Jeweller - April Issue 2018
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VOICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN JEWELLERY INDUSTRY<br />
APRIL <strong>2018</strong><br />
It’s time<br />
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TRENDS ARE TAKING CENTRE STAGE<br />
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THE LATEST FASHION WATCH<br />
TRENDS ARE TAKING CENTRE STAGE<br />
VOICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN JEWELLERY INDUSTRY<br />
COLOURED DIAMONDS<br />
ARE A RETAILER’S DREAM<br />
APRIL <strong>2018</strong><br />
WHY CHARMS ARE MORE<br />
THAN JUST A PASSING FAD<br />
CONTENTS<br />
APRIL <strong>2018</strong><br />
15/<br />
21/<br />
26/<br />
FEATURES REGULARS BUSINESS<br />
15/ WATCH OUT<br />
<strong>Jeweller</strong>’s latest insight into the<br />
enduring fashion watch category.<br />
21/ COLOURED AFFAIR<br />
It’s time to take advantage of<br />
coloured diamond sales.<br />
24/ WATCH FAIR<br />
Watch connoisseur Martin Foster<br />
explains why luxury watch fairs are<br />
reassuring the industry.<br />
26/ A REAL CHARMER<br />
Why charms present untapped<br />
opportunities for retailers.<br />
7/ Editorial<br />
8/ Upfront<br />
9/ News<br />
29/ Gems<br />
Colour investigation: ruby<br />
37/ My Store<br />
Be inspired by the most unique<br />
store layouts around.<br />
38/ 10 Years Ago<br />
39/ Calendar<br />
40/ My Bench<br />
42/ Soapbox<br />
Coloured gemstones are seriously<br />
underrated, Charles Lawson declares.<br />
31/ Business feature<br />
Francesca Nicasio discusses how<br />
to boost customers through instore<br />
experiences.<br />
33/ Selling<br />
Sales can be greatly improved<br />
with technology, Gretchen<br />
Gordon notes.<br />
34/ Management<br />
Bryan Pearson lays out how<br />
to use data to boost sales.<br />
35/ Marketing<br />
Use in-store data to spot the next<br />
big trends, David Brown states.<br />
36/ Logged On<br />
Melissa Megginson describes<br />
how to use Instagram to reach<br />
more customers.<br />
It’s time<br />
Colour me<br />
+ +<br />
Charmed life<br />
Front cover description:<br />
Cluse watches are distributed<br />
by Heart & Grace.<br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong> <strong>Jeweller</strong> 5
The Original customisable jewellery with interchangeable colours<br />
Mother’s Day<br />
Collection<br />
lesgeorgettes.com - Trademark, registered designs and patents pending - Copyright © <strong>2018</strong> Altesse<br />
An original creation by Altesse Paris<br />
Made in France<br />
contactaus@lesgeorgettes.com - #lesgeorgettes_byaltesse - +61 (0)2 8998 1900
EDITORIAL<br />
PAGE #1 OF GOOGLE; HOT DIGGITY DOG!<br />
You have probably received the emails<br />
yourself – you know the ones; they tell you<br />
that your business is not on the first page of<br />
a Google search or that your website “doesn’t<br />
have major keywords in your niche, which<br />
affects visibility”.<br />
If you believe these promotional emails from<br />
search-engine optimisation (SEO) businesses,<br />
you’ll soon think you have far greater<br />
problems, such as low ‘Domain Authority’ and<br />
‘Page Authority’ or, even worse, “Your website<br />
seems to be attracting traffic but this traffic is<br />
almost stagnant and limited.”<br />
Nothing worse than stagnant traffic, right!<br />
Well, actually there is because your<br />
website has now “been diagnosed with<br />
coding issues”.<br />
Of course, these SEO emails always tug at<br />
your heartstrings; they promise to put you on<br />
the first page of Google and, ideally, within<br />
the first 10 listings!<br />
“As a business owner, you might be<br />
interested to attract more visitors. So despite<br />
having a proficient website, you might be<br />
wondering why you are not able to overturn<br />
your competitors from the top search results.”<br />
the sales pitch goes.<br />
There’s no doubt that all retail businesses<br />
would love to sit at the top spot on the first<br />
page of Google but it’s not as simple as a<br />
pay-to-play solution. These spammers will<br />
claim that they will propel you to the top –<br />
for a handsome fee, of course – but can it be<br />
guaranteed and would it generate any real<br />
value to your business anyway?<br />
For example, and to stretch logic to expose<br />
silly and false claims, is there any sense or<br />
benefit in appearing on the first page of a<br />
Google search for ‘hot dog shops’ if you own<br />
a jewellery store? Of course not but let’s deal<br />
with some other issues.<br />
A recent email told me, “While doing a<br />
search, we found that Gunnamatta Media is<br />
not on the first page of Google.”<br />
Knowing that to be bullshit, I checked<br />
anyway as one should always be sceptical<br />
and check the facts. Of course what I found<br />
was the opposite of what I was told by<br />
Daniel, my international “digital marketing<br />
expert” who, by the way, operates from a<br />
personal Gmail account.<br />
Well, not only was Gunnamatta Media on<br />
the first page but it also occupied the first 30<br />
listings related to the company. So much for<br />
not being “on the first page of a Google”!<br />
I am sure that if you search your own store<br />
name it would, or at least should, appear<br />
on the first page, depending on how many<br />
jewellery stores have similar names. If it<br />
doesn’t, then adding your suburb to the<br />
search should fix the problem.<br />
You see, being on the first page is<br />
determined by keywords and how specific<br />
those terms are, such as whether they<br />
include your store name and suburb.<br />
WHAT’S THE<br />
USE OF BEING<br />
ON PAGE ONE<br />
FOR SEARCH<br />
TERMS THAT NO<br />
ONE IS USING?<br />
YOU MAY AS<br />
WELL BE ON<br />
PAGE ONE<br />
FOR ‘HOTDOG<br />
SHOPS’.<br />
Obviously, if you search ‘jewellery stores<br />
NSW’, it’s unlikely a small store would be on<br />
page one, which is dominated by the major<br />
jewellery chains. That’s because this is a broad<br />
search term and it is unlikely that any SEO<br />
service could guarantee you the first search<br />
page on such a broad criteria. Again, even if it<br />
were possible, what benefit would it be?<br />
On the other hand, if the keyword search is<br />
more specific, such as ‘diamond jewellery<br />
Melbourne’, then there’s way more value for<br />
stores to appear on page one, which is where<br />
the competition for position heats up, as<br />
does the work, effort and cost!<br />
So how do these SEO businesses claim to get<br />
you a page-one ranking? Well one way is that<br />
they rank your website for keywords that no<br />
one is searching. That’s one trick but what’s<br />
the use of being on page one for search<br />
terms that no one is using? You may as well<br />
be on page one for ‘hotdog shops’.<br />
Google searches and ranking are not only<br />
dynamic but are also unstable. You will get<br />
different results in different geographic<br />
locations because local results skew Google<br />
rankings, as do reviews.<br />
Retailers should be very cautious about<br />
SEO ‘consultants’ who make claims about<br />
getting your business onto the first page of<br />
Google searches and, even if true, is there<br />
truly any value?<br />
Coleby Nicholson<br />
Managing Editor<br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong> <strong>Jeweller</strong> 7
UPFRONT<br />
“I miss a lot of<br />
independent<br />
retailers in<br />
regional towns<br />
who closed. Many<br />
became not just<br />
customers, but<br />
friends.”<br />
What do you miss about the industry 10 years ago?<br />
RITA WILLIAMS,<br />
SUNSTATE JEWELLERS<br />
BULLETIN BOARD<br />
n YES, YES YES!<br />
Suppliers must be inventive to keep up<br />
with consumer’s evolving demands.<br />
Case in point: one company created<br />
a smartphone case to conceal an<br />
engagement ring and record the user’s<br />
proposal. With the trend for couples to<br />
share their proposals on social media<br />
becoming more popular, retailers would<br />
do well to think how they too can meet<br />
such demands.<br />
n PINNING IT DOWN<br />
Pinterest has revealed its top three most<br />
pinned engagement ring styles for the<br />
year so far. According to the company,<br />
moissanite gem styles are up 294 per<br />
cent, marquise diamond art deco styles<br />
have increased 173 per cent and oval<br />
engagement stones are up 125 per cent.<br />
n HEALTHY PROFITS<br />
According to a JewelerProfit.com article,<br />
keeping inventory over a year old,<br />
wrong price points, under-charging for<br />
repairs, low web traffic and poor sales<br />
staff are key reasons why retailers find<br />
themselves in financial distress. Solution:<br />
jewellers should focus on “excellent<br />
sales, good salaries and excellent cash<br />
flow,” the article states.<br />
“I miss how<br />
personal it used<br />
to be, spending<br />
time getting to<br />
know customers.<br />
Everything is so<br />
fast paced now,<br />
people don’t build<br />
a connection<br />
anymore.”<br />
JESS RICHARDS,<br />
SECRETS SHHH –<br />
CHADSTONE<br />
DIGITAL<br />
BRAINWAVE<br />
“Ten years ago, we<br />
had a very robust<br />
business. Our retail<br />
was booming and<br />
everybody was<br />
happy. When we<br />
had the election,<br />
everything<br />
changed and it<br />
became tough.”<br />
TIM HAAB, HAAB<br />
DESIGNER JEWELLERS<br />
HIT PLAY<br />
Thinking about getting into video marketing? An<br />
article by business2community offers some hefty<br />
best practice tips for retailers wanting to incorporate<br />
videos into their marketing efforts. First, it<br />
recommends to plan what is going to be said before<br />
pressing record – that means no ‘winging it’ and rambling. Instead, it advises to practice<br />
but don’t read from a script – the more conversational the tone, the better. Other top<br />
tips include creating videos that double as teaching moments, calling on consumers to<br />
take action, and ensuring all keywords – including the video title, description and tags –<br />
are catchy and natural. Time to get recording!<br />
TOP PRODUCT<br />
Dansk Smykkekunst’s ‘Tamara<br />
Orbit’ earrings feature a silverplated<br />
ball on 7cm rose goldplated<br />
copper. They are also<br />
available in haematite with a gold<br />
coloured ball, rhodium with a rose<br />
gold coloured ball, and silver with a<br />
haematite ball. They were the most<br />
popular product last month ranked<br />
by views at jewellermagazine.com.<br />
VOICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN<br />
JEWELLERY INDUSTRY<br />
jewellermagazine.com<br />
Managing Editor<br />
Coleby Nicholson<br />
Assistant Editor<br />
Alex Eugene<br />
alex.eugene@jewellermagazine.com<br />
Journalist<br />
Talia Paz<br />
talia.paz@gunnamattamedia.com<br />
Advertising Manager<br />
Gary Collins<br />
gary.collins@jewellermagazine.com<br />
Digital Manager<br />
Angela Han<br />
angela.han@gunnamattamedia.com<br />
Production Manager<br />
& Graphic Design<br />
Jo De Bono<br />
art@gunnamattamedia.com<br />
Accounts<br />
Paul Blewitt<br />
accounts@gunnamattamedia.com<br />
Subscriptions<br />
info@jewellermagazine.com<br />
<strong>Jeweller</strong> is published by:<br />
Gunnamatta Media Pty Ltd<br />
Locked Bag 26, South Melbourne,<br />
VIC 3205 AUSTRALIA<br />
ABN 64 930 790 434<br />
Phone: +61 3 9696 7200<br />
Fax: +61 3 9696 8313<br />
info@gunnamattamedia.com<br />
Copyright: All material appearing<br />
in <strong>Jeweller</strong> is subject to copyright.<br />
Reproduction in whole or in part is<br />
strictly forbidden without prior written<br />
consent of the publisher.<br />
Gunnamatta Media Pty Ltd strives to<br />
report accurately and fairly and it is<br />
our policy to correct significant errors<br />
of fact and misleading statements in<br />
the next available issue. All statements<br />
made, although based on information<br />
believed to be reliable and accurate at<br />
the time, cannot be guaranteed and<br />
no fault or liability can be accepted<br />
for error or omission. Any comment<br />
relating to subjective opinions should<br />
be addressed to the editor.<br />
Advertising: The publisher reserves<br />
the right to omit or alter any<br />
advertisement to comply with<br />
Australian law and the advertiser<br />
agrees to indemnify the publisher for<br />
all damages or liabilities arising from<br />
the published material.<br />
8 <strong>Jeweller</strong> <strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong>
NEWS<br />
NEWS<br />
Michael Hill closes Emma & Roe stores<br />
Michael Hill International (MHI) has<br />
announced it will close 24 of its 30 Emma &<br />
Roe stores in order to refocus the “direction”<br />
of the brand.<br />
According to the company, the 24<br />
Australian and New Zealand stores would<br />
be closed by 30 June <strong>2018</strong>. The remaining<br />
six will be repositioned to take on the<br />
demi-fine jewellery market in smaller,<br />
concentrated stores.<br />
“In January, MHI announced it had<br />
undertaken a comprehensive review of<br />
Emma & Roe to help shape the future<br />
strategic direction of the brand,” a company<br />
statement said. “The findings of this review<br />
identified a major opportunity in the demifine<br />
jewellery segment [up-market fashion<br />
jewellery] and an emergence in customer<br />
preferences towards fine fashion.<br />
“These remaining stores will be focused in a<br />
single market area, [as MHI] considers the six<br />
store footprint will provide the opportunity<br />
to iterate the new model at speed.”<br />
The statement added MHI estimated it<br />
would cost between $5.8 and $7.9 million to<br />
exit the stores.<br />
