Jeweller - February 2020

VOICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN JEWELLERY INDUSTRY FEBRUARY 2020 

Retail future 

PREDICTING THE TRENDS THAT 

WILL IMPACT THE INDUSTRY IN 2020 

Pearl talk 

CHALLENGES AND NEW 

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE PEARL SECTOR 

Chief of staff 

MOTIVATE YOUR EMPLOYEES 

FOR GREAT RESULTS THIS YEAR

When 2 shows 

are better than 1 

INTERNATIONAL 

J E W ELLERY & WATCH FAIR 

September 12 – 14, 2020 


Announcing your opportunity to benefit from two shows in one 

premium location. For the very first time, the Sydney September Gift Fair, 

now called Spring Gift & Lifestyle, will run next door to the 

International Jewellery & Watch Fair in 2020. This development will 

ensure greater time efficiencies for retailers as it will allow them to 

maximise their time away from the store and is sure to open your 

business to some new possibilities! 

ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour 

WWW.JEWELLERYFAIR.COM.AU 

Organised by

Y O U R L E A D I N G S U P P L I E R O F P I N K A R G Y L E & W H I T E D I A M O N D S 

W O R L D S H I N E R 

I N S P I R E D P E R F O R M A N C E 

Y E A R A F T E R Y E A R 

W W W . W O R L D S H I N E R . C O M 

NEW SOUTH WALES Suite 301, Level 3, 70 Castlereagh Street, Sydney 2000, P: 02 9232 3557, E: sydney@worldshiner.com 

VICTORIA Suite 502, Wales Corner, 227 Collins Street, Melbourne 3000, P: 03 9654 6369, E: melbourne@worldshiner.com 

QUEENSLAND Unit 17, Level 11, 138 Albert Street, Brisbane 4000, P: 07 3210 1237 E: brisbane@worldshiner.com 

NEW ZEALAND Suite 4K, 47 High Street, Auckland P: 09 358 3443 E: nz@worldshiner.com 

A U S T R A L I A • G E R M A N Y • I N D I A • I T A L Y • J A P A N • N Z • U K • U S A

FEBRUARY 2020 

Contents 

This Month 

Industry Facets 

7 Editor’s Desk 

20 

10 YEARS AGO 

Time Machine: February 2010 

8 Upfront 

22 

MY STORE 

Alex Monroe 

12 News 

25 

LEARN ABOUT GEMS 

Asterism & Chatoyancy 

18 New Products 

48 

MY BENCH 

Matthew Ely 

33 PEARL FEATURE 

Waves of change 

21 Retail Update 

50 

SOAPBOX 

Georgina Staley 

4ARABELLA RODEN navigates the 

currents of the pearl sector and explores 

how it will evolve in the coming years. 

Features 

18 NEW PRODUCTS 

4Where to find this product? 

Turn to page 18 to find out. 

27 

33 

40 

RETAIL FORECAST 

Retail predictions for 2020 

PEARLS 

Waves of change 

BUSINESS 

The key to motivating your retail staff 

Better Your Business 

42 

RETAIL STRATEGY 

BRIAN WALKER reveals how retailers can reduce their occupancy costs. 

44 

SELLING 

Keep your sales leaders’ priorities straight, says BERNADETTE MCCLELLAND. 

45 

MANAGEMENT 

Succeed in the year ahead by planning your stock now, writes SUSAN MARTIN. 

48 MY BENCH 

4 Meet the jeweller on page 24. 

46 

47 

MARKETING & PR 

Follow EMILY SIDLEY’s advice for developing your 2020 PR and marketing strategy. 

LOGGED ON 

SIMON DELL helps identify and fix your website’s SEO problems. 

25 LEARN ABOUT GEMS 

4Guide to Asterism 

& Chatoyancy 

Discover the gemmological 

phenomena named for 

the stars in the sky and 

glittering cat’s eyes. 

FRONT COVER Annoushka 

Dream Catcher 18-carat 

Rose Gold Pearl Earrings 

February 2020 | 5

Editor’s Desk 

The future can’t lie about the past; 

each end forms a new foundation 

It’s a New Year and a new decade and, as you can see, we’re bringing you a new Jeweller. 

We decided last year that Jeweller 

needed a change – a new design to reflect 

a changing media landscape. After all, 

I have always believed that standing 

still is going backwards. 

We hope you enjoy the new look. All of 

your favourite ‘regulars’ are still here – 

My Bench, Soapbox and our popular 

retail-management columns – and over the 

coming months you will see some more 

initiatives, especially in the digital arena. 

The timing of the redesign is interesting; 

in reviewing our ideas we looked at editions 

of the magazine dating back to March 1996, 

when it was launched. Coincidentally, the 

topic of my first editorial for Australian 

Jeweller – as it was known 24 years ago – 

was ‘change’! 

The cover story back then was quite 

controversial. Entitled ‘Spot the difference’, 

it dealt with two-price advertising, which 

was running rampant in the industry at 

the time. The article discussed the various 

changes that were taking place in retailing 

and I wrote: “Australian Jeweller would 

continue to change – no, evolve – to cater 

for all needs in this exciting industry.” 

So here we are, nearly 25 years later, 

changing again as all businesses must 

do. Change is essential and it has 

helped Jeweller remain the number-one 

jewellery industry magazine in Australasia; 

however, what isn’t widely known is that 

jewellermagazine.com is ranked fifth 

among jewellery-industry websites globally. 

Yes, our readership and traffic outstrips 

industry magazines in countries with 

far larger populations than Australia, 

such as the UK with its 66 million 

people, for example! 

In fact, only last month in its 2020 edition of 

‘Top 10 Jewelry Magazines & Publications 

to Follow’, Feedspot.com ranked Jeweller 

at third, even above US publications. 

An Aussie jewellery magazine leading 

the world – my, how the internet has 

changed everything! 

In 1996 the major concern for independent 

jewellers was the growth and expansion 

of chain stores, which were seen as ‘evil’ 

competitors. Who could have imagined 

what retailing would look like today with the 

likes of Amazon, eBay and online shopping? 

If someone had suggested back then that 

we’d be ordering dinner from an app on our 

telephone and a ‘taxi’ would deliver it, we’d 

have called them crazy, right? 

This leads us to a very important question: 

where will jewellers be in another 25 years? 

As a wise man once said, “Prediction is very 

difficult, especially if it’s about the future!” 

I do know one thing, however: unlike many 

other retail categories, such as newsagents, 

video stores and record shops, jewellers can 

still offer something unique to customers 

that is not readily available via the internet. 

Physical stores will surely change, but there 

will always be a place for quality jewellers. 

While you can’t control change, you can 

control how you deal with it, and this leads 

me to my next point. Having guided Jeweller 

for so long, helping take it to a worldwide 

audience, it’s time for a change for me too. 

This is my last editorial. I am handing over 

the baton and moving on. 

Media has always been a tough game 

and the demands of the internet and a 

24-hour news cycle have only added to this 

high pressure. So when a larger company 

approached me in 2018 to acquire my five 

publications, I thought long and hard. 

Selling my titles would be a big decision, 

however, it would give me time to do many 

other things – I have always wanted to travel 

the Old Silk Road across China to India and 

take the Trans-Siberian Railway from St 

Petersburg to Beijing – but journalism and 

In 1996 the 

major concern 

for independent 

jewellers was 

the growth and 

expansion of 

chain stores, 

which were 

seen as ‘evil’ 

competitors. 

publishing have forever been my passions. 

So, after some deep thinking and a 

lengthy negotiation period, I decided late 

last year it was time to ‘check out’ – I don’t 

like the word ‘retire’ as it has old-world 

connotations not appropriate for this 

digital age. 

The baton has been handed to Angela 

Han, whose credentials and experience 

are perfect for the job. Not only has she 

been with Jeweller for almost nine years, 

she has also worked across many aspects 

of the jewellery industry, from retail to 

manufacturing and supply. 

Her knowledge of the publishing and 

jewellery industries is first rate; she has 

led this new design and pored over every 

aspect. I am helping Angela through a 

transition period and I might still contribute 

an occasional story while I am travelling, 

but I know she will enjoy taking Jeweller 

into the next exciting decade. 

There are many people to acknowledge but 

most of all I’d like to thank you, the reader. 

Especially, I’d like to thank those who gave 

feedback over the years, both positive and 

negative, as well as those who contributed 

story ideas and news tips. It was always 

much appreciated and made for informative 

and better magazine. 

One thing I will miss is my ‘Ponder This’ 

sign-off on Jeweller’s newsletter, so I think 

it’s appropriate to sign-off with this last 

one, which has been my personal credo 

for 40 years... 

Everybody dies, but not everybody lives! 

It’s been a privilege and an exciting ride. 

Thank you for the past and good luck 

with the future. 

May you ‘live’ too! 

Coleby Nicholson 

Managing Editor 


Upfront 

Upcoming Trade Shows 

25 - 29 

FEB 

14 - 17 

MAR 

16 - 17 

MAR 

18 - 21 

MAR 

19 - 22 

MAR 

FEBRUARY BIRTHSTONE 

Amethyst 

Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair 

BANGKOK, THAILAND 

International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair 

SHENZHEN, CHINA 

IJWG Show 

MIAMI, USA 

International Fair of Amber & Jewellery 

GDANSK, POLAND 

Istanbul Jewellery Show 

ISTANBUL, TURKEY 

Trendspotting 

4Men’s jewellery – particularly 

necklaces and pendants – have been 

a major trend this month, notably 

worn by celebrities like Jason Momoa 

(above) and Billy Porter. 

Getty Images 

Stranger Things 

Weird, wacky and wonderful 

jewellery news from around the world 

Criminal accessories 

4Three people are facing 

five years imprisonment 

and a $US250,000 fine for 

illegally marketing jewellery 

manufactured in the Philippines 

as Native American-made. The 

pieces were smuggled into the 

US through the mail to avoid 

inspection, before being sold 

as authentic Native American 

jewellery at stores in Arizona, 

Colorado, California, Texas, 

Minnesota and Utah. 

Over the top 

4The Ancient Greeks believed amethyst allowed the wearer 

to remain quick-witted and clear-headed. In fact, its name 

originates from the Greek word amethystos, which means 

‘remedy against drunkenness’. In the Renaissance, Europeans 

thought it could calm passions and enhance intelligence. 

4UK jeweller Frost of London 

has been commissioned to 

produce ‘the world’s most 

expensive T-shirt’ for a member 

of the Saudi royal family. The 

odd request was made after 

boxer Andy Ruiz Jr wore a Frost 

of London T-shirt decorated 

with Swarovski crystals. The 

new T-shirt – a diamondencrusted 

version – will 

cost £500,000. 

Discover what new and unusual ideas people 

around the world are dreaming about. From super 

powders (+144%) to godparent proposals (+152%), 

these are the trends that food lovers, style seekers 

and home remakers everywhere are searching 

for on Pinterest. Come see what floats your boat 

(boat building +169%). 

Pinterest 

100 

2019 

100 

Organised into 

10 themes, the 

Pinterest 100 

report reflects 

changing 

consumer 

behaviour 

and culture. 

Digital Brainwave 

4Pinterest has published its annual trend 

report, Pinterest 100, predicting content 

that will be popular on the site in 2020. 

The report allows Pinners – including 

businesses – to plan their content calendar 

for maximum impact. 

In addition, the social media app is 

trialling a new analytics tool, Pinterest 

Trends, in the US. 

Pinterest Trends allows users to review 

the top search terms within the past 12 

months, show when certain search terms 

peaked, and provide a list of keywords 

to include or avoid. 

Top Product 

4The Qudo Interchangeable range 

is highly collectable and taps into the 

current global trend for customisable 

jewellery. The new Qudo Tondo Deluxe 

ring tops come in two sizes, featuring 

Light Amethyst Swarovski Crystal and 

White Swarovski Crystal Pearl. The 

Eternity Spacer Rings finish off this 

sparkling combination. 

Distributed by Timesupply 

Rock of ages 

4A US man has discovered an 

8-tonne nephrite jade boulder 

in a forest near his hometown, 

at first mistaking it for a mosscovered 

rock. The boulder was 

so large it had to be transported 

to a local gem cutter by forklift. 

Authorities have called it a 

‘one in a million’ find, and it is 

believed to be the largest piece 

of jade ever recovered 

in Washington state. 

VOICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN JEWELLERY INDUSTRY 

Published by Befindan Media Pty Ltd 

Locked Bag 26, South Melbourne, VIC 3205 AUSTRALIA | ABN 64 930 790 434 | Phone: +61 3 9696 7200 | info@jewellermagazine.com 

Publisher & Editor Angela Han angela.han@befindanmedia.com • Assistant Editor Arabella Roden arabella.roden@jewellermagazine.com 

Advertising Toli Podolak toli.podolak@jewellermagazine.com • Accounts Paul Blewitt finance@befindanmedia.com • Subscriptions info@jewellermagazine.com 

Copyright All material appearing in Jeweller is subject to copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly forbidden without prior written consent of the publisher. Befindan Media Pty Ltd 

strives to report accurately and fairly and it is our policy to correct significant errors of fact and misleading statements in the next available issue. All statements made, although based on information 

believed to be reliable and accurate at the time, cannot be guaranteed and no fault or liability can be accepted for error or omission. Any comment relating to subjective opinions should be addressed 

to the editor. Advertising The publisher reserves the right to omit or alter any advertisement to comply with Australian law and the advertiser agrees to indemnify the publisher for all damages or 

liabilities arising from the published material.

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News 

Jewellery industry shows 

support for Australian 

bushfire victims 

New jewellery buying group formed 

He explained that the IJC’s vision will be 

“to create an unparalleled level of one on 

one support, a true partnership, ensuring 

independents stay relevant to the upcoming 

generations of jewellery buyers.” 

It will do so “by re-educating, rejuvenating 

and elevating jewellers and supply partners 

on a new journey of modern retailing.” 

The jewellery industry has rallied to support 

bushfire relief efforts in Australia. 

In the midst of Australia’s devastating 

bushfire season, many local and 

international jewellery retailers and 

suppliers have committed to raising 

funds for the emergency relief effort. 

At the time of publication, the bushfires 

had burned more than 15 million hectares 

of land and blazes were still burning in 

every Australian state and territory. 

The fires have caused at least 30 

deaths, extensive damage to homes 

and businesses, and the large-scale 

destruction of native wildlife populations. 

Australia has seen an outpouring of 

support from businesses, including 

many in the jewellery industry that have 

pledged donations to organisations such 

as the Australian Red Cross, NSW Rural 

Fire Service, Victoria’s Country Fire 

Association, NSW Wildlife Information, 

Rescue and Education Service (WIRES), 

and the Salvation Army. 

Locally, Hardy Brothers Jewellery, Sarah 

& Sebastian, Babyanything, ManiaMania, 

Holly Ryan Jewellery, YCL Jewels, and 

Natalie Marie Jewellery are among the 

businesses that have publicly declared 

their donations. 

By Nye Jewels, Haus of Dizzy, Petite 

Grand, Francesca, Margot Mai, Linda 

Tahija Jewellery and Amber Sceats have 

also pledged their support. 

Duraflex Group Australia has announced 

that, until the end of February, it will 

donate 100 per cent of the proceeds 

from sales of the Thomas Sabo Koala 

Charm and limited-edition Koala 

Necklace to WIRES. 

Additionally, the international jewellery 

industry – including Pippa Small and Alex 

Monroe – has made contributions to help 

those affected by the fires. 

Pippa Small 

22-carat gold 

kangaroo: 100 

per cent of 

proceeds to 

WIRES Wildlife 

Emergency Fund 

Alex Monroe gold 

and sterling silver 

cockatoo: £65 

(AU$124) from 

each one sold to 

WIRES Wildlife 


Thomas Sabo 

sterling silver 

koala: 100 per 

cent of proceeds 

to WIRES Wildlife 


L to R: Simon Allison, Josh Zarb, Senthil 

Jayaraman, Summer Gartrell and Evan Mueller. 

