When conducting its May consumer confidence survey, The Conference Board asked extra questions about consumers’ budgeting strategies.
7 Books To Read So Far This Year
From a book on blockchain to advice from a Broadway star, National Jeweler has it covered in its first book roundup of 2018.

New York--Do you want to learn more about blockchain, perfect your timing and get tips on risk-taking from a professional poker player?
Or do you want to read more about a women who had one of the best jewelry collections of all time?
Whichever it is, National Jeweler has it covered in our first book roundup of 2018.
Check out the seven titles below, and click or tap through for more information on book discussion site Goodreads.
Daniel Pink
Daniel Pink is a name that will be familiar to many who work in jewelry. He’s been a speaker at past American Gem Society Conclaves and was at the Atlanta Jewelry Show in August giving workshops on his book “To Sell Is Human.”
Pink’s latest work, “When,” came out in January and draws on research to show that timing isn’t an art but a science.
When people understand the science, they can use timing to, for example, build the ideal schedule or know exactly when to switch jobs.
2. Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts
Annie Duke
Duke is a former World Series of Poker Champion who now works as a business consultant.
In her book, she encourages readers to quit worrying about being certain all the time and instead accurately assess what is known and what isn’t known in a situation before making a decision. This will help to avoid knee-jerk, biased reactions, reactions that are overly emotional and other bad decision-making habits.
Michael J. Casey and Paul Vigna
There’s been a lot of buzz around blockchain in the industry, from De Beers’ announcement that it’s piloting one for diamonds to Gübelin Gem Lab working with Everledger to create one for colored stones.
But what is it exactly, how will it work and why is it important?
Casey and Vigna, authors of “The Age of Cryptocurrency,” attempt to demystify the blockchain in their new book while also outlining the disruption it’s sure to cause in the finance, technology, legal and shipping industries.
4. Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher and Never Stop Learning
Leslie Odom Jr.
Leslie Odom Jr. earned a Tony playing Aaron Burr in Broadway’s “Hamilton.” Before that, though, he struggled for years as a singer and actor.
His book uses stories from his life to help people achieve
Daniel Coyle
Coyle, who wrote the New York Times bestseller “The Talent Code,” went inside groups like the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team Six, the championship-winning San Antonio Spurs and even a gang of jewel thieves to figure out what makes organizations work.
He teaches readers how to build a great culture by offering strategies for learning, collaboration and trust.
6. Marketing to Gen Z
Jeff Fromm and Angie Read
Fromm and Read’s new book takes a look at the generation coming up behind the much-talked-about millennials.
Born between 1996 and 2010 (which means the oldest of them are 21 or 22 right now), members of Gen Z will comprise 40 percent of consumers by 2020. They are, according to Fromm and Read, hardworking, socially conscious, skeptical of marketing and mobile-first.
“Marketing to Gen Z” teaches readers how to connect with them via social media, engender loyalty and offer a standout shopping experience.
7. Wallis in Love: The Untold Life of the Duchess of Windsor, the Woman Who Changed the Monarchy
Bessie Wallis Warfield, later known as the Duchess of Windsor, had one of the most spectacular jewelry collections of all time. It brought in $50 million at Sotheby’s in 1987 and was the most expensive private jewelry collection ever sold at auction, until, of course, Elizabeth Taylor’s collection went up on the block.
In this new book, Morton goes behind the duchess’s public persona to reveal a woman with a complex personality who grappled with matters of the heart—Edward VIII gave up the throne for her, and she is quoted as saying, “You have no idea how hard it is to live out a great romance”—and strove to determine her own fate.
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The miner said demand for higher-quality emeralds is stable, but there is notable caution in the market.

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This year’s inductees include second-, third-, and fourth-generation jewelers.

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