As previously reported by <strong>Jeweller</strong>, MHI will<br />
also close all of its “loss-making” stores in<br />
the US. MHI CEO Phil Taylor noted the nine<br />
US stores had “struggled” with a reported<br />
$12 million loss over the last 12 months.<br />
He said a highly competitive market,<br />
costly advertising and “significant” industry<br />
pressure aided the decision.<br />
The recent company statement added<br />
negotiations for exiting the US stores were<br />
“ongoing” and it would provide further<br />
information at a later date.<br />
MHI’s Emma & Roe range was launched<br />
in <strong>April</strong> 2014. It specialises in a range of<br />
charms, bracelets, necklaces, earrings and<br />
stackable rings. Named after Michael Hill’s<br />
daughter Emma and his wife’s maiden<br />
name Roe, the range was launched to<br />
complement MHI’s offering.<br />
‘Unicorn’ watch up for auction<br />
One of the rarest watches ever made is<br />
estimated to sell for more than CHF$3<br />
million (AU$4 m) at an upcoming<br />
international auction. According to auction<br />
house Phillips, the Rolex Cosmogaph<br />
Daytona 6265 is the only known white gold<br />
manual-winding Daytona ever produced.<br />
EMMA & ROE JEWELLERY STORES SET TO CLOSE<br />
Butterfly Silver in<br />
administration<br />
Well-known fashion jewellery chain<br />
Butterfly Silver has been placed into<br />
administration. Headquartered in<br />
Brisbane, the retail business specialises<br />
in sterling silver rings, earrings,<br />
necklaces, bangles and charms. It<br />
is understood that in mid-March<br />
it appointed P.A Lucas & Co as its<br />
administrator. Auctioneer house<br />
Hymans is handling the expressions of<br />
interest from potential buyers.<br />
Advertisements offering the business<br />
for sale have appeared in national<br />
newspapers.<br />
“This prominent and popular jewellery<br />
retailer runs from 19 outlets across the<br />
east coast of Australia, operating out of<br />
a head office and distribution centre in<br />
Brisbane,” a Hymans statement noted. “It<br />
had an annual turnover of approximately<br />
$6.5 million, with approximately<br />
$800,000 stock on hand at cost price.”<br />
It added that offers for all or individual<br />
stores would be considered, with retail<br />
outlets located throughout Queensland,<br />
New South Wales and Victoria.<br />
<strong>Jeweller</strong> contacted P.A Lucas & Co<br />
and Hymans asking why the business<br />
had been placed into administration<br />
and how many expressions of interest<br />
had been submitted. However, a<br />
response had not been received at<br />
the time of publication.<br />
Butterfly Silver managing director<br />
Michael Granshaw was also contacted<br />
for comment.<br />
Butterfly Silver was established in 2002.<br />
At the time of publication the company’s<br />
website had made no mention of being<br />
“under administration”.<br />
“Nicknamed ‘The Unicorn’ because of its<br />
elusive nature, Rolex made this extravagant<br />
Daytona in 1970 and delivered it to a<br />
German retailer,” a Phillips statement read.<br />
“Before the discovery of this piece, we<br />
believed that only stainless steel and yellow<br />
gold versions of the 6265 existed.”<br />
More than 30 of the “most sought-after”<br />
Daytonas will be on offer at Phillips’ Daytona<br />
Ultimatum auction in Geneva, Switzerland<br />
on 12 May. The headlining 6265 watch is<br />
RAREST ROLEX WATCH EVER MADE WILL AUCTION<br />
fitted with a sigma dial and white gold<br />
hour indicator, and has a crown made from<br />
stainless steel. It also features a white gold<br />
bracelet with bark finish, which was added<br />
by its current owner, Italian watch collector<br />
John Goldberger. Proceeds from the sale will<br />
go to charity Children Action.<br />
+ MORE BREAKING NEWS<br />
JEWELLERMAGAZINE.COM<br />
A BUTTERFLY SILVER PROMOTIONAL SHOT<br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong> <strong>Jeweller</strong> 9
NEWS<br />
IN BRIEF<br />
*<br />
GENIUS RATING<br />
A new industry report has revealed<br />
the digital strategies of high-profile<br />
jewellery and watch brands. The Digital<br />
IQ Index: Watches & <strong>Jeweller</strong>y <strong>2018</strong> report<br />
released by L2 Research, analysed the<br />
digital performance of several prominent<br />
companies including Swarovski, Pandora,<br />
Tiffany & Co and Alex and Ani. All were<br />
ranked by five digital e-commerce<br />
categories, from ‘genius’ through to<br />
‘feeble’. Tiffany & Co and Cartier were the<br />
only brands given ‘genius’ status.<br />
*<br />
INDIA EXPORTS STRONG<br />
Indian polished diamond exports went<br />
up in February, according to a Gem &<br />
<strong>Jeweller</strong>y Export Promotion Council India<br />
(GJEPC) report. The 0.5 per cent increase<br />
represented US$2.5 billion (AU$3.2 b)<br />
annually, but a 6 per cent drop in volume<br />
to 3.1 million carats. The average price<br />
of polished diamonds rose 6 per cent to<br />
US$791 (AU$1,028) per carat.<br />
*<br />
FITBIT GETS IN SHAPE<br />
A significantly cheaper Fitbit smartwatch<br />
model that “looks more like an Apple<br />
watch” has been released, a recent article<br />
by Fortune.com revealed. According<br />
to the report, the company’s first<br />
smartwatch was released in 2017, but<br />
was met with “tepid” sales figures. The<br />
revamped Fitbit design reportedly aims to<br />
appeal to more women.<br />
Alexandre Sidrov<br />
Master diamond workshop announced<br />
Sydney-based <strong>Jeweller</strong>y Institute of Australia<br />
(JIA) will host a workshop with Dutch<br />
“master setter” Alexandre Sidrov this month.<br />
Sidrov will deliver a class in micro-pave<br />
setting, and highlight methods used by<br />
the Alexandre School for Optical Diamond<br />
Setting, Belgium.<br />
“Sidrov is the pioneer in optical diamond<br />
setting. He created setting techniques that<br />
are faster, safer and more appealing, with the<br />
ability to make your own custom tools for<br />
each job,” Gabriel Owen, the founder of JIA<br />
told <strong>Jeweller</strong>.<br />
Synthetic prices on a downer<br />
According to a recent report by the Mining<br />
Journal, synthetic diamonds have decreased<br />
in price.<br />
Independent New York diamond analyst<br />
Paul Zimnisky noted that the decreasing<br />
cost of technology had contributed to<br />
the fall. “The price pressure is directly a<br />
result of supply growth leading to more<br />
price competition, especially as generic<br />
production coming out of Asia increases,”<br />
Zimnisky told <strong>Jeweller</strong>.<br />
However, this would help boost diamond<br />
quality, he said. “The result of more<br />
production facilities, and increased<br />
Million dollar fail<br />
“We are lucky here in Australia to have such<br />
a master come and visit. Usually people have<br />
to wait six months to a year for a seat at his<br />
school in Belgium,” Owen added.<br />
As previously reported by <strong>Jeweller</strong>, Owen, a<br />
jeweller and graduate of the Gemological<br />
Institute of America (GIA), founded the JIA in<br />
2017. He started the school because there<br />
were “no advanced classes for micro-pave<br />
setting and hand engraving.”<br />
Students are invited to attend either one<br />
or two week courses, beginning Monday<br />
16 <strong>April</strong>.<br />
production capacity of existing facilities, will<br />
impact both supply output and quality of<br />
output going forward, with both metrics<br />
inevitably improving.”<br />
Zimnisky added he believed “consumer<br />
sentiment towards laboratory-created<br />
diamonds is improving, as awareness and<br />
education about the product increases”.<br />
According to the report, true gem-quality,<br />
synthetic diamonds suitable for jewellery<br />
represent less than 10 per cent of global<br />
output. However, laboratories supply around<br />
99 per cent of industrial-grade diamonds for<br />
other applications.<br />
*<br />
SYNTHETIC RUBY LAYER<br />
The Gemological Institute of America<br />
(GIA) has identified two red stones as<br />
colourless natural sapphires with a<br />
synthetic ruby ‘overgrowth’. According to<br />
the GIA, the outer layers were “a cover of<br />
lab-grown stone that tinted the entire<br />
gems red.” To “the naked eye”, they had the<br />
appearance of chemically treated natural<br />
rubies, it noted. “This is not the first report<br />
of synthetic ruby overgrowth, but it marks<br />
the first time the laboratories have had<br />
them submitted for identification. The<br />
resurfacing of these vintage overgrowth<br />
synthetics shows that once a material is in<br />
the trade, it is here to stay,” the GIA added.<br />
+ MORE BREAKING NEWS<br />
JEWELLERMAGAZINE.COM<br />
The National Museum of Prague has<br />
discovered that some of its diamonds,<br />
sapphires and rubies are “fakes”. According<br />
to reports, a routine audit exposed the<br />
stones. One diamond was reportedly plain<br />
glass with a diamond cut, while others were<br />
synthetic instead of natural.<br />
Ivo Macek, head of the museum’s precious<br />
stones department said, “What we have is<br />
still a sapphire, but it is not a natural stone as<br />
was documented when the museum gained<br />
it in the 1970s. It was artificially created so it<br />
does not have the value we thought it did. It<br />
was acquired for CZK$200,000 (AU$12,354)<br />
and today it would have been worth tens<br />
of millions.”<br />
The museum’s deputy director Michal Stehlík<br />
said the museum was now investigating<br />
how the fakes came to be part of its<br />
collection, adding that the museum would<br />
“thoroughly” audit all its artefacts over the<br />
next three years.<br />
10 <strong>Jeweller</strong> <strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong>
Pink Diamonds from Argyle<br />
Suite 1108, 227 Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000<br />
Tel: 61 3 9650 3066 Mobile: 61 (0) 411 331 777<br />
pinkdiamondsfromargyle@gmail.com
NEW PRODUCTS<br />
HERE, JEWELLER HAS COMPILED A SNAPSHOT OF THE LATEST PRODUCTS TO HIT THE MARKET.<br />
SEIKO<br />
The Seiko Astron GPS Solar<br />
Dual-Time watch is powered by<br />
light, connects to a GPS network<br />
and automatically adjusts at<br />
the touch of a button. It also<br />
features a 12-hour sub-dial with<br />
a separate AM/PM indicator<br />
to keep track of a different<br />
timezone. Visit: seiko.com.au<br />
NAJO<br />
The ‘Amarres Wide Bangle’ is 64 mm and features four<br />
rows of vine-like coils wrapped around a beaten sterling<br />
silver bangle, which can also be stacked. Visit: najo.com.au<br />
OSJAG<br />
These earrings are part of the<br />
new <strong>2018</strong> Gold Collection. They<br />
come with black diamonds,<br />
and are crafted in 14¬-carat or<br />
18-carat gold. Visit: osjag.com<br />
STONES<br />
& SILVER<br />
These pieces are some of the latest<br />
available from Australian designers<br />
Stones & Silver. All products are<br />
set in .925 sterling silver.<br />
Visit: stonesandsilver.com.au<br />
DYRBERG/<br />
KERN<br />
These ‘Shiny Gold Arc’ earrings<br />
from Dyrberg/Kern are available<br />
in a range of different finishes.<br />
Supplied by JLM International.<br />
Visit: dyrbergkern.com<br />
PASTICHE<br />
The new Rising Sun collection from<br />
Pastiche is “inspired by light and shade,<br />
and the beauty of the moments in<br />
between”. These earrings and necklace<br />
are crafted from rose gold-plated,<br />
stainless steel. Visit: pastiche.com.au<br />
WORTH &<br />
DOUGLAS<br />
New designs have been added to<br />
the Ziro range of rings, which include<br />
roman numerals and skulls engraved<br />
in black zirconium, which has a<br />
ceramic-like texture.<br />
Visit: wdrings.com<br />
12 <strong>Jeweller</strong> <strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong>
NEW PRODUCTS<br />
COUTURE KINGDOM<br />
Mickey Mouse is nine decades old this year!<br />
Celebrate with the 90th birthday Mickey Mouse<br />
Limited Edition Collectable pieces from Couture<br />
Kingdom, to be released in October <strong>2018</strong>.<br />
Visit: couturekingdom.com<br />
NIKKI LISSONI<br />
The secret behind Nikki Lissoni’s designs<br />
is said to be that “each piece of precision<br />
cast and hand-finished jewellery<br />
provides the opportunity for women<br />
to create their own signature style.” The<br />
new range is available from Duraflex.<br />
Visit: nikkilissoni.com.au<br />
+ MORE NEW PRODUCTS<br />
JEWELLERMAGAZINE.COM<br />
SAMS GROUP<br />
This Blush Arabella Pendant and<br />
earring set features a floral<br />
design of natural Australian<br />
Argyle pink diamonds, with<br />
fine white diamonds.<br />
Crafted in 18-carat rose<br />
and white gold.<br />
Visit: samsgroup.com.au<br />
FABULEUX<br />
VOUS<br />
The latest addition to the Heart Series is the<br />
‘Captured’ design. Made in sterling silver, these<br />
delicate earrings are “inspired by love and the many<br />
shapes and forms it comes in”. They are available as<br />
drop earrings or studs. Visit: fabuleuxvous.com<br />
THOMAS<br />
SABO<br />
Available from Duraflex, the<br />
Generation Charm Club has<br />
been completely reinvented<br />
this year. Over 250 new<br />
pieces will be available.<br />
Visit: thomassabo.com<br />
CLUSE<br />
This slim rose gold-plated necklace chain,<br />
with an elegant, simple marbled hexagon<br />
pendant is from the new Cluse collection.<br />
Available through Heart & Grace. Visit: cluse.com<br />
BAUSELE<br />
Available from Bolt International,<br />
the new Noosa After Dark watch is<br />
said to “capture the breathtaking<br />
beauty of two of<br />
