display cases, is one that works for the store. It is one in which the target customer immediately feels comfortable,” she says.

For Annoushka Ducas, who recently launched her Annoushka jewellery line following the sale of the Links brand, it’s about “making the customer feel welcome while also showing them something different and unexpected. I’ve tried to make our stores reflect the character and individuality of our collections”. For Theo Fennell, a good store design is “one that reflects the ethos and product of the company, engaging old customers and attracting new. In our case it’s about originality of design and a certain playfulness”.

David Griffin of Hallmark Design and Shopfitting believes that a retailer’s store should show exactly where the retail business sits in the high street pecking order. “It’s vital that the design of a shop reflects the place the retailer wishes to position themselves in the market place,” he says. “Customer perception is critical. A shop designed for Bond Street would not succeed in Bootle, or vice versa.” Men’s jewellery, accessories and latterly clothing designer Simon Carter puts it succinctly. “Good store design encourages customers to enter, walk the whole shop at their own pace, observe and engage with all the products, feel comfortable and relaxed and ultimately want to spend more than they had planned.”

Some may beg to differ, but Hallmark’s Griffin also feels that good store design “is one which is not very apparent to the customer.” Having stopped them as they pass by, good design will entice a customer inside, almost without them consciously knowing why, and will then offer a comfortable environment in which staff can

feature secure a sale. “Shops which look like stage sets rarely achieve these objectives,” he adds.

“Good design exists in many locations,” observes Mark Giddings, “but great store design is one where you create a defining ‘experience’, be it visual, spacial, sensual, aural or varied combinations of these, to the perceived customer. The experience is often replayed and enjoyed in the participant’s mind long after the visit. If the staff get a real buzz from working there too, then their passion and enthusiasm will flow over to the customer.”

Having witnessed great interior design in places as far-flung as East Anglia and Africa, Judy Head (who has just returned from a trip to the Middle East, where she was instructing jewellers on visual merchandising) also feels that projecting fervour is key. “I think the best stores for layout and display tend to be those that are run by people with a passion for their business. They tend to want their customers to feel as strongly about it as they do.” she says.

Hallmark designer David Griffin. “We have to factor in flexibility into our store designs, particularly with colours and finishes, so that the client can assume a new brand image at very little cost to the shop.” Giddings also feels that, for the store designer, fashion can offer guidelines, “be they shape, form, texture, colour or content, which can often be used or interwoven”. However, he also points out that “a classical ambience of refined detailing will often stand the test of time much longer.”

Whether a business consists of one small shop or many outlets, the consensus is that trends should not be followed at the sacrifice of the brand or corporate identity. “In our opinion, store design does follow fashion, but while doing this, it has to stay true to the brand ethos and its style,” says Sibel Sevcan,

“Look at other jewellers, fashion and interiors stores. Visiting art galleries and other exhibitions can also be inspiring.”

Marc Pollington, head of design, DZD

director of Istanbul-based jewellery brand So Chic, which operates 60 retail outlets across Europe.

“There’s a correlation [between store design and trends]. The store design should be informed by fashion,” says Nathalie Kabiri of the London designer jewellery boutique Kabiri, “but it also needs to be longer lasting so that it has a shelf life. For us, because we are quite avante garde in the concept — the brief to our architect is always to do something that no-one has done before — this means that our shop design is longlasting and is resistant to trend.”

“Several lighting manufacturers have very helpful showrooms in London and some libraries hold copies of influential lighting magazines. Google provides a lot of answers!”

Mark Giddings, MD, Giddings Design

Tips, Hints and How-tos

“Keep your eyes open when visiting other cities, and always travel with a camera and a scrapbook.”

Mark Giddings, Giddings Design

“I try to blinker myself from what other jewellers are doing. We try to be as original as possible. Inspiration comes from a thousand different places… ’50s movies, cartoons… anything really!”

Jewellery designer and retailer Theo Fennell “Read the FT’s How To Spend It magazine, which covers the best of everything in design terms. And check out the windows of stores outside of the jewellery industry, like Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges, which can usually be relied upon to surprise.”

Judy Head, Head Creative Associates

A Question of Trends Heidi Easton, responsible for marketing at the Shop and Display Equipment Association, also feels that good design can be seen “all around and is often unexpected and overlooked.” But she also believes that the best design comes from within and does not follow trends. “I can’t stress enough how important it is to draw upon the qualities of your own brand and service and then reflect this,” she says.

Are jewellers affected by trends? “Generally no,” says Head. “Their customers want some-

Case Study – Orit Notting Hill Gate, London “I wanted a clean, clear, effective, well-lit space which was quite neutral, to let the product speak for itself. For our windows the architect has created a strong display, inspired by the formation of salt crystal, in which blocks are stacked on top of one another.”

Orit Schreiber

thing a little less frivolous from their local jeweller than they might expect elsewhere.”

However, she says, this doesn’t give retailers carte blanche to ignore fashion. “If it’s reported that a particular look or colour will dominate the season, the jewellers should be ensuring a prominent position of pieces that would complement that trend.”

“Shopping follows trends and fashion and we must reflect these changes,” agrees

For Inspiration: “We brainstorm as a team. We look at what fashion designers are doing and at magazine editorial, as well as the themes and trends being adopted by our jewellery designers.”

Nathalie Kabiri, Kabiri boutique

“We look at other jewellers, such as brands like Stephen Webster, for inspiration.”

Sibel Sevcan, director, So Chic “Some of the jewellery companies showing at Basel can be great sources of inspiration.”

Michael Wainwright, co-owner/MD, Boodles

Knowing what to spend: “Approximately 5 per cent of turnover should

The Voice of the Industry 35

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feature be the minimum investment to commit to your ‘marketing’ budget, of which window display is the primary element. It is your window to the world! I am still amazed when I see £20,000-plus diamond pieces set on shabby, worn and discoloured display props.”

Mark Giddings, Giddings Design “We put the design out to tender with three companies, then were guided by what we could afford… without being too restricted.”

Nathalie Kabiri, Kabiri boutique “We set aside a budget with a fairly flexible contingency fund, as we believe it is important to spend whatever it takes to get the look and the feel just right.”

Kyron Keogh, Rox “We went on a quest to find a designer who would do something different, someone outside of the traditional jewellery world.

It was very expensive, but we got what we wanted: a great design, good display units and impeccable shopfitting.”

John Henn, TA Henn Jewellers, Wolverhampton “I suspect that we have spent too much, but for us the emphasis is on a fantastic design, not budget. We’ve treated ourselves as we think you need to invest in this.”

Michael Wainwright, of Boodles (discussing the recently redesigned Bond Street branch)

“I have seen lovely little shops put together on a shoestring, hand-made by creative designers with a great eye, great ideas and no money — but they tend to be people who are handy with a saw!”

“If you spend a lot of money on store design, the displays must change frequently and everything must be kept spotless — no grubby tickets, scratched baseboards and risers, dead flies and greasy finger marks.”

Judy Head, Head Creative Associates “Retailers can create a high-end look without a high-end budget by making sure that pads and window bases are clean and fresh, the glass is clean and of course the jewellery itself is pristine. If the jewellery is beautifully displayed and accessorised with beautiful props, it can look expensive.”

Marc Pollington, head of design, DZD “Try to keep display areas as flexible as possible, as these can be expensive to adapt in the future.”

David Griffin, Hallmark Design & Shopfitting Knowing when to change designs: “In the old days, my father would say a shop was for life, but now it needs to be changed every 10 years, or even more frequently.”

Michael Wainwright, Boodles “You should look to redesign approximately every three years.”