A new group called The Independent 

Jewellers Collective (IJC) will launch this 

month, bringing the number buying groups 

representing jewellery retailers to four. 

IJC will be lead by Josh Zarb, former general 

manager of Leading Edge Group Jewellers 

(LEGJ), and will focus on supporting retailers 

by providing business strategies, marketing 

services, retail technology, and funding. 

“The retail industry has changed and we 

need to shake up how we will work with 

our partners. We are excited to offer a 

new business model into the jewellery 

marketplace that ensures our partners 

[retailers] are provided with funds and 

resources for them to succeed,” Zarb said. 

Zarb left LEGJ in December 2018 following 

a company restructure and joined Expertise 

Events, organiser of the International 

Jewellery & Watch Fair. 

Simon Allison, Evan Mueller, Senthil 

Jayaraman and Summer Gartrell will 

join him in the IJC startup venture. 

The IJC’s business model is designed 

to give retailers more flexibility than 

traditional buying groups. 

“Businesses need choice, they need 

flexibility and they need different resources 

at different times of the year and at different 

stages of their lease terms. Our model will 

allow our partners to pick and choose the 

assistance they require, when they need it 

and they will have the flexibility to do this as 

often as needed.” 

Albert Bensimon makes Australia Day 

Honours List 

Albert Bensimon OAM with wife Nyra. 

A respected member of the industry, Albert 

Bensimon, has been made a member of the 

Order of Australia in this year’s Australia Day 

Honours List. Bensimon was recognised for 

service to business and to the community. 

He and wife Nyra acquired Adelaide store 

Shiels Jewellers in 1977, and oversaw 

its expansion across South Australia, 

Queensland and Western Australia. 

He is a past president of the Retail Traders 

Association and was a board member 

of the Jewellers Association of Australia 

(JAA) from 1985–2004. 

Besides his contribution to the jewellery 

industry, Bensimon has also undertaken 

extensive charity endeavours and is a 

long-term supporter of the arts. He was 

founding chairman of the Helpmann 

Foundation and Academy of Visual and 

Performing Arts, and has served on the 

boards of the State Library of South Australia 

Foundation, the State Opera of South 

Australia, and Festival Theatre Foundation. 

“It is a nice recognition of all the long hours 

I have put in over the years with various 

causes,” Bensimon said of his OAM. “When 

I established the Helpmann Academy of 

Visual and Performing Arts, I was able to 

get the right people to raise a lot of money 

and establish a mentorship program. That’s 

something of which I am particularly proud.” 

Egyptian-born Bensimon is also an active 

member of the Jewish community, a longterm 

member of the Rotary Club of Adelaide, 

and a former president of Refugee Relief 

Fund Australia and homelessness charity the 

Hutt Street Charitable Foundation. 

12 | February 2020

Jewellers Association loses $48,000 

The Jewellers Association of Australia 

(JAA) recorded a $48,244 loss of member’s 

money last year, according to its latest 

financial statements. 

The 30 June 2019 financial report was 

prepared by accounting firm Saward Dawson 

and lodged with the Australian Charities 

and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). 

The JAA’s total revenue fell by $132,193, 

or 34 per cent, from $390,546 in 2018 to 

$258,353 last year. However the JAA was 

only able to reduce its expenses by six per 

cent, or $19,312, from $325,909 in 2018 to 

$306,597, thereby recording the $48,244 loss. 

On a positive note, the report indicates the 

JAA has stemmed its recent membership 

freefall, with the association listing an 

increase of seven members in 2019 to 521, 

up from 514 in 2018. Three years ago the 

JAA had close to 750 members. Interestingly, 

while membership increased last year, total 

member income fell by 18 per cent. 

The anomaly is explained by a change in 

the average membership fee; it was $483 in 

2018, but decreased by $90 per member, to 

$392, last year. It is likely that reduction in 

the average fee is due to the higher 

fee-paying supplier members quitting. 

This sharp decline in membership 

income means that 65 cents in every 

dollar contributed by members was 

paid to JAA staff. 

Another large problem faced by the 

JAA is the huge decline in commission 

income, which more than halved last 

year to an all-time low of $27,295. Only 

three years ago, this revenue stream 

amounted to more than $175,000. 

Commission income has traditionally 

come in the form of sponsorships and 

commissions received from ‘partners’ 

that support the JAA, such as Marsh 

Insurance and other companies 

offering business services. 

The latest financial statements show that 

equity has also fallen, from $37,899 in 2018 

to $10,345 last year, meaning the JAA has 

recorded only one surplus year since 2014. 

It has lost a staggering $367,568 of 

members’ money in that time. 

This sharp 

decline in 

membership 

income 

means that 

65 cents in 

every 

dollar 

contributed 

by members 

was paid 

to JAA staff 

FEATURING THE 

DELICATE PINK TONE OF 

ARGYLE PINK DIAMONDS 

New distributor to re-launch Hot Diamonds 

taken some time for the UK-based brand 

to understand the Australian consumer’s 

taste, and the needs of Australian-based 

retail businesses.” 

Alongside new retailer and buying group 

partnerships, the re-launch strategy will 

emphasise “what is new and different 

from the Hot Diamonds people may 

already know,” Rom explained. 

The Hot 

Diamonds 

brand is in 

a unique 

position to 

re-enter the 

Australian 

market 

Hot Diamonds Australia has taken over 

distribution of affordable diamond jewellery 

brand Hot Diamonds and announced 

plans reintroduce it to the Australian and 

New Zealand markets, following strong 

UK results. 

Hot Diamonds was founded in the UK in 2001 

and expanded to Australia more than 15 

years ago. Designa Accessories took over in 

2013 and re-launched it that year; Griffiths 

McKay & Buckleigh was the New Zealand 

supplier before going into liquidation in 2019. 

Marc Rom, managing director Hot Diamonds 

Australia and New Zealand, told Jeweller, 

“Hot Diamonds has been present in the 

Australian market for many years but it has 

“With a refined assortment, greater 

focus on entry price-points, a strong 

communication package and solutionfocused 

POS materials, the Hot Diamonds 

brand is in a unique position to re-enter 

the Australian market. 

“With more than two decades of experience 

in wholesaling within the Australian 

market, the team at Hot Diamonds 

Australia was an obvious partner to 

take on the launch project.” 

The news follows a strong year of sales in 

the UK, where Hot Diamonds reported a 

46 per cent rise in sell-through. Rom 

attributed the results to a “refined strategy, 

a new collection, marketing and POS 

solutions”, which he predicted would 

have a similar impact in Australia. 

MARC ROM 

SAMS GROUP 

AUSTRALIA 

E pink@samsgroup.com.au 

W samsgroup.com.au 

P 02 9290 2199

News 

In Brief 

Bargain hunting 

4Online auction site eBay 

has revealed the most expensive 

watches and jewellery purchased on 

its platform in 2019. The 

top timepiece was a Patek Philippe 

Grand Complication, which sold 

for $US139,500 ($AU203,742), while 

the a 5.01-carat yellow diamond 

ring set in a gold band topped 

the jewellery list, fetching 

$US65,950 ($AU96,321). 

Ruby sold for $13 million 

4An 11.20-carat Burmese ruby – 

known as the ‘DuPont Ruby’ – was 

sold for nearly $US9 million ($AU13 

million) at the recent Christie’s 

Magnificent Jewels Auction in New 

York, almost doubling its valuation 

guide of $US3.5–$US5.5 million. 

The ruby is set in a brooch alongside 

emeralds, white diamonds, and 

natural pearls, and was part of the 

collection of philanthropist Jessie 

Ball DuPont. 

Alrosa announces 

auctions 

4Russian mining conglomerate 

Alrosa, the world’s largest diamond 

miner by volume, will hold 34 

auctions for ‘special size’ diamonds 

– weighing 10.8 carats or more – this 

year. The tenders will take place in 

Antwerp, Dubai, Ramat Gan, Hong 

Kong, New York, Vladivostok and 

Moscow. Auction sales account for 

approximately 10 per cent of 

Alrosa’s overall sales. 

Gemfields to list in 

London 

4Emerald and ruby mining 

company Gemfields has announced 

it will be listed on the London Stock 

Exchange’s Alternative Investment 

Market (AIM) this month. In 

order to ensure ‘robust corporate 

governance’, chairman Brian 

Gilbertson – the father of Gemfields 

CEO Sean Gilbertson – has resigned. 

The company operates mines in 

Zambia and Mozambique. It is 

currently listed on the Johannesburg 

Stock Exchange and the Bermuda 

Stock Exchange. 

MORE BREAKING NEWS 

JEWELLERMAGAZINE.COM 

The ATO 

alleged 

that some 

refiners and 

gold bullion 

sellers had 

formed 

‘syndicates’ 

to exploit 

the GST 

loophole 

Australian company acquires 

Ellendale Diamond Mine lease 

The Ellendale Mine in the Kimberley has been 

dormant for five years. 

Gibb River Diamonds (GRD) – formerly known 

as POZ Minerals – has been granted exclusive 

mining and exploration leases at the Ellendale 

site in Western Australia, which has been 

dormant for five years. The contracts cover 

both open cut and alluvial mines at the site, 

which is located 135km east of Derby in the 

West Kimberley. 

In a statement to the ASX, GRD management 

said, “This magnificent opportunity allows the 

company to develop this exciting area with its 

huge potential and move towards our goal of 

becoming Australia’s next diamond producer.” 

The company also operates the adjacent Blina 

Diamond Project site. 

As previously reported by Jeweller, diamonds 

were first sourced from the Ellendale mine in 

Tribunal finds in favour of tax office 

in gold bullion GST case 

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) has 

found in favour of the Australian Taxation Office 

(ATO) in its case against the liquidators of gold 

refining company EBS. 

The legal proceedings, which date back 

to 2013, pertain to an alleged scheme to 

avoid paying the goods and services tax 

(GST) on precious metals that have been 

refined from scrap. 

Prior to a change in the GST Act in 2017, 

individuals and businesses were able to buy 

GST-exempt gold bullion and sell it to refiners. 

The refiners would then process the gold and 

sell it with GST added, legally claiming the GST 

back from the ATO as an input tax credit. 

In a 2013 statement, the ATO alleged that some 

refiners and gold bullion sellers had formed 

‘syndicates’ to exploit the GST loophole. 

As a result, the ATO refused to refund GST to 

several gold refiners and issued them with 

1976 and it once produced more than half 

the world’s yellow diamonds. 

However, the mine ceased operations in 2015 

when its previous owner, Kimberley Diamond 

Company, was liquidated. 

The Ellendale site subsequently fell into 

disrepair, with the West Australian government 

undertaking a $230,000 ‘rehabilitation’ process 

to prepare it for a new operator. 

With the GRD announcement, WA Mines 

and Petroleum Minister Bill Johnston said, 

“It’s not going to happen overnight, but 

restarting mining operations at the former 

Ellendale mine will be a high point in the 

rejuvenation of diamond exploration and 

mining in the Kimberley.” 

Another Australian-owned company, India 

Bore Diamond Holdings (IBDH), has been 

invited to apply for additional leases at 

Ellendale. IBDH currently operates in a 

different section of the area’s diamond fields. 

While Lucapa Diamond Company and 

GeoCrystal are currently involved in diamond 

exploration in Australia, restarting operations 

at the Ellendale Mine remains the most 

promising option for commercial diamond 

production in the near future. 

retrospective tax assessments. The decision 

lead to the collapse of several businesses, 

including EBS, which appointed liquidators 

Schon Condon. 

The liquidator subsequently challenged 

the ATO’s decision at the AAT. Following a 

15-month deliberation, the AAT found in the 

ATO’s favour on 20 December 2019. 

Will Day, deputy commissioner ATO, said, 

“The Tribunal found that these artificial 

arrangements dealing in gold were a tax driven 

scheme. This decision clearly supports the 

ATO’s work in tackling schemes in the precious 

metals refining industry aimed at manipulating 

the GST treatment of gold.” 

However, legal representatives for Schon 

Condon indicated that the decision would 

be appealed. Decisions by the AAT must be 

appealed to either the Federal Court or the 

Federal Circuit Court. 


Louis Vuitton buys 

record-breaking 

Botswana diamond 

SAMS GROUP 

AUSTRALIA 

Mining company Lucara has announced 

French luxury fashion house Louis 

Vuitton has purchased the 1,758-carat 

Sewelô diamond, the largest diamond 

ever recovered in Botswana and the 

second largest of all time. 

The Sewelô – whose name means ‘rare 

find’ in the Setswana language – was 

unearthed in April 2019 from Lucara’s 

Karowe Diamond Mine. It has been 

characterised as variable quality, with 

domains of near-gem and gem-quality 

white diamond. 

Antwerp-based HB Company will 

cut the stone into several smaller 

diamonds, which will then be polished 

and set as jewellery. 

Under the terms of the deal, Lucara will 

retain a 50 per cent financial interest in 

the collection, with 5 per cent of any 

retail sales generated to be invested 

into the mining company’s charitable 

initiatives in Botswana. 

Eira Thomas, CEO Lucara, said, “We 

are delighted to be partnering with 

Louis Vuitton, the famous luxury house, 

to transform the historic, 1,758-carat 

Sewelô, Botswana’s largest diamond, 

into a collection of fine jewellery that will 

commemorate this extraordinary discovery 

and contribute direct benefits to our local 

communities of interest in Botswana.” 

The purchase price for the stone has 

not been disclosed. However, the 

second-largest Botswanan diamond, the 

1,111-carat Lesedi La Rona – also mined 

from Karowe – sold for $US53 million 

($AU77 million) to jeweller Graff in 2017. 

Sewelô is believed to be the second-largest 

diamond ever unearthed behind the 

3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond, which 

was mined in South Africa in 1905. 

The 1,758-carat Sewelô diamond will be turned 

into jewellery for Louis Vuitton. 

The collection features ‘Created Diamonds’ in 16 hues. 

Swarovski introduces fancy 

colour lab-grown diamonds 

Swarovski has expanded its lab-created diamond 

range, introducing a collection of fancy colours at 

Couture Fashion Week in Paris. 

In a statement, the company’s management explained 

that the new collection features round brilliant-cut 

‘Created Diamonds’ in 16 hues. 

Notably, the range includes several vivid pink and 

red lab-created diamonds. Natural pinks and reds 

are the most expensive fancy colour diamonds, due to 

their scarcity. 

The colour range is significantly larger than that of 

lab-grown diamond brand Lightbox Jewelry. Lightbox – 

which is owned by De Beers – manufactures only pink, 

blue and colourless (white) stones. 

Markus Langes-Swarovski, board member Swarovski, 

said, “I’d like to think that these stones have endless 

potential and are able to bring any idea to life. The 

colours, cuts and sizes are created to inspire jewellery 

that has never been made or even dreamed of. It’s a 

toolbox of unlimited creativity.” 

He added that the number of colours available could 

increase to 120 ‘“by the end of the year”. Each of 

the fancy colour Swarovski lab-created diamonds is 

available in sizes 0.25–1.50 carat, with selected colours 

up to 2.50 carat. 

Colour is induced through standard treatments like 

irradiation and annealing, and stones above 0.70-carats 

are accompanied by a grading report from the 

International Gemological Institute. 

Swarovski lab-grown diamonds are manufactured at 

independent facilities in Switzerland, India, America and 

China. At the time of publication, pricing information was 

not available. 

In addition to its crystals and lab-grown diamonds, 

Swarovski – which is celebrating its 125th anniversary 

in 2020 – also produces natural and synthetic coloured 

gemstones and announced plans to enter the natural 

diamond market in June 2019. 

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News 

LVMH reviews Baselworld participation; 

15 new watch brands sign-on for 2020 

French luxury conglomerate Moët 

Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (LVMH) 

will reconsider its future Baselworld 

participation following the success of 

its inaugural Watch Week in Dubai. 

