Jeweller(oct13)

Diamond market overviewEthical gold — new

premiums announcedLoughborough Conference

The Hong Kong ShowAlphabet JewelsUndercover on 47th St

October 2013 / Volume 22 / No. 7Gems&JewelleryIncorporating

JewellerOctober 2013 £7.50 The Voice of The Industry

theJewellerthe

The Voice of the Industry 3

Contents & Contacts |

Diamond market overviewEthical gold — new

premiums announcedLoughborough Conference


October 2013 / Volume 22 / No. 7Gems&JewelleryIncorporating

JewellerOctober 2013 £7.50 The Voice of The Industry

theJewellerthe

Cover ImageIn conjunction with Tresor Paris

7 Greville Street, Hatton Garden,London EC1N 8PQ

Telephone: 020 3355 4030Email: [email protected]

www.tresorparis.com

Loughborough 2013 18

Sandra Page offers the first of a two-part report

on the IRV’s annual conference

Ethical gold – the good news 32

Belinda Morris speaks to Greg Valerio about

the new Fairtrade Premiums for precious metals

Ice Cream 36

An in-depth look at the diamond jewellery market

reveals the key issues that face the industry

Grading synthetic diamonds 48

Harry Levy sheds some light on this potentially

problematic subject

C O N T E N T S O C T 1 3

The National Association

of Goldsmiths

78a Luke Street,

London EC2A 4XG

Tel: 020 7613 4445

www.jewellers-online.org

CEO: Michael Rawlinson

[email protected]

Editor: Belinda Morris

[email protected]

Art Director: Ben Page

[email protected]

Sales Director: Ian Francis

Tel: 020 7613 4445

Fax: 020 7729 0143

[email protected]

Publishing Enquiries/

Classified Advertising:

Neil Oakford

[email protected]

Contributors:

Lee Henderson, John Henn,

Harry Levy, Sandra Page,

James Riley

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

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

The NAG is responsible for producing The Jeweller and, although every effort is madeto ensure that the information supplied is accurate, the NAG does not accept liabilityfor any loss, damage or claim whatsoever that may result from opinions expressed bycontributors. Information and ideas are for guidance only and members should alwaysconsult 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.

Editor’s Letter 5

Rawlinson Speaks Out 6

Industry News 8

NAG News 12

Member of the Month 14

Education & Training 17

Notebook 20

Opinion: John Henn 22

The Jeweller picks… 24

Brand Profile – Tankel 28

Feature – Handmade in Britain 31

Business Support: Insurance 52

Business Support: Security 54

Display Cabinet 56

Last Word 58

JewellerThe Voice of The Industry www.thejewellermagazine.com

the


October 2013 / Volume 22 / No. 7

Gems&JewelleryQuestions raised by the Kimberley Process; IJL and

Hong Kong show reports; an undercover investigation

into diamond trading in New York and more…

NTR Metals is now offering more services than ever before. With our quick turnaround, grain exchange, and superior service, why would

you go anywhere else?

Visit a branch near you to see why 30,000 clients keep returning.


Comment |

Diamonds. Such lovely little things. So bright, so sparkly, so desired… and causing so

much trouble. Well, OK, maybe not trouble exactly – but certainly the occasional

headache and some hand-wringing. In this issue we not only put diamonds, and jewellery

thereof, under the spotlight but we rotate them so that they can be viewed from every

possible angle.

One occasionally irksome facet of the diamond-dealing business is that of certificates, and

on p50 James Riley tells a timely tale of trickery. And if you think you can tell a fake from

the real thing at a thousand paces, Harry Levy’s insight into synthetics – and the grading of

them – might just give you pause for thought (p.48). In this month’s Gems&Jewellery there’s

a cautionary report on disclosure (or the lack of it) and Mr Levy (we can’t get enough of him

frankly) adds his sagacious voice to the continuing debate on ethical diamonds in general

and the Kimberley Process in particular.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. How could it be? These are diamonds we’re talking

about! Lest we forget just how beautiful these carbonaceous gems are, the main story this

month highlights some of the stunning pieces of jewellery that feature them in a starring role

– not only the celebratory love tokens, but also the growing number of gorgeous, fashion-

inspired pieces. If the niggly nuts and bolts of our industry occasionally leave you feeling

as though its allure might be in danger of fading, let these dazzlers reassure you otherwise.

Rock on!

Page 32

Page 36

Editor’sLetter

Because of its pure simplicity, the round will remain number one as it continues to represent the stone in the most understandable way…

To use Fairtrade gold fora five gram wedding ringwould mean an extra £25 on the price… totallyaffordable to the retailerand the customer…

If you would like to comment on any of the issues raised in this edition of The Jewelleror any other trade-related matters please email the editor at: [email protected]

This month:

| Comment

6 The Jeweller October 2013

It seems like summer is but a dim memoryas the nights begin to draw in, the clocks

will go back, and we continue preparationsfor what we all hope will be the bestChristmas for many years. I experienced myfirst IJL at the beginning of September and it gave me the chance to meet manymembers for the first time, and to experience the glitz and glamour that thejewellery industry has to offer. From whatI’ve heard, many of you were excited andimpressed by the new designs on show; it was great to be a part of this positiveatmosphere and I’m already looking forwardto the Jewellery & Watch Birmingham SpringFair International in February.

Just one week later – and another first forme — I attended the Institute of RegisteredValuers Loughborough Conference. As soonas I arrived at the venue, it was evident thatIRV co-ordinator and conference organiserSandra Page had successfully put togetheryet another fantastic weekend, a continuingcelebration of the 25th anniversary of this annual event. The atmosphere at

‘Loughborough’ (as it’s known) was a particularly friendly one with peer groupsdeep in conversation, discussing all mannerof topics related to every aspect of the jewellery business and valuing. The keynotespeakers were top class and includedGeoffrey Munn and John Benjamin both ofThe Antiques Roadshow fame. Some of the most impressive presenters were those who ran the specialist workshops covering topics such as simple gemstoneidentification (excellent stuff for a beginnerlike me) through to synthetic diamonds and

advanced methods for testing them andunderstanding the insurance market. AsLoughborough came to a close I recognisedthe potential for many more NAG membersto attend, and I would urge you to put the

date of the next conference in your diary now– 13th-15th September 2014 — it’s clearlyan event not to be missed.

I was flattered to be asked to join theCIBJO Sector B group responsible for policyin the retail and distribution area, and I hopethat together with my colleagues we candevelop programmes and policies that willbe beneficial to you, our members, as yourun your businesses on a daily basis. I wasalso honoured to be included within theProfessional Jewellers’ Hot 100. Obviously Iam under no illusions that, as a new kid onthe block, this recognition is far more aboutthe high regard and esteem in which theNAG is held than about me.

In turn I hope that you will recognise andappreciate the enormous influence and

power to do good that the NAG holds, andthat you will take every opportunity toamplify this with the people and groups with whom you come in contact. We areworking right now on a new website for the

The NAG’s CEO Michael Rawlinson reports on his two significant‘firsts’ – IJL and the Loughborough Conference – as well asimportant new developments at the Association.

Rawlinsonspeaks out

I hope that together with my colleagues we can develop programmes and policies that will be beneficial to you, our members, as you run your businesses on a daily basis…


Comment |

Association, and one of the features I am most looking forward toseeing in place is the facility which will allow any consumer to searchfor a jeweller in their area. Not only will it have this facility but a click-through will also highlight the products, and equally importantly theservices, that you provide. The benefit of this is we will be able todirect potential customers to members in a targeted way, reducingfrustration and increasing customer satisfaction. This development ispart of the NAG’s commitment to continue to look for and developservices that directly support and help member businesses.

During IJL, the NAGand the British Jewellers’Association announcedthat they would be estab-lishing a working group to look at ways in whichthe two bodies can workcloser together for thebenefit of their member-ships and the jewelleryindustry as a whole. Atthe press conference NAG

chairman Pravin Pattni commented: “When we can present togethera united voice representing our members and the jewellery industry,external stakeholders will listen and take note of our views andideas. This is a very positive and constructive way forward.” I whole-heartedly endorse this view, and I’m really pleased that both partieshave agreed to see how we might cooperate more for the benefitof all sectors of the trade.

I have been encouraged by the very positive feedback that I havereceived from members as we have met at the various events and conferences over the past couple of months. I would love tohear your comments on how we are progressing at theAssociation… so if you have something to say then please pick upthe phone or drop me an email so we can discuss any issue,whether positive or negative. With its world-class education andexcellent member benefits, the NAG is an influential organisationwithin the industry. It is therefore crucial that we continue to have your vital support and involvement to maintain the longevityand high standards which you deserve and have come to expect from us.

Finally, you are probably getting ready for Christmas now by planning your promotions, designing imaginative window displays,and calculating stock levels. I can imagine that this is a mammothtask for you so good luck and best wishes and I very much look forward to hearing about how everything is going in the run up tothe festive season.

We will be able to directpotential customers tomembers in a targetedway, reducing frustrationand increasing customersatisfaction.

| Industry News


IJL launches new trade eventInternational Jewellery London (IJL)

announces the launch of a new premiumtrade event – Luxury by IJL – to showcase‘some of the world’s most prestigious jewellery brands’. The event, at KensingtonOlympia (the new home of IJL), will runfrom 31st August-1st September, 2014 (IJLwill run from 1st-4th September).

Cassis Jewels from the US has been confirmed as the first brand to sign up toexhibit at the inaugural event and will use

the show as a platform for its launch in the UK. Further names of exhibitors in the line-up will be announced shortly by eventdirector Sam Willoughby.

‘Luxury by IJL’ is the first of its kind in theUK and has been launched to meet strongdemand from retail buyers as consumerdesire for high priced jewellery has grown.Luxury jewellery sales have been growingsteadily in the UK since 2007 and in 2012hit sales of £1.2 billion. This is expected to

grow with a compound annual growth rate oftwo per cent between 2012 and 2017.

The show organisers explain that exhibitorswill attend by invitation only and the exclusive feel will be emphasised by the factthat there will be a total of 15 companiesexhibiting. All products shown must be ingold or platinum and every single piece ofjewellery must have a minimum RRP of£5,000. No-one currently showing at IJL will‘move across’ to Luxury.

Mappin & Webb relaunchesAurum-owned jewellery company Mappin & Webb unveiled

its new brand image and collections in Regent Street’s CaféRoyal last month. The new look for logo, monogram, storedesign and jewellery has been created by brand directorElizabeth Galton together with the new in-store design team.

Galton’s debut collection reinvents Mappin & Webb’s heritage(the company was founded in Sheffield in 1775) with jewellerythat takes inspiration from motifs from the company archives,with a contemporary twist for a modern audience. The 24-piecesignature collection in 18ct white, yellow and rose gold is‘Empress’ which was inspired by a bespoke Mappin & Webbdesign for the Queen of Siam commissioned in the 1920s.

Today, Mappin & Webb holds two royal warrants – silversmiths to HRH the Prince of Walesand silversmiths to the Queen. The brand continues to supply the Royal Household and theBritish military with commemorative items for key ceremonial and regimental needs.

Speaking at the launch CEO Justin Stead said: “Mappin & Webb is a truly British treasurewith over 200 years of tradition and historical significance in the silver and jewellery world.[It] is now undergoing a renaissance and as guardians of this iconic brand, we feel we havea compelling moral obligation to return it to its rightful place at the forefront of British life.”

Houlden holds design competition

Jewellery & Watch Birmingham, organised by i2i Events, is launching a jewellery design competition in conjunction with jewellery buying group, The Houlden Group.

The 2014 Bridal Design of the Year competition is the first of its kind, giving exhibitors thechance to have one of their designs sold through The Houlden Group’s network of stores.

The competition is open to all designers and manufacturers who are exhibiting at theJewellery & Watch Show Birmingham and entrants are being asked to design an engagementand wedding ring set which will be exclusively supplied to The Houlden Group for one year.There are two categories of entries; the first for rings retailing from £1,500 to £3,000 and the second for pieces priced between £3,000 and £5,000.

All designs must be commercially viable and work on a 2.3 per cent mark-up including VAT.They must also be diamond set and made in either 18ct yellow gold or platinum. The final deadline for submissions is 6th December 2013 and all entries will be displayedon: www.thejewelleryshow.com and the finalists seen at the Jewellery & Watch ShowBirmingham (2nd-6th February 2014)

Beaverbrooksappoints new CEO

Beaverbrooks has announced that AnnaBlackburn is to be the chain’s new CEO.

Blackburn, who joined the company in1998 straight from Manchester University,began on the sales team before moving intomanagement. In 2003 she was promotedto regional manager of Scotland. After beingmade head of office operations in 2008 shewas then appointed as head of retail lastyear, overseeing 65 stores across the UK.

This move marks a new chapter in thecompany’s 94-year history. Anna is the firstCEO outside the Beaverbrooks’ family andwill be working closely with chairman MarkAdlestone to shape the future and vision ofthe retail business. Last month TAG Heuerunveiled its first outlet in the North. In partnership with Beaverbrooks theJewellers, the Leeds boutique was openedby Lions’ rugby captain Sam Wharburtonwho is an ambassador for the watch brand.


Industry News |

S N I P P E T SBouton poppy released

A limited edition sterling silver, pavé-setpoppy, with a one carat ruby-red simulatedcentre stone, has been released by Bouton,with £25 of the £99 retail price donated tothe Royal British Legion. The 2012 poppywas worn by HRH The Duchess ofCambridge and sold out within weeks. Parentcompany Buckley Jewellery, which has itsown poppy, has raised over £2.5m to datethrough the sale of its charitable poppies.

Stephen Webster in Harrods

British jewellery designer Stephen Websteropened the brand’s new boutique inHarrods’ Luxury Jewellery Room last month.The space will showcase the AutumnWinter 2013 fine jewellery collections‘Thorn’, ‘Fly By Night’ and ‘Deco Haze’together with iconic pieces from the classic‘Crystal Haze’, ‘Forget me Knot’ and ‘MurderShe Wrote’ lines. A select range of thewomen’s and men’s silver collections willbe also represented.

Chinese payment accepted at Johnsons

Nuneaton-based NAG member JohnsonsJewellers has created a new website andhas added a page which accepts Chineseunion payment – the only system used inmainland China. Alongside jewellery brandssuch as Andrew Geoghegan, BabetteWasserman, Tivon and The Fifth Season,Johnsons sells watches by major popularbrands such as Rolex, Breitling, TAG Heuerand Longines.

New branding for showsJewellery trade shows, The Jewellery Show Birmingham and The Jewellery Show London,

organised by i2i Events Group, are to be re-branded as Jewellery & Watch Birmingham andJewellery & Watch London in order to reflect the growing importance of the watch sector.

Effective immediately, the first show to carry the new name will be the Birmingham event,which takes place at the NEC Birmingham from 2nd – 6th February 2014. The I2i Events portfolio director Julie Driscoll said: “This name change demonstrates that we are listening tothe industry and responding to the growth in watch sales. Although jewellery and watchesare distinct categories in the sector, we are providing a platform for buyers to view both attwo very important times of year in the jewellery-buying calendar.”

As a result of the re-brand there will be an increased prominence of watches on site atboth events with watches also used on the catwalk in the marketing campaign in the run upto the shows.

Industry research commissioned by market research firm Mintel found that there was an11.5 per cent year-on-year increase in watch sales in the full year to February 2013, whilethe average amount spent on a watch has risen by 11 per cent since 2007.

As well as the new name for the shows, i2i Events will also focus on securing a brand mixacross the two events with the likes of Pandora, Bering Time, Lars Larsen Watches, Carat,Dower & Hall, Fable Trading, Alexis Dove and Sophie already signed up for the Birminghamshow and Parure Paris, Bigli, Martin Ross, Arcadia Diamonds, Alfred Terry, Chavin, Parure Paris,Nomination and BQ Watches set to show in London in June.

A panel of experts and influential industry leaders is also currently being recruited to giveadvice on the content and direction for the two shows, with more details set to be unveiledin due course. The Jewellery & Watch Show London will be held at London’s iconic SomersetHouse on from 1st-2nd June 2014.

Comparison site ‘celebrates victory’

Anew consumer-facing jewellery comparison site, which aims to make it ‘easier and lessrisky’ for shoppers to buy online, is celebrating its first ‘victory’. H Samuel has lowered the

price of a white gold ring which was deemed such poor value for money by the site, it couldbe ‘squashed’ between fingers (as shown in a video which was sent to the retailer). Sincethe review’s findings H Samuel has reduced the price of the ring from £99.99 to £74.99.

The site, www.comparejewellery.com, is an independent and free-to-use service that compares jewellery from high street brands – 6,000 pieces have already been reviewed by the team comprising Ali O’Neill (formerly product manager at the Goldsmiths Group) andJeremy Banks (previously at Alfred Terry). The founder of the site is entrepreneur Ashley Faull who created Bid TV.

Users can be as specific or as general in their searches as they like. For example, if a visitorwants to buy a white gold and diamond pendant with a budget of £350, the site’s searchengine will show all of the relevant items and rank them, with a star system, by best value,as the lower priced items aren’t always the poorest value.

CW Sellors Design Centre plan

Ashbourne-based CW Sellors took advantage of its Boulevard stand at IJL last month tounveil its plans for a ‘Jewellery Design Centre of Excellence’ adjacent to Carsington

Reservoir in Derbyshire. The development, which is to be submitted to Derbyshire Dales DistrictCouncil, will see the current head office relocated to allow the business to expand and evolve.

As the plans (including a 3D model) showed, the site will include improved and enlargedspecially-designed metal and stone workshops with additional aspects including retail spaces,flexible exhibition areas, tea room and an auditorium for education activities. The new project will create a number of new jobs for local people and the design has been arrived atto complement the surrounding area.

| Industry News


S N I P P E T SOrtak launches new lines

While currently trading in administration,Scottish brand Ortak has continued to investin product development in order to launchnew collections in the lead up to Christmas.The company has also released its new ‘LoveOrtak’ campaign images, as the managementteam together with the joint administratorsfinalise a trading plan while the business ismarketed for sale.

Fairtrade holds round-table discussion

Fairtrade International unveiled its newstandard and pricing for gold, silver andplatinum, and new ways of working withthe jewellery industry at a landmark roundtable in London last month. Held on 9th and10th, the meeting included seven visitingminers from Bolivia, Peru and Colombia aswell as representatives from a Fairtrade pilot project in East Africa. Programmes toeradicate mercury and ecological supportwere among the topics discussed.

Luminox to send Sir Bob into space

Luminox, a partner in the space project ofSXC, Space Expedition Corp., has announcedthat singer and Nobel Prize nominee SirBob Geldof has secured a seat in one ofSXC’s upcoming space flights, thus officiallybecoming an astronaut… and the firstIrishman in space. “Elvis may have left thebuilding but Bob Geldof will have left theplanet! Wild! Who would have thought itpossible in my lifetime?” said Geldof, whowill receive a Luminox Space Watchdesigned specifically for the project.

Lambert joins Gem-A board

Jonathan Lambert, former NAG and IRVchairman, has joined Gem-A’s board ofdirectors. The owner of an eponymousretail jewellery business in Suffolk, Lamberthas often been the media-ready face of theNAG and is pro-active in the continuedefforts to educate and inform the industrythrough best practice. Lambert said: “I’mdelighted to join the Gem-A at an extremelyexciting time in the Association’s history. I look forward to supporting it through thechanges and challenges ahead.”

New concept launched by Trollbeads

Danish jewellery brand Trollbeads took a tiny, closed, unmarked stand at IJL to launch Xby Trollbeads – a new concept in personalised jewellery. The design allows customers

to create their own bracelet or necklace from a range of silver, bronze, gold and black rubberX links. The mechanism uses an X-shaped bevelled edge connection that allows the links toconnect with a ‘simple twist’, to create bespoke pieces of jewellery secured with one of twolocks in silver or bronze.

The system was developed by Trollbeads’ founder and head designer Lise Aagaard. The launch collection is creatively eclectic with a range of over 70 playfully-themed links andincludes contributions from nine of Trollbeads’ artistic designers, each of whom brings theirown interpretation and style to the design – from rock symbols to pixel-inspired forms.

Matthew Hiltonlaunches timepiece

Multi-award-winning British furniture andindustrial designer Matthew Hilton has

launched his first-ever watch, which wassold exclusively through Margaret Howell’sLondon store during last month’s LondonDesign Festival. It is now available throughselected retailers. “I wanted for a long timeto find a watch that reflects my approach todesign. I never found one and finally decidedto make one myself,” said Hilton at thelaunch event. “This watch took a long time in research and development from fields asdiverse as the medical industry and aerospace,but I wanted simplicity and reduction toshine through.”

The watch is manufactured in marine grade,bead-blasted stainless steel casing, with caseand face combined in a single component.

The minimal design is underlined by the lack of further polishing or finishing. The Swiss-madequartz movement is embedded in a small hollow chamber inside the body. The black, chocolate or tan strap, in laser-cut and waxed Italian, aniline calf leather, has been created byBritish leather goods designer Bill Amberg. Each watch is engraved with a serial number.


Industry News |

S N I P P E T SRaw Pearls sponsors awards

Raw Pearls is to sponsor a new award forpearl design at the prestigious GoldsmithsCraft and Design Council Awards for 2014.The aim is to encourage and reward theinnovative use of pearls with contemporaryfine jewellery design. The winning entrantwill receive £1,000 as well as industryrecognition. Closing date for flatwork designentries is 17th January, 2014. Applicationforms and information are available from:www.craftanddesigncouncil.org.uk

Private jewellery collections forsale in Switzerland

Christie’s Geneva is to present two privatejewellery collections at its sale on 12thNovember. Alongside jewels from thefamous collection of Bolivian tycoon SimonItturi Patino, will be 18 treasures onceowned by Hélene Rochas (1927 – 2011),the wife and muse of renowned Frenchfashion designer Marcel Rochas. A mystery-set ruby Magnolia brooch by Van Cleef &Arpels is just one example of her uniquestyle and taste.

CIBJO and RJC reach ‘understanding’

CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation,and the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC)signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) at IJL last month. The MOU willwork to advance responsible business practices among all sectors of the jewellerysupply chain, and will include the use of CSReducation programmes developed by CIBJO,in collaboration with the UN, and chain ofcustody certification programmes developedby RJC. Clogau Gold was one of the mostrecent companies to achieve re-certification.

Dyson leaves Goldsmiths Co.

