Jeweller - April Issue 2017

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE FOR THE 

JEWELLERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA 

APRIL 2017 

www.jewellermagazine.com 

Tick tock 

MAKING SENSE OF THE FAST-PACED 

FASHION WATCH ARENA 

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MAKING SENSE OF THE FAST-PACED 

FASHION WATCH ARENA 

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE FOR THE 

JEWELLERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA 

LOCAL CONSUMERS ARE SHOWING 

A NEWFOUND FONDNESS FOR OPAL 



SECRETS TO STRIKING A PROFITABLE 

BUSINESS COLLABORATION 

CONTENTS 


18/ 

25/ 

30/ 

FEATURES REGULARS BUSINESS 

18/ RIGHT ON TIME 

Making sense of the market shifts 

keeping fashion watches on trend. 

25/ OPAL RECOVERY 

The industry is no longer content 

typecasting opal as a cheap souvenir. 

30/ PERFECT MATCH 

A national treasure has found itself 

a new home in South Australia. 

32/ PARTING WAYS 

Why Jeweller will no longer provide 

financial backing to the JAA. 

9/ Editorial 

11/ Upfront 

12/ News 

16/ New Products 

37/ Gems 

Revealing inclusions: emerald 

38/ JAA Executive Director’s 

report 

39/ JAA Member’s profile 

48/ My Bench 

50/ Soapbox 

Brent Weatherall wonders what 

fruit and flowers have in common 

with jewellery. 

41/ Business feature 

Pair up with others for profit, 

advises Francesca Nicasio. 

43/ Selling 

Thomas Young offers tips for 

improving trust. 

45/ Management 

Marian Thier outlines the seven 

traits of a proficient listener. 

46/ Marketing 

Never underestimate the power of 

networking, reports David Brown. 

47/ Logged On 

There are four SEO mistakes to 

avoid, states Chris Ashton. 

Tick tock 

Opal revival 

+ + 

Pairing up 

Front cover description: 

Opal is gaining fame and status 

within the local market. 

April 2017 Jeweller 5

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EDITORIAL 

THE END OF A 20-YEAR RELATIONSHIP 

This issue marks the end of Jeweller’s 

two-decade alliance with the JAA. 

For more than 20 years this magazine has 

been a major financial contributor to the 

association as well as providing non-cash 

support; however, I called JAA president 

Selwyn Brandt on February 9 to advise 

him that we would not be renewing our 

sponsorship agreement. 

Late last year the JAA asked to begin 

discussions about a new contract so Brandt 

was understandably surprised by my phone 

call. He asked if the decision not to renew 

could be reviewed. I informed him that 

we had completed an industry survey in 

which we polled 200 jewellery retailers – 

JAA members and non-members – about 

industry topics, including their views on the 

JAA. The results would not please him, I said. 

Indeed I told Brandt that the outcome of 

the survey played a significant part in our 

decision to quit the JAA and, as a result, our 

decision was final. 

It is no secret that many people in the 

industry believe the JAA has lost its way. 

One indicator of that is the association’s 

declining membership. More importantly, 

however, are the names of the businesses 

that are quitting the JAA after decades of 

uninterrupted and loyal membership. 

For the record, we had already decided to 

conduct an industry survey so adding a few 

questions about the JAA wasn’t a big step 

and I would be surprised if anyone can put a 

positive spin on the results. For a start, how 

is it that only 62 per cent of members agree 

that the JAA is “recognised and respected for 

excellence and trusted leadership”? 

Why isn’t that figure 90 per cent or above? 

I have already detailed the wider survey 

findings online – and now here starting 

on page 32 – so what follows are additional 

results not previously published. But first: 

the most recent turmoil in which the JAA 

finds itself follows the announcement to cut 

ties with Expertise Events to create and run 

a competing tradeshow this year. 

Not only was the JAA foregoing more than 

$100,000 in cash sponsorship from Expertise 

Events for, effectively, doing nothing, but the 

decision also caused an industry rift because 

suppliers and buying groups were suddenly 

being forced to decide between two fairs on 

the same days in the same city. 

The resulting backlash and division has been 

widely reported yet the fallout continues to 

this day, which begs the question of how the 

JAA management didn’t foresee the perfect 

storm the decision would create? 

After all, when announcing the decision 

in May 2016, JAA executive director 

Amanda Hunter said she had “detailed 

research, analysis and discussion” about 

its new Jewellery Tradeshow. Then JAA 

vice president Laura Sawade was also 

emphatic: “There has been an overwhelming 

HOW IS IT 

THAT ONLY 

62 PER CENT 

OF MEMBERS 

AGREE THAT 

THE JAA IS 

“RECOGNISED 

AND 

RESPECTED FOR 

EXCELLENCE 

AND TRUSTED 

LEADERSHIP”? 

WHY ISN’T 

THAT FIGURE 

90 PER CENT OR 

ABOVE? 

amount of support from the industry when 

researching this idea.” That was news to 

almost everyone in the industry, especially 

to major suppliers as well as buying groups. 

Leading Edge knew nothing about the 

new show and it, along with Nationwide 

Jewellers, polled their members and the 

JAA show got the big thumbs down, so it’s 

unclear who Hunter and Sawade surveyed. 

We know who we surveyed and our research 

shows that JAA members are resolute in 

their view that the industry does not need 

a second trade fair on the same days as the 

traditional fair – more than 90 per cent of 

respondents voted against it. Furthermore, 

85 per cent were in favour of Darling Harbour 

as the preferred site for the fair. Just one 

per cent voted for Moore Park, the JAA’s 

nominated venue! 

How could Brandt, Hunter and Sawade – 

who has since left the industry – get it so 

wrong? If that’s not already a slap in the face, 

fewer than 30 per cent of members believed 

the JAA should risk membership funds by 

operating its own commercial ventures. 

That aside, the very first question Hunter 

and Sawade should have researched was 

whether it’s the job of the JAA to be running 

a jewellery tradeshow in the first place. 

Only 43 per cent of its own members believe 

it should. Damning really! 

Coleby Nicholson 

Managing Editor 


Call for entries to the prestigious 

Jewellery Design Awards. 

With over $80,000 in prizes, 

it’s a call not to be missed. 

The winner of the ‘Supreme Award’ will receive two business class tickets and four night’s accommodation to Baselworld 2018, and a full page 

advertisement in The Australian Women’s Weekly magazine*. Designers may enter as many categories as they wish. 

Each category entered into requires a separate application and each entry incurs a $50 fee. This fee includes entry to the Awards evening for one 

person per entry. Finalists will be showcased in an interactive display at the International Jewellery Fair 2017 at ICC Sydney. 

This is also where the Fair Visitors’ Choice Award will be decided. 

Entries close June 1st, 2017 – Visit www.jewelleryfair.com.au to enter 

• 1ST & 2ND YEAR APPRENTICE/STUDENT 

• 3RD & 4TH YEAR APPRENTICE/STUDENT 

• FAIR VISITOR CHOICE 

INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA 

JEWELLERY 

JIA 

JEWELLERY INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA ® 

• MEN’S ACCESSORIES & JEWELLERY 

• AUSTRALIAN OPAL AWARD 

• PEARL AWARD 

• BRIDAL AWARD 

• CAD/CAM/CAST AWARD 

• PRECIOUS METAL AWARD 

• COLOURED GEMSTONE AWARD 

• DIAMOND AWARD 

• SUPREME AWARD WINNER – The entry that receives 

the highest point score out of all of the finalists will be 

determined as the ‘Supreme Award Winner’ 

*Insertion at the discretion of The Australian Women’s Weekly. 

INTERNA TIONAL 

JEWELLERY FAIR 

AUGUST 26 > 28, 2017 

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE SYDNEY 

Organised by

UPFRONT 

“To an older 

demographic 

possibly but the 

trend for some 

time now is more 

towards smart 

technology and 

social media 

when looking 

to purchase.” 

Are catalogues still relevant in the jewellery industry? 

TREVOR LESTER, 

LESTER’S 

MANUFACTURING 

JEWELLER 

BULLETIN BOARD 

n SHINE ON 

With diamond the official birthstone of 

April, Diamond Producers Association 

CEO Jean-Marc Lieberherr’s advice 

couldn’t be more relevant. Lieberherr 

told Rapaport News that retailers 

should think about the experience 

they provide customers and ask if it is 

‘worthy’ of diamonds. “We all need to 

challenge ourselves to do justice to the 

diamonds we are selling,” he explained. 

n SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL 

Less is more when it comes to store 

size in 2017, according to retail 

software provider Vend. Evolving 

consumer preferences mean smallerformat 

stores are key. Customers no 

longer want to waste time wandering 

around the endless aisles of enormous 

stores; they want the ease and 

efficiency that online shopping brings. 

n GOOD SUGGESTION 

Facebook is making it easier to 

recommend businesses. The new 

recommendations feature recognises 

when a user creates a post asking for 

suggestions like where they can find 

a product or service. Friends are able 

to comment on the post and perform 

tasks like tagging a store’s page. 

“I believe that 

catalogues work 

to a lesser degree 

these days. Young 

people are all about 

Facebook and 

Instagram, where 

the more mature 

customer still 

likes to receive 

a catalogue.” 

DIGITAL 

BRAINWAVE 

ANTOINETTE CROSS, 

ANTOINETTE’S 

SHOWCASE JEWELLERS 

“We don’t use 

catalogues; we have 

always focused on 

social media and 

other forwardthinking 

strategies 

to stand out from 

the crowd, so I’m not 

sure if they still work.” 

SANDRA 

GREENBERGER, 

LESKE’S JEWELLERS 

PAY ATTENTION 

Retailers should look at how they can increase 

a person’s viewing time on websites – the longer 

someone remains on a website, the more time 

business owners have to convince, connect and 

convert them into customers. Eric Siu, CEO of digital marketing agency Single Grain, 

revealed on entrepreneur.com seven ways to make consumers stay longer, including 

adding video, in-depth guides and articles as well as a related post section. “Content 

should amaze, inspire or educate, but it should never be boring,” Siu said. “Video, 

podcasts, graphics, charts and reports can all take centre stage in your strategy.” 

TOP PRODUCT 

Sams Group Australia’s 0.27-carat, oval cut vivid pink diamond was sourced from 

the Argyle diamond mine in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. The stone 

was the most popular product last month ranked by views at jewellermagazine.com. 


Managing Editor 

Coleby Nicholson 

Editor 

Emily Mobbs 

emily.mobbs@jewellermagazine.com 

Journalist 

Talia Paz 

talia.paz@gunnamattamedia.com 

Advertising Manager 

Gary Collins 

gary.collins@jewellermagazine.com 

Digital Manager 

Angela Han 

angela.han@gunnamattamedia.com 

Production Manager 

& Graphic Design 

Jo De Bono 

art@gunnamattamedia.com 

Accounts 

accounts@gunnamattamedia.com 

Subscriptions 

info@jewellermagazine.com 

Jeweller is published by: 

Gunnamatta Media Pty Ltd 

Locked Bag 26, South Melbourne, 

VIC 3205 AUSTRALIA 

ABN 64 930 790 434 

Phone: +61 3 9696 7200 

Fax: +61 3 9696 8313 

info@gunnamattamedia.com 

Copyright: All material appearing 

in Jeweller is subject to copyright. 

Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly 

forbidden without prior written consent 

of the publisher. 

Disclaimer: Jeweller is the official magazine 

of the Jewellers Association of Australia 

(JAA). The views and opinions expressed 

in Jeweller do not necessarily reflect those 

of the JAA and opinions expressed by 

authors are not necessarily those of the 

publishers or the JAA. All statements 

made, although based on information 

believed to be reliable and accurate at 

the time, cannot be guaranteed and no 

fault or liability can be accepted for 

error or omission. 

Gunnamatta Media Pty Ltd strives to 

report accurately and fairly and it is our 

policy to correct significant errors of fact 

and misleading statements in the next 

available issue. Any comment relating to 

subjective opinions should be addressed 

to the editor where the opposing position 

will be published on the letters pages to 

encourage open debate. The publisher 

reserves the right to omit or alter any 

advertisement and the advertiser agrees 

to indemnify the publisher for all 

damages or liabilities arising from the 

published material. 


NEWS 

Michael Hill hit by 20-second robbery 

While there have been a spate of daytime 

armed attacks on independent jewellery 

stores in Melbourne, it would appear that 

chain stores located in shopping centres 

are now also in the firing line. 

The Michael Hill store at Westfield Plenty 

Valley in Mill Park was robbed just before 

midday on March 14. 

CCTV footage showed four people smashing 

display glass cabinets and filling bags with 

jewellery before fleeing the shopping centre 

in an alleged stolen vehicle. The incident 

took about 20 seconds and the robbers 

were reportedly armed with hammers. 

A Victoria Police statement issued on March 

17 confirmed that four men aged between 

19 and 27 years old were arrested in relation 

to the alleged armed robbery and car theft. 

At the time of publication, detectives were 

searching for a fifth man in relation to the 

armed robbery. 

The incident follows a series of brazen 

heists taking place at independent jewellery 

businesses across Melbourne in 2017. 

Victoria Police did not respond to Jeweller’s 

request for comment regarding whether 

the Michael Hill incident was related to 

these previous jewellery store robberies. 

Institute to revive specialised skills 

A new jewellery institute has opened in 

an effort to provide the local industry with 

greater access to specialised skills training. 

The Sydney-based Jewellery Institute of 

Australia (JIA) offers short training courses 

with a focus on hand engraving, diamond 

setting, micro-pave setting, 3D CAD design 

and laser welding. 