Australia’s most celebrated<br />
beaches with sophistication<br />
and style”. Pure white grains<br />
of sand from Whitehaven<br />
beach are nestled in the<br />
crown. Visit: bausele.com<br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong> <strong>Jeweller</strong> 13
Instyle Watches PTY LTD<br />
02 8399 7300<br />
adminw@instylewatches.com.au<br />
www.pierrecardinwatches.com.au
FASHION WATCHES<br />
About time: <strong>2018</strong>’s<br />
FASHION<br />
watch styles<br />
WHILE JEWELLERY TRENDS<br />
COME AND GO, FASHION WATCHES<br />
REMAIN STYLISH NO MATTER THE<br />
SEASON. TALIA PAZ PROVIDES<br />
THE LATEST INSIGHT INTO THIS<br />
ENDURING CATEGORY.<br />
very year, suppliers and retailers are introduced to luxury<br />
watch manufacturers’ latest offerings, including their<br />
updated versions, special editions, and a bevy of new,<br />
unique styles.<br />
After key releases are unveiled at the important watch fairs<br />
– think Switzerland’s enigmatic Baselworld – the fashion watch trends<br />
inevitably trickle down the supply chain, making their way to the local<br />
market. Here is where the cascade of vibrant colours, striking bands,<br />
simplistic details and ornate embellishments come into play, with<br />
consumer demand for this category showing no signs of abating.<br />
With that in mind, here’s a taste of the latest trends shaping the<br />
ultimate statement accessory category.<br />
PEAK DEMAND<br />
Minimalist yet versatile styles continue to saturate the watch market,<br />
Simon Garber, director of Cluse distributor Heart & Grace attests.<br />
PIERRE CARDIN<br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong> <strong>Jeweller</strong> 15
FASHION WATCHES<br />
Sceats agrees with these sentiments, adding that it’s up to retailers to make sure<br />
their stock is fresh and consistently in tune with consumer demand.<br />
“The market is tiring of so many watches with leather straps or mesh bands and<br />
consumers are looking for watches with linked, integrated metal bands,” Sceats<br />
says. “As well as wholesalers, we are watch designers and we need to work hard to<br />
find and design styles that the consumer is looking to purchase.”<br />
HEART & GRACE<br />
INSTYLE WATCHES<br />
“Classic styles continue to stay on trend and always will,” Garber says. “They can be<br />
adapted with new fashionable colours and fabrications each season to match any<br />
wardrobe. Classic watches really can be dressed up or down to suit any look.”<br />
Cluse expanded into jewellery mid-2017 when the brand debuted three bracelet<br />
ranges. Capitalising on the trend of pairing watches with bracelets has paid off – it’s<br />
one of the key trends making the rounds locally and internationally. Are there other<br />
trends that retailers should consider this year?<br />
“Square watch faces, rose gold, interchangeable watch straps and new bi-colour<br />
mesh straps,” Garber declares.<br />
Jeanette Sceats, managing director of Pierre Cardin supplier Instyle Watches, has a<br />
few other ideas. She says simple, understated styles remain strong and what was<br />
fashionable a few years ago also seems to be coming back for round two – albeit in<br />
a slightly revamped way.<br />
“Medium-size women’s watches are coming back but not as large as they have<br />
been in previous years,” Sceats notes. “We have also been asked to release more<br />
women’s watches with crystals so it looks like ‘bling’ may be coming back too.”<br />
This appears to be the case for the men as well. “After the last few years of the<br />
very simple and minimal style men’s watches, we have been asked for more<br />
large, multi-function and chronograph men’s watches,” she continues. “There is<br />
still a part of the market that wants understated, simple styles, but this look is<br />
diminishing in popularity.”<br />
David Faraday, managing director of Oozoo Timepieces and Dukudu distributer<br />
Hipp, offers his own take on what consumers will want this year.<br />
“While the 40 mm, oversized watches continue to be the most popular, retailers<br />
need to be aware of the resurgence of desire for smaller-case watches – think<br />
32 or 36 mm,” Faraday says. “Also, mesh straps are definitely in greater demand.<br />
Understated, simple styles are classic, and classic will always be popular.”<br />
Part of the game plan is to take more chances with stock, Garber adds: “Take a risk<br />
with new styles and colours to see if they resonate with your customer. Fashion<br />
trends now move at a fast pace, so it’s important to stay one step ahead and<br />
educate customers on the latest offering.”<br />
YOUNG AT HEART<br />
A 2017 report by UK research firm Deloitte offered interesting insight into how<br />
retailers can sell watches to younger generations. One of its main conclusions?<br />
Gen Y and Gen Z shoppers care more about the style of a watch than any<br />
of its functions.<br />
“For all practical purposes we can assume that every Millennial consumer already<br />
owns a functioning and highly-accurate timepiece in the form of a smartphone<br />
or tablet,” the report begins. “Mobile devices can offer all of the functionality of an<br />
analogue watch and more. They can also duplicate most, if not all, of the functions<br />
of a smartwatch. Yet Millennials continue to buy analogue watches for reasons of<br />
fashion and prestige.”<br />
An article by US business publication Fast Company also provides insight into the<br />
younger generation’s penchant for fashion watches.<br />
“Many of us [Millennials] are feeling that we’re not consuming technology anymore;<br />
technology is consuming us,” it begins. “Millennials have distinct memories of<br />
wearing watches while they were growing up… [therefore] Millennials have a<br />
nostalgic association with analogue watches. They’re looking for timepieces that<br />
look more sophisticated than the plastic Swatch or Casio Baby G watches they<br />
wore when they were children, but don’t want to shell out thousands for a highend<br />
luxury watch.”<br />
As Steven Kaiser, president of watch and jewellery consultant company Kaiser Time<br />
also explained in an article with US publication National Jeweler, a watch should<br />
always be treated as the emotional purchase it is. As such, this means some specific<br />
selling strategies need to come into play for younger generations.<br />
“Aside from being technically educated on the intricacies of quartz and mechanical<br />
watches, sales staff need to romance the purchase by sharing the history of<br />
the brand and by telling personal stories that resonate with potential buyers,”<br />
STAYING AHEAD OF THE GAME<br />
Fashion watches continue to experience healthy consumer interest; however,<br />
suppliers and retailers agree that maintaining a share of the market is one of the<br />
biggest issues they face. Those challenged with the task of maintaining robust sales<br />
believe a well-considered strategy is integral to success.<br />
“We all know many brands have entered the fashion watch market because of the<br />
high consumer demand,” Faraday says. “Retailers should always consider the quality<br />
of the watches and a supplier’s commitment to fast warranty servicing and aftersales<br />
service when choosing which brands to stock.”<br />
HIPP<br />
16 <strong>Jeweller</strong> <strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong>
INSTYLE WATCHES<br />
Kaiser said back in 2016. “The ability of the<br />
salesperson to key in on the emotional part<br />
of the purchase is in many cases just as<br />
important as the technical aspects of the<br />
timepiece itself.”<br />
Staff must also be equipped to counter<br />
an all-too-common sales rejection: that<br />
consumers don’t require watches when they<br />
have mobile phones. The best way to do<br />
this is to entice shoppers to physically try on<br />
watches of interest.<br />
“Phones do tell the time but nothing<br />
will ever replace the feeling of having a<br />
beautiful timepiece on your wrist,” Gretchen<br />
Mathews, senior vice president of human<br />
resources at watch retailer Tourneau, said in<br />
the same article.<br />
Faraday also offers some advice for<br />
capitalising on the desires of younger<br />
generations. “Choose models that are in line<br />
with the current fashion trends,” he says. “Keep<br />
your range looking fresh and always have<br />
something new and exciting to catch your<br />
customers’ eyes.”<br />
FOR THE ‘GRAM<br />
Employing some simple social-media<br />
techniques can do wonders for watch<br />
sales, and a good place to start is by<br />
taking inspiration from some of the big<br />
watch names.<br />
Last year, Omega marketed its latest watch on<br />
Instagram and then created its own hashtag<br />
– #SpeedyTuesday – so that consumers could<br />
upload images of their purchases or search<br />
directly for the watch. The simple strategy<br />
paid off as the watch reportedly sold out<br />
within four hours!<br />
Local retailers could use similar marketing<br />
ideas to improve the visibility of their latest<br />
HIPP<br />
offerings. After all, as Faraday explains, social<br />
media continues to be “very influential” for<br />
shoppers.<br />
“Consumers are more aware of the concept<br />
of a fashion watch and are matching their<br />
watches to their outfits and changing them in<br />
line with the season,” he says.<br />
Garber agrees with these sentiments.<br />
“Social and digital media has had a huge<br />
influence on consumers buying fashion<br />
watches,” she adds. “Influencers, celebrities<br />
and consumers love to share their watches<br />
on social media; consumers follow these<br />
fashion influencers to stay up to date with<br />
the colours and styles trending globally and<br />
buy into these new styles.”<br />
Keeping track of what consumers are<br />
following on social media isn’t the only<br />
strategy retailers should be employing to<br />
boost watch sales. Instead, Sceats advises<br />
those seeking additional inspiration to take<br />
notice of what’s on the fashion runways.<br />
“Look to the more fashion-forward parts of<br />
the market to determine what styles are the<br />
focus of international icons. These styles will<br />
usually trickle down the market but leave<br />
their influence in many ways, such as sizes,<br />
colours, simplicity or bling,” Sceats explains.<br />
“Look for new styles that are wearable but<br />
have features that will attract the eye of<br />
passing consumers. By adding some colour<br />
and imagery to the store windows, you will<br />
attract customers more than by just showing<br />
the same conservative styles you have been<br />
selling for several years,” she adds.<br />
Trends may come and go but consumers<br />
continue to maintain a healthy appetite for<br />
fashion watches. With a few savvy techniques,<br />
retailers can ultimately gain the upper hand in<br />
this robust sector. i<br />
Exclusive Distribution by hiPP.com.au<br />
in AU & NZ<br />
info@hiPP.com.au | 1300 132 522<br />
(NZ 0800 65 4477)
COLOURED DIAMOND REPORT<br />
BOLTON GEMS WORLD SHINER ELLENDALE DIAMONDS<br />
True<br />
COLOURS<br />
WITH CONSUMERS INCREASINGLY SAVVY ABOUT<br />
WHITE DIAMONDS, COLOURED DIAMONDS<br />
CONTINUE TO OFFER RETAILERS A BETTER MARGIN.<br />
ALEX EUGENE REPORTS ON THE BEST WAY TO TAKE<br />
ADVANTAGE OF THESE HIGHLY-PRIZED STONES.<br />
here’s a scene in the film Titanic where Kate Winslet’s character<br />
Rose sits for a seductive nude portrait, wearing a 56-carat blue<br />
diamond, strung upon a chain of white diamonds.<br />
The fictional gemstone, known as ‘the heart of the ocean’, is a replica of<br />
the famous Hope Diamond, a 45.52-carat stone reportedly stolen from<br />
an ancient statue in India, and subsequently blamed for the misfortune that<br />
afflicted its various owners. According to myth, the Hope Diamond is cursed,<br />
but this hasn’t stopped it from enchanting the collective consciousness of<br />
gemstone lovers since the 17th century.<br />
History is abundant with intriguing tales of coloured diamonds, which have<br />
only become more popular over time.<br />
A HISTORY OF LOVE<br />
Whether invention or fact, many of the greatest love stories have involved<br />
coloured diamonds.<br />
“There has traditionally been a romance associated with coloured diamonds<br />
and this has always attracted a premium in their pricing,” says Gersande Price,<br />
sales manager at Ellendale Diamonds. “There is no fixed price for exceptionally<br />
fine coloured diamonds.”<br />
Brett Bolton, Director of Bolton Gems confirms this is the case: “Consumers<br />
believe price is secondary to finding the right stone for them. Colour is more<br />
of an incentive.”<br />
Add to that the dwindling supply of some colours, notably Australian pink, and<br />
say hello to one of the most lucrative products available to jewellers.<br />
“Despite producing 95 per cent of the world’s pink diamonds, the Argyle<br />
mine’s total pinks production is under 1 per cent, and with the upcoming<br />
closure in two to three years’ time, Argyle pink diamonds are a unique West<br />
Australian sensation around the world,” says Price.<br />
Miri Chen, CEO of the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF) says that<br />
fancy-colour diamonds are so rare and beautiful they have become a serious<br />
investment opportunity.<br />
“Out of all diamonds in the world, only a fraction of a percent actually<br />
show special colours and are entitled to being called fancy-colour diamonds,”<br />
she says.<br />
Maulin Shah, director of World Shiner says, “Demand is increasing for the pink<br />
diamonds; they are very unique. People are buying Argyle diamonds<br />
for investment.”