Paul Dyson, promotion director at theGoldsmiths’ Company, is leaving this autumnto pursue other interests. During his 12-year tenure he has done a great deal toraise the Company’s profile with the media, the general public and the jewellery industry. As well as staging a number ofexhibitions and events (such as ‘Gold: Power& Allure’), Dyson undertook a completereview of the brand identity.

Azza Fahmy fashion ventureCairo-based luxury jewellery house Azza Fahmy has

collaborated with British fashion designer MatthewWilliamson to create a capsule collection of silver andgold jewellery. The 10-piece line of neckpieces, earrings,modernist oversized rings and bracelets will be availablefrom this month via Azza Fahmy and selected MatthewWilliamson boutiques. Fahmy’s culturally-informeddesigns are paired with Williamson’s sense of glamour with inspiration drawn from botanical prints,architectural forms and textures.

Fine jewellery brand unveiled

Last month saw the launch of Ruifier, a new London-based luxurybrand which has been two years in the planning, design and

development by the St Martins-trained design team. The signaturelook of the brand combines structural shapes and precious materialsand of particular interest is the innovative Kinetic setting which enablesgemstones to constantly move within their settings. In addition to thisdebut collection, Ruifier showed the Icon Collection of static pieces –intricate diamond-set pendants, chain bracelets and rings.

77 Diamonds relocatesDiamond e-tailer 77 Diamonds has relocated its head office and showroom to Hanover

Square in Mayfair, London. Launched in 2005 by Tobias Kormind and Vadim Weinig the online company, which sells loose diamonds and diamond-set jewellery, now boasts a 1,000 sq ft luxurious showroom. To replicate the brand’s online shopping experience, allthe sales team conduct each appointment using tablet technology. Customers are now ableto receive their jewellery on the same day through a new express service on a large selectionof engagement rings and wedding bands.

New Member Applications

To ensure that NAG Members are aware ofnew applications for NAG Membershipwithin their locality, applicants’ names arepublished below. Members wishing to comment on any of these applications cancall Antonnea Johnson on 020 7613 4445or email: [email protected] three weeks of receipt of this issue.

Ordinary ApplicationsH-H Jewellery Ltd, London EC1

Eastern Gold Company, Manchester M14

Jyoti Jewellers Ltd, London NW9

Goodley’s Jewellers Ltd, Egham, Surrey

Hornchurch Jewellers, Hornchurch, Essex

Lapis Gold, Inverness, Scotland

Riverstones Fine Jewellery, Hebdon Bridge, West Yorkshire

Alumni Associate ApplicationsKim Sarah Wright, Rainham, Kent

Giles W B Mann, Cirencester, Gloucestershire

IRV Applications

If members wish to comment on any ofthese please contact Sandra Page on 0292081 3615.

Upgrading from Member to FellowJ Louise Butterworth PJDip FGA DGA,

Butterworth Bros, Rochdale.

Roy Egginton PJDip, Southern Online Valuations Ltd, Ringwood.

NAG members in the spotlight

We were very pleased that our very own CEO was recognised as a ‘Business Big Shot’ inthis year’s Hot 100 list and he wasn’t alone. Congratulations goes to many NAG members

who also made the list for their hard work in the industry. Harry Levy (London DiamondBourse); Ed Ferris (Diamonfire/Swag) and Salim Hasbani (Tresor Paris/Hasbani UK) werealso ‘Big Shots’. In the Trendsetters category were: designer Sheila Fleet; Hannah Trickett andVicky Leyshon (Gecko); Naomi Newton Sherlock (Domino); Bobby White, Tommy White andGeorge Neal (Bobby White London) and James Deakin and Henry Deakin (Deakin andFrancis). Eric Smith (Eric N Smith) was recognised as a ‘Trailblazer’ while a whopping 13members made the IJL Retail Stars category including: Simon Johnson and Nadine Meegan(Marmalade Jewellery); Peter Wong (Wongs); Andrew Higgs and Phil Higgs (TH Baker);Tracey Brown and Harry Brown (Chisholm Hunter); Nicholas Wylde; Monique Hirshman andAndrew Hirshman (Drakes); Simon Warrender and Richard Warrender (W&W Jewellery);Andrea Maude (Maude’s the Jewellers); Matthew Ryan (Matthew Stephens); Natalie Blagg(Fraser Hart); Wendy Laing (Laings of Glasgow); Mike Rice (Hugh Rice the Jeweller) andMark Worthington and Milly Worthington (Mark Worthington the Jewellers/MW2).

Buzz begins for Birmingham

The Jewellery & Watch Show Birmingham (part of Spring Fair International), one of the biggestbuying events in the jewellery retailer’s calendar, is taking place from 2nd-6th February 2014.

This show will feature exciting UK and international designers and exhibitors, offering the latestproducts from new and established brands, keeping you up-to-date with the latest trendsand providing crucial retail advice. There will be new feature areas, 300,000 new productlaunches. The NAG looks forward to welcoming all to its stand there.

NAG signs up first e-tailers

We are delighted to announce new members in line with the recent changes to membership – Paul Jewellers have recently launched two e-businesses under the names

Hitdiamonds.com and Truejewels.com Also RJ Morris has launched an online e-businessunder the name Findjewellery.co.uk

| NAG News


Success again at IJL for NAGInternational Jewellery London 2013, one

of the most anticipated events on the jewellery industry calendar, is over for anothertwelve months. This year was another triumph for the NAG with five new memberssigning up on the opening day alone, whichreally got the show off to a flying start.

Visitors to the show enjoyed a glamorousexperience from the minute they arrived,greeted as they were by the tunes of a live acoustic guitar performance and a chic outdoor cafe. The show featured over550 carefully selected brands, designersand manufacturers showcasing their work, and this number included 177 newcompanies. The four days also featuredstriking pieces on the runway which werebased on the four A/W 2014 jewellery

trends – ‘Self Portrait’, ‘Terrain’, ‘Future Plus’and ‘Tribe’.

Our own activity included daily drinksreceptions, competitions and meet-and-greetswith the different NAG teams including theDesign Service, The Jeweller and the LukeStreet team, all being well frequented andreceived by everyone involved. In addition,

our board members were on hand at thestand to help answer queries from visitorsand providing us with expert advice. Winnersof our daily competitions included FlitwickJewellers, F. Hinds and Paul Goble who willsoon be receiving their prizes too!

Sam Willoughby, event director for IJL,commented on the success of the showsaying: “We already have over 60 per centrebooked for the 2014 event!” One of theNAG’s key members, Bec Clarke, founder of Astley Clarke, said she “felt this was one of the strongest years for IJL”, and wecouldn’t agree more.

Looking ahead we welcome any of yoursuggestions for the future and wish to hearhow IJL was for you – @NAG_UK or email:[email protected]

InvitationThe National Association of Goldsmiths ‘The Yorkshire Centre’

The Vice President Mr Ben Matthewscordially invites you and your guest to

The Annual Dinner DanceSaturday 23rd November 2013, 7.00pm for 7.30pm (carriages midnight)

at Tankersley Manor Hotel, Church Lane, Tankersley, South Yorkshire S75 3DQ (jnct 36 off the M1)

Tickets £35.00 per person. Please make cheques payable to NAG ‘The Yorkshire Centre’.Open to NAG members, non-members, manufacturers, allied trades, family and friends.

R.S.V.P.By Thursday 14th November please to:Deans, 24-26 Lidgett Hill, Pudsey LS28 7DRTel: 01132 393266

Staying over?Please book direct with hotel on tel: 01132 203487

Double room, dinner, bed & breakfast from £82.00 per night.Full leisure facilities and swimming pool.

NAG News |


During IJL the NAG held an importantExtraordinary General Meeting to decide

on key changes to membership policies.Members of the NAG, who were present at the meeting, voted to approve the newArticles of Association as tabled.

Following their approval the NAG aims tobecome a more inclusive organisation whilemaintaining the same high standards andexpectations of fair trading. Significantchanges to the Articles are as follows:• Full membership will now be offered to

retail businesses regardless of the waythey sell. This will mean that retailerssuch as those selling online or on theTV may now join us as long as theyadhere to our code of practice

• The structure for non-voting membershas changed to make it easier for tradebusinesses to join us and engage moreclosely with full members to maximisebusiness opportunities for both.

• The NAG’s Council will disband.

The new changes will enable theAssociation to expand its membership base and to better represent the jewelleryindustry as a whole.

Chairman of the NAG, Pravin Pattni, said:“The NAG recognises that retailers sell in different ways and that we need to adapt to ensure we attract the best businesses no matter what their channel to market is. I would also like to thank the Council for allthe hard work and support for the Associationand we will be ensuring its members cancontinue to make their valuable contributionto the NAG in the future.”

Andrew Hinds, vice chairman, added:“Not only does the NAG now allow a more diverse retail base to become fullmembers, but they have also made it easierfor manufacturers and suppliers to join andwork closely with our retail members.Today’s changes further highlight that theNAG’s membership base truly reflects thewider jewellery industry.”

Simon Johnson, chair of the New StandardsCommittee, said: “We are delighted that thesechanges have been approved and have madeour membership structure more inclusiveand flexible. This is a very positive step forward for the NAG and the StandardsCommittee will ensure that all new applications, as well as existing members,adhere strictly to our code of practice.”

Engaging members is one of the NAG’s key priorities which is why we continue withmember meetings, introducing events centredon industry debates, business improvementpresentations and networking events; wehope that you can participate in these.

The Association is currently formalising its communications and moving towards further digitisation so please email us [email protected] to ensure we can still communicate with you directly.

To read the new Articles and updated By-Laws and Code of Practice visit: www.jewellers-online.org/pages/aboutus.php

NAG passes resolution to expand membership

| NAG News


Having come into the jewellery industryfrom another sector, what inspired youto establish Eternity jewellers?To be honest it was something that I fell intoby chance. I had spent the best part of tenyears working for an investment bank butnever felt at home in the city. I took a leapof faith in 2000 when a good friend askedme to start a retail jewellery shop with him.What started as little more than a way out of the City quickly became a passion. A fewyears later I bought him out and relocatedand rebranded the business.

As a relative newcomer, how did youfind your experience of getting into the jewellery industry?It’s been hard work. I have spent the last 13years studying jewellery and the art of retail– learning how things are made, what’s fit forpurpose and what isn’t. I’ve been learningabout the different types of gemstones and the different metals. I’ve learned aboutmanufacturing and what it takes to create a product that has both function and form. I’ve learned just how much it takes to assume responsibility for someone’sproperty and make sure it’s looked after,

restored and returned safely. Finally, I’velearned what it takes to deliver on promises.

What would you say sets EternityJewellers apart from other jewellers in St Albans and even the UK?A key component is the understanding thatjewellery is totally unique and incrediblypersonal. Often passed down from onegeneration to the next, its real value is in the spirit it evokes. Our jewellery is collectable,desirable and timeless. By definition wealready create the antiques of the future.

You offer your customers rare gems setin precious metals; how do you continueto maintain your exclusivity and gaugeyour customers interest?A few years ago I had a chance encounterwith my cousin Yves Kamioner who hadtrained at Chaumet in Paris. Yves is now afabulous and gifted jeweller in New Yorkand he really inspired me. He encouragedme to follow my instincts and expressmyself through design. I began to draw andto create. I immersed myself in patterns and shapes, in design styles, in history and,most importantly of all, I immersed myself

in the emotion of the piece being created.With each design there is a new story waitingto be told. When clients come to Eternity we treat them to a unique experience wherewe help them to express their desiresthrough jewellery.

What lies ahead for your business?Right now it’s an incredibly exciting time atEternity. We’re embracing the retail revolution.We have a fabulous new website that willlaunch in time for Christmas, where our current and new audience will be able tobuy online. The brand is about to evolveeven further as we continue to build ourvery own collection of jewellery, with anexciting piece ready to launch thisChristmas. With this increase in the businessI really feel that now is the right time to formstrong strategic partnerships with peoplethat can help Eternity grow.

Lastly, do you have a memorable customer anecdote to share with us?An older lady asked me to redesign her husband’s original wedding ring. Time wasof the essence. The husband was in hospitaland she knew he would die soon. She reallywanted to have the ring on before he passedaway. We went above and beyond to makesure that the work was done as quickly aswe could. She collected the ring on the wayto her next visit to her beloved at the hospital.

Her daughter called me the followingweek to explain that the husband hadn’topened his eyes for weeks. When the motherarrived that day she held his hands and toldhim how she had remade his ring to alwaysremind her of her love for him. With that heopened his eyes for one last time, touchedthe ring on her hand, smiled and passedaway. The family were eternally grateful forthe work we had done.

If you would like your business to be considered as Member of the Month sendan email to: [email protected]

This month Arafa Kumbuka talks to Richard Cohen owner ofEternity Jewellers in St Albans. The business was established 13 years ago and has gone from strength to strength offeringexclusive designs to its clientele.

NAG Member of the Month

To advertise in the magazine contact sales director Ian Francis on tel: +44 (0) 20 7613 4445 or email: [email protected]

For subscriptions call Amanda White at the NAG on tel: +44 (0) 20 7613 4445 or email: [email protected]

The Jeweller magazine now incorporates Gem-A’s

magazine Gems & Jewellery within each of its nine

issues per year and is now distributed to all Gem-A

members, thus increasing the The Jeweller’s overall

circulation to over 6,000.

Gems & Jewellery retains its own cover and identity

within The Jeweller and will give readers a regular

insight into the fascinating world of gemmology and

gemstones. This, in addition to its comprehensive

coverage of all matters concerning the UK jewellery

industry, will help maintain The Jeweller’s reputation

as the authoritative jewellery trade publication and

reinforce 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+ giving

a readership of 25,000+, all the numbers add up to

The Jeweller being your first choice for targeting the

UK jewellery industry.

The Voice of the Industryis louder than ever…Increased circulation in the UK as well as overseas!

The Hong

Kong Show

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Undercover on 47th St


Diamond market overviewEthical gold — new premiums announcedLoughborough Conference

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Gems&Jewellery

Incorporating

JewellerOctober 2013 £7.50The Voice of The Industry

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NAG News: Education & Training |

We asked Bethany how she came in tothe jewellery business. “I have been in

the jewellery industry since September 2011,when I started as a part-time weekender at F. Hinds. After working there for a while I started to develop a keen interest in jewellery and sales,” she explained. “This led to me being offered a full-time position

once I had left college. I later decided that I wanted to pursue my career in thejewellery industry further and so chose toenrol on the JET 1, to better my knowledgeand understanding.”

So, how did it feel when she heard thatshe had won the Bransom Award? “I wassurprised, incredibly flattered and extremely

excited to learn I had achieved such an award.This was the icing on the cake to a trulywonderful week as I had just started mynew job at Goldsmiths at Reading,” she said.

“I enjoyed completing the last JET 1assignment on the 4 Cs of a diamond –namely, carat, colour, clarity and cut – as Ifound this most interesting, along with learning about jewellery repair work. I alsofound this assignment particularly useful as itgreatly improved my knowledge of diamondsand gave me the ability to sell diamondsand other jewellery pieces confidently.

“Completing the course has been highlybeneficial to my career within the jewelleryindustry. I have not only gained a betterknowledge of diamonds, gemstones, precious metals and jewellery repairs buthave also greatly improved my sales technique, which is essential in this industry.I would highly recommend the JET 1 courseto anyone who has a keen interest in jewellery and is thinking of, or already haschosen a career in the jewellery industry, as I really enjoyed doing the course and amlooking forward to starting the JET 2.”

Bethany’s tutor, Michelle McCormick, said that it had been a pleasure to markBethany’s JET 1 course work: “She has put so much effort into every assignmentundertaken and has researched every subject including drawing on her own experience and searching various websites.Every part of her work has been answeredin great detail. Her work was always completed on time too.”

The course moderator was also veryenthusiastic about Bethany’s work.‘Bethany's answer to this final piece of JET 1course assignment work is amazing. A vastamount of diligent research must have beencarried out in order to include such detailedcoverage of the information given in eachsection. Nothing appears to have beenmissed in focussing on each part of theassignment; it was well presented and easy to follow. To say this piece of work wasoutstanding is an understatement, and for aJET 1 participant it is highly commendable.The text contains evidence that Bethany has developed a high degree of selling skills and she has won this prestigiousBransom Award for July, against a largegroup of other excellent finalists.”

We wish Bethany the very best and lookforward to receiving her JET 2 enrolment.

We in the NAG Education department would like to offer ourcongratulations to Bethany Lawless who is the latest winner of the coveted Bransom Award.

The Bransom AwardIn July 2010 the NAG launched a competition with the aim of recognising the very bestJET 1 projects. Course tutors put forward nominations before the winner is chosen by ourchief moderator. The individual who is awarded the highest assignment mark is rewardedwith a trip to the historic and prestigious Goldsmiths’ Hall in London for the presentationof their certificate at our annual award ceremony. The award, which is sponsored byBransom Retail Systems, is made on a monthly basis.

The Bransom Awardwinner for July

| NAG News: IRV Review


This year the NAG’s Institute of RegisteredValuers Loughborough Conference was a

week earlier than usual (14th-16th Sept). Itwas beyond our control but in fact it workedout quite well as weather-wise we had somesunshine (which is more than can be said forthe weekend we should have had), althoughwe did have a number of disappointed regulars who were unable to attend becausewe had brought the date forward. Apologiesgo particularly to John Sayer who wasabsent because his daughter was gettingmarried (the lengths people will go to not toattend…). However, we were delighted thatwe had so many people participate (183 intotal) and we welcomed 49 first-timers,many of them Certificate of AppraisalTheory (CAT) students.

This year we offered delegates an extrabonus for those planning to travel up on theFriday – a tour of the Blue John Cavern in

Castleton, Derbyshire, just a ‘short’ drive fromLoughborough, or that’s what we thoughtwhen we came up with the idea. Perhaps80-odd miles (there and back for those travelling up from the South) isn’t a shortdrive, but that didn’t put a group of 14 delegates off. They thoroughly enjoyed theirvisit to this unique place and thank you toMiles Hoare who took some photos for us.The Friday before the event is proving moreand more popular with delegates – this yearwe had 49 people arrive early. We assembledfor an informal dinner which included birthdaywishes to Adrian Smith, who celebrated instyle with a candle in his pudding!

As in previous years we offered the EarlyBird delegates a chance to take the MunsellColour Test and a Colour Blindness Test onthe Saturday morning. Others chose to usethe opportunity to get in a bit of networkingbefore the Conference started at 1.00pm.

Geoff Whitefield, IRV chairman, welcomeddelegates to the Conference and calledupon everyone to wish David John Harroldcongratulations on attending his 25thConference – the only person who hasattended each and every Conference everheld. Even I haven’t managed that – I missedthe Conference in 1992 as I was heavilypregnant at the time. However, this yearAnnabel – my then ‘excuse’ for not attending– came with me, to take photos.

Geoff also reminded the IRVs attendingthe Conference that the Institute invitesthem to vote for the candidates standing forthe vacancies on the new IRV Committee(they had until close of business on Sundayto vote). There were three places availableand six IRVs had put themselves forward for election or re-election (from the IRV Forum and Valuations Committee):Rosamond Clayton, David Fromming, PeterHering, Steven Jordan, Barry Sullivan andRichard Taylor.

The afternoon session began with a halfhour main presentation from Loughboroughregular David Callaghan who gave an illustrated talk on the Delhi Durbar Crown.The remainder of the afternoon was set asidefor two of the popular workshop sessions.Delegates had chosen from a total of 11offered for the first session and 10 for thesecond session.

Making the most of the hour between the finish of the second workshop and thewelcome reception, delegates visited thestands of this year’s exhibitors – AnchorCert,Gem-A and T H March. Our thanks goes toFellows who also supported the Conferenceand sponsored two free places at theConference for the top examinees in the2013 JET 2 exams, the lucky recipients beingAnna Coppock from Payne & Sons,Tunbridge Wells, and Sarah Berkerey fromPravins, Bristol. Dinner on Saturday eveningis the ideal opportunity for the IRV to expressits gratitude to the many guests and guestspeakers who take part in the Conferenceand make it the event it is. Let’s face it, without them we wouldn’t have a Conference!Following a three-course meal delegatescongratulated the four individuals whopassed the pilot CAT exam which took placelast September: Joanna Hardy, Barbara Leal,Ben Randall and Alan Wetherall. FIRVs DavidBaker, Louise Butterworth and Paul Johnstonwere also presented with their certificates.

NAG Institute of Registered Valuers R E V I E W

Loughborough No. 25… and counting!In the first of a two-part report, Sandra Page offers a general overview of the 2013 IRV Loughborough Conference

The evening was brought to a close withone of the highlights of the Conference, thepresentation of the David Wilkins Award.NAG president Margaret Harris read out the names of the nominees – Steve Carson,Georgina Deer, Alan G J Hayes, ShirleyMitchell, Dr Richard P Taylor and GeoffWhitefield – and called upon Janey Dunn(who was standing in on behalf of MargaretWilkins who was unable to attend theConference) to present the trophy to ShirleyMitchell. It was clearly a popular decision, asthe long and loud applause demonstrated.

A rather tearful Shirley said: “To be nominated is an honour in itself; to be nominated and voted on by your peers toreceive such an amazing award is the pinnacle. I have seen the standard of workproduced by David Wilkins and it is plain tosee just how forward thinking he was. Toreceive such an award created in his honourand to see my name alongside others whoI have looked up to and admired since starting out is surreal and certainly a momentI shall never forget. We have come a longway since then and I am sure that Davidwould be extremely proud of what theInstitute has achieved.”

Sunday morning started promptly with amain presentation from independent valuer,author, historian and Antiques Road Showregular John Benjamin. His View from theCoal Face gave a glimpse into his world andhighlighted the issues which all valuers shouldgive serious consideration to when valuingitems for any member of the public.

Following this talk, the third of the fiveworkshop sessions on offer over the weekend saw delegates choosing from 14options, after which past IRV Chairman

Jonathan Lambert gave a main presentationon Masonic jewels and watches. He sharedhis knowledge of these beautiful pieces and explained to delegates that they mustbe careful when valuing such items andseek advice if unsure of what they havebefore them.

Following a buffet lunch (apologies forthe queuing problem – it won’t happenagain!) the delegates welcomed anotherAntiques Roadshow specialist, and WartskiMD Geoffrey Munn, who gave a presentationon Queen Victoria’s collection of jewellery,many pieces of which were designed byPrince Albert. Delegates were also able toview some of the actual pieces mentionedduring Geoffrey’s presentation.

