Jeweller g&j (march 2014)

Jeweller the

March 2014

£7.50

The Voice of The Industry

Incorporating

Gems&Jewellery

March 2014 / Volume 23 / No. 2

Exquisite Mexican mosaics Tucson sh ow 2014 rou nd-up Creating corundum

BaselWorld 2014 show preview Jewellery & Watch Birmingham — aftershow report Pre-owned prestige watches — the issues uncovered

Jeweller

Contents & Contacts |

the

The Voice of The Industry

C O N T E N T S

www.thejewellermagazine.com

M A R C H

1 4

Jeweller Picks… men’s jewellery

26

Editor’s Letter

5

Rawlinson Speaks Out

7

Industry News

8

International News

16

NAG News

18

Member of the Month

20

Education & Training

22

IRV Review

24

Obituary

31

Designer Profile: Bobby White

34

Business Support: Security

48

Antique Jewellery

50

Notebook

54

Display Cabinet

56

Last Word

58

A category that’s been steadily gathering steam – here are the pieces that have caught our eye this season

That was the show that was

32

A round-up of some of the highlights from Jewellery & Watch Birmingham

The World’s Fair – BaselWorld

36

The brands, the trends, the market… Belinda Morris gets an early feel for the mother of all trade shows

Pre-owned watches

46

As the pre-owned watch market grows, Richard Taylor offers a valuer’s advice on issues to be aware of

March 2014 / Volume

Gems&Jewellery

23 / No. 2

The Jeweller is published by the National Association of Goldsmiths for circulation to members. For more information about The Jeweller visit: www.thejewellermagazine.com

Show reports from Tucson, Madrid, Tokyo and Arizona, exquisite Mexican mosaics, JAR exhibition in New York, creating corundum and more…

Exquisit e Mexican mosaics Tucson sh 2014 rou ow nd-up Creating corundu m

The magazine is printed on paper and board that has met acceptable environmental accreditation standards.

The National Association of Goldsmiths 78a Luke Street, London EC2A 4XG

Cover Image

Jeweller the

March 2014

£7.50

The Voice of The Industry

Incorporating

Gems&Jewellery

March 2014 / Volume 23 / No. 2

Exquisite Mexican mosaics Tucson show 2014 round-up Creating corundum

BaselWorld 2014 show preview Jewellery & Watch Birmingham — aftershow report Pre-owned prestige watches — the issues uncovered

In conjunction with Tresor Paris 7 Greville Street, Hatton Garden, London EC1N 8PQ Telephone: 020 3355 4030 Email: info@tresorparis.com www.tresorparis.com

Tel: 020 7613 4445 www.jewellers-online.org CEO: Michael Rawlinson michaelr@jewellers-online.org Editor: Belinda Morris bmorris@colony.co.uk

Sales Director: Ian Francis Tel: 020 7749 1705 Fax: 020 7729 0143 ian@jewellers-online.org Publishing Enquiries/ Classified Advertising: Neil Oakford neil@jewellers-online.org Contributors: Lee Henderson Richard Taylor

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

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

The Voice of the Industry 3

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Comment |

Editor’s

Letter

This month: … the event was packed with extra curricular activities – most of which seemed to afford the perfect opportunity to down a glass of fizz!

his month I have mostly… been reading the autobiography/biography of one Jesper

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Nielsen, the man who is one of the key architects and driving forces behind the

global phenomenon that is Pandora. What an extraordinary man he is – adventurer, enabler, workaholic, people pleaser and, quite possibly, completely out to lunch! I read the best part of the book while on the four-hour train journey to the show at the NEC last month; it’s a fascinating account of one man’s idiosyncratic route to the top (then to the bottom, then to the top again). His attitude towards phones, email and CVs (dismissive) and partying in the name of commerce (enthusiastic) is eye-opening. Read and be amazed.

I fully expect to see Nielsen at the 2015 Jewellery & Watch Birmingham show, with his new baby Endless Jewelry occupying a look-at-me stand, somewhere centre stage. But meanwhile there was plenty for me to get my teeth into as I tackled research topic number

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one on my to-do list (as opposed to shopping list, alas) – men’s jewellery. This category gets more gratifying to explore every year – there’s more enthusiasm for it these days and a more diverse selection of collections and designs to discover as The Jeweller Picks (p26) proves.

Talking of diversity, there will obviously be countless variations on a theme at BaselWorld later this month. And while the world travels to the fair to wonder at watches in particular, it’s by no means a solely horological experience. Underlining the mood of luxury that comes with this territory, is an ever-growing number of jewellery exhibitors – big brands and globallyrecognised designer names are muscling in on the act, making this fair a far more rounded event than it perhaps once was.

We have grown our business… by understanding the importance of being part of where the luxury industry shows off… the world shops at Basel.

While on the subject of timepieces, valuer and academic Dr Richard Taylor offers a few words of advice (and warning, it must be said) on the subject of pre-owned watches (p46).

It’s a growing and very profitable market for the jewellery retailer, but one that comes with one or two potential pitfalls for the unwary. We would never want readers of The Jeweller to be accused of unwariness! Happy shopping folks!

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

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The Voice of the Industry 5

ŔŒ AUG – œ SEPT œőŒŕ OLYMPIA LONDON

BE INSPIRED by the finest in jewellery NEW LOCATION

O LY M P I A LO N D O N

INTERESTED IN EXHIBITING? jewellerylondon.com/exhibiting CONTACT THE TEAM ijlteam@reedexpo.co.uk | +44(0)208 910 7173

Comment |

Rawlinson

speaks out Here’s the deal: if you have a successful jewellery business – more customers than you know what to do with, people coming into your shop because of what they’ve seen in the window and never asking for something you don’t have, net profits in excess of 15 per cent… then stop reading now! I can’t help you. owever, if you can see there’s some room for improvement, I want to encourage you with some ideas that might help to grow your business. On 19th March we have gathered together an amazing line up of experts in their respective fields to inspire you with new ideas and tools.

Entitled Achieving your potential: business and marketing strategies, the day will look at marketing, sales, market trends, customer service, working with brands and visual merchandising. Finally the facilitator of our own business leadership and mentoring programme, The Executive Development Forum, Michael Donaldson, will wrap up the day and invite participants to consider joining the programme. More information and a booking form is on the N.A.G. blog: http://nag-blog.org/members-day/ Following the conference I will be joining over 150 students with their colleagues, friends and family, along with N.A.G. officers, tutors, examiners, assessors and staff for our annual awards and prize-giving ceremony in Goldsmiths’ Hall. This prestigious event recognises the hard work that has been invested in order to gain one of the coveted N.A.G. diplomas. For over 65 years the Association has been providing industryleading JET courses, and everyone I speak to values the knowledge and insight they impart. This year every graduate will be offered associate membership of the N.A.G. free until the end of this year, which will allow them to use their diploma initials after their name on business cards and signature sign offs.

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Demonstrating qualifications is another useful tool in your armoury of differentiation – display your achievement with pride!

Last month I attended my first Jewellery & Watch Birmingham show. First impressions are that this is a massive operation; the organisers should be congratulated. There are so many exhibitors, and not just from our sector but also from giftware. Perhaps this is where the challenge lies. On one hand it’s an opportunity to see many collections under one roof, on the other it can be overwhelming and too diverse. The other issue is the five day duration of the show – a couple of days is arguably enough for most retailers to see what they need to, and for the exhibitors, having potential visitors spread over five days makes it an expensive undertaking.

…we have gathered together an amazing line up of experts in their respective fields to inspire you with new ideas and tools.

Other feedback I received was that there were too many brands and not enough fine jewellery. Yet, given the current consumer buying trends, I don’t necessarily think this is a negative. Jewellers should understand their target audience and purchase accordingly, and I do think it is important to keep abreast of new products and ideas. The overall feel was good, but I would like to know what

N.A.G. members think and how they would like us to lobby i2i on their behalf.

Delivering tangible and relevant benefits is vital for the Association to grow. I am delighted therefore to welcome Robert Eden to the team as membership development manager.

Robert will be responsible for developing our range of benefits and services and recruiting new members in all categories. It is my vision and hope that the N.A.G. is regarded as the trade association that all retail jewellers will want to belong to, so that we can truly be the voice and representative body for the whole sector. I hope you will give Robert encouragement and feedback so we can provide the support you want and need.

Finally I would like to pay tribute to one of our industry’s leading statesmen who will be retiring this month – Michael Allchin. All who know him recognise the energy, commitment and passion for the jewellery industry that Michael has, and the desire to make a difference. And make a difference he has…

It is a sad truth that hallmarking has become a declining part of the Assay Office’s work.

However, it still has the best and most up to date equipment and under Michael’s leadership has had to diversify. And not everything it does now is centred on the jewellery industry. There is no doubt that, under Michael’s stewardship, the Birmingham Assay Office has become a leading institution in our industry and, having also met his successor Stella Layton, I am confident that she has the experience, skills and drive to pick up the baton and take the Assay Office on to even greater new heights. Michael, you will be a hard act to follow and you’ll be missed. From all at the N.A.G. – enjoy your retirement!

The Voice of the Industry 7

| Industry News

Argento planning £1m UK expansion elfast-based jewellery retailer Argento has unveiled plans to open seven new stores in Northern Ireland and Scotland during 2014, as part of a £1 million investment programme. This will bring the total number of outlets under its ownership to almost 50 and will add at least 50 new jobs to its existing 350-strong workforce across the UK and Ireland by the end of 2014.

Pete Boyle, owner and CEO of Argento, (pictured) said: “We are really pleased to be able confirm plans to extend our unique, quality jewellery offering to even more customers across Northern Ireland and Scotland by opening seven new Argento and Pandora stores in key areas where we see further growth opportunity.”

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Argento is the UK and Ireland’s biggest retailer of jewellery brands Pandora, Thomas Sabo and Nomination, as well as its own brand jewellery. In Northern Ireland, new stores are scheduled to open this year in Belfast and Portadown, while in Scotland, the company has just opened in Dundee and Stirling. A new store is also planned for Inverness before the end of the month.

“This latest investment provides us with an important opportunity to increase our brand presence and customer base in a series of new, strategic locations and delivers on our commitment to assist in the revitalisation of the High Street and in the development of the main trading areas of our towns and cities,” Boyle added.

“Since Argento was established in 1997, we have invested heavily in building brand presence on the High Street, in shopping centres, and online, and I believe that this latest investment will really give us the edge to push the company rapidly forward.”

Responsible Jewellery Council seeks CEO ollowing the departure of Michael Rae, CEO of the Responsible Jewellery Council, the chairman of the RJC, James Courage, has appointed a Recruitment Committee comprising himself, Michael Allchin (chairman of the Committee), Ruth Batson, Chikashi Miyamoto and Mark Jenkins to search for a new CEO. “Our first job has been to think hard, discuss and draft a specification for the position, and for the person we are looking for; this includes personal attributes,

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experience and knowledge,” explains Allchin.

“We have commenced recruitment via contact with all RJC Members, through PR and via LinkedIn. Applications from candidates with suitable experience can be sent to me in complete confidence at: rjcceo@theassayoffice.co.uk Catherine Sproule has been appointed to the combined role of interim CEO and COO during the recruitment period. She has been working hard!”

The incoming CEO will continue to advance RJC’s mission – to strive to be the recognised standards and certification organisation for supply chain integrity and sustainability in the industry – while supporting initiatives such as its recently launched new Code of Practices which emphasise RJC’s comprehensive approach to corporate social responsibility issues from mine to retail and the growing importance of responsible supply chains.

New date and venue for Jewellery & Watch London

Sochi success for Tresor Paris’ girl

ewellery & Watch London, organised by i2i Events, is to re-locate its June show to the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea. Previously held at London’s Somerset House, the event has grown since its inception in 2012 and is making the move to the Saatchi Gallery to accommodate this growth. The show had been scheduled to take place from June 1st to 2nd 2014 but will now be held on June 18th to 19th 2014.

The show was launched in June 2012 in response to industry demand for a focused and inspirational buying environment at a key mid-year point in the calendar, providing buyers with the chance to view collections for top-up orders and Christmas buying. Following research after the most recent show and, based on industry feedback, it was decided that the Saatchi Gallery will make a more suitable venue as the event continues to grow.

Tresor Paris was celebrating earlier this month after its brand ambassador in Canada, Heather Moyse, took gold for the bobsleigh at the Winter Olympics at Sochi. She and Kaillie Humphries became the first female duo to defend Olympic gold. Moyses’ favourite pieces from the Tresor Paris collection are the Ballant Blanc crystal drop earrings and Melange white crystal bracelet.

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8 The Jeweller March 2014

Industry News |

New chairman for Centenary Trust nthony St John Steiner has been appointed the chairman of The N.A.G.’s charity The Centenary Trust following the retirement, at the end of last year, of Robert Vander Woerd of E P Mallory in Bath.

St John Steiner was the clerk to the Worshipful Company of Pewterers, before retiring. Vander Woerd stepped down from the post after serving for 10 years, and the contribution, guidance and time he gave to the Trust over this period had been invaluable. During 2014 the Trustees will be looking into different ways to sponsor apprenticeships and training throughout all aspects of the retail jewellery industry.

The N.A.G. Centenary Trust was established in 1994 to celebrate the Centenary of the Association. Its aim is to help retail jewellery students continue with their studies, should they find themselves without funding. The Trustees will consider applications from students at all levels of their careers in the trade, but ideally students should have studied and passed JET1 as a minimum and be passionate about a career in retail jewellery.

The circumstances of each student are looked at by the Trustees on an individual basis. Any students interested in finding out more about the Centenary Trust and the possibility of funding should email Amanda Reavell at: Amanda@jewellers-online.org or call her on: 020 7613 4445 Option 2 for information. She will be happy to advise any Robert Vander Woerd (left) and students who may be thinking about making Anthony St John Steiner (Centenary Trust) an application for funding.

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Bremont teams with Boeing ritish watch brand Bremont will use BaselWorld 2014 to reveal the details of its new partnership with Boeing to develop a new range of mechanical watches “that fully explores the aerospace company’s extraordinary expertise in advanced material technology, together with Bremont’s enviable track record in chronometer manufacture”.

The partnership will also be used to help commemorate Boeing’s 100th anniversary. Under the exclusive collaboration, Bremont plans to release wristwatches and chronometers featuring Boeing aeroplane materials, as well as a limited edition of watches featuring aeroplane parts.

The company has extensive access to Boeing’s material and manufacturing technology at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre in Sheffield and its historical and archival materials.

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Houlden Group appoints marketer tuart Laing, CEO of The Houlden Group, has announced the appointment of Vanessa Priest as marketing consultant. Having recently initiated a review of its branding, Houlden has identified a number of projects to bring additional benefit to both its members and suppliers. Priest will be working with Laing and his team to improve the marketing support to Houlden Group as well as further developing its branding of ‘Jewellers of Excellence’.

Priest brings nearly 20 years of knowledge of jewellery, branding and multi-channel retail to the role. Her experience includes nine years at QVC, culminating as head of buying for jewellery, and prior to that she was senior buyer at Foschini Group Jewellery in South Africa.

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S N I P P E T S New store for Chisholm Hunter…

Expansion plans for luxury multiple jeweller and N.A.G. member Chisholm Hunter continue with the opening this month of a new store in Bromley, Kent. The building – which has housed a jewellery shop since 1910 – was formerly occupied by jeweller EW Payne. The new branch will be one of the group’s largest and will employ 10 new members of staff. There are plans for further shop openings during 2014; the Glasgowbased, family-run business currently has 17 stores in the UK. … F Hinds High street multiple F. Hinds has announced the early opening of its new store in Princess Square, Bracknell. The modern 1,600 square foot store has relocated to the corner of Princess Square in the town. The manager and staff who were at the company’s former Bracknell store have also moved.

F. Hinds’ policy on environmental issues means that the new store features environmentally friendly, energy efficient LED lighting throughout. … and Clogau Welsh gold jewellery brand Clogau celebrated the opening of its first UK flagship store in Cardiff on 23rd January. VIP customers, brand ambassadors, press and friends joined owners and staff at a party that included a performance by former royal harpist, Claire Jones. The store concept integrates holographic and immersive technologies and also boasts a champagne bar.

Once a month a harpist will play in store.

Last month Clogau MD Ben Roberts appeared on ITV’s A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones, who tried his hand at panning for gold.

RJC certificates won Luxury watch houses IWC Schaffhausen and Officine Panerei, and Bangkok gold refiner SPC Precious Metal Company are among the members of the Responsible Jewellery Council that have achieved certification – by meeting the highest ethical, social and environmental standards established by the RJC’s Member Certification system – in the past month.

The Voice of the Industry 9

| Industry News

Violent robbers jailed professional gang of robbers whose campaign of raids was captured on CCTV cameras across West Yorkshire has been jailed for a total of 42 years. The four violent thugs terrorised shop assistants and security guards with guns, knives, swords and baseball bats during a crime spree which netted them more than £200,000.

During their trial, the court was shown graphic footage of the moment three of the men broke into The Gold Shop jewellers in Bradford, armed with baseball bats, a sledge hammer and a machete. After smashing open glass display cabinets they became trapped when the store manager activated security shutters. They were then sprayed with SmartWater as they attempted to smash their way out using the sledgehammer. Following their arrest, SmartWater staining from the robbery was found on items of their clothing.

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New Diamond Bourse website he newly-designed website for the London Diamond Bourse (LDB) launched last month. Located at the same address: www.londondiamondbourse.com the cleaner, uncluttered site features content that is focused on the LDB’s mission to provide the UK diamond industry with ‘the most accurate information, strengthen member relations and share knowledge and expertise in the field’. The more client-centric layout, allows visitors to access information based on their own choice, rather than sift through everything to decide what is of interest to them. Also planned is a members’ area including a trading platform.

In January the Bourse promoted Victoria McKay to become its first chief operating officer. McKay joined LDB in October 2013 as operations manager. The COO role is new to the LDB, and its creation reflects the recent increase in the Bourse front-line functions. The role works directly with the Board and will take responsibility for all aspects of the day-to-day management of the trading floor, including HR, marketing, finance, property, IT and security.

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Silversmith sets up National Trust studio Belton House, a National Trust property, is set to become a studio and showcase for contemporary silversmith, Angela Cork. From 8th March to 1st November 2014, visitors will discover an exhibition of Cork’s recent works and most Saturdays will see her demonstrating hammering and chasing to complete a silver beaker. The event is the culmination of a successful five-year partnership between The Goldsmiths’ Company and the Trust, which has introduced visitors to contemporary silver and some of the craft’s most accomplished artist-makers.

10 The Jeweller March 2014

S N I P P E T S Steve Bennett charity cycle ride breaks Guinness world record Steve Bennett, CEO and founder of The Genuine Gemstone Company, led a charity static cycle ride to Arusha, raising a total of £85,522.99. He and his team cycled a total of 17,579 miles, cycling 24 hours a day throughout January and in doing so also broke a Guinness world record for ‘most amount of money raised on a static bike’. The funds raised will go towards building and maintaining four schools in Tanzania, from where Bennett has sourced many tanzanite gemstones over the years.

In 2012 he founded an independent charity, The Colourful Life Foundation with the aim of ‘giving back’ to the communities from where TGGC’s stones are sourced.

BAO introduces test for crystal glass to meet EU directive The Laboratory at The Birmingham Assay Office now has an improved ‘crystal glass’ test, developed specifically for those wishing to ensure a product meets the criteria required for it to be described as ‘crystal glass’ as defined by an EU Directive.

This may be necessary for compliance with trades description requirements, or it may be due to new legislation relating to lead in certain articles. The European Restriction, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals regulation, enforceable from October 2013, restricts the levels of lead content in all types of jewellery, but ‘crystal glass’ is exempt.

Rado timekeeps at BNP Parisbas Showdown Swiss watch brand Rado was, for the first time, the official sponsor of the BNP Parisbas Showdown which took place in Madison Square Garden, New York on 3rd March.

Rado brand ambassador Andy Murray faced world number two Novak Djokovic and official timing systems were represented by corner clocks in the shape of the Rado HyperChrome on court. Rado is also the official timekeeper for a number of other tennis tournaments around the world during 2014. The brand also takes on current world number four, Polish Agnieszzka (Aga) Radwanska, as new global ambassador.

| Industry News

Colombian filigree promoted in UK omposina, a social innovation company, is venturing into the UK market to promote filigree jewellery designs created in Colombia. The ancient artisan technique (as seen in the British Museum’s recent ‘Beyond El Dorado’ exhibition) has been practiced in the small town of Santa Cruz de Mompox, Colombia since the colonial period, over 500 years ago.

Momposina works directly with artisans who are the designers and creators of gold filigree pieces; it is time-consuming work as there are no industrialised processes involved in their manufacture. The gold (or silver) is passed through very thin holes to convert them into wires about the thickness of a single human hair.

These are then rolled into spiral threads and embedded into frames. “Our goal is to promote filigree as an art form preserving the ancestral heritage and to eventually improve the quality of life of these people and their community,” says Maria Pinder, co-founder of Momposina.

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‘European’ status and new hosts at helm of LVMH Group s of the 1st March Francesco Trapani has stepped down as head of Watches and Jewelry at luxury group LVMH. He becomes an advisor to the chairman on matters relating to jewellery operations and remains a director on the Board. Group MD Toni Belloni will now head up Bulgari, Chaumet, Fred and De Beers. Responsibility for Hublot, Tag Heuer and Zenith will be taken by Hublot president Jean-Claude Biver.