LVMH owns watch manufacturers Tag 

Heuer, Hublot, and Zenith, and jewellery 

and watch brand Bulgari. The inaugural 

LVMH Watch Week was held at the Bulgari 

Resort Dubai from 13–15 January, and 

featured new product presentations from 

its four brands, with more than 200 media 

representatives and retailers in attendance. 

Speaking at the event, Bulgari CEO Jean- 

Christophe Babin described Watch Week 

as “much cheaper” than exhibiting at 

events like Baselworld, calling trade fairs 

“outrageously expensive”. 

When asked if LVMH would continue to 

exhibit at the Swiss show, Babin stated, 

“We will decide after Baselworld, in May.” 

This year’s Baselworld will be held from 

30 April–5 May, directly after Watches & 

Wonders Geneva, previously known as the 

Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie 

(SIHH). Notably, 50 per cent of Hublot’s 

new watches and more than a third of 

Zenith’s will be distributed to retailers 

before the fair begins. 

However, Stéphane Bianchi, CEO of TAG 

Heuer and LVMH’s watchmaking division, 

reiterated the company’s support for the 

sector’s most well-known trade event. 

“LVMH Watch Week, organised during 

a key period in the year for our partners 

and the industry, underscores LVMH’s 

commitment to the strategic watch 

category and complements our presence 

at Baselworld,” he said. 

The timing of the 2020 edition of 

Baselworld – more than a month later 

than the traditional March dates – has 

lead several major exhibitors to withdraw, 

including Breitling, Casio and Seiko. 

Kering-owned Gucci has also reportedly 

pulled out of this year’s event. 

Swatch Group – which owns Omega, 

Tissot, Longines, Blancpain, and 

Breguet, among others – withdrew 

from the trade show in 2018. 

Watches & Wonders Geneva has lost 

major exhibitors Richard Mille, Audemars 

Piguet and Hermès this year. 

Meanwhile, MCH Group, the Baselworld 

organiser, has announced that 15 

independent watch brands will exhibit at 

the show in 2020, grouped into a new Hall 

1 space called The Watch Lounge. 

Described as ‘relaxed and interactive’, 

the Lounge is designed to cater to small, 

independent manufacturers. 

Michel Loris-Melikoff, managing director 

Baselworld, said, “I am delighted 

to welcome all of these dynamic 

entrepreneurs to Baselworld… Listening, 

dialogue, entrepreneurship, and creativity 

are essential as we continue to implement 

our 2020+ strategy and work to make 

Baselworld not only the best business 

platform but also the most varied and 

complete show of its kind.” 

Pop star Rita Ora models the Magic Garden collection. 

Rita Ora returns as 

face of Thomas Sabo’s 

new collection 

The Thomas Sabo spring/summer 2020 collection has 

been announced, with pop star Rita Ora appearing in 

the campaign materials and in-store signage. 

Ora became the face of the international brand in July 

2019, signing a two-year contract to promote Thomas 

Sabo in advertising and on social media. 

The latest collection – named ‘Magic Garden’ – 

features cat, snake, bird, tree, and dragonfly designs, 

made from sterling silver with gold plating and 

synthetic coloured gemstones. 

It continues the mystical theme of the Thomas Sabo 

autumn/winter 2019 collection, while adding a natureinspired 

twist. Celebrity fashion photographer Cass 

Bird once again took the campaign images. 

“Spring awakening creates the desire for something 

new,” Ora said. “Have the courage to be yourself. A 

style is perfect when it perfectly matches your look.” 

The spring/summer collection is available now, 

distributed by Duraflex Group Australia. 

Bharat Diamond Week announces change to its 2020 schedule 

The Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) has 

confirmed the next edition of Bharat 

Diamond Week (BDW) will be brought 

forward to 5–7 August 2020. 

Previously, the Mumbai event was held in 

mid-October in order to avoid clashes with 

other events. However, Mehul Shah, vicepresident 

BDB, told Jeweller that bourse 

members had requested to change the 

dates, as October was considered to be too 

close to the Christmas holiday season. 

Shah explained that the new dates 

accommodate not only bourse members, 

but overseas attendees too. 

“Because August is further away from 

the Christmas season, all the buyers will 

have an opportunity to buy well ahead 

of their busiest period – and of course, 

there will be good deals on offer,” he said, 

adding, “Dates are important, but for us, 

convenience is more important.” 

While the 2019 edition of BDW was 

successful, with notable buying delegations 

attending from China, Thailand, and across 

Bharat 

Diamond 

Week will 

be brought 

forward 

to 5–7 

August 

2020 

India, Shah said the bourse would increase its focus 

on attracting international buyers in 2020. 

“We are focusing on more countries, and future 

Diamond Week attendees can expect better 

business and a long-term relationship with our 

members. Bharat is the world’s biggest diamond 

hub, and we believe that people will come to the 

2020 BDW,” he added. 

The BDB is the world’s largest diamond bourse, with 

approximately 5,000 members. Bharat Diamond 

Week, a trade-only event, was launched in 2018. 


Celebrity jewellery company files for 

bankruptcy amid Dos Santos scandal 

Isabel Dos Santos, ‘Africa’s richest woman’, and her husband Sindika Dokolo. 

Following a media investigation into 

the financial dealings of Angolan 

billionaire Isabel Dos Santos, luxury 

Swiss jeweller De Grisogono has 

filed for bankruptcy. 

Dos Santos’ husband, Congolese 

art dealer Sindika Dokolo, acquired 

De Grisogono in 2012 in a joint deal 

with Sodiam, the the Angolan stateowned 

diamond company. 

In order to complete the transaction, 

Sodiam took out a loan with a 

private bank partly-owned by Dos 

Santos, who has been named as 

Africa’s richest woman by Forbes. 

The loan was guaranteed by Dos 

Santos’ father, former Angolan 

president José Eduardo Dos 

Santos, making Angolan taxpayers 

responsible for the repayments 

and interest. 

The New York Times reported that 

Angolan state funds were also used 

to finance lavish promotional parties 

for De Grisogono thrown during the 

Cannes Film Festival. 

Despite further investments into 

De Grisogono, the business has 

continually lost money since the 

2012 purchase. 

The current Angolan government, 

led by president João Lourenço, 

announced plans to sell its 

stake in the jeweller in 2017 but 

was unsuccessful. 

In a statement to JCK, De Grisogono 

management confirmed that the 

business had been for sale for 

several months but had failed 

to find a buyer. If the bankruptcy 

filing is accepted by the Swiss 

court, 65 jobs will be lost at its 

Geneva headquarters. 

De Grisogono also operates 14 

boutiques worldwide, including in 

New York, Paris, Rome, and Dubai. 

More than $US1 billion of Dos 

Santos and Dokolo’s assets were 

frozen in December last year amid 

allegations of embezzlement. 

Those allegations related to 

the Angolan state petroleum 

and natural gas company 

Sonangol, of which Dos Santos 

was briefly chairwoman. 

The International Consortium 

of Investigative Journalists later 

published further details of the 

couple’s financial dealings in an 

article entitled, ‘How Africa’s richest 

woman exploited family ties, shell 

companies and inside deals to 

build an empire’. 

Dos Santos, who lives in the UK, has 

called the allegations “extremely 

misleading and untrue”, and “a very 

concentrated, orchestrated and 

well-coordinated political attack”. 

Dos Santos and Dokolo also have 

substantial interests in Angola’s 

diamond sector. The African nation 

has diamond reserves estimated 

at 180 million carats, which has 

the potential for Angola to become 

the world’s number one diamond 

producing country. 

Made in Italy 

Now proudly distributed by 

02 9417 0177 | www.dgau.com.au

New Products 

1 2 3 

4 

FEBRUARY 

Monthly 

Showcase 

Jeweller’s monthly compiled 

snapshot of the latest 

products to hit the market. 

5 

6 7 

8 

1 COEUR DE LION | Timesupply Set features natural matte and polished onyx with a pavé crystal set rose gold spheres. Available in necklace, bracelet and earrings. 2 IKECHO AUSTRALIA 

Adjustable necklace features a white round 12mm Edison freshwater pearl in a two-tone sterling silver basket with rose gold plating. 3 THOMAS SABO | Duraflex Spring/summer 2020 - 

earrings inspired by a hummingbird’s wing in 925 sterling silver with 18-carat gold plating and coloured gems. 4 STULLER Pretty in pink, these earrings combine sapphire, rhodolite garnet 

and tourmaline with 14-carat gold. Also available in 14-carat rose and white gold. 5 CITIZEN The Promaster NY0071-81E has a green bezel and sleek black dial with a titanium case that is five 

times harder than stainless steel and 40 per cent lighter. Available March 2020. 6 CLUSE | Heart & Grace The new Cluse Féroce model in the ladies range has a rounded stainless steel case 

with gold-plated details. 7 PINK KIMBERLEY | Sams Group Australia The Pink Kimberley Blue Danube ring is surrounded by Argyle pink and blue diamonds and set in 18-carat rose and white 

gold. 8 GEORGINI | West End Collection Introducing the Love is in the Air collection’s Liandra earrings, for the contemporary bride. Made of sterling silver and set with round brilliant, pear, 

and princess-cut cubic zirconia.

10 Years Ago 

Time Machine: February 2010 

A snapshot of the industry events making headlines this time 10 years ago in Jeweller. 

Historic Headlines 

4 ACCC interviews former Swatch boss 

4 Fake Tiffany pieces seized 

4 eBay ordered to pay damages 

4 Unrest continues in NCJV 

4 Valuers threaten walkout 

JAA launches Code of Practice 

STILL RELEVANT 10 YEARS ON 

Generation Spend: “Mother’s Day 

advertising, for example, is 

preoccupied with younger mothers. 

But what about the grandmothers? 

They shouldn’t be ignored by 

retailers and marketers.” 

READ ALL HEADLINES IN FULL ON 

JEWELLERMAGAZINE.COM 

The Jewellery Association of Australia (JAA) 

officially launched its Code of Practice in 

November 2009, aimed at reinforcing 

consumer confidence in the jewellery industry. 

The code was developed by the JAA in 

accordance with the Australian Competition 

and Consumer Commission (ACCC). 

Ian Hadassin, CEO of the JAA, said, “This 

code is about protecting consumers and a 

$3.5 billion a year and growing industry… Quite 

simply, customers dealing with a signatory to 

the code are getting quality they can trust in.” 

JAA members will also soon vote on a new 

constitution, drawn up by Hadassin and 

reviewed by solicitors, as a response to 

concerns about the existing constitution 

being contradictory and outdated. 

February 2010 

ON THE COVER Georgini 

Editors’ Desk 

4Bonsai Buddhism: “I was so unhappy 

when a tree that I had crafted for 

many years suddenly died. On a long 

drive over the Christmas break, I was 

pondering the matter and my mind 

shifted from bonsais to business. 

Business and gardening have a lot in 

common. In fact, many years ago, I 

was advised never to go into business 

with a person who hates gardening.” 

Nationwide members 

embrace the JAA 

A total of 30 per cent of the Nationwide 

buying group’s members have now joined 

the JAA. 

The 107 retail jewellers will assume associate 

membership of the JAA, meaning their 

fees will be reduced; however, they will not 

have voting rights and will be unable to sit 

on the board. 

The new influx of members is in addition to 

the 153 Showcase members who joined the 

JAA in October 2009, bringing the total to 

260 new members in a matter of months. 

Swatch case heads to court 

The County Court is scheduled to hear more 

evidence in the legal proceedings between 

Swatch Australia and its former general 

manager, Mark Watson. 

Watson is suing Swatch Australia for losses 

and damages after he was terminated in 2008. 

He alleges he was forced out of the company for 

refusing to terminate retailers who sold Swatch 

watches at below the recommended retail price. 

Swatch Australia has denied the claims, 

though representatives from the ACCC are 

believed to have conducted interviews in 

relation to the case. 

Soapbox 

4Year of Reusable Value: “When 

the stock market is roaring and the 

equity in people’s homes is soaring, 

canny jewellers understand that 

‘reusable value’ to most people 

means ‘big, expensive bling’ and 

their jewellery collections and 

branding reflect that... 

‘Reusable value’ in a slightly less 

optimistic economic environment 

means placing an emphasis on 

the item’s quality and solidity.” 

– Andrew Cochineas, CEO Pallion 

New plan and venue for 

Design Awards announced 

Organisers of the JAA Australian Jewellery 

Design Awards have announced that Pandora 

will be the event’s major sponsor in 2010. 

The evening will include a dinner-dance to be 

held at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney on August 

30, concurrent with the IJF. The 2008 venue 

– the Art Gallery of NSW – was previously 

criticised for unmanageable noise levels. 

Some award categories will change this year: 

apprentices will now have to submit finished 

pieces instead of drawings; the Gold and 

Platinum categories have been combined, 

while Silver Jewellery and Hollow-ware are 

new categories. 


Retail Update 

A glimmer of hope and a time for unity 

The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) urges retailers to be optimistic, yet cautious following 

the release of annual retail sales growth figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). 

The ABS recorded growth of 3.25 per 

cent for the month of November – a 

welcome result, given the patchy and 

at times disappointing numbers 

throughout 2019. 

In particular, the figures from October 

fell far short of expectations, leading to 

uncertainty heading into the critical pre- 

Christmas trading period. 

The November figures indicate a pleasing 

rebound, vindicating those who predicted 

improvements driven by national sales 

– namely Click Frenzy, Black Friday, and 

Singles Day. 

At present, the ARA’s concern is the 

safety and wellbeing of those in bushfireaffected 

areas. 

Homes, businesses and lives have been 

lost, and the ARA has put in place a 

number of initiatives to provide support and 

assistance to the communities affected. 

One of the initiatives is a restocking 

program for retailers in bushfire-affected 

areas, conducted in conjunction with 

charity Good360. 

Stock will be collected from unaffected 

areas and redistributed to retailers who 

have been devastated by the fires. 

Initially e-commerce events, these events 

have now been adopted by bricks-andmortar 

retailers and will likely become 

permanent important fixtures in the 

retail calendar. 

Indeed, online retailing fell during 

November meaning consumers preferred 

the traditional in-store sale experience. 

Spending for the month was strongest in 

South Australia, Queensland and Victoria. 

Queensland also topped the year-on-year 

figures, closely followed by Tasmania. 

Previous attempts to stimulate consumer 

spending – namely interest rate cuts, tax 

rebates and the 3 per cent increase to the 

minimum wage – did not have a strong 

immediate effect, as had been hoped. Yet 

these factors may have contributed to the 

strong pre-Christmas lift. 

The numbers across each category of the 

retail sector indicate consumers were 

willing to spend on all the traditional festive 

preparations, with food and liquor showing 

notable increases. 

Australians were also generous in their 

gifting, with very strong annual growth 

in the clothing, footwear and personal 

accessories category – in which jewellery 

falls – and the best results for department 

stores since June 2016. 

Spending in cafes, restaurants, and on 

takeaway food – generally considered a 

proxy for consumer confidence – performed 

strongly, recording 3.9 per cent growth over 

the year to November. 

However, the ARA advises retailers to 

take a prudent approach in interpreting 

the results. 

The extent of the retail recovery into 2020 

may be limited by the devastating bushfire 

season, whose impact was yet to be felt in 

November. 

Bushfire relief for retailers 

Throughout December and January, the 

damage to businesses, supply chains and 

communities reached a devastating scale. 

The next sets of RBA data will reflect the 

extent of the natural disaster and its impact 

on consumer sentiments. 

The extent 

of the retail 

recovery into 

2020 may be 

limited by the 

devastating 

bushfire season 

All retailers, regardless of size, location in 

Australia, or ARA membership, are invited 

to participate by contacting Good360 and 

arranging a collection. Cash donations will 

also be accepted. 

The ARA is also offering its services 

– including advice on employment 

obligations, retail leasing and property law, 

and insurance – to all retailers affected by 

bushfires, regardless of whether they are 

ARA members. 