COLOURED DIAMOND REPORT<br />
Price agrees with that sentiment. “Everyone<br />
in the market is after an Argyle diamond,<br />
for love of their land, the beautiful arrays of<br />
colours or for pure investment purpose.”<br />
Steve Der Bedrossian, CEO of Sams Group,<br />
is matter of fact about his pink diamond<br />
stock. “A low end pink melee in a light<br />
pink colour is still going to cost around<br />
AU$1,900 a carat. But for white diamonds,<br />
the best, cleanest, small melee white<br />
diamond is never going to pass AU$750 a<br />
carat,” he explains.<br />
THE NEW PRESTIGE, A SEA OF WHITE<br />
Once considered exclusive and for the<br />
elite, white diamonds have become more<br />
accessible to lower ends of the market,<br />
which has made them more popular.<br />
A wealth of online information has<br />
demystified diamonds further.<br />
More information means customers are<br />
more knowledgeable, and generally know<br />
what they want – although the quality<br />
of that knowledge may be lacking. Gary<br />
Holloway, one of the world’s leading<br />
diamond experts and owner of Holloway<br />
Diamonds says that more accurately,<br />
“consumer confidence” is high. Customers<br />
“come in confident of what they want,” he<br />
explains with a smile.<br />
On top of that, “the white diamond market<br />
is saturated,” says Der Bedrossian. “Retailers<br />
can only bill them at 5 to 10 per cent<br />
markup. They make the money on the<br />
ring mount, not the diamond. It’s really<br />
cut throat.” Conversely, he says that pink<br />
diamonds “are more unique and every<br />
stone is individual. There’s less competition<br />
and overall I think the retailers can make<br />
more margin.”<br />
He adds that because of the flooded<br />
white market, retailers can still make more<br />
margins on the sale of brown and black<br />
diamonds, despite the fact that they are<br />
cheaper to buy than white diamonds.<br />
Brown and black diamonds from Australia<br />
also have the upper hand due to their<br />
local origin, he says. “If it’s a diamond from<br />
Argyle, that’s what sells.”<br />
According to Chen, there are many<br />
misconceptions that harm the industry.<br />
“Most people wrongly believe that<br />
diamonds will come out of the ground<br />
ELLENDALE DIAMONDS<br />
forever. This is far from the reality,” she<br />
explains.<br />
THE PRICE ADVANTAGE<br />
Consumers are a long way from knowing<br />
everything about coloured diamonds.<br />
Holloway points out that there’s far more<br />
variation in the way coloured diamonds are<br />
viewed for quality.<br />
Bolton agrees: “Customers are trying to use<br />
what they know about white diamonds<br />
and apply it to colour. There is no finite<br />
grading structure for coloured diamonds.<br />
Consumers need to know that clarity<br />
and symmetry is less important, and that<br />
perfection in colour matching may not be<br />
possible. Coloured diamonds are cut for<br />
colour return.”<br />
Holloway states bluntly: “The grading<br />
system for coloured diamonds is not very<br />
good. It’s quite common to have two<br />
identical diamonds, but of a different grade.<br />
So I might buy a brown diamond that looks<br />
exactly the same as another diamond that<br />
has a higher grade, but really, you can’t tell<br />
them apart.”<br />
Nonetheless, Der Bedrossian says<br />
customers who come asking for coloured<br />
diamonds will be well aware they have to<br />
pay more for them. “When they’ve come for<br />
a 1-carat pink diamond, it could be up to<br />
AU$1million per stone…believe me they’re<br />
going to do their homework,” he says. And<br />
with the Argyle mine estimated to close as<br />
soon as 2020, he says those prices are on<br />
the increase.<br />
Shah agrees that there is a huge difference<br />
in the price when comparing white<br />
and natural pink diamonds, so it’s not<br />
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COLOURED DIAMOND REPORT<br />
over-priced. Such a story reinforces the<br />
importance for jewellers to educate their<br />
customers.<br />
A COLOURED POINT OF DIFFERENCE<br />
Retailers who choose to stock coloured<br />
diamonds are already ahead of the game<br />
because they will attract customers looking<br />
to fulfil a special request.<br />
www.ClassiqueWatches.com<br />
E pink@samsgroup.com.au<br />
W samsgroup.com.au<br />
P 02 9290 2199<br />
BOLTON GEMS<br />
comparable at all. “It depends on the<br />
colour, it depends on the shade and there<br />
is a different price structure,” he explains.<br />
Chen confirms it is much harder for the<br />
average consumer to understand what<br />
makes them valuable. “The value of a<br />
fancy-coloured diamond is impacted by<br />
many parameters that are very different<br />
from those used to estimate the value of a<br />
colourless diamond,” she says.<br />
These complexities have helped coloured<br />
diamonds to retain their mystique, for<br />
the most part shielding them from ‘price<br />
hagglers’.<br />
So not only are coloured diamonds rarer,<br />
more unique and more likely to be graded<br />
as high quality, but consumers also know<br />
less about them. This makes them one of<br />
the better products for increasing retail<br />
gross margin.<br />
Another benefit for bricks-and-mortar<br />
retailers is that coloured diamonds are<br />
much harder to properly assess on a<br />
computer screen.<br />
“Coloured diamonds are something that<br />
customers really have to see to appreciate,”<br />
Chen says. “How accurate is a website<br />
description? Has the colour in the photo<br />
been re-touched or colour enhanced? With<br />
coloured diamonds, clients have to come<br />
into the store to see for themselves exactly<br />
what is on offer.”<br />
Holloway stresses the importance of<br />
the jeweller’s knowledge with a striking<br />
anecdote. At a trade fair last year, he viewed<br />
two yellow diamonds that were thousands<br />
of dollars apart in price, but the lighting<br />
had effectively reversed their appearance,<br />
making each look excessively under or<br />
Chen says “offering fancy-colour diamonds<br />
helps retailers position themselves at a<br />
whole different level. Because of their<br />
rarity and the fact that each fancy-colour<br />
diamond is different, they allow a much<br />
more interesting dialogue with the client<br />
who will want to understand what he or<br />
she is buying.”<br />
Shah agrees: “In white diamonds there is<br />
a lot of competition and similar stones<br />
available, but every coloured stone is<br />
different and unique so it will be easier<br />
for retailers to make a sale and a mark-up.<br />
It’s not easy to find something exactly the<br />
same at another jeweller.”<br />
Price says low supply will always fuel<br />
demand. “There is a marked increase in<br />
the desirability of coloured diamonds<br />
with a very restricted supply so prices<br />
can be much higher for these diamonds,”<br />
she explains. “Argyle pink diamonds are a<br />
particular example; as the mine is closing<br />
very soon and is the world’s major source,<br />
supplier prices are revised regularly.”<br />
The attractiveness of Australian pink<br />
diamonds isn’t just about rarity. Der<br />
Bedrossian says demand for ethically<br />
sourced stones is increasing.<br />
“It’s what people want in Australia. It’s<br />
called a chain of custody…from ‘the<br />
ground to the finger’ they say. Argyle<br />
diamonds are always worth more. You can<br />
find the same stone on the market with a<br />
GIA certificate – it will be argyle material,<br />
you can tell – but if it doesn’t have the<br />
inscription or any paperwork saying it came<br />
from Argyle, it will be at least 25 per cent<br />
cheaper than exactly the same stone with<br />
Argyle paperwork,” he explains.<br />
Bolton Gems are delivering on that demand<br />
from consumers: “If a retailer is an exclusive<br />
stockist of Australian Chocolate Diamonds,<br />
they get a stone with a story that starts<br />
from the day the diamond is mined. They
also get diamonds at a price that allows flexibility in creativity to<br />
make a statement piece with larger diamonds.”<br />
It’s also good news for customers of Ellendale. “We supply coloured<br />
diamonds with origin, namely from the Argyle and Ellendale Mine<br />
– Argyle pinks, yellows, champagne, cognacs, Ellendale yellow<br />
and whites. Our diamond inventory covers melee size, matching<br />
sets, single stones to investment stones and are all supplied with<br />
certificate of origin in addition to a lab certificate where available,”<br />
Price says.<br />
This demand also means customers who can’t afford a large stone<br />
would still rather walk away with a small one than nothing at all.<br />
Therefore, even smaller stones are fetching higher prices over time.<br />
“Fancy-colour demand and supply go in opposite directions,” Chen<br />
says. “Supply is dwindling and demand is rising sharply. As such,<br />
we see that in the last three years, clients who look for rare colours<br />
and cannot afford them anymore are willing to settle for very low<br />
clarities or very small sizes.”<br />
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT<br />
There’s no denying that coloured diamonds are in a class of their<br />
own, and more unique than white diamonds in many ways.<br />
Holloway also points to a lucky break the industry may gain thanks<br />
to technology: “A lot of yellow diamonds that used to be on the<br />
market were in the ‘D to Z’ scale… but those diamonds, by virtue of<br />
the cutting technology, could be turned into fancy and fancy light.”<br />
For now though, most of the focus remains on the shrinking yield<br />
of Australian coloured diamonds, particularly pinks.<br />
“In the past year, World Shiner has increased its inventory of Argyle<br />
pink diamonds, because demand will definitely increase. People<br />
are buying lots of coloured diamonds for reasons of culture and<br />
fashion,” Shah says.<br />
Der Bedrossian couldn’t agree more, saying that prices have<br />
climbed so much in recent years that he wonders just how high<br />
they can go. “Every year these diamonds are getting rarer. I don’t<br />
know what’s going to happen to prices once it closes because it’s<br />
already going up all the time.”<br />
Price sums it up elegantly: “The famous ‘diamonds are a girl’s<br />
best friend’ slogan is still very accurate; the demand for coloured<br />
diamonds is forever increasing. In recent years, the fancy-coloured<br />
diamond market has been reaching record sales.”<br />
Chen, however, turns to numbers to make her point: “The price of<br />
smaller fancy-colour diamonds between 1.5 and 9 carats rose over<br />
400 per cent in the past five years, and it looks like this upward<br />
trend will continue. Also, rare colours in low clarity – SI2 and<br />
lower – used to be hard sellers, but in the last three years, they<br />
have been in high demand as they are more affordable. These two<br />
phenomena will keep gaining momentum for years to come.”<br />
In a challenging retail climate, coloured diamonds offer retailers an<br />
exceptional opportunity to make healthy sales. Salespeople who<br />
are armed with expert information will be able to woo customers<br />
with these unique beauties. i
WATCH FAIR REVIEW<br />
GENEVA WATCH FAIR<br />
reassures the industry<br />
IN A WORLD WHERE THE SWISS WATCH AND CLOCK INDUSTRY IS SUFFERING<br />
UNPREDICTABLE BUYING PATTERNS, THE GENEVA SALON PROVIDED LUXURY WATCH<br />
BRANDS WITH MUCH-NEEDED INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION. MARTIN FOSTER REPORTS.<br />
Each year when the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie Genève (SIHH)<br />
opens for its annual trade fair, it marks the first showing of the newest high-end<br />
luxury watches.<br />
It’s a fabulous showcase with no equivalent anywhere in the world. The Geneva<br />
Salon, as it is known, is as famous for its prestigious exhibitors as it is for the quality<br />
of its infrastructure. SIHH represents the finest examples on offer from the major<br />
luxury brands of the Swiss watchmaking industry.<br />
This year’s event (15–19 January) expanded the successful presentation elements<br />
of last year, again increasing the number of exhibitors despite an extremely tough<br />
commercial environment.<br />
With BaselWorld enduring a major restructure, Geneva Salon is currently the only<br />
expanding European trade show. More than 20,000 visitors attended this year – a<br />
record number – along with 1,500 media personnel – an increase over last year of<br />
20 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively.<br />
The exhibition area had to be expanded to 55,000 square metres to<br />
accommodate this, a 20 per cent increase in floor space. This year also saw the<br />
largest number of watch houses yet; there were 35 exhibitors, compared with 30<br />
in 2017 and just 16 in 2014.<br />
WHAT IS THE SIHH?<br />
SIHH launched in 1991 as a private exhibition of the luxury house brands of the<br />
Richemont Group. In 2005, the Richemont Group, Audemars Piguet and Girard-<br />
Perregaux formed the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) which is now the<br />
body that oversees the event. Subsequently, the scope of the Geneva Salon has<br />
been expanded to include closely associated watch brands.<br />
In 2016, SIHH added a new category titled Carré des Horlogers (the Watchmaker’s<br />
Square), which consisted of a group of highly skilled artisan-creators representing<br />
avant-guard watchmakers and independent workshops.<br />
Carré des Horlogers brands of note included Christophe Claret, Chronométrie<br />
Ferdinand Berthoud, DeWitt, and Grönefeld among others. Exhibitors in the main<br />
hall included a grand offering of brands, including A.Lange & Söhne, Baume &<br />
Mercier, Cartier, Hermès, IWC and Montblanc to name just a few.<br />
Last year, for the first time the Geneva Salon was opened to the public on the<br />
final day. Fabienne Lupo, President and Managing Director of SIHH said, “The<br />
new approach has proven its worth. The Salon has successfully undertaken<br />
a significant transformation process that implies evolving in order to offer<br />
exhibiting maisons [houses] not only the best platform conducive to doing good<br />
business, but also the finest showcase in terms of communication and visibility –<br />
all firmly plugged into today’s world.”<br />
WHAT IS PALEXPO?<br />
Geneva Salon is held in the PALEXPO, a large exhibition centre located adjacent to<br />
the Geneva airport.<br />
The event organiser gains access to PALEXPO a month before its opening date to<br />
construct an imaginative and attractive fantasy world. Absolutely no expense is<br />
spared: the bare concrete walls are converted into an expansive luxury complex<br />
of about 30 brand suites and showrooms with fine, lofty architectural style, soft<br />
carpets, diffused lighting, and hushed, luxury ambience in keeping with its high<br />
horology exhibitors.<br />
This luxurious set must withstand the footfall of 20,000 visitors in the week of the<br />
trade show, only to be torn down a week later and consigned to the horological<br />
history books. PALEXPO then returns to its regular exhibiting role for the<br />
International Motor Show and Arts Geneva.<br />
The past 12 months was a reassuring year for the luxury watch market, improving<br />
somewhat on the sliding trends of recent years. Reportedly, Richemont’s buyback<br />
implementations were successful and delivered some good year-end results<br />
for the company.<br />
According to Richemont’s November interim report, sales increased by 10 per<br />
cent for the previous six months, and operating profits for the period were up 80<br />
per cent representing final figures of more than €974 million (AU$1.5 b).<br />
