RAPAPORT... • Taché Jewelry, a division of Taché USA Inc., debuted Precious3, a new alloy containing gold, platinum and silver at the 2008 JCK Las Vegas Show, touting it as offering the look and feel of gold, while retailing for up to 50 percent less. Taché Jewelry worked for nearly one year to research and develop the proprietary alloy. Company spokespersons claim Precious3 is less porous than gold, giving jewelry a higher polish, more durable, luminous and scratch-resistant than gold and slightly lighter than gold. Precious3 jewelry is available in yellow and white. Taché Jewelry is working on a women’s fashion line made with the alloy and diamonds that range from 5 points to .50 carat, priced from $99 to $499, as well as a men’s ring line. In the coming months, Precious3 will be available at fine jewelry, specialty and department stores nationwide.
• Rio Grande released a collection of high pressure-high temperature (HPHT) yellow diamonds known as Suncrest Diamonds, the only line of its kind on the market. Retail consumers can purchase the diamonds through Rio Grande’s print and online catalogues. Suncrest is a sister company of Sundance Diamonds, an HPHT diamond processing company.
• HRD Antwerp NV, a subsidiary of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), launched a five-day Contemporary Diamond Jewellery Design course. Instruction encompasses the fundamentals of diamonds in modern jewelry design and presentation on paper. Mr. Laurent-Max De Cock, associate professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and Ms. Veerle Van Wilder, associate professor at St. Lucas in Antwerp, will teach the course. Classes in English will be offered from July 28 to August 1, 2008, October 20 to 24, 2008 and April 2 to 6, 2009. A class taught in French will be offered from February 2 to 6, 2009. Sections will be limited to 15 students with no prior knowledge. For more information, contact the educational department of HRD Antwerp at 32.03.222.0709 or email education@hrdantwerp.be.
• HRD Antwerp launched its new Botswana agency to sell diamond manufacturing equipment in the country. The company appointed Werner Van Den Eynde, who previously served as the commercial executive of HRD Equipment, as its official agent in Gaborone. Van Den Eynde will be responsible for expanding the HRD brand and representing its commercial equipment interests in southern and western Africa. Among the products HRD will market include its EOS, a semiautomatic machine for bruting and girdling diamonds; Octopus, the intelligent polishing tang; Avalon, a “smoothness” visualization device; Pendragon, a polishing mill; D-scope, a diamond microscope and D-Screen, a diamond screening unit.
• The International Gemological Institute (IGI) announced it is the only worldwide laboratory that has earned ISO 9001:2000 certification in four countries — the U.S., Canada, India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). ISO is a network of national standards institutes from more than 150 countries working in partnership with international organizations, governments, industry, business and consumer representatives to link business objectives with business effectiveness. In order to maintain ISO accreditation, each of IGI’s labs must be audited annually. IGI labs are currently undergoing their sixth year of audits.
• Fabergé is pursuing a possible partnership with Russian diamond miner ALROSA, according to a statement made by the luxury brand’s parent company, Pallinghurst Resources, to Reuters. Sean Gilbertson, a Pallinghurst partner, said his company is exploring the opportunity to create Fabergé Russian diamonds now that ALROSA’s supply to De Beers, which sold $600 worth of ALROSA diamonds in 2006, is being phased out by a European Union (EU) antitrust agreement. Talks between the prospective partners are still in progress. Fabergé will release its first collection of jewelry and art objects next year.
• The second annual “Jewelers On The Fairway” golf tournament, benefiting Jewelers for Children and Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund, will take place on August 4, 2008 at the Trump National Golf Course in Briarcliff Manor, New York. Last year, the inaugural Jewelers On The Fairway tournament raised nearly $90,000 for children with cancer and their families. The tournament is limited to the first 100 players to sign up, with all players from the 2007 event offered first refusal. For more information, visit jewelersonthefairway.com.
• The World Gemological Institute (WGI) introduced its World Loupe™ at the JCK Las Vegas Show. Given away for free at their booth, the loupe provides a UV light for detecting fluorescence in diamonds and a white light component. WGI gave away almost 1,200 loupes in four days. Several companies expressed a willingness to sell the loupe on their websites and a desire to purchase cobranded World Loupes as promotional items for their own businesses.WGI is an international diamond grading and research center that is part of the Israel Diamond Institute (IDI) group of companies.
• The Diavik Diamond Mine is planning to change its logo to reflect the ownership of holding company Rio Tinto. The bright red Rio Tinto logo will replace Diavik’s, according to the firm’s quarterly newsletter. The mine, which is 60 percent owned by Rio Tinto and 40 percent owned by Harry Winston Diamond Corporation, will unveil its new branding in the near future.
• Novori, the online jewelry retailer, appointed Steven Zale to its board of directors. Zale founded Zalemark Inc. in 2002 and obtained exclusive licenses for Seventeen Jewelry Collection, Badgley Mischka, the ESQ watch brand, Divas Choice, Demeter and B. Smith.
• Yuval Braverman was elected to Zale Corporation’s board of directors. Braverman, 52, has nearly 30 years of experience in the diamond industry. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of diamond wholesaler J. & J. Zaidman Inc., which he cofounded in 1981.
• Frederick Goldman, Inc. announced the appointment of Tom Tanner as vice president of marketing. Tanner, who brings more than 15 years of marketing experience to the company, will be responsible for marketing strategy, brand management, communications and sales support. Most recently, Tanner served as senior director of marketing at Andin International, where he oversaw all marketing and interactive activities for the firm. He was also involved in the organization and development of the Plumb Club Forum. Frederick Goldman’s consumer brands include Goldman, ArtCarved, Diana Classic, Lyric and Triton.
• Watch auctioneer Antiquorum named Caroline Guennelon the company’s new marketing and communications manager. Most recently, Guennelon served as marketing and communications advisor for Temenos, a banking software company in Geneva, where she was responsible for press relations, website management and editorial material.
Charlotte Preston, president and owner of Charlotte Preston Catalysts, is celebrating 15 years of service to the jewelry industry. Preston’s company produces education programs for trade shows such as the American Gem Trade Association’s (AGTA) GemFair in Tucson and Retail Jewelers Association (RJO) member events. Preston also facilitates a collaborative jewelers’ business group and her company provides strategic consulting services to small businesses.
• I W Marks Jewelers received the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Education Foundation’s “Pinnacle Award” at the 16th Annual BBB Awards for Excellence luncheon at the InterContinental Houston. The jewelry retailer, which has stores in Houston and Sugar Land, earned the Pinnacle Award in 2007, as well, and has been recognized with the BBB “Award for Excellence” or the “Award of Distinction” in 1994, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2006. This award recognizes local businesses that excel in quality, service and management. Proceeds help fund the four programs of the BBB Education Foundation and extend its educational initiatives to outlying communities of the greater Houston area. The foundation’s mission is to educate and advocate on behalf of consumers and businesses to combat unethical business practices.
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - July 2008. To subscribe click here.