A central reference page has been 

made live on the ARA website: www. 

australian-retailers-association.com/ 

bushfire-relief-resources. 

The ARA urges all Australians to support 

the families and communities who now face 

hardship as a result of the disaster. 

Unity in the face of adversity is a defining 

feature of the Australian character, and it 

is time to stand shoulder to shoulder. 

Russell Zimmerman is the executive 

director of the Australian Retailers 

Association (ARA). info@retail.org.au 

The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is the largest association representing the country’s $310 billion 

retail sector, which employs more than 1.2 million people. Providing expert advice across multiple disciplines 

including leasing and wage rates, the ARA’s mission is to ensure retail success by informing, protecting, 

advocating, educating and saving money for members. 


INSIDE 

My Store 

Alex Monroe 

LONDON, UK with Emma Burgin-Fox, chief operating officer • SPACE COMPLETED The store – our second – was completed on 11 July 2019, and opened on 12 July 

4Who is the target market? 

Our jewellery appeals to different people for different 

reasons, so our customers have always had a very 

broad age range. 

With the Covent Garden store, our aim was to create 

a visual representation of the ‘world’ of Alex Monroe, 

rather than to attract a particular customer. 

Of course, being in a much more touristy, central 

location in London than our first store, we hoped 

to attract new people to the brand – and creating 

such an enchanting store environment was key to 

achieving this goal. 

4Which features encourage sales? 

We designed museum-style cabinets to be placed 

throughout the store, which were handmade for 

us in Devon, UK. They encourage browsing and a 

sense of discovery. 

Meanwhile, our ‘Gold Room’ was designed to feel as 

if you were stepping into a jewellery box. 

A recreation of an antique jeweller’s bench is in the 

middle, complete with velvet-cushioned workshop 

stools to give customers time and space to linger over 

their purchases. 

4What is the store design’s ‘wow factor’? 

Hopefully we have a few ‘wow factors’, but the main 

one is definitely our ‘Bee Wall’ that was created in 

homage to our signature Bumblebee necklace. Alex’s 

original design was enlarged, and then 3D-printed 

to create a swarm up the wall. The bees can also be 

spotted throughout the store. 

The Gold Room, as mentioned previously, is a major 

feature, and a personal favourite of mine is the 

antique seat we re-upholstered in Liberty-print velvet. 

We have been thrilled with the response to our new 

store, and our team there feel very much at home. 


Your 

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Completing my Diploma in 

Gemmology has benefited 

me as a jeweller in more 

ways than I ever expected. 

I have always had an interest 

in gemstones and found 

the course was not only 

informative and challenging 

but immensely rewarding. 

Studying with the GAA has also 

allowed me to meet like-minded 

people from many facets of the 

jewellery industry and grants me access 

to resources that I will continue to use 

throughout my professional career. 

Emma Meakes FGAA 

Jeweller, John Miller Design - WA 

Diploma in 

Gemmology 

Enrolments now open 

For more information 

1300 436 338 

learn@gem.org.au 

www.gem.org.au 

Be 

Brilliant 

Gem-Ed Australia 

ADELAIDE BRISBANE HOBART MELBOURNE PERTH SYDNEY 

Passionately educating the industry, gem enthusiasts 

and consumers about gemstones

LEARN ABOUT 

Gems 

L to R: Blue sapphire with asterism; yellow topaz with chatoyancy against background of assorted gemstones. 

A guide to asterism and chatoyancy 

The beauty of gemstones resides in the 

optical properties associated with light, 

be it light reflected within the body of 

the gem or from the gem’s surface. 

Alongside colour and lustre, sheen is an 

optical property that engenders beauty in 

a gem. 

This property is often described as giving 

certain gems a ‘mystical’ appearance. 

In the ancient world, a gem that displayed 

sheen belonged to the gods and was 

believed to impart magical powers. 

Sheen – which is caused by the reflection 

of light off a gem’s internal inclusions – 

is seen in a variety of forms within the 

gem world, and each form has a different 

gemmological name. 

For example, iridescence is the form 

of sheen that makes moonstone and 

labradorite so attractive to our eyes. 

Two unusual and interesting forms of sheen 

are asterism and chatoyancy. 

Gems that display asterism and chatoyancy 

contain inclusions that reflect light in a 

particular way. 

How these inclusions are arranged will 

determine if a gem displays asterism or 

chatoyancy. 

If we look into a gem and see a star shape, 

this form of sheen is called asterism. 

The term comes from the Ancient Greek 

word aster, meaning ‘star’. 

Gems that display asterism are highly 

sought by collectors. 

The gem type, the clarity of the star and 

number of star points – four, six or 12 – 

are factors that can influence its value. 

To highlight the star and show its optimal 

effect, the cutter will fashion the gem as 

a cabochon. 

Sapphire and ruby, diopside, garnet and 

rose quartz can display asterism. 

When asterism is present, the gem is 

named by using ‘star’ as a prefix, followed 

by the gem name, for example, star 

sapphire or star ruby. 

Asterism occurs when light is reflected off 

inclusions of fine crystals or fibres that are 

orientated at specific angles to each other. 

In a star sapphire, fine needles of hematite 

or rutile intersect at 60 degrees. 

In a star diopside, the fibres intersect at 

73 degrees. 

Light moves across the surface as the 

gem’s orientation changes. In turn, the 

strength and brightness of the star changes. 

Chatoyancy refers to sheen created by light 

reflecting off parallel channels, crystals or 

fibres included within the gem. 

Asterism 

From Ancient 

Greek aster, 

meaning ‘star’ 

Chatoyancy 

From French oeil 

de chat, meaning 

‘cat’s eye’ 

The term chatoyancy comes from the French 

term oeil de chat, meaning ‘cat’s eye’. 

A chatoyant gem displays a single bright 

band of reflected light across its surface. 

Just as a cat’s eye, seen at night, shows a 

single line that changes as it moves, the band 

on a chatoyant gem also alters its position 

as the gem is moved under a light source. 

To highlight the cat’s eye effect, the 

cutter will use a cabochon cut. 

Many gems can display chatoyancy, 

including tiger’s eye – a member of the 

quartz gem family – chrysoberyl, emerald 

and tourmaline. 

Chatoyant gems are named by using the 

gem’s name first, then the term ‘cat’s eye’ 

as a suffix, for example, tourmaline cat’s 

eye or chrysoberyl cat’s eye. 

Sheen is an important optical property 

that contributes to the beauty, value and 

desirability of many gemstones. 

Asterism and chatoyancy are two forms of 

sheen that make the gem world so exciting 

and enticing. 

Susan Hartwig FGAA combines her love 

for writing with a passion for gems and 

jewellery through her gemmology blog, 

ellysiagems.com. For more information 

on gemmology courses and gemstones, 

visit gem.org.au 


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What are you looking for? 

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FEATURE 

Forecasting 

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR RETAILERS IN 2020? 

Business, like life, is best understood looking backwards – however, we live for the future. ARABELLA RODEN 

gazes into the crystal ball to discover the trends that could impact the retail landscape this year. 

The retail sector has not started the New 

Year well, with the past few months seeing 

high-profile retailers such as Harris 

Scarfe, JeansWest, EB Games, Bardot, 

Dimmeys and Napoleon Perdis closing 

stores or going into liquidation. 

There’s no hiding the fact that the Australian 

retail environment, much like the rest of the 

world, has been beset by negative or flat 

growth and shrinking margins. 

Some have laid the blame on increased 

competition from the internet. 

Yet that explanation falls short – especially 

given that online retailing affects traditional 

retailers in differing ways, depending on 

the category. 

There’s no doubt that a major issue 

affecting local retail is tenancy terms, with 

many major retail companies, such as 

Solomon Lew’s Premier Investments, now 

publicly criticising landlords who refuse to 

decrease lease costs. 

In many cases, retail stores are only 

unprofitable due to legacy rents that do not 

reflect current trading patterns. 

As a result, retailers are forced to make 

a difficult but logical decision: better to 

close a store and focus elsewhere than 

challenge landlords. 

Both Lew and Mark McInnes, Premier’s 

chief executive officer, have been candid 

regarding the future of its retail brands, 

which include Just Jeans, Smiggle, Peter 

Alexander, Jay Jays and Dotti. 

Late last year, McInnes told the Sydney 

Morning Herald that while Premier wouldn’t 

hesitate to close stores in cases where 

landlords refuse to give the company the 

same rent deals offered to competitors or 

international retailers. 

“Many landlords have offered capital 

incentives and lower rent to attract 

international fashion companies, and we 

have been asking for exactly those same 

capital deals and rental deals. 

“It’s not our objective to close stores, but if 

landlords don’t provide realistic rents… we 

will,” he said. 

Premier’s stance follows similar threats 

from department store giants Myer 

and David Jones, which are currently 

renegotiating leases to shrink store sizes 

and cut costs. 

While reducing costs and floorspace 

Rental 

renegotiation 

will come to 

the fore this 

year... Therefore 

2020 will see 

a major change 

in the profile 

of retail 

tenancies 

at shopping 

centres and 

precincts 

could seem defeatist, it may prove to be a 

pragmatic strategy and negotiation tool. 

As some industry commentators have put it, 

the only thing that will make landlords stand 

up and take notice is stores closing. 

According to Barry Urquhart, managing 

director of Marketing Focus, “The rapid rate 

of failures and liquidations in Australian 

retailing is a consequence of fundamentally 

inappropriate and outdated business 

models that have their roots in the 1960s 

with the birth of consumerism. 

“They have not been updated, therefore 

the cause is the wrong business model. 

Australian retailing has not changed with 

that dynamic and the current market.” 

Urquhart told Jeweller that 2020 will be 

a year of significant structural change, 

evolution and growth: “Cost structures are 

the problem. Rental renegotiation will come 

to the fore this year. 

“People like Solomon Lew have realised 

they are at a competitive disadvantage with 

the big groups that come in [to Australia] 

and say to landlords, ‘We are not going 

to pay a percentage rent and we are not 

paying incremental rent rises based on the 

consumer price index.’ “Therefore 2020

FE AT UR E 

Forecast 

Retail Feature | WHAT’S IN STORE FOR RETAILERS IN 2020? 

will see a major change in the profile 

of retail tenancies at shopping centres 

and precincts.” 

With that said, there is no way to outrun 

or renegotiate the widespread change 

affecting the entire business world, 

beyond retail. 

The Australian Consumer and Retail 

Studies (ACRS) research unit asks the 

question: What does the future of retail 

look like? ACRS leads the country in 

studying consumer behaviour and the retail 

industry and is part of Monash University 

Business School’s Department 

of Marketing. 

Its website provides an answer, indicating 

that retail will promote wellbeing, 

strengthen community connection and 

social interaction – while increasing 

visitation, dwell time, engagement, 

consumer satisfaction and sales. 

“2020 has started amidst the closure of 

many retail stores including EB Games and 

Harris Scarfe. Meanwhile, online shopping 

has continued to grow in Australia, seeing 

an average of 14.3 per cent growth annually 

for the past five years. 

“Why would consumers shop at physical 

stores? Online retail is more convenient, 

has a wider range of products, and is often 

cheaper than their physical counterparts,” 

it’s recent insight paper stated. 

“However, online retail cannot replace 

the ability of physical stores to provide 

experiences to customers. Physical 

retailers are not all rolling over in the face 

of e-commerce – many are incorporating 

unique and interesting experiences to draw 

consumers away from their homes and 

back into the store.” 

Susan Reda, vice-president of education 

strategy at the US National Retail 

Federation (NRF), believes retailers will 

take a holistic approach to the challenges 

of e-commerce, using new methods to 

communicate with potential customers. 

She writes, “The lines between channels, 

products, technology companies and 

social media entities are no longer clearly 

delineated. Retailers have been branching 

out for some time now, far beyond [the] 

familiar channels.” 

Alongside these factors is a broad 

shift in consumer behaviour toward 

environmentally aware purchasing – 

particularly among younger cohorts, 

explains Dr Eloise Zoppos, senior research 

consultant and research fellow at the ACRS. 

“In 2019, we saw more and more 

consumers engage in mindful and 

sustainable consumer choices and retail 

behaviours. This will continue in 2020,” 

she tells Jeweller. 

Technological change has been one of the 

most disruptive forces of the past 10 years – 

and perhaps nowhere is this more apparent 

than in the retail sector. 

In particular, e-commerce, mobile 

shopping, and social media have changed 

consumer behaviour and dramatically 

altered the margins of the trade. 

Steven Van Belleghem, an academic and 

business consultant based in Belgium, 

predicts that retail’s next frontier is smart 

devices and virtual assistants, like the 

Google Home or Amazon Echo Dot. 

“I’m a big believer in the increased 

autonomy of smart devices and virtual 

assistants and the impact that this will 

have on the relationship between brands 

and their customers,” he writes on his 

blog, stevenvanbelleghem.com. 

Van Belleghem adds, “In 2020, this 

trend of machines talking to machines 

– fridges telling virtual assistants to buy 

milk or printers notifying Amazon that 

they ran out of toner – and the according 

disintermediation of the active customer 

decisions will only increase.” 

So, what’s in store for retailers in 2020? 

Below is a compilation of insights from 

a range of local and international retail 

experts on what they see as the most 

important elements retailers need to 

consider to not only to survive, but 

thrive in the coming years. 

Focus on delivery 

For decades, convenience has been a 


Predictions 

In a Nutshell 

Faster 

delivery 

Autonomous 

delivery; 

investment in 

the ‘last mile’; 

stores-asdistribution 

centres 

Conscious 

consumerism 

Green 

marketing; 

rise of 

the rental 

economy; 

reduced 

consumption 

Face-to-face 

technology 

Data and tech 

services for 

personalised 

experience; 

apps and 

systems 

enable the 

‘human touch’ 

Experiential 

retail 

Emphasis 

on customer 

experience 

and sensory 

extras 

Essential 

branding 

Independents 

invest in 

storytelling, 

personality 

‘authenticity’; 

monoliths 

remain pricefocused 

driving force of consumer decision-making. 

For retailers, that once meant providing a 

product or experience within a short driving 

distance of the customer’s work or home. 

Today, consumers – particularly those in the 

Millennial and Gen Z demographic – show a 

strong preference for on-demand products 

and services. 

The phenomenon has been termed the 

‘Amazon effect’ with the e-commerce 

juggernaut’s overnight Prime delivery now 

the benchmark of customer service for both 

online-only and omni-channel retailers. 

In the US, the app-based courier service 

Postmates delivers products within an 

hour. In Australia, online fashion business 

The Iconic offers 30-minute delivery to 

metro addresses. 

US retail expert Richard Shapiro, author 

of The Endangered Customer: Eight Steps 

to Guarantee Repeat Business, says 

consumers’ expectation of total convenience 

will require retailers to invest more heavily 

in expensive ‘last mile’ delivery – the 

movement of goods from a transportation 

hub to the final destination – in 2020. 

This investment will likely include digital 

last-mile tracking services to improve 

logistical efficiency, as well as alternative 

delivery options such as on-demand 

courier-style models – which, despite 

having a higher marginal cost, can be 

useful for time-sensitive deliveries. 

The National Retail Federation has even 

advised US retailers to use their physical 

stores as a ‘unified distribution centre’ in 

order to improve margins. Writing on the 

Center For Client Retention website, 

Shapiro predicts that autonomous delivery 

services will also begin to penetrate the 

market this year. 

Conscious consumerism continues 

Retail experts believe one of the key 

trends of 2019 – sustainability and 

conscious consumerism – will continue 

to impact retailers this year, driven by 

the Gen Z cohort. 

Born between 1995 and 2009, these 

consumers will “grow in demographic 

power and consumer spend,” according to 


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Retail Feature | WHAT’S IN STORE FOR RETAILERS IN 2020? 

Dr Zoppos.“’Conscious consumerism’ will 

gain in popularity, with consumers seeking 

to buy less. 

“However, they will be willing to pay more 

in order to avoid unethical manufacturing 

processes, environmental degradation, and 

the exploitation of resources,” she predicts. 