The afternoon finished with anotherselection of 11 workshops before bringingthe business sessions to a close at 5.30pm.Sunday is always a busy, concentrated dayand attracts a number of day delegates whoare unable to attend the whole Conference.

For this year’s final evening celebrationsattendees were encourage to create crownsto wear during dinner and we weren’t disappointed! The array of headdresses onshow was amazing. Roy Huddlestone hadpulled out all the stops to present what canonly be described as a masterpiece and inorder to give the other delegates a chanceof winning a gem of a prize he was asked tobe judge for the event. He selected 10crown-wearing delegates to come forward sothat the rest of us could pick the top three

by applauding their efforts. The chosen three– Shirley Mitchell, Jim Chanter and PravinPattni – turned their backs while the audience picked a winner by a show ofhands. NAG chairman Pravin was the clearwinner and he was thrilled with his prize of a chest of ‘jewellery related’ sweetsincluding ‘gold’ ingots and coins, ‘gem’watches, necklaces and, of course, MidgetGems – well, who wouldn’t be?

Monday started with the results of the IRVCommittee ballot: Geoff announced thatRosamond Clayton, Steven Jordan andBarry Sullivan had been chosen by the IRVsat Conference. They were invited to drawlots to see how long they would serve onthis new Committee: Rosamond will servefor three years, Steven for two and Barry for one. Next David Callaghan was invited to report on this year’s IRV monitoring exercise, explaining how the introduction ofsubmission of a probate sample valuationhad brought to light a few issues which anumber of IRVs need to address.

The final main speaker for this year’sConference was James Riley, CEO of theGem-A. He looked back at the teaching of gemmology and diamond grading over the last 100 years and highlightedplans for the future including equipmentavailable to the average valuer… as well as the equipment that most cannot afford to invest in!

Geoff brought the Conference to a closebefore the final workshop session and hethanked the many guest speakers for takingpart. In addition to those we must also mention the lecturers who ran workshops –Peter Buckie, David Callaghan (yes he didworkshops too), Steve Carson, RosamondClayton, Hilary Conquy, Eric Emms, AndrewFellows, David Fromming and LouiseButterworth, Kerry Gregory, Kate Hopley,Michael Inkpen, Tracy Jukes, HeatherMcPherson and Shirley Mitchell, ClaireMitchell, James Riley, Chris Simpson and IanRook, Barry Sullivan, Richard Taylor, JohnWatson, Stephen Whittaker, Jason Williamsand Naomi Wilson. He also thanked thosewho have helped the Institute over the past12 months and the delegates for attendingthe Conference.

The dates for the 2014 Conference will beconfirmed once the University has decidedwhen they plan to hold their Open Day!


NAG News: IRV Review |

Shirley Mitchellreceived the David

Wilkins Award

Pravin Pattniwon theprize for thebest crown!

| Regular


Jewellery & Watch Trade FairsOctober25th-27th: The Gemworld Munich,GermanyThis year the gemstone and fine jewelleryfair will see the New Design Forum – a platform for emerging designers and goldand silversmiths. Another highlight is theGemworld Pavilion showcasing the work ofmaster lapidaries.https://munichshow.com

27th-29th: JA New York, Jacob JavitsConvention Centre, NYSpecial delivery show with 500 exhibitorsoffering short order jewellery, including diamonds, gemstones, pearls, antique, children’s and men’s jewellery.www.nationaljeweler.com/jany

Sales & ExhibitionsOctoberNow until 19th Jan 2014, Pearls, V&A, LondonIn collaboration with the Qatar MuseumsAuthority, an exhibition exploring the historyof pearls from the early Roman Empirethrough to the present day.www.vam.ac.uk

1st-6th: Goldsmiths’ Fair, Goldsmiths’ Hall,London EC2Week two of the fair, featuring graduatesand first-timers as well-established names.www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk

November8th-10th: Lustre,Lakeside, University of NottinghamAround 21 jewellerydesigners are amongthe exhibitors offashion, textiles andceramics at thiscraftmakers’ market.www.lakesidearts.org.uk/crafts.html

8th-10th: Handmade in Britain, Chelsea Old Town Hall, London SW3This contemporary Crafts and Design Fairfeatures over 100 UK-based designer-makers, more than 30 of whom will beshowcasing jewellery. See page 31 for a preview of the fair.www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk

11th-5th January 2014: Dazzle, Oxo TowerWharf’s Gallery, South Bank, LondonEstablished and just-discovered contempo-rary jewellery design, from the UK andaround 22 countries.www.dazzle-exhibitions.co.uk

25th-11th January 2014: Dazzle,Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley StreetOne of the two new venues for this long-standing fair, showcasing work from 120designers creating ‘wearable art’.www.dazzle-exhibitions.co.uk

Book ReviewHeavenly Bodies by Paul Koudounaris(£19.95, Thames & Hudson)A little tangential to the jewellery world, but surely morbidly fascinatingall the same? Heavenly Bodies outlines an all-but-forgotten chapter inthe history of the Catholic church – the story of a group of skeletonsthat were discovered in the Roman Catacombs in the late 16th century.Believed to be the remains of early Christian martyrs they were heavilybejewelled and sent to Catholic churches in German-speaking countries as ‘a balm for afaith that had been wounded by the Protestant Reformation’. By the 19th century howeverthe gruesomely dazzling skeletons were denounced as imposters and ignominiouslyabandoned, hidden or heavily disguised. Koudounaris made it his goal to seek out as manyremains as he could and tell their stories. His photographs of more than 70 of these highlightthe beautiful, if macabre, craftsmanship that went into their early veneration.

25,000 Years of Jewelry, edited for the National Museums in Berlinby Maren Eichhorn-Johannsen & Adelheid Rasche (£45, Prestel)If you’ve read, learned from and enjoyed our regular AntiqueJewellery features on the cultural significance of ancient jewellery,this weighty tome will provide further fascinating insight. From thebeginnings of mankind, right the way through to the 1950s and upto the present day, it traces the development of personal adornment– the who, the what, the why and the where. Organised by timezones, it aims to present the greatest possible variety of jewellery in terms of materials andcolour, as well as function and significance. Rites of passage, social rank and identity, affiliation, self-image and status have been, and still are, expressed through jewellery –simple decoration only being part of the story. As the introduction points out, jewellery wasalmost certainly one of the first human means of expression. Clear, detailed images areaccompanied by essays on the various eras and themes, from ancient Egypt and theBronze Age, to ‘memorial, friendship and mourning’ jewellery.

NotebookWhere to go, what to read, what to see…

October15th-16th: Diamonds and DiamondGrading Intermediate, LondonThis two-day seminar will be of interest to those retailers and valuers whoobtained diamond grading skills yearsago; it can act as a step up or a usefulrefresher. To book contact Amanda White(Information and Membership Services)on tel: 020 7613 4445 or email her at:[email protected]

NAG Diary Dates

Tanja Ufer at Lustre

| Opinion: John Henn


In 2014 IJL will be at its new venue, a refurbished Olympia with its beautiful glass

ceiling with all that natural light pouring inand, rather like The Great Exhibition 162years earlier, beautiful things will be onshow at a rather more fitting venue. TheVictorians managed to attract the wholeworld to London – maybe now we will too.It is not that I didn’t like Earls Court 2 as avenue but I think it is better suited to otherindustries… is that diplomatic enough?

However as a show this year the contentwas excellent, the show organisers hadworked hard to give us a new layout withdifferent events and full marks to them formaking the best of the industry look as goodas it should.

I was surprised to see our brand new storeon show at our shop fitter’s stand. “There’ssomething very familiar about those images,”I thought as I cruised passed, only to realisethey were ours. How calm it looked, with thepeople airbrushed out! (I’ve been issuingnew contracts of employment recently,those of you who have to do the same willsympathise with me I’m sure.) The editorwill have to grant me ten thousand words totell you about that, along with the introductionof uniforms and personal presentation… we were never trained for this!

Back to the show, the fashion forexchangeable coin pendants is gainingmomentum as the number of companiesoffering something in this category isincreasing. Which one to go for? That’s thebig question. There are well-engineeredones with thin marketing campaigns andlighter made ones with great marketing.They come predominantly in steel or silver

and are set with stones of every colour underthe sun. What seems to be coming throughis that those with staff who believe in it aregetting ahead of the rest. You may think ifyou’re paid to sell, you’d sell irrespective ofthe product, but is does appear that fashionconscious staff are doing well and the restare wondering what the fuss is about.

The designer section left me wishing it wasstill 2007 when you could experiment on anew style with 5k and see what happened– some would work, some wouldn’t. I hopea few of the more solvent of you have taken

an interest in this category, as there weresome great designs on display. We are stillworking on rebalancing our stock – what atask it has been. It is tough for designersstarting out to make a commercial rangegiven that they have no history of sales,without retailer support.

We were invited in to the only enclosedstand with nothing but a number on theopaque door that was hidden among thedisplay providers. Someone had talked tosomeone else who knew us. It was all deeplymysterious, but by the time you read this ‘X’by Trollbeads will be all over the place.Locked down for a global launch on the18th of September this new bracelet con-cept has the potential to offer an alternativelook to the now established composable/customisable segment. All credit to them forthinking about the reasons for the successof their original product and re-inventinganother version of wrist jewellery that couldbring in a whole new range of clients.

I’m now back in my office looking at thelast days of the first floor carpet; laid in 1965it is now almost as much black tape as carpet. Tomorrow it will be cast out for a tileequivalent. I think my office staff will allbreak out the champagne, as we have beencontemplating this for some years. Finallythe eBay fund has accrued £1,000 towardsthe cost; this was all obtained by selling stuffthat before on-line auction sites, would havebeen sent to the recycling centre. Our starperformer was a promotional pen from the

Basel fair, which made £60 from a Japanesebuyer; our most enduring are the 500 NVQpins representing a £3,500 purchase (in anhallucinogenic moment by a now ex-memberof staff) which are selling at around £1.00each plus postage.

It will take more than a new carpet, shopfit and uniforms to make us look as good as Crystal Palace in 1851, but with the sunshining through our own little glass atrium this afternoon we could be excuseda feeling that we are hopefully making theright moves.

A Great ExhibitionJohn Henn’s overview of the last IJL to be held at Earl’s Court.

The Victorians managed to attract the whole world to London– maybe now we will too. It is not that I didn’t like Earls Court 2as a venue but I think it is better suited to other industries…is that diplomatic enough?

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

Jewellerthe

picks...To pull out just one or two trends from the plethora of styles,themes and moods unveiled at IJL last month would be impossible – they were as diverse as the brands, manufacturersand designers exhibiting. However, with Adorn Insight’s fourdirectional catwalk trends in mind, we can pinpoint some ofthe collections and pieces that caught our eye as we workedthe aisles.

CARAT*The nostalgic flavour of the Self Portrait theme might be evident in the new Regent collectionwhich has been influenced by the elegantly refined jewellery that the era was famed for. Theluxury fashion jewellery brand has employed new techniques to the green stones in particularto recreate the inherent features of a mined emerald with its natural imperfections.

SALLY-ANNE JEWELLERYOne of eight graduates working at Vanilla InkStudios in Dundee, Sally Anne Fenton showedher two collections – Black Lace and themen’s range, Fenton – on the group’s standat IJL. The 18ct gold vermeil belcher chainpendant shown here incorporates recycledblack lace together with a pearl and the linealso includes earrings, bangles and rings,with silver and oxidised silver available.

TI SENTOAmsterdam, considered to be the denimcapital of the world, is the inspiration behindTi Sento’s latest range – Denim Collection. Italso falls neatly into the high polish, fuss-free, androgynous mood of Adorn’s FuturePlus trend. Each of the 21 pieces features asmall swatch of denim fabric set amonggemstones and available in sterling silver orplated rose gold.

MALCOLM MORRISAntiquity, and in particular Helen of Troy, hasprovided the inspiration for Malcolm Morris’latest collection and rather than simplyreproduce ancient jewellery, the designerlooked at new techniques that would fit withhis way of working. The traditional art ofgranulation has been reinterpreted for acontemporary look, with silver and oxidisedsilver finishes creating a small diamond-likeeffect. The textural quality also adding aTerrain touch perhaps…

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JEWELEVERVisual impact, colour and pattern sum upthe Tribal story and undoubtedly describethe effect of Jewelever’s Aladdin’s Cave of a stand at IJL. The three new statement jewellery collections being snapped up areinspired by Ottoman art, rough, carved gemstones and exotic tropical flora, andthese tassel earrings take their influence fromjewellery historically worn by Turkish womenas well as Istanbul’s romantic palaces.

DIAMONFIREFollowing the launch of its new pink stonecollection at the CMJ trade event in August,Diamonfire introduced a line of yellow stonepieces using the Ideal cut zirconia stone,including studs and rings. Also new areproducts for Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

FILIPA OLIVEIRAExemplifying the earthy vibe of the Terrain theme is Oliveira’s new Strata collection, inspiredby crystal structures and their organic growth. The strong shapes are balanced by tactile, finelytextured surfaces and feature a sprinkling of ‘hidden’ gemstones.

SIF JAKOBSBased in Copenhagen, this fashion jewellerybrand is designed by Nordic Sif Jakobs, whowas educated in Sweden and considers Italyto be her second home. Italian eleganceprovides the inspiration for her luxuriouslycontemporary collections, which are createdin sterling silver used alongside Swarovskicrystals, zirconia and resin.

ROSIE SANDERS‘Neoclassical couture’ is how designer Rosie Sanders sums up the inspiration for her newRebel Renaissance collection of gold vermeil and enamel pieces. A hand-carved scroll motiflies at the basis of the line, which includes signet rings, stud earrings and pendants.

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| Feature


The secret to success in this business, saysTony Tankel of Glasgow-based diamond

merchant HW Tankel, does not involve a magicformula. “The public have a right to buy whatthey want to buy and the retailer needs tosupply that – it’s not rocket science,” he adds(with the hint of a sardonic smile).

He also points out that while we – those inthe business of selling diamonds – mightwant to supply GIA D VS1 goods, this is notsomething that the majority of the public canafford. “The strength of Tankel is that we’vegrasped that,” he says. “We have to supplythe right product at the right price.”

So clearly obvious to him is this sales strat-egy that Tankel takes an almost academicallydetached view of those retailers who seemnot to see that they have options. “I ask themhow business is and they’ll say it’s not good;they can’t make a sale because the customercan’t afford the grade of diamond that theysell. I ask whether they have thought of doinga different grade of stone… and the answeris ‘no’. I find that interesting. It’s not about sell-ing cheap diamonds; it’s about value formoney – about supplying what the peoplewant to buy.”

He also observes that margins are anissue. “The days of always multiplying by twopoint five or whatever are no more. Peoplewho can be flexible with margins are doingbetter,” he says. “As long as they can makesome profit they will turn the stock and thechances of success are greater. No sale of ahigh margin is still no sale.”

That said, Tankel has observed that thepublic’s appetite for diamonds is “stillextremely strong” – further incentive to keepthe customer satisfied. “As a company ourcommitment to our customers is that we willsource the relevant merchandise,” he says.“Our major supplier has tapped into thesame philosophy as us; when I visit the dia-mond markets abroad they can find the rightkind of goods for the current economic times.Not everyone can do this.

“If I phone a supplier in Tel Aviv he will doeverything he can to help – he knows that Iam not going from office to office in mysearch for a particular stone, so I become a

much more important player to him. And it’sthe same with our customers who we’rebuilding a relationship with – if they lift thephone we will do everything we can to help.This way you have a better chance of makingthe sale – it’s a sensible business strategyand thankfully it’s working.”

Another policy is to eschew agents or repson the road. “The diamond market isextremely competitive and our customers arenot able to pay an extra five to ten per cent,so we show our merchandise in a differentway,” Tankel explains. “As well as exhibitionscustomers travel to our office and we send

products out – few want to look at the wholerange because they know that we specialisein particular items.”

These days the products in question arelargely high colour diamonds from 50 pointsup, but with an increasing emphasis on two,three and four carat diamonds. “About fouryears ago we took a conscious decision totake stock of these larger stones,” says Tankel.“The jewellery trade is a village and word getsaround. We also keep huge stocks of Dcolour diamonds – we don’t buy certifiedstones, but send away parcels of stones forcertification so that there’s no extra premium.Retailers get the benefit of this.”

In common with one of its suppliers and atleast one of its retail customers, Tankel is nowin its third generation. Originally a watch andtravel clock distribution business it switchedto diamonds when the Swiss watch companychanged its distribution policy (sound familiar?)after Tony’s father Albert joined the firm at theage of 19. His knowledge of diamonds wasvery basic so he went to Tel Aviv, discoveredtwo or three suppliers and taught himself thebusiness, followed by a stint in Antwerp toincrease his knowledge. He is still involved inTankel today. A bout of staff sickness sawTony brought in to help out after receiving adegree in politics and before going on to studylaw. “Diamonds are a fascinating product –I’ve been here ever since,” he says.

He also adds that the company’s ability tosource the stones that it does means that the internet is not impacting negatively on itscustomers’ businesses. “They can competeand compete well because we don’t have ahigh cost basis,” he explains. “As I perceive it,the internet is becoming less of an issue asthey can give their customers what we givethem – the best possible service and the bestpossible price. It’s not about being cheapestbut about being able to offer consistentvalue… and we have a reputation for that.”

Brand ProfileTankel

Keeping the customer satisfied – it’s a simple strategy and onethat’s served his business well, Tony Tankel tells Belinda Morris.

It’s about value for money –about supplying what thepeople want to buy.

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Page 3

t

Editorial

Keep it simpleLook through the articles in this issue and you can see the dichotomy in our field. There is

stuff about gemmology — detecting heat-treated tanzanite for example (page 7) — and stuff

about lack of disclosure in the trade, like the need for clarification about diamonds (page 17).

There are expert gemmologists in the world and many people who earn their living buying

and selling gems. It should be simple to link the expertise of the former with the business

needs of the latter. So why isn’t it?

The CIBJO Blue Books on gems, all three of them, present guidelines to gem nomenclature

and how to describe and disclose. They are worthy and comprehensive. Compiling and

re-compiling them has taken untold hours at meetings around the world over the passing

decades, even eroding serious drinking time at CIBJO congresses, but just how effective and

useful are they? I have come to the conclusion that they are confusing for gemmologists,

perplexing for the trade and incomprehensible to the public? They are just too complex.

They don’t need to be complicated. You really only need three categories of gem

(in addition to synthetics and imitations): untreated natural gems, those that have undergone

permanent treatment without addition of other substances (just heat and/or irradiation for

example), and those which have been modified and are not durable or have had some

extraneous substance added (e.g. oil, glass or beryllium) or both. Surely, if the present

appearance (colour or clarity) of a gem is demonstrably due to adding some other substance,

then it is modified. You could write the CIBJO guidelines in a paragraph or two — easy to

explain to the public and usually easy for gemmologists to adjudicate.

The problem lies in between. The trade has tied itself into knots and ensured voluminous

CIBJO Blue Books because it is nervous, held hostage to the past. If, for example, we now

define oiled emeralds as ‘modified’ what will customers say about the emeralds sold to

them in the past?

You can’t have it both ways. Either the trade accepts very simple and logical (and honest)

categories for what they sell or we will have ever-more complex definitions and trade

disclosure will deteriorate further. It is up to you — I’m off (this is my final outing as editor)!

Jack Ogden

Gems&Jewellery

Oct 13Contents

7

Journal

4

Gem News

6

Gem-A News

10

Around the Trade

Shows & Exhibitions 12

Over the Counter 17

Gem and JewelleryHistory 20

Stone Scoop 22The Hong

Kong Show

Alphabet Jewels



Published by The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A)21 Ely Place, London EC1N 6TDt: +44 (0)20 7404 3334f: +44 (0)20 7404 8843e: [email protected] w: www.gem-a.comRegistered charity no. 1109555Copyright 2013 ISSN 1746-8043

EditorJack Ogden

Advisory BoardMary Burland, Harry Levy and James Riley

Design and ProductionZest Design +44 (0)20 7864 1504

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

AdvertisingFor mediapack and advertising rates please contact Ian Francis at the National Associationof Goldsmiths on tel: +44 (0)20 7613 4445 or email him at: [email protected]

Cover PictureDragon pendant on show at ‘Jewels of the Connoisseur’ (page 5). Courtesy Bowers Museum. Photo Robert Weldon.


Page 4

KashmirIn the last few years there has been muchtalk of building up the mining for sapphire in the Paddar Valley in Indian administeredJammu and Kashmir — the famed ‘Kashmirsapphires’. Some recently mined material is coming onto the market both officiallyand unofficially and the local government,keen to re-establish commercial mining, isseeking tenders from potential internationalgem-mining companies. Unfortunately theuncertain extent of the remaining depositsand wariness over potential military actionin the region has slowed progress. Someyield is being sold via government auction.Although the few samples we have seen ofthe recent production were rather colourlesswith a blue skin, some with small bluecolour patches (below), there are reports of

finer quality from the area. Indeed in 2011‘high quality blue sapphire’ from Sonchanmines at Paddar were seized from SriLankan smugglers, according to a report in The Hindu (17 July 2011).

In the June Government auction thisyear a 63.60 gram rough sapphire was presented. This was the second time this crystal had been put up for auction (the first time in April 2011) and, again,failed to find a bidder at a sufficiently high price and we understand that privatetenders are now being solicited. This largecrystal was found during mining activity in2010 but may actually have been found in the tailings of earlier mining activity. With the global interest in fine Kashmir sapphires on the market today, it is hoped that a detailed survey of the

area will provide a clearer idea of potential yields and tempt investors.

Haji Abdul Majid Butt, consultant to J&K Minerals Limited, has provided the following figures for rough sapphire yieldfrom the mining area:

Year Production Sale Revenue

2008 – 1,600 g INR 13,000,000

2009 3913 g 12,330 g INR 7,4700,000

2010 4502 g – –

2011 8820 g 5,799 g INR 8,229,000

2012 4520 g 4,281 g INR 4,328,000

Gem News

Gem newsJack Ogden reports on Kashmir sapphire sales, an exhibition of rare gems and J. Paul Getty Museum’s open access programme.

Two examples of recently mined Kasmir sapphire. Courtesy of Haji Abdul Majid Butt. Photo Jack Ogden.

