British Royal Jewels to Go On Display

Two centuries of personal jewels worn by British monarchs will be displayed at a special exhibit at Buckingham Palace in August and September.

The “unprecedented display,” titled “Diamonds: A Jubilee Celebration,” is meant to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee, which marks the 60th year of her reign. In February, Elizabeth II will become only the second sovereign in British history to have reigned for 60 years.

The exhibition includes the Coronation necklace and earrings created for Queen Victoria and subsequently worn by Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth (The Queen Mother), and the current Queen at their coronations. The necklace is formed of 25 graduated cushion-shaped brilliant-cut diamonds and a central drop-shaped pendant of 22.48 cts.

- Queen Victoria’s Fringe Brooch. The brooch, designed to be worn on top the low-cut bodices of the period, consists of a large emerald-cut brilliant surrounded by twelve large brilliants, from which are suspended nine diamond chains. It was made in October 1856 by R & S Garrard. The Queen Mother wore the brooch for the Coronation in 1953.

- The Williamson Brooch. This brooch includes at its center what's been touted as “the finest pink diamond” ever discovered. The stone was discovered in Tanzania in October 1947 by the Canadian geologist J.T. Williamson, who gave the uncut stone to Princess Elizabeth for her wedding. In 1953, Cartier set the cut diamond at the center of the jonquil-shaped brooch.

- The 18th century bloodstone box made for King Frederick the Great of Prussia. The box incorporates nearly 3,000 diamonds arranged pictorially to represent flowers, insects, and musical instruments.

Stuller to Distribute Popular Canadian Children’s Jewelry Line in U.S.

On Jan. 3, Stuller announced that it has partnered with the Canadian company Bfly, and will be the exclusive distributor of the company’s line to the U.S. independent retailer.

“We’re excited about having the opportunity to offer such a fresh and creative children’s line to our customers,” said Barbara Ryan, Stuller’s new vice president of jewelry. “The collection has a great story, a one-of-a-kind look, and is appealing to both children and their parents.”

The collection is offered in sterling silver or 10k, 14k, and 18k yellow or white gold with any birthstone and is available as earrings, rings, bracelets, pendants, watches, and charms.

Facebook Post Helps Solve Diamond Ring Theft

Police in Burlington, Vt., were able to nab a diamond thief by way of ring photos posted to a Facebook account.

On Dec. 26, a young Caucasian male around 5’6” with light brown hair entered a Zales store at the Burlington Town Center to look at diamond engagement rings. Store employees noted that the man was about 20 to 25 years old, wearing a black fleece, sweatpants, and sneakers, and had a hickey on the left side of his neck. He looked at several rings for about an hour, then grabbed a 1.01 ct. diamond solitaire set in a four-prong 14k white gold mounting and ran out of the store with it, heading east towards the mall exit adjacent to the garage. The piece was valued at $3,199.

The following day, police received multiple anonymous tips that photos of a diamond ring matching the one described in local news reports had been posted on the Facebook page of Amber Lafountain, who turned out to be the girlfriend of 25-year-old Ryan Jarvis. Police also learned that on the evening of Dec. 26, Jarvis took Lafountain out to dinner, where he proposed. Friends of the couple saw Lafountain’s celebratory pictures posted on Facebook, and phoned the police when they recognized the ring from media reports.

Police went to the home of Lafountain on Dec. 27, where she told them that she thought Jarvis had purchased the ring, but turned it over to them for inspection. Police discovered that the serial number stamped on the diamond matched that of the stolen piece. Jarvis then exited the home, approached Burlington Police Officer Jesse Stewart, and admitted to the theft. Officer Stewart arrested Jarvis, who is charged with felony retail theft, a crime punishable by not more than 10 years in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Officer Stewart noted that Jarvis said he “selected a ring but knew that he could not afford it,” and though he considered financing options and knew it would be “a stupid thing to do,” he ultimately ran out of the store with it.

A Jewelers Security Alliance post noted that the store salesman was able to prevent a much larger theft by only showing one ring at a time, even though the suspect had originally asked for two.

Sears, Kmart Names New President

Sears Holdings named Ron Biore as executive vice president, chief merchandising officer, and president for the Sears and Kmart formats.

Boire comes to Sears from Brookstone, where he was president and CEO. He will lead merchandising and retail stores for both the Sears and Kmart brands.

The news comes on the heels of a dismal Christmas; the company announced that it would soon close more than 100 stores.

“I understand the company's challenges, but I am more persuaded by the company's opportunities and strengths,” Boire said in a statement. “As a company with over $40 billion in sales, millions of customers, irreplaceable brands, thousands of stores, and committed associates, we have a lot to work with,”

Added Sears Holdings' president and CEO Lou D'Ambrosio: “We have made some difficult decisions recently and will make the hard choices necessary to turn our business around going forward."

Prior to Brookstone, Boire served as president, U.S. Toys, North America, for Toys "R" Us. He has also worked at Best Buy and Sony, and has MBAs from both Columbia Business School and London Business School.