According to founder Gabriel Owen, the JIA 

was established because he saw a gap in the 

market for a school where jewellers could 

advance their skills in niche areas. 

“After attending the Alexandre School 

for Optical Diamond Setting in Belgium, I 

started to look into teaching organisations 

WORK BENCHES IN THE JIA TRAINING ROOM 

here in Australia,” Owen explained. “I found 

that there were no advanced classes for 

micro-pave setting and hand engraving.” 

In addition to conducting his own courses, 

Owen said ‘masters’ would also teach classes. 

‘Significant’ synthetics discovery 

IN BRIEF 

* 

DIGITAL JEWELLERY LESSONS 

Research company L2’s latest annual 

Digital IQ Index: Watches & Jewellery 

report detailed the digital strengths and 

weaknesses of 70 watch and jewellery 

brands. Tiffany & Co and Cartier were the 

only companies to receive the highest 

score of ‘genius’ status; 16 placed in the 

second best category of ‘gifted’, including 

Swarovski, Pandora and Alex and Ani. 

* 

$10,000 JAA DONATION 

The JAA has received a $10,000 

anonymous donation to be used in 

support of a student or apprentice 

jeweller. A JAA statement read: “The 

donation came with a request that the 

JAA put the funds towards an initiative 

that fosters the skills and talent of an 

entrant to a Student/Apprentice category 

at the 2017 JAA Jewellery Awards.” 

* 

AUSSIE MAKES PARIS DEBUT 

Australian jewellery graduate Jessica 

McMaster garnered international 

exposure following the unveiling of her 

collection at an exhibition held during 

Paris Fashion Week. The N°10 Showroom 

has been described as a platform to assist 

emerging designers and is attended 

by buyers of independent fashion and 

accessory stores and department stores. 

* 

RARE GREEN DIAMONDS 

Merlin Diamonds has announced the 

discovery of five green diamonds – the 

largest weighing 1.4 carats – at the Merlin 

diamond mine. This follows news of a 

35.26-carat brown rough being found in 

January 2017 and a 0.124-carat blue stone 

being found in December 2016. 

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) 

recently uncovered a ‘significant’ amount 

of undisclosed synthetic melee diamonds 

mixed with natural melee stones. 

A GIA spokesperson confirmed to Jeweller 

that almost one third of the diamonds in 

a parcel submitted to the organisation’s 

Melee Analysis Service in Mumbai, India 

were chemical vapour disposition (CVD) 

synthetic stones. 

GIA director of research and development 

Wuyi Wang told the Rapaport Group’s 

diamonds.net that the GIA regularly 

identified small quantities of undisclosed 

synthetic melee diamonds in parcels 

submitted for analysis; however, he stated 

this was the first time “such a significant 

percentage” of CVD melee mixed with 

natural melee had been found. 

No further details on what had transpired 

since the discovery were provided. 

+ MORE BREAKING NEWS 

JEWELLERMAGAZINE.COM 

* 

ICONIC STORE CLOSES 

Melbourne jewellery store Kozminsky 

has closed after 165 years of operation, 

with remaining stock selling at a Leonard 

Joel auction. The $1.23 million sale was 

reportedly the most valuable singleowner 

jewellery auction held in Australia. 

The highest-selling items were a sapphire 

and diamond ring and an art deco riviere 

necklace, which each sold for $27,280. 

12 Jeweller April 2017

NEWS ANALYSIS 

Investigating 

the jewellery 

landscape 

A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF AUSTRALIAN JEWELLERS HAS REVEALED A NUMBER 

OF INSIGHTS ABOUT THE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY. EMILY MOBBS REPORTS. 

hile many would agree that the retail industry has never been 

easy, it would appear that recent market conditions have been 

particularly difficult. There will always be businesses that perform 

well above trends but general consensus from research conducted 

by various industry organisations as well as anecdotal evidence suggests that 

retail trading, and specifically that for jewellery stores, has been flat at best. 

As Jeweller reported in February this year, feedback from a cross-section of 

the industry revealed that Christmas trading in 2016 was on par with, or just 

below, that of 2015. In addition, most jewellers and industry organisations did 

not believe conditions would change in 2017 – the ‘new normal’ was a phrase 

constantly used. 

In order to gain a better understanding of the state of the industry, Jeweller 

recently conducted an in-depth qualitative survey involving 200 Australian 

jewellery retailers. 

The survey was comprehensive, polling jewellers with a wide range of stores 

nationally. Retailers were asked about a series of issues including business 

turnover and profitability as well as industry challenges. 

RESEARCH RESULTS REVEALED 

Supporting Jeweller’s earlier reports about trading results during the festive 

period was the fact that of those surveyed, approximately 42 per cent stated 

their Christmas and New Year trading in 2016/2017 had decreased compared 

with the corresponding period the year before (See Chart 1 on page 14). 

Only 29 per cent of respondents said trading had increased, while a similar 

number indicated it was the same as the previous year. 

Taking a longer-term view, Chart 2 on page 14 shows that about one third 

of jewellers had increased annual revenue over the past three years; however, 

the more concerning figure was the greater number – 66.5 per cent – who 

said annual revenue had remained the same or decreased, at 32.5 and 34 per 

cent respectively. 

The results in Chart 3 on page 14 are noteworthy, recognising that a business’ 

profitability can decrease at the same time that its annual revenue increases. 

When asked about their store profitability over the past three years, almost 73 

per cent of jewellers stated that profitability had decreased or remained the same, 

whereas about 27 per cent believed their profit had increased. 


NEWS ANALYSIS 

CHART 1. QUESTION: WHEN THINKING ABOUT YOUR CHRISTMAS/NEW YEAR TRADING 

IN 2016/2017 COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS YEAR, HAS IT… 

Most interesting was how few people nominated ‘cheap imports’ as a major 

challenge, something that would arguably have gained more prominence 

five to 10 years ago. 

DECREASED 

41.75% 

29.13% 

29.13% 

INCREASED 

SAME 

What’s more, retail leasing costs and landlord negotiations – which has 

traditionally been a challenging issue for jewellers – was not highly mentioned. 

PROVIDING ADDITIONAL INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 

While Jeweller acknowledges the survey results can be interpreted in different 

ways and may only represent a snapshot of the industry, further analysis 

conducted by software and consulting business Retail Edge Consultants (REC) 

showed similar findings. 

CHART 2. QUESTION: WHEN THINKING ABOUT YOUR TRADING OVER THE PAST THREE 

YEARS, DO YOU THINK ANNUAL REVENUE HAS... 

Michael Dyer, sales manager of REC, said the data of more than 300 stores in 

Australia and New Zealand that REC monitored indicated that although there 

were businesses reporting same trading or increased trading during the most 

recent Christmas and New Year period, the overall findings showed a decrease 

on the previous year. 

DECREASED 

33.98% 

33.50% 

32.52% 

INCREASED 

SAME 

Dyer also explained that REC’s analysis found an overall increase in sales dollars 

during the 2014 and 2015 calendar year but a 1 per cent to 2 per cent decrease 

in the 12-month comparison between the 2015 and 2016 calendar year. 

In terms of gross profit dollars, Dyer stated that an overall increase was recorded 

in the 12 months between the 2014 and 2015 calendar year, while a 2 per cent 

to 3 per cent decrease occurred between the 2015 and 2016 calendar year. 

When asked how he would describe the current local jewellery retail landscape, 

Dyer said ‘challenging’; however, added that there would always be some retailers 

who saw opportunity where others saw adversity. 

CHART 3. QUESTION: WHEN THINKING ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS PROFITABILITY OVER 

THE PAST THREE YEARS, DO YOU THINK IT HAS… 

He believed that the internet was arguably the latest major disruptor in the 

industry since the introduction of GST, and while most retailers weren’t averse 

to adapting to change, there was no denying that the pressure of continuity and 

shortening frequency of changes were making conditions increasingly difficult. 

DECREASED 

34.47% 

27.18% 

INCREASED 

“Retail has and always will be challenging; there are no ‘free rides’,” Dyer said, 

adding, “Whilst the retail outlets – in the world of bricks or clicks – grow at a 

rate greater than the population and its ability to consume product, there will 

be more migration of sales rather than overall growth.” 

38.35% 

SAME 

According to Dyer, the consulting side of REC had recently increased and the 

main business challenges currently highlighted by clients included generating 

sales while preserving margin, as well as controlling stock levels. 

The interesting observation comes about when comparing Chart 2 and 

Chart 3 – 33.5 per cent of those surveyed stated they had increased annual 

revenue over the past three years, while only 27 per cent had become more 

profitable during the same period. Increased revenue does not always translate 

into increased profitability. 

The survey also polled jewellers on the biggest challenges impacting business, 

and perhaps not surprisingly, many respondents were concerned about the 

effect of the internet. Although this question was free-form – multiple choice 

answers were not listed – about 63 per cent of those surveyed nominated the 

internet as the biggest challenge impacting business. 

Competition, the economy and a decrease in demand for jewellery – including 

changing spending preferences and a cautious spending mentality – rounded 

out the top four challenges faced by jewellery retailers. 

NEW CHALLENGES FOR CONSIDERATION 

Dyer added that stock management was now more complex because consumers 

expected to receive product on their terms. 

“Historically, retailers may have stopped buying stock to ‘trade’ their way out 

of cash flow issues,” he said. “[However] in a consumer market that is very ‘now’ 

driven, being out of fast-seller, consumer-demand product could inadvertently 

push customers to competitors. 

“Fast-sellers are oxygen to the sales and cash flow of a retail business, and if you 

don’t have them that won’t stop customers buying them, it will just stop them 

buying them from you.” 

The challenges facing the jewellery retail industry are varied, and if Dyer’s analysis 

and the results from Jeweller’s survey are any indication, store owners and 

managers would be wise to recognise that the ‘new normal’ has changed the 

business landscape, which, in turn, will require a review of existing practices. i 


NEW PRODUCTS 

NEW PRODUCTS 

HERE, JEWELLER HAS COMPILED A SNAPSHOT OF THE LATEST PRODUCTS TO HIT THE MARKET. 

ELEGANCE 

& JOY 

MULCO WATCHES 

AUSTRALIA 

+ MORE NEW PRODUCTS 

JEWELLERMAGAZINE.COM 

Inspired by a plant growing in beautiful abundance, 

the Thrive earrings feature highly-polished sterling 

silver spheres and leaf-like marquise cubic zirconia. 

Visit: eleganceandjoy.com.au 

The La Fleur Ave del Paraiso watch has a Swiss quartz 

movement enclosed in a 48 mm rose gold-coloured 

stainless steel case. The dial and silicone band feature 

a bright coral hue. Visit: mulco.com.au 

JOS VON ARX 

Jos Von Arx has added new sterling silver-plated 

cufflinks to its range. The offering comprises 

various designs and coloured accents. Jos Von 

Arx is distributed by The Russell Collection. 

Visit: russell-collection.com.au 

HARPER 

LANE 

JEWELLERY 

A freshwater pearl takes centre stage in the 

Annora ring, part of the Atlantis collection. The 

piece is made from sterling silver and plated with 

24-carat yellow gold. Visit: harperlanejewellery.com 

PERNILLE 

CORYDON 

These 18-carat yellow goldplated 

sterling silver earrings 

are from the Coast collection 

and showcase cubic zirconia 

and synthetic opal. Pernille 

Corydon is distributed by Hipp. 

Visit: pernillecorydon.com.au 

OUMA CHAIN 

This sterling silver Elegance bracelet consists of 

rose gold plating and is set with cubic zirconia. 

Heart shapes are fashioned to dangle from the 

adjustable bracelet. Visit: oumachain.com 

PASTICHE 

The Desire two-tone cuff and Azalea bangle are 

from the Henna collection. The pieces are rose 

gold-plated stainless steel and the warm hues 

and exotic patterning are said to evoke the spirit 

of the range. Visit: pastiche.com.au 


WEST END COLLECTION 


FASHION WATCHES 

On 

on 

time and 

trend 

THE UBIQUITOUS FASHION WATCH IS AS POPULAR AS EVER BUT IT’S CRUCIAL 

FOR JEWELLERS TO STAY IN TUNE WITH MARKET SHIFTS TO ENSURE THIS 

RELIABLE ITEM REMAINS LUCRATIVE. ANGELA TUFVESSON REPORTS. 

n jewellery circles, the fashion watch is somewhat of an anomaly – 

it isn’t timeless; it’s not immune to passing fads; it’s not passed down 

through generations. Instead, the fashion watch is unashamedly a sign of 

the times, a trend vehicle that uses lifestyle cues to project identity and 

it seems consumers can’t get enough of these affordable timepieces. 

Over the past few years, there has been an upward shift in consumer 

demand for fashion watches characterised by understated styles. 

The brash, blingy watches of the past have been replaced by sleek, simple 

designs that reflect authentic lifestyles. This trend shows no signs of abating 

so it’s essential that jewellers keep up with subtle market changes that are 

altering the way consumers purchase fashion watches. 

Here’s a taste of what’s in store for fashion watches. 

CONSUMER DEMAND 

Sleek, utilitarian designs from the likes of Daniel Wellington are as popular 

as ever, according to John Rose, general manager of West End Collection, 

which distributes the brand along with others including Christian Paul 

and Olivia Burton. 

“There is no doubt that the ‘bling’, which was so popular a few years back, 

is no longer on trend,” Rose says. “Simple, classic styling is where the market 

is experiencing its greatest success at the moment. Daniel Wellington 

embodies classical minimalism perfectly.” 