Swiss Federal Customs Administration (FCA) confirmed this trend, reporting that<br />
Swiss watch exports for November 2016 stood at just under CHF$2 b (AU$2.7 b),<br />
equivalent to 6.3 per cent growth.<br />
These are very comforting numbers for industry stakeholders, and the group’s<br />
performance was reflected in the optimism around the brands at the fair. Fine and<br />
inventive watchmakers find new ways of combining old ideas in beautiful ways,<br />
and this is philosophically reflected across the exhibiting brands. The 2019 Geneva<br />
Salon will take place from 14–19 January. i<br />
24 <strong>Jeweller</strong> <strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong>
CHARM BRACELETS<br />
GET<br />
Lucky<br />
with charms this season<br />
DURAFLEX NIKKI LISSONI<br />
THEY MAY BE SMALL BUT THEY’RE NOT TO BE<br />
IGNORED. ALEX EUGENE DISCOVERS WHY CHARMS<br />
ARE SO MUCH MORE THAN A PASSING FAD.<br />
K Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter children’s book series,<br />
first received a charm bracelet when she was just five years old.<br />
Remembering the event in 2013 for Harper’s Bazaar, she wrote, “I had<br />
never been given anything more beautiful.”<br />
Later in life, when the seventh Harry Potter book was released, Rowling’s editor<br />
gave her what would become “my most treasured piece of jewellery: a bracelet<br />
covered in gold and silver charms from the books. There was a tiny Golden<br />
Snitch, a silver Ford Anglia, a Pensieve and a stag Patronus. There was even a<br />
Philosopher’s Stone in the form of an uncut garnet.”<br />
Like her books, Rowling’s personal story will hit a note for millions of people<br />
everywhere: charms have been made and worn for deeply personal reasons<br />
since the earliest times. And for retailers today, there’s no better item that taps<br />
into the highly emotional market of jewellery, but also presents an opportunity<br />
for repeat business on a regular basis.<br />
IN THE HISTORY BOOKS<br />
“The charm concept has been part of human history going back to prehistoric<br />
times,” Isaac <strong>Jeweller</strong>y director Annet Atakliyan explains. “The need to keep things<br />
close to the body – individual treasure, things of beauty, cherished memories and<br />
marking prominent moments in life – was always met through charm jewellery.”<br />
Indeed, ancient charms have been discovered that were made from shells, wood<br />
and bone long before fine jewellery existed. Christians used tiny fish charms<br />
hidden inside their cloaks to identify themselves to each other during the Roman<br />
Empire’s reign, between 64 AD and 313 AD.<br />
Today it remains popular to wear charms as a symbol of personal meaning. Small<br />
and delicate, they have a unique ability to capture significant moments in life.<br />
This, combined with the sheer diversity of designs on the market, makes charms<br />
a highly “collectable concept” that perfectly suits the personalised jewellery<br />
consumer, says Phil Edwards, managing director of Duraflex.<br />
“For consumers, the appeal of this category is the unique product concepts,<br />
which allow wearers to celebrate their own personality and diversity – there are<br />
innumerable jewellery combinations possible,” he explains.<br />
Ken Abbott, managing director of Timesupply, echoes the sentiment with regard<br />
to the Nomination bracelets, which feature unique interchangeable links. “Being<br />
able to create stories link by link with endless combinations for women, men, girls<br />
and boys allows the wearer to express their personality using an icon<br />
based language.”<br />
Edwards adds there is further appeal for retailers: “Charm bracelets and bangles<br />
make the perfect gift, which can then be added to with additional charms to<br />
celebrate birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas and more. This<br />
generates customer loyalty and ignites consumers passion for a brand.”<br />
THE QUIET ACHIEVER<br />
In a price line-up, charms might seem negligible alongside engagement rings<br />
and other big sellers; however, it’s this very affordability that means customers are<br />
more likely to buy more than one and come back frequently.<br />
Pandora has built an empire on these tiny heroes. The company’s managing<br />
director, Mikael Kruse Jensen, admits that Pandora harnessed “a magic formula in<br />
increasing customer basket size and engaging in a long-term relationship with<br />
the customer”.<br />
“Charms as a concept is built on gifting and repeat purchases. With Pandora,<br />
consumers want to fill their bracelets and create different looks according to their<br />
26 <strong>Jeweller</strong> <strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong>
CONTACT: (02) 9417 0177
DURAFLEX - THOMAS SABO ISAAC JEWELLERY STONES & SILVER<br />
PANDORA<br />
style and sensibility, as well as mark the moments and milestones in their lives.<br />
The broad spread of pricing also appeals to many consumers, therefore price is<br />
not a barrier,” he explains.<br />
For the quiet achiever to become that winning formula, visibility is crucial,<br />
Edwards explains.<br />
“The concept of collectability is key, and effectively marketing this is critical,” he<br />
says. “This is why with Thomas Sabo, the launch of Generation Charm Club is<br />
accompanied by a comprehensive marketing concept to support local retailpartner<br />
marketing strategies. This includes a new generation Charm Club logo,<br />
unique POS presentation, advertising campaign, value-adding promotions, staff<br />
training portal, social media support and more.”<br />
Atakliyan says charms lend themselves perfectly to today’s online sales climate.<br />
“Charms are playful and full of meaning, and as marketing ingredients, they are<br />
easily conveyed in today’s world of social media,” she says. “Charm material can<br />
be presented with any occasion, memory or message you wish to pass on to<br />
your clientele.”<br />
For Abbott, personally helping the customer make the first step is key. “Be<br />
interested in you customer, listen and ask questions, to be able to help them build<br />
a story in iconic links that resonates emotionally,” he suggests.<br />
GETTING BANG FOR BUCK<br />
Charms don’t have to be limited to the bracelet domain either, Edwards says. In<br />
addition to the Thomas Sabo Generation Charm Club, Duraflex also carries the<br />
popular Nikki Lissoni range, which includes collectible charm bangles.<br />
“They are essentially similar, but also provide options for interchanging,<br />
personalisation and wearing more charms, further driving the passion for<br />
collecting and sales,” Edwards says.<br />
Even better, Atakliyan says retailers can benefit without blowing out the budget.<br />
“Small collections of charms will benefit stores as customers will be attracted to<br />
them. Once the offer is there as a choice, retailers can order on an as-needed basis<br />
without committing a huge part of their yearly budget. They will stay relevant<br />
with the current market demand, instead of missing out,” she explains.<br />
“We have found the Australian consumer loves Australian quality products. The<br />
messages ‘We are Australian’ and ‘Hand-made in Australia’ helps with successful<br />
sales,” she adds.<br />
A CHARMING FUTURE<br />
The popularity of charms has exploded worldwide and the local market is<br />
no different.<br />
“Sell-through from existing Composable stockists has been strong, with<br />
consistent reorders,” says Abbott. “And since the new distribution arrangement<br />
that started in January, with a refocus on Composable Links, we have 25 new<br />
retail partners.”<br />
Edwards says: “Both Thomas Sabo and Nikki Lissoni continue to be strong<br />
jewellery brands in both the Australian and New Zealand markets. The Thomas<br />
Sabo Charm Club is the strongest-selling range in Australia, closely followed by<br />
the sterling silver jewellery range.<br />
“For Nikki Lissoni, the charm products are an excellent addition to the core<br />
concept of interchangeable coins, which are the best sellers here locally.”<br />
Atakliyan also says the Isaac charm collections “have performed very well since<br />
our initial launch of the Surreal brand in 2008.” She puts it down to being an<br />
Australian product, with a quality that inspires consumers to choose Isaac over<br />
other brands.<br />
With the trend still going strong, suppliers are hard at work keeping it new<br />
and fresh.<br />
“We are launching ‘Illuminate’, our new range of charms and jewellery with<br />
luminous gems and diamonds, which are collectable items,” Atakliyan adds. “The<br />
sky is the limit for mixing jewellery with charms; there is always room for<br />
marvellous creations.”<br />
Thomas Sabo also has an extensive new range of offerings. “With around 260<br />
restyled, high-quality charm designs, including extra-large charms, single<br />
earrings and a wealth of different carriers such as necklaces, bracelets and hinged<br />
hoops, the new collection is a completely new and modern offering,” Edwards<br />
says. “Generation Charm Club now addresses all Thomas Sabo target groups,<br />
above and beyond the loyal fans of the collection. This is by means of the new<br />
alignment of the collection, new pricing and combination options, and the<br />
addition of the unisex ‘Vintage Rebel’ designs.”<br />
As Atakliyan puts it, “Charm jewellery has been<br />
in our lives and will be part of it for many<br />
centuries to come.”<br />
If history is anything to<br />
go by, she may be right,<br />
and retailers can be<br />
the ones to help<br />
turn it into<br />
a reality. i<br />
28 <strong>Jeweller</strong> <strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong><br />
NOMINATION
GEMS<br />
COLOUR INVESTIGATION: RUBY<br />
African supplies have traditionally produced<br />
darker stones, however the new mines<br />
produce colours that bridge the gap between<br />
those from the classic sources of Myanmar<br />
(low iron, strong fluorescence) and Thailand/<br />
Cambodia (high iron, low fluorescence)<br />
suiting a range of different markets.<br />
A ruby’s value is determined not only by<br />
colour, but its clarity, cut and carat size.<br />
Consumers must be aware of the multitude<br />
of treatments and synthetics.<br />
Heat treatment is common practice as it<br />
parallels what can happen in nature. The<br />
heating process removes silk inclusions,<br />
enhancing clarity and richness of colour.<br />
Although it does affect the price, if heat<br />
treatment does not add anything artificial<br />
to the stone, it is an accepted treatment<br />
amongst gemmologists.<br />
INTERPRETATION OF COLOUR IS SUBJECTIVE<br />
Desire for ruby today is great as ever. With<br />
fluctuating quality and supply, and a high<br />
demand for stones over one carat, this<br />
blazing beauty can demand the highest<br />
price per carat of any coloured gemstone.<br />
Once thought to have held the power of life<br />
due to its likeness in colour to blood, rubies<br />
are still a highly coveted gemstone, signifying<br />
wealth, success, love and passion.<br />
Ruby is the red variety of corundum,<br />
a crystalline form of aluminium oxide.<br />
Colourless in its purest state, corundum is<br />
‘allochromatic’ – meaning it relies on trace<br />
impurities to influence its colour. For ruby,<br />
chromic oxide replaces some of the alumina<br />
in the crystal structure.<br />
The amount of chromium present<br />
determines the strength of ruby’s red, while<br />
the presence of other elements, such as iron,<br />
influence tone and hue.<br />
Other than the orange-red through to strong<br />
purplish red stones, which are called ruby,<br />
gem quality corundum is known as sapphire,<br />
prefixed by its colour. Paler reds or pinks are<br />
thus appropriately named pink sapphire.<br />
The finest, rarest quality rich-red Burmese<br />
rubies come from the Mogok (old source) or<br />
Mong Hsu (new source) mines.<br />
These chromium-rich crystals form in a white<br />
marble and because they contain no iron, the<br />
result is vivid pinky-red stones that can show<br />
fluorescence in sunlight, adding to their<br />
intensity and value.<br />
In comparison, the rubies of Cambodia and<br />
Thailand originate in iron-rich basalt and are<br />
typically darker. These stones have an orangered<br />
colouring because the iron impurities<br />
diminish the vividness caused by chromium.<br />
In the past eight years, Mozambique – a<br />
location of recent ruby discoveries – have<br />
become a dominant source of commercial<br />
quantities of varying quality and colour.<br />
THE DOMINANCE<br />
OF TREATED<br />
STONES ON THE<br />
MARKET MEANS<br />
THAT CONSUMERS<br />
SHOULD TRUST<br />
THEIR LOCAL<br />
GEMMOLOGIST<br />
OR REGISTERED<br />
NCJV VALUER TO<br />
ASCERTAIN THEIR<br />
TRUE IDENTITY<br />
In more recent years glass has been used<br />
to fill fractures in rubies, but while the<br />
stone is made more attractive, the glass<br />
fill can dramatically decrease its durability.<br />
Sometimes called ‘composite rubies’ – but<br />
more accurately ‘glass fracture-filled natural<br />
ruby’ – the nature of such stones should be<br />
explained and priced accordingly.<br />
Interpretation of colour may be subjective,<br />
but there is no denying the beauty of an<br />
intense red ruby.<br />
The dominance of treated stones on the<br />
market however, means that consumers<br />
should trust their local Gemmologist or<br />
Registered NCJV valuer to ascertain<br />
their true identity. i<br />
STACEY LIM FGAA BA Design, is a qualified<br />
gemmologist and gemmology teacher/assistant.<br />
She is a jewellery designer, marketing manager<br />
and passionate communicator on gemmology.<br />
For information on gemstones, visit: gem.org.au<br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong> <strong>Jeweller</strong> 29
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BUSINESS<br />
DIGITAL AGE SHOPPING: THE EXPERIENCE IS KEY<br />
Traditional stores hold an advantage<br />
over online marketplaces that retailers<br />
must learn to leverage if they are<br />
to remain competitive. FRANCESCA<br />
NICASIO discusses how to attract and<br />
retain customers through amazing instore<br />
experiences.<br />
Back in May 2016, daily-deal site Groupon<br />
released a video for its food delivery and<br />
reservation service Groupon Go entitled<br />
‘Haves vs. Have-Dones’. The video compared<br />
shoppers who purchase items – ‘the haves’<br />
– with shoppers who purchase experiences<br />
– ‘the have-dones’.<br />
The commercial applauded the latter<br />
with the tagline, “If you’re going to own<br />
something, own the experience.”<br />
Groupon correctly identified that<br />
consumers are increasingly shopping for<br />
experiences instead of just products.<br />
In today’s retail climate where shoppers can<br />
buy anything they desire online, brick-andmortar<br />
merchants must offer experiences<br />
that will lure people back to the stores.<br />
To accomplish this, retailers must think of<br />
their locations as destinations.<br />
LET SHOPPERS EXPERIENCE PRODUCTS<br />
There’s no better way to showcase the<br />
merit of a product than allowing customers<br />
to test and play around with it before they<br />
buy. Allocate a space in the store where<br />
shoppers can interact with items.<br />
Australian game-store franchise Good<br />
Games AU puts this into action by<br />
providing gaming areas for shoppers. In<br />
doing so, Good Game AU not only brings<br />
more people into the stores but also<br />
enriches the local communities.<br />
“Our local community plays a fundamental<br />
CONSIDER<br />
HOLDING CLASSES<br />
OR EVENTS IN-<br />
STORE. THESE<br />
INITIATIVES<br />
OFFER UP<br />
