It’s a hard week to grab headlines, with the untimely death of the man who will forever be known around the world as the King of Pop dominating nearly every news outlet. (God be with you, Michael Jackson. May you...
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They say creativity thrives during times of financial hardship. Based on my experiences over the past week, I can't help but agree. In the span of seven days, I’ve seen more interesting work from up-and-coming and established jewelers than I...
I personally don't own an iPhone and probably never will. Instead, I have this phone called the "Instinct," which is basically Samsung's version of the iPhone and is a device so similar that it causes some people to actually envy...
Reflecting back on what I saw and heard at the Vegas shows, one week later, my overriding sense is that jewelers were on the receiving end of a lot more finger wagging than I’ve seen in the past Nearly every...
Let me start off this blog post with my general impressions from the Couture and JCK shows in Las Vegas. As you might have read elsewhere, the shows were better than expected, although both were being measured against some pretty...
Yesterday, Friday morning, was the first in our series of four breakfast educational sessions at the 2009 Couture show. Held at the opulent Wynn Hotel, the breakfasts are part of our America's Best Jewelers program, which not only recognizes top-performing...
Early yesterday morning, scanning through my Google News Alerts, I came across a headline that read “Silver Jewelry--Is It Fashion Or Fine Jewelry?” After finishing up my first Couture 2009 appointment, I quickly answered that question for myself. The Couture...
I spent the bulk of Tuesday afternoon getting my schedule together for the big trip next week out to Las Vegas for the jewelry shows. While there’s a lot to be excited about, one of the appointments that’s most intriguing...
As a journalist who follows the jewelry industry pretty carefully, it's always interesting for me to read articles by the non-trade press on topics as complicated as the diamond market. Case in point this week: This now-infamous article about Russia...
I flew to Berlin two days ago, essentially, to attend a dinner party. If that sounds decadent, well, you don’t know the half of it. Last night, A. Lange & Söhne, the prestige watch brand from Germany’s Saxony region, staged...
My father was a naturalist for the National Park Service, intimately involved in the birth and growth of the primacy of the discipline of ecology in our nation's approach to its natural resources and heritage that began in the 1950s....
I don’t love to admit it, but I cannot stop watching Bravo’s Real Housewives show. All the dramas of Atlanta? Yep, tuned in for that season. The O.C.? Of course. And now I’m onto New York City, faithfully setting my...
Attempting to pair face-framing gemstone jewelry with an already embellished top or frock can inspire a bit of a wardrobing conundrum, but teen sensation Miley Cyrus pulled off the look with aplomb for her appearance at the Academy of Country...
Two nights ago, I was whisked off to Philadelphia for a private tour of “Galileo, the Medici and the Age of Astronomy,” a fascinating exhibit opening tomorrow at the Franklin Institute science museum. More than 100 artifacts, including gilded 16th...
Our in-house New York Times aficionado, Jewelry Group Vice President Bailey Beeken, brought the following to my attention. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/14/opinion/14martin.html?_r=1 Looks like it appeared on the Web on Valentine's Eve and was picked up elsewhere, including the New York edition, on...
We received the following from Joseph I. Szweda in response to our January 29 article, "GIA explains pink zones in Mozambique tourmaline." You can find the original article at: http://www.nationaljewelernetwork.com/njn/cc/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003936212 Dear Editor, I recently read your January 29th article regarding...
Hi all. We've launched an online social network purely for retail jewelers. You'll find it at www.abjnetwork.com. "ABJ" stands for America's Best Jewelers, a program we launched last year to determine operationally strong retail jewelers around the nation and bring...
OK. It's a bit before 7:00 a.m. on a cold late-November morning in New York City. Winter's here too darn early this year. I live on top of a small mountain in extreme western New Jersey, and we've already had...
I had fun and got credit for taking my wife out to boot Saturday night thanks to Roman Jewelers, a Flemington, N.J.-based independent that's one of my favorites. Roman is a fantastic pro-active marketer. In the past, they've solicited me,...
With the election over (finally), it's time to forecast where our industry is heading. If we're not in a recession now, we will be shortly. What was learned during the recessions of 1980, 1990, 2001, etc., should test your leadership...
After spending a great portion of Thursday afternoon reading Partnership Africa Canada's (PAC) report entitled "Diamonds and Human Security Annual Review 2008," I have a new perspective on the perceived "problems" that exist in my life. Generally, when I get...
It's that time of the year again. Yesterday, I hit the JA New York Summer Show, heading to the New York City's West Side for the first of a few days at the Javits. Convention centers aren't the most fun...
Lightening bolt sales of the July issue of Italian Vogue, which was dedicated to black models, proved that women of color can sell fashion magazines. However, page after page of ads featuring white models confirms advertisers' lack of confidence in...
Was MySpace's global deal with luxury jeweler Cartier the final blow in its war with Facebook? Some say there is no competition; many users have pages on both social networking sites, and it's been noted that the alleged war is...
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi are among the many celebs who have recently announced they are going to the chapel, getting hitched or taking the dive. We've seen photographs of De Rossi in a ring showcasing a marquise-cut diamond...