Indeed, Rose notes that Daniel Wellington achieved a 56 per cent increase 

in sales in Australia and New Zealand in 2016. 

The versatility inherent in simple designs is a major selling point of fashion 

watches, states Simon Garber, director of Cluse distributor Heart & Grace. 

“Classic minimalist styles seem to be more popular than ever,” Garber 

says. “The versatility of simple design is key and, with colour-coordinated 

interchangeable straps in leather or stainless steel mesh, there is the appeal 

of being able to match with any outfit and style.” 

David Faraday, managing director of Oozoo Timepieces and Dukudu 

distributer Hipp, agrees. 

“Because they’re classic and versatile, [fashion watches are] able to be worn 

with a greater variety of outfits. They make a strong statement about the 

wearer’s good taste while still being understated,” he says. 

Of course, the market isn’t stagnant and there are noticeable changes in 

some areas. 

“There’s been a shift towards more variations in colour, textures and 

materials such as mother of pearl and coloured leather straps,” Faraday adds. 

Jeanette Sceats, managing director of Pierre Cardin supplier Instyle Watches, 

says although understated, simple styles remain strong, the brand’s latest 

iterations have been injected with stylish accents. 

“The minimalist, chic-yet-simple watch has continued to take the lead in 

the market,” Sceats states, adding, “Pierre Cardin watches have evolved these 

particular styles with mirrored dials and crystal accents.” 

Rose says the most significant new trend that has occurred in the past 12 

months is the emergence of patterned dials, which can be seen in brands 

such as Olivia Burton and Ted Baker. 

“This new feminine take on watch design is influenced by floral patterns that 

top designers are showing on catwalks in New York, Paris and London,” he 

explains. “It gives the watch a personal touch and exemplifies the concept that 

a watch is a fashion accessory and an expression of your own personal style.” 


INSTYLE WATCHES 

HEART & GRACE 

At the other end of the spectrum, Sceats 

says gender-neutral styles are also popular. 

“Jewellers are focusing on more of a unisex 

style – styles that have that ability to cross 

over from male to female are striking in 

minimalistic design with a point of detail. This 

also opens the style to a broader audience.” 

SIZE MATTERS 

Big isn’t always better and, along with 

stocking sleek and simple designs, Garber 

says jewellers should pay particular attention 

to changing size preferences, especially 

among women’s watches. 

“Over the past year, we’ve noticed the 

beginning of a move from the popular, 

oversized women’s watch to smaller styles,” 

he explains. “The shift began with fashionforward 

designers primarily in Europe, and 

now we see them becoming more popular 

in the wider market here in Australia and 

New Zealand. 

“As there is increasing demand for smaller 

faces in fashion watches, it’s important 

jewellers offer the most popular colour 

combinations in the smaller face sizes as 

well as the proven oversized styles.” 

Garber says Cluse offers two smaller 

variations to the popular 38 mm diameter 

case: 33 mm and 24 mm. 

Ken Abbott, managing director of 

Timesupply, which distributes Danish 

Design and Jacob Jensen, agrees. 

metal or mesh bracelets for women. 

GOING SOCIAL 

No discussion about fashion watches is 

complete without mentioning the industry’s 

most significant branding tool: Instagram. 

It’s hard to remember how suppliers and 

retailers marketed to the masses before the 

advent of the photo-sharing behemoth. 

“For the younger generation, Instagram is 

the new Westfield – consumers look to 

Instagram to be inspired, informed and to 

shop,” says Phil Edwards, managing director 

of Duraflex Group Australia, which distributes 

brands including Jag, Police and Thomas 

Sabo. Along with a desire for personalisation 

and status, Edwards says Duraflex has 

identified technology as one of the biggest 

trends influencing the choices consumers 

make about fashion watches. 

Larry Porter, CEO of Ice Australasia, which 

distributes Ice-Watch and Henry London, 

says social media platforms like Instagram 

are powerful because they create brand 

awareness as well as boost sales. 

Just as consumer preferences and watch 

styles change, so too does the way 

consumers use Instagram. Claire Beale, 

program manager of the Bachelor of Arts 

(Textile Design) at RMIT University, says 

endorsements by average people – or 

minor celebrities who purport to be vaguely 

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“Watch diameters have stabilised at a 

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smaller-sized cases, particularly for women’s 

watches,” he says. 

To keep up with this trend, Abbott suggests 

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and women in a variety of styles and colours, 

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average – increasingly carry more weight 

now than paid celebrity endorsements. 

“Social media is replacing a whole lot of other 

traditional marketing channels,” Beale says. 

“People are living the life and self-reporting 

what they like, and it’s something that 

consumers are much more likely to put trust 

in and believe. 

“A platform like Instagram that focuses on 

quality images and short text seems more 

reliable as something you can interpret 

yourself. If you’re following someone on 

Instagram that you really like and they say 

they got a fantastic new watch last week, 

you’re already picturing yourself as being 

part of that person’s lifestyle.” 

Indeed, when model Kendall Jenner 

posted an image of herself wearing a 

Daniel Wellington watch to her 75 million 

Instagram followers, the image received 

2.7 million likes and 113,700 comments. 

The result? West End Collection sold out 

of the timepiece within 24 hours. 

Closer to home, Rose says Australian brands 

such as Christian Paul, which has a ‘huge’ 

local social media following, are also able 

to influence consumer behaviour directly 

through Instagram. 

“Christian Paul reaches over one million 

of their target market through their social 

network for a product launch, which leads 

to immediate sales at store level,” he says. 

As for other popular forms of social media, 

Faraday says Facebook is still relevant 

and Snapchat is huge with the younger 

demographic but Instagram should be the 

top priority for retailers. 

“Social media and especially Instagram is 

key in reinforcing trends,” he states. 

LOOKING AHEAD 

Looking further ahead, Beale says external 

factors are likely to have a significant impact 

on how consumers make purchasing 

decisions about fashion watches. 

Crucially, she says a global shift towards 

conservatism is driving a sense of nostalgia 

for the past. This is resulting in less appetite 

for edgy designs or watches that step outside 

the status quo. 

“If you look at what’s going on in the world 

economically and politically, we’re quite 

destabilised,” she says. 

“It’s a pattern we saw in the last recession and 

after the fall of communism, cycles in history 

where long-established ways collapsed and 

we become uncertain about the future. When 

this happens, consumers become distrustful 

of the unusual, which means designers are 

less likely to take risks.” 

Consumers are likely to favour strong design, 

simplicity and affordability, which Faraday 

says is good news for jewellers selling 

fashion watches. 

“Money is generally 

tighter these days 

and consumers are 

conscious of their 

spending, which propels 

them towards fashion 

watches that can deliver 

the look of the day 

and help consumers 

accessorise and refresh 

their outfit with 

relatively little expense,” 

he says. “You get a lot of 

fashion bang for your 

buck with a well-chosen 

fashion watch.” i 

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OPAL REPORT 

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An opal 

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AFTER YEARS OF 

TYPECASTING AS A CHEAP 

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BE RECEIVING REVERED 

FAME AND STATUS AMONG 

AUSTRALIANS? EMILY 

MOBBS INVESTIGATES. 

pal has caused division within the industry for years. It’s a regular fixture 

in the jewellery collections of high-end luxury brands and often resides 

in the pages of magazines and online style editorials, yet has been 

relegated in Australia to ‘tacky’ tourist stores and duty-free outlets. 

Aussies might be known for their patriotism but they are reluctant to embrace 

their national gemstone. That is until now, according to Atheka Le Souëf, director 

of Melbourne-based retail store Lightning Ridge Opal Mines. 

“The gemstone has actually become a lot more popular with Australians and 

there has definitely been an increase in opal sales within the local market over 

the past four years,” Le Souëf states, specifically citing black and boulder opal in 

both finished jewellery and loose gemstones as good sellers. 

Le Souëf attributes this surge in demand to recent media exposure: “There was a 

lot of media attention probably about four years ago and I think that heightened 

the profile of opal within the local market.” 

Scott Coggan, manager and opal cutter at Sunshine Coast-based Opals Down 

Under, agrees. 

“Over the past six to seven years our domestic sales have increased enormously,” 

he explains. 

Coggan, who acknowledges that the business has invested in significant 

marketing during this time, says opal engagement rings are a standout, 

particularly with consumers aged around 25 to 30 years old. 

“I think the younger generation is looking for an individual piece rather than the 

standard diamond,” he says, adding, “Opal is a softer gemstone so what many 

are doing is wearing their wedding ring on an everyday basis and treating their 

engagement rings more like a dress ring.” 


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Coggan also comments on the popularity of 

free-form boulder opal pendants set in gold. 

It’s not only opal specialist retailers who 

are noticing a rise in demand. Rick Stearns, 

director of Stearns Showcase Jewellers in 

Bendigo, Victoria, says he has also noticed 

an increased interest in opal jewellery in 

the past two years. 

Stearns has sold opal jewellery for about 

30 years but admits he only recently started 

giving the category special attention. 

Unsurprisingly, it was at this time that 

demand surged. 

“We saw an opening,” he states. “No one 

else was doing it because a lot of jewellers 

just don’t carry opal but, once we started 

to expand the range, the market just grew.” 

Stearns says expanding his product variety 

played a big role in stimulating sales: “You 

can’t sell what you don’t have. We weren’t 

selling a lot of opal in the past because we 

never had a lot of different pieces; however, 

once we put in a full range of it with 

earrings, pendants and rings, all of a sudden 

there was some interest.” 

The store carries the Firegem Australian 

Opal range, distributed by Paterson Fine 

Jewellery. Stearns says all jewellery pieces 

in the range are popular but adds that ring 

sales are particularly higher than what they 

have been in the past. 

OTHER OPTIONS 

Black and boulder opal remain firmly 

ingrained in this gemstone’s narrative but 

triplet opal – typically defined as a thin 

slice of opal sandwiched between a black 

backing and a clear dome-shaped capping 

– is also finding its niche, according to 

Paterson Fine Jewellery managing director 

David Paterson. 

“We have been selling opal jewellery for 

more than 70 years and the demand has 

never been higher for us,” Paterson says. 

“Triplet opals have always been second 

cousins to the main market, featuring 

Australian boulder (QLD) and black opal 

(NSW); however, these gemstones have 

become very popular in Europe and 

Asia and the prices have been driven up 

accordingly,” he explains. 

Paterson says price rises have meant more 

expensive pieces are now often out of the 

realms of the independent retailer, thus 

giving rise to a greater popularity and 

demand in triplet opals. 

“Boulder and black opals will always have 

their strong place in the market, especially 

for custom-made pieces, but triplet opal 

jewellery is now much more common in 

readily-available stock and retail collections,” 

he states. 

Dennie Fickling, director of DF Opals, 

suggests doublet opal – comprising a slice 

of opal with a black backing – is another 

option for retailers to consider. 

“Doublet opal is a good entry-level opal 

piece for the first-time opal buyer,” Fickling 

explains, adding, “I have had customers 

that have purchased a doublet opal piece 

and then later they want a solid, natural 

piece. I think doublet opals are very good 

as long as they are looked after and are 

sold as doublet opals.”

Fickling, who he has been selling loose opals for a “long time” and 

began selling boulder and doublet opal jewellery about five years 

ago, says most of his loose opal stock is sold overseas but adds that 

he is starting to sell more jewellery in Australia. 

“I don’t really know why this is the case,” he states. “I think the 

jewellery store owners are starting to give opal a go and it seems 

to be working.” 

INVEST IN KNOWLEDGE 

Le Souëf says jewellers stocking or considering opal jewellery 

need to appreciate the importance of investing in education. 

“Opal is not like a diamond that can be easily quantified; opal can 

be quite subjective in a lot of ways so you do need quite a lot of 

experience to correctly identify it and value it in order to sell it 

properly,” she says, warning that incorrect valuations can damage 

the industry. “If people are sold an item they think is worth a lot 

of money when actually it isn’t, this will have a negative impact 

on the image of opal.” 

One supplier focusing on educating retailers and the endconsumer 

is Opals Australia, which has a branded-jewellery offering 

comprising more than 1,000 jewellery designs in 18-carat gold, 

14-carat gold and sterling silver. 

According to Opals Australia national accounts manager Clayton 

Peer, the main reason for developing a brand as opposed to selling 

unbranded product is because it is one of the most effective ways 

to provide education about Australian opal jewellery. 

Peer says Opals Australia stockists receive numerous support tools 

and services to help increase sales. 

“These include, but are not limited to, a variety of display stands, 

fantastic easy-to-follow training materials for staff education, a large 

selection of professional photography to be used as advertising 

support and a website that holds thousands of jewellery designs for 

easy ordering,” he explains. 

Peer adds that Opals Australia’s range performs well in the Australian 

opal-producing regions of 

Lightning Ridge and Coober 

Pedy where “Baby Boomers are 

experiencing the many sights that 

Australia has to offer”. 

He admits that there is still a large 

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Opal fun facts 

Why not share these snippets with customers? 

n No two opals are identical; the proud 

owner can delight in the fact that their 

gemstone is unique 

n Opal is the official birthstone of 

October and is used to mark the 14th 

year of marriage 

n It is believed opal derived its name 

from the Roman word ‘opalus’ 

n Opal is a form of hydrated silica 

number of jewellers and consumers who 

have little to no knowledge of Australia’s 

national gemstone. 

Maxine O’Brien, coordinator of the annual 

Australian Opal Exhibition and secretarymanager 

of the Lightning Ridge Miners’ 

Association, believes it will take time before 

any opal publicity results in noticeable local 

retail sales. 