OPPORTUNITIES<br />
TO CONNECT WITH<br />
CUSTOMERS AS<br />
WELL AS GIVING<br />
PEOPLE A REASON<br />
TO VISIT – AND<br />
STAY – IN THE<br />
STORE<br />
gaming space for anyone who comes into<br />
the store.”<br />
Another great example comes from<br />
Samsung. The technology company has<br />
a store in Los Angeles called Samsung<br />
Studio, which is a virtual-reality space where<br />
shoppers can try on the brand’s VR gear and<br />
get transported into a whole new world.<br />
It also has a Design Station where visitors<br />
can design their own tank tops, tote bags<br />
or caps. The Samsung Studio even features<br />
a Home area where browsers can see how<br />
different appliances work, including a juice<br />
bar that provides free pressed juices to<br />
those who complete a juice quiz.<br />
HOLD IN-STORE CLASSES<br />
Consider holding classes or events in-store.<br />
This provides opportunities to connect with<br />
customers. They also give people a reason<br />
to visit – and stay – in the store.<br />
Now this probably isn’t what jewellery<br />
retailers want to hear. After all, they’re<br />
mostly in the business of selling products<br />
but gone are the days when stores could<br />
entice shoppers with merchandise alone.<br />
part in sustaining our business,” retail<br />
manager Grady Chiu says. “Naturally, we<br />
want to give them the best experience<br />
possible! That’s why our Good Games<br />
franchises focus on providing a free-to-use<br />
<strong>Jeweller</strong>s have many topics on which they<br />
could hold educational classes, such as<br />
diamonds, coloured gemstones or precious<br />
metals, and stores don’t need many<br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong> <strong>Jeweller</strong> 31
BUSINESS<br />
FIGURE<br />
OUT WHAT<br />
CUSTOMERS<br />
VALUE BY<br />
DEVELOPING<br />
A DEEPER<br />
UNDERSTANDING<br />
OF THE STORE’S<br />
TARGET<br />
AUDIENCE. WHY<br />
DO PEOPLE SHOP<br />
HERE? WHAT DO<br />
THEY LOVE TO DO<br />
WHEN IN STORE?<br />
WHAT ARE THEIR<br />
PAIN POINTS?<br />
One example of this is the personalisedshopping<br />
service offered by popular<br />
department stores Myer and David Jones.<br />
This custom service is available by<br />
appointment to shoppers seeking a higherlevel<br />
of assistance or personal attention<br />
than they would otherwise receive if<br />
shopping normally. Some might want<br />
styling advice, but others might prefer a<br />
private experience.<br />
Whatever the reason, the service is just<br />
another way that department stores are<br />
working to boost the customer experience<br />
and get shoppers into the store.<br />
The big stores understand that there are<br />
customers who don’t necessarily enjoy<br />
buying clothes or who want an experience<br />
that makes them feel special.<br />
CUSTOMERS WANT AN EXPERIENCE THAT MAKES THEM FEEL SPECIAL<br />
attendees to make the night a success.<br />
One idea for jewellers would be a jewellerycare<br />
presentation that shows customers<br />
how to clean their jewellery and then offers<br />
cleaning kits for purchase after the demo.<br />
TEAM UP WITH DESIGNERS<br />
Elevate a store’s look, feel, and overall<br />
experience by showcasing works of art.<br />
Bonus points for displaying the works of<br />
local, independent jewellery designers!<br />
This not only gives customers a new point<br />
of focus while they browse the shop,<br />
making their visit more memorable, but<br />
it also boosts the store’s inventory with<br />
interesting bespoke collaborations.<br />
WELCOME SHOPPERS WITH AMBIENCE<br />
The thing about destination stores is that<br />
people want to spend time there. They<br />
don’t visit destination stores to shop,<br />
though they may indeed purchase items;<br />
they visit the store because they simply<br />
want to be there.<br />
free WiFi, browse products and enjoy<br />
demonstrations, classes and concerts.<br />
This philosophy is central to the design<br />
of Apple’s new Melbourne flagship store<br />
that is set to open in Federation Square<br />
sometime this year.<br />
According to Angela Ahrendts of Apple<br />
Retail, the public plaza concept means<br />
Apple stores are “not just stores”: “We want<br />
people to say ‘Hey, meet me at Apple...did<br />
you see what’s going on?’”<br />
Creating a large plaza for concerts and<br />
other activities isn’t feasible for all retailers<br />
but the key lesson here is to build a store<br />
that shoppers will want to visit.<br />
HELP CUSTOMERS ENJOY THEMSELVES<br />
Importantly, retailers should see to it that<br />
customers have a good time when they’re<br />
shopping in store. Great products and<br />
customer service are a given so stores must<br />
go beyond these factors and do something<br />
that will keep customers coming back.<br />
One obvious way jewellers can use this<br />
strategy is in the case of engagement rings,<br />
which are primarily bought by young males<br />
who lack the knowledge and confidence to<br />
select their own styles.<br />
An appointment service in which a sales<br />
consultant simplifies the process and works<br />
directly with a customer to find a style that’s<br />
right for their fiancée would be worth its<br />
weight in gold to both the customer, their<br />
loved one, and the store.<br />
FINAL WORDS<br />
Retailers don’t have to decide between<br />
selling products and delivering experiences<br />
because they’re already in a great position<br />
to offer both.<br />
Keep stocking up on products that<br />
customers love. Look to incorporate more<br />
experiential elements into store locations.<br />
Boosting the experience will not only<br />
help sales but will ensure a store becomes<br />
known as a destination that customers love<br />
to visit. Once this happens, return visits will<br />
surely follow. i<br />
Apple is one company that understands<br />
this well, which is why its stores now<br />
feature a new look and amenities that place<br />
a greater emphasis on hanging out.<br />
One of the most significant additions to<br />
Apple’s new store format is the generation<br />
of what the company calls a public plaza,<br />
space where people can gather to use<br />
Figure out what customers value by<br />
developing a deeper understanding of the<br />
store’s target audience. Why do people<br />
shop here? What do they love to do when<br />
in store? What are their pain points? Use<br />
the insights from these questions to create<br />
an experience that shoppers will enjoy.<br />
FRANCESCA NICASIO is<br />
a retail expert from Vend, a<br />
POS, inventory and customer<br />
loyalty software for merchants.<br />
Learn more: vendhq.com<br />
32 <strong>Jeweller</strong> <strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong>
SELLING<br />
IMPROVING SALES WITH TECHNOLOGY<br />
AS THE SALES LANDSCAPE CHANGES, RETAILERS MUST PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE. ONE WAY TO DO THIS IS TO STUDY<br />
HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN ASSIST SALESPEOPLE, RATHER THAN REPLACE THEM. GRETCHEN GORDON REPORTS.<br />
What will retail be like in 2020? It’s not that<br />
far away but retailers are probably more<br />
focused on achieving their annual targets to<br />
think that far ahead.<br />
Recently, I had the chance to ponder this<br />
question when I was approached by Vistage<br />
Research to consider what selling would be<br />
like over the next two years. They wanted<br />
me to provide insights for a book titled:<br />
Customer Growth: Decisions for the SMB CEO.<br />
Let’s start with the topic of technology and<br />
the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in sales.<br />
Will it disrupt or enhance sales in the future?<br />
MORE OR FEWER SALESPEOPLE?<br />
In 2015, Forrester Research predicted that<br />
one million business-to-business people<br />
would lose their jobs in the US by 2020.<br />
This finding draws on the rise of<br />
organisations and individuals buying goods<br />
and services through online purchases,<br />
unaided at all by salespeople.<br />
I am still a firm believer, however, that a<br />
growing number of complex and valueadded<br />
services will require a human to sell<br />
them effectively.<br />
Further, there remains a large segment of<br />
the population that values the interaction<br />
they get with humans.<br />
This could not be truer in retailer categories<br />
such as fine jewellery where the touch-andfeel<br />
aspect of the product is a crucial aspect<br />
of the sales process.<br />
Also fuelling job losses is the relentless<br />
pursuit of sales efficiency and effectiveness.<br />
Frequently, this involves some aspect of<br />
phone selling instead of live interaction,<br />
because the customer prefers the ease of it<br />
and the sales organisation benefits from the<br />
efficiency and cost savings.<br />
THE EVOLVING SALES ORGANISATION<br />
It was once rare to have ‘inside’ salespeople<br />
close business, but it is now common. What<br />
I FIRMLY<br />
BELIEVE THAT<br />
WELL-SKILLED<br />
SALESPEOPLE WILL<br />
BECOME MORE<br />
VALUABLE AS THE<br />
USE OF AI AND<br />
TECHNOLOGY<br />
INCREASES IN<br />
SALES<br />
AI WILL ENHANCE, NOT KILL OFF REAL STAFF<br />
does this mean for humans in the future?<br />
With increased advances in AI, smart<br />
businesses will use this technology to<br />
evaluate the effectiveness of their staff. The<br />
efficient and focused sales organisation<br />
will leverage AI by reviewing reactions to<br />
certain words, phrases and interactions.<br />
It will attempt to use this data to duplicate<br />
the sales conversations that work and<br />
eliminate the ones that don’t.<br />
AI CAN ENHANCE SALESPEOPLE<br />
Sure, a business can streamline further by<br />
using voice prompts and AI to engage the<br />
customer at the start of any sales dialogue<br />
and this can be done without any human<br />
involvement; however, it is my opinion that<br />
this will only work for low-value services.<br />
For other types of selling, I firmly believe<br />
that well-skilled salespeople will become<br />
more valuable as the use of AI and<br />
technology increases in sales.<br />
Those individuals who are committed to<br />
improvement and are adaptable will be<br />
valued highest in a future sales world.<br />
They will also benefit the most from the<br />
feedback and knowledge that AI can<br />
provide because they will strive to adapt<br />
their conversation style and phrasing to<br />
produce significantly better outcomes.<br />
Salespeople don’t need to be scared that<br />
technology may streamline some sales<br />
processes. Rather, they should embrace the<br />
learning that can come from the increased<br />
use of technology.<br />
TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP IN OTHER WAYS<br />
AI can be used for more than actual<br />
conversational analysis.<br />
There are other technologies to help<br />
sales teams to find and qualify leads, stay<br />
connected and score new business. I’m<br />
intrigued by all of these; however, I am not<br />
an expert on them.<br />
If you really want to learn more about the<br />
technologies that aid sales, there is no<br />
shortage of online resources that discuss it.<br />
One resource I use is www.smartsellingtools.<br />
com, where sales and marketing expert<br />
Nancy Nardin analyses the latest and<br />
greatest selling technologies available.<br />
WHAT TO DO NOW<br />
Knowing that the salespeople of the future<br />
will need to continuously adapt and grow, it<br />
might make sense to get ahead, and hire for<br />
that quality now.<br />
The rate of change isn’t slowing down, and<br />
2020 will be here soon.<br />
Retailers who can show future adaptability<br />
will go some way towards surviving in the<br />
new retail environment. i<br />
GRETCHEN GORDON owns<br />
Braveheart Sales Performance,<br />
a company helping clients to<br />
improve sales. Learn more:<br />
braveheartsales.com<br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong> <strong>Jeweller</strong> 33
MANAGEMENT<br />
DATA CAN BOOST CUSTOMER LOYALTY AND SALES<br />
RETAILERS IN SEARCH OF WAYS TO BOOST LOYALTY AND ENCOURAGE REPEAT SHOPPING NEED ONLY LOOK TO THEIR EXISTING<br />
DATA FOR ANSWERS. EFFECTIVE CUSTOMER LOYALTY STRATEGIES CAN LEAD TO EXTRA SALES. BRYAN PEARSON REPORTS.<br />
According to a 2015 study from loyalty and<br />
customer engagement firm Colloquy, the<br />
average US household enrols in 29 loyalty<br />
programs but participates in just 12 of these.<br />
Perhaps this is because there are too many<br />
loyalty programs or perhaps consumers<br />
perceive that the rewards aren’t worth all the<br />
extra effort.<br />
Whichever the reason, it’s hard for retailers<br />
to build loyalty if their customers aren’t even<br />
interested in their loyalty programs. The time<br />
has come for a loyalty revamp. Here are five<br />
expert secrets that can be used to drive loyalty<br />
and bump up business.<br />
LET CUSTOMERS DRIVE<br />
When it comes to developing or revamping<br />
a loyalty program, retailers shouldn’t overlook<br />
their most valuable information resource –<br />
their customers.<br />
Chip Bell, senior partner of customerexperience<br />
consultancy the Chip Bell Group,<br />
says retailers rarely ask their customers what<br />
motivates their loyalty because they assume<br />
they already know.<br />
“Customers are constantly changing; today’s<br />
fad is tomorrow’s antique,” Bell says. “Start a<br />
loyalty program by asking customers [what<br />
they would like to see in loyalty programs].<br />
Look at the theme of frequent customer<br />
complaints as a path to the opposite end of<br />
the spectrum; it can reveal what matters most.”<br />
START PERSONALISING<br />
Once the foundation of a good loyalty<br />
program is poured, it’s time to use the data<br />
but knowing how to put it to good use is one<br />
of the challenges of loyalty marketing.<br />
Retailers have a wealth of data on their<br />
shoppers but they often don’t know how<br />
to interpret it. This makes implementing a<br />
targeted rewards program difficult.<br />
According to Debjyoti Paul, assistant vice<br />
president of digital business at Mindtree, an<br />
IT-services consultancy based in India and<br />
MORE THAN NINE<br />
IN TEN BABY<br />
BOOMERS (93<br />
PER CENT) FEEL<br />
OVERLOOKED<br />
AND<br />
INADEQUATELY<br />
REWARDED,<br />
ACCORDING TO<br />
ICLP RESEARCH<br />
PRODUCT ASSORTEMENT IS A KEY FACTOR<br />
New Jersey, “The first step is to clean up the<br />
loyalty data to uniquely identify each shopper<br />
and form a basic profile [for each customer]<br />
that is trustworthy.” Once this is done, profiles<br />
can be expanded with personalised data. As<br />
a customer profile swells with information,<br />
retailers can then customise offers to match<br />
unique preferences.<br />
TAKE A BREATH ON BREADTH<br />
Product assortment is a large factor in luring<br />
shoppers back in store. Inventory is often<br />
derived from loyalty insights but striking the<br />
balance between too much and too little<br />
is arduous. Total-store optimisation helps<br />
retailers assess the necessary breadth and<br />
depth of various categories.<br />
“Consider the yoghurt category,” explains<br />
Graeme McVie, vice president of business<br />
development at retail analytics firm Precima.<br />
“How many flavours of yoghurt are required<br />
versus how many sizes versus how many<br />
brands? Now contrast this with the spices<br />
category where breadth is required but not<br />
depth – there are lots of different spices but<br />
not many types of oregano, for example.”<br />
This strategy enables retailers to align the<br />
depth and breadth of each category with the<br />
needs of shoppers. Then they can ensure the<br />
correct amount of shelf space is allocated to<br />