At a Board meeting held on 30th January 2014, the Board of Directors of LVMH agreed to alter the legal status of the Company from that of a French Public Limited Company to that of a European Company. The Board noted that this transition (in line with several major European groups) agreed that the status of European Company better reflects the European and international scope of LVMH. The number of its brands with roots in non-French European countries has significantly increased in recent years. After Loewe, Fendi, Pucci, Acqua di Parma, Tag Heuer and Zenith, the Group welcomed Hublot in 2008, Bulgari in 2011 and Loro Piana in 2013.

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ROX launches charity bracelet uxury jeweller ROX has teamed up with Scottish racing driver Susie Wolff to launch a new fundraising friendship bracelet in aid of Wings For Life – a charity aiming to find a cure for spinal cord injuries. The cord bracelet featuring an angel wing, was unveiled on 20th February at The Cord Club 2014 charity ball which was hosted by Susie and F1 legend and Wings For Life ambassador David Coulthard and attracted the support of a host of celebrities.

‘Wings for Life’ is a not-for-profit spinal cord research charity founded by motocross world champion Heinz Kinigadner and the founder of Red Bull, Dietrich Mateschitz, after an accident which left Kinigadner’s son tetraplegic. The charity funds scientific research and clinical trials to help find a cure for spinal cord injuries. The new friendship bracelet is available online at www.rox.co.uk and susiewolff.com for £40 with all profits from each sale going to the charity.

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12 The Jeweller March 2014

S N I P P E T S Apprenticeship Awards final call Applicants for the National Apprenticeship Awards have until 28th March to enter in order to compete on a regional and national level. “The Awards are an opportunity for employers and individuals to gain recognition for their commitment to apprenticeships, and the hugely positive example they set for other individuals and organisations to follow,” said Skills and Enterprise Minister, Matthew Hancock. There are four categories in the apprentice section and six in the employer section. For further details visit: apprenticeships.org.uk New vice chairman for BJA The British Jewellers’ Association has announced that Helen O’Neill, MD of the PMC Studio, has been proposed for the post of vice chairman of its national committee, the voluntary panel that sets the agenda for the Association. She will be formally elected at its AGM on 24th April this year and will serve for two years before being automatically put forward to become chairman. She will be, after Stella Layton, only the second woman to hold this post in the BJA’s 125 year history.

Frost partners new magazine Bond Street jeweller Frost of London is the main partner of a new luxury lifestyle magazine which launches this month. The consumer title, Oracle, is aimed primarily at lovers of high-end timepieces, but will also run features on jewellery, fashion, motoring, travel and sailing. Editor Simon Mills, says of the watch market: "New models and marques are emerging on an almost daily basis, challenging conventional wisdom and aesthetics. It’s a very exciting time for the horology business.”

Jeweller takes tweed to US Isle of Harris-born jewellery designer Ruth A Morrison, is taking her collection, that incorporates pieces of Harris Tweed, to New York’s Tartan Week, which starts on 4th April. Now based in Glasgow, Morrison creates contemporary rings, pendants and cufflinks and is aiming to secure retail places in New York at the event which will showcase Scottish talent in a variety of disciplines.

Industry News |

Harriet Kelsall shortlisted for honour

.A.G. member Harriet Kelsall, founder and director of the eponymous bespoke jewellery design company, has been shortlisted with six other UK businesswomen in the Institute of Director’s Women Changing the Business World campaign, which was launched in September 2013 in association with HSBC. Members of the public can vote for the overall winner, to be announced in this month’s issue of Director magazine.

Carol Bagnald, HSBC regional commercial director for London and one of the judges, said: “Women are starting more businesses than ever before and their financial power is important. It’s encouraging to see how many highprofile women are now on the business world stage. This isn’t about gender diversity but leadership styles.”

Kelsall has grown her business with her innovative ‘bespoke jewellery for the high street’ concept stores in Hertfordshire and Cambridge, winning numerous awards including ‘Boutique Retailer of the Year’ at the UK Jewellery Awards 2013. A passionate believer in ‘proper’ design, craftsmanship and creativity, she employs graduate designers and takes on apprentices for her workshop, championing ‘Made in Britain’. Over 75 per cent of Harriet’s employees are women, with two-thirds of the management team being women.

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Timex launches global heritage campaign o help commemorate its 160th anniversary, Timex has announced a new multi-million pound global marketing campaign that focuses on its American heritage and its portfolio of watches, which feature classic styles. The multi-platform ‘Wear it Well™’ campaign acknowledges that men and women no longer wear a watch to simply tell time – but also to make a personal statement.

The campaign centres on a series of black and white photographs that provide insights into the character of the people who wear Timex watches. In the UK, the campaign will be supported through PR and social media, which starts this Spring.

“Our objective in developing our new positioning and advertising campaign was to help this generation rediscover Timex,” said Paolo Marai, president, Timex Business Unit.

“We wanted to communicate that our brand is relevant by leveraging what has made us great for the past 160 years – that Timex is truly timeless and that Timex watches are classics and never go out of style.”

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S N I P P E T S New venture for Arabel Lebrusan Ethical jewellery designer Arabel Lebrusan has joined forces with Spanish designer Tessara to create a collection of 13 bridal headpieces.

From striking tiaras to delicate hair combs, each piece is handmade from sterling silver and inspired by forms from nature.

Holts supports cancer charity Holts London has teamed up with Breast Cancer Care in support of its ‘Buy it with love’ campaign. Throughout February and March, Holts London has donated 10 per cent of sales from a selection of 10 pieces to raise funds for those living with breast cancer.

A social media campaign coincides with the charity’s online activity, sitting with partners including Tresor Paris and Missoma.

Lily & Lotty crack multiple market Silver jewellery brand Lily & Lotty has notched up its first multiple jeweller; the brand is now being stocked by Fields of Ireland. With 14 stores across the country (including the prestigious Grafton Street in Dublin, Fields is Ireland’s largest Irishowned jewellers. In particular the store has opted to carry the ‘Love Letters’ collection featuring a sterling silver envelope inscribed with a personal message, the reverse set with a diamond accent.

New suppliers for CMJ Ahead of its Spring/Summer show, the CMJ has announced that four new approved suppliers have joined its ranks. These are: Wolf Designs (watch winders and jewellery boxes); Elliott Brown (British watches); SK Diamonds (bridal and coloured stone jewellery) and Stone Marketing (premium and luxury gifts). All will be showing at the Lalique-sponsored, summer festival-themed trade event in Birmingham this month.

Brand split for Galley

Record sales at Christie’s Christie’s has reported a record-breaking result for global jewellery sales in 2013, with US$678.3 million (£432 million) – the highest annual result ever achieved for jewellery in the auction house. The tally represents an 18 per cent increase over Christie’s 2012 total, and beats its previous highest annual jewellery record of US$600 million, set in 2011, which included the collection of Elizabeth Taylor – the most valuable sale of jewellery in auction history.

The Jewellery & Watch Birmingham show saw designer Rachel Galley rebrand her business as two separate brands. At the higher end (including limited edition and made-to-order) is LUXE, while Memento is a line of sterling silver pieces with lower price points. A brand identity has been created for both with different POS and packaging.

The Voice of the Industry 15

| International News

Raymond Weil dies r Raymond Weil, the founder and honorary president of the eponymous Swiss watch company, died on 26th January at the age of 87.

Weil was a pioneer and entrepreneur in the watchmaking industry. In 1976, during the most severe watch industry crisis, he founded his own company and turned his idea of what Swiss watchmaking should be into actual timepieces that would bring a new dimension to the industry. His vision was to create high quality watches with superior design at affordable prices.

Weil put together an international network based on strong, personal connections and friendly relationships. He was kind, affable and regarded as sincerely generous. A pioneer in the international development of the Swiss watchmaking industry during a key period when this industry needed to be renewed, he travelled the world and became an ambassador for the city of Geneva and for Switzerland.

Raymond Weil Genève is one of the few watch brands to bear the name of the founder and still operate as a family business. His son-in-law Olivier Bernheim is at the helm and two grandsons, Elie and Pierre Bernheim, are the chief officers today. Weil occupied several high positions in various professional organisations throughout his career: he was president of the Geneva Watchmaker Union, vice-president of the Watchmaking Industry Training Centre, and member of the Watchmaking Federation. Until 1995, he was president of the Exhibitors Committee of the Basel International Watch and Jewellery Fair.

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Seminar on conflict mineral law potential ‘gathering storm’ for the gold jewellery industry, brought about by legislative processes targeting minerals from conflict areas in the Great Lakes region of Africa, was the topic of discussion at a seminar during the recent VicenzaOro show. The panel of industry experts included Michael Allchin, the outgoing CEO of the Birmingham Assay Office, and Philip Olden, responsible for managing the development and implementation of responsible sourcing protocols for gold at Signet.

The first of two specific pieces of legislation discussed was Section 1502 of Dodd-Frank Act in the US. Signed into law in 2010, it requires publicly traded companies to determine whether their products contain conflict minerals and conduct enquiries into country of origin of those minerals. Starting this year, they need to make formal disclosures to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Similar legislation is pending in the EU. The European Commission’s directorate-general for trade is currently putting the final touches to a legislative proposal on conflict minerals, though it intends to build on international initiatives like the OECD Due Diligence Guidance.

Olden noted that as a publicly traded company, Signet must ensure that any company from which it buys jewellery has itself introduced a due diligence system by which it can accurately trace the origin of the gold. “If you are not able to demonstrate that you can meet our requirements, we will not be able to buy from you,” he said.

Although consulted by the British government and the EU during the process of developing an EU conflict minerals legislation, Allchin questioned whether a legislative initiative was justified; would voluntary systems being adopted by industry be more efficient? “The truth is that the easiest route to compliance today is not to buy gold from Africa’s Great Lakes region, but the damage that is being done to local communities, many of which do not have alternative means of a livelihood, is devastating and often counterproductive,” he stated.

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16 The Jeweller March 2014

S N I P P E T S Cartier and David Webb jewellery up for sale The Salon Jewelry Sale at Bonhams, San Francisco (31st March) will include selections of pieces by Cartier as well as New York jeweller-to-the-stars David Webb. Among the lots will be a pair of diamond and enamel earclips, each designed as a square black enamel bombé dome, centring a round brilliant-cut diamond, and signed Webb (est. $5,000-7,000); a diamond ‘double C decor’ ring by Cartier, signed Cartier, and mounted in 18 carat gold (est. $1,2001,800). The Period Art & Design auction on the day will also include more than 300 lots of jewellery.

Latin America’s first gem centre opens in Panama President Ricardo Martinelli, Panama’s head of state, will be the guest of honour at the the launch the Panama Gem & Jewelry Center this month. He joins leaders of the international and Latin American diamond, jewellery and gemstone industries, who will gather in Panama City on 17th and 18th March. It will be the first dedicated facility for these trades in the region.

Anchoring the new centre is the Panama Diamond Exchange, which was established as the first and only diamond bourse in all of Latin America, and which is recognised by the World Federation of Diamond Bourses.

Royal jewels to exhibit Burlington Arcade-based, family-run jewellers Hancocks will exhibit some exceptional pieces from renowned collections belonging to the Royal families of Europe at The European Fine Art Fair in Maastricht (14th23rd March). Highlights from this year’s collection include a pair of enamel, coral and diamond Court Jester clip brooches by Van Cleef and Arpels (Paris 1937), which belonged to the Duke of Windsor, alongside a Chinoiserie desk clock by LaCloche Frères, Paris c.1925, with decoration by Vladimir Makovsky, which belonged to the Royal Family of Savoy, Italy.

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

| N.A.G. News

N.A.G. success at Jewellery & Watch Birmingham 2014

he new Jewellery & Watch Birmingham show at the Spring Fair last month got the UK buying season off to a flying start, with the organisers, i2i Events, reporting a good turnout of visitors and exhibitors.

The Luke Street team and N.A.G. board members were there in full force during the five-day event, responding to a range of enquiries and membership queries. The team was delighted that, within the first days of the show, encouraging numbers of full membership applications were received and several requests submitted.

During the exhibition the Association’s CEO Michael Rawlinson chaired and participated in a panel discussion on ‘The Business of Retail’, which included key speakers Alan Frampton owner of Cred Jewellery and Michael Donaldson from The Value Innovator. Issues covered at the session focussed on the essence of brand culture for businesses and how to set successful business plans to attract new customers. If you missed out on any of the discussions or seminars that took place at Jewellery & Watch Birmingham, several of the eminent speakers will be attending the N.A.G. Members Business and Marketing Strategies Day in March (full details at http://nag-blog.org/members-day).

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N.A.G. Presentation of Awards 2014 he N.A.G.’s Annual Presentation of Awards 2014 celebrates academic achievements and rewards all the hard work that our students have undertaken.

Taking place at the Goldsmiths’ Hall on the 19th March, this glittering evening is a graduation ceremony for the Association’s JET2 and CAT students, as well as the Bransom Award winners.

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18 The Jeweller March 2014

Graduates and guests will enjoy a presentation ceremony in the historic and prestigious Livery Hall within Goldsmiths’ Hall, which is not usually open to the public, followed by a short drinks reception to celebrate the successes. The doors open at 5:15pm and the ceremony will begin at 6.00pm. We hope that N.A.G. board members, staff, course tutors and, of course,

The N.A.G. Members’ Day – limited places still available he N.A.G. Members’ Day is approaching fast – it takes place on 19th March at Kings Place, Kings Cross London – and the anticipation for the day is already building.

This first-ever Members’ Day replaces the N.A.G. Council meetings and it is hoped that this will be one of a series of bespoke events led by important industry professionals who will be covering key issues relevant to jewellery retailers.

Confirmed speakers include: Christine Colbert – House Creative; Jonathan Hedges – GfK Retail; Debbie Barrow – Virada; Simon Walker – Hirsch; Judith Lockwood – Ti Sento; Judy Head – Head Creative Associates and Michael Donaldson – The Value Innovator.

Taking place in the Battlebridge Room at Kings Place, this unmissable event (which starts at 09.30) is open to members and non-members alike, so be sure to share this with colleagues who also want to be ahead of the game. To register or to find out more email: events@jewellers-online.org and visit: http://nag-blog.org/members-day/ for full agenda times and session summaries.

The Luke Street team looks forward to welcoming you there on the day.

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the graduates all enjoy this special evening.

All guests should have already received their tickets. However, if you would like to attend or have not yet received tickets that you were expecting please email us at: jet@jewellers-online.org Other forthcoming N.A.G. events IRV Committee Meeting – 18th March N.A.G. Board Meeting – 16th April Both of these will be held at Luke Street and are open to invitees only.

N.A.G. News |

Forthcoming seminars and short courses

Our new membership development manager

The N.A.G.’s inspiring short courses are now open for registration and include:

Essential Display

(one day course) Thursday 15th May, London Our ever-popular Essential Display course is the perfect opportunity for your designated creatives to learn how to put together exciting displays in your store windows. Judy Head, our talented tutor with many years marketing experience, describes how your customers respond to visual display and the time available to make an impact and get your product noticed. A combination of theory and practical hands-on sessions creating eye-catching free displays, will build the knowledge and confidence to make your windows effective marketing and sales tools.

Developing Sales Skills (one day course) Date/location TBA Responding to feedback from our members, the N.A.G., together with Virada Training, is offering this one-day sales skills training course. It will cover a variety of topics, and focus on real life, everyday sales situations to unlock potential and help your business stand out from the crowd: • managing the customer interaction – engaging with your customer • establishing customer needs – getting the complete picture • presenting – the buying experience • decision making and feedback • reassuring the customer – dealing with objections • closing – acting on buying signals and leaving the customer with a good lasting impression

Diamonds and Diamond Grading Introduction (two day course) Tuesday and Wednesday 20th/21st May, London A seminar for retail staff, covering topics such as: • increasing knowledge and understanding of diamonds and boosting confidence and selling performance • identifying and describing laser-drilled diamonds and fracture-filled diamonds • gauging carat weight, judge colour and clarity grades of various diamond sizes and qualities • understand why diamonds ‘sparkle’ and ‘shine’ and be confident in explaining the beauty of diamonds to your customers • discuss consumer confidence, ethics of the supply chain and certification of stones Prices range from £235 (+VAT). For full information visit: http://www.nageducation.org/short-courses/ or contact Amanda White on 020 7613 4445

he N.A.G. is delighted to announce the appointment of Robert Eden as membership development manager. He has worked within the jewellery industry for 20 years, previously working for jewellery wholesalers, manufactures and brands. Over the next few months the Association will be launching new membership benefits to attract new members and reinvigorate the current offers available to its 2,700 members.

If you have any thoughts or suggestions on what you would like to see included, email him at: Robert@jewellers-online.org

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New member applications To ensure that N.A.G. members are aware of new applications for N.A.G. membership within their locality, applicants’ names are published below. Members wishing to comment on any of these applications can call Amanda Reavell on 020 7613 4445 or email: amanda@jewellers-online.org within three weeks of receipt of this issue.

Ordinary applications Nath Jewellers, Wolverhampton Green & Frederick Ltd, Edinburgh Timothy’s Jewellers, Lytham J & M Graham Ltd, Lothian County Goldsmiths, Shrewsbury

Alumni associate applications Ang Ji, Chatham, Kent Jade Mason, Boston, Lincolnshire Jack Francis Eldridge, Chessington Jean Dea, Falkirk Chetna Patel, Preston Cheryl Elizabeth Sadler, Bognor Regis

IRV applications New member applicants (all qualified in the Institute’s Certificate of Appraisal Theory examination) Barbara L Leal, GG, JEMS, Pinner Katherine Cronin, PJGemDip, AJP (GIA), GIA Graduate Diamonds, BA(Hons), Southsea

The Voice of the Industry 19

| N.A.G. News

N.A.G. Member of the Month This issue we speak to Lee Hooson, managing director of the Mococo chain of stores which, at the end of last year, expanded its Liverpool branch.

When was Mococo established and where and how did it come about?

It was my wife, Maureen, who founded Mococo in 2006. At that point she had worked in jewellery sales for 22 years and had a great knowledge and passion for the market. It was from this passion and her desire for a new challenge that Mococo was born – plus the very small initial investment of £250 on the kitchen table! She had already started hosting jewellery parties and the popularity of these branded jewellery collections led to the first Mococo store opening its doors soon afterwards.

ranges, such as ChloBo, Shaun Leane and Thomas Sabo… along with favourites like Pandora and Swarovski at competitive prices that won’t break the bank. It’s about making our customers feel special every time they walk into one of our stores – several of them have a champagne and coffee bar, including our new Liverpool store. That’s what I think stands us apart from our competitors.

Business is doing fantastically well and the only thing I can put it down to is our heavy focus on customer service. Our customers can spend their money wherever they like – and that keeps us on our toes.

How soon did the other stores follow on and how did you decide where to open?

Our first store was in Ruthin in 2006, and since then we’ve grown and grown. We now have four further stores across the North West and North Wales – in Chester, Mold, Wrexham and Liverpool, plus a Pandora concept store in Wigan, which opened last autumn. Mococo goes to the areas we feel we would be wanted and which should provide us with the best opportunities.

What was the impetus behind expanding the Liverpool branch?

Our new Liverpool store is located in the stylish Metquarter and replaces a much smaller store which was located a few shops down. Liverpool is the home of style, and the expansion is testimony to that. The city’s shoppers have been very loyal to us and this is our way of thanking them for their support.

They deserve an enhanced shopping experience and to have access to the most exciting jewellery collections out there. This expansion allows us to do just that!

What is the ethos behind Mococo (and where did the name come from)?

What would you say is your shop’s point of difference?

The name ‘Mococo’ is partly inspired by Maureen’s nickname – Mo; she is the heart of the company. Our ethos is all about providing our customers with unique design-led brands and more exclusive

20 The Jeweller March 2014

Has your offering of brands and designers changed since you first opened?

We have expanded the brands and are always travelling to see the latest designers and collections. We like to stay ahead of the game and we constantly and consistently monitor trends.

Lee Hooson with his wife Maureen

Describe your customers Mococo’s customers cover all ages. What they have in common is they are fashionfocussed, savvy, well-informed and know what they want. They are also highly influenced by celebrity culture.

What made you decide to join the N.A.G. and what benefits has this brought?

Joining the N.A.G. was a straightforward and obvious decision for us. The training with the N.A.G. has been exceptional and has most definitely kept us well informed.

What’s coming up next for Mococo?

We have more store openings in the pipeline, and our own jewellery range is getting us very excited indeed. We will continue to invest in our in-store and ever-growing online platforms, to further enhance the customer experience in both areas. We have recently appointed Jon Eeles as our new finance director who has the expertise to help us achieve our goals and drive the business forward. Our son, Oliver, is also working with us; it is really amazing to have such a fastpaced, family business.

Please let us have an anecdote of a memorable customer experience Maureen was serving an American lady in our Chester store who wanted a locallysourced piece of jewellery to take back to the US as a gift – she selected a ChloBo bracelet. Maureen asked the lady where she was from in America. “California”, she said.