Shapiro describes sustainability as a 

“monolithic trend with the weight of youth 

behind it”. 

While there are opportunities for retailers 

willing to focus on ‘green marketing’ – a 

strategy notably embraced by lab-grown 

diamond companies in 2019 – Shapiro 

warns that younger consumers are now 

willing to “rent and share items they 

would once have bought” due to 

environmental concerns. 

“Sustainable culture is poised to impact 

consumption at the expense of designers, 

manufacturers, merchants, and supply 

chains that underestimate or, God forbid, 

ignore it. One result is that brick-andmortar 

retailers are going to find it more 

difficult than ever to persuade consumers to 

drive over and come on in,” he warns. 

Reda calls sustainability “the elephant 

in the room” for businesses. “Shifting to 

more sustainable practices is a move the 

industry needs and customers demand. 

Still, it’s fraught with years-long, protracted 

processes and stringent requirements.” 

Meanwhile, Van Belleghem predicts 

that consumers will increasingly expect 

businesses to accomplish a ‘positive sum 

game’, improving the environment and 

lifting living standards. 

He believes formal ‘chief ethical officer’ 

roles will begin to emerge across different 

businesses and sectors in 2020. 

The human touch 

In order to entice consumers to continue 

shopping, Dr Zoppos predicts businesses 

will make greater investments into staff 

training and service-based technology. 

“A great retail experience starts with a 

frontline workforce that is knowledgeable, 

passionate, and knows how to get the 

shopper and store assistant relationship 

just right. Retailers that invest in datapowered 

equipment to empower their 

staff can expect a lift in customer 

experience,” she says. 

Shapiro agrees, describing the ‘human 

component’ as essential to retail. He points 

to mobile technology that allows online 

shoppers to interact with in-store staff via 

chat, photo and video. 

“John Hardy, a retailer of handcrafted 

jewellery, uses a software platform to 

provide the type of personalised service its 

customers could previously only receive 

in-store… It will be fascinating to see how 

far and quickly it spreads and what comes 

next,” he adds. 

Personalisation was one of the most 

significant trends in retail over the past 

decade and Dr Zoppos says technology will 

aid staff in delivering this element of the 

shopping experience. 

“Retailers like Melissa Shoes are leading 

the way; the Miami-based brand is currently 

piloting an opt-in facial recognition kiosk 

to recognise shoppers when they enter the 

store and notify sales associates of their 

arrival,” she explains. 

Using the kiosk system, staff are able to 

view the customer’s previous purchases 

and preferences, enabling them to deliver 

personalised service. 

However, Reda says “very few” retailers 

have achieved the level of personalisation 

that consumers have come to expect after 

years of using Spotify, Netflix, and YouTube. 

However, she points to several omnichannel 

retailers – including beauty and 

cosmetics chain Sephora – that have 

created a more personalised customer 

experience by applying data from their 

loyalty program and e-commerce sales. 

Reda predicts retailers will begin to use 

artificial intelligence and machine learning 

to personalise their products and services, 

though the sheer volume of customer data 

will overwhelm most businesses. 

Increased interactivity 

Interactive displays, events, and sensory 

experiences like food and live music have 

been utilised by retailers to make their 

store memorable and induce brand loyalty 

in consumers. 

Alongside personalised e-commerce, 

Reda believes experiential retail will be 

“imperative” in 2020, demanding greater 

resources from store-owners. 

E-commerce retailers will continue to 

establish pop-up stores and events to add 

an experiential element to their offering. 

Experience 

matters most 

these days, 

and the 

retailers 

who remain 

the most 

vulenerable 

will be those 

who refuse 

to change 

SUSAN REDA 

“Experience matters most these days, 

and the retailers who remain the most 

vulnerable will be those who refuse to 

change,” Reda says. 

The jewellery industry is uniquely placed to 

take advantage of these trends. 

Jewellery remains somewhat sheltered 

from the winds of technological change, 

unlike many other categories – think video 

and music stores – and jewellers still have 

the ability to offer a point of difference, often 

called a unique selling proposition (USP). 

One point of difference for independent 

retailers is customer service and the need 

for shoppers to ‘touch and feel’ jewellery. 

But perhaps the greatest USP in the 

jeweller’s armoury is design; few stores offer 

the customer an active role in designing and 

creating of their own unique product. 

Branding gets personal 

In order to compete with e-commerce 

giants like Amazon, branding will become 

increasingly important for independent 

retailers in 2020. 

“In this autonomous world and [with] the 

rise of the subscription model… branding 

will only gain in importance. 

“That’s because the former will push 

every product and every service towards a 

commodity – and sharing a unique voice 

and vision will become of the essence to 

stay afloat,” Van Belleghem says, adding 

that the most successful brands will be 

the ones who present with a strong 

personality and point of view. 

Marketers embraced the term ‘authenticity’ 

in 2019 – alongside diversity and inclusion – 

and Reda believes companies will continue 

to emphasise those elements in their 

branding strategies in 2020. 

“Successful retailers need to embrace 

these tenets in their storytelling; it’s not 

just about marketing, it’s about reflecting 

that [‘authentic’] storytelling across the 

business,” she explains, adding that 

customers respond to businesses that 

reflect their own values and experiences, 

and reward them with loyalty. 

Across the globe, retailers are facing the 

same challenges. However, with appropriate 

investment and innovation in the areas of 

delivery, staff, branding and sustainability, 

businesses can position themselves to 

withstand the pressures of the modern 

retail landscape. 


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SPECIAL FEATURE 

Pearls 

DIVING INTO THE PEARL SECTOR 

WAVES of CHANGE 

From environmental challenges to a surprising new consumer market, 

ARABELLA RODEN explores recent developments in the pearl sector. 

After a long-dormant period in the jewellery market, 

pearls enjoyed something of a renaissance in the 2010s, 

returning to fashion catwalks and jewellery houses in 

new and exciting designs. 

With a wide variety of cultured pearls on the market – and 

their comparatively affordable price point – consumers 

responded with enthusiasm. 

The renewed passion for pearls was reflected in recordbreaking 

auction prices. A large natural pearl pendant once 

belonging to French queen Marie Antoinette sold for $US36.1 

million ($AU53.8 milion) in 2018, more than ten times its 

estimate; the La Peregrina pearl necklace, previously owned 

by actress Elizabeth Taylor, was auctioned for $US11 million 

($AU16.4 million) in 2011. 

Since then, the sector has continued to evolve, with ever 

more creative settings and combinations of pearls with 

other gemstones and metals. 

To cope with the increased demand, pearling operations 

have expanded to more than 30 countries. 

More than 98 per cent of the pearls produced worldwide 

are freshwater cultured pearls grown in China. Meanwhile, 

Japan, French Polynesia, Indonesia, and Australia are leading 

producers of saltwater pearls, including Akoya, Tahitian, and 

South Sea pearls. 

In its December report, US research firm Arizton Advisory & 

Intelligence projected that the global pearl jewellery market 

would expand by 13 per cent between 2019 and 2025. 

QUICK 

NUMBERS 

13% 

predicted 

expansion 

of pearl 

jewellery 

market, 

2019 – 2025 

30+ 

number of 

countries 

producing 

pearls 

60% 

decline 

in pearl 

production, 

2009 – 2019 

39% 

decline in 

output value 

of pearls, 

2009 – 2019 

However, the pearl sector is also facing serious challenges, 

including declining output and quality. According to research 

from the South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute 

(SCSFRI) and Australia’s University of the Sunshine Coast 

(USC), published in 2019, global pearl production fell by 60 

per cent and output value by 39 per cent over the past decade. 

The sensitivity of pearl molluscs to environmental change, 

pollution, and natural disasters – as well as the technical 

precision required for sustainable pearl husbandry – place 

unique constraints on this sector of the jewellery industry. 

As a result, jewellers are turning to a variety of countries 

for their pearls, exploring more local options, or opting for 

sophisticated pearl simulants to satisfy customers’ desire 

for the gem’s uniquely captivating sheen. 

Perfectly imperfect 

One of the dominant trends of the past two years is the rise 

of baroque – irregular shaped – pearls, and demand shows 

no sign of slowing down in 2020. 

Ikecho Australia stocks a wide variety of Akoya, Mabe, 

freshwater, Australian South Sea and Tahitian pearl jewellery, 

and founder Erica Miller says freshwater baroque style pearls 

have been the most commonly purchased shape over the past 

12 months. 

Far from the uniform symmetry of a classic round pearl, 

baroques reflect the organic and unpredictable nature of 

pearl formation – and allow jewellers abundant opportunities 

for creative design.

Pearl Feature | WAVES OF CHANGE 

They have been seen on the recent catwalks of fashion 

houses like Alexander McQueen and Dolce & Gabbana. 

“In the past 12 months we have seen trends towards the 

baroque shaped pearls, with the irregularity and uniqueness 

of each baroque pearl appealing to customers more recently,” 

says Justin Linney, creative director at Linneys Jewellery 

in Perth. 

Rachael Abbott, marketing director at Timesupply – which 

distributes Coeur de Lion, Qudo and Dansk – has also 

noticed the baroque trend in the fashion jewellery category. 

“The Dansk Baroque pearl collection has proven very 

popular, adding texture and contrast to this already very 

unique, edgy range inspired by the raw structure of nature.” 

This trend is in line with the Gen Z and Millennial consumers’ 

desire for authenticity and personalisation; instead of a 

perfectly matched string of pearls, consumers are embracing 

mismatched earrings and multicolour strand necklaces. 

“Multi-coloured strands are an easy-to-wear option because 

one strand goes with a lot of colours in terms of clothing, and 

can work both in the evening and daytime,” says June Mann, 

director of Pearl Specialists, which supplies Japanese Akoya, 

South Sea and Tahitian pearls. 

“Pearls with a strong design element – not just plain strands 

but mix of different sizes, or pieces that combine pearls with 

different gemstones – have also become more popular.” 

Meanwhile, Linney says the fashion jewellery sector’s trend 

for faux pearl hair clips and pearl-embellished clothing has 

“translated through to fine jewellery”, with Linneys Jewellery 

receiving more enquiries into brooches and pins. 

Colour and lustre 

However, baroques are not the only trend shaping today’s 

pearl market. There is still room for the classics, with Miller 

noting that large freshwater pearls – measuring more than 

12mm – have become popular due to their ability to mimic 

the expensive look of South Sea pearls. 

Australian South Sea pearls are considered to be the highest 

quality and most expensive in the world. Grown in Pinctada 

maxima giant oysters off the coast of Western Australia in 

saltwater beds, these pearls are prized for their large size 

and enticing lustre, which is likened to a soft glow rather 

than the more mirror-like sheen of freshwater pearls. 

“Our collection is predominantly the Australian South Sea 

pearls as we are renowned for creating unique jewellery with 

these pearls – although we also love working with golden 

South Sea and black Tahitian pearls,” Linney says. 

Indeed, the wider market is embracing golden South Sea 

pearls, largely sourced from the Philippines and Indonesia. 

Jewelmer, a company specialising exclusively in golden South 

Sea pearls and pearl jewellery, opened its first boutique 

outside the Philippines, in Palm Beach, Florida, last year. 

In the CIBJO Pearl Commission’s annual report, published in 

November last year, Jewelmer noted that Myanmar (Burma) 

is a burgeoning competitor in the golden South Sea pearl 

market, though quality and volume remain unstable. 

Autore 

Annoushka 

Ikecho Australia 

Linneys 

Paspaley 

Further along the colour spectrum, Mann says “darker 

natural blue Akoya have become popular in the 8mm and 

above sizes, both round and baroque, and peacock-coloured 

Tahitian pearls remain popular, particularly larger sizes of 

12mm and above.” 

A significant benefit of pearls is their broad colour spectrum, 

which makes these gems adaptable to different jewellery 

designs and finishes. 

In addition to classic white Australian South Sea pearls and 

Japanese Akoya pearls, and black Tahitian pearls, Ikecho 

stocks freshwater Edison pearls. These nucleated pearls 

are grown in the Hyriopsis cumingii, or triangle mussel, 

and display natural colours of purple, peach, pink, and gold, 

as well as white and grey. Ikecho also stocks multicolour 

freshwater Keshi pearl bracelets and multicolour Tahitian 

pearl necklaces. 

Faux pearls such as Swarovski crystal pearls are another 

option for jewellers looking to offer a broader range of 

colours and cater to the fashion jewellery market. They have 

the added benefit of being more hardwearing than natural 

pearls, which are graded at 2.5 on Mohs’ scale. 

“Pearl-style jewellery continues to be popular, with unique 

uses of complementary materials such as cut glass and 

Swarovski crystals in rose gold and champagne tones 

creating a beautiful an elegant style alongside pearl 

textures,” Abbott explains. 

She adds, “Swarovski crystal pearls continue to be very 

popular in the Qudo Interchangeable range, where a variety 

of styles and colours adorn rings, necklaces, earrings 

and bracelets.” 

Unusual appeal 

Perhaps the most unusual development in the sector is 

the increased number of men embracing pearl jewellery. 

Pearls have long been associated with femininity, and 

traditionally, men have preferred more robust gemstone 

or metal pieces that require less care. 

Yet, men’s pearl jewellery – particularly necklaces, but 

also earrings and brooches – have recently graced the 

menswear collections of designers like Gucci and Dior. 

Meanwhile, Japanese pearl producer Mikimoto recently 

announced a jewellery collection designed with fashion brand 

Commes des Garçons. 

Lead by celebrities including rapper A$AP Rocky, singers 

Harry Styles and Shawn Mendes, and actors Ezra Miller 

and Kris Wu, the men’s pearl trend is beginning to gain 

traction on the red carpet as well as the catwalk. 

Some jewellers have already incorporated pearls into their 

men’s collections – albeit in a more subtle and conservative 

way, to appeal to the tastes of Australian customers. 

At Linneys Jewellery, Tahitian pearls are fashioned into 

neoprene cuffs, nestled alongside 18-carat rose gold, 

tantalum metal, and flush-set white diamonds. 

“We notice that men are initially given jewellery as a gift, 

then once they start wearing it and enjoying it, they will 


PEARL COLOUR CHART 

A RAINBOW 

of 

COLOURS 

Linneys 

Like diamonds, untreated pearls can be found in a wide 

variety of colours. The colour of a pearl is determined by 

the type of mollusc it originates from, the thickness of its 

nacre, and miscroscopic pigments in its conchiolin – the 

organic ‘glue’ within the nacre. 

There are three components when observing pearl colour: 

body colour, overtone, and orient. The body colour is the 

dominant hue of the pearl, while the overtone refers to the 

‘translucent’ or reflective colours of the pearl and the orient 

is the rainbow-like iridescence of the pearl. 

WHITE 

Both saltwater and freshwater molluscs can 

produce the classic white pearl, but Australian 

South Sea pearls from the silver-lipped Pinctada 

maxima are the most sought after. 

BLACK 

The black-lipped oysters of the South Pacific, 

Pinctada margaritifera, produce natural black 

pearls, often referred to as Tahitian pearl. 

Rainbow-lipped oysters – Pteria sterna, found 

in Mexico – also produce natural black pearls. 

LAVENDER 

Freshwater pearls from the Hyriopsis cumingii 

mussels occur in shades from pale lilac to deep 

violet. They are often grown in China. 

PINK 

Freshwater pearls – those grown in mussels like 

Hyriopsis cumingii and Cristaria plicata – can be 

naturally pink. They are commonly farmed in 

China and Japan. 

GOLD 

Gold-lipped Pinctada maxima oysters produce 

golden South Sea pearls. These pearls can range 

from soft champagne to deep gold, with more 

saturated colour commanding higher prices. They 

are found in the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia 

and Myanmar (Burma). 

GREEN 

On the east coast of Australia, Pinctada fucata are 

cultured to produce Akoya pearls with a variety of 

natural hues, including a unique silver-green. 

