Jewelry News Online | Jewelry Magazine India

Last week, Blue Nile began marketing a collection of diamonds that focus specifically on the gem’s sparkle factor. Called Astor by Blue Nile, the collection of diamonds is selected and specifically cut to reflect maximum light. “Every Astor by Blue Nile diamond is specifically cut to gather and reflect the most light possible,” reads a press release on the collection. “Light performance is measured by three factors: brilliance, fire, and sparkle.” Every diamond in the line “receives the highest grade for each by GemEx, the leader in light measurement.” And the stones rank as an Excellent Cut from GIA. Blue Nile guarantees that the diamonds have no inclusions “visible to the naked eye” and touts the symmetry of the gem-cutting as a primary sparkle-enhancing factor. Each diamond is further rated as Very High or above in brilliance, fire, and sparkle. On the company’s website, the Astor by Blue Nile collection is available in princess and round cuts. “Customers come to Blu...

Starbucks veteran Michelle Gass will take over as Kohl’s CEO next May, replacing Kevin Mansell, who has filled the role for almost a decade. Gass (right) joined Kohl’s in 2013 as chief customer officer. In 2015, her role expanded to chief merchandising and customer officer. Before that, she spent 17 years at Starbucks. She began her career with Procter & Gamble. Mansell has been with Kohl’s for 35 years, from the time it was a Milwaukee-area retailer with a dozen locations. “Michelle has been an instrumental leader in shaping the future at Kohl’s—one where we continue to put the customer first, focus on innovation, speed, and agility and remain dedicated to the long-term financial health of the business,” Mansell said in a statement. “The retail industry is going through a transformational amount of change and Michelle is extremely well qualified and positioned to lead Kohl’s through this evolution.” In addition, in May, Sona Chawla, Kohl’s chief operating officer, will ...

Cultured pearl specialists Claudia Bradby Jewellery is celebrating adding thirteen new stockists since June. New national account manager for the brand, Zee Robinson, has enjoyed a successful start to the role and has been working hard on strengthening relationships with existing retailers as well as securing new stores. The thirteen new retailers, which include Joshua James Jewellery in Hessle, Bensons of Ludlow and S.T. Hopper Jewellers in Boston, take the number of retailers stocking Claudia Bradby Jewellery to 88, plus John Lewis stores nationwide. Robinson comments: “It’s been a fantastic few months and I’ve been overwhelmed by the positive response. The collections have been very well received for their diversity of designs. From very contemporary to classic with a modern twist, the brand offers jewellery for all women and for every occasion.” For AW17 Claudia Bradby Jewellery launched Moonlight, a contemporary collection of jewellery featuring star motifs adorned wit...

Fashion jewellery brand Swarovski has unveiled its Christmas campaign, featuring ambassador Karlie Kloss and a host of new celebrity faces. Dialling up its #BeBrilliant message for the Christmas trading season, the brand has introduced a new Swarovski squad. New faces joining Swarovski for Christmas include Naomi Campbell, Chiara Ferragni, Jourdan Dunn, Fei Fei Sun, Ruby Rose, Maye Musk, Boy George, Andres Velencoso, Bryanboy, Daya, Anthony Mackie, Nolan Funk, Eric Rutherford, Nathan Owens and Maggie Jiang. The variety of celebrities nods to the versatility of the brand’s AW17 collection. Promoting the message #GiveBrilliant, the campaign and cast reflect the brand’s will to empower all women from around the world. Leading figure of the campaign & brand ambassador, Karlie Kloss comments: “The holiday season is all about bringing people together and finding ways to celebrate those who are special to us, which is at the heart of the campaign.” “It is very importan...

Amazon Fashion is trying to catch up with Myntra, fashion arm of rival Flipkart. In just 6 months it achieved 90% growth. The US-based online marketplace is giving this segment everything it’s got. It recently introduced the Amazon Fashion Studio in Gurugram. This is a facility that provides allied services like top-quality catalogue imaging to fashion sellers on the Amazon.in platforms. BLINK by Amazon The Amazon Fashion Studio is called BLINK and is the third of its kind in the world. Apart form India, Amazon has on in London and New York. The Gurugram studio – Comprises of 44,000 sq. ft. and includes 16 photography bays A ramp and presentation area are available for photo and video shoots Enclosed workspaces for Amazon and fashion sellers to collaborate and create multimedia/ trend video content for new collections or to simply push through brand marketing channels BLINK is an extension of Amazon’s cataloguing and imaging services. This global business vertical offer...

Ecommerce is changing everyday, and sometimes by the minute. So many new ideas and developments everyday, becomes hard to keep track. We bring to you a curated digest of ecommerce developments/happenings around the world, compiled from various publications across the Internet. Amazon Lending expands its offering Having seen a tip off from a Tamebay reader, it looks like Amazon Lending has taken a great leap forward that’s available to Amazon merchants in the UK. You’ll be familiar with Amazon Lending: it’s where Amazon will offer you a loan directly in Seller Central. They base what they offer, and the terms, on what they know about you. And if you’re an Amazon seller with even a modest trading track-record they know you pretty well. Alibaba signs deal with Mexico to connect businesses with China Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto and Alibaba Group Executive Chairman Jack Ma have witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding that will bring the Chinese compan...