“Oh, it’s our 25th wedding anniversary and we are going on holiday there next week,” said Maureen. The lady replied: “Take my cell number. I have restaurants in the US, I can arrange some fun things for you to do”. She turned out to be Sheila Overton, the wife of David Overton, CEO of The Cheesecake Factory – America’s $1.7bn chain of restaurants! Sheila arranged private tours of wineries and vineyards for our visit to the California wine region. We have never been so spoilt in our lives!

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

Our Bransom Award winners — November and December 2013 his month the Education Department congratulates the Bransom Award winner for November, Vickie Walker of Beaverbrooks in Aberdeen.

“I have been within the jewellery business just over a year now,” Vickie explains. “Prior to this, I worked part-time within the retail industry in other roles, while completing my studies in law at University. While taking a break from my studies I was keen to undertake a new challenge and gain some new skills and knowledge. I have always had a keen interest in jewellery, which led me to successfully apply to Beaverbrooks in Aberdeen.“

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Vickie told us that she was “absolutely delighted” when she found out that she was the Bransom Award winner for November. “To be honest, I was completely speechless when I received the call to let me know I had won; I was absolutely over the moon,” she says. “I really enjoyed undertaking JET 1 and put my all into each of my assignments. I was delighted to have achieved A*s for each of my assignments and so to find out that I had won the Bransom Award upon the completion of the course was an added bonus. It still hasn’t sunk in if I’m honest!”

So which parts of the JET1 course were most interesting and useful to her? “It’s difficult to pin point a specific aspect of the

22 The Jeweller March 2014

course as I enjoyed every one of them, but in particular I liked the approach that each assignment targeted a specific area and knowledge base within the jewellery trade, allowing you to focus on a specific area at a time and then build upon that knowledge with each new assignment,” she explains.

“If I had to choose a favourite topic it would have to be learning more about gemstones, their history, properties and how they are fashioned into jewellery. Hall’s text on gemstones and Dundek’s text on diamonds were both interesting and enjoyable to read, yet also straightforward and made studying each new topic very pleasurable and undaunting. Researching each new topic was extremely enjoyable and I couldn’t wait to share the knowledge I’d gleaned from my studies with customers.”

We asked Vickie if she thought that the JET1 course would help her to move on in her career. “I undoubtedly feel that obtaining this qualification will assist me in progressing as it has made me feel much more confident within my role at Beaverbrooks and I feel this is reflected in my customer experiences in store. It has provided core jewellery knowledge which I am building on each day through in-store training and practical customer experience, all of which I feel will stand me in good stead for progressing within my role at Beaverbrooks and also in the future when I take on further study.

“I would undoubtedly recommend the JET 1 course to others as it enables you to obtain an enhanced knowledge base and understanding of gemstones, metals and hallmarking and the scenario questions within the assignments enable you to really

think like a jeweller, all of which are crucial within the jewellery retail trade.”

Vickie’s tutor was extremely pleased with her progress: “She deserves great recognition for producing such an exceptional final piece of coursework; it displays her extensive knowledge and importantly her high level of customer care. Looking over her previous assignments, which were marked by Eddie Stanley, I can see that this level of dedication was given to all her work. Praising her for the amount of excellent coverage she has put into each assignment he’s used the words ‘brilliant’, ‘outstanding’ and ‘fantastic’!”

The Education Department would like to wish Vickie the very best in her future career. he Education Department would also like to extend its congratulations to the Bransom Award winner for December last year – Madeleine Micallef from Allum & Sidaway in Salisbury.

We were interested to learn how Madeleine began working in the jewellery industry, and what drew her to the profession. “I have worked in the jewellery business for about a year,” she explains. “I have always had an interest in jewellery; diamonds particularly fascinate me. I used to walk past the Allum & Sidaway shop wishing I could work there.

When the job came up I jumped at the chance and was so happy when I got it. I’ve finally found the career for me. “ We asked Madeleine how she felt when she found out that she had won the Bransom Award for the month of December.

Her response was pretty typical of all previous recipients of the coveted prize: “I was both overjoyed and shocked! The most enjoyable

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The Bransom Award In July 2010 the N.A.G. launched an award with the aim of recognising the very best JET1 projects. Course tutors put forward nominations before the winner is chosen by our chief moderator. The individual who is awarded the highest assignment mark is rewarded with a trip to the historic and prestigious Goldsmiths’ Hall in London for the presentation of their certificate at our annual award ceremony. The award, which is sponsored by Bransom Retail Systems, is made on a monthly basis.

N.A.G. News: Education & Training | part of the course was learning about diamonds. I found it really useful as I have a big passion for the stones and now feel far more confident when selling them,” she says.

When we asked Madeleine if she felt that the JET course would prove to be useful as far as furthering her career in jewellery, she didn’t hesitate to endorse the experience.

“The course will help me progress as it’s given me the confidence and knowledge to help and advise customers,” she says.

Madeleine’s tutor was really pleased with her work and made this comment about her course achievements: “Madeleine was a

student who was only four months in to the trade when she was enrolled to take JET 1.

Her assignments were always punctual, she did lots of revision to give all the subject matter real depth, and she obviously took notice of any comments I felt were necessary to make. Her project showed a true understanding of diamonds, and was coupled with the demonstration of how one can use good product knowledge to turn it into a successful sales dialogue.”

We are very pleased that Madeleine has found her ideal career and we wish her continuing success in her work and studies.

Calling all current JET2 students assignments, we want to offer them the chance to complete the new project and one other assignment in place of taking the exam (of the former JET2 course) in May or October.

The two new assignments are in addition to the assignments that they are already taking so they will, in fact, be taking 10 assignments in total. We have written to all current JET2 students to advise them of

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“ A discounted price structure is available to the trade.

Tel: 01189 305945 • Mobile: 07760 402211 Email: info@goldcrestsignetrings.co.uk www.goldcrestsignetrings.co.uk

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Sketches provided for approval

the changes and to give them the option of changing to the new format. If current students do not wish to take this option and would prefer to take the exam they are able to do so.

If you are a current JET2 student and have not received a letter about this please contact the N.A.G. Education Department as soon as possible: jet@jewellers-online.org

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he Education Department has just launched a new format for the N.A.G. JET2 course – as explained in full in last month’s issue, this will be non-exam-based. However, it is felt that it might seem unfair that current JET2 students are not given the opportunity to take advantage of this new format. So, despite the fact that they are already enrolled on the course and are taking the current

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ARGENTA ARGENT TA DESIGN LIMITED, 82 FULHAM F ROAD, LONDON SW3 6HR

The Voice of the Industry 23

| N.A.G. News: IRV Review can find full details on the IRV website at: www.jewelleryvaluers.org

N.A.G. Institute of Registered Valuers R

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Do you consider yourself an RV? N.A.G. membership does not automatically confer IRV status – there’s much more to it than that, as Sandra Page explains. ast month in The Jeweller I outlined the entrance procedure open to those wishing to become N.A.G. Institute Registered Valuers.

For those with short memories and for others new to the Association, back in 2008 the former Registered Valuer Scheme was revamped as the Institute of Registered Valuers. Subsequently the JET Valuation Course and exam was withdrawn, and in 2013 the Certificate of Appraisal Theory (CAT) self-learning valuation methodology programme was introduced. In fact, there’s a news flash on this subject – at the time of writing this article we have just received our 100th enrolment on CAT. The Institute’s success in proving to the public and the insurance world that valuations from an IRV are the best, means that many insurance companies recommend to their clients that they get their jewellery, silver, watches, etc., valued by an IRV (in some instances they actually insist).

However, this has generated problems for some N.A.G. members who are not IRVs, do not have a member of staff who is one, or do not use the services of an independent IRV. Many assume that being members of the N.A.G. automatically implies that they are also IRVs… but this is not the case.

Membership of the Association for retail jewellers is a corporate-based category, whereas membership of the Institute is for qualified, experienced individuals only.

The public has brought to the Institute’s attention – on more occasions than we care to mention – that N.A.G. members are saying they are ‘registered valuers’ when they are not. Such false statements are not good for

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24 The Jeweller March 2014

the member who makes such a claim, nor for the Institute/Association as, in the eyes of the public, such false declarations damage the creditability of all parties involved.

This is an issue that we at the Institute have publicised before, but it seems that some retailers out there may have missed those previous reports… or perhaps have chosen to ignore them.

So, if you are not an IRV and don’t currently use one, please remember that next time a member of the public asks if you are a ‘registered valuer’, explain that you are not – but that you can arrange for their valuation to be undertaken by one.

Please call me on 029 2081 3615 or email: irv@jewellers-online.org for a list of current independent IRVs offering retailers a valuation service. There are almost 50 of them spread around the country. Or maybe think about becoming an IRV yourself – you

Why an IRV Valuation?

While on the subject of insurance, the Institute, in conjunction with TH March, has produced a useful leaflet for members to give to their customers explaining why they need a jewellery valuation; why their insurers need a valuation, and why that valuation should be undertaken by an IRV. The leaflet also explains how insurers process claims and it makes the public aware of their rights.

Copies of this leaflet have been circulated to all members but a limited number is available upon application (and submission of stamps to cover the postage) to those N.A.G. members using the services of IRVs.

Conference reminder Now that I have your attention… if you haven’t already done so, do make a note of the dates for this year’s Loughborough Conference which, you won’t be surprised to learn, is being held at our usual venue – Loughborough University in Leicestershire.

This year we’ll be there from Saturday 13th to Monday 15th September.

We’ve already corralled an array of guest speakers and will be giving more information in the next issue of The Jeweller.

It’s said every year, but if you’ve not ‘done Loughborough’ before you have no idea what you have been missing. Thankfully many have taken up this challenge and now know exactly just what that was – and have no intention of missing out any more! So why not join them… because you’re worth it!

Your credit licence expires 31 March.

Don’t let your business expire with it.

Consumer credit licensing is about to change.

To continue offering credit on sales and services after 31 March, you must register for Interim Permission by that date.

If you do not register, you risk committing a criminal offence if you carry on with any consumer credit-related activities from 1 April.

So to keep your business on the right side of the law, register now. It takes minutes – you just need to have a few details to hand: y Your OFT consumer credit licence number

y The number of branches your firm has

y Your licence categories

y Your bank or credit card details

Over 35,000 firms have already registered for Interim Permission. So don’t delay, join them now – go to fca.org.uk/clicked and follow our step-by-step guide.

Don’t put your business at risk – register for FCA Interim Permission by 31 March.

Have you clicked yet?

Register now at fca.org.uk/clicked

Jeweller picks... the

COLIBRI J E W E L L E R Y

While it may not prove to be the main focus of most high street jewellery stores, there’s no question that jewellery for men is a stayer, even a grower. It’s not just cufflinks (although the variety in this category gets ever stronger and more directional) that were making noises at Jewellery & Watch Birmingham last month but also bracelets, pendants and rings. Here we highlight some of the brands that caught our attention at the show.

From the Monza series (inspired by the Italian Grand Prix circuit) comes this pendant combining a rose gold finish on stainless steel, with black rubber which features Colibri’s hallmark pachmayr design. Also fusing metal, rubber and leather is the Monza link bracelet and the two pieces are complemented by Stanford cufflinks in rose gold finish stainless steel, with a cone of black agate at each end.

JW MAN AT GOLDMAJOR

M E N ’ S

In rugged contrast to the sweet and girlie prettiness of the amber and coloured stone lines that Goldmajor is renowned for, the collection of jewellery for men revolves around steel with carbon fibre, as well as with titanium and gemstones. Shiny and textured effects combine for bracelets, rings and pendants that have a strong, urban look.

AAGAARD

TRESOR PARIS

Classic in style… but with an edge is how this Danish brand describes its men’s collection, whether the required look is business, casual or just fashionably cool. In combinations of leather and steel, the composite bracelets with collectible beads in a variety of textures and muted tones, is unquestionably masculine in feel. Continuing to be popular is the Soldier to Soldier range of bracelets in parachute cord, with a percentage of sales donated to the Help for Heroes charity and other charities assisting wounded veterans.

Perfect for the customer who’s looking for elegance with a stylish twist, these cufflinks in 18ct rose gold plated stainless steel featuring Tresor Paris crystals within the classic hexagonal shaped structure. They would also team nicely with the brand’s Swiss-made rose gold-plated chronograph watch with its diamond set black dial.

DEAKIN & FRANCIS

The Lord and Lady Mayoress of Birmingham were on-hand to help launch the latest collection from this seventh generation family business – a characteristically quirky line called MechAnimals™ which features animals and machines with mechanically moving parts. For farming gents there are sterling silver and enamel tractors with moving tyres, but also expect waddling ducks, wiggling pigs, snapping sharks and charging rhinos.

BUDDHA TO BUDDHA

Ten years on from its launch and this unisex sterling silver collection – designed in Amsterdam and created by global silversmiths – continues to broaden, with new lines added continuously.

Oxidised textures create the tough Buddha to Buddha look and newly-added pieces include gemstones such as tiger’s-eye and turquoise for added character.

FRED BENNETT

Making an appearance with a fresh new identity (including a strong visual campaign), Gecko’s men’s jewellery collection brings together an understated colour palette of royal blue, earthy green and burnt orange and contemporary styling. Rugged textures and directional patterns are used for pendants, wristwear and cufflinks in a mix of materials, complementing the new watch line.

EDBLAD

UNIQUE MEN

Influenced by its founding location – the Swedish island of Singo – this collection of stainless steel jewellery for men and women is inspired by the life and work of seafarers. Ropes, buoys, piers and anchors all feature in the new spring/summer 2014 line. There are also symbols of faith, hope and love which are a nod towards the island’s people who await the safe return from the sea of their loved ones.

Stainless steel, titanium and tungsten are the key materials in the Unique Men’s collection, as well as plaited leather to soften the edges of this young, urban, contemporary look.

Alongside the many variations on the bracelet and pendant styles is a growing range of cufflinks, with the emphasis on detail.

CUDWORTH

Edged along by the fashion market and, of course, celebrity culture, men’s jewellery is a category that many more retailers are expanding into, according to this dedicated Australian brand. And while cufflinks continue to sell well, the focus of the line has shifted to other areas, namely bracelets, pendants and small leather goods. Complementing the more classic Cudworth line is Hardware, whose more youthful, rugged looks (including worn-look metals and tiger’s-eye beads) are being picked up by surfers and edgy urban types. Now handled in the UK by Kevin Trotter of Pebbles Jewellery.

ARX

BABETTE WASSERMAN

This young British men’s accessories brand, designed and manufactured by Jos Von Arx – which offers small leather goods, watches, pens and gift items as well as jewellery – addresses the young, urban market with collections that are priced competitively. Included in the offer, along with rings and pendants, is a line of stainless steel and leather bracelets that can be resized to fit using a new patent pending Flexisize clip technology.

Celebrating the essence of British life and quirkiness is ‘English Eccentrics’, the new collection of cufflinks and key rings from Babette Wasserman. Among the iconic subjects she has chosen to draw our attention to are bicycles, black (and red) cabs, wellies and raincoats, sports cars and these grumpily cute British bulldogs.

ANCHOR & CREW

Created by Andrew and Chris Warner, sons of Alison and Stephen Warner of Derby jewellery store Identity, this new line of nauticalinspired bracelets created from authentic, marine grade nylon rope and solid sterling silver, found instant favour with the team of the Birmingham Assay Office. Something to do with the anchor motif… Single and double-wrap, the one-size-fits-all, unisex line comes in a variety of colours and with a choice of clever nautical fastenings.

TRIBAL STEEL

The men’s jewellery collection from Midhaven has seen a revival in cufflinks recently, as well as a general broadening of what men want to wear. This season stainless steel together with leather, carbon fibre, rubber, dog tag pendants, tie slides and stronger colours (such as orange) all proved popular with buyers at the show, as were the new engravable pieces.

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March 2014 / Volume 23 / No. 2

Exquisite Mexican mosaics Tucson show 2014 round-up Creating corundum

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FGA

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Gems&Jewellery / March 2014 t

Editorial

Gems&Jewellery

Something which both amuses and mystifies me is the regard in which gemmological qualifications and membership are held around the world. By the time you read this I will have arrived back in

March 14

the UK after a five-week around-the-world trip — one which, fortunately, included some holiday!

At both the FEEG Symposium in Madrid and the Spanish IGE conference I was struck by the professionalism of the delegates and the diversity of speakers. Each was passionate about the

Contents

genre and all would agree that there is always something new to learn. Young graduates from

4

all over Europe attended both the conference and the awards ceremony. At our own awards ceremony we have graduates attending from all over the world, but often encounter indifference from our UK students. For many, a Gemmology Diploma will be their highest academic achievement and it is something to be celebrated.

At the IJT show in Tokyo I was privileged to meet many of our members and past graduates who were keen to renew their membership with Gem-A, both to retain their FGA status and to share the benefits that it brings. It’s refreshing to witness what is clearly a growing market in

Gem-A Events

Japan. The market is still a shadow of what it was in the 1990s, but it is showing healthy signs

5

— good news for the global jewellery market.

In Tucson where the gem world gathers it was gratifying to see the rigour with which other organizations police their membership and the level of retention they achieve. A great many of us could learn a thing or two from them. We are going to start by indicating on our list of graduates who is a paid-up member and who is thus entitled to use the initials. So don’t be afraid to name and shame your competitor who claims membership but isn’t one! And please

Shows and Recent Events

folks, to those of you who passed your exams with distinction, it’s the Diploma that it applies to not your Fellowship or Diamond membership.

10

One thing I was very pleased to do in Tucson was to show people the latest issue of The Journal of Gemmology which had just been printed. As this was the last issue in the old format, I am looking forward to the next one with numerous new segments and a sympathetic design update. If you haven’t seen the current one, you should. It might mean you need to become a member or take out a subscription but I think you’ll find it worthwhile. Congratulations to Brendan Laurs on his maiden issue.

Around the Trade

In the meantime if you have anything which you would like us to consider for

12

Gems&Jewellery or The Journal, please do not hesitate to contact me or Brendan.

James Riley Chief Executive Officer Cover Picture Mexican turquoise mosaic mask of the rain god Tlaloc. Photo by Helen Serras-Herman (see Museum News, page 12).

Museum News

18

March 2014 / Volume 23 / No. 2

Gems and Minerals Exquisite Mexican mosaics

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

Tucson show 2014 round-up Creating corundum

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

Editor James Riley

Registered charity no. 1109555 Copyright 2014 ISSN 1746-8043

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Production Editor Georgina Brown Advisory Board Mary Burland, Harry Levy

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

Page 3

Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Events

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

Understanding practical gemmology Friday 14 March 2014 Gem-A Headquarters, London

BaselWorld 27 March – 3 April, Stand No. N21 / Hall 3.1 JCK Las Vegas 30 May – 2 June, Booth L116

Investigating gemstones treatments Friday 14 March 2014 School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University

Gem Central evenings

Understanding diamond simulants Friday 21 March 2014 Gem-A Headquarters, London

Please note that from April, Gem Central will be held on Monday evenings.

‘Fifty Shades of Colour’ with Andrew Fellows FGA DGA Tuesday 11 March, 18:00 – 19:30 Gem-A Headquarters Limited spaces available — booking essential If you missed Andrew Fellows’ popular ‘Fifty Shades of Colour’ seminar in Tucson, the session is being repeated in London.

Prepare yourself for a colourful time testing gemstones, and seeing the range of shades and tones of colour that exist within everyday gemstones. Come to see the colours your brain doesn’t want you to see!

Free for Gem-A members and Gem-A students; £5 for non-members.

Workshops Introductory Our range of introductory ‘Understanding’ workshops are ideal for jewellers with no gemmological background, or for anyone who needs a refresher.

Intermediate The Intermediate ‘Investigating’ workshops are for gemmologists and jewellers with gemmological knowledge.

Understanding diamond grading Friday 11 April 2014 Gem-A Headquarters, London Fees for workshops: Gem-A/NAG/BJA members and Gem-A students: £100. Non-members: £120 Heat-treated sapphire.

Photo Pat Daly © Gem-A.

Gem-A/NAG/BJA members and Gem-A students: £300. Non-members: £320

Gem-A Midlands Branch meetings Pearls and lab equipment

by Stephen Kennedy Friday 28 March Organics by Maggie Campbell Pedersen Friday 25 April All meetings to be held at Fellows Auctioneers, Birmingham B18 6JA.

Investigating Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald Friday 9 May 2014 Gem-A Headquarters, London Amanda Good FGA DGA will host an informative practical day covering all aspects of these beautiful and important gemstones.

Attendees will begin by looking at the properties of natural ruby, sapphire and emerald, followed by their treatments (including lead-glass filling of ruby), their simulants and synthetics. Participants will handle and examine a wide range of these stones from Gem-A’s extensive collection.

Gem-A/NAG/BJA members and Gem-A students: £110. Non-members: £130

Page 4

Understanding fluorescence Friday 14 March 2014 Gem-A Headquarters, London A one-day workshop taught by two of the UK’s leading mineralogists from the University of St. Andrews’ Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences.

Dr Adrian Finch and Dr Richard Taylor will give a one-off opportunity to gain an academic insight into the world of fluorescence in luminescence.

Participants will learn the basics of absorption and electromagnetic radiation in gems — discovering how different forms of energy, light and radiation are emitted from some gems under differing conditions.