“The domestic market caters mainly to 

international tourists; however, I do believe 

opal has lost its negative connotations 

in Australia due to a rise in international 

jewellery designers using Australian opal 

and winning international awards,” she says. 

“Australian jewellery designers are creating 

beautiful works and this will hopefully 

translate into more sales over time,” O’Brien 

adds. “In the past, Australians related opal 

to a tourist souvenir and were never really 

exposed to high-end gemstones or fine 

opal jewellery but this is changing and 

social media will continue to have a 

n Australian opal was reportedly 

discovered by German geologist 

Johannes Menge in Angaston, 

South Australia in 1849 

n While found in small amounts from 

other countries such as Brazil, Ethiopia 

the US and Mexico, Australian opal is 

widely considered to be the finest 

and brightest in the world 

major impact as Australians come to 

appreciate the spectacular beauty of 

their national gemstone.” 

Similar to Coggan, Paterson states that 

young consumer demographics are 

spearheading the opal hype. 

“Our experience has been that the younger 

generation are leading the revival because 

of the colourful nature of the gemstone, the 

story that the gemstone has and its rarity,” 

he says. “It will always be a popular tourist 

product because 98 per cent of all opal is 

mined in Australia and the two per cent that 

is mined overseas has poor, incomparable 

colour. Also, new jewellery trends are all 

about colour and difference and what better 

gemstone to feature than Australian opals.” 

While opal jewellery might not be on the 

wish-list of every Australian right now, 

there’s no denying that tides are turning. 

Jewellers would do well to pay this category 

some attention because, as Stearns says, 

“You can’t sell what you don’t have.” i 

TRADE ONLY 

Contact: Maxine O’Brien, 

Australian Opal Exhibition Inc. 

PO Box 731 Lightning Ridge 

NSW 2834 Australia 

T: 0427 920 474 

International 

T: +61 427 920 474 

F: +61 2 6829 0830 

E: mail@austopalexpo.com.au 

www.austopalexpo.com.au 

DF OPALS 

OPALS AUSTRALIA

Creating Timeless Memories 

PERSONALISED 

PENDANTS

FIRE OF AUSTRALIA 

Aussie opal 

on fire 

FIRE OF AUSTRALIA OPAL 

ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST VALUABLE OPALS HAS JUST BEEN PLACED 

IN A NEW HOME. ANGELA TUFVESSON CHARTS THE JOURNEY OF THE FIRE OF 

AUSTRALIA FROM 1940S MINING MARVEL TO NATIONAL TREASURE. 

t was 1946, a time of post-war euphoria – Ben Chifley was Australia’s 

prime minister, King George VI headed up the monarchy and the baby 

boom was just beginning. After two world wars and the Great Depression, 

things were finally looking up. 

Opal miner Jack Bartram, a farmer who had been forced off his land during the 

depression, saw huge potential at the recently-discovered Eight Mile field in 

Coober Pedy, South Australia. He suggested his children and their families join 

him in the region to try their luck. 

Eight Mile proved to be a prolific field for many, including the Bartram family. 

The epitome of their success was the discovery by Jack’s son Walter Bartram of 

an almost 5,000-carat, 998-gram opal dubbed the Fire of Australia. According 

to the Federal Government’s Department of Communications and the Arts, the 

Fire of Australia is valued at an estimated $900,000 and believed to be the most 

valuable piece of rough opal in existence. 

The gemstone’s exceptional quality is said to be highlighted by its vibrant 

colour, which changes from green to yellow to red – a rare opal hue – 

depending on the angle from which it is viewed. There is no known example 

of another gemstone of this size consisting entirely of gem-quality opal, a 

statement released by the Department of Communications and the Arts notes. 

“Even though there have been large finds in other areas, this was the initial 

and most significant find in the opal industry in South Australia at that time,” 

says Walter’s son Alan Bartram, who also works in the family trade. “It was quite 

shallow ground and they were able to mine virtually from the surface 

down to about 14 feet.” 

THE BARTRAM FAMILY TRIUMPH 

Alan Bartram states most people working in the area were successful to some 

extent; however, his family was ‘very’ successful. 

“[Artist and author] Jack Absalom, in one of his programs, referred to the Bartram 

brothers at the Eight Mile at Coober Pedy taking it [opal] away in banana crates 

at that time,” he says. “To some extent that wasn’t too exaggerated.” 

The Fire of Australia remained untouched, apart from the polishing of two faces 

to reveal its quality, and in the Bartram family for the next 70 years. 

Alan Bartram explains that the gemstone was initially kept in his parent’s house 

before it was placed on display in the family’s former jewellery store The Opal 

Mine in Adelaide. The opal also spent time in a bank safety deposit. 

Following Walter Bartram’s death and after witnessing the increasing popularity 

of the opal in overseas exhibitions, the family decided to transfer it to the South 

Australian Museum in Adelaide early this year for a ‘reduced’ rate of $500,000. 

The goal was to secure the opal’s legacy in Australia and prevent it from 

overseas buyers who might cut it into smaller gemstones. 

“In thinking about why we retained it, it was more or less the centre of our 

business,” Alan Bartram says. “It’s an inspiring piece and, although I’ve been 


a trader for 55 years and I’ve been exposed 

to an awful lot of opal in that time, nothing 

has exceeded this one. 

“We are very happy the South Australian 

Museum could purchase the Fire of 

Australia opal at a much-reduced rate. It 

was what we wanted because it is so South 

Australian and it reflects the outstanding 

nature of this piece.” 

Unsurprisingly, South Australian Museum 

mineral collections manager Ben McHenry 

is pleased with the latest acquisition, which 

was made possible by a $455,000 Federal 

Government grant. 

“South Australia is known as the opal 

capital of the world because we have 

produced up to 80 per cent of the world’s 

precious opal, so it’s quite important for the 

South Australian Museum to actually have 

representative material of our state and 

national gemstone,” McHenry explains. 

“It’s the finest piece of quality opal rough 

found in existence,” he says of the Fire of 

Australia, “and it’s an Australian national 

treasure. It’s for all Australians to see 

whereas, if it were in private hands, it would 

be sitting in somebody’s safe somewhere. It 

would be a shame if something as amazing 

as this was kept out of the public domain.” 

McHenry states the Fire of Australia was 

hugely popular among the general public 

at a recent exhibition conducted by the 

museum and also enjoyed pride of place 

in the museum foyer until the end of 

February. The gemstone now resides in the 

museum’s permanent opal collection. 

NATIONAL TREASURES 

Of course, Australia is blessed with opal 

riches and the Fire of Australia is not the 

country’s only celebrated gemstone. 

The Olympic Australis, which was also 

unearthed at Eight Mile field and is now 

housed in Sydney store Altmann and 

Cherny, is reported to be the largest and 

most valuable gem-quality opal ever found. 

It weighs 3.45 kg and 17,000 carats and was 

valued at $2.5 million in 2005. 

McHenry says the Bartram family’s legacy 

complements the museum’s other treasure, 

the Virgin Rainbow, which is said to be the 

world’s most valuable cut and polished opal. 

“It’s nice to have two of the best pieces of 

opal ever found, [and we hope] to have 

an opal gallery here at the museum in the 

future,” he says. 

There’s no doubt opals and opal jewellery 

have battled negative connotations 

in Australia but Wayne Sedawie, a 

spokesperson for the Opal Association, 

says public display of the Fire of Australia 

will help to improve the perception and 

value of opals locally. 

“Opals mostly go to America, China, Russia 

and lots of other countries but not Australia,” 

he says. “Having and promoting this opal 

is brilliant; it’s educational for Australians 

as they don’t know about opals. The 

compound effect of putting it on display 

for the public means people will talk about 

it and may decide to visit Coober Pedy and 

possibly buy opals.” 

As any jeweller selling any kind of 

gemstone knows, this is a rare imagebuilding 

trifecta. i 

ALAN BARTRAM ON BARTRAM ST, COOBER PEDY 

THE FIRE OF AUSTRALIA IS PRIZED FOR VIBRANCY 

SamsGroup.com.au 

Sale@samsgroup.com.au 

02 9290 2199

PARTING 

ways with the JAA 

THIS MONTH MARKS THE END OF JEWELLER’S 

20-YEAR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE JAA. HERE, 

COLEBY NICHOLSON EXPLAINS WHY THE FINANCIAL 

BACKING OF THE ASSOCIATION WILL NOT CONTINUE. 

fter 20 years of ‘sponsoring’ the Jewellers Association of Australia (JAA), 

Gunnamatta Media, publisher of Jeweller, has decided to not renew its 

publishing contract. Given the magazine has supported the JAA since 

1996 with substantial financial backing, we believe it appropriate to 

provide an explanation for the reasons this course of action was taken. 

While two detailed explanations about the decision have been made on 

Jeweller’s website, it’s also important to publish a printed record. 

Since I launched Australian Jeweller – as it was known back then – more than 

two decades ago, the magazine has provided financial support to the JAA with 

cash and ‘in kind’ – marketing-related services, such as advertising space – to 

the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

Such sponsorship agreements for industry associations are not unusual; the JAA 

receives financial support from Marsh Advantage Insurance and, until last year, it 

also received substantial financial payment from Expertise Events, the organiser 

of the International Jewellery Fair (IJF) and the Australian Jewellery Fair. 

Each of these agreements began at a different time and for different reasons 

and yet each company would have made its decision in the belief that 

businesses that service an industry should also support that industry. 

I know the management of Jeweller believed that and I have no doubt Marsh 

and Expertise Events would have had similar views. Industry associations 

effectively have two major sources of income – membership fees, which 

represent their core activity, and sponsorship income in various forms. The job 

of an industry association is, first and foremost, to represent its members. 

With the current five-year contract concluding this month, the JAA requested 

to begin negotiations on a new agreement late last year. 

CONTINUING MEMBERSHIP DECLINE 

It’s no secret that Jeweller, and many others in the industry, have been 

concerned about the management and direction of the JAA for some time. 

All associations and businesses have blips along the way but the number of 

people who have raised concern about the JAA’s direction and some of its 

decisions has become too many to ignore. 

It’s also no secret that membership has been falling year-on-year to the extent 

that, according to the JAA’s own financial reports, at one point annual staff costs 

became greater than annual membership income. 

I have previously called for changes at the JAA – in late 2014, I wrote that the 


JAA CONTRACT 

previous two to three years had been an 

inglorious period for the JAA office and I 

called for an independent review of the CEO 

position following the decision not to renew 

the contract of former CEO Ian Hadassin. 

There was no independent review of the 

JAA office and structure. Instead, in June 

2014, the JAA appointed Amanda Hunter 

as its executive director. 

Hunter said she would “bring strong 

business skills to manage the organisation 

and take it forward strategically”. 

She added that, “Growing the JAA whilst 

helping the members also grow their 

businesses is very appealing and fits 

well with my past coaching and salesmanagement 

experience.” 

I acknowledged a few months into her 

tenure that Hunter had gotten off to a 

good start but also noted the strong 

industry expectation that a fresh-faced 

industry outsider was necessary to reunite 

a somewhat fractious industry and 

reinvigorate the trade. 

Nearly three years after Hunter’s 

appointment, where are we now? 

Well, membership continues to decline 

and many long-term retail and supplier 

businesses have deserted the JAA for a 

number of different reasons. 

A YEAR TO FORGET 

Looking back, last year did not start well. 

In February the JAA announced the 2016 

edition of its biennial Australasian Jewellery 

Awards then cancelled them just one 

month later because of lack of sponsorship. 

It was an embarrassing decision because 

the JAA had two years to secure the 

sponsorship and failed, in part because 

the 2014 Awards night was not perceived 

as a glowing showcase of the industry. It 

should be noted that the JAA steadied and 

recently announced the 2017 Awards with 

a list of sponsors. 

Alas, worse was to come. In May, after a 

25-year affiliation with Expertise Events, the 

JAA informed the industry that it would run 

its own trade fair in direct competition with 

the Expertise Events show. Not only did the 

JAA walk away from a guaranteed $100,000 

in cash sponsorship plus additional noncash 

support, but its decision also caused 

a major rift among suppliers and retailers. 

Suppliers were now being asked to exhibit 

at two fairs on the same days in the same 

city to service the same buyers. 

Understandably, they were up in arms. 

Many complained that the JAA, a 

membership-based association, had 

overnight become a trade-fair business 

and were thereby putting member’s funds 

at risk with a large commercial venture. 

Additionally, several people asked whether 

the JAA had the resources or infrastructure 

to run a tradeshow given its small staff. 

It was a bold gamble because it meant 

the JAA must generate a substantially 

larger profit than $100,000 just to be in the 

same position with the Expertise Events 

sponsorship, and for which it had to do, 

effectively, nothing. 

A media release issued on May 23 about 

the ‘2017 JAA Jewellery Fair’ declared, “This 

landmark announcement is being delivered 

amidst great excitement, after detailed 

research, analysis and discussion by the 

JAA board and executive director.” 

That announcement started a legal battle 

between lawyers for the JAA and Expertise 

Events. In fact, having announced that it 

had “undertaken detailed research, analysis 

and discussion”, the JAA quickly had to 

rename its event ‘JAA Jewellery Tradeshow’ 

because of legal issues over the name. 

So much for detailed research and analysis! 

Suppliers and all three buying groups 

were rightly worried about the effect 

of the dispute on the then upcoming 

2016 Sydney IJF; Nationwide Jewellers 

and Leading Edge Group Jewellers both 

announced to members that the respective 

groups would make a decision about 

the 2017 trade fair after the 2016 Sydney 

show. Showcase Jewellers had previously 

announced attendance at the JAA 

Jewellery Tradeshow. 

