The Movado Group Inc. announced Wednesday that it is reducing distribution of its ESQ Movado brand in order to focus on “more productive” watches.
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Since I’m still getting acclimated with the fine jewelry industry and trying to expose myself to as many brands and people as possible, I decided to join National Jeweler Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff and check out the collections of Buddha Mama two weeks ago. Based on the name and the buzz behind the brand, I was intrigued.

Leroy Kisling of Rogers Jewelry Co. in Reno, Nev. is another grand prize winner in Frederick Goldman’s “ArtCarved in Rome” sweepstakes.
Kalyan Jewellers, which has stores in India and the United Arab Emirates, has been recognized with the Emerging Retailer of the Year Award from the Economic Times for “aggressively building a pan-India operations despite a slowing market.”

A total of 73 percent of retailers reported an increase in sterling silver sales last year, and another 50 percent said the best selling opportunity with the metal is among female self-purchasers, the Silver Promotion Service’s annual Silver Jewelry Buying Trends survey shows.
De Beers’ diamond brand Forevermark is opening a second Diamond Institute in India next year in anticipation of the growth it is expecting to see in the coming years, the company announced Thursday.

After seeing success with its first partnership with a designer, online retailer Blue Nile will showcase a select number of established and emerging brands through its new “Designer Collective.”
Two companies are donating a portion of proceeds from specific sales to the industry’s charity, Jewelers for Children.

The FBI is offering a reward for information that leads to the arrest of a suspect involved in violent jewelry store “smash-and-grab” robberies across three states.
Tiffany & Co. saw same-store sales in the Americas increase 6 percent in the fourth quarter, the company reported Friday.

The winners of the 11th annual Savannah College of Art and Design Student Design Competition were announced at the Atlanta Jewelry Show on March 9.

One antique and estate jewelry dealer from the South has come into possession of two jewels that were presented to Pope Paul VI early in his reign and is now selling them for a combined price of $1.9 million.

A jewelry industry CEO who was a partner in the messaging application Viber has been making headlines after the app sold for $900 million, and now says he plans to pour some of that money into his jewelry brand.
The Gübelin Gem Lab is accepting applicants for its newly established Dr. Eduard Gübelin Research Scholarship, an annual grant that will be allocated to an innovative research project in the field of gemology.
The International Gemological Institute in India recently marked 15 years of operation as the country's first international lab.

Following a slow unscrambling on social media, Couture officially announced Wednesday that soul singer Janelle Monáe will be the entertainment for this year’s opening night event, scheduled for May 29 at the Wynn Las Vegas.
De Beers said Tuesday it is adding five more companies to its list of sightholders for the current contract period but won’t be releasing their names until early next month, when they are “formally appointed to the list.”
When I attended the Women’s Jewelry Association’s “In the Know” conference for the first time two weeks ago, I was blown away by all the speakers and the knowledge they had to share with the crowd.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has implemented what is essentially a comprehensive ban on the commercial trade of elephant ivory, which comes as part of the White House’s new strategy for combating wildlife trafficking. The ban is effective immediately.
Chris Del Gatto has resigned as global CEO of Jacob & Co. to start a jewelry buying company, leaving Jacob Arabo to head his eponymous company.
The Edge Retail Academy has introduced a new program to help jewelers improve the strength and profitability of their inventories through one-on-one sessions with industry expert Sally Furrer.

An exhibition of remarkable pieces made by Cartier for one of the brand’s most devoted clients is scheduled to open at the Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens in Washington this summer.

The Alliance for Responsible Mining has unveiled a new brand identity and logo to accompany the “Fairmined” standard it revised in December.
In early February, we ran a story about a new program called Sustainable in Style. Created by Scottsdale, Ariz.-based diamond company Avilan, the program pairs independents designers--Sofia Kaman, Toby Pomeroy and Megan Thorne among them--with Avilan’s “eco ethical” Storied Diamonds, which are recycled, or previously owned, stones.