Sibel Sevcan, director, So Chic

Case Study – Azendi This store uses light to create ambience — decorative pendants hang low throughout the store, emitting relatively little light. Within the minimal free-standing display cabinets are minute display lights, creating fine spots for dramatic and directional effect.

36 The Jeweller December 2009

“We change the window once a week. The interior has been designed so all the stands can be moved, so we can change things around quite easily.”

Orit Schreiber, Orit jewellers, West London “All of our stores are very similar to maintain a consistent brand image, but we tailor concepts and certain design elements for each one, depending on its size and space. We replace our window displays every three years and roll-in store refits every seven years.”

Kyron Keogh, Rox

Case Study – Rox Aberdeen “Our new store has dramatic windows that lure browsers inside, and we have devoted considerable space to internal displays to provide some excitement in the store.”

Kyron Keogh

“When we design a shop we have to recognise that it will have a shelf life of about 10 years. We are not designing just for today, but for the future.”

David Griffin, Hallmark Design & Shopfitting Telling a story: “A theme makes a window display cohesive and ties separate windows together, giving the complete offer more impact. It is also important to change your themes regularly, to prevent them from becoming stale. Work out a calendar of events and occasions for the year so that you can decide a budget.”

Marc Pollington, head of design, DZD “We like ‘stories’ for our windows — perhaps groups of colours or types of pieces — so it doesn’t look like a mixed up dog’s dinner.

One-off pieces can be harder to feed in, but that’s the display team’s job.”

Michael Wainwright, Boodles “A theme is good as it keeps us focused, although we sometimes reinterpret a traditional theme to make it more modern.”

Nathalie Kabiri, Kabiri boutique “Working with a theme can add a smile to a window display — it’s fun but not important.

More important is to make the display relevant to the moment, like a buying occasion.”

Judy Head, Head Creative Associates “I like to work with a theme and the more quirky the better. Windows are theatre — they should amaze.”

Jewellery designer Theo Fennell

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The Voice of the Industry 37

“Themes can sometimes work very well as a starting point for a design, or for a short term promotion. But remember, the bolder the theme, the quicker it will tire.”

Mark Giddings, Giddings Design Knowing how to use colour: “I tend to use a fairly neutral display material and then add flashes of colour to draw the eye to a piece or collection. Big bold colours reflecting on the shiny metals tend to overwhelm the smaller pieces, and the dark colours create big dark shadows that can visually diminish the piece.”

Judy Head, Head Creative Associates “Use bold colour where its contrast will be most influential. Be aware that the more powerful its use, the sooner it’s likely to become dated. Alternatively, have four seasonal colours in your displays which you can rotate throughout the year.”

Mark Giddings, Giddings Design “I looked at which colours jewellery displayed on best — this is black, so this informed the colour palette of the shop, which is quite dark.”

Nathalie Kabiri, London boutique Kabiri Learning how to use space: “It’s important that there’s enough space to do each piece justice — we want customers to be able to see the true beauty of each design.”

Kyron Keogh, co-founder of jewellers Rox

Case Study – Boodles “This concept generally works in high end boutiques. Our ethos is to give an eclectic mix that appeals to all.”

Sibel Sevcan, director, So Chic “It depends on the collection. If it’s about layering and wearing a few different colourways together then we need to show it all together. The more ‘important’ a collection, the rule of thumb is less is more.”

Nathalie Kabiri, London boutique Kabiri “Clutter creates confusion. Our brains cannot take in lots of information in one go, so we’re overwhelmed and can’t cope. But that doesn’t mean empty windows. Lots of space around a fabulous one-off piece is fine, but not practical for a small county town jeweller. It’s about organisation. Create a ‘hotspot’ or focus, so the display is easily understandable.”

Judy Head, Head Creative Associates “Is less more? It depends on the market. A multiple high street shop with a solitary ring in the window would bring a rapid downfall to the business. Equally, to have a fullpadded window installed in a prominent Bond Street jeweller would not appeal to the affluent clientele.”

Mark Giddings, Giddings Design “Our minimal look might have alienated some customers, but it fits in with our brand much better. You can’t please all the people.”

Michael Wainwright, Boodles

DZD

Avoiding mixed messages: “It’s a question of logic. Putting high price pieces together in a window, with plenty of space to enhance their importance, makes sense as does grouping according to gemstone colour, metal finesse and colour.

“As our brand became more contemporary in the 1990s, we took the bold decision to go for a cutting-edge look for the shops. We threw out all the wood and the look is now very glassy and so a good backdrop for our jewellery. The designer, Eva Jiricna, is known for her feature staircases — a real point of interest, as are the bars, complete with stools, bottles and barmen (on a Saturday).”

Michael Wainwright

Anything that avoids confusion is a great idea.”

Judy Head, Head Creative Associates “We always group gems of one type together, otherwise you can spend ages looking for them. But with fashion jewellery I don’t get so stressed about mixing up prices.”

John Henn, TA Henn “There are no set rules for our displays. We make a feature of our high end pieces, but we don’t have a problem sitting high and lower priced items together. But we tend to keep gold and silver separate, as displays of white gold and silver together can confuse the customer.”

Kyron Keogh, Rox jewellers “Experience shows that it’s best to have a unifying theme when mixing unlikely combinations.”

Mark Giddings, Giddings Design “Gold needs to be lit with a warm colour to enhance the yellows and pinks, whereas silver, white gold and platinum need a cold light.

And different gemstones are also affected by the colour temperature of lighting.”

Paul Freeman, Lighting Design & Supplies “If anything I encourage the mismatching of metal styles together. It’s more about the way a modern woman wears jewellery now.

The Voice of the Industry 39

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the biggest challenge shop designers will face in the future. LEDs and even the ubiquitous dichroic lamp are improving at a phenomenal rate.”

David Griffin, Hallmark Design “Lighting is one of the most important things to think about when opening a store, and we devote a substantial part of our budget to getting it right.”

Kyron Keogh, Rox jewellers “While halogen bulbs illuminate well, they are inherently inefficient and contribute to extremely high electricity bills. We’ve developed two LED-based replacements for halogen bulbs that consume under 5 watts — a saving of 85 per cent electricity consumption and each bulb lasts a decade if used for 12 hours a day.”

Richard Heath, lighting manufacturer, OMC

Case Study – Kabiri Covent Garden “”What guided our [new] store was evolving our brand and improving our shop design from our first one. We also wanted to innovate, so we’ve included a changing room — the first of its kind in a jewellers and perfect for quiet reflection before making a purchase. I think we have achieved an aesthetic that has previously not been seen in a jewellery shop.”

Nathalie Kabiri

However, it should be done carefully. With gemstones, it’s useful to have a dominant colourway — but having pops of another tonal colour will also relieve the display and bring it to life.”

Nathalie Kabiri, Kabiri boutique “We mix high and low end pieces, as well as gold and silver together — there are no specific rules. We try to use unusual props, but they’re neutral to show off the jewellery at its best.”

Orit Schreiber, Orit jewellers Successfully selling brands: “For the independent, the trick is to present several brands together with a unifying scheme or style — not simply popping something in and hoping the names will sell.”

Mark Giddings, Giddings Design “A well-supported brand spends a great deal on marketing and promotion, so it’s important that the jeweller supports the initiative. But the rush for brands has led some jewellers to forget that the most important brand is themselves.”

Judy Head, Head Creative Associates

40 The Jeweller December 2009

“Make the most of the free promotional materials provided by big brands, like watch companies, but take care not to let your windows become polluted with signage to the detriment of the merchandise.”

Marc Pollington, head of design, DZD

“Most designers I know use a combination of low voltage halogen and LED to make good use of the narrow beams that are available to spotlight the pieces. Go for drama!”