Proudly distributed by 

02 9417 0177 | www.dgau.com.au

L to R: Autore, Paspaley, Kailis, Ikecho Australia 

feel confident to buy it for themselves,” Linney says. “The 

black Tahitian pearls provide a stunning range of colours 

– from peacock green to grey and purple hues – that give a 

masculine look to the men’s jewellery. Pearls are also more 

hard-wearing than people assume,” he adds. 

Indeed, while pearls have a reputation for fragility, treatments 

such as bleaching are often responsible for cracks and 

splits in the nacre. Untreated pearls may be selected to 

avoid this problem. 

Additionally, men’s pearl cuffs are also unlikely to be 

degraded by hairspray, perfume and cosmetics, which 

can occur with women’s jewellery. 

To ensure pearl pieces last, Mann recommends jewellery 

retailers offer all customers advice on pearl care, including 

cleaning and storage. “Proper care makes a lot of difference 

how long they will keep their beauty,” she says. 

Factors impacting the pearl supply 

While the pearl market remains robust, there are challenges 

in sourcing both locally and internationally. 

“Because pearls are an natural organic gemstone, they 

are not always available, depending on the time of year,” 

Miller explains. “At harvest time, sometimes we can’t supply 

particular shapes and colours. Our customers understand, 

and we will offer them an alternative to suit their needs.” 

As an organic gemstone from the marine environment, the 

pearl supply is also particularly susceptible to changes to 

ecosystems and farming practices. 

The SCSFRI and USC research noted that “urbanisation 

and industrialisation in traditional pearl farming areas, and 

stressed and impoverished coastal environments have led to 

some serious problems and big challenges for sustainable 

development of the pearl aquaculture industry.” 

These factors have reduced oyster supply, growth rates, 

survival, and pearl yield and quality in some countries. 

Perhaps the most well known example is the proliferation 

of Akoya viral disease amongst the Japanese oyster 

population in 1996. An influx of pollution caused widespread 

immunological collapse among Akoya pearl-producing 

Pinctada fucata, drastically reducing pearl yield and quality. 

In 2019, Japanese authorities confirmed the sudden death 

of 20 million Akoya pearl oysters, reducing stock by 70 per 

cent in some areas. 

According to Takeshi Miura, a professor at Ehime University 

Faculty of Agriculture, it was the first mass die-off since 1996. 


Trend: 

Men in Pearls 

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collection 2020 

Harry Styles has been 

spotted in pearls multiple 

times in the past year 

Shawn Mendes wore 

pearls at the MTV VMAs 

and the 2020 Grammys 

Miura attributed the deaths to multiple factors, including 

underfeeding and overcrowding, and the effects are 

expected to be felt in 2021, when the oysters would have 

been harvested. 

Meanwhile, Chinese pearl producers have faced several 

rounds of government bans and closures over the past 

four years for breaches of water quality standards, 

introduced in 2015. 

In order to increase production, farms also began 

overstocking and reducing the production cycle – harvesting 

earlier than usual – resulting in pearls with thin nacre. 

As a result, the Chinese pearl industry has consolidated 

into fewer producing farms, and increasingly relied on postharvest 

treatments such as bleaching and maeshori. 

A technique developed in Japan, maeshori is used to 

improve lustre, one of the most critical pearl grading 

elements alongside size, shape, colour and surface quality. 

It also assists in the bleaching process, known as hyohaku. 

However, maeshori leaves the nacre more brittle, and 

over-treatment can cause pearls to become ‘chalky’. 

Recent reports suggest maeshori is now extremely 

widespread in the Chinese and Japanese freshwater 

pearl industries – to the extent that many do not consider 

it a ‘treatment’, but rather a normal component of 

pearl processing. 

Mann, who sources Akoya pearls in Japan, explains, “Not 

everyone follows the same process, but maeshori is the 

standard practice on Akoya pearls in some form or another, 

except for genuine namadama – completely untreated/ 

unprocessed pearls. 

“The details of the process can vary. Maeshori usually 

involves soaking the pearls in an alcohol solution to make 

the bleaching process more effective and to remove some 

of the yellow hue.” 

Mann considers alcohol-soaking maeshori to be “more 

of a mild pre-processing than a treatment” as it does not 

substantially change the pearls. 

Japan remains the largest Akoya pearl producer in the world, 

with an industry valued at $US127 million ($AU189 million) 

per year. 

According the CIBJO Pearl Commission report, a new 

dedicated Pearl Council has been established in Japan with a 

mandate that includes promoting the sustainable production 

of oysters and pearls, improvement of productivity and quality 


Pearl Feature | WAVES OF CHANGE 

Kailis 

LEARN ABOUT 

What is maeshori? 

The term maeshori translates to ‘before treatment’ in Japanese. 

While techniques vary, it usually involves soaking pearls in hydrogen 

peroxide and/or methyl alcohol, mineral salts and ammonia, or 

alternately heating and chemically treating the gems in order to 

reduce the space between the nacre platelets. 

For this reason, it has been described as a pearl ‘facelift’ as it 

‘tightens’ the nacre and thereby improves lustre. 

June Mann, director Pearl Specialists, sources Akoya pearls in Japan 

that have undergone maeshori. She explains: “Generally, pearls 

that have gone through just maeshori – and also generally hyohaku 

(bleaching) – are still sold as ‘natural’, and certainly as muchoshoku, 

meaning not colour-enhanced. In fact, muchoshoku includes those 

pearls that have gone through both maeshori and hyohaku.” 

Mann considers the alcohol-soaking form of maeshori to be a mild 

form of pearl processing: “It is less of a treatment than the polishing 

that is often performed on Akoya, and certainly much less of a 

treatment than bleaching or colour enhancement,” she adds. 

Australian Akoya pearls – which are grown in limited numbers on 

the mid-north coast of New South Wales – do not undergo maeshori. 

They display a high-quality lustre due to thicker nacre, which is 

achieved through longer growth times for the oysters. 

of the pearls, and conservation of the pearl farm environment. 

Meanwhile, Katherine Kovacs, director K&K Export Import, says 

pearl stocks can be threatened by factors other than unsustainable 

farming practices or over-treatment. “Natural disasters can have a 

significant impact on pearl production as they can drastically alter 

the marine environment, as well as destroy the infrastructure of 

pearl farms,” she explains. 

Earthquakes are frequent in Indonesia, which is the world’s largest 

producer of South Sea pearls by volume. 

According to the CIBJO Pearl Commission report, “greater 

fluctuations in water temperature, ocean acidification, and the 

changing of the plankton profile” as a result of climate change will 

also limit pearl volumes from the Philippines in the next year. 

Supply chain integrity 

Alongside sustainability, provenance has become a focus of the 

broader jewellery industry. In the past 12 months, CIBJO released 

its first Responsible Sourcing Blue Book and its ‘Do’s And Don’ts’ 

guide to ethical and responsible gem handling. 

Speaking to Jeweller last year, Russell Shor, senior industry analyst 

Gemological Institute of America, said, “Along with sustainability, 

consumers also want to know where their gems, and even their 

gold, come from.” 

It’s a consumer trend noted by Linney, who adds that a pearl’s 

origin can form a unique selling point for jewellers: “Our customers 

are certainly interested to know where the pearls in their jewellery 

come from in regards to being ethically sourced, but also because 

it is part of the story as to how they were formed and the lure of 

the pearl,” he explains. 

MEMBER 

Est.1968 

AUSTRALIA’S WIDEST 

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ALL VARIETIES OF NATURAL 

COLOURED GEMSTONES 

NATURAL FANCY 

COLOURED DIAMONDS 

OPALS AND PEARLS 

03 9654 4449 

Level 4, Wales Corner 

227 Collins Street 

Melbourne VIC 3000 

gems@kandk.net.au 

However, there has been difficulty applying traceability intiatives to 

the global pearl industry. While the diamond industry has pursued 

blockchain tracking through laser inscription, the technique is not 

applied to pearls as they are not routinely certified. 

Additionally, scientific analysis of pearls cannot determine a pearl’s 

country of origin. However, it is not impossible to ensure traceability 

in the pearl supply chain. 

As of 2017, all commercial wild-catch oysters in Australia have 

been independently certified against the standards of the Marine 

Stewardship Council (MSC), an international non-profit organisation 

that promotes sustainable fishing. 

A spokesperson for the Marine Stewardship Council told Jeweller, 

“The MSC sustainability standards comprise not only how the 

oysters are caught in the wild, but also the journey through the 

supply chain from the ocean to the consumer. 

“To meet our Chain of Custody Standard, each part of the supply 

chain is audited. In order to achieve and maintain certification, 

companies undergo regular scheduled and unannounced 

surveillance audits from an independent accreditation body.” 

The MSC certification applies to all wild-caught Australian South 

Sea pearl oysters, such as those harvested by Paspaley, Australia’s 

oldest and largest pearling business. 

Ultimately, while the pearl sector may face unique difficulties in 

the short- and long-term, governments and businesses are 

responding to ensure the future remains bright for this uniquely 

beautiful gem.

FEATURE 

Staff Management 

THE KEY TO MOTIVATING AND 

MANAGING YOUR RETAIL STAFF 

One of the most crucial elements of business is managing your employees – 

but the task must be handled with care, writes retail expert PETER RYAN. 

Everything about the way a modern 

retail business approaches its people is 

fundamentally flawed. 

We see them as a ‘cost centre’. We call 

them ‘human resources’. We process 

manage them. We formalise ‘reviews’. 

We cover the ‘risks’ associated with them. 

Could we possibly get more transactional 

or patronising? 

Is it any wonder that most people put up 

with their ‘jobs’ as a means to an end rather 

than something they love? 

I’ll admit my bias right up front: I love great 

retail experiences – both delivering them 

and experiencing them. 

There is no greater feeling of satisfaction 

than being immersed in the joy of human 

beings when something just ‘works’ for 

them, and 99 per cent of those experiences 

are about human connection on a 

physiological level. 

It takes great people to deliver them and the 

right environment to magnify their impact. 

spent doing it is as much of the reward as 

what is in the bag – and because of that, the 

profit margin is higher. 

Not only does retail not need to be purely 

transactional, it cannot survive being 

purely transactional. 

What emerges from that evolutionary pond 

is a ‘supply to order’ world that is best 

served through efficient warehouses and 

fast distribution from a catalogue of options. 

The dialogue with our staff must change 

if we are to deliver the kind of customer 

experiences that have the power to pull 

retail out of the downward spiral that leads 

to the monochromatic world of ‘cheapest’. 

Motivating people requires empathy. They 

are not resources; they are our team, 

and the most important members of 

a retail team are the ones who face the 

customer every day. 

They are not a cost to be minimised so 

that management – or in some cases, 

shareholders – can make more money at 

their expense. 

Not only does 

retail not need 

to be purely 

transactional, it 

cannot survive 

being purely 

transactional 

an army of unmotivated people on any 

battlefield you care to name. 

If there is one great initiative Qantas CEO 

Alan Joyce brought into that company, it 

was sharing profits with all employees – 

the people who actually created those 

profits in the first place. 

The company negotiated fair base 

remuneration and conditions that allowed 

employees to have peace of mind; they 

could focus on contributing their best, 

rather than worrying about their 

families’ livelihood. 

The formal review is another management 

‘technique’ that needs to be annexed to the 

history books as yet another bad idea that is 

more about protecting middle management 

than it is about the kind of dialogue that 

produces win-win outcomes. 

Good managers know their people like a 

family member. They know their ambitions, 

how to motivate them as an individual and 

what their strengths and weaknesses are 

every day – not once a quarter. 

Retail is a human, multi-sensory, 

physiological experience where the time 

A retailer with fewer, yet better performing, 

staff members will beat a retailer with 

And just like any parent, they know each of 

their ‘kids’ are different and require different

Management Feature| MOTIVATING STAFF 

methods to get the most out of them, and 

to ensure they grow and prosper to meet 

their goals. 

What are we doing to our people? 

The sixth president of the United States, 

John Quincy Adams, once famously said, 

“If your actions inspire others to dream 

more, learn more, do more and become 

more, you are a leader.” 

Contemporary retail leadership teams 

talk a good game around these kinds 

of sentiments, but some of my recent 

encounters with large and small retailers 

make their claims sound increasingly 

hollow, resulting in three types of 

employee reactions. 

Modern retail businesses are indisputably 

becoming over-burdened by a mixture 

of political correctness and intellectual 

blindness – often the outcome of theoretical 

processes created by people who have 

never run retail businesses, nor had to 

deal with the pragmatism needed in the 

workplace to make it function, let alone 

become optimised. 

Risk management, legal, governance, 

procurement and human resources 

departments make up the major culprits. 

Many of us are yet to see a risk evaluation 

process that entirely removes risk from a 

business; a legal process that eradicates 

legal threats; governance that eliminates 

issues like those we have seen in the 

Royal Commission into financial services; 

procurement processes that are foolproof; 

and human resources departments that 

truly enable a productive, harmonious 

workforce from top to bottom. 

The employees that actually create the 

outputs frequently try to do the right thing 

by their business, following the guidelines 

and plans laid out by ‘managers’ in these 

five departments. 

Frequently, they are left frustrated and 

stymied by disconnected roadblocks that 

in many cases seem to have no idea of the 

working realities, strategies or goals of the 

very businesses for which they work. 

Often creating mini-fiefdoms and power 

plays, these ‘managers’ take decisions 

away from the very people businesses talk 

about ‘empowering’. 

The truth is that every employee working in 

a retail business is a manager of risk, legal, 

compliance, procurement, and motivation 

and interaction with fellow human beings – 

every single day of their career. 

We have allowed a system to evolve that 

slows us down, adds complexity and cost 

and increases risk. That is, it creates the 

opposite of what we are trying to achieve. 

And the reason we have allowed it to 

happen is grounded in fear. 

As a result, our employees have three 

reactions – they become ‘Gamers’, 

‘Survivors’ or ‘Plodders’: 

• The Gamers – these employees play 

politics for self-gain. 

They can achieve promotions within the 

company, but they do not materially 

improve the business; rather, their rise 

comes through opportunism and clever 

navigation of internal processes. 

• The Survivors – you’ll notice these are 

the employees that turn up each day and 

do the best they can in the circumstances, 

which is often less than their true potential. 

Frustration is the hallmark of these 

workers. They can feel burnt out and 

frequently end up leaving the company 

when they are not recognised, rewarded, or 

able to affect positive change. 

• The Plodders – these staff members keep 

a low profile and are focused simply on 

‘banking the pay cheque’. 

While they are not necessarily disengaged 

or underperform their everyday work, they 

aren’t motivated to improve. 

None of these employees optimise the 

business or make it more productive, 

because they are beaten into submission 

Three types 

of employees 

Gamers 

Play politics; 

rise through 

opportunism 

and exploiting 

the system 

Survivors 

Do the best 

they can 

despite the 

system; prone 

to ‘burn out’ 

Plodders 

Fulfil basic 

duties to ‘bank 

the cheque’; 

system offers 

no incentive 

to improve 

or distracted every day by the systems and 

processes they are forced to work within. 

In today’s retail environment, fear must 

take a back seat and retailers must become 

optimised and productive, or they will fail. 

That means taking the best from wellintentioned 

theories by adapting them in a 

pragmatic way that works for your business. 

It means truly empowering your people and 

trusting them to make the business better. 

Most of all, it means working hard to 

maintain a culture that gives and rewards its 

staff for taking real, productive responsibility. 

It is true that not everybody is honest or has 

integrity, but 99 per cent of your workforce 

does, and the other 1 per cent has no place 

in any business – let alone yours. 

Retail is human-centric, and human-centric 

means people. 

People come in all sorts of packages with 

all sorts of personalities and as a result, 

require different forms of motivation. 

Build a human-centric business and take 

the time to really know your people. 

Involve them. 

Trust them. 

