Trade Resources

Global diamond conglomerate De Beers, banned from doing business in the United States since 1948, allowed American companies to participate in their online diamond auction for the first time on April 28^th, 2014.

NAPLES, FL (April 22, 2014) – U.S. Antique Shows, the world’s largest producer of indoor antique shows, recently announced their latest partnership with Polygon for their 2014-15 antique jewelry and watch shows. Polygon is an online community and trading platform for jewelry professionals, where members trade diamonds, jewelry, colored stones, watches, estate pieces, and more.

The Jewelers Board of Trade, which describes itself as “the only organization dedicated solely to providing credit reporting, collections and marketing services to the jewelry industry”, has introduced a subscription-based program allowing retail jewelers to monitor their JBT credit rating score on a monthly basis.

Two rough diamonds, each in excess of 160 carats, have been extracted in “largely undamaged condition” from a mine located in the tiny nation of Lesotho, a landlocked country in the middle of South Africa.

Signet Jewelers - parent company of the largest jewelry retail chain in the United States, Sterling Jewelers – has made an offer to buy Zale Corp., their largest competitor, in an acquisition expected to be worth $1.4 billion.

The Gemological Institute of America has developed a device for the screening and detection of synthetic diamonds and diamonds that have been modified using high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) methods.

In today’s competitive retail jewelry industry, traditional brick-and-mortar jewelers are continually challenged to improve every aspect of their business operations. Expanded product offerings, better customer service and the development of an online presence are areas that demand particular attention. One of the most effective ways retail jewelers can address all of these challenges is by integrating a virtual inventory system with their current website or social media profile.

A store manger emailed me and asked some questions. Here's the managers question and my response below (names have been removed to protect the innocent).This is key to making a store profitable and increase sales at a LOW or almost ZERO cost.

I just had a jeweler ask me about how to handle a customer with a silver ring sizing, and another jeweler emailed me about a silver custom letter pendant sale he lost. The first jeweler had a customer bring a silver ring for sizing and her response was "That's more than I paid for the ring."

On January 1, 2014, the Gemological Institute of America introduced a new format for the organization’s gem identification and diamond grading reports, which will be used for all new grading and identification documentation provided by the Institute.