Judy Head, Head Creative Associates

“Colour grouping is a necessity — the eye has to be gently seduced by the colours.”

Sarah Price, display creator, Goldmajor Using lighting successfully: “Many jewellers have high running costs due to inefficient lighting. You can generate high maintenance costs if the lamp life doesn’t perform well under excessive temperature, and if you have overworked air conditioning units trying to dispose of the excessive heat generated by the lighting. Correct lighting will create a high-end look, without a high-end budget. Cold white LED and IRC low voltage lighting creates the perfect blend of colour and sparkle to enhance diamond displays.”

Paul Freeman, Lighting Design & Displays “Half close your eyes when looking at your displays. Are the key areas the best illuminated? If in doubt, employ a lighting designer, who will specify a functional design.

And don’t ‘blanket’ illuminate with halides — it creates a nasty, uncultured and unrefined light source.”

Mark Giddings, Giddings Design.

“Correct lighting is more important in our industry than in any other I can think of, but we are under increasing pressure to reduce our consumption and this will be

Case Study – TA Henn Wolverhampton “I knew that if I got too close to the new shop fit, I’d only do what I like, so chose a design team to do it. We now have a very interesting shop, which feels calm and relaxed. There are two quiet sales areas and informal seating. Taking the false ceiling out revealed the original elegant 1930s ceiling. Our windows are as clean and smart as anything I see in Bond Street, within budgetary restraints.”

John Henn

I

ethicaljeweller

Physical traceability in the jewellery supply chain is not a preposterous, unachievable dream, says Greg Valerio.

Is the moon made of cheese? s many readers of this column will know, recently I decided to resign my directorship of CRED Jewellery, the fair trade jewellery company that I founded in 1996.

This was a big decision for me and the team, one that we had discussed many times over the past year. I am very proud of what we achieved over the years. For me personally, the objective was always to prove that fair trade high-end jewellery was possible. From the outset there was a clear social objective.

In April 2009 this social objective was achieved when the Chichester boutique finally converted all its gold, diamonds and coloured gem stones to traceable sources.

A first for the UK high street.

This traceability challenge became apparent very early on in the journey and, in truth, became the defining issue for me. If I could

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42 The Jeweller December 2009

not look my customer in the eye and tell them where the gold came from, or where the diamond had been mined, how could I with any integrity claim to be ‘ethical’?

is an extremely difficult challenge, as the only way you can measure the truth of this statement is if you fully understand the network of relationships that your business

Most jewellers were on a moral level horrified by blood diamonds, yet struggled to make the connection between their family-run business and the killing fields of Sierra Leone or Angola.

It is a very difficult task to define the term ‘ethical’ as it is always interpreted as a very subjective reality. The moral consensus around the foundations of ethics is the principle of reciprocity; the idea that you should do to others what you would like done to yourself. In the jewellery trade this

is linked to and the balance of power that may exist within those relationships.

The blood diamond story that broke in the late 1990s perfectly demonstrates this reality.

Most jewellers were on a moral level horrified at what was happening, yet struggled to make the connection between

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The Voice of the Industry 43

ethicaljeweller

their family-run business and the killing fields of Sierra Leone or Angola. But the uncomfortable truth was that we were linked through our economic relationships.

Fast forward a few years and the principles of ‘ethical reciprocity’ are more relevant than ever. In September I attended the Great Debate at Earls Court hosted by The Birmingham Assay Office, along with some friends from The Fairtrade Foundation.

In my hand I held a gold ring that had a Fairtrade ‘makers mark’ stamped inside. The gold in that ring had come from Oro Verde, a pioneering gold mining community in Colombia that has been fundamental to the creation of the emerging Fairtrade gold certification system – an example of a fully traceable supply chain that demonstrates that we no longer have to live with the darkness and secrecy of where our materials come from.

A further illustration of the flip side came in the summer, when I received a call from the CBS News flagship investigative documentary 60 Minutes. The programmemakers were putting together a film on the gold supply chain and were struggling to track the gold that was coming into the US. They got as far as the Middle East, where the trail went cold. Their researchers had come to the conclusion themselves that

44 The Jeweller December 2009

To say it is not possible to offer traceability to jewellers is a disproven theory, like the flat earth theory or the pseudoscience of creationism.

without physical traceability you cannot make any ethical claims at all.

Ethical reciprocity is not easy; it is a truly complicated challenge to us. When you think about it, how does a stock market-listed large scale mining (LSM) company wish to be treated? If the mining company cannot answer this question, it cannot engage in any meaningful dialogue around how it

should treat others. This is not to say that every LSM gold or diamond mining company is bad or unethical; it is purely making the point that the gap in experience, purpose, identity and expectation from the communities that may be impacted by their activities is a vast and a difficult one to bridge.

This ethical chasm in expectation is often filled with charitable activity. A good friend of mine lives in northern Tanzania, and as a dentist he fulfils a number of contracts with the mining companies in the local community. For him it is very rewarding work, yet he has often commented on what will happen when the mine runs dry and the company leaves. The communities who live there will then be left with the burden of a huge hole in the ground and the added negative environmental issues that are always left as well. This more often than not means the local community is worse off than when the mine first arrived.

Another way the industry deals with this ethical gap is to say that physical traceability is either not possible or impractical. In my opinion, this is simply a smoke screen falsely created to get us off the ethical hook of supply chain responsibility and integrity.

Indeed, at the Great Debate, a comment was made from the floor to the effect that physical traceability “is impossible to achieve”. The reason why we know the moon is not made of cheese is that we have travelled there and brought back proof that the beautiful face that smiles on us every night is, in fact, made of rock. To say it is not possible to offer traceability to jewellers is a disproven theory, like the flat earth theory or the pseudo-science of creationism. However the impracticalities of refashioning and structuring a supply chain along traceable lines cannot be underestimated. It is a huge ask for all of us and I am under no illusions as to the difficulties, yet it is a challenge worth taking up.

In conclusion my resignation from CRED Jewellery was motivated by this reality.

CRED may have proved the concept, but now the real challenge is to move the campaign up a gear. The jewellery industry in Britain can lead the way internationally in this respect, as the most mature ethical debate is the one taking place in this country, and we possess the strongest fledgling intentional ethical and fair trade I jewellery sector.

Greg Valerio is a fair trade jeweller and activist.

He can be contacted by email at: greg@gregvalerio.com

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The Voice of the Industry 45

opinionjeweller

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vantage

point Risk taking hat is it about risk that attracts, frightens and ultimately thrills us?

We consider it every day of our working lives in business. Today, for me, the risk that I had to consider was whether to put into stock a lovely 1.5 carat diamond ring or a large sack of beads; alongside that, I had to consider the reduced margin the diamond would be priced at, and to round it off, whether or not I could sell it soon enough after paying for it to make it worth my while.

Plan B – the beads – looks a lot more attractive, given the expectation that they will ‘carry’ December. However, we are custodians of one of the oldest decorations in history in the diamond; it is a precious stone that goes back 4000 years, and as such, it should be able to weather this storm along with all the others time has dealt it.

The danger is, will we?

I listened to Martin Rapaport at the IJL show in Earl’s Court earlier this year,

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Indian and Chinese, and the vendors were US dealers with enormous stocks and no clients. Good business is about value for money, and the deal he described reflects that: in the words of one of the many ex-vice presidents of a luxury product company, ‘go fishing where there are fish’. It’s a great line, and one I have never forgotten.

We know where all the traditional business has gone, and it is time we took it back.

We are the jewellers, after all. Don’t get me wrong, it is a lot easier to sit in an office and write this stuff than it is to put it into practice, but last week we sold our first 1 carat diamond this year. This is not a landslide, but it is at least a small rolling stone.