Let them all share in the team outcome, 

rather than pitting them against one 

another, and you’ll build a business that can 

not only withstand the economic pressures 

of multi-platform retail, but prosper in a 

connected world that uses technology to 

enhance the physical rather than become 

a cheap, shallow replacement for it. 

When properly motivated and inspired, you’ll 

be shocked at how productive your staff 

members can be. 

Peter Ryan is the director of Red 

Communication, one of Australia’s leading 

retial strategy consulting businesses. 

redcommunication.com 


BUSINESS 

Retail Strategy 

HOW RETAILERS CAN REDUCE 

THEIR OCCUPANCY COSTS 

Negotiating – or renegotiating – a lease can be a difficult element of retail management. BRIAN WALKER 

provides advice for bricks-and-mortar retailers looking to reduce their tenancy costs in a shopping centre. 

There’s a famous quote by Jerome 

Lewis: “A neurotic is a man who builds 

a castle in the air. A psychotic is the man 

who lives in it. A psychiatrist is the man 

who collects the rent.” 

On average, 91 per cent of retail is done 

in physical stores, and approximately 85 

per cent of retail stores nationally reside in 

shopping centres. Talk of their demise is 

somewhat exaggerated, but they do have 

to adapt to changing retail conditions, and 

many are already doing so. 

In fact, we know that average sales are 

generally higher for omnichannel retailers 

– retail businesses which combine a 

physical presence with e-commerce – than 

e-commerce alone. Interestingly, physical 

store openings across the US, UK and 

Australia have outpaced closures over the 

past three years. 

There are 1,338 shopping centres in 

Australia, predominantly located on the 

eastern seaboard, attracting 85 per cent of 

overall shopping visitation from a national 

population of 25 million. 

That is approximately one shopping centre 

per 18,685 Australians. 

By comparison, the US’s population exceeds 

330 million with 1,100 enclosed shopping 

centres. 

In the Australian retail-trading environment, 

there is a multitude of space available and 

high concentration in our capital cities. 

So how do lease and tenancy costs get so 

high, and what can retailers do to lower 

these expenses? 

Since the beginning of time, there have been 

landlords and tenants – with both parties 

looking to maximise their investment. 

Centuries later, this basic principle of the 

landlord-lessee relationship still exists, 

and in today’s retail economy the topic of 

occupancy costs, being the ratio of rental 

paid to sales generated, achieves more 

focus than ever. 

As a tenant, there are a number of 

opportunities to decrease the occupancy 

cost to achieve a more sustainable 

business, which is of benefit to both the 

landlord and the lessee. 

Let’s examine two potential scenarios, 

the first being a prospective tenant at a 

shopping centre and the second where the 

QUICK 

NUMBERS 

1,338 

shopping 

centres in 

Australia 

91% 

of retail 

is done in 

physical 

stores 

85% 

of retail 

stores are 

in shopping 

centres 

existing tenant is considering renewing a 

lease. Regardless of the situation, there 

are some golden rules for decreasing 

occupancy costs that are applicable in 

both circumstances. 

Research, research, and research 

A retailer must gather as much knowledge 

as possible about the centre’s performance, 

category, and customer profile. As simple as 

it sounds, I often hear of leases being signed 

without any prior research being conducted. 

Some possible research methods include: 

Research by wandering around – using 

this method, a retailer stands outside the 

prospective store location and watches the 

quantity, type and patterns of the customer 

flow, revealing who is in the area and how 

they behave. 

Are these customers racing past, travelling 

to the car park, food court or to a major 

retailer? Or do they genuinely shop and 

browse in the area? 

It is also worthwhile to speak to existing 

tenants and watch how many customers 

are actually entering their premises, or 

shopping in nearby stores, versus just 


Retail Strategy 

passing by. All segments of the week should 

be observed, such as Monday mornings, 

mid-week afternoons, late night shopping, 

and most importantly the weekend. 

Examine demographic compatibility 

– is the proposed position of the store 

compatible with the surrounding stores? 

Using online census data or information 

from the shopping centre’s marketing 

manager, examine the origin, shift, age and 

disposable income profile of the shopping 

centre’s primary and secondary customer 

catchments. Local councils can provide 

useful information in this regard. 

What type of shopping centre is it, and what 

are the anchors? For example, do major 

retailers anchor the centre or is it a foodand-convenience 

centre? 

Understand the centre’s performance – 

as a contributor to the centre performance, 

a retailer is entitled to fully understand 

the centre in which they are about to 

do business. 

The centre manager and marketing 

manager are primary sources of this 

information. Here are the key performance 

indicators that should be discussed in a 

pre-tenancy meeting to help determine the 

centre’s performance: 

• GLA: gross lettable area of the centre 

• What is the centre’s marketing plan, 

including demographic profiles? 

• How can the retailer’s business fit 

into this marketing plan and what 

specific marketing promotions are 

relevant to their business? 

• What category promotions have 

worked and how were they measured? 

Once this information is provided it can 

be incorporated into the retailer’s own 

marketing plan. 

Remember that retail tenants pay a 

marketing levy and are entitled to utilise 

part of this investment. 

Being an active part of the centre’s 

marketing calendar should increase sales 

and, in turn minimise occupancy costs. 

Further questions to approach the centre 

and marketing manager could include: 

• What is the carpark capacity and the 

centre’s proximity to public transport? 

• How close will the store’s position be 

to an entrance and what percentage 

of the centre traffic does that 

entrance attract? 

• What, if any, are the proposed 

extensions to the centre and could 

the proposed tenancy be affected in 

any way? 

A retailer must 

gather as much 

knowledge as 

possible about 

the centre’s 

performance, 

category, and 

customer profile 

necessary step in this process to understand 

your current and future financial exposure. 

It is critical for a retailer to be completely 

familiar with the lease renewal terms and 

the financial impact of the lease over its 

fixed term. 

Given a conservative sales forecast, rental 

should be considered in relation to other 

costs, and the break-even point identified. 

A prospective tenant should also enquire as 

to whether an option period can be secured. 

Additionally, is the site rental comparable 

on a similar rate, per square metre, to all 

other existing competing merchants within 

the shopping centre in the same category 

of business? 

Knowing the answer to this question will 

help a retailer to ascertain that all their 

competitors have the same rental cost base. 

Retailers may also enquire as to whether the 

percentage rental can be lowered to account 

for unusually high sales in the first few 

weeks and months of the store’s opening. 

Additionally, a lease term shorter than five 

years may be possible. 

Flexibility is necessary in the modern retail 

environment, so having a shorter lease is 

an advantage. 

• PSM: sales per square metre for both 

the centre and the respective category 

• MAT: moving annual turnover and per 

cent movement on a PSM basis 

• Customer traffic per annum and 

percentage movement on prior year 

• Average spend per customer – note 

that a high average spend may be an 

indicator of affluence in the primary 

demographic, or low customer traffic 

• Category performance and percentage 

movement PSM on prior year 

• What is the history of the previous 

tenant and why did they leave? 

It is worth mentioning that previous leases 

are registered and held as a public record 

with the Land Titles office. 

Generally speaking, leases are often 

registered some 12 months after 

commencement and provide an indication 

of previous or current rentals being paid 

within a shopping centre. 

Once these fundamental details have been 

ascertained, the next golden rule applies. 

By the same token, it may be possible 

to secure a guarantee position that is 

less than the expected norm of a threemonth 

bank guarantee coupled with a 

director’s guarantee. 

Finally, determine whether the landlord will 

assist with any site establishment works 

– for example, plumbing. 

If a retailer follows these golden rules, they 

will be on steady ground when it comes to 

reducing occupancy costs. 

Align marketing with the centre 

Once a retailer is informed about the centre 

and category performance, the following 

questions should be covered in discussions 

with the centre’s marketing manager: 

Know your lease 

It’s critical to gain a comprehensive 

understanding of the lease proposal. 

Seeking independent assessment of the 

lease, relevant clauses, and costs is a 

Brian Walker is CEO of Retail Doctor 

Group, a consultancy firm specialising 

in the development and transformation 

of retail strategy. He is also a keynote 

speaker and author. retaildoctor.com.au 


BUSINESS 

Selling 

The key behaviours salespeople 

and sales leaders need to prioritise 

To achieve the best results, all sales staff need to reinforce the behaviours we learn in childhood 

– responsibility and accountability, writes BERNADETTE MCCLELLAND. 

There’s one behaviour salespeople 

and sales leaders need to stop hiding 

from. For salespeople, that behaviour 

is responsibility, and to complete 

the equation, for the sales leader or 

manager, it is accountability. 

Both are required, in equal doses. 

Taking responsibility is the greatest 

difference between the top 1 per cent of 

salespeople and the bottom 1 per cent. 

An evaluation of more than a million 

salespeople found that 94 per cent of the 

top performers chose to take responsibility 

for their results; only 20 per cent of the 

bottom performers took responsibility for 

their results. 

In other words, elite salespeople don’t make 

any excuses or play the blame game. 

Now, looking at accountability: from the 

sales leadership evaluations I work with, 

comprising more than 16,000 people, the 

average result for demonstrating best 

practice accountability was only 59 per cent. 

The figure dropped to 42 per cent for 

family-run businesses. 

Before you roll your eyes, hang in here for 

a bit. 

Sales leaders know they are supposed to 

hold their people accountable, but the truth 

is that many really don’t know how. 

They are in leadership roles, yet they don’t 

know how to perform one of the most critical 

elements of their role. And some of those 

that do know, won’t! 

Some think that ‘micro-managing’ is 

what they should do and others believe 

that ‘focusing on the numbers’ is all that’s 

required, while others assume giving ‘free 

rein’ is acceptable. 

It’s a bit like parenting. How do we make 

sure our children become responsible 

contributors to the world and still have 

them love us? In business that challenge 

becomes: how do we make sure our 

salespeople are responsible contributors to 

the business and still have them respect us? 

There is no room for excuses when it comes to sales performance 

If we continue with the analogy of parenting, 

it’s a case of making sure our ‘kids’ realise a 

couple of things: 

• There is a code of conduct 

• There are consequences for 

inappropriate behaviour 

• There is always a conversation to be 

had around expectations 

• Everyone has tasks to perform in order 

to make things run smoothly 

• There is always a safe space for 

mistakes to be made 

• We respect each other, no matter what 

The accountability stage 

At around seven years of age, the human 

brain shifts focus and decides it’s time to 

‘step up’ and become independent. 

After being joined at the hip, sharing their 

parents’ thinking and living in a fairy-tale 

world of princesses and astronauts, kids 

grow into a new phase of thinking. 

Their levels of consciousness, their sense 

of logic, as well as their emotional stability 

takes on a new form and their brain 

reaches a new level of internal and external 

awareness. Some parents sense the shift 

and will educate their kids to embrace a 

more adult way of viewing the world to 

prepare them for the future. 

Meanwhile, others continue to treat them as 

the children they still are, and once were. 

Taking 

responsibility 

is the greatest 

difference 

between the 

top 1 per cent 

of salespeople 

and the bottom 

1 per cent 

This phase is often referred to as the 

‘accountability stage’. 

It’s the point at which children can start to 

see that there is a payoff for doing things 

themselves instead of having things done 

for them. 

It’s when they can use their own logic to 

achieve results without being asked, and 

when they realise the rewards they receive 

by taking on more responsibility causes 

them to want to do more to help. 

So where do sales staff sit when it comes to 

responsibility and accountability? 

A percentage of salespeople and sales 

leaders operate in one of three categories: 

The Child – someone who blames others, 

takes credit from others, makes excuses, 

lives in a fantasy world, continually 

sidesteps, cheats and takes shortcuts. 

The Parent – a person who displays a 

‘my way or the highway’ mentality, operates 

from an ‘I’m telling you what to do’ angle, 

and uses language such as ‘because I said 

so’. Frequently, they are considered to be 

a bully. 

The Adult – someone who asks rational 

questions, who listens and gives the benefit 

of the doubt, and demonstrates patience and 

respect, yet still holds people accountable. 

When we had to wash the dishes, mow the 

lawn, and babysit as youngsters, we were 

preparing for our future and ensuring we 

can be independent and make choices that 

set us up for success. 

The same principles of responsibility and 

accountability apply today in business – for 

both the leader and the salesperson. 

The future depends on you being more 

responsible and holding yourself, and 

those around you, accountable. 

Bernadette McClelland is a keynote 

speaker, sales leadership consultant and 

published author. 3redfolders.com 


BUSINESS 

Management 

Develop stock planning skills to 

succeed in the year ahead 

Stock planning is vital in retail, particularly in relation to managing margins. 

SUSAN MARTIN explains how to take a strategic approach to the process. 

At this pivotal time, one of the most 

powerful factors influencing your New 

Year trading is how the last year ended. 

The closing stock of one time period 

becomes the opening stock of the next. 

Therefore, how retailers finished 2019 is 

vitally important to understanding 2020. 

Time is of the essence to understand four 

key questions: 

• What is the profile of your stock? 

• What is the ‘health’ of your stock? 

• What are the levels of your stock? 

• What are the risk and opportunities in 

your stock? 

You should have a very clear view of the 

current answers to these questions, as well 

as what the answers should be up until the 

end of the quarter, and the financial year. 

Next, it’s time to clarify your plan. Will 

you choose leaner stock levels to drive 

a particular sales outcome? Or perhaps 

pursue more profitable result through better 

margin management? Furthermore, what 

are the pain points (or rather, pain habits), 

such as overstocking, that sneak up on you 

year after year – and why? 

Defining your plan requires a pre-emptive 

and long-range view; understanding that 

stock flow from one period into the next is 

continuous, and understanding which key 

performance indicator to focus on and when. 

What are the numbers telling you? 

Planning, by definition, is only a plan. The 

end point is moving, and every decision, 

every change – whether planned or 

spontaneous – impacts the future position. 

Deviations from the plan don’t necessarily 

mean goals can’t be achieved; perhaps you 

will still hit your targets, just not in the way 

you originally thought. 

Knee-jerk reactions – such as focusing 

on a particular number in isolation, or 

last-minute clearance sales – can be costly 

mistakes that are often repeated by retailers. 

It takes both expertise and time to alter the 

profile and ‘health’ of stock, and maintain 

Take an analytical approach to your stock in 2020 

margin in the process. 

However once you know where you are, and 

where you are heading, you are in a stronger 

position to correct your course. 

Back in my university days, we lived by the 

‘5 Ps’ concept: ‘Prior planning prevents poor 

performance’. Retail is dynamic, and your 

stock plan should be too. 

I’m often asked which measurements or key 

performance indicators are most important, 

but, as I said before, I don’t believe in looking 

at anything in isolation. 

Some elements to consider are: 

• Closing stock positions, referenced 

against targets and previous time 

periods 

• Forward weeks of cover 

• Full price and aged stock mixes 

• Seasonal versus core line mixes 

• Closing stock margins 

• Freshness percentage 

The last two are particularly important. 

Taken together, I have found closing stock 

margins and freshness percentage to be 

extremely reliable in predicting the ability to 

achieve forecast margin levels. 

Capture your actual performance in the 

stock plan, and later, you can compare it to 

what you set out to achieve. 

Review – and preview 

After the panic of Christmas, retailers start 

to consider what needs to happen for the 

next year. A review is a good place to begin. 

Knee-jerk 

reactions – such 

as focusing on 

a particular 

number in 

isolation, or 

last-minute 

clearance sales 

– can be costly 

mistakes 

However, I’ve observed that many 

businesses conduct a basic review, 

without translating it into a ‘preview’ – 

an extrapolation of those insights, 

interpreted into a strategy. 

For example, if the review reveals 

performance below target margins, with 

higher than planned markdowns, a decision 

may be made to reduce markdowns next 

season. On the surface, this makes sense; 

we know that reduced markdowns are 

linked to higher profits. 

However, it’s not a straightforward causeand-effect 

relationship. 

To achieve the desired end of higher 

margins, the business must first correctly 

identify that high markdowns were the 

problem, understand why this was the case, 

and put in place a clear strategy as to how 

this will be addressed going forward. 