Jewels of the ConnoisseurThe Bowers Museum in Santa Ana,Southern California, has been exhibitingJewels of the Connoisseur (27 July – 6 October), rare gems from the private collection of Buzz Gray and Bernadine

Johnston. Among 50 rare stones was a1,377 ct morganite, said to be the largest faceted morganite in the world.Shown here are a dragon pendant in benitoite, spessartine, black opal (21.09 ct from Nevada) and diamonds(right) and a pinwheel pendant with aMadagascan rainbow feldspar centre, surrounded by sections set with benitoite,spessartine, pezzottaite, demantoid garnets,apatite and grossular garnets (left).Benitoite is the California state gemstoneand found only in San Benito County,California. Buzz Gray and BernadineJohnston are also well known for their butterfly collection — a range of butterflyjewels set with rare gems, including examples of hauyne, stibiotantalite, hiddenite and jeremejevite.

Following the Jewels of the Connoisseurexhibition, the Bowers Museum will host A Quest for Beauty: The Art of VanCleef & Arpels from 27 October 2013 to 15 February 2014, presenting 200pieces from the private collections of

Van Cleef & Arpels including jewellery,watches, precious accessories, and archive drawings and documents.


Page 5

Getty makes photos open accessThe J. Paul Getty Museum has made some photos of objects in its collections openaccess. This is what they say: “The Getty

adopted the Open Content Programbecause we recognized the need to shareimages of works of art in an unrestrictedmanner, freely, so that all those who createor appreciate art — scholars, artists, artlovers, and entrepreneurs — will havegreater access to high-quality digital imagesfor their studies and projects.” The range ofobjects available include several importantpieces from their ancient jewellery collections,engraved gems and a thirteenth-centurymanuscript in Latin (right) with a descriptionof diamond (adamas) which may be theearliest depiction of octahedral diamonds,although the octahedral shape had beendescribed since antiquity. Shown left is amid-sixteenth-century French hat badge andwhat appears to be a table-cut diamonddescribed as a glass imitation — an earlyexample of such imitations.

The full page of the Getty manuscriptConcerning Diamonds can be found at:http://search.getty.edu/museum/records/musobject?objectid=110644

Gem News

Pinwheel pendant with a Madagascan rainbow

feldspar centre, surrounded by benitoite, spessar-

tine, pezzottaite, demantoid garnet, apatite and

grossular garnet. Private collection of Buzz Gray

and Bernadine Johnston. Photo Robert Weldon.

Dragon pendant in benitoite, spessartine, black

opal and diamond. Private collection of Buzz Gray

and Bernadine Johnston. Photo Robert Weldon.

Detail of a Franco-Flemish manuscript page ca.

1270 ‘Concerning diamonds’ which illustrates

octahedral diamond crystals. J. Paul Getty

Museum, inv. 83.MR.173.100v. © 2013

The J. Paul Getty Trust. All rights reserved.

A mid-sixteenth-century French enamelled gold hat

badge. J. Paul Getty Museum, inv. 85.SE.238.

© 2013 The J. Paul Getty Trust. All rights reserved.


Page 6

Gem-A News and Views

ShowtimeIt’s that time of year again: show time! The autumn season kicked off with IJL and a farewell to Earls Court. I have mixed viewsabout this show; it’s expensive compared toother shows around the world, the quality ofexhibitors is not representative of the UK market and it is not well attended. It couldalso do with a shake-up on the organizationfront. That said, it’s really Hobson’s choicewith the Spring and Autumn fairs not beingcomparable. The word is that Olympia nextyear will be only three days but the openinghours will be longer — from 9 am until 9 pm.That’s 12 hours on a stand? As the generalmanager of the Hong Kong JewelryManufacturers’ Association said to me, whywould exhibitors from the Far East potentiallywant to spend 30 hours travelling for threedays exhibiting? Add to this the late relocationof stands and poor interaction between standholders and the organizers, and the futurelooks bleak. It is highly possible that Gem-Awill choose not to exhibit unless things change;a dangerous strategy possibly but with the costsoutweighing the benefits, the association canget a better return on its investment elsewhere.We would welcome members’ feedback on thisas we don’t want to ignore our own backyard,but there are, perhaps, alternatives.

New premisesTuesday 3 September saw the official openingof Gem-A’s new premises at 21 Ely Place withover 250 people attending. In spite of arequest from IJL to move the date, a fantasticevening was had by all concerned with thegeneral consensus being that this is animportant new chapter in our history. Forthose of you who haven’t had the chance tovisit, please do pop in. The building will befully open during the conference for everyoneattending. A massive ‘thank you’ from mepersonally, and on behalf of the members,

must go to all of the staff at Gem-A for theirhard work over and above their normal dutiesto bring about the relocation. An apology andthank you goes also to the onsite studentswho have endured noise and dust, but stillpersevered and managed to obtain a veryhigh success rate in the examinations.

StaffThis month sees the retirement from Gem-Aof two of its most influential individuals of thelast 20 years. As I mentioned last month,Jack Ogden is retiring, although he will bedoing consultancy work. I know he has writtenabout this elsewhere so there is little else I can add other than to thank him for all hisefforts, particularly with this magazine and I hope he will continue to contribute to it.

Roger Harding, former director of gemmology at Gem-A, ‘retired’ many yearsago but has continued as editor of The

Journal of Gemmology, upholding its standards and ensuring that it has retainedits pre-eminence as the leading scientificgemmological publication in the world. Hehas not been easy to replace, so much sothat he has selflessly ensured continuity untilwe found the right individual. Thank you Roger.

Farewell also this month goes to ourmembership assistant Carlos Witkowski.Carlos has been with us a little over threeyears and will be familiar to many as the

smiling face that greeted you on receptionin Greville Street. He is taking on a newmembership role at the Royal College ofPaediatrics and we wish him every successin the future.

As a door closes so a new one opens.Our new editor of The Journal of Gemmology

is Brendan Laurs. Brendan will be known tomany as the former editor of Gems &

Gemology. His appointment brings a newchapter to The Journal and to Gem-A. From2014 The Journal will return to four issuesper year following the increase to two in2013. The appointment of Brendan hasbeen assisted greatly by Michael Krzemnickiand the SSEF. This is part of an exercise tomake The Journal more accessible aroundthe world, and to ensure it remains at theforefront of gem research and is able tocommunicate this with the highest possibleimpact. Brendan will be at our conferencein November but feel free to contact himbefore with articles and ideas:[email protected].

A warm welcome is extended to our newIT manager, Charles Evans. Charles is an FGA DGA who has previously worked in IT inthe publishing world. He will be enhancing Gem-A’s IT and also working on projects suchas advanced instrumentation and looking toorganize overseas trips for members.

ConferenceLast and by no means least, our next major event is our conference to be held inNovember, celebrating the centenary of theGemmology Diploma and the fiftieth anniversaryof the Diamond Diploma. This is set to be areally special event with some tremendousspeakers as well as the opportunity to seeand handle part of the Somewhere In TheRainbow™ collection. Space is limited formany of the conference events so don’t delay — book now! I hope to see you there.

Gem-A newsGem-A CEO James Riley FGA gives a round-up of what’s happening at Gem-A.

Harry Levy officially opens our new premises


Page 7

Journal Files

Detecting heat treatment in tanzaniteGemmologists are aware — and gem sellersshould be aware — that the majority oftanzanite is heat-treated. It comes out ofthe ground a brownish colour and is thenheated to develop its fine, characteristicblue — to fulfil nature’s intention, as tanzanite advocates might say. Only around12–15% of blue tanzanites were blue whenmined and so when there is no evidence of heat treatment there can be a premiumon price. The problem lies in determiningwhether or not tanzanites have been treated.There is no simple, 100% reliable criterion(see Gems&Jewellery August/September2013, pages 13 and 14). In a two-partarticle, Dan Taylor, Professor Andrew H.

Rankin and Professor Peter J. Treloar propose a new approach — looking at liquid inclusions within the stone1.

The research reported here, instigatedby the late Dan Taylor, looked at well-developed multi-phase inclusions inunheated tanzanite from the Merelani mining area (D block), Tanzania. UsingRaman microanalysis, the researchers wereable to identify the liquid and vapour phaseswithin the inclusions as hydrogen sulphide(H2S). At even relatively low temperatures(well below 100°C) these liquid and vapourphases of hydrogen sulphide homogenizedto a single liquid phase. Higher temperaturescould destroy them completely. All but thesmallest (<2–10 micron) inclusions wouldnot survive the temperatures of around600°C probably used for heat-treating

tanzanite, and even with treatment at450°C, survival of inclusions over about 20microns would be unexpected. The presenceof hydrogen sulphide in multi-phase inclusions in tanzanite (1) — detectable byRaman analysis in a gem lab — thereforeappears to be an indication of lack of heattreatment. The authors stress that this wasinitial research on a limited number ofsamples, but the potential is exciting. The authors also note that the human noseis extremely sensitive to the ‘rotten egg’smell of hydrogen sulphide and that if one of these multi-phase inclusions isopened, such as during cutting, the smell of the released hydrogen sulphide is readily detectable.

Chinese freshwater cultured pearlsRecent years have seen huge develop-ments with Chinese freshwater pearls withan extended range of sizes and shapes,including tablets and crosses (2). It isinteresting to read the report on how theyare produced and their characteristics byProfessor Li Liping and Wang Min of theGemmological Institute, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan2. The yield offreshwater cultured pearls in China hasranged between 1,000 and 1,600 tonsbetween 2005 and the present. During this time there have been significant developments including optimizing the

The Journal of GemmologyGem-A’s most recent issue of The Journal containsarticles dealing with the detection of heat treatment intanzanite, Chinese freshwater cultured pearls and thecharacteristics of synthetic alexandrites. Jack Ogdensums up this latest gemmological research.

1 Typical multi-phase inclusion in unheated tanzanite observed under crossed polars.

2 Rectangular flake beaded freshwater cultured

pearls. Photo Li Liping and Wang Min.


Page 8

Journal Files

breeding of mussels, including hybridizationand improvements in surgery techniques.This article explains some of these developments as well as gemmologicalstudy of the resulting pearls, includingmicroscopy, cathodoluminescence, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction.

The non-beaded, freshwater culturedpearls are produced by introducing mantletissue within the mussel. The shape of this mantle tissue and its positioning withinthe mussel determines shape. For example,

the bar or tablet shapes require a rectangular strip of mantle tissue, the crossshapes form when there are two strips ofmantle tissue at right angles. Similarly, withbeaded, freshwater cultured pearls, differentbead shapes determine the final product.The harvesting of freshwater cultured pearlshas typically involved the death of the mussel.However, it is now possible to keep themussel alive and implant a bead or piece of mantle tissue to produce a second-generation pearl (3). Non-beaded second-

generation pearls are typically thin and of a curved petal or flake shape, and usuallyhave a rough surface. However, large balloon-like ‘soufflé pearls’ are produced by injecting a muddy liquid into the existing pearl sac.

In cross-section, the new forms of non-beaded, freshwater cultured pearls resemblethe concentric structure of the previouslyknown ones. Under cathodoluminescencemost show a yellowish-green fluorescence,except the centres of the elongated andcross-shaped which have an orange fluorescence. X-ray diffraction revealed theyellowish green fluorescence was due toaragonite, the orange to vaterite. With thenew beaded, freshwater cultured pearls,such as disc shapes, cross-sections weresimilar to those seen in other beaded,freshwater cultured pearls, with a sharpboundary between bead and pearl layer. The authors conclude that: “The basic structure of the new varieties of freshwaterpearls is similar to that of traditional freshwater cultured pearls, which consistsof concentric nacreous layers; these aremainly of aragonite with small quantities of vaterite, and some organic residueremaining in the central hole.”

Synthetic alexandriteThe recent popularity — and multiplyingvarieties — of colour-change gemstones,plus Karl Schmetzer’s scholarly 2010Russian Alexandrites, has brought alexandrites, natural and synthetic, to thefore. Synthetic alexandrite has been grownusing the Horizontal Oriented Crystallizationprocess (HOC) since the late 1980s, butsurprisingly a complete gemmologicaldescription of this material has been lacking.This is remedied in the first of two articleson synthetic alexandrite in this latest Journal

by Dr Karl Schmetzer, Dr Heinz-JürgenBernhardt, Walter A. Balmer and ThomasHainschwang3. With the HOC process,plate-like crystals up to almost half a kilogram in weight have been grown (4).The most significant internal characteristicsof this material are curved growth striationsand flat, irregularly shaped and somewhatelongated cavities. Both these types of

To view the full article, login as a member on the Gem-A website and go to:

www.gem-a.com/publications/journal-of-gemmology/the-journal-online.aspx

3 Second generation freshwater cultured pearls. Photo Li Liping and Wang Min.


Page 9

internal characteristics can be seen also in synthetic alexandrite grown by theCzochralski process, but the form of cavitiesdiffer sufficiently to be a guide. The articlealso discusses the physical and chemicalproperties of the HOC synthetic alexandriteincluding UV Vis absorption spectra, traceelement concentrations, crystal morphologyand colorimetric parameters. This latestresearch also raises questions regardingwhether or not synthetic alexandrite hasbeen grown hydrothermally. Such productionhas been occasionally described in thegemmological literature, but as the reportedcharacteristics of this material appear similar

to those now reported for HOC samples, theexistence of hydrothermally grown alexandriterequires further confirmation.

The second article by Dr Karl Schmetzer,Dr Heinz-Jürgen Bernhardt and ThomasHainschwang covers synthetic alexandriteand reddish-violet chrysoberyl grown byKyocera in Japan using the Czochralskimethod4. The production of alexandritecat’s-eyes by Kyocera dates back to the1980s. This material when cut en cabochonin the right orientation produces asterism inone direction and chatoyancy in another (5).The pleochroism and absorption spectra ofthis synthetic alexandrite suggested that

there was an element present in addition to the chromium and vanadium commonlyobserved in synthetic alexandrite. Analysisconfirmed that the colour of the syntheticalexandrite cat’s-eyes and stars was due totitanium and chromium with minor amountsof vanadium, and that oriented needle-likecrystals causing the star were titanium-containing, probably rutile. The reddish-violet synthetic chrysoberyl from Kyocera is also coloured by titanium. The articleincludes a survey of the patent literatureregarding synthetic alexandrite cat’s-eyeswhich reveal that both the Czochralski andFloating Zone processes could be used,

that the colourants were chromium oxidealone or chromium oxide in conjunction withvanadium oxide or other oxides, and thatthe dopant causing asterism was usuallytitanium oxide. The patents explain that the needle-like precipitates causing asterism are formed by exsolution in a special heat treatment process subsequentto crystal growth.

Journal Files

1. ‘Liquid hydrogen sulphide (H2S) fluid inclusions in unheated tanzanites (zoisite) from Merelani, Tanzania: Part 1. Recognition, characterization and gemmological importance’ by Taylor, D., Rankin, A.H., and Treloar, P.J., and ‘Liquid hydrogen sulphide(H2S) fluid inclusions in unheated tanzanites (zoisite) from Merelani, Tanzania: Part 2. Influence on gem integrity during and after heat treatment’ by Rankin, A.H., Taylor, D., and Treloar, P.J. The Journal of Gemmology, 2013, 33(5-6), 149-59 and 161-9

2. ‘Structural features of new varieties of freshwater cultured pearls in China’ by Li Lipingand Wang Min. The Journal of Gemmology, 2013, 33(5–6), 131–6

3. ‘Synthetic alexandrites grown by the HOC method in Russia: internal features related to the growth technique and colorimetric investigation’ by Schmetzer, K., Bernhardt, H-J.,Balmer, W.A., and Hainschwang T. The Journal of Gemmology, 2013, 33(5–6), 113–29

4. ‘Titanium-bearing synthetic alexandrite and chrysoberyl’ by Schmetzer, K., Bernhardt H-J.,and Hainschwang T. The Journal of Gemmology, 2013, 33(5–6), 137–48

4 Faceted synthetic alexandrite grown by the HOC technique in daylight (left) and in incandescent

light (right). Photos by K. Schmetzer.

5 Ti-bearing synthetic alexandrite cat’s-eye

produced by Kyocera in Japan in daylight (top)

and incandescent light (below). Bosshart

collection. Photo by K. Schmetzer.


Page 10

Around the Trade

The Kimberley Process (KP) has now been with us for nearly 15 years;wars have come and gone, regimes have disappeared, rebels havebecome legitimate governments, yet those outside the trade continue to promote the KP and regard it as a solution to many ofAfrica’s problems. They regard any progress in African society asdue to the KP being in place and continue to want to refine it. The premise on which the KP came into being was that rebels inAfrica were using diamonds to purchase arms and help their rebellions in killing native Africans. No one questioned why therewere these rebellions or why people were fighting, and the NGOsand their supporters argued that if the source of diamonds dried upthen so would the wars. The KP has been in place and indeed warshave ceased in parts of Africa, but one cannot argue that this issolely because of the KP. Cause and effect is a well-studied topic in philosophy. If A causes B it does not follow that if we do nothave A, then we do not have B. For the argument to work we haveto show that A is both a necessary and sufficient condition to cause B. In our case we have to show that it is necessary to havediamonds to have wars, and it is sufficient to have diamonds forwar to happen. Neither of these conditions is proven. Wars occurwithout the presence of diamonds; it does not follow that if thereare diamonds then war will ensue.

The rebels themselves say that if there were no diamonds theywould use other natural commodities to obtain money. The diamondindustry has been maligned for years now as a source of evil andtoo many people with absolutely no knowledge of the diamondindustry and trade have jumped in to try to make our world a betterplace. There seems to be little equivalent activity to control the oil industry and, more important, the arms industry.

The concept of ‘origin’ issueThe latest attempt is to ‘help’ the industry by getting suppliers toknow and give the origin of polished diamonds, no matter howsmall. The concept of origin has been the basis of controlling thediamond industry. But what do they mean by ‘origin’?

I remember having to complete customs declaration forms for importing parcels of gemstones. One question was on ‘origin’. I never knew whether this meant where the parcel had been posted,where the gems had come from, where the stones had been cut andpolished, the last place the rough had come from to the polishingcentre or where the stones had been mined. Most of us would agreethat it is the last option — it is where the stones are mined.

The case with diamonds is more complicated than that of othergemstones. Diamonds were formed in the mantle of the earthmany millions of years ago from carbon under high pressure andhigh temperature. These come to the surface through volcaniceruptions in what are called kimberlite pipes. Most stay there andare mined, first near the surface and then we have to go deeperand deeper to find them. Those near the surface do not always staythere; they migrate. They get into sedimentary soil and are movedby rivers, floods and by the topography of the earth in mud slides.So a diamond may be found (and mined) many miles away fromwhere it first came to the surface. These are known as alluvial diamonds; the small-time miners who find them are called artisanalminers; they have no machinery and use bucket and spade.

When gemmologists talk about origins of coloured gems theyrefer to where the stones were formed, which usually is where theyare found. Coloured gems migrate far less than diamonds becausethey are softer and are soon ground to small grit — look at a scoopof sand under a microscope and you will see many types of stones.Gemmologists pride themselves on often being able to give an origin

The Kimberley Process: it’s a question of provenance, not originHarry Levy, Gem-A president, considers the current situationwith the Kimberley Process and the questions it raises.

© D

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Page 11

Around the Trade

for a coloured gem based on impurities which are manifested in the colour of the gem, its inclusions or both. Naming origins ofgemstones is not a deductive science; it is based on building adatabase of the trace elements and inclusions in gemstones of known origin.

With diamonds, colour is not a positive indicator of origin asmost are colourless and we have little or no database of impuritiesin diamonds. So confusions arise when we are asked to identify theorigin of diamonds, especially for those with no gemmologicalknowledge. For example, if they want to ban diamonds from SierraLeone, they cannot prevent their export by smuggling, but stillexpect gemmologists to tell them if the stones came from SierraLeone originally. We have no way of doing this. Further, not all diamonds coming from a particular country are necessarily conflictdiamonds. That is why the KP required the authorities in a conflictarea to sort out which diamonds were legitimate and give these alicence (KP Certificate — KPC) allowing them to be exported. Theonly recent example of a total ban was for diamonds coming fromMarange in Zimbabwe. Here, for the first time, a government had runfoul of the KP, and some of these diamonds were easily identifiablebecause of a green tinge visible in polished stones. But the KP shot itself in the foot by allowing Zimbabwe to export several millioncarats of these stones, so many are in the legitimate trade. TheZimbabwe situation has forced the KP to try to re-define conflictdiamonds to incorporate human rights’ issues, something which itwas never designed to do and which has not yet been achieved.

A bridge too farLegislatures in the EU now wish to impose further restriction on diamonds by demanding origins be put on all diamonds, includingthose in set jewellery. This would be a bridge too far. It is not originthat is the issue, it is the provenance. It is not a question of wherethe diamond came from, but who sold the stones. This confusionhas existed from the very beginnings of the KP. Those who knowleast about the diamond trade shout the loudest about origins. The KP in its wisdom understood this difference, but many of thosevociferous about cleaning up the diamond trade seem to have noidea about this.

Further, the KP understood how the trade functions and imposedrestrictions on rough diamonds, not polished ones. Rough diamondswere sold by entities such as De Beers, Al Rosa and Argyle, by sortingthe stones by type. For example De Beers sorts into a possible 5,000types based on size, clarity and so on. It ensures that all the diamondsit has are conflict-free before they go in the mix and are then sorted.The rough may come from many sources.

Cutters of diamonds get their rough from many sources and,after cutting, these stones are also sorted into types by shape, size,colour, clarity and so on. The cutters sell to dealers who again sortthem, and then to manufacturers of jewellery who re-sort them toensure the stones that go into a piece of jewellery are matchingsets. Nowhere in this chain is origin an issue. The assumption isthat the distributers of rough diamonds have ensured that their

diamonds are KP compliant; they are kosher, and what comes froma kosher source remains kosher.

To try to keep polished stones separate by origin would involvehuge numbers of separate packets and no one packet will necessarilyhave a sufficient quantity or sizes of diamonds to complete an articleof jewellery. Imagine trying to keep a tally of origins for oil until itbecomes petrol and is sold at the pumps. Or those sellers of gold,some of whom claim that they deal in clean gold only, knowing full well that there is so much recycled gold in their system the initial origin of which is totally unknown.