If you had asked me a couple of years ago if I would buy scrap gold at a price and sell it for the smallest margin imaginable, I would have said “No way José”, and yet now we are putting real money into the till every week this way. You don’t need me to

Talk about being caught by surprise when the economy went up in smoke – we had just had a major refit in the store. I could feel the first four generations’ displeasure and see the fifth, as I lead the company into the future. enthusiastic in his assertion that now is the time to make real money. Surprisingly, he brokered a deal in the summer exporting more diamonds from Florida (a state not known for its diamond mining!) than South Africa mined in the same three month period. The clients for this deal were

46 The Jeweller December 2009

experienced a disappointing November and we were expecting the last weeks of December to put us back on track. For us it finished as the worst last quarter for eight years, and left us exposed in the first quarter of 2009. We reduced our staff and the rest of us worked shorter hours for five months. Talk about being caught by surprise when the economy went up in smoke – we had just had a major refit in the store.

I could feel the first four generations’ displeasure and see the fifth, as I lead the company into the future.

We at T A Henn, and you, have all come out the other side to see another December and an opportunity to strengthen our companies. We can be fairly sure that sales of charms and beads will do for the jewellery sector in 2009/10 what the Thunderbirds

tell you it is possible for us to do the same with other classic stock lines, and still protect the margins on our individual pieces.

However, when Martin Rapaport screams it, you’ve got to listen, haven’t you?

So as you read this, Christmas will be all around. This time in ‘08 most of us had

was a few years ago to the toy industry: out of nowhere, Tracy Island became the ‘must have’ reinvented toy for Christmas, decades after we first saw the Thunderbirds toy models on the shelves. Now, it is perhaps worth remembering, they have returned to relative obscurity.

Are we going to sell some beautiful jewellery this time? I think so. Take a leap of faith in your own ability and remember your roots. Diamonds were the past, are the present, and will be the future.

Best Wishes and a Happy Christmas to you!

P. S. Someone has just walked in enquiring about a 1.5ct diamond!

Coming soon...

The ‘New Look’ Jeweller Spring Fair 100 page issue!

The Jeweller is now not only being published 10 times a year but is also getting a Spring ‘makeover’ –a new look, a new size and new features.

The forthcoming Spring Fair issue (published Jan 25th) will include an extensive round up of all ‘The Jewellery Show’ news as well as a ‘Bridal’ feature which will review current trends in the bridal jewellery market.

Produced on behalf of the NAG, The Jeweller’s major strength comes from its position as the ‘Voice of the Industry’. Written with integrity, the editorial is pertinent, stimulating and informative and covers all aspects of the trade. With a circulation of 4,000 and a competitive rate card the magazine offers advertisers a cost-effective medium to target retail jewellers.

Don’t delay – to advertise in the new-look Jeweller contact Ian Francis by calling 020 7833 5500 or email him at ian@cube-uk.com

The Voice of the Industry 47

A N T I Q U E

jeweller in association with

Fellows & Sons

Regal Style Jo Young looks at the lavish world of the maharajas, and discovers the stories behind the Indian Royal Courts’ most spectacular jewels. he history and rule of the Indian maharajas is the subject of a major new exhibition, which has been on display at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum since early October.

The exhibition throws the spotlight on their amazing (and to the average Briton, quite exotic) world, showcasing what they wore – such as priceless jewellery, turbans, saris and ceremonial swords – where they wore it and how they lived.

The exhibition itself begins in the early 18th century. India had obviously had its ‘royal’ rulers for several centuries prior to this, who shared power under a complex system of regional governance. However, it was the decline of the Mughal Empire (which controlled much of India) at this time, and the political vacuum that it created, that led to the re-emergence of older royal kingdoms and the establishments of states by former Mughal governments and other powers, including the Marathas and Sikhs – the ‘maharaja’ era best known within the Western world.

T

The term maharajah is derived from the ancient Sanskrit maharajadhiraj, a principle that means ‘king above kings’. While the term is a very evocative one – eliciting visions of splendid pomp and decadence – it was not, in fact, one commonly used in India until the 19th century (the period to which the term maharaja usually refers).

Rulers were occasionally called maharaja, but it was not formally adopted until the late 1800s, and both Muslim and Hindu rulers were known by several other titles, including maharana, sultan, nawab and raja.

For many of the maharajas, life was all about the spectacle; grand public processions were common, put on to celebrate royal events as well as India’s many religious festivities. The ruler was, on these occasions, always lavishly dressed and jewelled, and travelled – usually on the back of a similarly adorned elephant or horse – accompanied by attendants carrying fans, decorated parasols and chauri (a ceremonial fan made from animal hair, used by Sikhs).

These displays were not merely about showing off (although there was surely a lot of that going on). The sight of a king in all his splendour was thought to be good luck – a highly auspicious event according to the Hindu concept of darshan, which was integral to kingship throughout the Indian subcontinent. Again a Sanskrit term, it is usually taken to mean ‘visions of the divine’, whether a god, holy person, king or even precious artefact.

The level of showmanship and wealth on display in these processions is quite amazing and, judging by the jewelled items on display at the V&A, it was often treated with a breathtaking (and yet strangely impressive!) casualness and flippancy.

Among the items in the exhibition, for example, is a rather indulgent jewelled belt: studded with diamonds the size of

Indira Raje of Baroda, later Maharani of Cooch Behar, was both a consort and a princess in her own right. She was a strong character who caused a scandal by breaking a childhood betrothal to marry the dashing Jitendra of Cooch Behar.

She eventually served as the district’s regent during her son’s minority. gobstoppers, the piece is over-the-top to the point of garishness, but when you discover that its owner was interested more in purchasing than he was actually wearing jewellery, and that this particular item was more often used to adorn his horse, you get something of the out-of-this-world flavour of some of the more pampered maharajas’ lives. To London’s museum-goers of the 21st Century, these displays of opulence seem over-the-top; to the average

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antiquejeweller villager in 19th Century India, it must have been like a near-alien circus coming to town.

The British ‘Raj’ During the 18th and early 19th centuries, as the Mughal dynasty effectively collapsed politically and power shifted to newly formed states under both Mughal regional governors and successful and ambitious warrior leaders, British power and influence in India was growing considerably. The infamous English East India Company experienced its transformation in this period from a trading body into a major military and political power.

The Crown rule that followed in India – often referred to simply as the Raj (literally, ‘rule’) ran as a two-tier system, effectively, in which the British took control of an astonishing three-fifths of the Indian subcontinent, which it (with typical colonialist pomposity) called British India.

Indian rulers were guaranteed their historic borders and rights by the British, who nonetheless interfered in the day to day running of the Indian leaders’ states. The British were sufficiently powerful at this point to limit royal authority as they saw fit – even going so far as to depose leaders that they didn’t consider suitable for the job.

Maharaja explosion It was British rule in India – and the British authorities’ enthusiastic endorsement of the maharaja system – that brought about the most significant expansion of the maharaja rule. The number of Indian princes (as the British termed them) grew enormously as the British bestowed titles on those they Sayajirao Gaekwad III (1863-1939) was the Maharaja of Baroda from 1875 until 1939, and is well-known for having reformed much of the state during his long rule. He instigated several important improvements in education, agriculture and elsewhere. He implemented major social reforms including a ban on child marriage and ‘untouchability’. favoured, namely landowners and chieftains.

A new system of ‘imperial orders’ was also brought in, effectively to bring India in line with the feudal hierarchy more comfortably familiar to western colonialist rulers. States were even, hilariously, given strict ranking within a system of gun salutes. The more important you were deemed, the more gunshots you got: Queen Victoria was entitled to a 101 gun salute (which would have taken so long, that it perhaps explains why she was never tempted to visit India); the viceroy and other members of the royal family were given 31 while princes were offered between 9 and 21 dependent upon their status.