For further information, please contact the Midlands Branch chairman, Georgina Kettle: georgekettle@hotmail.com Students: £4, Gem-A Members: £6 Non-members: £8

The Scottish Gemmological Association events Conference 2014 2 May – 5 May Peebles Hydro Hotel, near Edinburgh The ‘early bird’ cutoff for the Conference is 14 March. Book now to ensure your place.

To book for any Gem-A Events call 020 7404 3334 or email events@gem-a.com

Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Shows and Recent Events

Centurion 2014 Olga Gonzalez

FGA

reports on this year’s Centurion show, held in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Every gem show has its memory.

Remember the year of the Polar Vortex? That will be the marker for the Arizona Gem Shows of 2014.

Flights were cancelled or delayed; exhibitors and buyers were either ‘lucky’ with their timing, or not so much, and New York’s Diamond District competed for standby flights with those stranded after the Super Bowl. But no storm is a match for the jewellery trade, and the shows did go on: in style and with networking charisma.

Scottsdale was the first stop.

The Centurion show has established 1: Blue topaz ‘Pangea’ itself as one of the most important ring with opal, peridot and powerhouse trade shows in the diamonds in 18ct gold by United States. Notoriously selective, Kara Ross. Image courtesy of Kara Ross. this invitation-only fair attracts some of the best buyers across the country, and is small enough to provide a country club atmosphere, with exhibitors and buyers having plenty of time to catch-up, attend provocative talks and enjoy gourmet meals together.

Booth after booth, exhibitors raved about the show, their new clients and the fantastic atmosphere. Attending on Tuesday, I was surprised by the constant buzz in the room and the buyers ordering from all corners.

Perhaps the tide has completely turned? Kara Ross, a first-time exhibitor at the show, said of the experience: “I was thrilled to be a first time vendor at Centurion. I thought the show was done well, from the morning lectures for retailers and vendors to the evening events. The response to our collection from the market was very enthusiastic.

People appreciated that we have a distinct point of view, which is a huge 2: Split pendant with raw rubellite, smooth amethyst and selling point when so much out there is ‘the same’. The people who visited diamonds in an 18ct gold our booth specifically spoke about our mount by Kara Ross. Image ‘Pangea’ rings, hand-carved mosaic courtesy of Kara Ross.

collection and our raw/polished pieces. The uniqueness of the pieces, the collection and its point of view made our booth a very popular one!” Kara’s ‘Pangea’ ring (1) is certainly impressive, featuring five moveable pieces which fit together above the blue topaz cabochon like a jigsaw, as are her raw/polished pendants (2).

On the evening of 3 February, Centurion presented the Centurion Design Awards. Twelve designers won awards, with one of my 3: Ethiopian opal necklace with favourite pieces being a diamond spessartine and diamonds by and Ethiopian opal necklace (3) Spark Creations. Image courtesy

by Spark Creations, which won the of Spark Creations.

Colored Stone Fashion category.

Centurion has traditionally been a show for diamond jewellery, but this year opal, coloured opaque sapphires and large baroque pearls were the gems that seemed to be gaining popularity in design. Gemstone-encrusted watches also appeared alongside jewellery in many cases, such as the award-winner in the Watch category by Marco Moore.

Stealing the hearts of editors at the show was an Emerging Designer booth Rhyme & Reason, Armenian brother and sister design duo — Mihran and Esin Guler. Their Renaissance-inspired bridal line, ‘Sacred Story’, gave a refreshing look, but what really stood out was their ‘Grand Entrance Ring’ (4), a silver and gold three-dimensional ring that allows you to wear the 4: Grand Entrance Ring by Mihran stage — perfect for the woman and Esin Guler, featuring sapphire, who loves drama and makes a pink tourmaline, white diamond, statement wherever she goes. sapphire and rose-cut champagne Consistent trends in the jewellery diamonds in 24ct yellow gold and cases were the use of sliced oxidized and polished silver. Photo diamonds, opaque sapphires in fine courtesy of Rhyme & Reason. jewellery, white and fire opals in fine jewellery and stackable, artistic wedding band designs. The energy of Centurion was fantastic, and captured what I hope to see globally as stores and end-consumers show confidence in luxury purchasing power.

Page 5

Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Shows and Recent Events

Tucson 2014 Andrew Fellows FGA DGA discusses the new and interesting featured at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show 2014.

The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show is, as always, not a single event, but an amalgamation of over 40 individual shows, covering all aspects of jewellery, gemmology and mineralogy, from the cheapest rough quartz crystal to fine gem-quality Paraíba tourmaline and diamond jewellery. Anyone unfamiliar with Tucson would be amazed at the vast array of materials on offer, and the sheer number of exhibitors and stands that spread out across the city.

Sphene was in large supply, appearing on more stands than in previous years, with several suppliers exclusively providing material from Spanish sources. The ever-present Ethiopian opal was in abundance in rough, fashioned and ‘smoked’ forms, although new to the table was Ethiopian opal with added dyes, creating vivid pinks and blues.

New this year was a find of fire opal material (1) from Laverton, Western Australia. Manning the stand were Alan Chapman and

Jason Wallett, who explained that the material was found on both the surface and up to three feet underground in the local granite.

This form of fire opal shows the same structure and features as other fire opals, but occurs in colours ranging from colourless to orange and brown. The colourless stones seen were very reminiscent of moonstone, showing similar adularescence. Once faceted, the top quality material gives a beautiful orange colour.

Supply at present is limited, as mining only takes place for two hours per day, but the hope is that the material will be available in decent supply within the coming months.

Another ‘new’ opal on the scene was one imaginatively marketed as ‘lemonade’ opal, due to its light, translucent yellowish colour (think traditional homemade lemonade). Coming out of Brazil, this material’s appearance falls between fire opal and white opal, without giving the full appearance of either.

1: Australian fire opal from Laverton, Western Australia.

2: Blue kyanite, from L. Allen Brown.

Page 6

Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Shows and Recent Events

New gems were not the only stones on offer. One dealer, L. Allen Brown, produced a deep blue, oval faceted stone, which at first glance appeared to be a fine blue sapphire, but was revealed to be a blue kyanite weighing almost 8 ct (2). L. Allen Brown was also anxious to show off the remains of a boule of synthetic yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) (3) of Russian origin, and dated back over 50 years.

The sample was probably dosed with 4% vanadium (deduced from the writing on the boule) and produced an interesting colour change from pink to almost colourless. Several stones had already been cut from a similar boule, with the largest in excess of 100 ct.

All the usual purveyors of gemmological and mineral equipment were in attendance, with products ranging from cutting and faceting machines through to high tech Raman devices. Several labs were also on hand to test stones for those whose budgets didn't extend to a full lab, but who needed confirmation of a stone’s identity.

Basic instruments were also given a new lease of life as one

visitor to the Gem-A stand explained, as he showed a dichroscope fashioned out of bocote wood (4), an unendangered Central American hardwood.

Although not produced on a commercial scale, small operations like these are what keep gemmology interesting and accessible 4: Dichroscope fashioned from bocote wood. to even the newest devotee.

As usual the Gem-A seminars proved popular, with both ‘Spectacular Spectrums’ and ‘Fifty Shades of Colour’ being over-subscribed. Tutors Claire Mitchell and I, assisted by Davina Dryland, demonstrated the use and abilities of both the spectroscope (with and without filters) and the dichroscope to avid gemmologists and newcomers alike. Although only scheduled to be one-hour seminars, the interest of the audience ensured that the questions overran the time slot.

Overall, this year’s Tucson show was a great success, particularly for Gem-A, with Brendan Laurs, Editor-in-Chief of The Journal, and Ya'akov Almor, Marketing Consultant, being introduced to the public. Members and those wishing to subscribe to The Journal of Gemmology and Gems&Jewellery provided a steady stream of interest at the stand, and ensured a successful and busy show.

Roll on 2015!

3: Russian colour-change YAG.

All photos by Andrew Fellows © Gem-A.

IJT 2014

use of a wide range of coloured stones, including rubies, sapphires and tourmalines.

The show on the whole was well attended, with entrance numbers up for the third consecutive year, and this was reflected in the number of visitors to the Gem-A stand. Membership renewals were high on the agenda, with many members electing to renew in person, and it was a fantastic opportunity for members to meet the team, put faces to names and in some cases names that they had known for years.

Demand was high at the Gem-A stand for gemmological instruments, equipment and books, with everything from loupes and gauges to gem and diamond testers being purchased.

There was also strong interest in both the Gemmology and Diamond Diploma courses (the former of which is fully translated into Japanese), and encompassing both the Accredited Teaching Centre and the Online Distance Learning, the Japanese version of which is to be launched later this year.

As with most shows there were several meetings to reinforce our presence and commitment in this part of the world, and to forge new agreements to ensure that Gem-A is a strong gemmological force not only here, but worldwide.

Andrew Fellows FGA DGA reports on Japan’s International Jewellery Tokyo.

The 2014 International Jewellery Tokyo (IJT) show held in January at Tokyo Big Sight is one of the world's major international jewellery shows, with buyers and exhibitors arriving from all over the globe.

For the second consecutive year, Gem-A had a major presence, with CEO James Riley and our retained Japanese ambassador Ayako Naito on the stand, assisted by other Gem-A staff.

As the name suggests, this show is predominantly jewellerybased, with fewer exhibits from loose stone dealers (with the exception of diamonds). Every taste and budget was catered for, from costume jewellery aimed at the younger market, through to high-end unique pieces.

Pearls were in plentiful supply, mounted in rings, pendants and earrings. Some designers complemented pearls with the usual accent diamonds, but others enhanced them by the

Page 7

Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Shows and Recent Events

The AGTA Spectrum Awards Olga Gonzalez FGA rounds up some of the winners from the AGTA Spectrum Awards 2014.

The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) announced the 2014 Spectrum Award winners during the Spectrum Awards Gala, hosted on Saturday 8 February during the GemFair, Tucson. Launched in 1984, the Spectrum Awards are considered to be the most prestigious acknowledgement of excellence in the jewellery design industry, having become the ultimate prize for jewellery designers wishing to gain recognition for their work. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Awards, with first place pieces featured in special displays on the AGTA show floor, some of which are shown here.

Objects of Art ‘Friendship’ sculpture featuring sunstone, black jade, varascite and black, yellow and white diamonds, by Dalan Hargrave of Dust Devil Mining.

Best Use of Color 18ct yellow gold earrings featuring boulder opals and fire opals, accented with orange sapphires and Paraíba tourmalines, by Erica Courtney.

Best Use of Pearls

Best of Show

18ct white gold drop earrings featuring 32 Japanese akoya cultured pearls accented with round brilliant diamonds, by Anil Maloo of Baggins Inc.

Platinum ‘Tropical Storm’ ring featuring a 22.10 ct emerald, accented with diamonds,

by James Currens of J.W. Currens Inc.

Photos by John Parrish, courtesy of AGTA.

Page 8

Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Shows and Recent Events

FEEG

The FEEG Symposium

Amandine Rongy FGA discusses the role of FEEG and reports on the 2014 FEEG Symposium and Graduation Ceremony held in January.

The 16th Symposium of the Federation for European Education in Gemmology (FEEG), including the FEEG meeting and Graduation Ceremony, took place in Madrid, Spain, over the weekend of 17–19 January. FEEG was created in 1995, with Gem-A being one of the founding organizations. The initial objective was to set up a European standard of gemmological knowledge, which was to be run by existing European gemmological institutes. Participating countries include: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK. Every year the graduates of the participating institutes can sit an exam in their own language, testing their theoretical and practical gemmological knowledge, to achieve the FEEG Diploma. This not only ensures the recognition of the graduates’ abilities in their native country, but also allows them a stronger presence on the international gemmology scene.

Those who had been successful in the 2013 examinations were presented with their FEEG Diplomas at the Graduation Ceremony held during the Symposium.

The two-day symposium covered an eclectic range of topics, including scientific presentations such as glass-filled corundum (Dr Karl Schollenbruch, Germany), and the spectroscopic methods in gemmology (Helen Calvo del Castillo, Belgium); current issues in the trade, with a focus on conflict diamonds and international trade (Pilar Diago Diago, Spain); the art and symbolism of gemstone cutting (Viktor Tuzlukov, Russia); and the economical aspects to be considered in gemstone cutting (Geoffrey Dominy, Canada).

The conference was followed by a series of hands-on workshop sessions held by Mikko Åström (Finland) and Alberto Scarani (Italy) covering the use of the Raman and photoluminescence spectrometers for identification and detection of treatments and synthetic gemstones, and gave delegates an introduction to these instruments.

Delegates were also introduced to Gemewizard’s analytical and grading tools and GemePrice, the online pricing station for gemstones, diamonds and fancy coloured diamonds, hosted by Menahem Sevdermish of Israel.

The symposium, as with every international conference, gave students and gemmologists the opportunity to increase their knowledge and network with international speakers, as well as delegates from all around the globe. The 2015 Symposium will be held in Belgium.

For more information on the speakers and events, visit http://ige2014.com, or for more information on FEEG and its exams, please contact information@gem-a.com.

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V H with Dr Adrian Finch and Dr Richard Taylor, or, two of the UK’s leading minera mineralogists from the University of Andrews’ Department of Earth & Environmental workshop will teach you the St. t. Andr ironmental mental Sciences. This one-day w worksh basics of absorption and electromagnetic different basi ic radiation ation in gems and how ho dif er erent forms form of energy, light and radiation are emitted from gems. atio on a Book now to reserve your place Gem-A/NAG/BJA members and Gem-A students: m-A//NA tudents: £300 £3 Email events@gem-a.com or telephone Non-members: £320 Non-m em 0207 404 3334. ™

Page 9

Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Around the Trade

Diamonds: changing times Harry Levy FGA looks at the increasing number of synthetic diamonds on the market and the problems these are causing for the trade.

Production of synthetic diamonds I started writing this column on several occasions over the past few weeks. On each occasion, by the time I was about to conclude the article its contents had become out of date. This has been due to rapidly changing events on the ground — the main one being the appearance of synthetic diamonds on the market.

I have been writing and talking about synthetic diamonds for many years now. Either people did not believe what I had written, or thought it would come about without affecting them. When news came that synthetic diamonds were now being sold — in most cases with no disclosure and, in particular, with small stones being produced by the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) process — the trade panicked.

Synthetic diamonds have been produced for some years now using the HPHT process, a method emulating nature’s way of producing diamonds deep in the Earth’s mantle where material is subjected to high pressure and high temperature. These synthetic diamonds are mainly yellow and brown due to the presence of nitrogen in the diamond structure. It is expensive to remove this nitrogen, so white stones are not produced.

The other method of producing synthetic diamonds is through CVD, which imitates the conditions under which diamonds are formed in space: in a vacuum with no temperature. This method was developed to produce diamonds for use as computer chips for the IT industry. Computers have traditionally been made containing silicon chips, but as greater processing speeds are being demanded, it has been found that the silicon chips melt. Diamond chips can be used as an alternative, but they arrived too early for the computer industry; there is still too much money invested in the silicon chip. So other uses for these synthetic diamonds have been found. The chips are produced as thin flat crystals, which makes them ideal for cutting and polishing into small stones. The original crystals are brownish in colour, but using HPHT they can be made white.

In the past year trade journals have reported stories of several hundred stones being sent to laboratories for grading, but proving to be synthetic. Various conclusions were made, one being that the owners of these stones were trying to sell them with no disclosure and trying to pass them off as natural. I think it was

Page 10

more a case of them testing the ability of the laboratories to detect them as synthetic.

The trade continued to look at this as a passing phenomenon and little action was taken. The trade press then came out with stories that parcels of stones were being sold by prominent, large diamond companies, some of them DTC sightholders, which contained synthetic diamonds with no disclosure.

At this juncture the trade began to take notice and the leadership panicked. Meetings were held with leading diamantaires, diamond organizations and laboratories, but interestingly not with the producers of synthetic diamonds.

Synthetics and the trade Over the years the trade and trade organizations have regarded producers of synthetic stones as outsiders, who are (at best) tolerated, and with all rules and regulations being formulated by the dealers in natural stones. No consultation or agreement with the producers of synthetic stones has ever been sought — they have been thought of as potentially there to deceive the consumer.

The gemstone trade has learnt to live with synthetic stones, mainly because they are easy to detect — the Verneuil flame fusion spinels and corundum stones have curved distinguishing colour zoning, while the flux-grown crystals normally look too good to be natural. These stones have always been disclosed by their makers, however. The only problem with them has been over terminology and nomenclature — the producers of these stones do not wish to describe them simply as synthetic. This is an ongoing battle.

Detection of synthetic diamonds is much more difficult, however.

One cannot see growth lines in diamonds as they are white, and so the ease and ability with which one can identify synthetic coloured stones do not relate to synthetic diamonds.

When synthetic diamonds were first mooted as a possibility, the diamond trade tried to ban the production, handling, dealing and selling of the stones. Such action was illegal, falling under trade restriction practices, and banned in most countries. However, recent developments have revived the debate as to how to ensure they are not sold as natural stones.

Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Around the Trade

The methodology now being adopted is to put the onus on traders, demanding they disclose that they are not selling synthetic diamonds through a disclaimer at the bottom of their branded stationery — similar to the KP disclosure regarding conflict diamonds. Unfortunately this will not work as dealers do not know the nature of the stones they are selling. They have to rely on the knowledge of their suppliers, who are probably as ignorant as they are. It has also been suggested that the disclosure should include that the diamonds sold have not been treated. This too is not realizable, as dealers cannot detect a treatment such as HPHT when it is used to improve the colour of a diamond.

So these disclosures are meaningless as it is based on wishful thinking rather than reality.

The ‘4Ds’ What we need is accurate, reliable detection. To this end there are machines, but they are screening instruments, not ones used for detection. A detection machine is one that will pick out a synthetic diamond or an HPHT-treated diamond, whereas a screening machine will pick out a group of diamonds, amongst which will be the troublesome stones. The screening machines function on separating out Type I from Type II stones; 97% of natural diamonds are Type I. To date no synthetic diamonds or HPHT-treated diamonds are Type I, they are all Type II. (For the purposes of this article I have greatly simplified this differentiation.) Because of this, the screening machine will isolate a much smaller group of diamonds to be tested. These stones should then be sent to a laboratory to separate the synthetic ones. The laboratories use spectroscopy to do these final tests; ideally a sophisticated spectroscope such as a Raman Scope needs to be used. However, as these are extremely expensive and specialist training is needed to operate them, such tests are not available through some smaller labs. In the case of synthetic CVD stones however, growth patterns can sometimes be observed under high magnification.

The bourses, under the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), have (very generously) been offered free of charge a

Synthetic diamonds found after testing a parcel of melee diamonds.

Photo: Thomas Hainschwang, GGTL Laboratories.

new screening machine developed by the GIA. The advantage of this machine is that it is much faster to use for small diamonds.

This makes detection far simpler for bourse members. There are cheaper screening machines on the market, in the region of about $3,000, but these are effective only for stones over 0.15–0.20 ct. Tests are needed for stones as small as one pointers.

We are now operating under the ‘4Ds’ principle; detection, differentiation, disclosure and documentation — as formulated

by Martin Rapaport. But what have still not been advocated are discussions with the producers of these synthetic stones.

The way forward For my sins, in late January 2014 I was nominated to be the new chairman of the International Diamond Council (IDC). This is the technical arm of the WFDB and IDMA, responsible for rules and nomenclature. At first I refused the nomination — I am getting too old and have enough on my plate — but I then realized that as a past-president of the CIBJO Diamond Commission (I am still vice-president with close links to the current president), chairing an EU Commission on nomenclature for diamonds to differentiate and explain the different types for the consumer, I would be in a very strong position to bring about change.

For years I have believed that there should be one diamond manual for the trade and the consumer. Whenever I have asked for this I have been told by the IDC that they would be happy for CIBJO to adopt their rule book, and CIBJO stated that they would be happy for the IDC to adopt the CIBJO Diamond Book as the standard text. This them-and-us attitude has prevented the trade from speaking with one voice. When I was asked to chair the EU Commission I carefully chose the team to consist of IDC and CIBJO members. This manual will eventually become a European Commission for Standardization (CEN) document and eventually an ISO Standard. So it needs a small push to bring CIBJO and the IDC together.

The other important issue is to offer the ability to differentiate between natural and synthetic diamonds. To this end I want to bring in the producers of synthetic diamonds as a group within the industry. In any other trade the innovation of a synthetic product would have been greeted with admiration and respect.

This has not happened with ours. With their help I hope differentiation and detection will become easier. CIBJO has agreed to host a symposium on this issue at its next Congress in Moscow in May 2014, when all parties will be asked to contribute.

I would like to look at many issues such as treatments, disclosure, nomenclature and terminology again, and try to bring the industry into the present day. In this age of mass, effortless communication, no group should be able to hide itself as a small sector acting outside the main stream. To achieve this I will need to overcome long-held prejudices and rivalries and bring some harmony and co-operation to our trade.

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Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Museum News

The exquisite turquoise mosaicwork of Mexico Helen Serras-Herman FGA discusses the history and artistry of exquisite turquoise mosaic pieces on display at the British Museum, London, and Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City.

Origins For any art and archaeology lover the British Museum is the place to go. It is enormous, containing several miles of galleries filled with more than six million artifacts from all around the world. A wealth of antiquities from far away and long-ago civilizations overflow the halls and the glass cases, in the form of sculptures, vases, paintings, seals, jewellery and many other treasures.

