A pink topaz Belle Époque pendant-brooch and a Victorian Egyptian Revival choker were also highlights at a recent Anderson & Garland sale.
For the Third Quarter in a Row, Fewer Jewelers Closed
In the U.S., 146 jewelers ceased operations in the third quarter, down from 313 in the same period last year.
New York--Recently released data from the Jewelers Board of Trade shows that for the third quarter in a row, fewer jewelers closed their doors.
The JBT’s statistics and trend data for Q3 2017 shows that in the United States, 146 jewelers ceased operations, down from 313 in the third quarter 2016.
There were also 22 retailers that consolidated via a sale or merger and six that filed for bankruptcy, bringing the grand total of what the JBT classifies as business discontinuances to 174 for Q3. That is a 38 percent decline from the third quarter 2016, when discontinuances totaled 327.
Counting wholesalers and manufacturers, the grand total for jewelry businesses ceasing operations, bankruptcies and sales/mergers in the U.S. in Q3 was 228, down from 416 last year.
Including Canada, the number of business discontinuances among jewelers, wholesalers and manufacturers in Q3 totaled 236, down from 426 in Q3 2016.
This is the third quarter in a row that the JBT’s data has shown an abatement in the number of store closures year-over-year, though, as JBT President Anthony Capuano pointed out in the beginning of the year, “the trend is still for there to be fewer jewelry companies.”
The number of businesses closing for one reason or another might be coming down from the high levels recorded last year, but the number of new businesses continues to decline too.
New business listings in the U.S. were down 49 percent to a “staggering” 111 year-to-date, the JBT said. The bulk of those (93) were retailers, with only 10 and eight new entities in wholesale and manufacturing, respectively.
Total listings for the U.S. jewelry industry were down 5 percent, from 27,479 to 26,246. Including Canada, total listings have declined 4 percent year-over-year, from 28,743 to 27,492.
The JBT issued its Q3 report last Tuesday.
In its weekly alert sent out Friday, the organization announced that Capuano, who took over for the retiring Dione Kenyon in August 2016, will be on medical leave through the end of the year.
Immediate past Chairman Richard Weisenfeld will serve as interim president in Capuano’s absence.
The Latest

The event, which will co-locate with the Monterey Bay Jade Festival, will bring education sessions focused on jade to the United States.

The charm is a celebration of springtime as April showers bring May flowers with the piece’s cluster of diamond raindrops.

Bench jewelers spend years honing their skills, Jewelers of America’s Certification validates their talents.

The National Retail Federation expects retail sales growth to return to pre-pandemic levels as consumers continue to face inflation.


The 4-carat, old mine brilliant-cut diamond engagement ring was co-designed by Willis and New York City-based brand Karina Noel.

Rio Tinto unearthed the diamond at its Diavik mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories.

Natural diamonds mean more than lab-grown, but when every cut is ideal, they all look the same. Customers want more—Facets of Fire delivers.

The multisensory experience, open April 8-13, will feature the brand’s silver creations among dream-like scenes of natural landscapes.

The virtual event will take place April 7 at 3 p.m.

The pieces in “Animali Tarallo” portray animals from stingrays to elephants through portraits and interpretations of their patterns.

Parent company Saks Global said the iconic location will be open through the holiday season as it decides what to do with the space.

Ronald Winston, son of Harry Winston, donated the diamonds to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

The educational event will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, this May.

The layoffs come amid the TV shopping channel’s efforts to restructure and focus on live shopping through social media.

The debut event will take place in Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood this fall.

The roundtable will take place May 17 ahead of the trade show’s welcome dinner.

The “Peanuts x Monica Rich Kosann” collection features the comic strip’s classic vocabulary across 10 bracelet designs.

Three industry experts dive into the complexities of the material often marketed as an “ethical” alternative for metal in jewelry.

Diamonds are not only one of the most prominent gemstones, but the birthstone for those born in April.

The Utah-based company known for making wedding bands has acquired Doubloon Golf.

The longtime luxury executive led one of LVMH’s watch brands, TAG Heuer, for 12 years before taking over Bulgari in 2013.

Authorities said the robbers fled with jewelry and 70 Rolex watches, later taking pictures of themselves posing with big stacks of cash.

Lotus Gemology founder Richard W. Hughes has translated Heinrich Fischer’s 1880 book “Nephrit und Jadeit” from its original German.

The ring's design features contrasting lines influenced by work from architecture-inspired photographer Nikola Olic.

The Conference Board’s index fell as consumers continued to worry about the impact of tariffs, the labor market, and the price of eggs.

However, two medieval jewels surpassed estimates at Noonans Mayfair’s recent jewelry auction in London.