Jewelry, Jewellery

Washington—The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has notified the Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC) of two important amendments to the Clean Diamond Trade Act, designed to improve the statistical data relating to the U.S. import and export of rough diamonds.

“This effort to improve the data gathered on imports and exports of rough diamonds will further strengthen the U.S.
(Full post Feds amend Clean Diamond Trade Act…)

Las Vegas—The American Gem Society (AGS) has been granted three U.S. patents, the first in the organization’s 74-year history.

The patents, issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), are all for the AGS’ Performance-Based Cut Grading System, which was developed by the AGS Laboratories cut-grade research team after years of work.

The USPTO granted the first patent, No. 7,336,347, on Feb. 26, for computer-ray tracing technology that helps determine a gemstone’s light performance.
(Full post AGS diamond-grading system gets three patents…)

Diamond giant Rosy Blue sees a challenging US market this year due to the protracted global credit crunch, but its chairman says demand in emerging markets such as the Gulf Arab region will add extra sparkle to sales. The Belgian-based diamond merchant said sales last year totalled $120mn, up 57.9% from 2006. It expects this year’s sales to surge to double to $250mn.
(Full post Diamond sales seen soaring on Arab demand…)

Same-store sales at Zale Corp. increased 5.8 percent for the third quarter ended April 30, and revenues for the period increased 6.3 percent to $477 million, compared with $449 million for the same period last year, the company announced today. These amounts, both current and comparable, exclude revenues from the Bailey Banks and Biddle stores, which Zale sold to Finlay Fine Jewelry Corp.
(Full post Zale 3Q same-store sales up 5.8 percent…)

Charles and Colvard has slashed its workforce by 18 percent to cut costs amid slowing sales, various news services report. The cuts amount to a loss of about 10 jobs for the Morrisville, N.C.-based moissanite maker, bringing its staff down to a total of 45.
(Full post Charles and Colvard cuts staff…)

Judith Neugebauer has worked as a jeweler since 1974. Prior to that, she was trained in classical ballet, having studied extensively with the American Ballet Theater in New York City. She performed professionally in the Ballet Corp at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and with the New Jersey Ballet Company, as well as in musical theater productions throughout the country for ten years.

Daffodil Necklace
Necklace with lines drawn in 23k gold leaf on forged and hollow formed leaves of sterling silver.
(Full post Judith Neugebauer Jewelry Designer…)

Jeannine McKenzie has been a jeweler for more than thirty years. She displayed her work on the art show circuit from 1974 to 1986, winning numerous awards at some of the finest juried shows in the Midwest. Now she creates her handmade jewelry in a remote cabin deep in the woods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Surrounded by beautiful scenery, bear, moose, and other critters, she has found a way to merge all of her passions.
(Full post Jeannine McKenzie Jewelry Designer…)

Designer John Pszeniczny has recently released these images of two very unique and desirable concept watches. The wristwatch (top picture) is called the F1 Carbon GMT watch and the one (pictured below) is called the Luna watch. These watches are very cool, but at this point they are still only “concepts”. I hope they make it to the production stage, but only time will tell.

(Full post Concept Watches by JOHN PSZENICZNY…)

John Hardy traveled to Bali from his native Canada in 1975, and fell in love with the exotic locale. He learned ancient jewelry-making skills from traditional Balinese silversmiths and incorporated these techniques into designs featuring complex patterns and shapes representing a philosophical harmony inspired by the culture's stories, myths, and legends.
(Full post John Hardy Jewelry…)

Today I would like to call attention to specialty retail jeweler, ZALE Corp, (NYSE:ZLC) and the difficult challenges it must overcome to successfully outperform the market. After a brief analysis, I have come to the conclusion that it will face many uphill challenges in the coming year.
(Full post Zales vs. Peers: Possible Difficulties Ahead - Steve Chang…)