The diamond industry has tried to comply with every demandmade on it so far by those who want ethical jewellery, but is nowfaced with a possible demand it cannot meet. I have often used theanalogy that you can ask a man to jump off the tenth floor of abuilding — which he can do. But try asking him to now jump backfrom the ground floor to the tenth floor and see the result.

I hope when these discussions come up, there will be peoplewith knowledge of diamonds to explain these points to the legislators. Otherwise we will have decisions made by those speaking through their hearts rather than through their heads.

And on another subject…Finally I would like to add my thanks to (Dr) Jack Ogden for the manyyears he has spent in producing this magazine, for his writings, lectures, talks, wit and wisdom, and most of all his subtle prods toour accepted knowledge and his sense of humour. I have workedwith Jack for many years, going well back into the last century, inhis days as CEO for the NAG and secretary general for CIBJO and much more. We often spent an evening, after a day at a conference, lamenting the fact that not many delegates followedthe arguments, and “Oh, there is always next year!” Good luck tohim in whatever he does.

So, my tenth International Jewellery Londonexhibition (IJL) while working with Gem-A isover. There is an English expression about acurate’s egg. It derives from a cartoon datingback some 120 years where a bishop comments that the egg that his guest, acurate, is eating appears bad. The curate, notwishing to offend the bishop, replies thatparts of it were excellent. IJL 2013 was abit like that. First the negatives. There wasa paucity of exhibitors — manifested in the abundant and always welcome spacesarranged as seating areas; a paucity of visitors, apart from on the Sunday, and acontinuation of the trend towards more and more exhibitors of down-market products. Down market is still a market — a very big one — but it is not ‘fine jewellery’, nor the quality that made IJL the premier jewellery show it used to be.

There were also some exhibitors whose disclosure about gems was an

embarrassment. Buyers (and only tradebuyers are admitted) who think they can buya bright red ‘natural ruby’ for a few poundsa carat deserve what they get — but theircustomers don’t. I’m not a great fan of vettingcommittees at major art and antique shows,even though I have been on a few. Thesecommittees consist of experts who previewthe show and reject exhibits that are not whatthey say they are and, where applicable,demand that ticket descriptions be rewritten.Maybe it’s time to think about an equivalentfor IJL. In any case, the organizers of IJLreally do need to put some sort of oversightor vetting in place. Their target is to getexhibitors to fill the hall, but it shouldn’t be at any price.

So what was good about IJL 2013? First of all it looked great. The overall decor and decoration, and the style of thebasic booths, did the organizers credit.

There were many really good exhibitors, anda wonderful seminar programme.

We can start with the exhibitor who wonthis year’s Gem-A sponsored Gem EmpathyAward. This award is bestowed upon the IJLexhibitor who demonstrates knowledge,enthusiasm and flare for coloured gems,and whose jewellery shows captivating useof them and is described accurately. In asense the winner has to be a stand-outambassador for coloured gems. This year’swinner was London-based Tivon Fine Jewels.There were two pieces that really caughtthe judges’ eyes and which were the centreof interesting conversations (without theexhibitors knowing they were being judged,of course). One was a superb aquamarineand diamond pendant (see their ad on ourback cover). This 58.60 ct stone was abeautiful greenish blue — traditionally thecolour of the finest aquamarines, before the purer blue became prevalent. Indeedthat was the core of the conversation —was it an aquamarine or a green beryl?Both judges concurred that they’d call it an aquamarine. Colour descriptor was also the centre of the conversation aboutthe second piece, a circular pendant setwith 10 red sapphires (1). Red sapphires? Well the stones, heat-treated and fromMozambique, were certainly red and certainly sapphires, but they had a brownish tinge that both Tivon and thejudges agreed really wasn’t ruby-like.


Shows and Exhibitions

Page 12

International Jewellery LondonThe 2013 IJL exhibition took place at Earls Court,London, 1 – 4 September. Jack Ogden reports on theshow – the good, the bad and the beautiful.

1. ‘The Rose Garden’ pendant created for Tivon’s

50th Anniversary and set with Tanzanian red

sapphires (quite distinct in colour from rubies).

Courtesy Tivon Jewels

2. Marcus Reddish sapphire.

Photo courtesy Marcus McCallum Ltd

3. Couture Faye cocktail earrings in peridot,

citrine and coloured diamonds by Sarah Ho.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Ho.



Page 13

Aquamarines were well represented at IJL.PJ Watson had a good range of aquamarineand diamond pendants, with bright aquasfrom Mozambique, while Marcus McCallumalso had a reddish sapphire that none would claim to be a ruby (2). The stone, fromMadagascar, was described by Marcus as a ‘brownie purpley orangey sort of colour’.That might not be accepted colour terminology, but it certainly summed it up.

Sarah Ho used IJL to launch two newproducts, her ‘Paradis Collection’, inspired bythe bird of paradise and Art Deco elegance,and her men’s DK30 collection which derivesfrom a ring she made for a friend’s 30thbirthday. Among the jewellery displayed by Howas an exquisite pair of peridot and citrineearrings (3). Of course, not all exhibitors ortheir customers deal with high-end jewellery,so for every exhibitor of gem-studded goldor platinum, there were several who showedjewellery in sterling silver and base metals.Among the latter, many exhibitors resort togold, silver or rhodium plating, producing,

let’s face it, what can best be classed asimitation jewellery, regardless of how well itis designed. So I admire jewellers who havethe courage of their convictions and exploitthe possibilities of the non-precious metalsthey use. One such is Michael Michaud whocasts botanical subjects in bronze and thenapplies various types of surface colouringand patination. Shown here is a patinatedbronze and cultured pearl pea-pod brooch.It is not just a casting based on a pea pod,it is cast from a pea pod (4).

The international flavour of IJL wasshown by exhibitors from several countries,including some Hong Kong exhibitors and,for the first time, Sarrafians from Istanbul.Istanbul has a good and historical reputationfor jewellery and in recent decades itsdesigners have produced some wonderfulOttoman-inspired pieces. Among thoseshown by Sarrafians were pendants inhand-engraved gold, silver and diamond,based on Ottoman period locks (5).

One of the reasons Gem-A exhibits atgem shows world-wide is to keep in touchwith members and students, and our diversenetwork of instructors. This year was noexception, with many old and new friendsvisiting our stand. Such visitors often havegems to show; some just bought, otherstreasures or puzzles from their collection.This year one such visitor was Elaine Branwellwho kindly showed us — and then presentedto Gem-A — some interesting samples,including black moissanite sold as blackdiamond (with accompanying mini-cert) (6), milky opal that was actually plastic(supposedly from China) and various coated quartz samples. Apparently coatingcolourless, synthetic quartz to imitate citrineand other coloured quartz varieties hasbecome a cottage industry in Thailand,although its economic viability is puzzling.

For next year, IJL moves from Earls Courtto Olympia, just up the road. It will be interesting to see how this move, forced onIJL by the redevelopment of the Earls Courtsite, will affect the show. The new venue willprovide a very different feel and I hope thatthe organizers will take the opportunity tobuild on their successes and learn from criticisms. IJL is a treasured part of the UKjewellery industry — both a flagship for the industry and a barometer of how thatindustry is faring. I wish it, its exhibitors and its visitors, well for the future.

4. Patinated bronze and cultured pearls pea pod brooch by Michael Michaud.

Photo courtesy Michael Michaud.

For more information see:mamicameo.it • marcusmccallum.com • michael-michaud.com • pjwatson.co.uksarrafians.co.tr • shojewellery.com • tivonjewels.com

5. Pendants based on the forms of antique

Ottoman locks, in gold, silver and diamonds,

by Sarrafians. Photo courtesy Sarrafians.

6. Black moissanite with its ‘certificate’ stating

that it is a 4.63 ct black diamond.

Copyright Gem-A, photo Jack Ogden.



Page 14

PricesPrices for coloured gems are tricky to keeptabs on. Things change ridiculously quicklyand quality is of paramount importance. Thegeneral feeling among gem dealers at HongKong was that prices for good- to- fine qualitygems have gone up some 20% over the lastsix months. It is hard enough for gem dealers,so heaven only knows how appraisers keepup with things — even those with sufficienthands-on, market know-how to recognizethe minute differences in shade of a ruby,say, that can add a zero to its value. At oneend of the scale there are shovel-loads ofnatural but cheap stones — for examplepretty coloured but heavily included Chineseperidot at 99 US cents a carat — at theother end there are the specimen gems atprices to make either your eyes or yourmouth water (depending on whether you arebuyer or seller). With fine gems I am notjust talking about the large gems to feed the growing high end, collector and evenembryonic investment market, such as a

selection of tanzanites over 100 carats on show. Small but beautiful gems alsocommand high prices. For example colouredgem specialist Evan Caplan had two beautifulBrazilian Paraíba tourmalines, one pear, onea trillion (1). They weighed around two andthree-quarters carats each and he was asking the best part of US$60,000 percarat. Bear in mind that the majority ofParaíba tourmalines are heat-treated — the trillion here was a sapphire-blue colourwhen mined. With some gems lack of treatment is of the utmost importance, with others it hardly matters.

Blues and the bluesBlue sapphires are in the ascendant as theChinese have been major buyers for the lastcouple of years — following their love-affairwith red gems — and other blue gems, suchas tanzanite, are being carried up with it.For the Chinese, as with much of the market, lack of treatments in sapphires

is important at the high end, but less of aconcern for commercial goods. The demandis, of course, for fine Kashmir, Burma andSri Lankan stones. Interestingly China doeshave its own sapphire deposits, but littlereaches the domestic market. Some isexported to Australia, some to Thailand and a fair bit to Switzerland for the watchindustry — their frequent occurrence as thin plates makes them ideal for cutting into little watch jewels, and their rich, dark colour means that the jewels look ‘sapphire blue’ when very small.

1. Two small but beautiful Brazilian Paraíba tourmalines.

Courtesy Evan Caplan.

2. Greyish sapphire rough that has been bleached

and then immersed in blue, cobalt-containing

glass which has glued them together. They would

be broken apart and then cut. Copyright Gem-A.

3. Glass-filled sapphire: a low cabochon

(99 US cents a carat) and two faceted

examples (US$ 5-7 a carat). Copyright Gem-A.

Hong KongThe September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, thelargest gem and jewellery show in the world, provedagain that it is the barometer for our industry. JackOgden reports on prices, products and new challenges.



Page 15

Glass-filled sapphiresWhile on the subject of sapphires, the blue-glass-filled sapphires are now out there (2, 3). They had hardly been seen on themarket previously. Just like the glass-filledrubies that have blighted the industry forthe last few years, the sapphires are fairlyreadily identified by anyone with a bit ofgemmological knowledge and a loupe — gas bubbles, colour flash (not always thatevident) and fillings in crevices made obviousby relief effects. The blue glass filling iscoloured by cobalt so they also typicallyshow red with the Chelsea Colour Filter andblue laser; however this is probably notdefinitive as some blue sapphires with atouch of chromium (such as many from Sri Lanka) can also show reddish. Prices forthe rough and some of the cabs were lessthan US$1 a carat, the faceted materialgenerally around US$3–10 depending onquality (and seller). There are, naturally, othercolours of glass-filled sapphire on the market— I’ve seen green, pink and yellow — but seemingly not in any quantity.

Hail a cabPerhaps the main gem trend evident withcoloured gems is the use of cabochons.There were cabochons and sugarloaf gemsin all varieties, sizes and qualities — tanzanite, tsavorite, peridot, spinel, tourmaline, aquamarine, sapphire, ruby. Youname it, the cabs were there, both looseand set, for example, the sapphire and rubynecklace on offer by Veerasak Gems (4).

Yellow feverDo you have any jewellery in your inventoryset with small yellow diamonds — say oneor two points? Stake your reputation onthem being natural? One Chinese producerof synthetic HPHT yellow melee (1–2 pts)showed me some of his production. He sellsthem for what they are, fully disclosed, but ashe said he could not guarantee what happensfurther up the supply chain. He also reckonedhe would be producing colourless syntheticdiamond melee ‘quite soon’. Yellow HPHTsynthetic diamond melee is also now being

produced in Surat, India — right next to thediamond cutting factories. Should we worry?One gemmologist told me he had recentlypurchased a parcel of yellow melee forresearch at the Hong Kong Show last year.Despite insistence by the seller that all werenatural and untreated, testing revealed thataround a third were synthetic, all the restwere natural but treated.

Blue lightGresham’s Law states, in essence, that the‘bad’ coming on the market tends to kick outthe ‘good’ — in perception as much as inpractice. Thus announcements of blue amberfor sale immediately trigger visions of yetmore blue stained or otherwise treated amber

(or copal). But there is ‘good’ blue amber,such as that now coming from Sumatra.Like the Dominican Republic green amber,the colour is a fluorescent sheen, not a bodycolour, but even so the colour can be strikingunder daylight, especially when on a blackbackground (5). The Sumatran amber alsoincludes reddish, in some lights almost rubyred, as well as various shades of yellowy-brown. The story I was told was that theamber was first found in a Sumatran coalmine a couple of years ago and was beingthrown away until someone recognized whatit was. It has now been coming onto themarket for about 18 months. Apparently ithas been dated to between 25 and 35 millions years old. This was all explained tome by Starborn Creations, a US companyexhibiting in Hong Kong and with a selectionof blue and other Sumatran amber rough,polished and set in silver jewellery.

Proof of the puddingIn business terms the show was slow, disastrous for some. Overall, loose gemsseemed to do better than finished jewelleryand some gem dealers had smiles on theirfaces — one I met had just signed up amillion US dollar sale with one customer.The recent changes on the Chinese politicallandscape including the crackdown on corruption, the associated reductions in

4. A necklace of ruby and sapphire cabochons.

Courtesy Veerasak Gems Co. Ltd.

5. Two samples of Sumatran

‘blue amber’ — amber with

a blue surface fluorescence,

photographed in sunlight

on a dark background.

Copyright Gem-A.



lavish gift-giving, and greater wariness aboutlarge cash transactions have apparentlyslowed down purchases in some top-endgem and jewellery categories (much thesame seems to have happened in Russiawith Russian buyers thin on the ground inHong Kong). Although Chinese growth mighthave slowed slightly it is still high and oldhands reckon things will be back to previouslevels soon. The reluctance of Chinese buyers to spend at the Hong Kong showmay be due to their already having highinventories rather than any fear about a significant drop-off in trade.

New Zealand jade in ChinaI popped into China for a day for a meetingand took the opportunity to visit the newGuangdong Museum in Guangzhou. A huge,spectacular museum that puts almost any

museum built in the West in recent years toshame, it is a perfect demonstration of theextraordinary economic growth in China.One current exhibition in the new GuangdongMuseum was a loan exhibition devoted toNew Zealand jade, with a large selection ofjade artefacts, boulders and informativematerial on its history and working. It wasextraordinary to see how tough New Zealandnephrite used to be sawn and polished with unsophisticated sandstone saw andpolishing blocks (6).

That strayed a bit from Hong Kong, butit underlined Chinese ascendance on worldmarkets in general, and how it steers globalgem prices and demand in particular. Thus,as has been true for several years now, theSeptember Hong Kong Gem & Jewellery Fair,the largest such show in the world, is thebarometer for our trade and an essential portof call for all those with a serious involvement

in the gem and jewellery industry. For Gem-Athe show provides the ideal opportunity tocatch up with our many teaching centres,instructors, students and members in theregion, including from Hong Kong, China,Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Stephen Kennedy invites applications for apart-time position as an AdministrativeAssistant/Gemmologist in a laboratory dedicated to the testing of coloured

gemstones and pearls.

The position, based in London, is initially aone year contract, working 9.30 – 5.30

Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday withsome flexibility.

FGA qualification (or similar) essential.

Science background an advantage.

Visits to the London premises welcome by appointment (Unit 23, 43 Kirby Street,

London EC1N 8TE).

Please send your letter of application and CV by email: [email protected] or by post:

GPL Ltd, PO Box 684, Horsham RH13 6WR

Closing date: 25th October 2013

6. A New Zealand nephrite block partially sawn

using an abrasive stone saw. On exhibit in

Guangzhou (Guandong Museum).

Hong Kong (cont.)

To advertise in the magazine contact sales director Ian Francis on tel: +44 (0) 20 7613 4445 or email: [email protected]

Gems&Jewellery is now incorporatedwithin The Jeweller giving the magazine a total circulation amongstNAG and Gem-A members of over 6,000 and a readership of around 25,000+.

Importantly this makes it one of theindustry’s most authoritative andbest read publications.

So if you really want to reach thepeople that matter and target yourproducts and services to the industry’skey decision makers, then make The Jeweller and Gems&Jewelleryyour first choice for advertising.

The Voice of the Industryjust got even louder. . .The Jeweller — now incorporating Gems&Jewellerymagazine! The Hong

Kong Show

Alphabet Jewels



IJL — raising the roof at its Earls Court homefor one last time Future Trends — hot styles for 2014Looking forward to Loughborough

Gems&Jewellery

Incorporating

JewellerAug/Sept 2013 £7.50The Voice of The Industry

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Amazing amberMeteorite hunting

IJL and Munich show previews

Aug/Sept 2013 / Volume 22 / No. 6


Over the Counter

Page 17

Ring sagaAs we went from store to store in NewYork’s jewellery district, looking at prettyrings and talking to the sellers, I found thatfar more dealers now indicated that, withour stated limited budget, we might want to consider clarity-enhanced diamonds —what they called ‘CE’ diamonds — becausethey were less costly. Clarity-enhanced diamonds, that is diamonds where fissureshave been made less visible by filling themwith lead glass, have been around since the 1980s, but even just eight years agonone of the sellers we approached hadmentioned CE, simply explaining their lowprices as being a very competitive whole-sale price. This time a couple of sellerswere forthcoming and very honest aboutwhat they were selling. For this reason, I insisted to the producers that the segmentshould be balanced and show the ‘honest’dealers as well as the bad.

The final segment, after editing manyhours of recording, came to less than 20minutes even though it involved many daysof work — from discussions with the legaldepartment to equally tedious hours inmake-up to disguise us (I was supposed tobe Dan’s mother). We donned special clothing to hide the cameras and rehearsedwhat could and could not be said for legal

reasons, and on and on. The first round ofundercover work took four long days, filmingour ‘search for the perfect ring’ followed byreturning to the studio to make sure theequipment had been working correctly — it hadn’t always. Another four days weretaken up with confrontation with the sellersand several days of ‘B-roll’, the backgroundshots of 47th Street, my office and so on.The segment was aired on 10 July.

The good, the bad and the ignorantWhile we found that there were some peopledeliberately deceiving, sales people were

often just woefully lacking in knowledgeabout what they were selling. What hadchanged from eight years ago was thatmany sellers did now mention CE themoment they heard what Dan’s budgetwas, distinguishing between ‘natural’ and‘CE’. They acknowledged there was a reasonfor the lower price, even if hazy on thedetails. One seller explained that they “sell for less because something is done to make them look better than they dowhen they come out of the ground”. Not one acknowledged that the appearance might not be permanent.

I will be able to dine out for years tellingpeople some of the responses we got whenwe asked about CE treatment. Some sellerssaid it had to do with special cutting or aspecial polish, but my favourite was a dealerwho told us that his CE diamonds were‘enhanced’ by a very sophisticated process.This, he explained, made flaws in a diamondinvisible by lasering the flaw and then forcinggas through the laser path to the flaw sothat it encircled the flaw — like a bubble.So, when the light going through the diamond reached the gas bubble it wasreflected away from the flaw so you nolonger saw it! I was sure I’d heard wrong, so I asked him if he said ‘gas’ or ‘glass’ and he reiterated ‘gas’, he even spelled it for me (remember, I was playing ‘mom’and my hearing wasn’t what it used to be).Other sellers confessed that they didn’tunderstand the CE process because it was too technical.

In many instances we might have witnessed sellers’ ignorance rather than any deliberate intent to deceive, but theend result is the same. We felt justified infilming the segment. Although in the publicmedia such as TV, I’d much rather focus onthe positive facets of our field, the public doneed to know what to look for, what to lookout for and what to ask. If Dan Harris hadreally been just another young man venturinginto the jewellery district looking for a goodprice on a diamond engagement ring, healmost certainly would not have receivedsufficient information to make an informeddecision about what to buy; he may wellhave been exploited by the unscrupulous.

Diamonds: not all isexplained with clarityAntoinette Matlins was recently contacted by ABC-TV to followup on an undercover segment she had done with ABC someeight years ago on the sale of clarity-enhanced diamonds to thepublic in New York. The producers thought it would be interestingto do a follow-up using her and the same investigative reporter,Dan Harris. So off they went, in disguise once more, to find outif unsuspecting members of the public still are sold clarity-enhanced diamonds without proper disclosure. Here Antoinetteexplains that the good news is that things have improved to someextent, but the bad news is that poor disclosure is still pervasive.

Investigative reporters Antoinette Matlins

and Dan Harris

Gem-A Conference 2013 Friday 1 November — Tuesday 5 November

Understanding Gems TM

Visit www.gem-a.com

John Bradshaw GG

Non-traditional gemstones: The rare, medium-rare and well done

David Callaghan FGA

In the beginning…(The history of the London gem lab)

Dr John EmmettThe colours of corundum: A search for the soul of a padparadscha

Dr Emmanuel Fritsch GG

Luminescence — what’s in a word?(Luminescence in gemmology from basic UV to photoluminescence in HPHT treated diamonds)

Arthur GroomEmerald clarity enhancement

Brian Jackson FGA DGA

Scottish gemstonesDr Jack Ogden FGA

Treasure, traders and trickery: The Cheapside gems in context

Sonny PopeThe future in coloured diamonds: An introduction to the HPHT multistep process

Martin RapaportThe state of the diamond industry

Gary Roskin FGA GG

Mastering the challenges in diamond grading

Chris SellorsEnglish gemstones, Blue John andWhitby jetShelly SergentSomewhere In The Rainbow™ Toto, We’re not in Kansas anymore! (A look at the celebrated The Somewhere In The Rainbow™ gem and jewellery collection)

Dr James ShigleyThe evolving challenge of gem

FRIDAY 1 NOVEMBER

Seminar dayA series of practical half-day workshops will be taking place at Gem-A headquarters.

Richard Drucker FGA GG Coloured stone grading and pricing workshop II (Update on grading coloured gems with new grading methods and information)

Arthur Groom Exploring emerald clarity enhancements

Craig A Lynch GG, ACCREDITED SENIOR GEMOLOGIST, AGA Is the porridge too hot, too cool, or just right? That is the answer!