While the museum is renowned for its Greek, Roman, Assyrian and Egyptian galleries, tucked away in another section is the hall containing antiquities from Mexico.

There are sculptures and reliefs from the classic Maya world dating from AD 250–900.

1: The impressive mask of Xiuhtecuhtli, the Aztec god of fire, showing turquoise cabochons placed on top of the mosaic, creating a ‘wart’ effect.

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2: British postage stamp celebrating the British Museum’s 250th anniversary featuring Xiuhtecuhtli — a sign of the important standing of the mosaics within the museum’s collections.

The pieces that really caught my attention however were the incredible turquoise mosaics from the late post-classic Aztec period, crafted by highly skilled Mixtec artists.

I am quite familiar with ancient Greek mosaics and Native American mosaic inlays, especially intricate artwork by Zuni Pueblo and Navajo artists, but nothing prepared me for the exquisite turquoise mosaics at the British Museum. These artifacts are large, three-dimensional with high reliefs, and their bold style and vibrant colours are breathtaking. There are nine pieces in the British Museum known as the ‘Turquoise mosaics’, all acquired in the nineteenth century. Four of them are masks, while the rest comprise a knife, shield, helmet, pectoral and cup. They were brought to Europe after the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs in 1521 and, although archaeologists are still unsure as to how many of them reached Europe, amazingly 25 pieces still survive and are known to exist around Europe. According to Michael D. Coe in his book Mexico1, some of these mosaics may have been

broken up and reused in the famous pietre dure workshops in Florence, Italy (see Gems&Jewellery, Autumn 2010, 19(4), pages 16–17).

Incredible mosaic masks made of jade were the hallmark of the earlier Maya culture in Mesoamerica, but in the late post-classical period turquoise became the material of choice. Since the early classical period (AD 250–500) turquoise has been traded from what is now northern Mexico and the southwest United States, and by the end of the classical period (around AD 900) its use was widespread.

The turquoise mosaics on display in the British Museum were created around 1500

by Mixtec artists in the Oaxaca region of Mexico under the influence of the Aztec culture. The Aztecs, or ‘Mexica people’ as they referred to themselves, settled in the Valley of Mexico and founded their capital, Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), in 1345.

It was one of the biggest cities in the world when Conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived in 1519, and it was destroyed after the Spanish defeated the Mexica ruler Moctezuma II in 1520. It has been very difficult for archaeologists to determine the mosaics’ exact place of origin, time of creation or their precise use, although mosaics from recent excavations at the Templo Mayor (Great Temple) of Tenochtitlan, as well as in the ancient Toltec city of Tula and in the Maya city of Chitzén Itzá in the Yucatan, have provided information that sheds some light on these unique objects.

Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Museum News

fit the next tile, very much like intarsia work. This must have been extremely timeconsuming considering the size and number of the pieces and impossible to massproduce. Unfortunately, there is very little information about the lapidary shops, their tools and techniques used.

Spirits and serpents

3: Mask of the rain god Tlaloc.

Gem materials and lapidary work Although they are known as turquoise mosaics, several other gem materials have been used in their making, including malachite, pyrite, lignite and shell. Most of the malachite used is dark green, while some is banded. Pyrite has been used for the eyes, which shows a dark metallic lustre when tarnished. Three main types of shell have been used: the pink or white conch shell (Strombus gigas), which has been used mostly for the teeth; the bright red, orange or purplish-red thorny oyster shell (Spondylus); and the white mother-of-pearl oyster (Pinctada mazatlanica). These shells are found in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, as well as along the Pacific coast all the way up to the Gulf of California. All of these materials are still used in modern contemporary mosaics.

The backing material is mainly hard wood from the Mexican cedar Cedrela odorata (aromatic cedar), and the stones are held in place with pine tree resin or copal tree resin (Bursera), while beeswax has been used in places as a filler. The masks are hollowed out and were possibly worn over the face — drilled holes at the temples suggest the masks were possibly used with a strap and worn by priests during ceremonies.

The turquoise used in these mosaics is believed to have come from as far as the Los Cerrillos mining district of New Mexico, according to a 1992 neutron activation analysis2. The research proved that the colours and chemical composition are a close match to turquoise from this area.

Most of the turquoise and gemstone pieces are not equal-size square tesserae, rather they are pieces with irregular outlines, cut precisely with bevelled edges to closely

One of the most impressive and unique masks is the one believed to be of Xiuhtecuhtli, the Aztec god of fire (1).

Measuring 16.5 cm in height and 15.2 cm in width, turquoise cabochons have been placed on top of the mosaic tiles, creating a ‘warty’ effect. One theory says that this detailing represents a leper god, who fell in the fire and rose as the sun. Whether the ‘wart’ effect was symbolic, for grotesque effect or as a talisman, we do not know.

The eyebrows on this mask have also been shaped with darker turquoise, complementing the elliptical eyes made of mother-of-pearl.

In 2003 this fascinating mask was featured on a British postage stamp celebrating the British Museum’s 250th anniversary (2), a sign of the important standing of the mosaics within the museum’s collections.

Probably the most mesmerizing mask is the one titled ‘Two entwined serpents representing the rain god Tlaloc’ (3).

Measuring 17.3 cm in height and 16.7cm in width, the serpent is entwined, curving over the nose, going behind the cavities, emerging above the hollow eyes and creating the eyebrows. It adds movement to the design, while the hollow eyes create a pulsating sense of space. It was believed

4: Double serpent turquoise mosaic pectoral cleverly imitating snakeskin.

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Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Museum News

Mexican Mosaicwork (cont.)

5: One example of several mosaic discs featured at the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City.

to represent the ‘feathered serpent’ Quetzalcoatl, but the ‘goggles’ feature (the way the snake circles the eye sockets) is associated with the god Tlaloc. Both blue and green turquoise are used.

The fabulous ‘double serpent’ turquoise mosaic pectoral (4) is an iconic example of the snake imagery used throughout Mesoamerica. Measuring 20.5 cm in height and 43.3 cm in width, it is associated with the Mexica deities Quetzalcoatl or Xiuhcoatl, the mythological serpent — the spirit form of the god Xiuhtecuhtli.

Snakes were venerated in all ancient cultures, from Mesopotamian to Greek to Mesoamerican, possibly because they represent the constant renewal of life and their symbolic connection between the Earth and the underworld. In this piece

7: A contemporary mosaic mask made by Mexican artists. Compared to the ancient masks they seem simplified, but they are still beautiful and unique in their own way.

6: Jaguar mosaic mask.

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turquoise is placed ingeneously, creating a pattern that imitates snakeskin, and masterfully contributing to a slithering and flowing ‘snake-like’ movement of the entire design. The teeth and fangs are made of white conch shell and the gums are reddishorange spiny oyster shell. The reverse side of the body is not decorated, but the heads of the serpents are worked in mosaic style on both sides.

The Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City The Museo Nacional de Antropología (National Museum of Anthropology) is a state-of-the art contemporary museum, continuing the tradition of the first museum built in Mexico in 1825. There are several turquoise mosaic pieces on display, some of which are masks, while others are discs (5).

Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Museum News

They are displayed together with gold jewellery and jade bead necklaces and carvings, although regrettably with very little information. The ‘Jaguar’ mosaic mask (6) featured here represents another favoured image — one revered by all Mesoamerican cultures — that of the jaguar. Darker coloured turquoise is used for the cheeks, adding a further threedimensional effect.

It is also of worth to note that at the archaeological site of the pyramids at Teotihuacan, 31 miles northeast of Mexico City, local artisans were selling very attractive mosaic turquoise and gemstone masks (7). Compared to the ancient masks these descendants seem simplified, but they are still beautiful and unique in their own way.

All photos in this article

by Helen Serras-Herman.

Museum info The British Museum is located in Bloomsbury, London, and is open daily from 10:00 – 17:30, Fridays until 20:30.

For more information visit the British Museum’s website at www.britishmuseum.org

References 1. Michael D. Coe, 1994. Mexico. Thames & Hudson, London. (6th edition, 2008) 2. Liz Seubert, 1992. The Turquoise Trail: Chemical Analysis at BNL Supports Controversial Theory. Brookhaven Bulletin, 46(6), 1–2

The Museo Nacional de Antropología is located within Chapultepec Park in Mexico City, Mexico. For visiting hours and admission info please visit their website at www.mna.inah.gob.mx.

Further reading C. McEwan, A. Middleton, C.R. Cartwright and R. Stacey, 2006. Turquoise mosaics from Mexico. British Museum Press, London.

About the author Helen Serras-Herman is an acclaimed gem sculptor with over 30 years of experience in unique gem sculpture and jewellery art. A 2003 National Lapidary Hall of Fame inductee, Helen’s award-winning artwork has been exhibited worldwide and published in over 130 trade magazine articles and books.

Visit her website at www.gemartcenter.com.

The Scottish Gemmological Association Conference 2014 The Annual Conference of the Scottish Gemmological Association will be held at Peebles from Friday the 2nd May to Monday the 5th May 2014 Join us for a fabulous programme of lectures, workshops, a gala dinner and Ceilidh and dinner at a Michelin rated local restaurant Enjoy gold panning in the world famous locality of Mennock Water Speakers and Workshop Leaders MALCOLM APPLEBY, DAVID CALLAGHAN, JOHN HARRIS, ALAN HODGKINSON, BRIAN JACKSON, DR MICHAEL KRZEMNICKI, DR CIGDEM LULE, ANTOINETTE MATLINS, GORDON McFARLAN, CLAIRE MITCHELL, STUART ROBERTSON, ALISTIR TAIT, ROBERT WELDON

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Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Museum News

Jewels

by JAR Olga Gonzalez FGA reports on the recent blockbuster retrospective exhibition of the work of master jeweller JAR, which was held in New York.

It’s probably true to say that every generation has the privilege of having at least one jewellery-making genius in its midst. It might have been René Lalique or perhaps Fortunato Pio Castellani or Louis Comfort Tiffany — all rising stars with exceptional vision, talent, an eye for detail and a signature style. Without question, one of the designers who will be looked back upon from our day will be Joel A. Rosenthal. And to highlight his significant contribution to the jewellery world, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has delighted locals and international crowds with its exhibition: ‘Jewels by JAR’. Over 400 pieces from the revered designer were displayed, showcasing exceptional craftsmanship and colour

2: Zebra Brooch, 1987. Agate, diamonds, a sapphire, silver and gold.

Photograph by Katharina Faerber. Courtesy of JAR, Paris.

1: Tulip Brooch, 2008. Rubies, diamonds, pink sapphires, garnets, silver, gold and enamel. Photograph by Jozsef Tari. Courtesy of JAR, Paris.

combinations. The exhibition is the first retrospective of his work in America and the first at the Metropolitan Museum to be devoted to a contemporary artist of gems.

Born in New York and educated at Harvard University, Rosenthal moved to Paris shortly after graduating in 1966, and has worked there, together with his partner Pierre Jeannet, for over 35 years under the name JAR. It didn’t begin with jewellery however.

In 1973 he and Jeannet — having spent much time at antique shops, museums, galleries and auction houses learning about jewellery and gemstones — opened a needlepoint shop. For Rosenthal needlepoint meant ‘painting’, mainly flowers, on a white canvas and playing with the palette of the colours of the wools. But the passion for jewellery was there and he wanted to “play with stones”, as he later explained. He was encouraged to re-design clients’ jewels and turned his attention more fully to jewellery. In 1976, Rosenthal moved back to New York to work at Bulgari, but returned to Paris and opened his own jewellery business.

His one-of-a-kind jewellery and gemstone-encrusted artworks have developed an international cult following. The rarity of his pieces coming to market, combined with high demand from collectors, result in soaring auction prices. His trademark naturalistic look often plays with the forms of flowers, butterflies, fruits and vegetables, and he graduates gemstone colours to produce

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Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Museum News

Jewels by JAR by Adrian Sassoon, Metropolitan Museum, New York. 144 pages, hardcover, with slipcase. US$40.

Published to coincide with the Metropolitan Museum’s Jewels by JAR exhibition, this new volume provides an elegantly designed retrospective of the best of Joel A. Rosenthal. Featuring nearly 40 pieces from JAR’s successful career, it is both a celebration and keepsake of a mesmerizing designer.

magnificent plays of colour, giving the illusion of shadow. Threedimensional forms are meant to be taken in from all sides, and every once in a while he enjoys adding humour by making a mundane object, like a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a bagel, look good enough to eat.

Capturing the element of chance in nature, he enjoys adding details like falling petals and flower buds to jewellery. For example, JAR’s 2008 Tulip Brooch (1), shows some of the petals wilting over, as though the flower is slightly past its prime; elegantly exposing stamens and stigmas with stunning colours, graduating rubies with pink sapphires and garnets. One of the exhibition cases surrounded by amazed visitors displayed his 1987 Zebra Brooch (2), composed of agate, diamonds, sapphire, silver and gold. Large and exceptionally detailed, it captures the animal more realistically than most paintings ever could. A third example of his love for realism can be found in

3: Bracelet, 2010. Diamonds, silver and platinum.

Photograph by Jozsef Tari. Courtesy of JAR, Paris.

4: Poppy Brooch, 1982. Diamond, tourmalines and gold.

Photograph by Katharina Faerber. Courtesy of JAR, Paris

his 2010 Bracelet (3), which portrays realistic branches, fashioned from oxidized sterling silver and platinum. In this simple yet stunning piece diamonds are faceted into three-dimensional buds, which sparkle on the wrist. Yet another example is the 1982 Tourmaline and Diamond Flower Brooch (4), designed as a poppy flowerhead and bud in pink and green tourmaline, linked by a green tourmaline scrolling stem around a pear-shaped diamond, weight approximately 37.23 ct.

Making exceptional use of the space, ‘Jewels by JAR’ was hosted within a narrow oval room, leading the visitor around in a spiral order, adding a three-dimensional perspective to viewing.

Freestanding cases combined with long cases, but the experience of walking through the room was akin to the experience of taking in one of his pieces — with a focus on seeing the same object from many angles.

As one of the most phenomenal jewellery exhibitions of our time, ‘Jewels by JAR’, which closed earlier this month, was exceptional.

Quite simply, there isn’t anything like it!

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Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Gems and Minerals

Creating corundum The production of synthetic star rubies and sapphires Martin Steinbach discusses the history of the production of synthetic rubies and sapphires, and visits Djeva, one of the largest producers of synthetic stones.

1a: Synthetic star ruby with artificial cracks and a star resembling Neptune’s trident.

In many cases, synthetic gemstones are more beautiful, more perfect and can be bought at a much more favourable price than their natural counterparts. For quite a while I had the intention to pay a visit to the largest producer of synthetic stones, Djeva, based in Monthey, Switzerland.

Its produce includes rubies, sapphires, spinels, cubic zirconia (Djevalite), synthetic rutile (TiO2) and laser crystals. Above all, I wanted to have a look at the famous

1b: Synthetic translucent star sapphires with artificially induced fingerprints.

Page 18

of alumina and yielded the first gem-quality synthetic stones, mainly small rubies, used as jewel bearings for watches. These rubies were called rubis scientifiques.

Auguste Verneuil (1856–1913) began work in 1886 on the production of synthetic rubies and within six years had achieved exceptional results. From 1904 he began to publish in detail the results of his work on the flame fusion process, or the Verneuil method, the first commercially successful method of producing synthetic rubies, and later synthetic sapphires, which earned him worldwide fame.

The method is primarily used to produce rubies (in various shades of red) and sapphires (in all colours), including star stones (1a, b), as well as diamond simulants,

crystal-growing process of star rubies and star sapphires, as well as get to know the practical Verneuil process. Jules Verne wrote: “Look with all your eyes, look”, and this is what I wanted to do.

The modest beginnings of synthetic gemstones For many, ruby is the most beautiful of the top three gemstones, and prior to the nineteenth century it was probably a dream of most chemists (and alchemists) to produce it artificially. In 1837 these attempts became successful when the French chemist Marc Gaudin created the first microscopic crystals from alumina by melting two smaller rubies together.

By 1877, the chemist Edmond Frémy had devised an effective method for the commercial manufacture of synthetic rubies with the assistance of his employee Auguste Verneuil. They used molten baths

2: Raw aluminium oxide (Al2O3).

such as synthetic rutile and strontium titanate (Fabulite). Synthetic spinels of all colours have also been produced using this method since the mid-1920s.

Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Gems and Minerals

3a: Hydrogen (H2 ) and (b – inset) oxygen (O2 ) are added.

Djeva and the flame fusion process The creation of the synthetic ruby and sapphire boules requires the following constituents: • The starting material: alumina particles (aluminium oxide, Al2O3) with a very high purity of 99.9%, which melt at approximately 2,100°C (2).

• Small amounts of metal oxides to influence the colour of the boules. This is dependent on the colour of corundum required; for red rubies chromium oxide is added, for blue sapphires titanium oxide and ferric oxide are used, and for pink sapphires chromium oxide and manganese are used. A yellow colour is caused by nickel and magnesium oxides, green by cobalt and vanadium

oxides, and the alexandrite effect is caused by vanadium oxide. A colourless sapphire (a possible diamond imitation) is pure aluminium oxide. In order to produce asterism, approximately 0.1 – 0.3% of Ti02 plus the colour-causing substance(s) are added to the starting material.

• Water, which, at Djeva, is now split by electrolysis into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2), and stored in large tanks (3a, b).

a tube. In the melting furnace the oxygen and the aluminium oxide combine with hydrogen, which is piped into the middle part of the Verneuil furnace by a second gas tube. The gas reacts with the oxygen and forms oxyhydrogen.

In the heat of this oxyhydrogen flame, the powder that trickles down with every 4: Typical Verneuil apparatus, the design of which is still true to Verneuil’s original model.

In the upper part of the Verneuil furnace (4) a cylindrical receptacle containing the starting material is suspended from a spring mechanism. At the bottom of the receptacle is a sieve. At regular intervals a small electric hammer knocks onto the receptacle, causing a small amount of the powder to fall out, and oxygen is piped in through

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Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Gems and Minerals

5: Vast numbers of gas burners are required to power the process. The gas flame and the growth of the boule behind the glass are controlled.

beat of the hammer (today fully automatic) melts to form a cloud of minute droplets.

The fine ‘rain’ of these molten droplets drizzles down onto a piece of synthetic corundum of a former boule that now serves as a seed crystal and determines a given or specific crystallographic orientation.

On this basis, a single pear-shaped crystal (boule) grows drop by drop, layer by layer.

Like a stalagmite, the crystal slowly grows upwards towards the oxyhydrogen flame.

While this crystal grows very quickly with the Verneuil method (approx. 0.5–2 cm per hour) in contrast to other methods for the production of synthetic gemstones, the boule is slowly moved downwards with a lowering device in order to keep the growing crystal in the same temperature range, which varies from about 1,900°C to 2,400°C. The growing corundum boule and oxyhydrogen flame are surrounded by a small fireclay furnace with a cylindrical piercing. The flame, the fusion process and

the growth of the boules are observed and controlled simultaneously through a window in the furnace (5).

The size of these artificially-grown crystals (6) ranges from lengths of approximately 2.0–5.0 cm, normally with diameters of 1.2–1.5 cm, and according to Nassau (1980) even up to 9 cm. They attain weights of approximately 150–400 ct. Boules of 750 ct have been produced for which only two to four hours growth time was needed.

After the boule has cooled it is taken out of the furnace. With a small stroke of a hammer, or by breaking off the tip with a pair of pliers, it is freed from internal tensions. As a result, the synthetic crystal splits along its longitudinal axis. The optical axis runs along this parting plane, which is very important for the orientation of the cut.

Until World War II, synthetic Verneuil corundum was produced only in France, Germany and Switzerland. In 1947 the American Linde Air Products Company started

6: Synthetic facetable ruby material as a typical boule.

to produce large quantities of synthetic star rubies (Schlossmacher, 1969) and blue synthetic star sapphires, as well as various other colours (7). These synthetic stones were mostly opaque with ‘perfect’ colours and stars. The name ‘Linde Stars’ became a brand; typical of the stones was the ‘L’ engraved on the bottom of the cabochons (8).

In 1974, Linde's production of synthetic stones was suddenly stopped, citing ‘overseas competitors’ as the problem. This is possibly to do with competition from the producer of synthetic star corundums Wiede’s Carbidwerk, based in Freyung, Germany. Production began at Wiede’s Carbidwerk in the early 1950s independently of Linde, and the company produced large amounts of synthetics with

7: An advertisement for a synthetic star sapphire ring, made by Linde in 1949, adopting Francis Bacon’s philosophy: “They perfect nature and are perfected by experience.”

the Verneuil method that differed only in minor details from its American counterparts.

While the technical apparatus for the Verneuil flame fusion process has constantly been developed and refined over nearly a century, the basic principle of the method still remains the same. Today, Djeva is probably the most important producer of synthetic gemstones worldwide using this method. German companies in Idar-Oberstein who use synthetic stones obtain their raw material from Djeva.

Djeva offers synthetic corundum in 37 colours including 11 different shades of red and pink and six shades of blue (Nassau, 1980) (9). It is interesting to note that Djeva also produces the refractometer prisms for gemmologists.

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Gems&Jewellery / March 2014

Gems and Minerals

process. The thickness of these discs varies.

Depending on the demand, these are supplied as entire boules or discs.