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Euro fashions Like many a royal before and after them, the maharajas all seemed to adore jewellery – at first, the elaborate craftsmanship of local goldsmiths and later, some of the biggest and most expensive gem-set pieces from the major European jewellery houses.

The influence of the maharajas’ taste and buying power, mixed in with those of the aristocratic British residents in India, was quite significant where the European fashion and jewellery houses are concerned. Houses such as Cartier and Van Cleef – both favourites of the maharajas, Indian ‘VIPs’ and British colonialists alike – produced

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antiquejeweller Maharani of Indore

To the British ruling elite, particularly throughout the late 19th and early 20th century, the maharajas were regarded as exotic beings, who were encouraged to think and behave along European – and specifically English – lines. Many were educated in Europe, mixed in European aristrocratic circles and adopted ‘English’ ways and fashions. While many, understandably, rejected this patronising curtailing of their powers and influence, most appeared to accept the British way of doing things.

Post-independence When India achieved its independence from British rule in 1947, there were in excess of 600 ‘princely states’ spread throughout the country, each with its own ruler. Most ‘princes’ willingly signed the Instrument of Accession, by which their territories were integrated into the new states of India and Pakistan. In both countries, they initially retained their existing status, with some continuing to play an important philanthropic, social and political role. Through the Constitution of India, they were guaranteed their privileges – just as they had been under the period of British rule – but these were stripped in 1971 by the then-Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.

Troubled by spiralling costs and declining incomes, many maharajas were forced to sell off their assets. However that wasn’t the end: the maharajas have survived, adapting

some of their most significant and expensive jewellery for Indian customers during the early twentieth century (see box, Patiala necklace). Some luxury items were apparently even invented specifically for this select clientele: Jaeger Le Coultre’s famous Reverso watch was designed especially for the polo-playing toff of India’s colonial era, as its swivel case was deemed suitable

by British army officers for wear during rigorous polo matches.

50 The Jeweller December 2009

The maharajas actually adapted to British rule, in the way that they had always bent and adapted to the ruling power of the time.

They were, to a very large extent, politically emasculated and were recognised by British rule as being simply princes or ‘native chiefs and rulers’. However, they continued to exercise what power they did have, in maintaining order in their states, allocating revenue and taxing subjects, and performing royal ‘duties’.

antiquejeweller

Rani Sita Devi of Karpurthala was widely regarded as one of the most beautiful and glamorous women of her day, and as such was a muse to several artists and photographers including Cecil Beaton and Man Ray. She was fluent in several languages, and was considered something of a fashion and society ‘trendsetter’, particularly during the 1930s. once again to their changed circumstances.

Some now have major political careers, others have become successful businesspeople, often turning their incredible palaces into luxury hotels, opening their collections as museums and establishing important heritage and conservation programmes.

For many of its modern critics, the maharaja ‘system’ – specifically that exercised under the Raj – is something of an embarrassment; a relic of a pre-independent era in which the maharajas and their courts behaved with servility toward the colonial ruling power. Much of their argument is justifiable – one only has to look at the incredibly expensive gifts lavished upon visiting members of the British royal family during the 19th century to see their point.

However, to dismiss the maharajahs as mere puppets to the British ruling elite is to ignore the full history of where they sprang from, and in many cases, the social good that they were able to do.

Moreover, whatever the political significance of the Royal Courts, theirs is a world so full of wealth, opulence, style and frivolity, that one can’t help but be fascinated by the way in which they lived and the beautiful things – particularly jewelled things – that they had made.

Maharaja – The Splendour of India’s Royal Courts is open at the V&A in South Kensington, London, until 17th January 2010.

The Patiala Necklace ne of the highlights of the exhibition is the famous Patiala necklace, a breathtaking Art Deco multi-strand ceremonial piece, which was part of the largest single commission ever undertaken by French jewellery house Cartier. The necklace was made by the company in 1928, for the Maharaja of Patiala. Originally containing 2,930 diamonds, the piece weighed almost 1,000 carats.

The indisputable star of the Patiala necklace was the De Beers diamond that formed its centrepiece stone. Found shortly after the formation of the De Beers mining company in 1888, this cushion-cut pale yellow diamond weighed 428.50 old carats (the pre-1913 non-metric carat). It was the largest diamond to be found at the four Kimberley mines during the period, and the seventh largest faceted diamond in the world.

The Maharaja was himself often photographed wearing the Patiala necklace, and the last time the necklace was seen intact in its original state was in 1941, on his son, the Maharajah Yadavindra Singh (above).

At the end of British rule in India, the Patiala necklace disappeared. It is understood that the family broke up the necklance and sold off the biggest and best stones over the years.

In 1998, however, the necklace was apparently found – what remained of it, anyway – somewhat incredibly, in a second-hand jewellery shop in London. All of the very largest stones in the original necklace were gone; among them seven stones that ranged from 18 to 73 carats, and of course the 234.69 carat De Beers diamond.

Original makers Cartier bought the necklace and set about restoring it – a painstaking process that took four years. The missing stones were replaced with cubic zirconias in the place of the seven diamonds and synthetic rubies substituting for the missing Burmese originals. A replica of the De Beers was also set in the necklace. According to Cartier, the necklace in its original state would now be worth well over £20m.

O

The Voice of the Industry 51

feature

Making service count Storecheckers’ MD Jeff Caplan explains why some retail businesses continue to thrive in the recession, and explains why he thinks ‘mystery shopping’ could help jewellers to greater success. s we approach the crucial Christmas trading period, the press is filled with mixed messages of an economic upturn – the sixth consecutive month of house price rises, increased lending and better confidence on the high street, contrasting with the closure of aerospace manufacturing plants and the threat of savage Government spending cuts.

Last year’s credit crunch has led to the worst recession in living memory, one that has claimed many high street casualties including high street names such as Woolworths, Zavvi and, most recently, the wine chain Threshers. The British Retail Consortium estimates that by the end of the year, 13,500 retail units will be empty, a sizeable vacancy rate of 15 per cent.

Against this backdrop of retail gloom, many brands are nonetheless performing well.

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52 The Jeweller December 2009

For example, Morrisons’ recent figures stole a march on the other big supermarket chains, while department store and grocery group John Lewis has seen homeware sales growth of 10 per cent upwards. Our experience has shown that businesses that display strength and resilience in the current

Many people are cash rich, with funds that are earning minimal or no rate of return, and they are happy to spend on ‘special’ high ticket products.

tough trading situations will be the ones that have something to make them stand out on the high street.

Commoditisation of much of the retail sector by supermarket groups such as Tesco and Sainsbury has made customers much more price aware: never more so than in the current economic climate. However, our research has shown that, as well as price, shoppers will focus on three critical issues: • an exciting range of products • a welcoming and attractive retail environment • excellence of service.

There is much anecdotal evidence that, at the moment, many demographic groups are cash rich, with funds that are earning minimal or no rate of return, and they are happy to spend this cash on that ‘special’ high ticket product. Jewellery is one of

¯

A gift from us to you!

10 issues for the price of 6 Hurry! Offer ends 31st Jan

Subscribe to The Jeweller today to take advantage of this unrepeatable offer!

To celebrate the magazine now being published ten times a year instead of six, we are giving you the opportunity to receive all ten issues of your favourite trade title for the cover price of six issues, £39 (normally £65) plus £11 postage and packaging for 10 issues) – a great saving of £26.