Things went quiet for a few months leading 

up the 2016 IJF and then all hell broke 

loose once the fair concluded. 

On September 7, following extensive 

consultation with its members and 

suppliers, Nationwide declared that 

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Jewellery 

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JAA CONTRACT 

the only location appropriate for a jewellery fair was at the International 

Convention Centre, Darling Harbour – the site of Expertise Events’ IJF – 

rather than the former Sydney Showground, Moore Park – the site of 

the JAA Jewellery Tradeshow. 

Leading Edge made a similar announcement the subsequent day. 

THE INDUSTRY FALLOUT BEGINS 

Although Nationwide announced its decision to members and suppliers 

late on September 7, it had informed the JAA earlier that day, ahead of the 

scheduled board meeting on September 8. 

This was done because Nationwide managing director Colin Pocklington was 

also a JAA board member and he felt it was important for the JAA to know 

about the decision before the board meeting to avoid any conflict of interest. 

Pocklington did not attend the board meeting, which allowed the board to 

freely discuss the ramifications. 

This is the point where the industry went into freefall. On the day of the 

board meeting, Pocklington reflected on the situation and his position as a 

board member and decided that it would be appropriate to resign to avoid 

any future conflict of interest, given that the JAA would need to focus on 

launching its new trade fair. 

Pocklington advised Hunter of his resignation on the morning of September 9. 

Later on that same day, Pocklington said he received email correspondence 

from the board that contained allegations about his professional reputation 

that he found “offensive”. He subsequently resigned from his other JAA 

positions on the Code Committee and National Industry Advisory Council. 

Legal action ensued. 

Not content with that outcome, the JAA issued a media release on September 

29 titled ‘JAA Board replies to resignation of director’. 

It alleged a “further conflict of interest” by Pocklington and was ‘signed’ by 

JAA president Selwyn Brandt, vice president Laura Sawade (now resigned) 

and executive director Amanda Hunter. 

Nationwide immediately consulted with its lawyers and then declared 

that Australasia’s largest buying group would quit the JAA after 25 years 

of continuous membership. 

This resulted in a wave of support for Pocklington and Nationwide from its 

members and well-known suppliers criticising the JAA and/or declaring they 

would also cancel their memberships. As many as 100 Nationwide members 

are also members of the JAA – well, at least at that time. 

In addition, many suppliers told me in confidence they could not believe 

the JAA’s attack on Pocklington and would also cancel their memberships. 

MAKING A FINAL DECISION 

This brought Gunnamatta Media to a point where we had to make a decision 

about whether we, as publisher of Jeweller, should continue to help finance and 

support an industry association that is not only in decline but also has split the 

industry with a series of misguided decisions. 

Prior to making a final decision, Jeweller undertook a qualitative survey of 200 

jewellery retailers – 100 JAA members and 100 non-JAA members – to help 

understand the state of the industry. 

The survey was extensive, polling jewellers about a wide range of issues 

including business turnover and profitability, challenges facing retailers – see 

page 13 – the issue of two jewellery trade fairs, as well as their views on the JAA. 

TABLE 1. QUESTION: The JAA is recognised and respected as an 

organisation for excellence and trusted leadership in the jewellery 

industry. Agree, disagree or undecided? 

TYPE AGREE DISAGREE UNDECIDED 

JAA MEMBER 62% 20% 18% 

NON MEMBER 43% 27% 30% 

OVERALL 52.43% 23.30% 24.27% 

TABLE 2. QUESTION: Thinking about your annual JAA membership fee, 

how would you describe it as value for money? 

VERY GOOD GOOD ACCEPTABLE POOR VERY POOR 

6.93% 27.72% 44.55% 18.81% 1.98% 

TABLE 3. QUESTION: Thinking about how the JAA supports your 

business, are you… 

VERY 

SATISFIED 

SATISFIED NEUTRAL DISSATISFIED 

VERY 

DISSATISFIED 

0.99% 37.62% 46.53% 10.89% 3.96% 

TABLE 4. QUESTION: Thinking about your JAA member benefits over 

the past three years, would you say they have… 

INCREASED SAME DECREASED 

15.84% 74.26% 9.90% 

TABLE 5. QUESTION: The JAA is my first point of contact for 

business advice? 


JAA MEMBER 17% 80% 3% 

NON MEMBER 22% 68% 10% 

OVERALL 19.37% 73.91% 6.72% 

TABLE 6. QUESTION: The JAA is my first point of contact for best 

practice business advice? 


JAA MEMBER 23% 72% 5% 

NON MEMBER 27% 63% 10% 

OVERALL 24.72% 67.57% 7.71% 


After collating and analysing the survey information, the results 

played a major part in the decision to end our 20-year financial 

sponsorship of the JAA. 

One notable finding, as outlined in Table 1, is the response received 

when asked about the Vision and Mission Statement listed on the JAA 

website. The results show that only 62 per cent of the JAA members 

surveyed agree that their own association is recognised and 

respected for excellence and trusted leadership. 

While it is unreasonable to believe that any industry association 

would achieve a 100 per cent ‘agree’ on such a question, surely the 

result should be above 90 per cent by anyone’s reckoning. 

Put another way, 38 per cent of its own members are undecided or 

do not agree that their professional association can be relied upon 

for excellence and trusted leadership in the jewellery industry. 

The figure is understandably worse among non-members, with only 

43 per cent agreeing with the statement. This means only half of the 

jewellery retailers surveyed believe the JAA is achieving its vision to 

be recognised and respected for excellence and trusted leadership. 

Recognising that statistics can be read in various ways, what should 

concern the JAA – given membership numbers are in decline – is 

that about 21 per cent of the JAA members surveyed view their 

membership fee as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ value for money, while about 

45 per cent rank it as ‘acceptable’, as shown in Table 2. 

Another question that should be a major concern for the JAA is 

that of those surveyed, less than 40 per cent of members are satisfied 

with how the JAA supports their business, as outlined in Table 3. 

These two results may go a long way to explaining the decline in 

membership in recent years. 

Finally, Table 4 shows that the majority of JAA respondents – 74 per 

cent – believe that there has been no significant change in member 

benefits over the past three years. 

What is outlined here is only some of the research conducted; 

other questions achieved similar results (see Table 5, Table 6 and 

jewellermagazine.com), and therefore, after extensive internal 

consideration and external consultation, Gunnamatta Media decided 

it could no longer support an association that is in continual dispute 

and disagreement with its own retail members, its own supplier 

members, its financial sponsors and even its own board members. 

The money we will save on JAA sponsorship played no part in 

the decision and over the coming months we will be looking to 

re-divert our financial sponsorship dollars to another cause, perhaps 

supporting jewellery apprentices. 

The JAA’s ‘perfect storm’ did not happen overnight, or even over 

the past 12 months; the disunity among its own retail and supplier 

members, financial sponsors, board members and resigning 

members goes a long way to explaining the survey results and, 

eventually, our decision to end Jeweller’s financial sponsorship. i 

The earlier detailed reports and explantions can be found on 

jewellermagazine.com.

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GEMS 

FASCINATING EMERALD INCLUSIONS 

in emeralds from other countries, including 

Australia. Figure 3 shows an example of a 

spiky three-phase inclusion from Torrington 

in New South Wales. 

With appropriate lighting, brightly-coloured 

liquid films parallel to the basal pinacoid 

are found in many natural beryls, including 

emerald. Crystals such as biotite mica, 

phlogopite, calcite, pyrite, actinolite and many 

others may be also discovered as inclusions. 

Emeralds are also subjected to various 

treatments, such as oiling, fracture filling and 

dyeing, in order to lessen the appearance 

of cracks; surface cracks and cavities may be 

in-filled with plastic, epoxy, or wax, again to 

reduce the visibility of surface area flaws. 

They may be coated with such products as 

lacquer, paint or stain to enhance their colour. 

FIGURE 1. SYNTHETIC FLUX EMERALD FIGURE 2. HYDROTHERMAL EMERALD FIGURE 3. NATURAL EMERALD 

Understanding emerald inclusions 

is a vital part of the sales process. 

JUNE MACKENZIE reports. 

Emeralds differ from corundum mineral – 

known for ruby and sapphire – which has 

the same refractive index (RI) and specific 

gravity (SG) regardless of being natural or 

synthetic. The RI and SG for emerald generally 

vary between synthetic flux, synthetic 

hydrothermal and natural gemstones so 

these constants can point a gemmologist in 

the right direction when observing inclusions. 

With set gemstones it may be possible to 

obtain the RI but not the SG and, as the RI 

for the flux-grown emerald is lower than 

for hydrothermal and natural gemstones, 

this is helpful information when viewing 

the inclusions. 

The RI for hydrothermal emeralds is higher 

than flux and generally lower than the natural 

gemstones, although they may overlap. 

Again, this is a guideline for recognising 

the types of inclusions visible. 

Flux-grown synthetics may have coarse or 

fine flux inclusions, often opaque (Figure 

1). They may be wispy and are not liquid. In 

contrast, hydrothermal inclusions may consist 

of liquid feathers, sometimes in a spiral shape. 

They may present as roiled to angular growth 

zoning, appearing as ‘chevron’ shapes, or the 

growth zoning may appear as a slightly wavy, 

undulating pattern (Figure 2). If a synthetic 

hydrothermal emerald has been grown in a 

gold-lined crucible, gold inclusions may be 

found. To date, no gold inclusions have been 

found in natural emeralds. 

Natural emeralds from different locations 

present different types of inclusions. While 

some may contain two or three-phase 

inclusions, the spiky three-phase inclusions 

were thought to be diagnostic for Colombian 

emeralds but these have since been found 

NATURAL 

EMERALDS 

FROM DIFFERENT 

LOCATIONS 

PRESENT 

DIFFERENT TYPES 

OF INCLUSIONS 

In summary, natural emeralds from different 

locations generally provide evidence of 

different inclusions and synthetic emeralds 

made by different processes exhibit different 

inclusions from one another as well as from 

natural gemstones. 

Retailers need to be aware that some 

treatments greatly affect the price of a 

gemstone. The Australian Competition 

and Consumer Commission (ACCC) states 

that businesses in Australia must be able 

to guarantee what they sell. 

If gemstones are treated, this must be 

disclosed to the purchaser and written 

on their receipt. 

So if a natural emerald has been dyed to 

enhance colour, for example, this must be 

written on the receipt whether the seller is 

a supplier or a retailer. i 

June Mackenzie FGAA Dip DT, is a qualified 

gemmologist and gemmology teacher in NSW. 

She is the developer and presenter of the GAA 

Advanced Gemstone Inclusions course. 

For more information, visit: gem.org.au 


JAA REPORT 

WHAT THE JAA IS DOING FOR YOUR INDUSTRY 

It has been a busy first two months of 

2017, with many developments coming to 

fruition and a variety of projects underway 

that promise to be of great relevance to the 

industry and members that we represent. 

First, I wish to welcome Jo Tory to the 2017 

JAA Board of Directors. Jo has a 30-year 

strong career at the helm of Najo where 

she is the managing and creative director. 

In addition to her extensive business 

experience, Jo brings with her a wealth of 

industry knowledge, especially in the field of 

marketing and a passion for the Australian 

jewellery community. Jo attended the first JAA 

Board meeting of the year held on Thursday 

February 9 and we are looking forward to 

forging ahead into 2017 with Jo who will 

no doubt be a valuable member to the 

JAA Board. 

On January 24, the JAA in conjunction with 

Victoria Police held a productive and wellreceived 

security seminar in Melbourne. 

This resulted from discussions in late 2016 

to assist retailers to liaise closely with lawenforcement 

agencies. The event sold out 

due to substantial industry interest in light 

of an unfortunate spate of armed robberies 

targeting jewellery stores in Victoria. 

The event provided attendees with useful 

information and tips outlining how to keep 

their business secure and what to do in the 

event of a robbery. This information was then 

disseminated to our members nationally. Our 

Victorian Branch Committee is coordinating 

liaisons and workgroups to further this 

important collaboration. 

On February 14, the prestigious JAA 

Australasian Jewellery Awards were 

announced for 2017. The Awards are a 

ON JANUARY 

24, THE JAA IN 

CONJUNCTION 

WITH VICTORIA 

POLICE HELD 

A PRODUCTIVE 

AND WELL- 

RECEIVED 

SECURITY 

SEMINAR IN 

MELBOURNE 

celebration of industry talent that showcases 

exceptional pieces across several categories. 

This year sees the inclusion of a new category 

Contemporary/Non-Precious, which will allow 

contestants to enter pieces made from nonprecious 

and organic materials. This will allow 

a greater range of talented individuals to enter 

this esteemed industry-endorsed program 

that has run since 1968. 

Exciting developments are ahead for the 2017 

JAA Jewellery Tradeshow set for August this 

year. We have added a few new attractions 

to our list of exclusive offerings available to 

visitors and exhibitors. 

The Young Jewellers Group will be supporting 

this industry run event and will host their 

ever-popular Design and Manufacturing 

Championships in a live arena. Contestants 

will have the chance to compete under 

four categories - engraving, settings, 

manufacturing, and CAD-technician. The 

Young Jewellers Group has an impressive 

online following of talented jewellery 

professionals and the JAA is delighted that 

they are exclusively supporting the 2017 

JAA Jewellery Tradeshow. 