In 10 a star is made visible by adding a drop of acacia honey on the flat disc — a method similar to that used by experienced cutters with raw natural star stones. The ‘inclusions’ are not gas bubbles but honey bubbles — an absolutely new and unknown kind of inclusion in gemstones! It is possible

11.

8: The ‘L’ on the back of Linde Stars.

Stars made from discs As mentioned previously, approximately 0.1–0.3% of titanium oxide is added to the starting material to produce stones with asterism. Part of the titanium oxide vaporizes during the crystallization of the corundum boule, while the remaining amount is integrated into the corundum lattice as Ti2O3 and forms a solid solution. After growth the raw, coloured boules are transparent.

When the boules leave the furnace they are not removed by parting like the ‘normal’ corundum boules; instead this is done by annealing or tempering. The rutile needles make the raw boules opaque and the rutile

12.

10: An opaque, blue star sapphire boule with a ‘star’ made of honey.

to cut flat stones (11) with very intense synthetic stars where the rays extend to the edge of the cabochon.

In Idar-Oberstein and the surrounding villages the flat corundum discs are still cut today into normal calibrated cabochons as well as interesting free-forms and fancy shapes (12 and 13a,b).

13a.

All pictures copyright Martin Steinbach.

9: Some of the 37 different colours of Djeva’s synthetic corundum production.

Acknowledgements My thanks go to Kurt Blaser for the fascinating tour de fabrique in Monthey and especially to Katia Djevahirdjian.

network formed is the cause of the optical effect. These special ‘star boules’ attain diameters of up to approximately 22 mm.

The opaque boules are cut into discs, which facilitates the (normally manual) polishing

References Nassau, K., 1980. Gems Made by Man. Chilton Book Co., Radnor, PA, USA Schlossmacher, K., 1969. Edelsteine und Perlen. E. Schweizerbart. Stuttgart, Germany

About the author Martin Steinbach has been a Fellow of the German Gemmological Association (FGG) and an Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences Accredited Gemologist (AG) since 1982 and 1983 respectively. He is a gem merchant specializing in Burmese jadeite and asteriated gems. Email: gstargems@aol.com.

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13b.

11: These discs will show a beautiful star when cut.

12: Violet synthetic star sapphire with a very sharp star, a trait characteristic of synthetic gems.

13: (a) Fancy-cut blue and (b) honey-coloured synthetic star sapphires, produced by Djeva and cut in Idar-Oberstein.

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Obituary |

Roger Ferraro 1916-2014 A sad goodbye to one of the UK jewellery industry’s most respected supporting acts… t is with great sadness that the board of directors at chartered insurance brokers, TH March & Co. Limited, announces the death, at the age of 97, of one of the company’s revered forefathers, Roger F Ferraro FCII. The Ferraro family has been closely entwined with the UK jewellery trade and the history of TH March since 1905 when Frederick Ferraro, Roger’s father, joined forces with the eponymous Thomas H March, the son of a diamond merchant who had realised that jewellers needed insurance.

Roger Ferraro’s professional relationship with the company dates back to 1947 when he was appointed as a non-executive director to the board while in the employ of the British Equitable, a subsidiary of the Guardian Royal Exchange insurance company. By 1954 he was employed by TH March and, in 1960 when his father died, Roger succeeded him as managing director.

At that point, the company was relatively small with a single office in London.

Competition to sell insurance to the highly risky jewellery trade was minimal, but opportunity for company growth was being limited by THM’s staffing levels.

Faced with the choices of either keeping THM small, entirely under his control but vulnerable to competition or expanding, it was characteristic of Roger’s vision and generosity that he looked at the bigger picture and chose to grow the business.

A crime wave was hitting the country at this time with jewellers proving to be easy targets and ill-prepared security-wise. Roger was active in trying to make these retailers more security conscious through talks and articles in the trade press. At this time TH March began to offer discounts to jewellers who had installed burglar alarms (a practice that finally ceased when all jewellers were eventually forced to install alarms).

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TH March actively promoted the benefits of good security and the N.A.G. was supportive of the initiative. At the Association’s conferences Roger Ferraro and his colleague Ron Mumford demonstrated just how easily out-of-date safes could be opened and obsolete security measures breached.

At this time the insurance industry began to view the jewellery industry with growing concern and so TH March moved swiftly to

reassure the underwriters at Lloyd’s, making it clear that it was company practice to survey customer’s premises and advise them on security. The underwriters liked the idea. Their reaction further underlined the importance of the TH March initiative of going out to the customer and ensuring they had the insurance protection they needed. It also led to the setting up of regional offices.

Roger expected the highest standards of professionalism from his staff and was ahead of his time in recognising the importance of Chartered Insurance Institute qualifications as well as employer responsibilities to staff beyond simply paying a salary.

He also foresaw the concept of what is today known as ‘Corporate Social Responsibility – of a company having responsibilities to wider society which resulted in setting up the FAF Charitable Trust in memory of his father.

Roger finally retired as non-executive chairman in 1991 at the age of 75 and spent a contented retirement pursuing his interests in gardening, where he specialised in alpine plants and cacti, genealogy (including learning to use a computer for the first time in his 80s in order to type almost 800 pages of the Ferraro family history). Roger also enjoyed watercolour painting, some examples of which still hang in the London office.

While by no means the sole architect of THM’s success, preceded as he was by his own father and Tommy March and then followed by other leaders (including his own son Michael Ferraro who retired as MD in 2012) Roger’s commitment and vision were key factors in the development of a company that today retains the same passion for leading the field in specialist jewellers’ insurances and remains still very much an intrinsic part of the UK jewellery industry.

“He was a hard working committed person who had the vision to gather a strong team of people around him to grow THM into the company it eventually became. At all times he was fair and firm. A visionary and a very charitable person.”

James Pittman, former HR director and chairman, TH March “I had the privilege and pleasure of working with Roger in the ’60s and ’70s. During that period he was intimately involved in developing the insurance market for the jewellery trade as well as the security for it; his knowledge and opinions were extremely well respected. This period was one of very fast moving developments coinciding with the explosion of values once the gold price surged from $35 to $800/$900 per oz. They were exciting times during which the company grew from strength to strength under his quiet and expert guidance.” John Woods, former MD of TH March.

The Voice of the Industry 31

| Show Report

That was the show that was!

Now that the dust has settled on Jewellery & Watch Birmingham, we look back at some of the highlights of the fair. t was, by all accounts, a good show.

There may have been days when the aisles seemed less bustling than others but, as order books closed and precious stock was returned to travelling cases, the general feeling among exhibitors was that the calibre of visiting buyers was high and business had been brisk.

And, as ever, the event was packed with extra curricular activities – most of which seemed to afford the perfect opportunity to down a glass of fizz! An air of celebration was consequently present from dawn to dusk –

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This year also saw the inaugural Bridal Design of the Year competition launched by the Houlden Group. The winner of the £1,500 to £3,000 price category was Fei Liu with his ‘Aurora’ design, while in the £3,000 to £5,000 category Siobhan Maher from Domino’s in-house team took home the award for her ‘Treasured Moments’ design.

CMJ also presented the winner of its Best

Houlden Award – Domino’s Siobahn Maher with Stuart Laing

Houlden Award – Stuart Laing with Fei Liu

well, if it oils the wheels of commerce we’re all for it…!

Over the five days the winners of several prestigious jewellery design competitions were announced. The handshakes, backslapping and prize-giving kicked off with the BJA’s announcement of the recipients of its annual BJA Award, the brief for which this year was to design a cocktail ring.

The winner in the precious category was Rosie Sanders’ ‘Kaleidoscope’ ring while in the non-precious category, the award was scooped by Silver Service Jewellery and its ‘Wings of Desire’ design.

32 The Jeweller March 2014

New Collection competition (as voted for by visiting CMJ retailers) with Pandora emerging as the triumphant winner. Brown & Newirth, Clogau, Ti Sento and Jersey Pearl were finalists.

More fizz flowed for Zi Ye (aka Sophie), the Birmingham City University student who won the annual Weston Beamor jewellery design competition with her beautiful and edgy ‘Fatal Attraction’ cocktail ring,

Student Zi Ye with her winning cocktail ring

using amethyst surrounded by tiny green tsavorite garnets. “We were knocked out, as usual, by the creativity of the entries and the high level of technical excellence the students achieved. Each design has something special,” says WB’s head of business development Glen Day. Sophie receives a £500 cash prize, while the two runners up (Faith Pope and Natalia Antunovity) receive £250 and £100 respectively. All are invited to have a week of work experience with Weston Beamor… and get to keep their jewels.

Further cause for celebration was witnessed (cake as well as bubbly) on the Condor Group stand – this year the supplier of watches and accessories celebrates 75 years in business. The jewel in the crown of the portfolio, Royal London, was launched in 1998 and now has over 1,000 stockists around the UK. Meanwhile the team at Buckley Jewellery (showing collections from its three brands) was feeling pretty chuffed at having notched up triple digit growth – Bouton in particular opened over 50 doors at the show.

The closing day of JWB also coincided with the company’s 25th anniversary and the decision by owner Adrian Buckley to sell Winners and runners up in the BJA Award

Show Report | To ensure that the show continues to “move with the industry and exceed exhibitor and visitor expectations”, i2i Events Group has created a Jewellery & Watch panel, comprised of industry insiders. The first of several informal meetings of this steering group (planned to be held throughout the year) took place onsite at the show and attendees included: designers Fei Liu and Babette Wasserman; Mike Rice of Hugh Rice Jewellers; Willie Hamilton, the CMJ’s CEO; Gary Wroe of Hockley Mint; Darren McCormick of DMJ; Adelle Thomson from Beaverbrooks; the BJA’s Lindsey Straughton and Giles Bushby, the former MD of Fossil Group. The panel will see different

Tresor Paris on the catwalk

Peter Andersen of Pandora receiving CMJ’s Best Collection Award from Frances Hopes of CMJ

the remainder of its private label business to focus solely on the growing brands.

Typically understated celebrations were also in order on the Tankel stand – not only had the show been very successful but there had been a great reaction to the company’s new collection of tanzanite and D colour diamond rings. The focus was on the wow factor and clearly the strategy worked as several of the stunning platinum rings were sold during the fair.

The show was also “the most successful to date” for luxury fashion jewellery brand Carat, which reports having seen a record number of new and existing customers this year. The second day of the show saw a little extra pizzazz courtesy of the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Birmingham, who came to officially launch the new collection from Birmingham-based cufflinks brand Deakin & Francis.

Causing more than a ripple of interest was the particularly handsome range of watch winders from American brand Wolf,

which was showing for the first time at Jewellery & Watch Birmingham. And at the consistently busy BQ Watches booth there was great interest in the new, dedicated display stand – a first for this specialist in pre-owned luxury brands such as Rolex, Omega and Breitling.

Such was the success of the show says organiser i2i Events Group, that it has seen a big upswing in demand for stands at the Jewellery & Watch London show and over 70 per cent of exhibitors have already booked even bigger stands and promotional packages for Jewellery & Watch Birmingham 2015.

Booked brands include many companies that have been doing business at the event for many years, including Domino who, in 2015, will have exhibited there for 25 years and Brown & Newith who have been at the show for well over 20 years.

Condor Group directors Indira Bhoja and Narshi Bhoja with UK sales and marketing manager David Stokes

brands and retailers joining at each meeting to ensure all industry voices and sectors are represented.

If it isn’t there already, add the dates of i2i’s next show to your diary: Jewellery & Watch London will be held on 18th/19th June, 2014 in its new venue at the Saatchi Gallery on the King’s Road in Chelsea.

Tankel’s new tanzanite collection

The Voice of the Industry 33

| Feature

Designer Profile Bobby White Earlier this year award-winning jewellery designer and master craftsman Bobby White asked the question: “Can men wear pearls?” He then answered it with his Baroque Boom collection of bracelets using baroque pearls finished with his signature Boom grenade clasp in silver or gold vermeil (pull the pin to open). These pearls are about as far from a twinset as it’s possible to be. So Belinda Morris spoke to Bobby about his attitude to men’s jewellery in general.

What is your attitude towards men wearing jewellery?

Of course I think any man can wear jewellery, like fashion it’s all about individual taste.

There are so many different styles, from stand out to traditional pieces. The more jewellery designers keep putting collections together for men, the more we will see men wearing jewellery.

Have you witnessed a change in consumer attitude towards men’s jewellery since you first started out?

Would you say it’s probably an urban thing rather than about men everywhere?

The first ever piece I made under my own name was a men’s ring and I have always been very masculine in my designs.

From day one I have had a very strong male customer base. However there were very few designers at the time who had men’s ranges within their brand. I am now seeing more and more collections hitting the market, so attitudes to men’s jewellery is moving in the right direction.

What are the main influences in terms of what you design for men and what men on the street are wearing?

I don’t take influences from the street or from what fashion dictates, I normally start with what I think I would wear, and that is generally not what the mass market would want… but have to stay true to my craft and my values in my designs. I mainly work in 18ct gold – I particularly love working with red gold with white and black diamonds. However, lately I have been doing a lot in sterling silver and using a black rhodium finish.

What sort of age are your male customers and do they fit any particular category in terms of career or lifestyle?

As my [collection] revolves around bespoke, I do not have a typical client; I work with each particular customer to design within their style. I have made bespoke pieces for rock stars, rappers and city gentlemen. Jewellery is for everyone – you just need to find your style.

34 The Jeweller March 2014

Designing pearl jewellery for men has arguably broken a boundary. Do you have plans to do the same with any other materials or jewellery categories for men?

At the moment, I’m not considering incorporating other materials or categories.

I didn’t plan to make a pearl range for men until I was visiting a pearl dealer and I noticed a set of large chocolate colour baroque pearls and wrapped them around my wrist. I loved the style and wanted to make one for myself as soon as I got back into the workshop. From that visit came the Baroque Boom collection. I don’t want to force making a collection with different materials just for the sake of being different – that would make my designing weak. When I get that excited feeling from a material again, I will put it out there.

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The World’s Fair

BaselWorld

As buyers and exhibitors from across the globe make their final preparations for the seven-day marathon that is BaselWorld 2014 (27th March – 3rd April), Belinda Morris previews the trends and just a few of the new lines waiting to be unveiled. sk a supplier – of watches or jewellery – why they participate at BaselWorld every year, and the response is straight out of any self-respecting organiser’s endorsementpeppered sales pitch. The fact that the fair is enormous is a given, but, as Victoria Campbell, CEO of The Dreyfuss Group points out: “Basel… provides a concentrated hub of industry professionals from around the world, which allows us to meet with new and existing customers.”

For Gemex it is “the most important international fair in our calendar where we can pick up high quality jewellers from all over the world” according to Lee Ruben. “While other international fairs are important, none

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36 The Jeweller March 2014

offers the variety, quality and quantity of customers that BaselWorld can,” agrees Justin Simons of Euro Pearls. Domino’s Patrick Fuller adds: “If you are trying to expand into Europe I think it is essential because some buyers simply won’t find you, or take you seriously, if you are not there. Being there does add credibility to your business.”

For UK brands the Basel show has obvious advantages. “It’s a hugely important event for Bremont (which will be revealing its new collaboration with Boeing) because the majority of retailers and press from all over the world attend, which allows us access to people we may not normally have reached or seen,” says sales manager Stephen Lee.

“As such it helps to strengthen our brand awareness globally, which of course impacts our UK market also.”

According to Ruben, Basel is largely responsible for its export division having increased sales by 800 per cent since 2010.

He’s expecting another excellent fair this year. British designer Stephen Webster finds that the show is an ideal opportunity for UK buyers unfamiliar with his brand to visit the stand. “We have exhibited at BaselWorld for 16 years and from the very humble beginnings of sharing a 10 square metre booth, we have grown our business to become the international brand we are today by understanding the importance of being part of where the luxury industry shows off,” he says. “The world shops at Basel.”

Exhibiting for the first time this year is Buckley with its three brands: Buckley London, Attwood & Sawyer and Bouton. Having infiltrated the travel retail sector, and following a particularly successful Birmingham show, the group is now looking to grow in international markets. “From what we gather most of the key buyers from the UK attend so it will [also] be an opportunity to reinforce our branded offer to these customers,” explains product director Christina Lenihan.

Lisa Dack at Storm is also expecting to see a larger UK buyer presence this year “now that the economy is picking up”. David ShemTov of Stubbs agrees: “The UK customers we spoke to are generally optimistic this year, so we expect more of them to attend.”

He is also happy to see the show back to its earlier date: “Bringing it forward is helpful as it provides us with more time for follow-up with prospects.”

Royal London

Show Preview | THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER Feelings that 2014 has got off to a promising start and the prediction that the market is set to improve are as widespread among exhibitors as the glowing testimonials.

A number of brands have anticipated the upward trend by taking even bigger stands at this year’s event (I know – is that even possible?) in order to accommodate growing collections as well as more visitors (invited or impromptu). “This year we will have our largest booth to date (at over 120 square metres) and the most comprehensive collection of stock we have ever brought to an exhibition,” says Simons.

This year Ice-Watch also has a larger booth – all the better to welcome visitors from over 100 countries. Furthermore, the

WATCH TRENDS • Rose gold continues • Yellow gold and two-tone gain in strength • Lots of colour for straps and dials • Black dipped cases • Smaller cases • Slimmer straps and cases • Variations on strap textures • Automatic skeleton movements • Pocket watches • Mixing of materials and metals • Technical materials such as carbon fibre • Detailed decoration • Variations on case shapes • Green technology

stand is now in a more premium central position – Hall 1.2. “We feel this is real recognition for our brand, which became a leader in its sector only six short years ago,” says CEO Jean-Pierre Lutgen. Having had a successful 2013 and with four new movements to introduce – including the Flintridge with foldable cover – Hamilton will be welcoming visitors to a brand new and much bigger booth.

“Having BaselWorld back to its normal timing will help us get a feel for the market and get feedback on our products earlier in the year, which is also better,” adds CEO Sylvain Dolla. Meanwhile, increased global interest in the Certina brand (which re-launched in the UK two years ago) has

led the Swiss watch company to also increase its exhibition space this year.

So, is there optimism in the air as the world waits for the Basel doors to open on the 27th? “Definitely yes!” says Roberto Coin of the eponymous Italian jewellery house. “We do believe the market is going to be more optimistic than last year and we have seen this change also during the last January fair in Vicenza, where [buyers] were more curious and inclined towards novelties and new projects.”

“We do expect the market to feel more buoyant this year,” says Mark Gladwin, head of sales at Timepiece Division, Casio. “We have been enjoying a two-year trend of very strong growth across all categories and see no sign of this letting up.” “We had a great show last year and we can only hope for a better one this year,” says Barry Kroes, marketing manager at Ti Sento. Confident about the year ahead, Luc Perramond, CEO of La Montre Hermes adds: “2013 was a very positive year for us in the UK and the start of 2014 shows the same strong signs.”

Marco Bicego of the eponymous jewellery house agrees. “We see that the European market in general, and the UK market in particular, is growing constantly… we expect the UK to become our number one market in 2014,” he says. Richard Hill of Bering Time also notes that the year has got off to a positive start and that the market feels more buoyant this year than last. “Our expectations are good,” he says.

A note of caution is sounded by Domino’s chairman Patrick Fuller: “I have no crystal ball and despite the much heralded economic uplift, I have to say that we have not yet seen the green shoots the Government is trumpeting,” he says. “I believe our own increase in sales comes from greater experience in Europe, improved marketing, a bigger stand and lots of hard work…

Gemex

JEWELLERY TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR • • • • • • • • •

Yellow gold Bold pendants Slogans/messages Fringes (bead or metal chains) Layers of bold ethnic beads Brooches Layers of thin bangles Padlocks Perspex (also used with metals)

• • • • • • • • •

Oversized charms Stacks of huge cuffs Simple geometric/architectural forms Oversized earrings and ear cuffs Art Deco styling Headpieces Chokers Wildlife forms Fine femininity The Voice of the Industry 37

| Show Preview UK WATCH AND JEWELLERY RETAILING, SEPTEMBER 2013, FROM MINTEL • The watches and jewellery market has grown an estimated 0.4 per cent to £4.3 billion in 2013; high precious metal prices plus cautious consumer spending impact growth • While self-purchasing of precious metal jewellery has been hard hit, the market has not seen a decline as the gifting and bridal sectors, key drivers of sales, have seen consistent growth • Sales of watches have outperformed precious metal jewellery sales, growing by 1.5% to £1 billion in 2013, although these only account for a quarter of the total market.

Fashion watches are a burgeoning market as young, trend-led consumers buy into watches as the latest must-have accessory • Only one in eight watch owners prefer to use other devices to tell the time; use of mobile phones to read the time rises among young people to a fifth of 16-35 year olds • Almost three fifths of men have bought a watch for themselves in the last five years – 20 percentage points higher than for women. Consumers aged 25-44 are most inclined to have purchased a watch for themselves, peaking among 25-34s • Independent jewellers attract an older demographic and are skewed towards over-45s as well as affluent ABs. Overall a quarter of consumers buy jewellery from independent jewellers • Consumers who like to buy precious metal jewellery which is a unique design are most likely to purchase from independents

Fiorelli Silver at Gecko

rather than simply more confidence in the market.” As it happens 2013 was the best Basel fair that Domino has ever experienced, “so we would be very happy indeed if this one was better,” he adds.