Email: thejewellersubs@jewellers-online.org or call Amanda White at the NAG on 020 7613 4445 for more details. Offer ends 31st January 2010.

The Voice of the Industry 53

feature as a means to praise and identify staff strengths and, critically, to develop and improve performance on areas of identified weakness.

Many members have committed themselves to these aims. The results of the pilot programme have shown high standards being achieved in several of the above areas.

As we prepare for the key pre-Christmas trading period, it is crucial to bear in mind that two of the areas where pilot sites underperformed are those in which many in the high street failed to deliver, such as: “Of the researchers that were ‘browsing’ merchandise after they had entered the store, only 42 per cent were approached at the correct time, with 17 per cent receiving no approach.

There seemed to be a reluctance to “sell up”. “Add-on” sales only occurred in 67 per cent of cases.”

Our experience has shown that, when these two areas are mastered, it is possible to ‘square the circle’ of combining excellence of service and strong selling skills – if you can get your team to pick out just these two areas, then your Christmas trading results I will improve.

Commoditisation of the retail sector by supermarket groups has made customers much more price aware: never more so than in the current economic climate. the sectors best placed to pick up on this opportunity, and our experience of working with the NAG indicates that many of its members have invested a great deal to meet the first two of the above key shopper criteria.

Storecheckers has, for the past 20 years, helped businesses grow by making sure that its staff deliver the excellence of service that all shoppers aspire to, while at the same time displaying strong selling skills.

Our clients range from Pets at Home and Timpson to leisure destinations such as Edinburgh Zoo and the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.

For the past seven years we have also provided a programme for the NAG that has been used by large chains as well as independent members. This facility has just been relaunched, using our new state of the

54 The Jeweller December 2009

art online reporting system and, as part of this, a pilot programme of visits to a small group of NAG members was completed for the NAG’s CEO Michael Hoare.

The Mystery Shopping programme covers the journey of a customer visiting a jeweller using a report structured to focus on the key areas that affect all NAG members. Each of the targeted standards is given a score rating, with these questions broken down into the following six areas: • initial impression and welcome • selling skills • customer service • cashier and security • branch image • customer satisfaction NAG members, in line with our other clients, have used our reporting programme

Jeff Caplan is the managing director of Storecheckers, which provides organisations with a range of qualitative market research facilities. He can be contacted on tel: 07877 213 892, or via email at: jeff@storecheckers.co.uk The firm is currently offering NAG members a single visit price of £72, a 20 per cent reduction on its previous price. Where a number of visits are requested, either as a one-off review or on an ongoing basis, discounts should be available.

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56 The Jeweller December 2009

training&education

A year in the life of the education and training department “

hat a year 2009 has been for the education and training department,” declares Victoria Wingate, the education and training manager for the National Association of Goldsmiths, as she looks back over the last 12 months. “Obviously, there has been the normal day-to-day business of providing first class education and training to the retail jewellery industry: we’ve organised 33 tutorials, eight seminars, a presentation of awards ceremony and two rounds of exams. However, this year, in addition to that, we’ve also updated our course information, re-launched two courses and launched a website group.”

The year began with NAG members discovering they had saved an estimated £150,000 on JET courses in 2008, simply by belonging to the Association, which could have meant savings of as much as £200 per student per course.

In February, distance learning became a little more social, with the introduction of a new JET courses community group on the social networking site Facebook. Now with 131 members, the group has become a valuable additional learning tool for students, and has led to the creation of a NAG members group and a JET alumni group, as well as the NAG Education department's own Twitter page with 28 ‘tweets’ so far, and counting.

“The Facebook group has been a great addition in 2009,” said Victoria Wingate.

“Students have really taken advantage of the group, sharing facts, advice and pictures, and we are able to communicate important information with students quickly and effectively, like the effects of the postal strikes on exam registration.”

It was a golden night for JET graduates in March, with a lavish awards ceremony at Goldsmiths’ Hall in London. There were 78 students at the ceremony to collect their diplomas in front of their family, friends

W

Rex Porter receives the Greenough Trophy from former NAG President Robert Croydon

and colleagues, including Rex Porter of A W Porter & Sons, Hartley, Hampshire, who was awarded the coveted Greenough Trophy.

The long-standing award is presented to the candidate with the highest aggregate marks in the NAG’s Professional Jewellers’ Diploma programme.

John D’Arcy with tutor Anne Bray

Award success continued into April, when current tutor Anne Bray met former student John D’Arcy 59 years after he completed his Retail Jeweller Diploma. Mr D’Arcy won a prize for his essay entitled ‘Fine Costume Jewellery – their supply and demand’ while completing his diploma in 1950, which Mrs. Bray described as being “just as good as the ones we receive today”.

Tutor Don Taylor was also honoured in April, when he received Maundy money from the Queen for his services to the church and the community. Don received eight sets of specially-minted coins, which he said was “a very great honour”, one he would remember for the rest of his life.

There was further cause for celebration in May with another set of outstanding JET exam results, including an amazing 100 per cent pass rate for the JET Valuations course.

“It was a fantastic result,” said Victoria Wingate. “The valuations exam is notoriously difficult, but it is so important as it forms part of the application process for the Institute of Registered Valuers.”

An impressive 80 per cent of students passed the Professional Jewellers’ Diploma, while 61 per cent gained their Professional Jewellers’ Gemstone Diploma.

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training&education

Frank Wood and Mark Adlestone at the launch of the revamped JET courses at International Jewellery London

Similar success is expected from the October examinations, when results are released in the New Year.

“Obviously we are delighted with the results, but everyone benefits. These courses will build staff self confidence, develop selling skills and product knowledge and ultimately, they will put money in the till!,” says Victoria Wingate.

These courses will build staff self confidence, develop selling skills and product knowledge and ultimately, they will put money in the till!

There was time to relax in June, when the first annual national NAG golf competition teed off in York. NAG Chairman Frank Wood claimed top prize, while Education and Training Chairman Mark Adlestone won for the longest drive.

The focus shifted to Oxford in July with the first EDF Congress, which included talks from both industry and non-industry experts, designed to introduce a new perspective on issues affecting, but not necessarily directly linked to, jewellery retailers. Figures revealed at the Congress also showed that EDF members were bucking current economic trends and recording an increase in sales

58 The Jeweller December 2009

compared to other independent retailers and multiples.

August brought big changes to the education and training department, with a drastic new look being given to the Professional Jewellers’ Diploma and JET course prospectus.

“The new look is definitely different to everything we have done before, but has been designed to be fresh, modern and to reflect the other materials we are producing at the NAG,” Victoria Wingate commented at the time. “There is a real sense of cohesion now.”

NAG staff Jason Harrison, Faye Hadlow and Henrik Dinesen after their 10km charity run

Perhaps the biggest change of the year, however, was the introduction of Christmas trees, mince pies and sherry to IJL in early September. The festive fare formed the backdrop to the NAG’s Christmas-themed re-launch of the JET 1 and JET 2 courses, which had been updated for the first time since 2005. Education and training manager Victoria Wingate warned that, while the decorations were a bit of fun, they highlighted a much more serious issue: “We know just how beneficial an extra trained member of staff can be during the festive season, but jewellers are missing out, because they are not thinking about training until Christmas, by which time it is too late.”

NAG staff took to the streets in October to lose some of that mince pie weight and to raise money for cancer research.

Finance administrator Henrik Dinesen, information manager Faye Hadlow and education administrator Jason Harrison raised well over £500 from sponsorship from family, friends and colleagues for Cancer Research UK by completing a 10k run.

But what does December have in store for the department?