The JAA is building industry run projects 

to further strengthen the Association so that 

in future years the JAA has a strong revenue 

base to enable membership fees to remain 

at a level that offers great value and to add 

resources to enable the Association to 

provide the vast array of non-revenue 

generating services that the industry 

requires. We look forward to your support 

and involvement for the projects run by the 

industry for the industry. 

Amanda Hunter 

Executive Director 

Jewellers Association 

of Australia 

Suite 33, Level 8, 

99 York Street, 

Sydney NSW, 2000 

Telephone: 02 9262 2862 

Freecall: 1800 657 762 

Email: info@jaa.com.au 

Website: www.jaa.com.au 

JAA BOARD 

Selwyn Brandt 

President 

George Proszkowiec 

Vice President 

Brett Bolton 

Director 

Frank Salera 

Director 

Karen Lindley 

Director 

Jo Tory 

Director 

STAFF 

Amanda Hunter 

Executive Director 

Emma Ward 

Membership and 

Marketing Manager 

Roberta Mesturini 

Member and Consumer 

Relations Coordinator 

Jeweller is the official 

magazine of the Jewellers 

Association of Australia 

(JAA) but is published 

independently by 

Gunnamatta Media Pty 

Ltd. The views expressed in 

Jeweller do not necessarily 

reflect those of the JAA 

and comments should be 

addressed to the Editor. 


JAA MEMBER 

LEADING THE CHARGE FOR MALE CONSUMERS 

Tom Boie is the owner and founder of Kavalri 

(pronounced Cavalry), a business based in 

Melbourne that offers custom-made, lifestyle 

jewellery for the man of the 21st century. 

The products are designed to suit the style 

and needs of male customers and range from 

stylish men’s bracelets in leather and steel 

to bold cufflinks of carbon fibre or black and 

silver-plated stainless steel designs. 

Boie has tungsten rings that also combine 

wood, carbon fibre or plated colours and 

necklaces in black and silver-plated stainless 

steel. His custom-made wedding rings 

are unique, including combinations such 

as the Brushed Tungsten and Gold Plated 

Pipecut Ring or the Black and Rose Gold 

Plated Pipecut Tungsten Ring – all can be 

customised by size and width and finished 

with a personalised engraving. 

Boie has amassed a strong education in 

business to back his jewellery brand. He 

attained a Bachelor of Commerce in 2006 

and then undertook postgraduate study 

with a Master of Diplomacy and Trade from 

Monash University in 2015. He also worked 

in marketing for more than a decade, 

holding positions with various national and 

international organisations across a range 

of industries; however, it was Boie’s interest 

in developing his own jewellery brand that 

led to the inception of Kavalri in 2012. 

Boie was aware of the lack of jewellery 

and accessories brands catering directly to 

men and felt a stylish and fashion-forward 

jewellery brand targeting men would be 

well received. Starting Kavalri was a natural 

progression for Boie who says he saw “a great 

niche opportunity in the men’s accessories 

and fashion/wedding jewellery segment”. 

Therefore, Kavalri was “born in response to 

the fact that very few jewellery and accessory 

brands were dedicated to men”. 

Boie acknowledges that he has learned a 

lot through trial and error and is still “refining 

my products and brand so that they will be 

well received in the market and appeal to 

my target audience”. 

He hasn’t been afraid to do this because 

his business philosophy is not to let fear of 

setbacks or failure be a reason for not pursing 

a certain aspiration. 

“Once you realise that it is ok to fall short 

initially, you will embrace the idea that 

these setbacks are often a necessary step to 

achieving eventual success,” he states. 

Not reaching goals has been part of the 

learning experience for Boie who says each 

setback has led him closer to achieving 

greater success. 

“Be passionate about what you do. If you love 

what you’re doing you will naturally find your 

niche and enjoy continued success,” he adds. 

It was an important step for Boie to join 

the Jewellers Association of Australia (JAA) 

and have the opportunity to network in the 

jewellery community. 

Boie feels Kavalri has a lot to offer the 

jewellery industry when it comes to meeting 

the needs of an emerging fashion conscious 

male demographic. 

“Being a member of the JAA enables us 

to have industry-wide exposure through 

a leading association that actively looks after 

and fosters the interests of its members. 

We are proud to be a member of the JAA,” 

he says. 

”BE PASSIONATE 

ABOUT WHAT 

YOU DO. IF YOU 

LOVE WHAT 

YOU’RE DOING 

YOU WILL 

NATURALLY FIND 

YOUR NICHE 

AND ENJOY 

CONTINUED 

SUCCESS.” 

TOM BOIE 

Boie sees Kavalri’s position as a supplier of 

male-only jewellery as an advantageous point 

of difference. 

“Being one of the few jewellery brands 

that offers product only for men, I feel that 

the Kavalri brand resonates well with our 

customers. As such, our products are tailored 

to what we think men will like. I think men 

appreciate buying from a fashion forward 

men’s only jewellery brand,” he explains. 

So, from humble beginnings, Boie’s jewellery 

brand Kavalri has emerged as “an exciting 

brand that adds a new dimension to men’s 

lifestyle fashion” and it’s successful because it 

manages to combine innovative style with an 

urban edge that is meeting the needs of the 

modern-day man. 

Boie invites men to enjoy the Kavalri 

experience as he and his team are dedicated 

to ensuring a positive customer experience 

and in providing unique male pieces of 

jewellery design. Kavalri has stockists in both 

Sydney and Melbourne. i 


Rising Stars Arena 

Young Jewellers Group Championships 

Jewellery Services Pavilion 

Business Services Pavilion 

Security Pavilion 

Educational Seminars 

Industry Leadership Panel 

Onsite Parking 

Private Networking Areas 

Quality Exhibitors 

Champagne Bar 

Complimentary Shuttle Buses 

jaajewellerytradeshow.com.au 

show@jaa.com.au

BUSINESS 

THE POWER OF PAIRING UP FOR PROFIT 

Retail partnerships can help businesses 

leverage each other’s strengths to get 

ahead. FRANCESCA NICASIO discusses 

what retailers need to know when 

collaborating with other businesses. 

Teaming up with businesses can result in 

a win-win outcome for all parties involved. 

When done right, collaborations result 

in additional exposure that earns more 

customers, more sales and more revenue. 

That said, striking up those winning 

partnership agreements is not always a walk 

in a park. In addition to investing the time and 

effort to find, vet and woo potential partners, 

businesses also need to carefully craft the 

terms of any agreement to ensure that costs 

and responsibilities are clear to all involved. 

This article addresses the steps that should 

be taken before, during and after retailers 

team up with another business to ensure 

that any collaboration is a success. 

FINDING A MATCH 

Deciding which business to join and the 

nature of the partnership is a crucial first step 

as it enables retailers to figure out the best 

way to reach out to potential partners. 

The outreach approach will depend on who 

is being contacted as well as the type of 

agreement one is looking to make. As such, 

it’s important to determine these details 

before contacting other businesses. 

Shel Horowitz, a best-selling marketing author 

and green business profitability consultant, 

says that the following points are what 

businesses should consider when picking 

good business partners: 

• Complementary offerings – any partnering 

businesses should appeal to the same 

demographic and should offer products 

and services that work well in tandem or 

in groups, like a one-stop wedding shop 

offering services from jewellers, florists, 

caterers, photographers and more 

• Willingness to enact joint marketing 

campaigns – consider collaborating with 

businesses willing to pursue cooperative 

advertising campaigns that no party could 

afford on their own – a bridal show with 50 

participants would be one good example 

• Complementary operational expertise 

ANY PARTNERING 

BUSINESSES 

SHOULD APPEAL 

TO THE SAME 

DEMOGRAPHIC 

AND SHOULD 

OFFER PRODUCTS 

AND SERVICES 

THAT WORK WELL 

IN TANDEM 

– take, for instance, the collaboration 

announced in 2014 between Australia 

Post and Chinese super-retailer Alibaba. 

The partnership means Australian 

companies can access Alibaba’s online 

shopping platform Tmall, normally 

restricted to companies registered as 

Chinese business entities. Australia Post 

receives its own space within Tmall that 

it can on-sell to Australian retailers and 

Alibaba can satisfy growing demand 

for Australian products, specifically in 

baby care, health and nutrition. In return, 

Australia Post now stocks Alipay gift cards, 

which allow Australians to shop at Tmall 

• Charity/not-for-profit partnerships with 

organisations whose missions are aligned 

with the brand identity – this is popular 

in the jewellery industry where there are 

many examples of brands, suppliers and 

retailers collaborating with charities. 

SCULPTING AN AGREEMENT 

Businesses should also think about the nature 

of any agreement. How will the collaboration 

work and what’s the ideal outcome? The 

answer to this depends on the type of 


BUSINESS 

business that both partners have and the 

goals of the venture; however, a few common 

examples of business team-ups that work 

well include contests, sales and distribution 

agreements, events and social-media 

marketing opportunities: 

• Contests – businesses are teaming 

up so they can tap into each other’s 

fan bases and encourage sales or 

engagement. These types of collaborations 

are increasingly common on social 

media, owing to sites like Facebook 

and Instagram, which make it easy for 

users to tag, comment and engage 

with businesses. New Zealand-based 

apparel retailer The Shelter, for example, 

collaborated with other businesses to 

create an excellent Mother’s Day prize 

pack consisting of items and offers from 

their stores. Users would simply have to 

comment on The Shelter’s Facebook post 

in order for a chance to win. This allowed 

the retailer to increase fan activity while 

putting the spotlight on its store and other 

retailers at the same time 

• Sales and distribution agreements – some 

retailers strike up sales and distribution 

deals with other retailers wherein one 

party agrees to sell the goods of the other. 

An example is online retailer The Honest 

Company, which has an agreement with 

Target to sell its products 

• Events – other retailers decide to co-host 

events with organisations and fellow 

retailers. Such partnerships can enable 

retailers to share costs, improve exposure 

and connect with more consumers 

• Social buzz and marketing – sometimes 

a collaboration can be as simple as being 

social media ‘friends’. Popular among 

social-savvy small businesses, these 

agreements can include promoting or 

mentioning each other on social media, 

contributing articles or content to each 

other’s sites and running joint online 

competitions, among other things. 

These collaborations are just some of the 

types of agreements businesses could enter. 

REACH OUT THE PROPER WAY 

As mentioned earlier, there are many ways to 

attract the attention of potential partners. It 

all depends on who is being targeted and the 

type of deal one is looking to strike. One idea 

is to become a customer. This works best if 

reaching out to a small business in the same 

area. Stores that want to team up with a local 

business should first become customers. 

Swing by the location and experience 

the products or services first-hand. Form 

relationships with managers or owners then 

bring up the idea of a collaboration once 

enough rapport has been built. 

Those eyeing larger partners should target 

their efforts. Landing collaborations with 

big-name businesses may seem daunting but 

it’s not impossible. The key is figuring out the 

best way to get a foot in the door. For some 

retailers, this could be collaborating with a 

large not-for-profit. For others, such as new 

jewellery manufacturers, this could mean 

getting in touch with retail store buyers. 

Some retailers have landed partnerships 

by finding key contacts. Take TerraCycle for 

example, a small business that turns waste 

into green products. Its products are now 

stocked in Walmart thanks to shrewd online 

networking and persistence. 

According to a story on entrepreneur.com, 

founder Tom Szaky scoured LinkedIn and 

alumni networks to find the right contacts 

and then called Walmart “10 times a day, 

every day for three weeks” until he finally got 

through and set up a meeting. 

Similarly, Here on Biz – an app that lets users 

connect and keep tabs with professional 

contacts while travelling – landed a 

partnership with Virgin America and in-flight 

internet provider Gogo by investing time into 

building relationships with particular people 

within the company. 

According to inc.com, Here on Biz co-founder 

Nick Smoot, “used LinkedIn heavily, reaching 

out to key people within Virgin America to 

genuinely compliment them on things he 

believed the company was nailing”. 

There are some functions out there that are 

made specifically for partnerships. US-based 

Business Matchmaking is one example of 

a service that aims to offer procurement 

opportunities for small businesses. In 

Australia, there are various businesses that 

oversee collaborations between small to 

medium-sized enterprises, like Business 

Chicks and Dynamic Business. Local councils 

and business chambers will also organise 

and lead trade trips and networking events. 

LANDING 

PARTNERSHIPS 

WITH BIG-NAME 

BUSINESSES MAY 

SEEM DAUNTING 

BUT IT’S NOT 

IMPOSSIBLE. 

THE KEY IS 

FIGURING OUT 

THE BEST WAY 

TO GET A FOOT 

IN THE DOOR 

Of course, jewellery trade fairs are an ideal 

networking opportunity as well. 

CRAFTING THE AGREEMENT 

Needless to say, agreements struck between 

businesses will depend on what each party 

hopes to accomplish. The terms for a product 

distribution partnership, for instance, will 

be entirely different from a social media 

promotion deal. 

Be sure to conduct research on the rules 

and requirements of the other business. For 

instance, most jewellers will be aware that 

when entering into a product distribution 

deal, businesses may need to provide details 

such as minimum orders, lead times, payment 

terms, wholesale and retail prices and more. 

Doing a social media deal? Each party will 

need to know each other’s numbers when it 

comes to traffic, readership, email marketing 

lists and follower counts. 

Other interested parties will likely ask for 

some information of their own so be sure to 

have all the relevant documents ready. As 

entrepreneur.com puts it, businesses need 

to “prepare for scrutiny” and have all their 

financial and legal ducks in a row. 

If working on a big or complicated 

collaboration, it may be best to seek legal 

help. See to it that the terms are clearly 

outlined. Who has to deliver what and by 

when? What happens if one party can’t 

deliver? These are just some of the things 

that should be ironed out. 