(The Somewhere In The Rainbow™ collection of green grossularite garnet and zoisite from east Africa, with hands-on study)

SATURDAY 2 – SUNDAY 3 NOVEMBER

GOLDSMITHS’ HALL, LONDON

Gem-A ConferenceGuest speakers:

EVENING SATURDAY 2 NOVEMBER

Anniversary DinnerEVENING SUNDAY 3 NOVEMBER

Graduation Ceremony Martin Rapaport will present the Awards and give the address. MONDAY 4 – TUESDAY 5 NOVEMBER

Exhibitions and VisitsPrivate viewings will be held at London museums, including the Cheapside Hoard at the Museum of London, the Pearls exhibition at the V&A, and at the Natural History Museum. There will also be a private viewing of the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London, now to be held on Wednesday 6 November.

www.gem-a.com/news--events/gem-a-conference-2013.aspx


Gem and Jewellery History

Page 20

The term ‘acrostic jewellery’ might not bethat familiar, but most readers, especiallyappraisers and those dealing in antique jewellery, will at least know one example:the ‘regards ring’. The regards ring is aband set with seven gems, the initial lettersof which spell out the word REGARDS.Indeed, an 1840 American report notes this“delicate way of expressing a sentiment” in England and mentions a half-hoop ringspelling ‘regards’ as a typical example.Acrostics — initial letters of words spellingout names or messages — date back toancient times, but their use in jewellery isvery typical of nineteenth-century sentiment.The earliest examples are seemingly Frenchand Napoleon was a big fan. There arebracelets surviving that spell out the name of Napoleon’s mother Letitia andcommemorate events such as the birth ofhis niece Napoleon in 1806 (yes, he had aniece called Napoleon — born in 1806).

If we go back to the popular ‘regardsrings’ the gems used are pretty straightfor-ward — typically Ruby, Emerald, Garnet,Amethyst, Ruby, Diamond, Sapphire.However, as we’ve seen with Napoleon,almost any word, phrase or personal namecould be spelled out. It is not too difficult to work out what another mid-nineteenth-

century-ring says: Ruby, Amethyst, Carnelian,Hessonite garnet, Emerald, Lapis lazuli. Yes,the name ‘Rachel’. Albert, Prince of Wales,gave a ring to Princess Alexandra on theirwedding in 1863 set with a Beryl, Emerald,Ruby, Turquoise, Jacinth (zircon) and Emerald.This example of what was called a ‘namering’, spelled his name BERTIE (J and I were interchangeable).

But not all gem names are as readilyrecognizable. What if you came across aVictorian ring set with a zircon, an amethyst,a jasper, a white topaz and an emerald?Believe it or not, this actual exampledescribed in 1819, spelled J’aime — ‘I love’ in French. Zircon, known as Jacinth,gave the ‘J’. Jasper was ‘I’ here since, asnoted above, I and J were interchangeable.White topaz was known as ‘Mina Nova’hence the ‘M’. Another example describedin the nineteenth century was in French and would not be obvious to most of ustoday: ‘SOUVENIR’, spelled out with Sapphireor Sardonyx, Onyx or Opal, ‘Uraine’ (probably uranite, see below), Vermeille(orangy-red garnet), Emerald, Natrolite(which found some use as a gem in theearly nineteenth century), Iris (iris quartz)and Ruby or Rose diamond. You see thecomplications. Even a simple diamond set

in a piece of jewellery might be supposed to be read as B (Brilliant diamond), D (Diamond) or R (Rose diamond). A MinaNova (M) could also be interpreted as‘Novas Minas’ — N.

The ‘slipper’ ring shown below is setwith an Emerald, two lapis lazuli, Emerald,garnet (‘Vermeil’), Opal, garnet (‘Vermeil’),Sapphire, garnet (‘Vermeil’ again) and anAmethyst (the gems at each end are notvisible in the photograph). This thus readsin French ‘Elle vous va’ which, bearing inmind the central slipper and Cinderella allusion, can be read ‘It fits you’.

The second ring illustrated opposite hasa political rather than sentimental message.This was made around 1820 and showedpolitical support for Caroline of Brunswick,Queen Consort of King George IV. In thecentre is CR for Caroline Regina under aRoyal Crown, and around this her name ingems: Citrine, Amethyst, Ruby, Opal, Lapislazuli, ‘Jacinth’ (I), Novas Minas andEmerald. If it had been spelled in her nativeGerman, the emerald wouldn’t have worked.In German emerald is Smaragd and wouldhave stood for S, as the nineteenth-centuryGerman mineralogist Franz von Kobellreminded us when he pointed out thatthere were languages other than Englishand French employed in acrostic jewellery.Kobell also noted an alternative choice for‘U’: “Recent times have furnished a namewhich may assist, namely, a green garnet,containing chrome, from Siberia, which has been baptized after the RussianMinister Uwarrow and called Uwarrovite.”This green garnet, now known as uvarovite, was only discovered in 1832.

Nineteenth-century writers provideextraordinary lists of gems for acrostic jewellery — some of which are blindlyrepeated in books to this day. Examplesinclude Cacholong (common milky opal),

Spell boundJewellery set with gems that spelled out names or sentiments was common in the nineteenth century, but working out what was intended is not always easy. Jack Ogden investigates a veritable alphabet soup.

An early nineteenth-century acrostic ring with Cinderella’s slipper which reads in French ‘Elle vous va’

— ‘It fits you’. Photo Courtesy of Cathy Gordon.


Gem and Jewellery History

Page 21

Chrysolite (peridot), Diaspore, ‘Egyptianpebble’ (yellow to brown jasper), ‘Fire-stone’(pyrite), ‘Krokidolite’ (for crocidolite — quartzcat’s-eye), Milky opal, Porphyry, Purpurine(glass sunstone), Uranite (a green uraniumphosphate), Ultramarine (lapis lazuli),Vesuvianite, Verd-antique (a green serpentinitebreccia), Water sapphire (iolite), Wood opal,

Xanthite (a variety of vesuvianite), Xepherine(no idea), Xylotile (probably the variety ofchrysotile, less likely the nineteenth-centuryimitation of ivory) and Zurlite (apparently an old name for melilite). The ‘souvenir’bracelet mentioned earlier supposedly contains a uranite and it has been suggested that the natural radiation

from this stone caused the ‘Iris quartz’ next to it to darken — which long preventedits identification.* What did radioactiveuranite do to the wearer? Possibly it was lucky that uvarovite turned up as an alternative.

The problem is that with so many alternative and gem names, almost anycombination of coloured gems in a piece of nineteenth-century jewellery might havebeen intended to spell out something.Working out what is what can take the skills of a code-breaker equipped with anFGA. One also wonders whether all weremeant to be readily deciphered. Perhapssometimes they were indeed a secret message of love or political affiliationintended to be understood by the recipientor wearer only. I’m sure than in many cases their secrets are still safe.

* For more on acrostic jewellery and thesuggestion about radioactive uranite seehttp://sentimentaljewelry.blogspot.co.uk/2008/03/making-silent-stones-speak.html

I’d like to thank Cathy Gordon and Michele

Rowan (www.rowanandrowan.com) for their

help in providing information and images.

A gold acrostic ring, ca. 1820, showing support of Caroline of Brunswick and spelling her name.

Photo Courtesy of Cathy Gordon.

Gem CentralMonday 21 October, 18:15–20:00Lesser known gemstones — test yourknowledge with Andrew Fellows FGA DGA

Career ServiceMonday 11 November, 18:00–19:00A Career in Gem Dealing with JasonWilliams from G. F. Williams & Co.

Gem Central and Gem-A Career Serviceevents are held at the Gem-A headquar-ters, 21 Ely Place, London EC1N 6TD.

Please call +44 (0)20 7404 3334 oremail [email protected] for more information or if you plan to attend.

The Gem-A Conference 20132 and 3 November,

Goldsmiths’ Hall, London

A two-day conference to celebrate the100th anniversary of the first GemmologyDiploma to be awarded and the 50thanniversary of the Diamond Diploma.

Confirmed speakers include JohnBradshaw, David Callaghan, Dr JohnEmmett, Arthur Groom, Brian Jackson, Dr Jack Ogden and Gary Roskin.

For further details go to: www.gem-a.com/news--events/events/gem-a-conference-(1).aspx

Gem-A Calendar

Gemworld Munich 25 – 27 October 2013

International Jewellery Tokyo 22 – 25 January 2014

AGTA Show Tucson4 – 9 February 2014

Show DatesGem-A will be exhibiting at the following shows:


Stone Scoop

Page 22

Brilliant debateA comment published in the Cornhill

Magazine in 1872 caught my eye: “The lowest vulgarity is to put a diamondring on dirty fingers.” This reminded me of the comment of one gem dealer whorecently observed that diamonds havebecome common, in the sense of down-market rather than numbers on themarket. Whether or not one holds with that,diamonds have long said much about thewearer. In 1720 the humorist Thomas Gordonwrote: “In my opinion there is nothing sonecessary in conversation as a diamondring, though most authors are silent aboutit. The art of using it is still more necessarythan the thing itself. A just extension of the arm… and thereby a proper discovery of the brilliant on the little finger, adds anirrefutable force to every argument; and this I believe is the true reason why the left hand has generally a greater share inevery debate than the right.”

Ring sagaA gentleman’s diamond could work inseduction too — well in theory. In a story byThomas Brown in 1730, a playboy meets a‘pretty lady’ and ‘besieges her with his eyes,he ogles at her’. But how to attract herattention? He tried wit and conversation,but she remained indifferent. So, time forthe secret weapon. “He had a diamond ringof a considerable value upon his fingerand… playing with his hand and holding itso that he might show his diamond moreadvantageously to the eyes of the fair indif-ferent, he plays with it.” Still no effect andhe was “astonished to find a woman insen-sible to such a beau as himself and such adiamond as his was”. Then things changed.She “seized him hastily by the hand to looknearer at the diamond”. He takes the ring

from his finger and she inspects it closely,and then puts it on. He sees victory, butshe, cold as ever, explains that it was herring. It had been stolen from her by herhusband (who pretended he had lost it) to give to a marchioness with whom he had had an affair. The same marchionesshad then given it to our Romeo with whomshe had also had a liaison. A circle completed, you might say, and a plot that might suit a modern sitcom.

And no reward for our lover-boy — just salt poured upon the wound. The womanhas the perfect last word: “I take it for nothing though if I were of a revengefulnature, my husband very well deserves that I should give the same price for it that he received from the Marchioness.”

Trade bodiesDiamonds and love may have long beenassociated, but only recently has it beenpossible to convert a loved one (human orpet) into a synthetic diamond. How aboutthe opposite? A brief satirical note in thehumorous British magazine Punch in 1855reported: “In return for the splendid diamondtiara, value about 2,000,000 reals, recentlysent to the Pope by the Queen of Spain, his Holiness has sent her Majesty the bodyof St Felix the Martyr.”

DyertribeThat’s enough about diamonds. Back tocoloured gems… excessively coloured gems.In a gift shop in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, I sawa small display of ‘Dyerite Granite’. A play of words, of course, on the good geologicalterms ‘diorite’ and ‘granite’. I’m not surethat name counts as disclosure, but it iscertainly ingenious if not amusing. A quickglance at the internet shows that this material is not uncommon in gift shops

in the USA, but it is not clear whether purchasers know what they are getting.

Testing dyed granite (just in case anyone thinks some of those bright coloursmight be natural) is not usually within therealms of gemmology, so we had to turn toadvice on checking granite kitchen surfaces,where undisclosed dyeing — though seldomso garishly — is also rife. Seems that asmall bit of cotton wool and acetone (nail varnish remover) should do the trick.

Fingers, seducers and dyesDirty digits, old orators, an unsuccessful Romeo, a dead Saint and a coloured rockreveal a humorous side to diamonds and an amusing pseudo-disclosure of rainbowpebbles. Jack Ogden mines some of the funny side of gems.

A small display of dyed granite as seen

in a gift shop in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Photo Jack Ogden.

Get To Know China Jewelry Industry

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From manufacturers to retailers

From the hottest trends to greatest inspirations.

ADD: Rm.2217, Tower C, Beijing Global Trade Center,

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Attracting talent from the world of jewellery – together with many other

disciplines – Handmade in Britain (8th-10thNovember) showcases established namesalongside emerging makers. For jewelleryretailers the fair – which is supported by The Jeweller – offers the opportunity to discover the work of new designers as well asexplore new trends, techniques and materials.

This year is a bumper one as far as jewelleryis concerned with over 30 designer-makersexhibiting at the show. Some of these will be well-known to a few jewellery retailers,exhibiting as they do at UK trade fairs. Manyothers however will be unveiling their work forthe first time. Handmade in Britain provides a

platform for such talent (created in England,Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) notonly through its events but also its work withother organisations, alongside a mentoringprogramme and membership scheme.

Among those showcasing their collectionsnext month is Mark Nuell whose pieces feature bold gemstones. His inspiration comesfrom his father who mined sapphires inAustralia and Mark learnt to cut and polish thestones, spending six years as a gem cutter,then designer-maker in Sydney. Another qualified gemmologist is Lilly Hastedt whosepieces are renowned for their graceful elegance, and defined by her affinity withcoloured stones and diamonds and passionfor pearls. Lilly’s upbringing in Guatamala hasalso inspired her use of colour and texture, aswell as simple shapes and clever detailing.Dulwich-based Annie Ruthven-Taggart worksin silver and gold to produce distinctivepieces of jewellery that often incorporategemstones. Organic forms and marine life are a frequent source of inspiration.

Other collections to look out for at the fair:Catherine Mannheim’s innovative work withcoloured golds and fine gemstones and beads;

Jasmin Rowlandson’s new collection ofporcelain and precious metal clay pieces and Ornella Iannuzzi’s dramatic creationsfeaturing pearls, diamonds and Ethiopianopals. From Lorna Henderson there are hersignature forged flowers, while RachelEmmerson combines contemporary designwith detailed craftsmanship for her silverand gold enamel jewellery. Alan Vallis presents inspiration from Middle Easterndesign culture and ancient Egyptian artifactsand Peruvian-born and artist-trained MariaHelena Spector combines lapidary and

silversmithing techniques for her silver andgemstone limited edition pieces.

The fair is open from 11am to 7pm onFriday 8th and 11am to 6pm on Saturday9th and Sunday 10th November. The venueis Chelsea Old Town Hall, Kings Road,London SW3 5EE and one day’s entry is £7 (£5 advance booking at: www.hand-madeinbritain.co.uk/chelsea-13/tickets/)

Subscribers to The Jeweller receive 2 for1 tickets to the main show, redeemableonline by entering the code JEWELLER13.


Feature |

All ‘Handmade in Britain’Now in its seventh year, the Contemporary Crafts and DesignFair returns to Chelsea Old Town Hall in London.

Mark Nuell

Rachel Emmerson

Maria Helena Spector

Lilly Hastedt

| Ethical Jeweller


When the world’s first certified Fairtradegold supply was launched to the

jewellery industry back in 2011 (ratherpoignantly on Valentine’s Day in fact), it was,of course, received with all the fanfare dueto such a significant initiative. But while theconcept, implications and benefits wereundoubted, the reality of a transparent,traceable gold supply chain was not withoutits challenges. As jeweller and activist GregValerio, who worked tirelessly with Fairtradeto bring about the idea, commented, oneyear on from the launch, the Fairtrade premium “and the potentially marginalisingimpact this will have on the broader commercial adoption [of Fairtrade gold]”was an issue to overcome.

Today, a further 18 months or so into the initiative and the future looks somewhatrosier for all concerned. Following a StandardsCommittee meeting held back in June,Fairtrade International announced a newFairtrade price and premium for gold, silverand platinum. Valid from the 1st August2013, the new Fairtrade Premium (FP) forconventional gold is set at US$2000/kg and the Fairtrade Minimum Price (FMP)remains at 95 per cent of the LondonBullion Market Association (LBMA) price.There are no changes in the FMP and FP for ecological gold (gold that has beenextracted without the use of chemicals and with strict ecological restoration requirements). The FP is paid in addition tothe price, whether it is the market price,negotiated price or the FMP, and is typicallyinvested in education and healthcare or processing facilities to increase income.

“What this now means is that the Fairtradeoptions for jewellery are more affordableand reachable for the average jeweller,” saysValerio. “It’s been a steep learning curve overthe last two years. In 2011 the premiumwas reasonable but it rose exponentially asthe gold price rose. It was too high and wesaw a drop off in sales. The miners moaned,the jewellers moaned and we had to makea bold change. Since the new premiumcame into effect we’ve seen more orders in the market and now we want to get asmany jewellers signed up to Fairtrade goldas we can.”

Valerio is also quick to point out the benefits to jewellers who decide to workwith Fairtrade gold. “It’s from guaranteedtraceable sources, the systems are fully-

Ethical gold —the good newsFollowing the announcement of the new Fairtrade premiumsfor precious metals, Belinda Morris spoke to FairtradeInternational Gold programme co-ordinator Greg Valerio aboutthe implications for the ethical jewellery market.

Chris Chilla, aged 21, panning with mercury with a glove on for safety,at the Nsangano Gold Mine, in Geita in north Tanzania. The miners arepart of a three-year project funded by Comic Relief to bring Fairtradegold from Africa. The gold is still to be certified. Image by Matt Crossick.

CERTIFICATED DIAMONDS AT WELL BELOW CURRENT MARKET PRICES

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‘D‘D‘DD’ COLOCOLOD’ COLOD’ COLOOUR DIAOUR DIAOUR DIAAMONDSAMONDSAMONDSSSSSSUPPLIED LOOSE OR MOUNTED 0.25CTS – 4.00CTS CERSUPPLIED LOOSE OR MOUNTED 0.25CTS – 4.00CTS CERSUPPLIED LOOSE OR MOUNTED 0.25CTS – 4.00CTS CER TEDTIFICAATSUPPLIED LOOSE OR MOUNTED 0.25CTS – 4.00CTS CER TED D SI

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el: 0141 226 2200 • Fax: 0141 221 3040 • Email: [email protected], Glasgow G1 3PF

| Ethical Jeweller


The price of goldIn a year or so it is hoped that Fairtrade gold will come from Africa. Martine Parry,Fairtrade’s media and PR manager recently visited the Tanzanian project and metwith the organisation’s Ugandan partners as part of an exchange visit. Below is aComic Relief blog on the Ugandan project.

The phrase ‘poverty-driven industry’ is often used to describe artisanal and small-scalemining, but it wasn’t until I visited a group of miners in Busia, Eastern Uganda that I understood what it means. In Tiira, a small village home to countless mine sites, I watcheda chain of people pass a bucket of water up a steep slope. After heavy rains the nightbefore they were draining the pit so that they could continue to mine. Water sloshed overthe sides of the buckets making the earth wet.

Fractures were visible in the unsupported walls of the pit where recent landslides havecaused them to collapse – two homesteads had fallen into a neighbouring mine a fewweeks before, and deaths were common among passers-by. At the bottom of the chain aman stood waist-deep in water, crude tool in hand. Small children played nearby. Theywere all barefoot.

‘Poverty-driven’. In other words – you would have to be poor to do it. Standing with me was Theresa Okwire, mother of seven and grandmother of five.

She became a miner just a year ago when her work as a tailor dried up (people now buyready-made clothes) and she needed additional income to sustain her family. Her sonJimmy is also a miner, having dropped out of school to earn a living. Theresa is typical ofthe ‘gold rush’ that the current high price of gold has created in areas like this, bringingthousands of people into dangerous work as artisanal miners. She would not be here, shesaid, if she had a choice.

We are in Uganda to visit a three-year project funded by Comic Relief to improve thesocial, economic and environmental standards of small-scale gold miners in East Africathrough Fairtrade standards. During a week-long workshop with the eight mining groupswe are working with – plus our local partners in East Africa and internationally – I come to realise the scale of the challenge. As well as working in one of the world’s most dangerous industries, artisanal miners are subject to exploitation and marginalisation bytraders and governments alike. In Tiira, miners are paying an illegal tax of 60 per cent toland-owners, on top of their government taxes.

Perhaps the biggest exploitation is through the traders. It isn’t just the case that minershave little money – what they do have isn’t theirs. Traders pre-finance their activities 100per cent – including providing the mercury which is used to extract gold from the ore, causing massive health risks and environmental hazards. After the trader has collected their gold, plus interest, miners are left with barely a subsistence wage in return for riskingtheir lives to produce one of the world’s most loved and valuable products.

During my week in Uganda I am struck by the miners’ commitmentto the long and difficult road ahead, to become the first Africanminers to sell their gold under Fairtrade terms. Many of them cannotafford to eat breakfast, yet they are pledging to invest in systemsand processes that will improve their environmental management,health and safety conditions, and organisational structure in orderto become Fairtrade certified.

We must support them in every way that we can. Just as wehave done with tea, coffee, sugar and countless other Fairtradeproducts, we will lobby jewellers to demand the Fairtrade mark ongold products. The history of artisanal and small-scale miners is one of exploitation, marginalisation and poverty. This is our chance to change that history with them – they arecommitted, and we must not let them down.

If you have any queries about Fairtrade gold, the new premiums or how to get licensedinto the system, please email Greg Valerio at: [email protected] or call him on tel:01243 537090

audited and transparent, it’s the only independently-certified supply chain andthe gold is exclusively from small-scale miners with benefits being driven back tothose mining communities. It’s the best gold in the world! This is not a charity – it represents good value to the miners andto the jewellers,” he says.

“The UK uses around 21 to 22 tonnes ofgold a year and about 80 per cent of that isthe recycled gold option,” Valerio adds. “Thatleaves around four tonnes of freshly-mined gold coming into the UK market. Our aspiration is to capture those four tonnes forFairtrade.” And what difference would thismake? He’s done his sums: “To use Fairtradegold for a five gram wedding ring wouldmean an extra £25 on the price – which istotally affordable to the retailer and the customer. The number of UK weddings hasgone up to around 250,000 a year and if wecan get 50,000 of those that equals half atonne of gold, which in turn equals $1millionFairtrade Premium back to the miners.”

The new premium change is, says Valerio,an early start to make Fairtrade gold a‘default purchase’ in the UK market. “I thinkour industry can really get behind this and we can achieve our target,” he says.“And in doing so we will be at the forefrontof driving international social change.”