“While everyone else is gearing up for Christmas, we are getting ready for another busy year,” Victoria Wingate explains. “Students can enrol for the JET 1, Management and Valuations courses at any time in the year, but we will be enrolling for JET 2 and Gemstone again from January until March. Exam results will be released in the New Year and we have even more tutorials planned across the country throughout next year, as well as exams again in May and October. There are also some exciting new projects planned for 2010 and a new campaign to highlight the importance of getting your staff training covered before the holidays. The funny thing is, we were buying mince pies in August, and now we are preparing for the summer holidays in December. What a year!”

For the latest information regarding NAG education and training please visit: www.jewellers-online.org or join the ‘National Association of Goldsmiths: JET I courses’ group on Facebook.

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irvreview

IRV

review

Moderator’s report David Callaghan outlines the findings of the NAG Institute of Registered Valuers’ 2009 monitoring exercise.

ntil this year the monitoring system was by random selection of RVs and this meant that a considerable number of RVs – now MIRVs – were yet to be monitored.

Accordingly, those who have not been selected in the past are now being invited to submit valuations for monitoring. Once again, Brian Dunn has been responsible for the monitoring and has done a thoroughly professional job. Following Michael Norman’s unfortunate illness, Peter Buckie is now moderating Brian’s work.

For those of you who do not know the process, it is this: the NAG’s Sandra Page informs the ‘victims’ during the year that their number has come up, and invites them to submit valuations, taking-in-procedure forms, together with the working notes on which the valuations are based. Brian Dunn then assesses the standard of each valuer’s work and issues an outline report/recommendation in tabulated form.

Peter Buckie and I then study the work

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60 The Jeweller December 2009

Condition reports: when an item is valued on the SHRV basis, its condition should always be noted on the client’s copy as well as in the working notes.

Notes to the schedule: the current Notes should be the only version used. Some long-standing members of the former RV Scheme are using very outdated versions.

Report on the ‘failures’ submitted I suppose it is not surprising that there should be so many valuers in this year’s batch whose work is frankly unacceptable.

Inevitably many of these are from the very early days, and there are a number of valuers whose membership dates from 1987 to 1990. Of these, some two dozen have ‘failed’. Most of them could benefit from retraining and this is recommended for most. However, recommendations have been made to the board that three should be effectively ‘struck off’ as their work is so bad. However let’s not depress ourselves too much, for there are another 25 or so whose work is acceptable, and one or two whose work is exceptional.

It seems that there are very, very few cultured pearl necklaces being valued and, also few watches. Of course it may well be that valuers do not include their valuations of these items because most of the work is done by quoting from a catalogue.

Too many valuers use the system slavishly, ticking the first box of any option and this is simply not good enough. to confirm, or otherwise not confirm, Brian’s recommendations. I compile a detailed report on each valuer’s work, the result then being either a recommendation for MIRV status to be retained, FIRV status to be granted, or a recommendation that the valuer be suspended pending further training and submission of more work. The recommendations are then placed before the valuations committee, which in turn puts them to the board for final judgement.

Gem testing reports: in numerous instances, gem reports, mostly those relating to diamonds, are recorded without the date of the report being mentioned. The date is entirely relevant.

The colour and clarity of diamonds is often stated as a matter of fact when neither is actually known. The correct wording is “assessed” unless these features are the subject of a laboratory report.

Let me highlight, for instance, some of the more common failings seen this year: Hallmarks: many items are described as hallmarked but no identification is made of the actual mark. Most common is the failure to distinguish between a sponsor’s mark and a maker’s mark. All too often, items made prior to 1975 are described as having a sponsor’s mark and items post 1975 as having a maker’s mark. Furthermore, some items are described as gold when they are not hallmarked.

Working notes: these are often very sketchy, far from comprehensive, and some are often not fit for purpose. The whole reason for asking for detailed working notes is to assess how a valuer has reached his/her conclusions and the items priced.

Valuers seem to be unaware how important working notes are. How else can anyone confirm the calculations behind a valuation?

Being able to retrace one’s steps is so important and it is not good enough to state merely for example: “Phoned Ullman. Spoke with our supplier.

Compared with stock item.”

Often there is no dollar price noted or the gold price isn’t stated. Without this information, how can any valuer be sure in

irvreview however, that an area of general weakness is the inability to describe a piece of jewellery in such a way as to enable anyone to picture it in their mind without the need for a photograph. It is unprofessional, not to say inaccurate, to describe a stone as being a circular oval!

The presentation of the valuation to the customer is also very good, many with impressive presentation folders. It seems that many valuers do not enclose a transmittal letter with their valuations and these are increasingly important. To this end, there will be a workshop presentation of this subject at Loughborough during the 2010 conference, where its importance and relevance will be highlighted.

retrospect that he/she used any reference guide price correctly? Without question the working notes section of the work submitted is the worst aspect of the valuation.

Computer aided/guided systems: many valuers monitored this year – indeed most of them – use one of these systems and, of course, they are useful. However too many valuers use the system slavishly, ticking the first box of any option and this is simply not good enough. Many use GuildPro or other computer systems but are failing to utilise, or perhaps realise, the full scope of the systems. With most computer systems it is possible to personalise the system, but very few valuers even try to do so. Surely, a computer system is only really an aide memoire: the valuer should not become its slave.

Examples of descriptions produced by one computer system are: Ring; oval single stone amethyst, mid century(!!!) – which century? What’s it meant to mean? Why not give a circa date for the period of the ring?

Other slavish examples result in silly prices, for example: £1,510.00, £848.00.

They are nonsense.

A frequent example this year has been the use of the term semi-eternity to describe a five stone diamond half hoop either carved or plain sided, or even claw set.

The term claw set is also often used when the correct term for the style of setting would be peg set.

Another common error is an emerald-cut stone, i.e. one with cut corners, described as trap cut or step cut.

MIRVS who have applied for FIRV status (volunteered work for monitoring)

Report on MIRVs who are Recommended to Retain their Membership of the Institute As mentioned above, those valuers chosen this year, from among those not monitored previously, were predominately from the groups granted RV status at the beginning of the scheme. It is sad to reflect that, after 20 years of the scheme and of the Loughborough conference, too many of the valuers who entered the scheme in those early days have not progressed. As a result, all too many have been recommended for suspension of their MIRV status pending

I have little doubt that many valuers do not actually realise that they must keep up-to-date, because we are going to monitor their work on a continuing basis.

Some valuers use terms such as Fine Royal Blue when describing sapphire. This is hardly scientific! Other terms such as Green (assessed), when describing emerald and/ or demantoid garnet, or Red (assessed) for ruby are other examples of such slavish adherence to the computer software.

Bearing in mind that the former RV Scheme is 20 years old, and some computer systems are probably as old, we believe that these should be looked at afresh to see whether some systems can be amended to enable the user to produce a valuation more in line with the style and format we prefer to see today.

62 The Jeweller December 2009

further training. This does not necessarily reflect their inability to reach a reasonable valuation price. However, their retained notes are too poor to enable a post loss assessment to be made by an independent person, for example. If the background working notes and other aspects of the records are not comprehensive, the valuer can be looked upon as being unreliable, incompetent and worse still – negligent.

Overall the standard of those whose MIRV status has been confirmed is good. In addition most of the illustrations submitted with the valuations are very good indeed, and some were outstanding. It is fair to say,

There have also been one or two volunteers who have submitted their work without being asked to do so, in the hope that they can achieve FIRV status. Not all have satisfied the FIRV criteria in my opinion, and there is one valuer who is worthy of it but has not asked to be ‘promoted’.