TEST, TEST AND TEST 

It’s also a good idea to test the partnership 

first before entering into a huge commitment. 

For example, if contributing content to 

another retailer’s website or blog, write a 

couple of articles first before agreeing to fill 

up the other business’ editorial calendar. 

As long as both parties test the waters, 

measure results and use that information to 

determine whether or not to continue the 

agreement, there’s no reason why successful 

collaborations can’t be formed in 2017. i 

FRANCESCA NICASIO is 

a retail expert from Vend, a 

POS, inventory and customer 

loyalty software for merchants. 

Learn more: vendhq.com 


SELLING 

TIPS FOR INCREASING CUSTOMER TRUST 

THE SECRET TO DRIVING REPEAT BUSINESS LIES IN BUILDING STRONG CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS AND GOOD CUSTOMER 

RELATIONSHIPS BEGIN BY ESTABLISHING TRUST. THOMAS YOUNG OUTLINES WAYS RETAILERS CAN IMPROVE TRUST. 

The Better Business Bureau is a not-for-profit 

organisation focused on consumer protection 

and industry self-regulation in America 

and Canada. During one of its Excellence in 

Customer Service Award events, guest speaker 

Dr Chris Hart gave an excellent presentation 

that clearly expressed how building trust 

results in customer loyalty, which results in 

more profitable customers and a greater 

chance for marketing and sales success. 

Most businesses struggle because trust is 

not yet present in a loyal customer base. 

Their customers range from merely satisfied 

to unhappy. The challenge is to move people 

into the loyal customer category, which 

means building trust. 

WHAT IS TRUST? 

Trust is the glue that holds the business 

relationship together and is expressed 

repeatedly through actions. This includes what 

the business does and does not do. Simple 

things are key, such as returning phone calls 

immediately and being consistent in words 

and actions. Trust is an absolutely essential 

part of sales, as well as business in general. 

If trust is not present, customers will not buy. 

TRUST IS AN INVESTMENT 

Building trust is not cheap; it is an investment 

in service to customers. This means hiring 

good people and providing them with 

ongoing training, offering money-back 

guarantees, and going out of the way to 

better meet customer needs. The catch is 

that these investments pay off handsomely 

in improved profits and a strong referral base. 

Remember, word-of-mouth marketing is the 

best way to generate new sales – when trust 

is high, customers will make a special effort 

to tell others about the business. 

ELIMINATE CUSTOMER SACRIFICES 

Retailers need to ask what customers have to 

endure to do business with them? These are 

barriers to success. Look at the companies you 

are passionate about. How easy is it to do to 

SELLING IS 

THE PROCESS 

OF BUILDING 

A TRUSTING 

RELATIONSHIP 

WITH PEOPLE. 

THIS IS NOT A 

PASSING TREND 

OR SALES 

TECHNIQUE BUT 

A WAY OF LIFE 

BUILD TRUST WITH FREQUENT INTERACTIONS 

business with those organisations? Remove 

consumer sacrifices and build loyal customers. 

COMPETENCE AND CREDIBILITY 

Trust is built by showing competence and 

credibility. Competence is getting the job 

done right, better than the competitors. 

It is expressed through knowledge of the 

customer’s needs, the business’ product and 

service and the ability to work with others. 

Credibility is the retailer’s character, integrity 

and honesty. Business owners and staff 

should only say what they really mean and be 

people of integrity. Show genuine concern for 

customers through unselfish behaviour. The 

focus is on the customer and his or her needs. 

TRUST CREATES HONESTY 

Don’t expect full honesty from people until 

trust is present. This is why objections really 

come from a lack of trust – customers fear 

that salespeople will take advantage of them 

if they share their shortcomings. When a 

customer trusts a salesperson, that customer 

is more inclined to tell them how to meet 

their needs specifically. 

HOW TO BUILD TRUST 

Trust is built through frequent interactions. 

These interactions are an opportunity to build 

trust. In fact, any interaction with customers 

has an impact on trust. 

Communication is about trust, not technique 

– when trust is high, it is effortless; when low, 

it is a huge burden. Listening builds trust 

because it shows the customer how much 

they are valued. It meets a deep psychological 

need to be respected as a person. 

Listening is the single most important way 

to build trust. 

Some other ways include the following: 

• Trust customers to do the right thing 

• Return all phone calls immediately 

• Send thank you notes 

• Be extremely organised and dependable 

• Do something different and special; 

be creative 

• Handle complaints promptly with empathy 

and honesty 

• Offer great customer service 

• Show sincere appreciation 

• Understand customers 

• Become a valuable resource to 

the customer 

• Create solutions that add value for 

the customer 

• Partner with the customer 

• Create a customer, not a sale 

• Do not over-promise but always do what 

is promised 

• Do something that is not expected 

• Always give more than expected 

• Do these things without any expectation 

of a return from the customer. 

Always act in the best interest of customers. 

Selling – in fact, doing business – is the 

process of building a trusting relationship 

with people. This is not a passing trend or 

sales technique but a way of life. 

Make it a challenge to find at least three ways 

to build trust with customers this month. i 

THOMAS YOUNG is CEO of 

Intuitive Websites and author 

of Winning the Website War and 

Intuitive Selling. Learn more: 

intuitivewebsites.com 


WHAT DOES THE JAA 

A G R E A T E R V O I C E 

Through industry input the JAA 

lobbies to influence legislative changes 

and national curriculum. 

Working to protect your interests by 

having a united voice builds a stronger 

industry and shapes a sustainable 

future. 

The JAA works to represent your 

interests and support your needs. 

JOIN US > 

JAA.COM.AU/SIGNUP

MANAGEMENT 

SEVEN TRAITS OF A PROFICIENT LISTENER 

IT’S COMMON FOR PEOPLE TO ASPIRE TO BE GOOD LISTENERS IN THEIR PERSONAL LIVES SO IT FOLLOWS THAT 

PEOPLE SHOULD TAKE THE SKILL OF LISTENING TO THE WORKPLACE. MARIAN THIER REPORTS. 

A question that people in business often 

forget to ask themselves is: Am I a good 

listener? Sure, many people see the value in 

developing communication skills with friends 

and family but they should be encouraged to 

apply a similar principle to their professional 

lives with the aim of changing the way 

organisations are run for the better. 

It’s rare to find people who are good listeners 

in every situation. Listening is like any other 

skill in that anyone can develop proficiency. 

Proficiency comes from educating oneself 

on how to develop a stronger skill-set then 

applying this skill-set to different situations. 

For example, Dan might be considered a 

great listener when discussing the weekend’s 

football results but a poor listener when he is 

presented with a personal problem between 

his co-workers. 

What follows are seven ways in which Dan, 

or anyone, can learn to be a proficient listener 

in more than one context. Remember, 

the information can be applied to both 

relationships with colleagues and customers. 

GIVING FULL ATTENTION 

Prepare to listen and set aside all potential 

distractions. In this situation, Dan would stop 

his current task of unpacking stock, put his 

phone away and show through action that 

he is interested in being completely present 

for the conversation. 

INDIVIDUALISE THE SPEAKER 

Make an effort to notice different qualities 

of each person such as accent, tone-of-voice, 

body language, facial expression or frequency 

of giving input. This is straightforward, 

although it is important to note that not 

everyone is always focused on other people 

while they are listening. This is a learned skill 

that requires the effort of noticing smaller, 

often-ignored details in another person. 

ENGAGE THROUGHOUT INTERACTION 

Ask closed, open and probing questions, wait 

to respond and take turns speaking. It might 

IT’S RARE TO 

FIND PEOPLE 

WHO ARE GOOD 

LISTENERS IN 

EVERY SITUATION. 

LISTENING IS LIKE 

ANY OTHER SKILL 

IN THAT ANYONE 

CAN DEVELOP 

PROFICIENCY 

WATCH FOR VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL CLUES 

come more naturally for Dan to talk about 

the Sydney Swans; however, he might get so 

excited that he doesn’t realise he interrupted 

Jane while she was sharing her experience at 

the latest game. 

No matter what the context is, ask a variety 

of questions, give space for others to respond 

and allow each person to take a turn. 

SEE VALUE IN ALL COMMUNICATION 

This means not taking everything literally 

all of the time – it’s about using verbal and 

non-verbal clues to search for meaning. 

For example, if Dan was giving a lecture 

on the danger of children under the age 

of 15 playing football and Jane is crinkling 

her eyebrows or looking completely 

dumbfounded with her eyes bulging with 

anger but saying, “Oh yeah, I totally agree,” 

Dan could take her words literally or he could 

question her non-verbal cues, which reflect 

her own experience of her two sons playing 

football since they were four. 

INTERPRET TO GAIN UNDERSTANDING 

Separate main and supporting points and 

follow a sequence of ideas/messages/ 

instructions to draw insightful inferences. 

This point is important because it integrates 

many tools into one. It looks at all of the 

pieces. An individual with this skill has 

the ability to prioritise each method of 

communication – non-verbal cues; tone 

of voice; the enthusiasm of the speaker; 

the literal words – in an effort to gain the 

most information and insight. 

EVALUATE CREDIBILITY 

Everyone speaks and communicates from 

the lens of their own personal experiences, 

as seen in the example of Dan and Jane. 

Having this awareness is important because 

it brings forward the value of not making 

assumptions. Dan might see sending 

four-year-old kids out onto the field to play 

football as an invitation to injury but Jane 

might see football as the key to each child’s 

future. One’s experience has the potential 

to cloud one’s ability to listen fully without 

assumed understanding. 

FOLLOW THROUGH ON INTERACTION 

Give feedback, paraphrase what was said and 

identify next steps. If Dan ignores Jane’s facial 

expressions and just takes her words literally, 

he’ll miss a key opportunity to understand 

Jane’s perspective, which could cloud her 

perception of him as a leader. 

If he instead pulls her aside after the lecture, 

mentions that he’d noticed her shocked looks 

and invites her to share what she is really 

thinking either in that moment or at another 

time, he would be opening the door to allow 

for honest feedback. Following through on 

important conversations is key to having the 

qualities of a skilled listener. 

In conclusion, even though these seven traits 

of a proficient listener are important, always 

remember the platinum rule of listening: 

listen to others as they want to be heard. i 

MARIAN THIER is founder 

of Expanding Thought, 

a coaching service for 

business leaders. Learn more: 

expandingthought.com 


MARKETING & PR 

ARE YOU NETWORKING EFFECTIVELY? 

NETWORKING REMAINS ONE OF THE BEST RESOURCES FOR DEVELOPING AND EXPANDING A BUSINESS. 

DAVID BROWN DISCUSSES SOME TECHNIQUES RETAILERS CAN USE TO INCREASE THEIR NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES. 

With developments in technology there 

is now an increasingly large number of 

resources available to help business owners 

operate their stores more effectively. 

As great as technology is though, one of 

the best resources for improving business 

has been around for decades and it’s 

absolutely free – it’s called networking. 

Networking provides a huge number of 

benefits for any business owner. Here are 

some reasons why: 

• Knowledge – no person is an island and 

no one has a monopoly on the best ideas 

and practices that are available. Sharing 

knowledge with fellow retailers is one of 

the best ways to drive a business forward 

• Sourcing of product – there is such 

a huge selection of suppliers and no 

one business owner can have a full 

handle on everyone’s offerings or 

prices. Networking with other retailers 

can show who has the best deals and 

benefits and can also provide some 

social proof before embarking on 

dealing with new suppliers, particularly 

in the trade-show environment where 

retailers often encounter suppliers they 

have not met or dealt with previously. 

There are plenty of retailers who will 

only deal with recommended suppliers 

and attend trade shows armed with a 

recommended go-to list of businesses 

from whom they’ll purchase. This 

can save considerable time and that 

overwhelming feeling 

• Psychological benefits – being a 

business owner can be a lonely road. The 

camaraderie and support of a network of 

similar operators can be a great source of 

comfort when things get tough and also 

provide someone to celebrate with when 

things go well 

• Social – most business networks become 

the foundation of firm friendships that 

can last well past the existence of the 

business relationship. 

SETTING UP AN EFFECTIVE NETWORK 

The most important requirement is that 

jewellers find like-minded retailers who 

share the same values but have strengths 

in areas in which they may lack. A similar 

type of store is a plus as is similar size and 

market place. 

It’s important that the arrangement is 

formalised and it’s recommended that 

regular meetings take place about every 

quarter, either face-to-face – perhaps 

coinciding with buying days or trade fairs 

– or via online methods such as Skype. 

One of the key criteria is finding retailers 

who are willing to contribute and openly 

share. Everyone needs to be willing to 

commit and bring something to the 

discussion. The aim is to find committed 

business owners willing to help others – this 

is no place for people only looking to take. 

An ideal size is about six business owners 

who can each provide fresh ideas without 

meetings becoming bogged down 

and difficult to run. Rotating store visits 

is also encouraged to provide physical 

commentary on each participating store. 

WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED AT MEETINGS? 

Having an agenda is critical to maximising 

time together. Here are some valuable topics 

to discuss: 

• Finance and stock – a comparison of 

financial reports can be a great starting 

point. Who is achieving the best mark-ups? 

Who has the highest diamond sales? 

What about the best average? These are 

the perfect starting points for discussion. 