South American gold miners. Image courtesy of Fairtrade Foundation


It may not be the most pressing concernthat the diamond market is facing (price,

certificates, the ethical debate and a still-sluggish economy join forces to take away alittle of the sparkle) but there’s no doubt at allthat the internet has changed certain aspectsof our industry forever. As the NAG announcesthat all jewellery retailers, regardless of their route to market, may be granted membership, the big issue of gem and jewellery e-tailing looms ever larger. And inparticular its effect is being felt in the worldof diamonds and diamond jewellery.

The Luddites among us may fight thedevelopments with tooth and claw, but inthe end, inevitably, the technical revolution

will have its wicked way with all sectors ofretail – even in a world as steeped in historyand tradition as ours is. For many it’s a question of adapt or decline. “We have tochange with the times,” says Nick Fitch ofHatton Garden-based jewellers NicholasJames, who admits that he has “strong opinions on the subject, that might goagainst those of many in the industry”. Withseveral very big players in the market sellingloose diamonds direct to the public – at the same prices that he buys them – he islooking at having to make one or two drastic changes to his business model.

Arguably, coming in for the most stickwhen discussions arise over internet selling,

are those companies dealing specifically indiamond engagement rings and loose stones.But are they really the villains of the story?Tobias Kormind, co-founder of 77 Diamondswould argue 'not'. For a start he rejects the claim that all e-tailers have an unfairadvantage when it comes to overheads. The brand's new Mayfair showroom maynot have arresting (and expensive) street-facing windows, but it's clearly had somemoney spent on it, as has the website. A growing sales team doesn't come cheap,nor is the product bargain basement stuff –far from it!

The company is also beginning to broadenits reach. “We were getting approached on a regular basis by national jewellers whocouldn’t understand how we could sell diamonds on our website at prices lowerthan they could source from their long termdiamond dealer relationships, so we decidedto open a wholesale business, where we

From simple solitaireengagement rings, toluxuriously encrusted

statement pieces,diamond jewellery

falls under the spot-light as Belinda

Morris reports on theprevailing trends and

talking points thatthese sparkly stones

throw up.

Stefan Hafner at Alfred Terry

Hearts on Fire

Danhov


Diamond Feature |

give further discounts to trade,” explainsKormind. “Smaller jewellers are underservedby the high wholesale prices in the UK, and our wholesale business allows them to source through us directly from the global diamond market without worryingabout the payment, insurance and transportation risks.”

Selling online is not necessarily an easyoption. “The demands of being an onlineretailer are very different to those of a bricksand mortar store and if you’re not confidentand brave it is very easy to get left behind,”says Ed Ferris of the Swag group. “A lot ofpeople have jumped on the band wagon,but unless they invest significantly in theirsites they will very quickly look tired and boring. The online world moves ten timesfaster than bricks and mortar,” he adds. Thatsaid, he is in no doubt that we’re talkingchange that has to be embraced: “At anylevel of jewellery retail, if you aren’t on-linethen you are certainly missing out; ourstores get more and more visitors armedwith pictures from our site.”

“The modern consumer lives in an omni-channel environment so they will shoponline, in store and through catalogues andmagazines,” Charles Gumley, sales directorat Alfred Terry. “The most successful retailerswill understand this and offer a seamlessretail experience through all channels. It isbecoming a necessity to be where your customers are looking and not expect themto come and find you.”

“Every bricks and mortar jeweller shouldhave some sort of web presence by nowand to add a purchase online function is nota huge step,” says Cherry Lench of Corona(Maple Leaf Diamonds). “So many peopleshop online for jewellery – if you’re notonline it is a missed sales opportunity. Manyretailers’ websites offer products that don'tcompete with their in-store products but can draw a customer in.”

And no virtual shopping trip can beat thegreat in-store experience. “Our customers findthe internet very important for researchingand browsing, meaning they are much moreknowledgeable,” says Adele Thompson, headof buying at Beaverbrooks. “We do howeverreally encourage our customers to come in store to appreciate the true beauty of adiamond and enjoy the experience of

selecting one of the most important purchases in their lifetime.”

Jessica Neiwert of Sholdt agrees thatbricks and mortar retailers have “some sortof battle” with online retailing. “Most of ourretailers seem to tackle it by offering a viewof their designer inventory online, butrequire a customer to come into the storefor pricing and purchase,” she says. “Thisallows for an experience that is unique tothe store and that online sales cannot offer.It grabs the consumer who likes to look ontheir own beforehand.”

A knock-on effect of the online buyingexperience is that some jewellers are re-thinking their pricing policy. “Rather thanprice the diamond jewellery as one wholepurchase, I usually break down the cost intotwo – the jewellery piece and the diamond.

Because of its pure simplicity, the round is almost certain toremain number one as it continues to represent the stone inthe most understandable way to the consumer…

Andrew Geoghegan

Paul Spurgeon

Brown & Newirth

�

It’s just the way the consumer has beenguided in buying jewellery online,” saysHatton Garden jeweller Jig Pattni. “Thoughthe profit margin in selling retail diamondsremains competitive, the jewellery settingstill proves very profitable.” Fitch is looking atchanging his business model to offer thesame pricing structure, with customersbeing given the option to bring in their owndiamond, purchased – presumably – online.

Value added…Going hand-in-hand with the presence ofonline retailing (for some at least) is theissue of price, which in turn might be translated as ‘value’. There’s no questionthat the consumer still wants to buy diamonds, but at all levels of the marketthey want to know that they’re getting valuefor their money… in the current climateespecially so.

“The biggest issue is definitely value,”argues David Hartley of Hearts on Fire. “Manyretailers are now pushing hard to illustratethat their diamonds are the best value; andas a result, the industry is reducing pricesand placing ‘labels’ on diamonds to staycompetitive. The implementation of suchoffers can be very beneficial to a business,but does mean re-training of staff and capturing the consumer mindset towardsbuying a diamond. And, unfortunately, thismakes diamonds all seem more alike in theeyes of our customers than they really are.

For us, this is where diamond brands, likeours, really come into play, as retailers andconsumers alike can rest assured that theyare receiving a high quality diamond everysingle time.”

“We are always looking at ways of addingvalue to our diamond jewellery offer andwork closely with our customers to ensurethat we’re providing the type of products andthe service they want,” says Andrew Sollitt,sales and marketing director at Domino.“Providing genuine choice is a top priority.We’ve created a number of new piecesrecently to help retailers meet importantprice points in both our Diamond RingMount, where we have 40 new designs and


Diamond Feature |

Recycling diamonds can pay dividends — here’s how:Selling small, uncertified and unmatched diamonds under 0.25ct has always been tricky,but a new business model now makes it easy for retailers to sell ‘melee’ diamonds collected from old stock or from pieces of jewellery being scrapped for their precious metalcontent. However, as Tim Phillips of White Pine Diamonds explains, if you are going tomaximise the value of your stones, there are a number of points to bear in mind: • Don’t damage on removal. Diamonds are very hard, but they fracture easily,

so don’t manually remove them from jewellery unless you are skilled at doing so.Forcibly using pliers is a sure way to destroy value!

• Clean your diamonds. By washing your diamonds in soapy water, you will be likelyto get a higher price, simply because a diamond buyer will be able to grade and value them more correctly.

• Volume. Gather as many stones together as you can because generally the bigger the parcel of melee the better the price per carat because the larger volumes willallow more of the diamonds to be matched and sold on to manufacturers and ultimately to the consumer.

• Valuations. The diamond industry has a reputation for being opaque. Things are gettingbetter, but ensure you know how your diamonds are being valued. A dealer who looksat them through a plastic bag and throws out an offer is not likely to offer the best price.Be sure your buyer is methodical and properly values your diamonds.

• Global reach. Most diamond traders are small, often family-owned, businesses whereeach member has a good reason to try to pay the lowest price possible. Buyers workingfor large, diamond recycling businesses are incentivised to buy diamonds at the company’s price; they are penalised for paying too much, but there is no benefit tothem for under-paying its price list. Such companies will also have access to globaljewellery auctions guaranteeing that your stones will be sold for the best possible price.

• Diamonds as an investment. It is a misconception that diamond prices will alwaysgo up. They won’t. There is little to be gained from sitting on your diamonds when it is extremely straightforward to get a no-obligation quotation as to their value and to sell them on.

Successful retailers will offera seamless experiencethrough all channels… it’s anecessity to be where yourcustomers are looking, notexpect them to come to you.

Gemex

EW Adams

�

in our ‘Petite’ ring collection.” Many ofDomino’s diamond rings are also availablein a choice of sizes and in either HSi or GVsto provide even greater flexibility.

“It is our experience that a well-informedclient will continue to stretch their budget to

acquire one of our exclusive designs,although on occasion altering the carat,colour and clarity to fit their budget,” saysTanya Hill of Diamond by Appointment.Specific DBA training for stores’ sales teamsintroduces customers to the brand’s ‘story’which highlights the ‘features and benefits’of each diamond engagement ring – thevalue, both financially and emotionally,explains Hill, is implicit.

Inevitably budgets (at retail and consumerlevel) have been squeezed over the last fewyears and suppliers have generally adaptedtheir offer to suit – or might already be gearedup to meet the needs. “Our handmade ringsalready span a range of price points andbecause they’re individually made they canbe customised to fit most budgets – forexample diamonds on the shank can gohalf-way or all the way round,” says JackHovsepian, designer and owner of Danhov.

Meanwhile at Gemex the offer has beenbroadened recently. “The quality that we have

offered to potential customers was perceivedas too high for their customers, so we haveaddressed that in the last three months byreleasing G colour, SI quality. It represents a40 per cent reduction over VS quality,”explains Lee Ruben, “and it’s opened newmarkets and done very well for us.”

The comfort zone?Alongside price a key discussion topic is certificates. What can I say? Can’t live withthem, can’t live without them. For manythey’re essential. “Certification is extremelyimportant to us,” says Ruben. “For the pastthree years we have worked with a lab andoffer a cert with every ring. It’s a great marketing tool and can clinch a salebecause it instills confidence.”

However, as with diamonds in general,the public’s knowledge of certificates canoften be sketchy. “Most customers start byasking about certificates for their diamonds,but then when you have a discussion indepth, they don't understand what theprocess, limitations and/or benefits of acerted diamond are,” says Adam Jacobs ofJacobs of Reading. “We try to educate themas to the facts behind the process, then

| Diamond Feature


Customers know that certificates are available, but it’s allabout trust and [assessing diamonds] is not an exact science.

Hockley Mint

PJ Watson

Tankel

Sholdt

�

| Diamond Feature


translate those facts into what it means inpractice – ultimately leading to an informeddecision by the customer for their own specific circumstances. It takes some time, butit’s all about spending that time establishinga rapport.” Mike Lane of Lanes in Holt agrees:“Customers know certificates are available,but it’s really all about trust and [assessingdiamonds] is not an exact science.”

“Certification also gives customers theimpression that they should be buying a dia-mond by the way it sounds and not the wayit looks,” adds Hartley. “For example, thereare many 0.50ct G VS1 diamonds in the

market and a customer looking for onecould think that all are exactly the same.However, we know that even at this pointdiamonds will all have their own level ofperformance and character. I feel that thereshould be more emphasis and education ofthe cut quality of a diamond on certificationas, after all, this makes it do what we want it to do… sparkle. The better you cut a diamond the more beautiful and valuable itis and there is no argument there!”

“Certificates, together with price, areundermining my ability to retail a premiumproduct in today’s market,” says Fitch.

“I’m fairly old-school – it used to be that yousold a diamond for the sake of the stoneand as we educated customers they becamedrawn to them. But now I can honestly saythat if a lump of coal was put in front of them,

and it had a certificate, they’d buy it. It’s verysad. And we’re now in the untenable situationwhere certificates, by and large, are notworth the paper they’re written on. If you’reso inclined you can pop into a HattonGarden dealer, name the colour and clarityand come out with a certificate 20 minuteslater. The stones are not meeting the criteriaset and it’s got to epidemic levels now.”

Fitch is not alone in his opinion. Ed Adamsof EW Adams is also circumspect on thesubject: “My view is that generally speakingcertification of diamonds has got less consistent, and Si1-2 clarity stones havegenerally become worse over the last fewyears. Diamonds that five years ago mayhave been graded as PK1 are now regularlygraded as Si2,” he adds. “Perhaps the mainconcern here is the lack of consistencybetween the labs. The public will acceptmost certs and this is sometimes used toadvantage by the less scrupulous retailer,”adds Vivian Watson of PJ Watson.

The shape of things…In the jewellery world, as in that of fashiongenerally, trends come and go. However, atthe risk of being roundly contradicted (nopun intended) when it comes to the shapeof a diamond – particularly for a solitaireengagement ring – you can suggest anythingyou like… as long as it’s a brilliant. A princessinvariably gets an honourable mention, butthe round is the favourite. “Certainly brilliantcuts make up the vast majority of ourdesigns. Because of its pure simplicity, theround is almost certain to remain numberone as it continues to represent the stone in the most understandable way to the consumer,” says Gumley.

Many people do not knowthat some of the ‘fancy’ cutsactually will not sparkle asmuch as a round or perfectlycut square because too muchof their shape is cut away…

Fei Liu

Diamond ByAppointment

Jig Pattni �


“The higher up the numbers, the more safepeople play it,” says Mike Lane, “and rounds,for a solitaire or three-stone ring, are classic.”Pattni agrees that “a round brilliant willalways be classic” and reports that themajority of his customers “prefer thefire/sparkle in rounds” and he agrees that aprincess would rank second. “My personalfavourite would be the perfect cushion – a nice compromise between the two.”

“Round diamonds are still by far the mostpopular and I feel this will not change as theround brilliant shape is the best performing– and most valuable therefore – as itsparkles more than any other,” explainsHartley. “Many people do not know that

some of the ‘fancy’ cuts actually will notsparkle as much as a round or perfectly cutsquare because too much of their shape iscut away to create the unique look. With thatin mind, squares are easily the next mostpopular shapes. This is the only other shapethat we offer –our ‘Dream’ cut, is a modifi-cation of a square and specially developedto have a square top and a round bottom.The round bottom is what really makes adiamond come to life… even though moreof the rough has to be cut away.”

Gumley does add though that: “Consumershave never been so individualistic andinformed than now… I think this will lead tocontinued customisation and an increase inother designs such as the princess.” Backingup a trickle towards other shapes is the factthat Stubbs & Co. has just introduced its firstring to accommodate a princess cut and USbrand Sholdt (which showed at IJL for thefirst time last month) has noticed “an upwardaffinity towards cushion-cut diamonds”. PJ Watson reports that it is “selling a lot ofemerald cuts in various sizes” while atDomino, the trend for retro looks is seeingthe rise in popularity of pear shapes as wellas princess and emerald cuts. And while brilliants are the most in-demand, design-conscious consumers are being tempted byhexagonal settings in the Rosabella collectionand Tresor Paris has a new diamond cutwaiting in the wings to satisfy a growingdesire for more unusual shapes.

... And another thingOK, so the main business when it comes todiamonds is wedding jewellery and we’retalking white. But it’s not the whole story.Designers and manufacturers are alsoreporting growing business in other types ofdiamond jewellery, as well as coloured diamonds – sometimes the two together.Diamond line bracelets and diamond dressor cocktail rings, especially with coloureddiamonds, mainly intense yellows and rich-coloured brown diamonds, are popular atEW Adams. “We like to call them chocolatebrowns as it’s a very good description of thecolour and creates a nice image in people’sminds!” explains Adams.

At Tresor Paris, which offers a bespokeservice on all items of jewellery, there havebeen more enquiries recently for fancy yellow and pink diamonds, while Gecko

| Diamond Feature


At any level of jewelleryretail, if you aren’t on-linethen you are certainly missing out.

Tresor Paris

Stubbs & Co

Domino

offers a capsule collection of black andbrown diamonds and electric blue diamondsare planned for 2014. Coloured diamondshave been ‘a passion’ for a number of yearsat PJ Watson, but while pinks are in demand,the prices are often beyond the consumer’sbudget, according to Vivian Watson. Sholdt’sbespoke jewellery – pendants, earrings,right-hand rings and bracelets – often feature pink, blue or yellow diamonds. To encourage engagement ring customersto return to a store, Stubbs & Co. has justintroduced ‘sumptuous’ diamond pendantsto augment its bridal range and Continentalhas recently brought out a basic single stone range of 9 and 18 ct stud earrings and pendants in a variety of styles.

The newly launched Ruifier fashion-ledjewellery brand is using yellow, pink andblack diamonds for its 18ct gold vermeil and sterling silver pieces. There are plans to introduce 18ct yellow and rose gold andplatinum for its quirky, structural designs in the near future. Danhov meanwhile isfinding that celebrities favour coloured-stones and has created rings using canaryand black diamonds.


Diamond Feature |

Selling diamonds – the retail view:• “Price and certificates have become the bane of my business model. Between them

they’re undermining my ability to retail a premium product in today’s market.” Nick Fitch, Nicholas James, Hatton Garden

• “The wedding ring market is being trounced by a couple of online dealers – they’reselling through eBay and making very small margins. It’s great for consumers of course;they’re getting diamond jewellery virtually wholesale.”Mike Taylor, TWJ, Crowthorne, and JewelStreet

• “We are seeing vast discrepancies between labs which I personally find a concern forour industry as a whole. This is one of the reasons we supply all of our diamondswith our own certificate, which we absolutely stand by.” Adele Thompson, head of buying, Beaverbrooks

• “Ten years ago I thought that I probably needed to start selling on line and now it’sbecome a hugely important side of the market.” Mike Lane, Lanes, Holt

• “The main conversation we have with people is the design of the item. The diamondis very important, but the design is paramount and is what people spend most timethinking about.” Ed Ferris, Swag

• “The key explicit issue for us as far as diamonds are concerned is always a financialone. Our pricing has to be keen in comparison to our competition and identify productsthat are unique to us.” Adam Jacobs, Jacobs of Reading

• “I think the main issue when it comes to selling diamond jewellery is trust. Once thecustomer has built that rapport and trust they will always be looking for the best ‘deal’they can get within their budget irrespective of their purchasing power.” Jig Pattni, Jig Pattni, Hatton Garden

• “The price of diamonds has never been an issue. I am proactive in keeping a checkon the prices of my stock to keep the RRSP updated. I work on a larger margin so thereis room for an overnight surge in prices.” Peter Wong, Wongs Jewellers, LiverpoolShaun Leane

Ruifier

�

Doing the right thingThe initial furore following the BloodDiamond film may have died down a littlesince its release in 2007, but some residualheat remains – the public is now aware ofthe ethical issues. It’s not a black and whitething (see Harry Levy’s opinion on the subjecton p10 of this month’s Gems&Jewellery)

but the industry – at all levels of the supplychain – has come a long way in recent yearsin an effort to trade responsibly. Regular listspublished by the Responsible JewelleryCouncil (RJC) reveal those businesses thathave met its stringent ethical standards andachieved certification.

And it pays off. One such business isSwiss-based Gyrstones, a B2B buying andselling platform specialising in white andcoloured diamonds as well as gemstones.“Since we received RJC certification we haveexperienced a great response,” says OliverJones. “Retailers like to buy from us and our users as it provides security, it makesthem feel comfortable with their clients.Each user has to comply with the guidelinesand of course we check the background of the dealer.”

To avoid the issue of ‘conflict diamonds’buyers also have the option of looking toCanada for their stones – brands such asMaple Leaf Diamonds, Arctic Circle and

Canadia for example. “No retailer wants tohave their customers better educated abouta product than they are – we have tried and true tracking systems and can identifyevery product’s original source,” says MapleLeaf’s Cherry Lench.

For some major manufacturers, especiallyin the USA, the use of ‘recycled’ diamondsis providing an interesting new way ofunderlining their green credentials. Recycleddiamonds – those that have already beenused once in a piece of jewellery, removedfrom it before being re-cut, re-polished andre-graded – are now being sold in largequantities, especially in the USA, India and the Far East, where packages of recycled and matched melee are regularlytraded at auction.

“There is no guarantee as to the originalprovenance of these recycled stones, becauseonce a stone is cut and polished there is noway anyone can tell from whence it came,but using recycled diamonds does meanthat no additional mining, or despoliation ofthe environment is required to source them,so they are a little greener than their brandnew cousins, in the same way that recycledgold is less polluting than the freshlymined,” explains Tim Phillips of White PineDiamonds, a forerunner in the diamondrecycling field.

At present White Pine does not offer itsrecycled stones in small quantities, but ifthere were to be sufficient demand from UKproducers for this service Phillips says it issomething the company might be preparedto investigate. Consumer enquiries on ethical issues may be few and far-between,but the industry – one way or another – is more prepared now that it has ever beento deal with them. �


Diamond Feature |

For some major manufacturers, especially in the USA, the use of ‘recycled’ diamonds is providing an interestingnew way of underlining their green credentials.

Corona(Maple LeafDiamonds)

Continental

Gecko

| Diamond Feature


Synthetic diamonds have been producedin commercial quantities since the

middle of the 20th century. But what wereproduced were stones for industrial use; theyhad all the physical properties of natural diamonds, especially hardness, but no aesthetic value. A few gem quality stoneswere produced, but these could not generallycompete in price with natural stones.

These stones were produced in the way nature had produced them by usinghigh temperatures and high pressure(HPHT). Today HPHT is used to improve the colour of lightly tinted natural diamondsinto the good white range. This is a successful way of improving colour, butsince it is not easily detectable one wondershow many are correctly disclosed at thepoint of sale.

Another method was to use low temperatures and pressures and this isknown as the Carbon Vapour Depositionsystem (CVD). This again imitates nature, aswe have known for many years that diamondsare found in meteorites – in space there is no pressure or temperature. Diamonds produced by this method were not intendedfor the jewellery industry, but instead madeuse of another property of diamonds –namely good electrical and heat conductivi-ty. Thin platelets of diamond are producedwhich are clear but are tinted brown. Theywere intended for the computer industry toact as computer chips, to replace the siliconchip that could not cope with the heat pro-duced by ever faster machines. So muchmoney has been invested in the silicon chipthat the trade is not yet ready to switch todiamond chips, but this is now happening.

So the producers began to find other usesfor their diamonds, namely cutting them intogem quality stones. Because they producedthin platelets they could cut small diamonds,something not too viable for HPHT stones,

and they could take the brown tint out bysubjecting them to HPHT treatment.