each category.<br />
CUTTING PRODUCT CAN CUT PROFITS<br />
Inventory is directly linked to loyalty and<br />
retailers should be careful before deleting<br />
slow products. Advanced analytics and<br />
loyalty data can unearth hidden value in<br />
items that may be slow sellers, according to<br />
McVie. “Retailers often rank and yank when<br />
evaluating their assortment; that is, they rank<br />
all items in their category by sales and de-list<br />
the bottom performers,” McVie continues.<br />
Instead, he believes retailers should consider<br />
an item’s true value and customer importance<br />
when making decisions. An item’s true value<br />
is calculated by taking the total sales and<br />
subtracting the sales of any substitute items,<br />
which are items that shoppers would buy<br />
if the original item was no longer available.<br />
Then add to this figure the sales of other<br />
items purchased solely because they<br />
complement the original item.<br />
This true value shows retailers that the<br />
removal of an item can cause flow-on<br />
losses. When stores fail to offer alternatives,<br />
customers are likely to take their entire<br />
baskets to another retailer.<br />
DON’T FORGET THE BOOMERS<br />
Retailers are right to target Millennials,<br />
particularly through mobile communications;<br />
however, if those retailers fail to offer the<br />
same opportunities to Baby Boomers, they<br />
could miss significant opportunities. More<br />
than nine in ten boomers (93 per cent) feel<br />
overlooked and inadequately rewarded,<br />
according to ICLP research. Consequently,<br />
they are less loyal.<br />
These five loyalty tips may not be secrets, but<br />
they do offer insights into how to generate<br />
loyalty. Retailers looking to boost their return<br />
visits should use some of the above. i<br />
BRYAN PEARSON is<br />
president and CEO of<br />
LoyaltyOne and a retail<br />
contributor to Forbes. Learn<br />
more: pearson4loyalty.com<br />
34 <strong>Jeweller</strong> <strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong>
MARKETING & PR<br />
TRENDS: MEASURE THEM OR MISS OUT<br />
IN-STORE DATA CAN SHOW RETAILERS THE NEXT EMERGING TRENDS, PROVIDING THEY KNOW WHERE TO LOOK. IT’S A SKILL<br />
THAT’S WORTH LEARNING, EVEN IF IT MIGHT SEEM LIKE A CHORE IN THE BEGINNING. DAVID BROWN REPORTS<br />
These days, business is all about big data;<br />
the industry is inundated with hordes of<br />
information that was never available to<br />
retailers from previous generations.<br />
Although this information can be invaluable<br />
for its ability to shape the decision-making<br />
process, the sheer quantity of it might<br />
overwhelm retailers.<br />
Using the information that comes from a POS<br />
system can be a helpful way of spotting the<br />
trends a business is encountering, enabling<br />
that business to react ahead of competition.<br />
The fashion industries are experts at trend<br />
spotting; top designers will spend thousands<br />
of dollars sending experts all over the world<br />
to find trends.<br />
It’s said that the fashion industry is capable<br />
of predicting what styles consumers want to<br />
wear before consumers even know it!<br />
This early insight is essential due to the<br />
constantly changing nature of their product.<br />
Although aspects of the jewellery industry’s<br />
product lines are consistent year-to-year<br />
– diamond ring designs don’t change as<br />
quickly as clothing choices – there are still<br />
trends that shape what customers like to buy<br />
and these change over time.<br />
How does trend spotting work for a business<br />
owner? The amount of information available<br />
in the average store might be surprising,<br />
especially when this information can help<br />
retailers to spot current and upcoming<br />
trends in their businesses.<br />
From sales reports to inventory-ageing<br />
and stock-imbalance statistics, there is a<br />
sumptuous array of reports that can improve<br />
a retailer’s ability to spot trends.<br />
So much information, in fact, that those<br />
retailers who aren’t spotting trends are<br />
possibly not using their data effectively.<br />
A deep curiosity is necessary for any owner<br />
who wants to play the role of trend spotter<br />
but it’s a skill that doesn’t come easily to<br />
STOREOWNERS<br />
CAN’T MANAGE<br />
WHAT THEY’RE NOT<br />
MEASURING. IT’S<br />
DIFFICULT TO SPOT<br />
TRENDS USING<br />
ONLY BAD DATA<br />
AND IMPOSSIBLE<br />
TO SPOT TRENDS<br />
WITH NO DATA<br />
DON’T OVERLOOK POSITIVE TRENDS<br />
everyone. Here are some common mistakes<br />
to be avoided to ensure the best possible<br />
chances of spotting trends early on.<br />
LACK OF A GOAL<br />
It’s one thing to look at a line on a graph<br />
and say, “Hmm, this seems to have changed<br />
course slightly.” It’s another to say, “This was<br />
expected to move toward 25 per cent and<br />
it’s only at 15 per cent.”<br />
Having an expectation makes it easier to<br />
identify when a trend has changed. This is<br />
especially important in the case of negative<br />
movements; retailers who don’t recognise<br />
these might be late to make stock changes,<br />
costing them time and money.<br />
If it’s a positive trend that is overlooked,<br />
retailers might record opportunity costs<br />
because they didn’t capitalise immediately<br />
upon emerging styles.<br />
BAD INFORMATION<br />
Storeowners can’t manage what they’re not<br />
measuring. It’s difficult to spot trends using<br />
only bad data – and impossible to spot<br />
trends with no data.<br />
Make a commitment to getting the data you<br />
need to know how the business is doing<br />
on all fronts and then create a roadmap to<br />
establish a reliable stream of information.<br />
Determine the necessary reports that<br />
will provide the business with the key<br />
information it needs.<br />
WEARING BLINKERS<br />
All retailers have different orientations to life<br />
and this reflects in the expectations they<br />
set their businesses. These expectations can<br />
create biases that affect the way retailers<br />
interpret and/or pick up on trends.<br />
What biases might you bring to the way you<br />
interpret your data? Are you an optimistic<br />
person?<br />
If so, you may want to complement that<br />
perspective with someone who has a<br />
different view so that you are looking for<br />
trends with a well-rounded perspective.<br />
After all, it’s very difficult to see that which<br />
you are not seeking.<br />
Trend spotting should be a part of every<br />
store’s employee feedback loop. Regularly<br />
collecting information from the sales team<br />
can provide valuable feedback into what<br />
customers are buying and what items no<br />
longer interest them.<br />
Combining data with anecdotal opinions<br />
from the sales floor can help businesses to<br />
stay ahead of the competition and keep<br />
product lines on trend for much longer.<br />
Retailers that can avoid the mistakes above<br />
and bring a healthy dose of curiosity to big<br />
data will be amazed by what they uncover<br />
about their businesses.<br />
Stores already have access to a mine of data<br />
that will provide owners with the answers<br />
they need. i<br />
DAVID BROWN is<br />
co-founder and business<br />
mentor of Retail Edge<br />
Consultants. Learn more:<br />
retailedgeconsultants.com<br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong> <strong>Jeweller</strong> 35
LOGGED ON<br />
REACH MORE CUSTOMERS WITH INSTAGRAM<br />
INSTAGRAM IS A GREAT TOOL TO BUILD CONNECTIONS AND ENGAGE WITH PEOPLE BUT CONSISTENCY IS KEY. MELISSA<br />
MEGGINSON REPORTS ON HOW RETAILERS CAN USE A FEW SIMPLE TOOLS TO GET IN ON THIS IMPORTANT PHENOMENON.<br />
The number-one question retailers ask about<br />
social media is, “How do I build an Instagram<br />
following from nothing?”<br />
Before you start filling up your feed with cat<br />
pictures or classic quotes, you need to define<br />
your brand voice on Instagram. Images need<br />
to align with your brand and must therefore<br />
promote the brand’s values.<br />
One way to start an Instagram journey is to<br />
summarise your brand’s essence in a single<br />
word or adjective.<br />
Are you promoting beauty, confidence<br />
or luxury? Narrow in on the consumer<br />
experience that is key to your brand identity.<br />
The better you become at curating content<br />
that matches your brand and identifies with<br />
your target audience, the faster your ideal<br />
customers will connect with your business.<br />
BUILD THAT FOLLOWING<br />
Once you’re ready to post, it’s extremely<br />
important to involve your brand in the right<br />
kinds of user conversations.<br />
This is where hashtags come into play.<br />
Users follow hashtags to view content that<br />
pertains to their interests.<br />
When you use hashtags, Instagram<br />
automatically lists your post in those search<br />
results. For example, mark a custom piece<br />
with the hashtags #jewellerydesign and<br />
#bespokejewellery to appear in searches for<br />
those categories.<br />
Likewise, mark your posts as<br />
#melbournejeweller, #adelaidejeweller or<br />
#perthjeweller to appear in searches that are<br />
made based on location.<br />
Be aware that some conversations are very<br />
loud, with hundreds of users adding content<br />
to a topic every hour. These are the hashtags<br />
with higher competition and more volume.<br />
They may be highly relevant but it’s harder<br />
to be seen. Try and use different hashtags to<br />
increase engagement.<br />
One very useful, but underused Instagram<br />
strategy is @mentions. This is when one user<br />
tags another user to draw their attention to a<br />
post, and hopefully engage with it.<br />
There are several different ways to go about<br />
using this tool, but the best way for rapid<br />
growth is to craft content that prompts<br />
followers to @mention their friends in the<br />
comments, where they interact.<br />
Another effective strategy is to create a<br />
‘tribe’ on Instagram. This is a group of users<br />
who are all trying to appeal to the same<br />
demographic. Agree to share each other’s<br />
content to organically help each other<br />
increase reach.<br />
While building your tribe, use @mention<br />
in your description to build rapport with<br />
other accounts. Remember, social media is a<br />
great tool to build connections and engage<br />
with people. Like every social platform,<br />
consistency is key. Similar to Pinterest,<br />
it’s important to post regularly but avoid<br />
posting too much.<br />
THE BEST TOOLS FOR THE JOB<br />
There are so many Instagram tools that can<br />
provide in-depth insights into analytics and<br />
keywords that social-media managers can<br />
find the breadth of choice overwhelming.<br />
The best place to start right now is actually<br />
on Instagram.<br />
The platform recently opened new business<br />
insights under its business-page tools.<br />
Designed to help users create better ads,<br />
this tool unlocks useful analytics about your<br />
Instagram account.<br />
To build a list of relevant keywords, try using<br />
Tailwind’s Hashtag Finder. This tool will<br />
allow you to type in a few hashtags and will<br />
recommend related hashtags.<br />
They are organised by:<br />
• Niche: unique, typically branded hashtags<br />
• Competitive: the really popular hashtags<br />
like “love”<br />
• Better: hashtags that are used, but not as<br />
common as the favourites<br />
DEFINE YOUR BRAND VOICE BEFORE FILLING YOUR INSTAGRAM FEED<br />
THE BETTER<br />
YOU BECOME<br />
AT CURATING<br />
CONTENT THAT<br />
MATCHES YOUR<br />
BRAND AND<br />
IDENTIFIES WITH<br />
YOUR TARGET<br />
AUDIENCE,<br />
THE FASTER<br />
YOUR IDEAL<br />
CUSTOMERS WILL<br />
CONNECT WITH<br />
YOUR BUSINESS<br />
• Best: commonly used but not particularly<br />
overused hashtags<br />
Once you find a great mix of hashtags, you<br />
can save them to a list to use again.<br />
For help creating spectacularly captivating<br />
content, explore Canva and Adobe Spark.<br />
Both platforms give you pre-formatted<br />
templates for each social platform as well as<br />
templates to start creating.<br />
Soldsie helps turn a profile link into a virtual<br />
storefront. Now you can do what you’ve<br />
been craving by turning your photos into<br />
a sales funnel. Soldsie has two different<br />
options and it is the first one that transforms<br />
your profile link into a buyable photo gallery.<br />
Used effectively, a well-managed Instagram<br />
account could be the key to creating<br />
stronger relationship with customers. In<br />
the digital arena, effective social-media use<br />
can be the difference between delivering a<br />
personal touch to potential buyers or generic<br />
mass-marketing messages. i<br />
MELISSA MEGGINSON is<br />
marketing manager at Tailwind,<br />
a leading visual marketing<br />
tool for brands. Learn more:<br />
tailwindapp.com<br />
36 <strong>Jeweller</strong> <strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong>
MY STORE<br />
STORE: DIAMOND<br />
BOUTIQUE<br />
COUNTRY: AUSTRALIA<br />
NAME: OLIVIA HUTCHISON<br />
POSITION: DIRECTOR<br />
When was the renovated space<br />
completed?<br />
We relocated to our current location in<br />
the trendy Braddon shopping district,<br />
Canberra in 2013.<br />
Who is the target market and how did<br />
they influence the store design?<br />
Our store is a destination for couples<br />
seeking high quality, unique<br />
engagement rings and mature career<br />
women who appreciate high end<br />
bespoke jewellery. We also have a<br />
strong clientele for remodelling existing<br />
jewellery. This is why having a visible<br />
workshop was such an important feature<br />
for us to include when we designed our<br />
current store.<br />
With the relationship between store<br />
ambience and consumer purchasing<br />
in mind, which features in the store<br />
encourage sales?<br />
Our showroom has a nice flow with<br />
an open space framed with display<br />
cabinets. The collections displayed in the<br />
cabinets are organised by gem colour<br />
and type, which allows our shoppers to<br />
search by their favourite gemstones.<br />
Our branding is continuously<br />
represented throughout the space<br />
with our colour scheme reflected in the<br />
grey carpet, paint and cabinets.<br />
We purposely decided against an<br />
industrial theme and aimed for a high<br />
quality ‘homey’ feeling with very high<br />
ceilings and luxurious thick carpet.<br />
What is the store design’s ‘wow factor’?<br />
With no street frontage, our store<br />
is definitely a destination rather<br />
than a location. Customers that<br />
seek us out are always impressed<br />
with the chandelier and bright<br />
lighting in the crisp white cabinets.<br />
Our unique one-off jewellery collections,<br />
wall of certificates and awards are<br />
a hot topic of conversation, along<br />
with our visible workshop and<br />
design space. i<br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong> <strong>Jeweller</strong> 37
10 YEARS AGO<br />
WHAT WAS MAKING NEWS 10 YEARS AGO?<br />
A SNAPSHOT OF THE INDUSTRY EVENTS THAT MADE NEWS HEADLINES IN THE APRIL 2008 ISSUE OF JEWELLER.<br />
Gift fair makes room for more<br />
The story: Reed Gift Fairs has expanded in 2008,<br />
attracting more exhibitors at both its Sydney and<br />
Melbourne shows in February.<br />
Reed Gift Fairs’ Sydney show in February welcomed<br />
an additional 677 companies while its smaller<br />
Melbourne fair saw 176 more companies than in<br />
2007. Overall, Sydney and Melbourne had total visits<br />
of 28,645 and 8,259 respectively.<br />
Both fairs enjoyed an increase in first-time visitors.<br />
Standards Australia<br />
targets hallmarking<br />