If one store is achieving a better margin 

than the rest, ask them why. From great 

questions come great answers 

• Competition – competing with each 

other can be fun and encourages staff to 

strive for better results. In the good old 

days of the fax machine, I knew two stores 

that would compete to see which store 

achieved the most sales of $500 or more 

in a month. The winner shouted the loser 

IT’S IMPORTANT 

THAT THE 

ARRANGEMENT 

IS FORMALISED 

AND IT’S 

RECOMMENDED 

THAT REGULAR 

MEETINGS TAKE 

PLACE ABOUT 

EVERY QUARTER, 

EITHER FACE- 

TO-FACE OR VIA 

ONLINE METHODS 

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE NETWORKING VALUE 

McDonalds vouchers! Faxes would whizz 

back and forward between the stores, 

creating a real spirit of friendly competition 

• Marketing – working together with other 

stores can provide great buying benefits 

when sourcing large quantities of product. 

It can also offer unique marketing 

opportunities that can be shared 

between the parties involved. I know 

a group of four stores who set up their 

own diamond collection, developing 

collectively a unique arrangement with 

a supplier that provided them with a 

selection they might not have been able 

to establish individually. The range would 

tour the four stores and they were able to 

produce marketing material at a shared 

cost that would have been costly for 

them to create on their own. 

Networking is an often under-utilised 

opportunity to generate value by tapping 

into the knowledge of others. Setting up 

a formal network with like-minded retailers 

will lift businesses to another level that 

cannot be achieved on one’s own. i 

DAVID BROWN is 

co-founder and business 

mentor of Retail Edge 

Consultants. Learn more: 

retailedgeconsultants.com 


LOGGED ON 

FOUR SEO TRAPS THAT BUSINESSES ENCOUNTER 

ALTHOUGH SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME, MANY BUSINESSES STILL FALL INTO 

SOME FAMILIAR TRAPS. CHRIS ASHTON REPORTS ON COMMON SEO MISTAKES THAT NEED TO BE DODGED. 

Plenty of myths exist regarding search engine 

optimisation (SEO) so businesses new and 

old to SEO can be misled easily and it’s not 

entirely their fault. 

Jewellers who want to get the best rankings 

for their websites need to avoid these four 

common SEO mistakes. 

KEYWORD STUFFING 

Optimising websites with the right keywords 

is one of the cornerstones of SEO but many 

businesses make the mistake of filling 

their pages with keywords for the sake of 

enhancing search results, a practice called 

keyword stuffing. This technique was popular 

in the early days of SEO when keyword 

density – the number of times a keyword is 

used compared to the total number of words 

in a page – increased search rankings. 

Those days are over and keyword stuffing 

simply doesn’t work today. In fact, it’s likely 

to do more harm than good to a website 

– Google is now smarter and penalises 

websites that spam pages with keywords. 

Tip: Go for quality over quantity. Aim to use 

keywords as naturally as possible and avoid 

filling content with keywords for the sake of 

using them. 

MESSY SITE STRUCTURE 

A well-organised site structure is the 

backbone of good SEO, not to mention 

great user experience. Unfortunately, many 

websites take site structure for granted. One 

knows bad site structure when they see it: 

messy navigation, missing pages and no clear 

way of getting from one page to another. 

When site structure is messy, website visitors 

will struggle to find the content they need. 

This will increase a site’s bounce rate and 

reduce dwell time, both of which have 

shown to impact rankings. A disorganised 

site also makes it more difficult for Google 

to crawl a website and index its pages. This 

could lead to some pages not being ranked 

for search results. 

Tip: Organise the site’s main navigation 

and make sure all pages in the website 

are organised logically. 

UN-MOBILE-FRIENDLY WEBSITES 

With more people using mobile devices 

every day, one would think that businesses 

would prioritise mobile-friendly websites. 

Surprisingly, that’s not the case. 

Many websites that aren’t optimised for 

mobile devices have unresponsive designs 

that don’t adapt to smaller screens. This 

makes it difficult for visitors to view them 

in smartphones and tablets. 

Why is this an issue? Research has shown 

that more people are now using mobile 

devices to browse the internet. In fact, a 

StatCounter report showed that people 

accessed the internet through mobile 

devices more than desktop computers for 

the first time in October 2016. This trend 

shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. 

In order to reach the biggest market possible, 

websites need to be accessible through all 

major mobile devices. 

Google itself confirmed mobile-friendliness 

as a ranking factor, which makes correcting 

this mistake even more critical. It should be 

noted that taking a website from ‘not mobilefriendly’ 

to ‘mobile-friendly’ does require 

work by a developer but, as mentioned, the 

investment is worth it. 

Tip: Adapt to the times and use a responsive, 

mobile-friendly design. Not only will this 

make the website accessible to more people 

but it can also improve user experience. 

SPAMMY LINKBUILDING 

A strong link profile – the body of links from 

other websites pointing to the website – is 

essential to getting higher rankings in search 

results; however, many businesses often take 

this too far, listing themselves in too many 

directories or even taking part in interlinking 

blog networks for the sake of getting as 

many links pointing to their sites as possible. 

AVOID FALLING INTO THE TRAP OF USING OUTDATED SEO METHODS 

A WELL- 

ORGANISED SITE 

STRUCTURE IS 

THE BACKBONE 

OF GOOD SEO, 

NOT TO MENTION 

GREAT USER 

EXPERIENCE. 

UNFORTUNATELY, 

MANY WEBSITES 

TAKE IT FOR 

GRANTED 

Others also abuse reciprocal links – ‘I link to 

you, you link to me’ – or pay for links, which 

Google generally discourages. 

This method may have worked several years 

ago but Google is getting much better at 

detecting spam links in a link profile and will 

quickly disregard them. 

This isn’t to say that links from directories 

such as True Local are not important because 

they are, especially for local SEO, but again it’s 

about quality and variety rather than quantity. 

The best links are those that come naturally 

from opportunities like editorials or blogs. 

Tip: Aim for variety in link profiles. The 

strongest link profiles are those that contain 

a good mix of links from different types 

of sources. 

By avoiding these common mistakes, 

businesses can ensure that their websites 

are in the best position to improve their 

search rankings. i 

CHRIS ASHTON is a 

partner and SEO manager at 

Kymodo, a Brisbane digital 

marketing agency. 

Learn more: kymodo.com.au 


MY BENCH 

Marion 

Schweitzer 

WORKS AT: 

Marion Schweitzer Jewellers 

AGE: Don’t be silly; never 

ask a woman her age 

YEARS IN TRADE: 

A long time 

TRAINING: Jewellery 

apprenticeship, FGAA 

FIRST JOB: A local 

manufacturing jeweller 

based in Brisbane, QLD 

Favourite gemstone: 

I love them all, but diamond 

(a girl’s best friend), sapphire 

and tourmaline are my 

special favourites. 

Favourite metal: 

18-carat yellow gold. 

Favourite tool: 

My hands and brain. 

Best new tool discovery: 

Oh, I don’t know! I would 

like a genie in a bottle or 

some of those little elves 

that come in at night and 

do all of my work. 

Best tip from a jeweller: 

The quality of your work 

is everything. 

Best tip to a jeweller: 

Be passionate about your 

job and aim to be the best 

at what you do. 

What’s the most difficult 

resource to source locally? 

Human resources by far 

are the hardest things to 

find and keep. I am lucky 

to have a great team. 

Love jewellery because: 

Jewellery to me is like art – 

it’s to be admired and to be 

an expression of one’s self 

– but not hung on the wall. 

I love bringing pieces to life. 

My bench is always: 

Messy, because I am always 

so busy dealing with a 

million things at once. 

Favourite sports team: 

Sorry, I am not a sporting 

kind of girl. My passion 

is travel.

SOAPBOX 

A TALE OF CABBAGES, BREAD AND JEWELLERY 

Would you like to know what cabbage, 

fruit, bread and flowers have in common 

with jewellery? Nothing! 

We’re so fortunate in this industry that the 

products we sell are not like vegetables, a 

loaf of bread or the latest piece of clothing 

where the item goes off or becomes last 

season if it doesn’t sell within the first six 

weeks. We’re in the business of precious 

metals and gemstones, great electronics 

and timekeeping, so why are so many 

jewellers selling themselves cheap to get 

rid of ‘old’ stock? 

One can blame outside sources for this 

ludicrous mentality but the reality is that this 

mindset is mostly the result of an inside job. 

Too many jewellers are lazy as hell and the 

industry is falling over because of it. 

Buying groups definitely play their role in 

supporting the industry – they offer great 

networking opportunities and promotional 

ideas to name a few – but retailers shouldn’t 

forget to think for themselves. 

If you want to do the same thing and carry 

the same stock as every other jeweller in 

a buying group then you may as well be a 

chain store. As an independent retailer, you’ve 

got to find your niche and what works for 

you that is different to the competition. 

Additionally, forgetting to think for yourself 

and consequently stocking your store full 

to the brim of product from international 

brands that dictate range, price and profit 

margin is retail suicide. 

There’s no point in following competition 

down any route, particularly price wars. 

I’m my own person, I know my industry 

and I’m forever trying to find product that 

is unique and will fit in with my store. My 

selections are also not necessarily based on 

how much money I will make; however, I 

am determined to not sell it cheap and this 

philosophy has served me well. 

I have operated my business since 2002 

and in that time have never held a sale. 

If a customer wants to buy something and 

they think it’s cheaper down the road, well 

good luck to that retailer. They may have 

made a sale but they didn’t make a profit like 

I will eventually. It’s not selling quick enough, 

you say? Well I won’t buy that product again. 

We should all go to work to make money, 

not give it away. The running cost of any 

business does not go down – your staff don’t 

say they’re going to work for half of their 

wage, your landlord doesn’t plan to reduce 

your rent by half, so why give away half your 

profit? My father used to say to me that 

profit is not a dirty word and I stand by that 

sentiment. You buy ‘mistakes’ at the supplier’s 

price, so why sell them for no profit? I’ve had 

my share of mistakes in the past and it’s best 

to put them down to a learning experience 

and obviously don’t replenish them. 

I’m sick of perceived industry ‘experts’ – some 

of whom I must say come from their own 

pretty ordinary retail backgrounds – filling 

our heads with their beliefs. I don’t think 

jewellers should put the price up just to bring 

it down. You purchase product – or at least 

should purchase product – because you 

believe in its value. Should that item not sell 

then why not negotiate with the supplier? 

I DON’T VIEW THE 

FACT THAT MY 

BUSINESS HAS 

OLD STOCK IN A 

NEGATIVE LIGHT 

EITHER. IN FACT, 

I RECEIVE MORE 

ENJOYMENT OUT 

OF SELLING AN 

OLD PIECE AT FULL 

PROFIT THAN I DO 

A NEW PIECE THAT 

WE’VE HAD FOR 

FIVE MINUTES 

I don’t view the fact that my business has 

old stock in a negative light either. In fact, I 

receive more enjoyment out of selling an old 

piece at full profit than I do a new piece that 

we’ve had for five minutes. 

Of course old stock will look dated if you 

leave it out on the floor gathering dust so it’s 

important to constantly move it around and 

keep it in pristine condition with fresh pricing. 

As an industry, we need to get off our 

backsides, work hard and appreciate the 

opportunities we have been given. We’re 

so lucky to be working with jewellery – 

I wouldn’t want to be in the rag trade 

and I wouldn’t want to be operating an 

independent fruit and vegetable store 

competing with the likes of Coles. 

Some may say that times are difficult but 

people don’t stop falling in love, they don’t 

stop getting married and they don’t stop 

having anniversaries. People ask me all the 

time whether business is tough and I respond 

by asking them if they have stopped having 

birthdays. Jewellers cater for life in good 

times and in bad because those passionate 

parts of life never go out of fashion. 

Our industry is set up to make lots of 

money; we’re so bloody lucky and there’s 

no need to sell ourselves cheap. I come 

back to the words of my father: profit is 

not a dirty word. i 

Name: Brent Weatherall 

Business: Brent Weatherall Jeweller 

Position: director 

Location: Dunedin, New Zealand 

Years in the industry: 37 years 


INTERNA TIONAL 

JEWELLERY FAIR 

VISIT THE INTERNATIONAL JEWELLERY 

FAIR IN 2017 AND BECOME IMMERSED 

IN A TOTAL INDUSTY EXPERIENCE. 

AUGUST 26 > 28, 2017 

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE SYDNEY 

EXPERIENCE THE… 

• State-of-the-art International Convention Centre in the heart 

of Darling Harbour 

• Prestigious Jewellery Design Awards, with a prize pool of 

more than $80,000 

• New VIP buyer’s lounges and plenty of opportunity to 

network and connect with new suppliers 

• Latest jewellery trends and styles will be showcased by 

Australian and international exhibitors 

• World Skills – NSW Regional Championships, finalists 

competing for the Nationals and World Championships 

• Live demonstrations of hand-engraving and diamond setting 

under the microscope from the Jewellery Institute of Australia 

• Hands-on pieces created using 3d modelling with the latest 

software from the CAD Jewellery School 

• Sydney Design Centre themed exhibition will showcase the 

work of the industry’s emerging stars 

THE INTERNATIONAL JEWELLERY FAIR IS MORE THAN BUYING AND NETWORKING, IT’S THE TOTAL INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE! 

WWW.JEWELLERYFAIR.COM.AU 

Organised by: 

events

One of 

ASIA’S 

TOP 

THREE 

Fine Jewellery Events 

JUNE 

Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair 

22 – 25 June 2017 

Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre 

UBM Asia Ltd 

Tel : (852) 2516 2192 / 2516 2194 

Fax : (852) 3749 7344 

Email : visitjgf-hk@ubm.com 

www.JewelleryNetAsia.com

Jeweller - April Issue 2017

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