Jeweller - October 2021

Buying group announces pre-Christmas 'expo'
Nationwide Jewellers, Australasia’s largest
jewellery buying group, has announced
its Pre-Christmas Expo virtual event will
return for a second year to assist retailers in
stocking up ahead of the holiday season.
Colin Pocklington, managing director,
Nationwide, praised the Expo format, saying,
“Our 2020 Expo was a huge success with
our participating suppliers achieving
substantial orders. There was also great
participation from members in the webinar
program that we ran over the two-week Expo
period,” he added.
This year’s Expo will take place from
Monday 25 October to Friday 5 November,
with more than 70 of Nationwide’s preferred
suppliers taking part.
The virtual Expo platform features three
supplier ‘pavilions’ – Australia, New Zealand
and International – and each supplier ‘stand’
comprises a video message, Expo special
offer, and list of best-selling products.
Members will be able to order from the
‘stand’ or by contacting the supplier directly.
Each Nationwide member will be allocated
up to $60,000 in ‘Expo Dollars’ – depending
on their Member Reward Scheme level – to
pay over six months, interest-free.
In order to provide flexibility to retailers in
different states, Nationwide has“made our
Expo Dollars available over an extended
period from early October to mid-November,”
Pocklington explained.
In addition to special offers from suppliers,
the Expo will also include a keynote address
from Pocklington. daily online workshops
focused on business management, and a
specialist question-and-answer panel.
Plus, a number of social events are set
to take place, including a Melbourne
Cup-themed virtual session on Tuesday 2
November and a concluding Happy Hour on
Friday 5 November, where Nationwide’s 2021
Apprentice of the Year and 2021 Members
and Suppliers of the Year for Australia and
New Zealand will be announced.
Hollywood star returns for natural
diamond advertising campaign
Chinese markets last year. David Kellie, CEO
of the NDC, said, “Diamond jewellery sales
have seen record-breaking growth as we
emerge from the pandemic.
"We're thrilled to have Ana de Armas back
with us for another year to share the magic of
natural diamonds with a global audience."
The Natural Diamond Council has released its
second campaign with actress Ana de Armas.
Image credit: Natural Diamond Council
The Natural Diamond Council (NDC) –
formerly known as the Diamond Producers
Association – has revealed its second
large-scale advertising campaign starring
actress Ana de Armas.
De Armas, who is set to star in the upcoming
James Bond film No Time To Die and is
best-known for roles in Knives Out and
Blade Runner 2049, was named the NDC’s
international ‘face’ in 2020.
Her previous campaign for the organisation
was distributed across the US, UK, Indian and
The new campaign, named ‘Love Life’,
features De Armas wearing a custom-made
11-piece diamond jewellery collection by
jewellery designer Malyia McNaughton, who
was part of the NDC’s Emerging Designers
Diamond Initiative earlier this year.
De Armas emphasises the “joy and hope”
of the campaign, saying, “It was an amazing
experience working with this incredible team
and I couldn't be happier to be working again
with the Natural Diamond Council.”
Notably, McNaughton’s collection – which
features current trends including “gender
fluidity, heavy metal chains, and the
marquise cut” – has been made available
to international retailers to either stock or
manufacture for the holiday season.