The story: Standards Australia (SA) is<br />
preparing a set of requirements for jewellers<br />
to properly identify their pieces.<br />
According to Australia’s peak standards body,<br />
the move is an attempt to eliminate the sale<br />
of inferior goods to unwitting consumers.<br />
While most industry members were doing<br />
the right thing, SA claimed that some<br />
were not: “These new standards will give<br />
consumers an added level of confidence<br />
in the true value of the jewellery they are<br />
buying,” SA CEO John Tucker said.<br />
According a release from Reed, the results indicate<br />
that face-to-face buying remains a powerful<br />
component of gift industry purchasing.<br />
“Gift buyers increasingly value Reed Gift Fairs as an<br />
important, pre-eminent way of doing business,” Omer<br />
Soker, exhibition director of Reed Gift Fairs said.<br />
“The gift industry is large but fragmented, and we<br />
have worked hard to research with our exhibitors how<br />
to manage our fairs to be in their best interests.”<br />
AMAZON DIAMOND<br />
SALES SPARKLE<br />
The story: Diamond sales at Amazon.<br />
com increased more than 100 per<br />
cent in the fourth quarter of 2007,<br />
when compared with the same period<br />
in 2006, an announcement from the<br />
company stated.<br />
Pendants, stud earrings and createyour-own<br />
engagement rings were<br />
especially popular during the holiday<br />
season, according to the mammoth<br />
online retailer.<br />
QUEENSLAND ANNOUNCES<br />
APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR<br />
The story: Robert Soom is<br />
Queensland’s Apprentice of the<br />
Year. The young jeweller working at<br />
McKim’s <strong>Jeweller</strong>y Design narrowly<br />
beat out Belinda Smith (runner-up)<br />
from LeGassick Collections.<br />
The 3rd Year <strong>Jeweller</strong>y Apprentice<br />
Design Awards were presented<br />
alongside other accoladees late<br />
last year. Apprentices attend the<br />
Southbank Institute of Technology in<br />
learning blocks, during the first three<br />
years of their jewellery apprenticeship.<br />
Aussie diamonds fall in 2007<br />
The story: The Australian Bureau of Agricultural &<br />
Resource Economics (ABARE) has reported a drop in<br />
Australian diamond production. According to a report<br />
in Rapaport, local diamond production fell 24 per<br />
cent to 6.2 million carats, while diamond exports by<br />
value declined 8 per cent to $183 million in the fourth<br />
quarter of 2007.<br />
For the full calendar year, Australia’s diamond<br />
production and export volume dropped 34.3 per cent<br />
to 19.3 million carats.<br />
Australia was the third largest producer of diamonds<br />
by volume in 2006, and seventh by value, according<br />
to Kimberley Process data. Total diamond exports fell<br />
12.6 per cent to $684 million in the 2007 calendar<br />
year, according to the ABARE report.<br />
The country’s refined gold exports increased 21.7<br />
per cent to $AU10.8 billion for the full calendar year,<br />
while refined gold production fell 1.2 per cent to 375<br />
tonnes. Australia’s total mineral resources exports<br />
grew 5 per cent to $AU106.6 billion in 2007.<br />
38 <strong>Jeweller</strong> <strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong>
EVENTS<br />
JEWELLERY AND WATCH CALENDAR<br />
A GUIDE TO THE LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL JEWELLERY AND WATCH EVENTS SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE IN THE YEAR AHEAD.<br />
APRIL <strong>2018</strong><br />
APRIL <strong>2018</strong><br />
TIMES ASIA JEWELS FAIR<br />
Bengaluru, India<br />
<strong>April</strong> 6 –8<br />
Learn more: asiajewelsfair.com<br />
PALAKISS TRADE AND<br />
DELIVERY JEWELLERY<br />
SHOW ITALY<br />
Vicenza, Italy<br />
<strong>April</strong> 7–9<br />
Learn more: palakisstore.com/en<br />
NATIONWIDE JEWELLERS<br />
ANTWERP TRIP<br />
Antwerp, Belgium<br />
<strong>April</strong> 8–13<br />
JEWELERS INTERNATIONAL<br />
SHOWCASE (JIS)<br />
Florida, US<br />
<strong>April</strong> 14–16<br />
Learn more: jisshow.com<br />
SHOWCASE JEWELLERS<br />
INDIA TRIP<br />
India<br />
<strong>April</strong> 15– 26<br />
MASTERCLASS<br />
Two week program with<br />
Alexandre Sidrov<br />
Sydney, NSW<br />
<strong>April</strong> 16–27<br />
Learn more: info@jewelleryinstitute.<br />
com<br />
CHINA INTERNATIONAL<br />
GOLD, JEWELLERY<br />
& GEM FAIR<br />
Shenzhen, China<br />
<strong>April</strong> 19–22<br />
Learn more: exhibitions.<br />
jewellerynetasia.com/szj<br />
MAY <strong>2018</strong><br />
GAA 71ST FEDERAL<br />
CONFERENCE AND<br />
SEMINAR<br />
Hobart, TAS<br />
May 3–6<br />
Learn more: gem.org.au<br />
NATIONWIDE JEWELLERS<br />
AFRICA TRIP<br />
Africa<br />
May 3–11<br />
INTERNATIONAL<br />
JEWELLERY KOBE<br />
Kobe, Japan<br />
May 16–18<br />
Learn more: ijk-fair.jp<br />
JUNE <strong>2018</strong><br />
JCK LAS VEGAS<br />
Las Vegas, US<br />
June 1–4<br />
Learn more: lasvegas.jckonline.com<br />
HONG KONG JEWELLERY<br />
& GEM FAIR<br />
Hong Kong, China<br />
June 21–24<br />
Learn more: jewellerynetasia.com<br />
JULY <strong>2018</strong><br />
WINTON OPAL<br />
TRADESHOW<br />
Winton, QLD<br />
July 13–14<br />
Learn more: qboa.com.au<br />
LIGHTNING RIDGE OPAL<br />
AND GEM FESTIVAL<br />
Lightning Ridge, NSW<br />
July 26–29<br />
Learn more: lightningridgeopalfestival.<br />
com.au<br />
AUGUST <strong>2018</strong><br />
AUSTRALIAN OPAL<br />
EXHIBITION<br />
Gold Coast, QLD<br />
August 2–3<br />
Learn more: austopalexpo.com.au<br />
LEADING EDGE GROUP<br />
JEWELLERS MEMBER AND<br />
SUPPLIER CONFERENCE<br />
Sydney, NSW<br />
TBA<br />
SHOWCASE JEWELLERS<br />
MEMBER AND SUPPLIER<br />
CONFERENCE<br />
Hunter Valley, NSW<br />
August 20–24<br />
NATIONWIDE JEWELLERS<br />
MEMBER EVENTS<br />
(in conjunction with International<br />
<strong>Jeweller</strong>y Fair)<br />
Sydney, NSW<br />
August 25–27<br />
INTERNATIONAL<br />
JEWELLERY FAIR<br />
Sydney, NSW<br />
August 25–27<br />
Learn more: jewelleryfair.com.au/<strong>2018</strong><br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2018</strong><br />
INTERNATIONAL<br />
JEWELLERY LONDON<br />
London, UK<br />
September 2–4<br />
Learn more: jewellerylondon.com<br />
HONG KONG WATCH &<br />
CLOCK FAIR<br />
Hong Kong, China<br />
September 4–8<br />
Learn more: m.hktdc.com/fair/<br />
hkwatchfair-en/HKTDC-Hong-Kong-<br />
Watch-and-Clock-Fair.html<br />
BIJORHCA PARIS<br />
Paris, France<br />
September 7–10<br />
Learn more: bijorhca.com<br />
JEWELLERS AND<br />
WATCHMAKERS OF NEW<br />
ZEALAND TRADE FAIR<br />
Auckland, New Zealand<br />
September 9–10<br />
Learn more: jwnz.co.nz<br />
NATIONWIDE JEWELLERS<br />
ANTWERP TRIP<br />
Antwerp, Belgium<br />
September 22–28<br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong> <strong>Jeweller</strong> 39
MY BENCH<br />
Christopher<br />
Green<br />
WORKS AT:<br />
Christopher Green <strong>Jeweller</strong>s<br />
AGE: 54<br />
YEARS IN TRADE: 37<br />
TRAINING: On the job<br />
training with a diamond<br />
ring maker for fifteen years<br />
OTHER QUALIFICATIONS:<br />
Diamond setter, diamond<br />
ring maker, designer,<br />
business owner, managing<br />
director<br />
Favourite gemstone:<br />
Diamonds, for their sheer<br />
magnificence in colour<br />
and shape.<br />
Favourite metal:<br />
18-carat yellow gold<br />
– I enjoy the hue of the<br />
metal and it is a pleasure<br />
to work with.<br />
Favourite tool:<br />
My saw frame. It is a skill<br />
that takes years to master.<br />
It’s the best tool for<br />
diamond ring making and<br />
hand piercing.<br />
Best new tool discovery:<br />
An Eschenbach headset,<br />
as it is light and clips onto<br />
current eyewear!<br />
Best part of job:<br />
Meeting people and<br />
contributing something<br />
meaningful toward the<br />
special occasions in<br />
their lives.<br />
Worst part of job:<br />
A lack of free time – my time<br />
is always spent in business.<br />
Best tip from a jeweller:<br />
Every job and customer<br />
is important.<br />
Best tip to a jeweller:<br />
You are only as good as<br />
your last job.<br />
Love jewellery because:<br />
I get to be creative daily!<br />
My bench is always:<br />
Immaculately organised,<br />
because I’m meticulous and<br />
a well-organised person.
SOAPBOX<br />
COLOURED GEMSTONES ARE UNDERRATED<br />
In Australia, coloured gemstones often<br />
play second fiddle to diamonds, and<br />
outside the big three – ruby, sapphire and<br />
emerald – the knowledge of the general<br />
population is lacking. This is a problem<br />
because not only are customers missing<br />
out on an array of wonderful gemstones,<br />
retailers are missing many opportunities<br />
to make sales.<br />
The classic example is opal: for years the<br />
average person thought of it as something<br />
that a tourist would purchase for $6 – or<br />
alternatively, was sold overseas for tens<br />
of thousands of dollars. However, artisan<br />
jewellers and the custom-make market has<br />
changed all that. Today there is a flourishing<br />
market for opal varieties such as boulder, pipe,<br />
fossil, crystal, plus standard white and black.<br />
emerald, which has a tendency to chip, and<br />
pearls, which are soft and susceptible to<br />
chemical wear – are still widely used without<br />
protest. With a refractive index exceeding<br />
almost any other natural stone, and a range<br />
of hues from pure white to sultry mauves<br />
and pinks – not to mention the vivid blues<br />
produced with heat treatment – zircon can<br />
produce the most amazing sparkly gems.<br />
Stones such as apatite, kyanite, fluorite and<br />
facet quality varieties of minerals like sunstone<br />
and moonstone have all been overlooked<br />
often, due to slightly lower durability. But<br />
these days, consumers are looking for<br />
something fresh and exciting; less durable<br />
gems, if set sympathetically and cared for<br />
properly, can fill this demand and usually at a<br />
fraction of the cost of other stones.<br />
I have also noticed a growing interest for<br />
raw gem material. As with the rise of opal,<br />
people are looking for organic, naturally styled<br />
jewellery, and this is the perfect avenue to use<br />
more obscure and interesting rough gems.<br />
If your customer shows an interest in less<br />
mainstream styles – why not show them a few<br />
more colour options?<br />
The demand for deep red spinel in South East<br />
Asia is filtering down to Australia too. Another<br />
great looking gem with a refractive index and<br />
hardness approaching sapphire, there is a<br />
growing trend to use a diamond cut on spinel<br />
to produce very attractive pieces, especially in<br />
lesser known colours such as grey and steel<br />
tones. Encourage your customers to admire<br />
these combinations – if they don’t know<br />
about them, they can’t buy them!<br />
It’s up to us, the experts, to change<br />
perceptions in a similar manner about other<br />
gemstones. So, let me set the record straight<br />
on a few of the most underrated stars.<br />
The amount of times I’ve had people turn up<br />
their nose at zircon is off the charts! This is<br />
purely because the name sounds similar to<br />
cubic zirconia, so the customer thinks you are<br />
trying to sell them a synthetic.<br />
It can be so bad, that once I had a jeweller<br />
with over thirty years experience tell me<br />
they weren’t interested in zircon, because<br />
they didn’t carry synthetics – at which point I<br />
politely informed them that was fine, because<br />
the tray of stones I was presenting came from<br />
an artisanal mine in the Northern Territory.<br />
While zircon has an acceptable hardness<br />
of around seven, it is seen as less suitable<br />
for jewellery because it is less durable. But<br />
There are also more obscure stones creeping<br />
into the market. For those who have not seen<br />
a stunning teal or vivid electric blue apatite, it<br />
is definitely something to seek out.<br />
Garnet is a durable and cost effective<br />
gemstone that also has good recognition<br />
with consumers. Most people think of garnets<br />
as orange-brown or very dark, wine coloured<br />
gems, yet green garnets like tsavorite and<br />
demantoid can be unbelievably beautiful.<br />
Rhodolite garnet is also becoming more<br />
prominent: an amazing range of hues from<br />
the most intense pure violet, to almost candy<br />
like raspberry tones are now available – no<br />
longer only the dark ruddy purple it was often<br />
associated with. If that were not enough, it’s<br />
also not uncommon to see colour-change<br />
garnet on the market. These make an<br />
excellent alternative for people looking for an<br />
affordable multi-hued stone.<br />
THERE IS A<br />
GROWING TREND<br />
TO USE A DIAMOND<br />
CUT ON SPINEL TO<br />
PRODUCE VERY<br />
ATTRACTIVE PIECES,<br />
ESPECIALLY IN<br />
LESSER KNOWN<br />
COLOURS SUCH AS<br />
GREY AND STEEL<br />
TONES<br />
I enjoy the teaching process, and the<br />
recognition a consumer gains when<br />
they come to me looking for, say, a standard<br />
blue sapphire, and end up with a steel blue<br />
spinel they never knew they would fall in<br />
love with. There really is an amazing world of<br />
coloured gemstones to be discovered which<br />
can provide beautiful, cost effective, and<br />
unique alternatives for gemstone jewellery.<br />
We just have to be willing to take the<br />
plunge; first ourselves – then to help our<br />
customers do it too. i<br />
Name: Charles Lawson<br />
Business: Lawson Gems<br />
Position: Owner/Director<br />
Location: Brisbane<br />
Years in the industry: 12<br />
Got something to get off your chest about the jewellery<br />
industry? Let us know! editorial@jewellermagazine.com<br />
42 <strong>Jeweller</strong> <strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong>
“ i choose”<br />
July 7 – 9, <strong>2018</strong> • Brisbane Exhibition Centre, South Bank<br />
“ i choose...<br />
...Gift HQ as it exposes us to<br />
the latest products on trend<br />
and offers us an opportunity<br />
to meet our suppliers face to<br />
face. It allows us to facilitate<br />
orders that we place, directly<br />
at the fair’.<br />
Leanne De Martini Thousand<br />
Island Dressing<br />
Gift HQ is Queensland’s premier gift and homewares trade fair, catering to national<br />
retailers in the gift industry. Year after year the event continues to inspire, develop<br />
and generate ongoing support for the Queensland gift and homewares sector.<br />
Visitors to the event are looking for new products and to place orders for the coming season. They come to<br />
meet with existing and new suppliers and to network with their peers.<br />
Exhibitors at the event are making connections with new and existing clients, unveiling their new product<br />
lines, and staying abreast of industry trends.<br />
“ i choose...<br />
...Gift HQ to catch up with my<br />
customers face to face, to discuss<br />
and understand their needs. It is our<br />
place to launch our new seasons<br />
products which gives me an<br />
immediate reaction and assists in<br />
planning for the Christmas trade.”<br />
Cheryle Roberts, Stones<br />
& Silver<br />
www.giftfairevents.com.au • P: 02 9452 7575 • E: info@fairevents.com.au
Argyle Pink Diamonds are beyond rare and amongst the most precious diamonds in the world.<br />
Pink Kimberley jewellery is crafted from an exquisite blend of white diamonds and natural Australian<br />
pink diamonds from the Argyle Diamond Mine, located in the East Kimberley region of Western<br />
Australia. A coveted Argyle Pink Diamond Certificate accompanies all Pink Kimberley pieces<br />
containing pink diamonds greater than 0.08ct.<br />
SAMS GROUP<br />
AUSTRALIA<br />
www.PinkKimberley.com.au<br />
E pink@samsgroup.com.au W samsgroup.com.au P 02 9290 2199