BEST PERFORMERS While the number of jewellery exhibitors continues to grow year on year, there’s no doubt that Basel is the place to be for watches. And it’s no secret that watches have enjoyed steady sales during troubled times – the high-end, luxury brands in particular. But is that still the case? According to research by GfK, the markets over £5,000

38 The Jeweller March 2014

and between £200-300 have grown at over 25 per cent in value terms when comparing 2012 to 2013, in a market that was up 9.9 per cent in value and down in volume.

Statistics from elsewhere might tell a different story however. “Looking at the Swiss Watch Federation export figures for 2013 we see that the mid-price segment is performing strongly. Certina is located in a price range of £250 to £1,500,” says Adrian Bosshard, president. “This price category was in a very good trend last year and we believe that this will also be the case in 2014.”

Whether industry figures reflect the view of all in the market depends, as ever, on who you talk to. “We think the upper end is currently performing the best, but we also see a big potential in the middle end,” says Hill. Likewise at Seiko: “Performance in the upper end channel has been boosted this last year, which is something we fully expect to continue,” according to marketing manager Kirsten Crisford. While at Zeon strong growth has been seen across the middle to upper sectors – a trend forecast to continue with the launch of the Barbour watch line in its ‘British Luxury Brands’ division.

“While volume is falling in the under £500 market, Citizen is seeing both its volume and average retail price increasing. I do not see that changing this year; if anything I expect our average retail price to increase further, particularly when I review our

Autumn 2014 launch collection,” says Mark Robinson, MD of Citizen Watch UK. And as he looks at GfK’s statistics, Casio’s Gladwin adds: “We’re very pleased to report that all sectors of the market are performing extremely well for us – our annual growth far outperforms the market in terms of both volume and value. The middle to upper end of this growth is most certainly coming from our premium collections G-Shock and Edifice.”

Taking a retailer’s perspective, Joseph Banin, co-founder of Frost of London, notes that “the high end watches rode out the recession very well but unfortunately there will be casualties with the smaller watch brands due to their financial capabilities of being able to develop and compete with the big houses, especially the ones that have invested in complications.”

What is not in doubt, however, is that regardless of the market sector you’re in, or aspire to be in, whether for watches or jewellery or both, you’re going to find what you’re looking for at Basel. It may take some seeking out, but it will be there.

| Show Preview

BaselWorld Look Book 2014 DOMINO

FOPE

Two new collections, one in gold, the other in Silverfope™, are being launched by the Italian brand. The most precious of these is ‘Wild Rose’, whose sharp design adds an original touch to the Flex’it family and is a mixture of the craftsmanship, automation, research and ingenuity, typical of Fope jewellery. The new collection in Silverfope™, Fope’s exclusive silver and palladium alloy, is called ‘Ice’, comes with or without natural stones and is geometric in feel.

British-made platinum jewellery, especially dress and engagement rings from the company’s extensive Diamond Ring Mount collection, will be a major focus for Domino this year. Complementing these lines will be the Rosabella collection featuring mix and match suites of 18ct white gold and diamonds. A key statement piece is the new cuff bracelet with round brilliant diamonds in hexagonal setting for a honeycomb effect.

This year Domino will be joined by the fashion jewellery brand Gecko (Fiorelli, Elements, D for Diamond and Fred Bennett) which is now part of the parent company Weston Beamor.

STUBBS & CO

Produced in 18ct rose, white or yellow gold or platinum, the new Albany (princess cut) and Addison (round brilliant) rings were designed by Shona Marsh and Eran Shem-Tov. The solitaire mounts are available with or without shoulder stones. All Stubbs’ engagement rings are designed as parts of suites – to encourage customers to return to the store for their matching wedding band and eternity ring.

GC AND GUESS WATCHES ULYSSE NARDIN

Seen here is the new Caliber 334 Dual time Manufacture which features a 42mm 18ct rose gold case, silver dial, self-winding movement, silicium technology, timezone quick setting and alligator strap. It is also available with black face and strap with 18ct rose gold and in stainless steel with bracelet or leather strap.

40 The Jeweller March 2014

This latest addition to the iconic Gc-3 series is a bold and masculine chronograph featuring high-precision technical features and a striking design full of sophisticated details. For ladies there’s the Rainbow Python model in shades of green, blue, purple and pink. In rose gold and brown, the new Guess Guy watch has a more low key masculine look with a vintage feel.

Show Preview |

BARBOUR

As ever, the collections from this former hotel manager-turned jewellery designer, express his love of fashion and art as well as his fascination for multi-ethnic imagery, the world of nature and coloured gemstones.

This ring from the Garden Collection is inspired by an enchanted world where colours and details mix together, as they do in the elaborate, fairytale ‘Pearls Dragon’ pieces featuring baroque pearls, pink sapphires and diamonds.

Zeon’s growing brand portfolio now includes the timepiece collection by iconic British outdoor clothing company Barbour. Rugged good looks, clean lines and strong, masculine materials and styling for the watches (which include straps in distressed leather and one combining leather and tweed). Particularly handsome is an all-black chronograph.

These two brands from Unique’s portfolio will be introducing new models at the show: Candino’s affordable line ranges from sporty chronographs to elegant ladies’ styles featuring CZ stones and a new transparent feature. Meanwhile the Festina collection, long associated with sports (cycling in particular), has a strong, dynamic look with an emphasis on functionality, robust materials and colour.

The official 2014 Tour de France chronograph comes with a steel or rubber strap that echoes a cycle chain, while a limited edition model has brown IP plating.

Following the continuing success of the first Seiko Astron collection, Seiko is releasing a special series of six additional Astron models whose design is inspired by the stratosphere above the earth. The new models have a bold, domed sapphire glass, representing the curvature of our planet. Thanks to an ultra-low consumption GPS module, Astron adjusts to 39 time zones across the globe, using just the power of light.

SHAWISH

Combining traditional skills, ‘magical’ technology and precious gemstones, the Geneva-based jewellery house will be revealing a fairytale world at Basel. Sitting alongside the vividly-coloured ‘Magic Mushroom’ pendants and water nymph rings is this extraordinary ‘Octopus Bangle’ which has been crafted in 18ct rose gold and pavé-set diamonds, with a pink pearl highlight. Its tentacles encircle the forearm using a system that ensures comfort. Behind the design is an illuminating system that causes the inside of the diamonds to sparkle randomly – one to be seen!

BUCKLEY, BOUTON AND ATTWOOD & SAWYER

CANDINO AND FESTINA

SEIKO

ROBERTO COIN

The three brands in the Buckley portfolio are showing at BaselWorld for the first time this year. The Buckley range offers a fusion of contemporary pieces, while staying true to its timeless core designs. From classic cream pearls to feminine rose gold tones, the line combines intricate milgrain styles, strong colour palettes and chunky mesh textures.

Attwood & Sawyer’s Mayfair line plays on the continuing trend for yellow stones and Bouton (shown) in sterling silver with simulated gemstones is inspired by geometric forms in nature for a contemporary luxe feel.

The Voice of the Industry 41

DREYFUSS GROUP

| Show Preview Three strap watches featuring the Reserve de Marche function will be launched by this Swiss brand. Via a mini dial the wearer is able to view the remaining energy stored.

The watch comes in stainless steel, PVD rose gold and a combination of the two metals.

Also new from Dreyfuss will be a diamondset ladies’ bracelet watch. The Rotary watch brand will include a number of new models, including variations on dial details for the ‘contemporary’, ‘modern’ and ‘traditional’ Rotary Jura timepieces.

The Italian gold brand has appointed PJ Watson as its new sales agents for the UK and Ireland. At Basel it will be showing its 18ct gold jewellery that combines Italian design techniques and craftsmanship with fashionable, easy-to-wear styles.

CARAVELLE NEW YORK

G-SHOCK

BRUMANI

TI SENTO

The Brazilian brand is launching delicate, entry-priced designs of its best-selling collections – specifically aimed at the ‘price-conscious and more conservative’ UK market. Smaller versions of Looping Shine (pictured) will be showcased, featuring delicate 18ct hoops set with diamonds and fine-quality faceted quartz, polished by diamond dust for extra luminosity.

Long hot Italian summers are the inspiration behind the new collection, with colours to reflect beach, water and terraces. New silver pieces have been cut and polished to give the effect of pavé-set stones, while other dipped designs in rhodium-plated sterling silver have accents of rose and yellow gold plating. Stones set in silver echo the blue waters around the island of Capri.

42 The Jeweller March 2014

The Bulova Corporation will unveil its newest brand – Caravelle New York – which is inspired by the spirit of the Big Apple.

“The brand answers a clear marketplace demand for dynamically styled, affordably priced watches,” says Gregory Thumm, Bulova Corporation president. The collection features over 100 watches for men and women, with details such as tortoiseshell accents and coloured dials for rose gold, yellow gold and silver variants.

MARCO BICEGO

Casio’s shock-resistant G-Shock brand is launching its latest ‘premium’ watch, the AWG-M100BC. The black resin case features a hot pink bezel and the timepiece comes equipped with a number of ultilities: daily five alarm with countdown function and time signal, power saving features, stopwatch, multi-band radio control, a full auto calendar and world time in over 48 cities.

| Show Preview

CERTINA

Combining the precision of a chronometer with sporty good looks is Certina’s DS-2 Chronograph which is now available with a leather strap with bright green or yellow detailing and matching chronograph hands. The watch also features a brushed/polished 41mm 316L stainless-steel case and aluminium tachymeter-scale bezel.

Hermes’ iconic Cape Cod line has been reinvented for 2014 – while retaining its rounded curves and lugs, it now features a redesigned dial and an interchangeable strap. In addition, the Tonneau and Nantucket models come in a special silver alloy which preserves the shine of the metal. The style comes with a plain or gem-set case and either a single or wrap-around leather strap (in a variety of colours).

HANS D KRIEGER

HERMES

This year the German fine jewellery brand celebrates 50 years of working from the raw stone to gem and diamond jewellery design and manufacture. Marking the occasion the company will be launching a collection of rings featuring Paraíba tourmalines and diamonds (‘a trio of turquoise’).

ETERNA

Harking bark to the brand’s designs during the 1930s is the Contessa ladies’ collection.

The rectangular stainless steel case has subtle gradations and side chamfering of the cross pieces on the top and back of the case.

Available in a choice of leather straps or steel bracelets, each style in the range features a diamond-topped crown for added glamour.

ICE-WATCH

In 2014, the Ice-Watch brand extends its colourful DNA beyond its core 10 shades and continues its development of materials – including a mix of materials. Visitors to the stand should also expect to see an even larger Ice-Forever collection. As well as the affordable Ice-Watch models, the Ice-Style and Chrono ranges will offer timepieces in a slightly higher price bracket.

44 The Jeweller March 2014

BERING

No longer just watches, Bering also offers jewellery that complements the minimal Danish design of the timepieces. The combination of rose gold and brown seen here in this ‘soft-touch’ ceramic and stainless steel ring, highlighted by Swarovski crystals (matching earrings are also available) work perfectly with a crystal and CZ-set watch.

| Feature: Valuations

The market in pre-owned prestige watches – some questions to answer With the interest in second-hand timepieces showing scant sign of abating, professional valuer Dr Richard Taylor uncovers some of the issues that jewellery retailers in this market should be aware of. he UK market for pre-owned prestige watches has grown exponentially in the last few years; in the past, this market was almost exclusively the domain of the main agent using ‘trade in’ watches as the source for stock. Typically the watch would be returned to the manufacturer or approved service centre to be refurbished prior to sale, but alternatively could be sold ‘as is’.

Provenance and guarantee implications were never an issue due to the agent status of the shop.

T

How big is the market now?

There are many approaches to estimating the size of a market. One internet method involves comparing a Google search for ‘gold jewellery’ and ‘pre-owned watch’. This results in nearly twice as many ‘hits’ for ‘pre-owned watch’. An alternative measure might be the fact that one particular jewellery trade magazine has run over 300 stories or features a year, over the last four years, that have referenced pre-owned watches. Then there’s Watches of Switzerland which introduced a new pre-owned watch showroom in 2013. This year Willie Hamilton of the CMJ said: “The second-hand timepiece market has exploded over the past year, during which time pre-owned watch sales through the CMJ rose by more than 1,000 per cent; they now equate to around 20 per cent of our total watch turnover”.

How is this market working?

No one involved in the jewellery industry can have missed the proliferation of companies offering to purchase pre-owned prestige watches. If you type into a Google search ‘sell my watch’ it returns with 691 million hits

46 The Jeweller March 2014

– a good indication that there is a vibrant market and there is money to be made.

How are the watches getting back to the consumer? One route is direct selling through specialist companies via direct marketing and the internet. The major growth area however is a relatively new concept – established jewellery retailers buy products from specialist companies selling refurbished watches at wholesale and in turn the retailers sell them on to their customers.

Are all wholesale suppliers the same?

The answer is a simple and resounding ‘NO’!

So what are the differences? I have identified three main areas of concern: firstly non-disclosure of the age of the product, secondly the quality of restoration and repairs completed prior to resale, using non-approved workshops (this includes the use of non-genuine parts). Finally, the sale of watches that have been subject to adaptions or additions that are nonapproved, the most common examples of which would include the addition of diamond-set bezels and dials.

The issue was recently highlighted to me by an insurance claim involving a refurbished pre-owned watch that was lost soon after purchase. The customer was horrified to learn the serial number for their ‘new’ watch actually belonged to a watch that was over 35 years old; they had described it on the insurance claim as ‘new’ when purchased.

They had wrongly assumed from its condition that it was an unwanted gift and had never been worn. This is obviously an aspect where full disclosure is essential, to protect the interests of the consumer and the reputation of the retailer.

The quality of refurbishment of these watches varies significantly between approved and non-approved workshops and manufacturers. However, without exception, the examples of refurbished watches I have examined, from both approved and nonapproved providers have superficially looked ‘new’. The quality of refurbishment by nonapproved workshops was, in all the watches I have examined, well below the quality of approved workshops and manufacturers.

The market selling prices in older models that

“... full disclosure is essential, to protect the interests of the consumer and the reputation of the retailer”

The age of the product The manufacturers’ branded presentation boxes and tags often accompany refurbished watches sold into the retail trade, making it difficult to determine, from the presentation and external appearance, just how old they are. Many consumers mistakenly believe them to be brand new.

have non-approved workshop refurbishments do have lower selling prices. However, for a valuer the question arises: how should they be valued? To date most insurers and consumers have preferred a ‘new for old’ valuation; in this new market is this always appropriate? Alternatively, can it represent ‘significant betterment’? There is

Feature: Valuations | also a potential issue if, following a sale, the customer arranged for watch to be returned to a manufacturer for service, how the manufacturer might respond to an inferior refurbishment.

The use of non-genuine parts Prestige watch manufacturers jealously guard their brand and its reputation and so, to that end in recent years, most prestige manufacturers now limit the supply of genuine parts and materials for repairs and servicing to approved workshops. This begs the question: how do non-approved workshops service prestige watches? The

“In sales terms the retailer should be aware if any post-sale adaption has been completed...” answer can involve the use of ‘after-market’ parts manufactured outside of copyright, the normal manufacturer’s quality assurance second-hand parts recycled from obsolete movements, or a ‘make do’ job by not replacing worn parts. Most prestige manufacturers, if they receive watches serviced outside of their approved system, will quote to replace all non-standard items in addition to their standard service charges; if this involves a number of parts, the charge could be substantial. In addition, a question about the reliability of non-authorised or recycled parts must exist; a customer’s reasonable expectation could be for the entire watch to be up to the quality of the brand on the dial.

From a valuer’s perspective, can and should a differentiation be attempted between nonstandard restoration and servicing be made?

Post sale adaptions Many prestige watches on offer have been subject to post-sale additions or adaptions using non-genuine ‘after-market’ components – typical examples include diamond-set bezels and dials. There is a buoyant market in replacement diamond-set bezels and dials with specialist internet suppliers. The trade price for these non-standard post-sale adaptions is significantly lower than for the genuine and so represents an easy way to increase profit margins. In sales terms the retailer should be aware if any post-sale

A refurbished ladies’ Rolex steel Datejust with post-sale modification, with the replacement of a nonstandard Rolex diamond dot dial and hands. In addition the 18ct white gold bezel has been replaced with a non-standard bezel.

adaption has been completed and if, ignoring any potential copyright issues, the retailer is still comfortable selling the watch, they must ensure full disclosure to the customer at the point of sale.

Retailers may want to consider some of the implications on non-standard adaptions.

For example if the watch was returned to the manufacturer for servicing. The policy for many manufacturers includes the cost of supplying original parts to replace any nonstandard items. This could potentially have a significant cost and the liability could become an issue. Again, the question of how to value a watch that has non-standard

post-sale adaptions is an issue. A number of approaches have been suggested to me by different valuers, including ‘new for old’ which ignores adaptions; ‘new for old’ less the cost of returning the item to its original; the second-hand replacement value (SHRV) ignoring the adaption, and the SHRV discounting the effect of the adaption, all predicated on whether a valuer can confidently identify all non-standard materials. Another suggestion for valuations is the addition of more disclaimers to either the notes or the transmittal letter. Whichever approach a retailer or valuer adopts, being aware of the market and all the implications is essential.

Dr Richard Taylor BSc (Hons) FGA DGA FNAG FIRV FGS FHEA MAE MEWI has had a long and distinguished career in the gem and jewellery industry, founding a number of successful international companies including jewellery valuations, a diamond-grading laboratory, and a jewellery design and manufacturing business. He has also held non-executive directorships in both retail and service companies in the industry. In 2008, having sold his valuation and diamond grading businesses, he returned to academia firstly gaining a first class honours degree in gemmology and applied mineralogy; he then started a PhD in mineral physics which he completed in 2013.

The Voice of the Industry 47

| Business support: Security

SaferGems — 2013 overview Lee Henderson looks back over the past 12 months, rounding up the significant statistics and developments in the fight against jewellery industry crime. he figures are now in and SaferGems can announce that during 2013 we recorded 678 crimes and suspicious incidents (reported by both the jewellery industry and police) which averages at 56 reports a month.

A total of 218 alerts were circulated and 260 analytical reports passed to police which assisted with six arrests and convictions. It is also believed that SaferGems has prevented more than 150 crimes.

Of those figures, 159 robberies and smash and grab raids were recorded last year, 17 of which were on sales representatives and 16 involved firearms. Of those combined attacks, approximately £14 million pounds worth of goods were stolen. High-end watches continued to be the most sought after items with approximately £8 million worth stolen.

We also recorded 131 burglaries during 2013; a noticeable trend was well-planned and organised rooftop burglaries in Scotland and Wales where ropes and climbing gear were used to gain entry.

While Greater Manchester, West Midlands and Metropolitan Police Force areas remained the hot spot areas for robbery and smash and grab offences, SaferGems also recorded robberies in other police force areas which had not previously been subject to attacks, for example West Mercia, Gloucestershire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Avon & Somerset, South Wales and Humberside. It was known that criminals from London were active all across the South of England committing these offences, and criminals from Greater Manchester were committing offences across the North of England and Scotland.

Robberies on Asian-owned jewellery stores remained a continuing trend, especially across the South East, Midlands and North West

T

48 The Jeweller March 2014

regions. The majority of Asian jewellery store robberies in the South East and Midlands regions were linked to organised gangs of Romanian men.

Over the summer we recorded a spike in motorbike/sledgehammer smash and grab raids across the South East, with the majority of offences being committed in the Metropolitan Police area. These offences continued to be linked to, and committed by, gangs from North London.

Between May and July 2013 SaferGems recorded a series of burglaries at UK jewellery stores. The modus operandi consisted of person(s) approaching the front of a jewellery store situated within a shopping centre and using an unknown instrument to cut the plastic mould/silicone between two glass panels. The offenders would then, by unknown means, reach inside and remove high value jewellery items through the gap in the window. Almost £25,000 worth of goods were stolen during these offences alone.

It is also believed that [in 2013] SaferGems has prevented more than 150 crimes.

It wasn’t all bad – we do have some positive news to pass on: a Rolex watch stolen from a store in Leek, Staffordshire, in April 2011 has recently appeared at a member’s store in Liverpool. The pawnbroker recognised the watch as being stolen due to an alert circulated shortly after the original theft. SaferGems was able to contact the investigating officer who is now liaising with

the pawnbroker who also has a photocopy of a driving licence provided by the person who pawned the watch.

On 19th December 2013 a member in Knutsford, Cheshire, reported that a SaferGems alert had directly prevented a man stealing a £8,000 diamond ring from his store. The only reason a theft had not occurred was because he recognised the offender from the document.

On 16th January 2014 SaferGems received a call from a member in Guildford, Surrey.

The jeweller reported that he had been visited by two suspicious men who enquired about 2-3ct certified diamond rings. One of the men gave his name as Robert Madejski.

He informed staff they were staying at an hotel in Haslemere as they had to move out of their home due to flooding. Staff were immediately suspicious of the men and refused to engage in any transaction.

The men left the store and were observed leaving the area in a white Bentley.

Investigative work by the jeweller revealed that Robert Madejski from Kent was a serial fraudster who was sentenced to 27 months for fraud in 2012. Following a SaferGems alert further jewellers across the South East region also reported to SaferGems that they had been visited by Madejski. A member in Godalming, Surrey, was able to record the full registration of the Bentley. Later that day Madejski was arrested by Surrey Police in a hotel near Guildford and charged with fraud.