India, China Seek Stronger Ties

A delegation of officials from the China’s diamond industry group, the Diamond Administration of China, visited its Indian counterpart, the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, to expand ties between the two countries and seek greater cooperation in the diamond business.

The delegation visited Bharat Diamond Bourse in Mumbai and toured the country’s Kimberley Process office.

The delegation spoke about its plans for a Diamond Cultural Festival, which will educate young Chinese about the importance of investing in diamonds.

The two organizations jointly agreed to promote diamond consumption in India and China by creating new marketing programs.

Diamond Ring Enters Guinness World Records

Studded with 2,525 cut stones set in 18k white gold, the Tsarevna Swan ring was designed by Lobortas Classic Jewelry House, a manufacturer based in Kiev.

According to Guinness World Records, the ring was presented and photographed in Kiev on July 21, 2011.

Gene Davidov, the American distributor for Lobortas, says the ring, which was valued at $1.3 million, was designed three years ago and took about a year to complete.

“It was intended as a showpiece,” Davidov says, adding that he believed the ring was sold to a Ukrainian collector last year.

NPD: More shoppers out, but spending less

There was an increase in the number of shoppers in the week ending Dec. 12, with 67 percent of U.S. consumers shopping at brick-and-mortar retail stores as compared to 66 percent the week prior, according to The NPD Group’s Shopping Activity Weekly Holiday Trends report.

Brick-and-mortar shopping conversion remained stable for the week ending Dec. 12 at 67 percent. Stores that increased their shopping conversion rates this week include national chain retailers (up 2 percent) and department stores (up 2 percent).

Despite stability and increases for shopping conversion arates, NPD reported that the average amount spent by shoppers during their brick-and-mortar buying visits was down five percent during the week ending Dec. 12 from the prior week. This is the first decline seen in the average amount spent after five consecutive weeks of increases.

“There is good news and bad news in these holiday results,” Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at The NPD Group, said. “The good news is that the consumer keeps shopping. The bad news is that the post-Thanksgiving lull continues. Retailers need to be more aggressive in luring customers into stores by using online and by offering more deals. We do see that some stores continued door-busters, and it has paid off.”

The online share of buying visits remained stable at 17 percent in the week ending Dec. 12, marking the second consecutive week at a record high level, according to NPD. While buying visits held steady, online spending levels have declined, with the amount spent per online buying visit dropping 18 percent the week ending Dec. 12 versus the prior week (which included Cyber Monday).

“Online continues to be the bigger story for holiday 2011,” Cohen said. “What I think will be next is more deals offered online that will help to regain the momentum that online has been building.”

The NPD Group’s Shopping Activity Weekly Holiday Trends report is a study fielded to 4,750 United States consumers daily, capturing brick-and-mortar shopping behavior and online purchase behavior in a range of categories.

HRD Awards Top Design Honor to 'Porcupine Theory' By Jiang Zhe

Five diamond jewelry designers were recognized earlier this week for their winning entries in HRD Awards 2011, titled "You and Me." Diamond jewelry designer Jiang Zhe, who is from China, was awarded first prize for her "Porcupine Theory" (pictured) diamond brooches.

The other four finalists were: Alia Mouzannar from Lebanon, Gabri Schumacher and Maja Houtman from The Netherlands, and Chun Man Ping from Taiwan.

The event also recognized Ling Qiang, the president of the Shanghai Diamond Exchange, with the "Office of the Order of King Leopold II" for fostering strong diplomatic relations between Belgium and China.

The HRD Awards ceremony was held in Shanghai and included many important Belgian guests, including the governor and vice-mayor of Antwerp, the Belgian ambassador to China, the Belgian consul general in Shanghai and representatives from the industry.

The HRD Awards this year were jointly organized by HRD Antwerp and the Shanghai Diamond Exchange, were supported by the Gems & Jewelry Trade Association of China and sponsored by Kimberlite Diamond. The theme this year, Toi Et Moi, or You and Me, referred to the mystery of dualism and Yin and Yang, the balance of extremes.

In the initial selection process, which took place in October 2010, had a panel of experts select 29 designs out of 1,396 original submissions. During the course of this year those 29 finalists created their finished jewelry piece. The top five were then unveiled December 11.

''The fact that we held this year’s HRD Awards ceremony in China indicates that China's diamond industry is highly valued and recognized by the international industry experts,'' said Qiang. ''With the steady development of China’s economy, China's diamond sector has become a major partner in the world's diamond industry.''

Georges Brys, the general manager of HRD Antwerp, added that Chinese consumers are becoming increasingly aware of quality and authenticity, especially when buying diamond jewelry. ''Quality and authenticity is exactly what HRD Antwerp is promoting through its Diamond Certificates. The introduction of the HRD Awards collection in Shanghai will help us to further develop our business opportunities in China, by opening doors and connecting by means of the magic of diamond jewelry.''