The trade did not take too kindly to theseman-made stones; they took a Ludditeapproach by burying their heads in the sand,hoping they would just go away. Realisingthis would not happen they took a moreactive approach by trying to ban their production, then trying to ban their introduction into the jewellery productionchain. Dealers were warned not to deal with the product, Bourse members werethreatened with expulsion if they dealt insuch stones and banned from bringing themonto the Bourse trading floor. After failure inall these fields, due to restrictive trading laws,dealers are now busy finding a differentialbetween natural and man-made diamonds.

The first fight was then what to call suchstones. The traditionalist wanted the simplewords ‘synthetic diamonds’. A more extremeargument was then mooted by those whodid not want the word diamond to be usedat all. They claimed that part of the definitionof diamond was that it was a natural productproduced deep in the earth – these man-made stones did not have this property, ergowere not diamonds. They suggested theyshould simply be called synthetics. This maywork between traders or in a Bourse but notwith consumers; synthetic is an adjectiveand must describe something. So, syntheticpotatoes maybe?

Synthetic diamond producers wanted tocall their product ‘cultured diamonds’. Thiscaused a huge negative reaction within thetraditional trade. I have never understood whythis term, in this context, has generated so

much heat and debate. I can only assumethat the word ‘cultured’ has been a successterm. Cultured pearls are a respectable commodity sought by all and have replacednatural pearls. The problematic misunder-standing is the notion of ‘replacement’ –cultured pearls did not replace natural pearlsbecause people preferred to buy culturedpearls, but rather because the sources had dried out.

The producers of synthetic diamonds(PSD) read ‘cultured’ as a success term, as did the traders in natural diamonds andthey thought that ‘cultured diamonds’ woulddrive out natural diamonds just as it seemedto have done for pearls. The arguments further developed that ‘cultured’ could onlybe used for organic terms and the dealerssaw themselves as the protectors of the cultured pearl industry. The irony is that the producers of South Sea pearls, highlyexpensive products, have never used theword ‘cultured’ for their products, and at thisstage the producers of all cultured pearls –the Japanese with their Akoya, and theChinese with their freshwater pearls – wantto drop the term ‘cultured’ and sell theirproducts simply as ‘pearls’. They argue thatthe majority of pearls sold are cultured, theconsumer is aware of this fact, and if anyone

wants natural pearls they will use words suchas natural and real to describe the productthey want. Instead of qualifying the termpearl with ‘cultured’ we should qualify it with‘natural’ in appropriate cases. This is anongoing debate within the trade.

The PSDs then tried to go down the routeChatham took when he was unable to usethe term ‘cultured’ for his emeralds, andasked for alternate terms such as ‘laboratorygrown’ and ‘laboratory created’. This hasnow been accepted. The reason that thePSDs wanted alternate terms was that theyclaimed by calling their product syntheticsthey were classifying them with all syntheticproducts such as cubic zirconia, glass, etc,and their product was simply better.

We have now ended up with all sorts of terms being used such as ‘diamontine’,‘diamontite’, ‘diamonique’ and so on. All these

Grading syntheticwhite diamondsThe trade still does not seem clear as to how to deal with synthetic diamonds. They have made progress but there ismuch they do not understand, as Harry Levy, president of theLondon Diamond Bourse and president of Gem-A, explains.

I simply cannot see a woman boasting that she has an F coloursynthetic, in fact I do not see her boasting at all that she iswearing a synthetic diamond in her ring!


Diamond Feature |

do is confuse the consumer as they thinkthey are buying some sort of diamond.

At present the only terms agreed by thetrade are ‘synthetic’, ‘laboratory grown’ and‘laboratory created’. Terms such as ‘man-made’ are not to be used. Here some of thenon-English speaking communities argue thatman-made translates in their language asbeing made from man. But man-made isshort for being made by man, so this argu-ment fails. The other objection is that theterm is sexist, women can also make thesestones. This too fails as many terms now usethe masculine form for both sexes, such asactor, chairman and so on.

So all efforts to name man-made diamondsare problematic. To me the essential thing isto convey to the consumer that it has all theproperties of a diamond other than its originand this differential has to be clearly andunambiguously made.

The situation of man-made diamonds stillconfuses the trade, and it is traders in naturaldiamonds who are setting the rules. Havingaccepted that synthetic diamonds are on themarket, they now think that everything we do with natural diamonds will be done with synthetic diamonds. We grade naturaldiamonds, therefore we will grade syntheticdiamonds. This simply is not the case.

We grade natural diamonds in order toascertain prices. The system has been setup so that there are large price differentialsbetween different grades. Thus an F colourstone is worth much more than a similar G colour one, and a VVS stone is worthmuch more than an SI stone. This is not sofor synthetic diamonds.

Unless there’s some very strong marketingexplaining that an F colour synthetic is worthseveral thousand dollars more than a Gcolour synthetic, at most if an F stone sellsfor $1,000, a G colour may sell for $950. It will not be worth paying a laboratory the grading fee. Further, synthetic diamondsare produced under controlled conditions,and the producers will soon learn how toachieve the best colours. I simply cannotsee a woman boasting that she has an F colour synthetic, in fact I do not see herboasting at all that she is wearing a syntheticdiamond in her ring!

The trade efforts at present are to producegrading reports for synthetic diamonds thatlook as dissimilar as possible to those fornatural diamonds. Thus they want differentterminology for colour terms and differentterminology for clarity grades. Most of allthey want the final report to be produced onyellow paper. This assumes that a consumer

is familiar with reports for natural diamonds.This is something not taught at school. Theaverage consumer may have bought, at most,one graded diamond with a report, with noprior knowledge of the terminology usedand certainly does not know that it has to beon white paper.

Further, I recall when the matter first cameup, traders wanted the laboratories not tograde synthetic diamonds at all. I rememberarguing that having a report stating that thediamond was synthetic was the best form ofdisclosure possible. The report can be of anyform provided it clearly states on the frontand inside that the stone is a synthetic. Wecould ask for nothing better to differentiatebetween the two types of diamonds.

It would be disastrous for the trade in natural diamonds to be confused with thatfor man-made stones. We do seem to havemethods available to differentiate but wouldnot work for a trader with a loop and theywould have to be carried out by a laboratory.But since most better quality stones are now graded, the hope is that the grader will be able to identify whether a diamond isnatural or synthetic.

The problem arises with small stones,especially when set. It is claimed that over90 per cent of natural diamonds sold arebelow five points, both in size and value. Sincewe can produce such stones in quantitiesnow with the proliferation of CVD stones,this really is a problem. The temptation willbe great for a manufacturer to mix smallman-made stones with similar looking naturalstones, where the former would cost $100per carat, to natural ones that will cost $500,knowing that even the best laboratories willhave great difficulty in identifying the type of diamonds that are 2mm in diameter,especially when there are many set in a ring.

The trade has problems ahead – it will haveto find methods to persuade manufacturersto disclose correctly what they are sellingand to get a better understanding that thereare both similarities and differences betweennatural and synthetic diamonds.

There is an old story that if there is a goldrush, don’t run as a prospector, but rather goin to sell picks and spades. If I was youngerI would start a laboratory, not to grade diamonds, but to identify natural diamondsfrom other types. I already see consumerswanting a piece of paper to state that thediamonds they are buying are natural.

| Diamond Feature


The move of Gem-A to Ely Place hasinvolved many late nights and has been

viewed with interest by the inhabitants ofthe Hatton Garden area. One evening whilelocking up I was accosted by an old friendwith the following tale urging me to print itas a warning to the trade, in the hope that itmight stop such things happening in thefuture. No names are mentioned for obviousreasons but the other details are true.

A well-known and respected diamonddealer of some 40 years’ experience recentlypurchased two 3ct diamonds from anotherlong established, reputable Hatton Gardendealer. One was 3.17ct DVS1 and the other3.33ct D VVS1. Both had GIA certificates,both were Excellent, Excellent, Excellent, withregards to cut, polish and symmetry. Thestones weighed what they were supposedto weigh and both were on the second-handmargin scheme. Highly attractive, saleablestones you might say, and in fact there werebuyers lined up. Bear in mind that these twostones cost over a quarter of a million dollars.

Now the first thing the dealer did havingsaid ‘Mazal’ on the stones (yes, he did lookat them before he bought them) was to lookon RapNet — Mr Rapaport’s online tradingforum — for some comparables to ensure hewas competitive; diamond dealers have afeel for the market but when the tools areavailable it’s foolish not to use them.Interestingly there was a 3.33ct DVVS1 forsale in the US at 5 per cent off Rapaport, themain price list used by dealers — exactlywhat you would expect. Alarm bells rang —the stone had the same GIA certificate number. Note the stones in the UK both hadcert numbers laser-engraved on the girdle.This is not as unusual as you might think, asfirms often list stones belonging to otherpeople. However, on requesting that thestone be removed from the list as he hadjust bought it, the response was: “You wantto buy this one?” So we now have two stonesof the same weight with the same certificate

number of the same quality. Which was the‘real’ stone? Fortunately in this case this waseasy to determine, as the stone in the UShad been polished by the firm listing it andit had never been out on appro. so therewas no chance of it having been exchanged.

What then of the stone in the UK? On closeinspection it was discovered that the GIAcertificates for both the stones did not havea watermark. (This is something that manyof us know about, but when was the last timeanyone checked?) Therefore the certificateshad been reproduced, laminated andattached to the correct GIA outer folder. A cunning ploy…

What of the stone itself? It grades as Dcolour, it is a diamond and it is of VVS clarity— possibly a VVS2 but for most a VVS1 asper the paperwork. A Sarin machine, whichlabs use to determine the measurements of astone, gave an almost identical result (within

the acceptable tolerances) to what was on thepaper and — more importantly — what wasdownloaded from the GIA website whereyou can find copies of all certificates issuedby them. A further test on a DiamondSurefrom DTC revealed that the stone was aType IIa. The overwhelming conclusion — stillto be confirmed — is that this stone has beenHPHT treated to enhance its colour and thenused to masquerade as the real stone thatwas in the US. By passing the stone off assecond hand it would mean that dealers wereless likely to look closely and the price wouldbe attractive, making it much more saleable.A comparison between the market value of an untreated stone at 5 per cent off thelist price, against 70 per cent or more off thelist price for a treated stone, shows you thatsomeone is making a lot of money here.Certainly it’s worth the time and effort.

So what happened? Our business is anunusual one in the 21st century; a word ora handshake is good enough to commit tobuy and heaven help you if you fail to deliver.But if there is anything amiss then dealerswill happily unravel the sale. Their reputation,often built on generations of dealing, is tooimportant. These stones have gone back up the supply chain and have, allegedly,been sent to GIA for verification. Could bean interesting phone call. The buck will stop somewhere…

The moral of this tale is several-fold.Never ever buy a stone without the certificate,and double check if it has one. Determinefor yourself if it is what it purports to be.Check the paperwork has the correct sealsand watermarks. Furthermore, buy only froma reputable supplier whom you genuinelyknow. The margins on diamonds are small —often only 5 per cent. If the deal is a lotcheaper there will be something wrong. Youmay just not be good enough to spot the(excuse the pun) flaw. All too often in recentyears firms have abandoned their traditionalsuppliers as being ‘too expensive’ and havehappily bought from travelling salesmenwho are in the country for a only week or so;99.9 per cent of these will be genuine butoccasionally we provide an avenue for theunscrupulous to get one over on us. Londonhas a good selection of dealers who knowtheir stuff. It has a Diamond Bourse withhigh standards. Make sure you use them orthey may not be around forever. The long-term losers will be you and your customers.

A diamond scam tofool even the best…Back in July Gem-A CEO James Riley wrote about the apparentdiscrepancies between laboratory reports. The issue rumbles on,as he offers this latest twist in the story.

By passing the stone off assecond hand it would meanthat dealers were less likelyto look closely and the pricewould be attractive, makingit much more saleable.

| Business Support: Insurance


Most people reading this will be familiarwith what happens in the run up to an

insurance renewal date: an unwelcomebombardment of seemingly cheap offers allpurporting to give the best for least.

But unrealistic offers are usually just thatand if something seems too good to betrue, then it probably is!

Finding the right insurance protection canbe complicated, whatever line of businessyou’re in because there is so much riding on it. And arranging suitable cover for the particular risks faced by the jewelleryindustry is an even more exacting task, one that necessitates research and anunderstanding of available insurance products and how these will work to protectthose in the jewellery trade.

With insurance providers coming at youfrom all angles, particularly the internet,deciding which offering is the best fit for your specific needs is, understandably, a daunting task. That is where the advice ofa well-informed broker will prove to beinvaluable in identifying the insurance products that are most appropriate to yourunique needs.

Aside from the obvious advice of lookingat value, rather than just price (there are quiteoften substantial differences in the cover onoffer, including excesses and policy limits),here are a few more important questionsyou should be asking.

Is the broker authorised and regulated bythe Financial Conduct Authority (formerlythe Financial Services Authority)? This is alegal requirement.

You can check that a broker is regulatedby visiting the Financial Services Register atthe FCA's website: www.fca.org.uk

Brokers regulated by the FCA must comply with a strict set of obligations that are designed to protect clients. If youare unhappy with the service your brokerhas provided, you may be able to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

(Visit: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk forfurther advice on how to make a complaint).

These obligations include providing a clear‘demands and needs’ statement (not just asentence), together with a summary of thepolicy cover, listing the important terms,conditions and limitations, prior to coverbeing arranged.

Does the broker have experience of the jewellery trade? The jewellery industry is a highly specialistarea as regards insurance so it is thereforesensible to ensure that you engage a brokerwho can demonstrate an appropriate levelof experience. To establish this try asking thefollowing questions: • What do you know about my industry?

Are you a jewellery trade specialist? • If so, how long is your experience in

servicing the jewellery trade?• Aside from the FCA, are you a member

of any other recognised industry body(i.e. Chartered Insurance Institute,British Insurance Brokers Association)?

• Do you place the insurance directlywith an underwriter or do you send it to another specialist intermediary?

• Do you understand the particular security issues and risks relevant to thejewellery trade and are you able toadvise me on these matters in relationto my business?

• Can you offer advice on approved services that could assist me if/when I have to make a claim? For example if my premises is damaged following a robbery/fire/flood etc.

• Will you visit me at my premises inorder to fully understand the needs of my business?

• Who will I deal with and will I be givena dedicated account handler who willknow about me and my business?

Choose a broker that is willing to performan advisory role or, at the very least, onewhose approach to customer service talliesclosely with your expectations. Taking timeto gain a clear understanding as to what abroker can offer you (in comparison withwhat you actually expect) is a very good wayof selecting the broker that will suit you.

The British Insurance Brokers’ Association(BIBA) maintains a register of brokers so it isworth visiting: www.biba.org.uk to check.

In addition, good insurance brokers willalways be happy to give security advice to

their clients. One recommendation we alwaysmake is that our clients should actively participate in the SaferGems scheme. Thissuccessful initiative was developed by THMarch in partnership with the NAG back in2009 and we are proud of the positiveimpact it continues to make.

It is essentially an information exchangescheme and it helps jewellers and others in associated trades (who are clients of TH March, members of the NAG or the BJA)keep a finger on the pulse of what is happening in terms of criminals and the latest methods being used to target theindustry. Visit: www.safergems.org.uk to find out more.

A broker’s Terms of Business will provideuseful information about their services.

All that glisters...Bombarded with offers of cheap insurance? Remember thatthings may not always be as they seem, so take the time tochoose carefully, says Neil McFarlane of TH March.

Arranging suitable cover forthe particular risks faced bythe jewellery industry is aneven more exacting task…

Are you an independent jeweller

who is looking to build your business?

We,re here to help.

Become part of a dynamic co-operative that exists to help support independent jewellers.The CMJ is much more than a buying group. It is an alliance of independent retail jewellers, who together and with the CMJ’s team of professional experts can provide support, advice and friendship.

The CMJ holds two trade shows every year along with training events and a business conference. The CMJ’s executive team can provide expert advice on all aspects of your business and our supportive network of retail members right across the UK and Ireland are here to help independent retail jewellers.

We are here to help. So why not find out how we can help you?

Find out more at masterjewellers.co.uk or by ringing the CMJ’s membership services manager Lucy Hill on 01788 540250.

| Business Support: Security


Acollaboration between the NAG andinsurance brokers TH March, SaferGems

was launched in June 2009, following concern about the increase in crime committed against the jewellery industry. It works to collate attacks, incidents andintelligence in relation to jewellery crimearound the UK. And the formula is working.As of the beginning of September 2013 the initiative has recorded 470 suspiciousincidents and attacks/attempts reported byboth the jewellery industry and police, whichis an average of almost 60 reports a month.

To date SaferGems has recorded 111 robberies and smash and grab raids acrossthe UK with approximately £12 million worthof goods stolen. And while the Metropolitan,Greater Manchester and West Midlandspolice force areas remain the hot spotregions, the North East in particular hasseen a significant increase since May. It canalso be noted that we have seen robberiesin other areas of the country which have notpreviously been subject to attacks. As mightbe predicted high-end watches remain themost sought-after items, with approximately£5 million stolen this year.

As has been mentioned in previous reports,following the arrest and convictions of ateam of Eastern European criminals by the

Metropolitan Police, we have seen a decreasein robberies against Asian jewellers. However,there appears to be an increase in mainlandEurope which may indicate a displacement ofoffenders from the UK. As a possible exampleof this displacement during April there werethree reported armed robberies in the Zurich,Crans and Lucerne regions of Switzerland,all believed to have been committed by persons of Eastern European origin.

On 10th June 2013 a man wearing a distinctive hat approached an Asian jewellerystore in Brussels, Belgium, and pressed thesecurity buzzer to gain entry. Once the doorwas opened a number of other robbersstormed inside and smashed display cabinets,removing five kilos of 24ct Asian gold to thevalue of 100,000 Euros. It is understood thatRomanian men in their early twenties werearrested. An armed robbery in the Porthcawlarea of South Wales in July has been linkedto three men from Latvia and Lithuania.

The possible re-emergence of organisedSouth American gangs who target and robjewellery couriers is also of concern… notjust in the UK but across the world. On22nd August this year a diamond dealerwas robbed by persons of South Americanappearance in Hatton Garden. The offendersdistracted the merchant by placing tacks

underneath his tyre, making him believe he may have a puncture. A third personthen removed the range off the back seat ofhis car; a technique which is very much aSouth American style. The South Americansare predominantly Colombian nationals who enter the UK on Venezuelan orMexican passports.

These organised gangs are also believedresponsible for recent similar style attackson jewellery merchants in the UAE andAustralia. On Friday 9th August 2013 oneRicardo Fajardo Guerrero from Colombiawas jailed for five and a half years for stealing almost £450,000 of jewellery from two merchants in London betweenNovember and December 2012.

In addition to such criminal activity, reportsof fraud from our members continue at aworrying pace, with courier fraud in particularbeing highlighted by both the police andAction Fraud. Jewellers are being contactedby criminals who are using stolen or clonedcredit cards to obtain high value goods;again watches seem to be the item ofchoice. The perpetrators request that theitems be delivered to a specific address. The problem that arises is that the deliveryaddress nearly always matches the creditcard details, which makes us believe thatthe credit cards are possibly being stolen orintercepted in the postal system. When theitems are distributed by either courier or viapostal service, the criminals are interceptingthe goods on delivery. Exacerbating the crimeis the fact that this fraud is usually only highlighted some weeks later when thetransaction is rejected.

This method of fraud is very difficult to deter and unfortunately there is no ‘silver bullet’ answer. We can only adviseSaferGems members to be cautious andvigilant when dealing with such transactions.Some members have directed potentialfraudsters to their websites where the payments are more secure.

For more information about SaferGems,please visit: www.safergems.org.uk

SaferGems updateSaferGems, the initiative against crime in the jewellery, pawnbroking and antiques industry, continues to prove its worth, as Lee Henderson reports.

www.sa fe rgems.org .uk


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Who has been the biggest influence in your life?I would say my family is the biggest influencebecause of the way I have been brought upand taught that you can achieve anything.Also the fact that I come from a differentcultural background has taught me to be astrong person able to adapt and cope withanything that comes my way.

Looking back at your career, what onething would you do differently if youhad your time over?I am fortunate to be able to say that I wouldnot change anything. I have loved andenjoyed everything I do from creating abrand that is so loved and admired world-wide, to meeting a wide variety of clientsand celebrities. It has also been veryrewarding being in my position and beingable to help charities by giving somethingback to people who need it.

What three words describe you best… in your view and according to others?In my view I would say I am hard-working,creative and determined. In the view of othersI am told that I am sociable, caring and bossy!

If you could wave a magic wand andchange one thing about the jewelleryindustry what would it be? If I had a magic wand I would make a fewpeople disappear! On a serious note, I think

the industry needs to be free from all thecopycats who take credit for other people’shard work. As flattering as it is to have TresorParis copied I do have concerns regardingthe materials used in all the counterfeits ofmy brand and others.

If not the jewellery industry, what mightyour alternative career have been? I would have done something with biologyor genetics because I find it fascinating howyou inherit your appearance and traits andto be able to use that to manage inheriteddiseases.

Do you Tweet?Tresor Paris tweets all the time!

Tell us something not many peopleknow about you…When I was younger I studied optometry,hence the eye for fine jewellery…

Favourite shopping destination?It has to be Paris because I think it is elegantand chic and I like to buy things that are different to what is available locally.

The last film you saw at the cinema?I last went to the cinema with my husbandand children to see The Internship.Worryingly my children thought that my husband and I were ancient, and thought it was funny how all the guys working atGoogle were teenagers like them and whoare more clever than the parents!

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?I know I am going to sound old and boringbut it has to be a cappuccino and croissant…maybe a few times a day!

What keeps you awake at night?Nothing as I always get into bed too late but if I start something I am not able tosleep until I finish it.

Quick Fire• Cats or dogs? Neither• White or yellow metal? White• TV or radio? Radio• Jewellery on men? Yes• Delegator or control freak? Both• Beatles or Rolling Stones? Beatles • Paperback or e-reader? Paperback

| Regular


Last WordThe

Lilian Lousky is a director and the designer of crystal andmagnetite jewellery concept brand Tresor Paris, whose family-run parent company – Hasbani – has been a majorplayer in the diamond business for almost 50 years. Louskyplays a part in every aspect of Hatton Garden-based TresorParis, which was launched in 2010, and works alongside her brother Salim Hasbani and husband Maurice Lousky.

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