This year’s honorees include a Midwest retailer and two multi-store independents, one in New York and the other in New England.
Amazon’s Second ‘Prime Day’ Becomes Biggest Sales Day
Customer orders in the United States were up more than 50 percent compared with last year’s event.

New York--If this year’s event is any indication, Amazon’s Prime Day will just keep on rolling.
The e-commerce giant said that the 2016 Prime Day, held this past Tuesday, was its “biggest day ever” in sales, and the company already has confirmed that it will hold the event again next year.
The event was only open to Amazon Prime members, the shoppers who pay $99 a year for free shipping and other benefits. (Amazon regularly offers a 30-day free trial membership to Prime, which means those who were not already members could shop on Prime Day too.)
Though it didn’t release any final sales figures, Amazon said that this year’s orders surpassed Prime Day 2015 by more than 50 percent in the United States and 60 percent worldwide.
Small businesses and sellers on Amazon offering deals to Prime members, meanwhile, saw orders nearly triple year-over-year both in the U.S. and globally, and orders placed via the Amazon app more than doubled.
The strongest performers were Amazon devices, with strong sales for each category including Fire TV, Fire tablets and Kindle e-readers.
But even with the strong sales, the second annual Prime Day was not without its issues.
Complaints started popping up on the Internet in the middle of the day from customers who weren’t able to add items to their shopping carts, which Amazon fixed within hours. The e-commerce giant would not comment on whether the glitch caused it to lose sales.
When Amazon launched Prime Day last year to celebrate its 20th anniversary, the sales results of the inaugural event beat those from Amazon’s Black Friday event the year before, which up to that point was its biggest sales day to date.
Last year’s event also saw a few kinks that needed to be worked out before Tuesday’s sales day, with many shoppers complaining about the quality and selection of the products offered. Amazon said it worked with vendors this year to increase the inventory of offered items.
Prime Day also has sparked responses from a number of large retail competitors, including five days of free shipping with no minimum purchase and a slate of discounts from Walmart as well as large sales events from J.C. Penney, Kohl’s, and many others.
The Latest

As an homage to iconic crochet blankets, the necklace features the nostalgic motif through a kaleidoscope of cabochon-cut stones.

Discover the dozen up-and-coming brands exhibiting in the Design Atelier for the first time.

When investing in your jewelry business, it's important not to overlook the most crucial element of success: the sales associates.

The “Royal Ruby” Collection is a quintet of untreated rubies curated by collector Jack Abraham.


The entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” star will share his top tips for success.

Two existing executives have been given new roles.

More shoppers are walking out without buying. Here’s how smart jewelers can bring them back—and the tool they need to do it right.

Meredith Tiderington, an electrical engineering student, was selected for the award.

It will quit assigning the stones specific color and clarity grades in favor of applying “new descriptive terminology.”

From design trends to sustainability, here’s a roundup of can’t-miss education sessions at JCK Las Vegas.

The Jewelers’ Security Alliance offers advice for those attending the annual trade shows.

Her new role is director of strategic initiatives.

The designer is embracing bold pieces with weight to them in “AU79,” a collection she celebrated with a creative launch party.

On an earnings call, CEO J.K. Symancyk discussed what’s working for the company and how it’s preparing for the potential impact of tariffs.

The index partially rebounded after months of decline, due in part to the U.S.-China deal to temporarily reduce import tariffs.

The actress stars in the latest campaign set in Venice, Italy, and is set to participate in other creative initiatives for the jeweler.

The company has joined other labs, including GIA and Lotus Gemology, in adopting the Chinese term for "jadeite jade."

The large stone will be offered at its June sale along with a selection of secondary-type rubies from a new area of the Montepuez mine.

Located in Bangkok, the laboratory is Gemological Science International’s 14th location worldwide.

Those born in June have a myriad of options for their birthstone jewelry.

The diamond industry veteran has been named its senior sales executive.

The company plans to raise the prices of select watches to offset the impact of tariffs.

Between tariffs and the sky-high cost of gold, designers enter this year’s Las Vegas shows with a lot of questions and few answers.

Designed by founder Renato and his daughter Serena Cipullo, it showcases a flame motif representing unity and the power of gathering.

However, the tariffs remain in effect in the short term, as an appeals court has stayed the U.S. Court of International Trade’s decision.

The pop icon is one step closer to launching her “B Tiny” jewelry collection, a collection she first began posting about last fall.