According to a new whitepaper from Plusnet called ‘How the future will influence retail’, in the not so distant future, consumers will shop till they drop using virtual reality (VR) from the comfort of their own homes. The report, which gathers experts from a wide range of sectors makes detailed predictions about how things such as the Internet of Things (IOT), e-commerce, AI, geolocation and web design will change and evolve. The report highlights seven key areas that startups and small businesses should be concentrating on to engage with future changes and keep ahead of their competitors. 1.Websites: These should be as engaging, immersive and ambitious as possible. Improved connectivity and broadband speeds in the coming future should help with this vision. Site speed: As general internet speeds increase across the board, site speed will be a vital consideration for internet retailers. As well as helping to increase conversion rates, it is generally thought to be an important...

The ecommerce industry has seen tremendous growth in India in the past years. Backed by the latest technologies and developments, it is set to record an  even higher growth . To sell online, you have two options: Sell on established marketplaces It is one of the easiest ways to start off with your ecommerce business. Marketplaces have better infrastructure, more customers & more access to a large user-base, great discounts, greater trust, ease of signing up and search-ability. Joining a marketplace often requires a bank account and GST registration. Building your proprietary (own) ecommerce store Starting your own store helps you to build a brand. You also have better control on inventory, marketing and end-user experience. However, creating your store is a harder method. A long-term initiative, it requires a good amount of investment and effort. You will need to build a team to work on web development, online marketing and payment gateway. Legal formalit...

The De Beers Group of Companies has announced that the industry’s first synthetic screening device for set jewellery ‘SYNTHdetect’ is now available for delivery. The International Institute of Diamond Grading and Research (IIDGR) is introducing the SYNTHdetect to its portfolio. The device has been designed to allow jewellery retailers to quickly and easily ensure the authenticity of the diamonds they purchase. As a result of its unique approach of detecting whether diamonds are natural, rather than seeking to identify synthetic characteristics, the device also has the industry’s lowest referral rate at around 0.05%. Jonathan Kendall, president, IIDGR, comments: “Since unveiling SYNTHdetect in June, we have already received significant interest and pre-orders from many of the world’s leading jewellery retailers, demonstrating a strong desire from the industry for a device that allows them to quickly and easily screen diamonds at their own premises. “With the industry’s lowest...

ALROSA’s   total sales – of rough and polished – for August 2017 amounted to US$ 257.6 million. Of this, rough diamond sales accounted for US$ 255.7 million, while polished diamond sales amounted to US$ 1.9 million. In the eight months from January 2017 to August 2017, ALROSA’s total rough and polished diamond sales amounted to US$ 3.047 billion: rough diamonds worth  US$ 2.983 billion were sold in the period; while polished diamonds sales for the eight months amounted to  US$ 64.2 million. "August is traditionally low season for trading. This year was no exception, although sales volumes in August were slightly higher than a year earlier", ALROSA Vice President Yury Okoyomov said. More Info: R ough Stone Supplier

One of the key seminars taking place during the 3rd Eastern Economic Forum to be held at Vladivostok, Russia on September 6 and 7, 2017 will focus on the development of gem-cutting and jewellery manufacturing facilities and will be addressed by a number of leading personalities from the global diamond industry, including ALROSA President Sergey Ivanov. The session, to be held on September 6 will focus on recent developments in the growth of infrastructure for launching new gem-cutting and jewellery manufacturing facilities and the programme recently launched by ALROSA to provide financial assistance to diamond cutters. Other issues that will be deliberated on are: What are the factors that determine the global competitiveness of a location for attracting investment in diamond-cutting? How can the Russian Far East succeed in competing for investors in this sector? How will the programme of financial support for diamond cutters operate? What impact could eliminating duties and oth...

Washington, D.C.--Customers asked, and Mervis Diamond Importers answered. For the first time, the Washington, D.C.-based retailer has added lab-grown diamonds to its inventory at all locations. The move came in response to consumer demand, and the retailer said it sees the addition of the stones as just another option to offer clients. Jonathan Mervis, the retailer’s vice president of strategy and client experience, said they had customers asking specifically about the manmade stones and when “it became obvious we couldn't convince them otherwise,” they brought in lab-grown diamonds. “It’s always been our mission to provide an education and full service experience to our clients, helping each couple find the right diamond for them. Today’s addition of manmade diamonds to our inventory gives our shopper added confidence that she’s seen everything,” Mervis said. The store said that consumer demand also was steering toward lab-grown diamonds specifically that are “free o...

Houston-based jewelry retailer Mint Diamonds has cooked up a cute way to usher grooms-to-be through the ring-buying process. The retailer’s 8 Step Guide—a beautifully designed, clickable mini-manual that lives on the company’s website—starts with the topic of setting your budget and ends with a section on “Care & Maintenance.” Stuffed in between those topics exists a raft of tips on things like selecting a diamond, picking out a style she’ll love, and how to insure a ring. Nick Miller, CEO of Mint Diamonds, says guys are coming to ring-buying inherently disadvantaged: “Most women would never listen to their husbands’ fashion advice,” he says, “and yet these same guys are tasked with picking out the most important piece of jewelry she’ll wear. No pressure!” The guide also provides easy-to-navigate pathways for men (or anyone) to customize a ring, through elements such as setting, metal type, and stone selection. The guide is a genuinely helpful piece of edu-marketing and...