Imagine the review through the lens of 

twisting a Rubik’s Cube: there’s a big ‘box’ 

of data available, which is manipulated over 

and over again, and considered from many 

different angles, in varying combinations. 

It’s only once you see the data arranged in a 

certain way that the ‘ah-ha’ moments occur. 

In your review process, it’s important to go 

beyond just what you observe and determine 

why something occurred; consider sales, 

margin and stock, and how they interrelate; 

maintain perspective around growth areas, 

while protecting your hard-earned base. 

Look at planning, buying, marketing, 

production, operations, and supply chain 

in order to find the ‘story in the numbers’; 

and form a habit of conducting regular 

review-previews while things are still fresh 

in your mind. 

Improve your traditional post-seasonal 

review, add a preview, and set yourself up 

for a head start, not a false start, in 2020. 

Susan Martin is founder of Smart In 

Planning. She has 25 years’ experience 

developing stock planning systems 

for retailers in South Africa and 

Australia. smartinplanning.com 


BUSINESS 

Marketing & PR 

How to create a successful 

PR and marketing plan for 2020 

The start of a new year calls for re-evaluation – particularly in tough retail conditions. EMILY SIDLEY advises how 

to make your PR and marketing strategy more effective in order to reach more potential customers this year. 

Now is the time to start thinking about 

your marketing strategy for the coming 

year, and the first step is to review your 

previous strategy. 

What were your goals for 2019? Did you 

achieve them? Think about your specific 

tactics and if they were effective. 

Review your target market – that is, the 

customers and potential customers you’re 

trying to reach. In order to market effectively, 

it is essential to clearly define this group and 

continually learn more about them. 

Ask yourself how your customers receive 

their news, the apps they use, and if 

there’s anything you can do to improve how 

successfully you communicate with them. 

After you’ve evaluated your 2019 marketing 

strategy, it’s time to look ahead to 2020. 

Establish new goals 

Make sure that you set goals that are 

specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, 

and timely (‘SMART’). For each goal, list the 

activities that will help to achieve it. 

For example, if your aim is to increase your 

website traffic by 10 per cent, you may want 

to focus on: 

• Blogging, with search-engine 

optimisation (SEO) best practices in mind 

• Including links to your blog posts in your 

regular social media updates 

• A social media advertising campaign with 

a landing page that directs to your website 

List the months of the year and detail the 

tactics you plan to employ during each one. 

This helps to visualise how many different 

monthly marketing activities you are 

committing to, and will help you decide 

if they are manageable, given your regular 

workload. 

Factor your budget into your marketing 

strategy too. You may not be able to 

achieve everything you’d like. However, by 

considering your target audience, SMART 

goals, and the time and resources available, 

you should be able to narrow your focus to 

the marketing activities that are realistic for 

your business. 

Mapping your marketing on a monthly basis will keep you on track 

Some tactics are more cost-effective 

than others. For example, some regional 

jewellery retailers use a combination of 

paid social media alongside local television 

advertising in their marketing mix. 

Choose your tactics 

It can be hard to know which strategies to 

use in order to achieve your goals. Here are 

some examples of marketing tactics and 

how they are effective: 

• Blogging – blogging can drive traffic to 

your website. 

By publishing informative, relevant posts at 

the same time each week, you show search 

engines that your website is high quality and 

helpful for users, which can also increase 

your ranking in search results. 

• Social media advertising – advertising 

on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, 

or LinkedIn can be a very affordable way to 

reach more potential customers. 

Be sure to target your ads correctly and use 

engaging images. Additionally, Facebook 

and Instagram’s algorithms ‘weight’ posts 

from advertisers, so your organic posts will 

be more visible too. It’s a win-win. 

• Email marketing – you don’t need to pour 

all your resources into email marketing to 

reap the benefits. 

A brief newsletter with helpful articles and 

links reminds your customers to contact 

By considering 

your target 

audience, 

SMART goals, 

and the time 

and resources 

available, you 

should be able 

to narrow your 

[marketing] 

focus 

you. Alongside other tactics, it can also 

increase your website traffic and improve 

your credibility with consumers. 

• Events – an event is a fantastic way to 

interact with your customers face-to-face 

and make your business unforgettable. 

Depending on the type of event, you might 

even be able to secure free media coverage. 

• Media and editorial – media coverage 

provides yet another way for potential 

customers to see your business, and acts 

as a third-party endorsement. A journalist 

tells their readers, viewers, and listeners 

why they should consider your store. 

In addition, if the coverage runs online, a link 

to your website may be included, which can 

make a positive difference for SEO and your 

website traffic. 

Put your strategy into action 

Your marketing strategy is useless if you 

don’t follow it. Ensure all your marketing 

activities are scheduled in your calendar, 

and stick to your deadlines. 

At the same time, be aware that you may 

need to adjust your strategy throughout 

the year. Each month, examine your data 

collection to analyse how consumers are 

responding to your strategy. 

This is most important if you are utilising 

digital marketing. Review your performance 

through Google Analytics, monitor email 

open and click-through rates, and check 

the ‘insights’ section on your social media 

channels. 

Finally, make a note to undertake a full 

evaluation of your strategy toward the end 

of the financial year. 

In order to reach more customers in 2020, 

use these tips to develop your own effective 

marketing strategy. 

Emily Sidley is senior director of 

marketing and PR at Three Girls Media. 

She specialises in social media and blog 

campaigns, editorial placement, and 

communications strategy for SMEs. 

threegirlsmedia.com 


BUSINESS 

Logged On 

How to identify and fix your website’s 

most common SEO problems 

For all retailers, climbing the Google ranks is both an important issue and a constant battle. 

SIMON DELL explores the simple reasons you may be falling behind – and how to get back on top. 

Getting your on-page search-engine 

optimisation (SEO) – right is very 

important these days, particularly if 

you’re trying to establish a strong online 

presence on search engines. 

And let’s face it, if you’re not trying to do that, 

you should be! 

However, SEO isn’t just about using the 

right keywords in your content. Nor can 

you simply rely on your website-building 

program – Wix or Squarespace, for example 

– to do all of the work for you. 

Here are four of the most common on-page 

SEO issues, and how you can fix them. 

Incorrect or missing title tags 

Tags are part of your website’s HTML code. 

The title tag – in your website’s code 

– tells a search engine what users can 

expect when they read the content on that 

page. It is also the title given to your page in 

search engine results. 

The most common issues are title tags that 

are missing, duplicated, too long, too short, 

or inaccurate. 

Meanwhile, meta descriptions are incredibly 

important from a search engine point 

of view. 

This is the small snippet of information that 

appears on a search engine results page 

underneath your page’s title. 

If these descriptions are missing or 

inaccurate, you’re not engaging readers to 

click on your page, and potentially causing 

them frustration. 

The fix: WordPress has some built-in SEO 

checks. You can also check every page one 

by one – however, this can be tedious if you 

have a large site. 

Try to keep title tags to around 70 characters 

in length, and make sure they’re accurate 

and engaging. If you’re not confident, don’t 

be afraid to hire SEO specialists to check all 

your meta descriptions and title tags. 

Duplicate content 

Duplicate content is exactly as the name 

suggests: sections of content which are the 

Broken links are one of the most common SEO problems 

same, either elsewhere on your website, or 

on other pages around the web. 

While Google doesn’t necessarily punish 

websites for having duplicate content, 

there’s still a case for ensuring your content 

is unique and original. 

If the duplicate content is within your own 

site, Google can’t determine which page 

should rank higher in users’ search results 

– and the two pages may even compete with 

each other. 

The fix: Run an SEO audit using an online 

tool such as Sitechecker, or enlist some 

SEO specialists to identify duplicate content 

and address it accordingly. 

If you’ve deliberately copied content from 

elsewhere online, this should be removed 

as soon as possible. 

Broken links 

In short, broken links – that is, links leading 

to a page that doesn’t exist, giving users an 

error message when they click it – will lower 

your ranking on most search engines. 

This is because search engines are trying to 

create the best user experience, and broken 

links are frustrating for users. 

If you’ve never removed any pages within 

your website, your ‘internal’ links shouldn’t 

be broken. However, if you’re linking to other 

websites with ‘external’ links, remember 

SEO isn’t just 

about using the 

right keywords 

in your content. 

Nor can you 

simply rely on 

your websitebuilding 

program to do 

all of the work 

for you 

that they could take down pages at any time. 

If they take down the page, that will in turn 

cause your link to break. 

In addition, when search engine bots crawl 

your site for indexing purposes, they don’t 

go through every page – they take a sample 

of your website. 

In this sense, broken links are a waste as 

you will miss the opportunity to be indexed 

for pages and links that you really want to 

rank for on Google. 

The fix: Most digital analytic tools allow 

you to ‘crawl’ your own website and check 

for broken links. 

If you find any, remove them immediately, 

or redirect them to working pages. 

This practice should be done regularly, 

particularly if you use a lot of external links! 

Incorrect alt tags 

Alt tags form an important part of your onpage 

SEO because they describe the images 

you’ve included. 

If your images’ tags are either missing 

or don’t relate to the words on your page, 

search engines have trouble categorising 

the content. 

Images are often used as links to other 

pages – for example, linking an image to a 

more detailed description of a product. 

If these links are broken, you will end up 

with the same problems as having broken 

in-text links. In short, all image links must 

be working perfectly. 

The fix: You can use tools to do a site audit 

of your alt tags, but for a manual solution 

you can check every image on every page, 

and make sure the alt tags are relevant to 

the image and page content. 

If images are being used as links to other 

pages, ensure all the links are working. 

Simon Dell is the founder of Brisbanebased 

digital marketing consultancy 

Paper Planes, which focuses on 

data-driven strategies and customer 

engagement. flypaperplanes.co 


My Bench 

Matthew Ely 

Matthew Ely Jewellers, Sydney NSW 

Age 33 • Years in Trade 15 • Training TAFE, and a year of study in London • First job York Jewellers • Other Qualifications Father to two delightful daughters 

SIGNATURE PIECE 

ILLOURA RING 

WINNER – FANCY COLOUR, DIAMOND GUILD AUSTRALIA AWARDS 2013 

Handcrafted in 18-carat white and rose gold and set with 3 carats of rare Argyle 

pink and blue diamonds, the Illoura ring was inspired by the colours of a clear blue 

sky, down into red Australian earth – the very earth where these rare and beautiful 

diamonds were created. 

4FAVOURITE GEMSTONE Tourmaline because 

of the range of colours and bi-colour stones, 

which allow for design versatility. 

4FAVOURITE METAL Platinum, as it keeps 

its polish and because it becomes sticky when 

molten hot and then quenched. 

4FAVOURITE TOOL My father Rob Ely’s saw 

frame. He founded York Jewellers in 1974 and 

has inspired me throughout my whole career. The 

saw frame reminds me where I have come from. 

4BEST NEW TOOL DISCOVERY Laser machine. 

4BEST PART OF THE JOB Creative freedom. 

4WORST PART OF THE JOB Bookkeeping! 

4BEST TIP FROM A JEWELLER The best 

guidance I received was from Darren May, my 

teacher at TAFE. He mentored me through my 

early years, particularly during my experiences 

at the WorldSkills competition. He pushed me 

to go beyond my comfort zone. 

4BEST TIP TO A JEWELLER The ‘sticky platinum’ 

technique. When you pinch together two pieces 

of platinum with carbide tip tweezers, then heat 

to red-hot and quench, the platinum pieces will 

stick to each other. 

4BIGGEST HEALTH CONCERN ON THE BENCH 

Never had any. 

4LOVE JEWELLERY BECAUSE It allows me 

to be creative and connect with people all while 

bringing a piece of art to life. 


OPINION 

Soapbox 

Why are retailers so hesitant 

to invest in marketing? 

Marketing is one of the highest priorities your business can have. If you’re not marketing it correctly, 

you’re not going to survive in the current retail environment, says GEORGINA STALEY. 

Many retailers say that marketing is 

too much of an expense – but it’s a 

necessary expense. There are too 

many competitors coming at you from 

all directions. Your business is going 

to get swamped, so you have to make 

it stand out. 

Now is the time to start thinking about your 

marketing strategy for the coming year. 

There are so many different ways to market 

your business, and retailers need to find a 

unique angle that they can promote. 

There are too many voices out there that 

are saying exactly the same thing. For 

example, you’ll find a lot of jewellers saying, 

‘I do custom designs’, when nearly every 

jeweller does. That’s not unique. 

It’s the same principle when jewellers 

market themselves by saying, ‘I use the 

latest 3D jewellery software’ – well, a lot of 

jewellers do that, too. 

Uniqueness is not just using Matrix, it’s 

having a certain item or product that’s not 

available anywhere else. 

It could also be something to do with how 

your business is run. 

You can’t just say, ‘I sell diamonds and 

they’re the best in the world’ or ‘I sell 

lab-grown’ – unique means being different 

to everybody else. 

The Internet is one of the biggest factors 

in the retail environment, and it has taken 

many jewellers by surprise. 

That’s because our industry was not affected 

by digital marketing or online shopping until 

fairly recently – in the last one to two years 

– whereas other industries felt the impacts 

a lot earlier. 

Previously, consumers did not trust online 

retailers with jewellery, but now they can 

shop online easily and know they will receive 

what they ask for. 

The result is that you, as a retailer, have to 

place yourself in that market. 

Improving your e-commerce business 

means attending online retailer expos, 

exposing yourself to digital marketing, and 

learning those new skills. 

Whether you like it or not, it doesn’t matter – 

you have to do it. 

It seems like most retailers are frightened 

by social media, but there are professionals 

available to help guide you. 

Putting together your content is one of the 

biggest ‘fear factors’, but that’s quite easy 

now – it’s simply about taking a lot of photos. 

For my business, we work with a Facebook 

marketing expert, but we also create most 

of the content ourselves. 

We plan a ‘campaign’ every month, and then 

break down our marketing activities for that 

month. That’s done on a 12-month basis but 

we’re quite flexible. Often, we’ll review each 

quarter and look at what’s worked and what 

hasn’t worked, and change that. 

When you’re marketing your business 

online, you also have to be aware of 

demographics. For example, because our 

customers are a little older, Facebook is our 

leading marketing tool. 

After that, it’s Instagram, whereas other 

retailers have more success with Instagram 

due to the demographics of their customers, 

being Millennials. 

Millennials are a worthy focus, but the 

45-65 age group of women, who are buying 

The time is 

long past for 

retailers to 

adapt to the 

new reality 

of retail, and 

they need 

to overcome 

their fear of 

marketing 

for themselves, is definitely an area that 

jewellery retailers could be marketing to. 

You can see jewellery retailers in the US 

starting to focus on that target market. 

We also advertise on TV because it’s 

effective for our four regional stores. 

Plus, it’s reasonable in terms of cost 

for the amount of coverage we get. 

Advertising on YouTube is also incredibly 

under-utilised in this country. 

All it takes is some 15-second ads that 

you can ‘top and tail’ in the YouTube ad 

breaks – put your clip at the start and 

the end, with a different ad in between. 

The best part is that you only pay when 

the ad is completely viewed, so it’s not 

an expensive way to market. 

Yet, few people are doing it! 

The time is long past for retailers to 

adapt to the new reality of retail, and they 

need to overcome their fear of marketing, 

whether that’s the challenge of learning 

social media, or the time commitment 

of putting together content and thinking 

of a unique selling point. 

You need to accept the expense of paying 

for different types of advertising or hiring 

a professional to help. 

Ultimately, you can’t afford not to market 

yourself – after all, how else will customers 

find your business? 

Name: Georgina Staley 

Company: Georgies Fine Jewellery 

Position: Owner 

Location: Merimbula, Bega, Narooma 

and Batemans Bay, NSW 

Years in Industry: 30 


PinkKimberley.com.au 

E pink@samsgroup.com.au W samsgroup.com.au P 02 9290 2199 

SAMS GROUP 

AUSTRALIA

Jeweller - February 2020

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