He has since been remanded into custody.

This is the second time SaferGems has assisted police with the arrest of this man, the first being in 2012.

We’re clearly doing something right – let’s keep it up!

| Antique Jewellery

Antique JEWELLERY Crowning Glory First published 13 years ago, Geoffrey C Munn’s sumptuous book Tiaras – A History of Splendour, sees its fifth reprint this spring.

Belinda Morris takes another indulgent leaf through its pages. hen I was a little girl my mother had a tiara. It was just paste – but I loved it.

It was obviously fit for a princess and I wanted her to wear it on top of her beehive ‘do’ at every possible occasion. If she asked me to choose her an outfit for a party, I would always start with the tiara.

A few decades on and my fascination for sparkly headdresses has barely waned.

Along with brooches (don’t get me started!) it’s a jewellery category that I would love to see make a full-blown comeback. For royals of course – who feature fulsomely in this lavish book – tiaras never went away.

The likes of the Duchess of Cambridge or the

W

Countess of Wessex can probably avail themselves of any number of beautiful examples… if they ask nicely. For the rest of us, a wedding is probably the only occasion when a tiara would be entirely appropriate – and then you’d need to be the bride. I think 2014 should be the year that we talk tiaras up – they deserve to be in the fashion spotlight again.

But I digress. And while Geoffery Munn’s beautiful and inspiring book on the subject might help their cause, the author/curator/ Wartski MD/Antiques Roadshow expert hardly set out to do such a thing. What he has given us is a ‘social history’. The introduction

The Pakenham Tiara depicting a trail of honeysuckle mounted in gold and set in silver with brilliantand rose-cut diamonds. It divides to make a number of dress ornaments.

50 The Jeweller March 2014

Tiaras: A History of Splendour by Geoffery C. Munn (published by the Antique Collectors’ Club)

to this 432-page glimpse into the world of the gorgeously adorned explains that the book ‘outlines the sources of the tiara’s design and maps its evolution in style from the middle of the 18th century until World War ll and beyond’. Furthermore it ‘touches on the lives of those who originally owned these elegant and imposing jewels, and the often bizarre occasions on which they were worn’.

To trace the origins of tiaras as we recognise them today, you have to look back to the ancient world – golden prototypes paid tribute to nature with wreaths of laurel, oak, olive and myrtle for instance, given as symbols of victory, esteem or love. Eventually though, wreaths and diadems became simply part of a Greek woman’s arsenal of personal adornment… pretty much like jewellery is today. And, as a later chapter explains, such natural forms for headdresses provided endless sources of inspiration for tiaras during the 19th century.

A hundred years before that, wreaths and diadems were often worn in the theatre ‘by actresses who were keen to represent their character effectively’, while Napoleon (who was not blessed with regal lineage) chose to associate himself with Imperial Rome and wore an antique-style laurel wreath to wear at his coronation. And as Empress Josephine favoured the style, it was a look that naturally caught on among the ladies at court. And the appeal of neoclassicism was felt not only in France, but also across the whole of Europe. Ears of wheat, leaves and Greek key patterns popped up all over the place – no matter that their origins were somewhat pagan in nature.

Antique Jewellery | High and low hair versus tiaras Interestingly, for much of the time that tiaras were popular, they didn’t so much dictate how hair was dressed, but rather they subjugated themselves to the whims of coiffures à la mode. By the early 1750s the French court was witnessing some pretty weird forms of head ornament – in some cases towering up-dos became grotesquely bigger than bodies. And they were a health hazard. In England at least two deaths were caused by high hair, which was dressed in animal fat, being caught by flames from chandeliers. The look also left little need (or room) for tiaras.

However, as a new taste for shorter hairstyles emerged from around the 1790s, the first tiaras – showing a trend for the classical look – started to appear atop long and short curls (sometimes wigs if the Winifred Anna, wife of the 6th Duke of Portland,

by Philip Alexius de Laszlo, 1925. She is wearing the Portland Tiara made for her by Cartier in 1902. She wore it in a more conventional way (rather than fashionably low on the forehead) when she was canopy-bearer at the anointing of Queen Alexandra in 1902.

Court and social

Emerald and diamond diadem designed by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria and made by Joseph Kitching at a cost of £1,150 in 1845.

wearer’s own hair was deemed too short for formal occasions). Periodicals of the times report in detail on the fashion dictates and offer stern advice on what might be worn, how and where, for example: “The diadem is always grand. It requires the full dress toilet, the court train, and a statuesque figure” which appeared in the May 1869 edition of The Lady’s Friend.

By the end of the 19th century the width and volume of fashionable hair proved to be just right for keeping a tiara in place, and across Europe and America the jewels were being made ‘in unprecedented numbers’.

Then came the Art Deco period and with it the cropped hairstyles that set everything back again for the traditional tiara. Jewellers had to be extra inventive to keep the trend for head ornaments going… and they did, as Munn explains in a later chapter.

In 1837 Princess Victoria succeeded her uncle King William lV to become Queen, and so began a new chapter for the tiara. And, as Munn explains, she was very well aware of the part that jewellery should play in her new role. She also ‘like so many of her descendants throughout Europe… recognised at a very early stage that a diadem worn by a lady of royal blood was perceived as some sort of unofficial crown’.

The love match that was her marriage to Prince Albert was also blessed with copious amounts of jewellery – including diadems, circlets and tiaras. Indeed her husband was so interested in her jewellery that he designed an emerald and diamond diadem (above left) for Victoria and had a hand in one or two others. She wore such jewels in her hair – including Queen Adelaide’s regal circlet, which contained 2,203 brilliants and 662 rose diamonds, as well as the Kohi-Noor diamond on occasions – at every possible opportunity it seems.

As was the way, jewellery and tiaras in particular were often altered or dismantled, by the Queen or those who inherited particular pieces. Some tiaras and diadems

reappear in portraits – echoes of their former selves just visible. Others seemingly disappear – such as ‘the opal and gold gothic-style diadem, surely designed by Albert, which was worn by the Queen in The Secret of England’s Greatness, a painting

by T.J.Baker… perhaps it glints in the darkness of the jewel casket of one of Victoria and Albert’s hundreds of descendants’ Munn muses.

When her son, Bertie, the Prince of Wales, and daughter-in-law took over the Queen’s social duties – from the 1860s through to her death in 1901 – London had started to become (according to William Morris) ‘the richest city, of the richest country, of the richest age of the world’. And, says Munn, this newly found prosperity led to important changes in society, and it was observed that ‘the social sieve became decidedly coarser from the 1890s onwards’. Such wealth meant more presentations at court and those, in turn, meant more bejewelled heads. It was a trend that was to last until the outbreak of the First World War. Edward and Alexandra’s life alternated between Sandringham House in Norfolk and Marlborough House in London – the latter being the hub of the social life of the Prince of Wales’. There he entertained aristocratic courtiers (of course) but also a glamorous rag-bag of friends that included writers, actresses, painters, gamblers and the extremely rich (such as Leopold de Rothschild). An excuse to wear a tiara presented itself frequently, for royal personage and commoner alike. Far from being a simple catalogue of tiara styles through the ages, Munn’s foray into this privileged world offers amazingly detailed insights into the many and various outings that jewellery enjoyed back then, as well as the lifestyles of the rich and regal.

Platinum set tiara with turquoise and moonstone depicting criss-cross ribbons, owned by Grand Duchess Eleonore of Hesse (1878-1966).

The Voice of the Industry 51

Antique Jewellery The introduction of photography and improved transport and communication networks all helped, as did ‘the superlative work of the Russian jewellers’. Legendary among these was Fabergé which won the patronage of the Imperial Family and had contacts far beyond Europe. Cartier and Boucheron, eager not to miss out on the wealth of Russia, also had a clientele among royalty and high society there and created their own versions of Russian style. It was a look that started to die out soon after the Revolution of 1917.

Works of art and the tiara today Sunburst tiara set with 577 brilliant- and rose-cut diamonds. Made by Cartier in 1921 for the Tysckiewicz family. It was designed to be worn low on the forehead. The central element is en tremblant.

The expansion of Society continued into the reign of Edward Vll’s son, George V. Between 1926 and 1932 Lloyd George created 90 peerages – in 18 months alone there were 294 knighthoods! That’s a lot of tiaras; the effect of this nouveau-riche society on the jewellery trade was significant.

Between 1898 and 1911 Garrard’s main suppliers, E Wolff & Co made more than 1,016 and the Queen herself was an enthusiastic patron of modern jewellers.

She also had a passion for collecting older items and was known to favour diamonds and pearls rather than coloured stones.

Style sources Inspiration for tiara designs came from far and wide, and during the 19th century source material for those gripped by the spirit of retrospection was plentiful. Antique

A tiara in the form of a swarm of dragonflies pursuing a faceted aquamarine, by René Lalique.

Their wings are represented in plique-à-jour enamel and their thoraxes and abdomens are set with diamonds.

52 The Jeweller March 2014

treasures were forever being discovered and contemporary jewellers were therefore blessed with a fount of creative ideas – particularly favoured were expressions of monarchy, chivalry and courtesy from the Middle Ages and Renaissance art.

Archeological jewellery was especially popular in Italy following significant discoveries in Greece, Italy and South Russia; neoclassical wreaths were taken up by the adherents of the Aesthetic Movement of the 1880s for example. Alessandro Castellani was one jeweller who was famed for such historicallybased jewellery. Carlo Giuliano, a previous employee of Castellani was another; his sons Carlo and Arthur took over the business, giving a Pre-Raphaelite twist to the Egyptian styles he favoured (pictured right).

Taste for Medieval, Oriental and Egyptian style in headdresses was matched in fervour by the interest in Russian style, a major influence on jewellery design during the 19th and 20th centuries. And while the kokoshnik style of Russian head-dress (a stiff halo frame decorated with anything from textiles and humble sequins to precious stones) is folkloric in its origins, the fact that it was adopted by the Imperial family gave it regal status. Intermarriages among the royal houses of Europe (Queen Victoria headed a major dynasty; her children and grandchildren married into some of the most powerful of these) ensured that the popularity of Russian style spread.

However it was not only family connections that ensured Russian style spread to the West.

Symbols of status, power and love they might have been, but tiaras were also undoubtedly works of art and the perfect opportunity for jewellers to display their

A neo-Egyptian gold tiara by Carlo and Arthur Giuliano in the form of the amuletic winged globe set centrally with a star ruby, supported on diamond-set snakes.

creativity and skill. The Arts and Crafts and Art Deco movements provided ample scope for new designs (of very different styles) and the tiara was seen as a type of jewellery that had the greatest potential to demonstrate their abilities to the world. Critical acclaim was everything.

Two world wars and the subsequent levelling of society have helped to see off the tiara, explains Munn. Formal occasions are rare and it’s now only foreign dignitaries who get to see these glittering pieces being worn by a few formal guests – perhaps at the State Opening of Parliament or the Lord Mayor of London’s Banquet. But at the same time the tiara has also become a more egalitarian form of jewellery – a fashion accessory that might be worn by anyone with a taste for the bold, the beautiful or the bizarre. A word to the wise though – apparently ancient etiquette decrees that tiaras are not to be worn at hotels. Some standards need to be maintained…

Talbots Group is the UK’s leading Jewellery, gift and retail packaging supplier. We offer a wide variety of stock and bespoke packaging including cardboard, hinged and premium boxes, gift bags, sundries and display items.

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Increased circulation in the UK as well as overseas!

The Jeweller, which incorporates Gems & Jewellery within each of its nine issues per year, is now distributed to all N.A.G. and Gem-A members, thus increasing The Jeweller’s overall circulation to over 6,000.

Retaining its own identity, Gems & Jewellery gives readers a regular insight into the fascinating world of gemmology and gemstones. This, in addition to The Jeweller’s comprehensive coverage of all matters concerning the UK jewellery industry, helps maintain the magazine’s reputation as the authoritative jewellery trade publication, reinforcing its position as ‘The Voice of the Industry’.

Importantly for potential advertisers the magazine is now distributed to even more key individuals and companies in the UK as well as overseas.

With relevant editorial features, a competitive rate card and now an increased circulation of 6,000+ with a readership of 25,000+, all the numbers add up to The Jeweller being your first choice for targeting the UK jewellery industry.

To advertise in either magazine contact sales director Ian Francis on tel: +44 (0) 20 7749 1705 or email: ian@jewellers-online.org

The Voice of the Industry 53

| Regular

Notebook

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

Exhibitions March 6th-22nd June: Vikings – Life and Legend: British Museum, London The first major exhibition on the Vikings that this museum has staged for over 30 years will feature many new archaeological discoveries and objects never seen before in the UK. Among the artefacts will be jewellery, coins, silver pieces and weaponry, including items from the Vale of York Hoard. www.britishmuseum.org Current – 27th April: Made in London: Jewellery Now, Museum of London Curated by Agata Belcen, fashion editor of AnOther magazine, this exhibition explores the creations and vision of boundary-

Group, this new diamonds and diamond jewellery show will include a large contingent of US diamond manufacturers gathered together by the Diamond Dealers Club of New York. Shuttle buses will run between the show and Messe Basel throughout the show days. www.thediamondshow.net

pushing jewellery makers working in the capital. Imogen Belfield, Rachel Boston and Noemi Klein are among those featured. www.museumoflondon.org.uk

Jewellery & Watch Trade Fairs March 27th-3rd April: BaselWorld, Basel, Switzerland Europe’s largest and premier watch and jewellery exhibition offering the most prestigious, high-quality brands. See page 36 for a preview of this show. www.baselworld.com 27th-31st (excluding 29th): The Diamond Show, Markthalle, Basel, Switzerland Organised by a subsidiary of the Rapaport

Ring by Leibish & Co. at The Diamond Show

Book Reviews Metal Patination Techniques for Jewelers and Metalsmiths by Matthew Runfola (£28.00, Thames & Hudson) Described by the author as ‘the right balance of science and art’, metal patination offers the jewellery maker an alternative source of colour – either though natural oxidisation or via chemicals. This how-to guide and inspirational resource takes the user through the various processes and recipes and is organised by metal for ease of access. Kicking off with examples of pieces by designers, and the tools and equipment n e e d e d , Runfola looks at inspiration (much of it from nature), the theory of colour and how to choose a method. Step-by-step pictures and photos of the various effects are as clear as you’d want.

54 The Jeweller March 2014

Strings of Pearls: a collection of poems selected by Janie Hextall and Barbara McNaught (£10.00, Lautus Press) You just never know when a few literary lines on the subject of jewels and jewellery might come in handy (I can see the possibility of marketing or window display ideas here…). So this little book not only offers a gifting opportunity but could be a rather useful resource… in the right hands. Leafing through, I would think that the traditional ‘Birthstones’ poem might be useful for instance and I rather like Christina Rossetti’s ‘Precious Stones’: An emerald is as green as grass, A ruby as red as blood, A sapphire shines as blue as heaven, But a flint lies in the mud.

A diamond is a brilliant stone To catch the world’s desire, An opal holds a rainbow light, But a flint holds fire.

Jackson’s Hallmarks edited by Ian Pickford (£6.95, Antique Collectors’ Club) This handy-sized guide to English, Scottish and Irish silver and gold marks was last published in 1989 and this latest edition has been extensively revised. A freeman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, Pickford begins by offering an introduction to hallmarks and their development. His guide includes cycles for each assay office, followed by 1,000 makers’ marks listed alphabetically, with comments as to rarity, value and speciality of the maker.

Regular | April 1st-4th: Jewellery & Gem Fair Europe, Freiberg, Germany With 19 trade shows in nine countries and regions in Asia and Russia, this is the UBM Jewellery & Gem Fair Group’s first European show.

Now fully-booked it will house over 400 international exhibitors (including 12 group pavilions). www.JGF-Europe.com 7th-10th: US & International Diamond Week, Israel Diamond Exchange Over $1 billion of polished diamonds on the IDE trading floor, displayed by hundreds of participating Israeli diamond manufacturing and trading firms. Registered buyers will be offered heavily discounted room rates at the event's designated venue hotels.

May 30th-2nd June: JCK Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino North America’s leading jewellery event showcasing collections from domestic and international designers and suppliers. The three days preceding JCK sees the invite-only ‘upscale’ Luxury show. lasvegas.jckonline.com

N.A.G. Diary Dates March 19th: N.A.G. Education Awards, Goldsmiths’ Hall, London Successful JET1 and JET2 students will receive their certificates and awards at this glittering evening for invited guests.

Email: kate@jewellers-online.org for more information.

May 15th: Essential Display, one-day course, London An opportunity to learn how to put together exciting displays with tutor Judy Head. N.A.G. members: £235 + VAT. See N.A.G. News for more detail.

Developing Sales Skills, one-day course, date and location TBC Virada Training offers this sales skills training course, to unlock potential and help a business stand out from the crowd. N.A.G. members: £275 + VAT 20th – 21st: Diamonds & Diamond Grading Introduction, London A two-day seminar aimed at helping staff increase their knowledge and understanding of diamonds. N.A.G. members: £402 + VAT For details of all courses contact Amanda White on tel: 020 7613 4445 or email: amandaw@jewellers-online.org

The Voice of the Industry 55

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

Computer Systems

Diamonds & Gemstones

Diamonds & Gemstones

Diamond Jewellery

Diamond Setters

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

Special Approval Enquiries Diamond Jewellery All Styles Leslie Donn Ltd

Tel: +44 (0)20 7404 4022 info@karunagems.com • www.karunagems.com

454 Bury Old Road, Prestwich, Manchester M25 1NL

Member of the London Diamond Bourse and Club and the BJA

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

Engravers

For Sale

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Machine Engraving available on request NAG Prize Winners

ESTABLISHED JEWELLERY BUSINESS

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info@mastersengravers.co.uk www.mastersengravers.co.uk

Tel: 01372 740555

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

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

Email: neil@jewellers-online.org

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

Jewellery Manufacturing

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Call today for more information & price list

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Photographic Services

Point of Sale

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

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Shopfitting

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

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| Regular

The

Last Word This month we say goodbye to one of our industry’s most respected and prominent figures. However, just before the Birmingham Assay Office’s CEO and Assay Master Michael Allchin leaves for a life of leisure (although we don’t see him with pipe and slippers) a little light grilling is in order…

Personal Profile Michael Allchin has spent his entire career in the jewellery industry and during the past 45 years has travelled most of the world, buying and selling for companies ranging from small private concerns to Signet Group PLC, where he was buying director for H. Samuel for 14 years. He joined the Birmingham Assay Office in 1998 (he was only its 12th Assay Master in its 240-year history) with a brief to fight an EU directive to scrap the UK’s independent statutory hallmarking and drive diversification to ensure the business could survive without it. He delivered on both – the directive was ‘retired’ in 2004 and the BAO now has four additional successful trading divisions: the Laboratory, AnchorCert Gemmological Laboratory, SafeGuard Jewellery and Watch Valuations and Heritage & Training. As well as significant contributions to the RJC and CIBJO, Michael has also been very active in the foundation of the Jewellery Quarter Development Trust.

Who has been the biggest influence in your life?

My wife Elizabeth. We have been married for over 40 years and have four children.

I would be hopeless without her.

What has been the stand-out moment of your time at the Assay Office?

Funnily enough it was the bike ride in the hurricane in 2012; we raised over £16,000 for kids with cancer. It made me realise and appreciate the generosity and kindness of people throughout the jewellery trade, and that the BAO was truly on the map.

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

In my view: positive; energetic; supportive.

In the view of colleagues, take your pick: engaging, enthusiastic, entertaining… too bloody cheerful… can be annoying…

58 The Jeweller March 2014

dynamic, oracle, fun… knowledgeable, professional, social animal!

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

Enhance and improve the lives of the artisanal miners throughout the world; drag them out of poverty and exploitation.

Looking back at your career, what one thing would you do differently if you had your time over?

I’d work abroad for a while, maybe around the age of 30, and learn a new language.

If not the jewellery industry, what might your alternative career have been?

I very nearly went into teaching. While doing a degree in anthroplogy I met Liz at who was training to be a teacher, and we thought

two teachers in the same family was maybe not a smart move. I came into the jewellery industry as a rookie salesman and sold high-end jewellery to upmarket jewellers in the UK and across the USA in the early-mid 1970s; shows how old I am…

The last film you saw at the cinema?

Captain Phillips. It was a proper boys’ film with guns and boats and planes and no soppy Hollywood romance.

Tell us something not many people know about you…

I was brought up as a boy in Nairobi; it was a sunny paradise. My Dad worked for the Post Office as a telecoms engineer, installing the telephone and telex infrastructure at a time when all communications went down a wire. My mum worked on the main switchboard as a telephonist at the headquarters of Kenya Uganda Railways.

What keeps you awake at night?

When there’s too much to do and not enough time to do it.

Favourite shopping destination?

New York. I love its vitality and it’s got everything. The store staff there are also so welcoming and helpful.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

Dark chocolate, red wine, fast cars Quick Fire • Cats or dogs? Woof woof • Fish ‘n’ chips or fruits de mer?

The British grub • TV or radio? The one with pictures • Jewellery on men? OK on others • Delegator or control freak? Delegator • Beatles or Rolling Stones? Stones • Paperback or e-reader? The book