Conclusion I have little doubt that many valuers do not actually realise that they must keep up-todate, because we are going to monitor their work on a continuing basis. They simply must take on board how important it is to continue to study, attend Loughborough and pick up the various changes that are bound to occur in our industry over the years. At last we now have an Institute and it is vital, in my opinion, that we are more strict than we have been hitherto in applying the rules. It may seem to be pedantic to insist on grams rather than g. or gms but we must try to instil uniformity across our membership.

Finally, I believe firmly that we should differentiate between valuers who merely issue valuations on items they have sold from their stock from those who are ‘real’ valuers. It is my view that valuations that are virtually point of sales documents should not be classed as valuations at all. The price shown will not be the sales price, necessarily, because prices may well have gone up since the sale was made. But if the only valuation work undertaken is of stock items, I believe that these people are not true valuers. They cannot demonstrate their capability to assess the characteristics of a gemstone, and are merely repeating a stock record I and adjusting the price.

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APPOINTMENTS SKILLED JEWELLERY TECHNICIAN GRS is based in Newcastle-under-Lyme and is part of the £100 million Goodwin Group. We are the world’s largest manufacturer of Investment Powders for jewellery casting and have manufacturing bases in the UK, India, Thailand, China and South America.

It is vital that we give our customers and distributors technical support and as such we wish to recruit a skilled Jewellery Technician.

Working for the Gold Star brand this role will be a technical sales function. The purpose will be to promote our range of Investment Powders and ancillary products / machinery to both new and existing distributors and jewellery factories worldwide. In addition much time will be spent supporting customers / distributors by helping to solve their jewellery manufacturing problems.

The successful candidate will have a number of years experience in jewellery manufacturing. Whilst not essential it would be useful to have experience in all aspects of casting. An ability to develop relationships with customers is also important as well as an understanding of the sales function. Above all we need a practical ‘hands on’ person who understands jewellery manufacturing. We will give full training in the use of plaster and refractories.

The successful candidate must be highly self-motivated – he/she must also be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time overseas.

Ideally he/she will live within a reasonable commuting distance of Stoke-on-Trent.

To apply please send your CV by email to Huw Davis on: hdavis@goodwingroup.com

We have vacancies for the following skilled craftsmen: • jobbing jeweller with excellent ring sizing skills • jewellery polisher • stone setter Our workshop is based in the South East of England.

If you would like to join our team of craftsmen please e-mail your C.V. (including your contact telephone number) to: jewelleryjobs@googlemail.com

EXPERIENCED JEWELLERY PROFESSIONALS LMG, which is headquartered in the beautiful Georgian city of Bath, offers competitive salaries and best of all an exciting career path for jewellers who would prefer to leave behind the tedium of long retail hours.

You will need to be self motivated and conversant with jewellery prices and trends and your individual approach will need to balance sympathy for the victims of jewellery-related crime with the commercial requirements of our insurance company customers.

Whether you live in the South West or are based elsewhere in the UK we would be interested in hearing from you. LMG offers flexible working and an excellent benefits package, to include pension and tiered holiday.

For an application form contact Lucy Helps on 01225 788740 or email: l.helps@lossmanagement.co.uk

www.jewelleryjobs.com Jackson Maine is the specialist recruitment consultancy for the jewellery and watch industry and we cover all disciplines in London, the South East and throughout the UK We urgently need Watchmakers at all levels Retail Sales and Management, Field Sales and Brand Managers, Administration, Merchandisers and Stock Controllers Register now for vacancies in 2009 and for 2010

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the last

word Jo Young takes a wry look at the weird, wonderful and downright ridiculous happenings in the jewellery retailing world.

Now, where did I put it… sn’t it nice when you think you’ve lost something important and it turns up when you least expect it? Or (as happened to me for the very first time a couple of weeks back), when the weather changes and, upon pulling your old winter coat out of the cupboard, you find £20 in one of the pockets?

A similar feeling must have been abound at the Powys council offices in mid-Wales recently – albeit dampened somewhat by the whiff of incompetence that surrounds this story, and the rather embarrassing publicity that resulted.

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inherited and lived in until her death was a treasure trove of Victorian heirlooms – including the jewellery.

Anyway, a few years ago, council officers had found the jewellery missing; they thought it had been stolen, police were called, the whole affair was most unfortunate. Then last week, during an office move, a dusty box was uncovered that contained the jewellery collection, undamaged, in its entirety.

Where was this box, you might ask? On a shelf, at the back of the council’s strongroom.

A place in which, according to The Times newspaper, ‘nobody had thought to look’.

Valuable jewellery? Kept in a strongroom?

What a novel idea!

Criminal thinking nto a considerably less amusing story: I read this week about one of the most depressing and, in some ways, pitiful jewellery thefts of recent times. Jewel thieves have stolen £6000 worth of nine carat and 18 carat gold jewellery from a shop in Ballymoney in County Antrim, Ireland. So far, so predictable I hear you cry.

Well yes. Even the modus operandi is nothing new – the burglars broke down the door and made off with an entire glass display cabinet, which they later dumped after removing the booty.

Except there is a slight difference here: the business they chose to nick the jewellery from was, in fact, a charity shop. The money that would have been made selling the jewellery was earmarked for a social project in the poverty-stricken southern African country of Malawi.

“It was gold jewellery, it was not costume jewellery. It was nine and 18 carat gold jewellery. We lost over £6,000 which is a tremendous loss of money to any shop but especially to a charity shop,” said a devastated shop worker.

Doesn’t exactly fill you with Christmas cheer, does it?

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For a full half a decade, officers at Powys council had searched for a rather hefty hoard of jewels (valued at around £30,000) that had been, somewhat inexplicably if you ask me, left by a wealthy spinster benefactor.

It had been part of a bequest left by the 83 year old Leila Williams, who died in 1994.

Her grandfather, it seems, one Rhys Edward Lewis had made his fortune in the late 19th Century through his grocery and bakery business and the home that Williams had

66 The Jeweller December 2009

Bad bids nd just in case I haven’t deflated you enough in the season of goodwill (sorry folks), how about the sale of the personal belongings of that even greater lightfingered criminal Bernard Madoff, which was publicised heavily in the papers recently?

Madoff – you remember, the former NASDAQ Chairman, who made off with an alleged $65bn in the largest investment swindle in history? – was, perhaps unsurprisingly, a lover of the high life and a keen collector of expensive, covetable jewellery and timepieces (as well as yachts, clothing…).

In a move that one might consider akin to, shall we say, ‘taking a leak’ in the ocean, hundreds of Madoff’s belongings went under the hammer in a huge sale in New York in November, the proceeds – around $900,000 – of which went to victims of his fraudulent Ponzi scheme.

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Should we want it less?

Would you wear Bernie Madoff’s watch?

Among the pieces that were sold were a pair of ‘pre-Victorian’ 14-carat diamond earrings belonging to Madoff’s wife Ruth, which sold for $70,000. Of the 50 watches up for grabs were around a dozen very rare Rolexes, such as an 18 carat gold ‘prisoner’ watch, which sold for $65,000.

Now, this got me to thinking. We in this industry spend a great deal of time talking about the passion and the romance of jewellery; very many of us have a love of antique and collectable jewellery purely because of the fact that secondhand pieces have a history, contain a story. The provenance of a piece of jewellery can, in many cases, be its central selling point.

So what happens in cases like Madoff’s, where the jewellery itself is of the highest quality and manufacture, is quite beautiful in a purely aesthetic sense, but carries a… well, less than attractive provenance? Should that make the jewellery less appealing to prospective buyers and collectors? Should we want it less? Would you wear Bernie Madoff’s watch, for example?

Could it even be suggested to be morally dubious to covet precious items that have been accumulated through theft, deceit and the misery of others?

Some 2000 dealers and collectors that bid on the items in Manhattan last month clearly reckon not.

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