Jeweller - November 2024

VOICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN JEWELLERY INDUSTRY NOVEMBER 2024
Deep Sea Treasure
A MOMENT FOR PEARLS IN THE
INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Uniquely Australian
THE POWERFUL APPEAL OF
HOMEGROWN JEWELLERY
Heritage & Legacy
THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE
OF WOLF AFTER 190 YEARS

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ORIGINALS
EXCLUSIVELY DISTRIBUTED IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BY
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A MOMENT FOR PEARLS IN THE
INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
VOICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN JEWELLERY INDUSTRY NOVEMBER 2024
THE POWERFUL APPEAL OF
HOMEGROWN JEWELLERY
THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE
OF WOLF AFTER 190 YEARS
NOVEMBER 2024
Contents
This Month
Industry Facets
33 HOME GROWN HEROES
Australian identity
Australian jewellery products offer
unique advantages to retailers and are
adored by local consumers.
9 Editorial
10 Upfront
12 News
24
27
48
10 YEARS AGO
Time Machine: November 2014
LEARN ABOUT GEMS
Game-changing Gemmologists: XV
MY BENCH
Louis Kleimeyer
50
SOAPBOX
Romel Santos
Features
30 ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
190 years later
Over nearly two centuries, WOLF has
grown from a small European jewellery box
manufacturer to a respected industry supplier.
28
30
33
40
JEWELLERY FAIR REVIEW
Pearls dominate the spotlight in Hong Kong
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
WOLF reflects on 190 years of brand history
UNIQUELY AUSTRALIAN
Local consumers in love with Aussie designs
COLOUR GEMSTONE JEWELLERY
Best of the best captures hearts and minds
Better Your Business
28 TRADE SHOW WRAP
Pearls steal the show
With thousands of jewellery industry
buyers and suppliers gathering in Hong
Kong, pearls and pearl jewellery were
thrust into the spotlight.
42
44
45
46
47
BUSINESS STRATEGY
GRAHAM JONES explains why working yourself to exhaustion is a common mistake.
SELLING
DONNA ST JEAN CONTI encourages you to begin planning for 2025.
MANAGEMENT
Are you ready to go to the next level? PAUL SLOANE reveals the way forward.
MARKETING & PR
THOMAS YOUNG highlights important reasons to begin using Artificial Intelligence.
LOGGED ON
DAVID BROCK outlines the critical role human decision-making plays in your business.
40 GEMSTONE MASTERY
Jeweller to the Stars
Australian collectors have been treated to a
rare showcase of colour gemstone jewellery from
one of the world's most respected designers.
FRONT COVER Based in Melbourne,
Athan Wholesale Jewellers was founded
by Arthur Papagrigoriou in 1998 to supply
Australian jewellery retailers with the
highest quality gold chains from leading
Italian manufacturers. Today, Athan
continues to specialise in exceptional gold
chains and also supplies tennis mounts,
earrings, necklaces, bracelets, religious
pendants and charms, all made in Italy.
To learn more visit: athan.com.au
Deep Sea Treasure
Uniquely Australian
Heritage & Legacy
November 2024 | 7

BALLET
Since 1962, Duraflex Group Australia have been proudly distributing international
jewellery and watch brands. (02) 9417 0177 | www.dgau.com.au

Editor’s Desk
Pricing psychology: A hidden edge not to be ignored
In a competitive market, every slight advantage is important.
SAMUEL ORD explores the fascinating world of the psychology of retail pricing strategies.
When retailers face intense competition to
capture the attention of consumers,
every little edge becomes critical.
The increasing importance of product
display is noteworthy, as is the significance
of pricing online because the consumer is
far from the product itself.
Consumers are typically presented with a
product image, description, and price. This
is the only information retailers can provide
online – so getting it right is crucial.
With that in mind, it should come as no
surprise that the psychology surrounding
pricing is a treasure trove of intriguing ideas.
When understanding what makes
consumers ‘tick’ in terms of price,
research constantly unearths new edges
and advantages that can tip the scales in
favour of one retailer over another.
It can be as simple as the placement
of a comma!
Consumer pricing theories and strategies
evolve; however, the mission remains the
same: converting a dismissive ‘no’ or an
apprehensive ‘maybe’ into a confident ‘yes’.
The advice can sometimes seem
contradictory, and specific nuances
must be considered regarding pricing
strategy for jewellery retailers.
Jewellery is a luxury product – not a
necessity – with emotional and cultural
connotations. As a result, what’s known as
‘premium pricing’ tactics are usually applied.
While the strategy can vary from company
to company, broadly speaking, the purpose
is to emphasise the exclusivity and quality
of the products with high prices.
Premium pricing isn’t a strategy used
exclusively for luxury products.
For example, Apple rarely offers discounts
to avoid the perception that its smartphones
and computers are inferior to others
on the market.
Other examples of premium pricing are
found in luxury clothing and footwear,
such as Louis Vuitton. The belief around
the use of round numbers is intriguing.
When products are priced with odd
numbers, such as $799.99, consumers
infer that this represents savings.
Conversely, round numbers, such as $800,
reinforce luxury and exclusivity.
Pricing psychology is a topic with which I
became acutely aware during my first year
with Jeweller while researching a story
about the use of price tags in jewellery
stores. The mixed answers took me aback.
Putting themselves in their customers'
shoes; many suggested that jewellery
should always be visibly priced.
It eliminates the hassle of finding a staff
member and asking them for the price,
saving salespeople time as they do not
have to look for the answer.
Perhaps more importantly, it removes the
possibility of a customer asking for the price
of a piece that is out of their budget, which
could be embarrassing.
On the other hand, some retailers felt
that price tags diminish the perceived
value of jewellery.
Instead of consumers selecting something
based on interest, they’re encouraged to
ruminate on the ‘bottom line’ and little else.
An article I recently read looked at the
nature of commas on price tags and the
subtle impact this can have on consumer
perception.
Phonetic size is important when
prices are spoken and read silently,
which many people do.
For example, if a diamond ring is priced at
$1,950 – with the comma included – it’s read
as ‘one thousand, nine hundred and fifty.’
When priced at $1950, the same ring is read
as ‘nineteen fifty’.
Consumers consider items with a shorter
phonetic size, without the comma, sound
less expensive than those that are longer
phonetically because of the comma.
Another article discussed the importance of
sorting prices from highest to lowest. The
first price a consumer sees becomes the
‘baseline for comparison’.
For example, a customer visiting your
website is presented with a $2,000 diamond
ring and then a $2,400 diamond ring.
Consumers psychologically feel that
they are ‘losing’ the ability to pay a
lower price.
Many of these
factors impact
consumers
subconsciously,
and chances are
your customers
aren’t entirely
conscious of the
subtle reasons
why they favour
one product or
business and not
another.
Perhaps the first option was the best
available, and for their wallet,
it’s all downhill from here.
When products are presented in a decreasing
sequence – most expensive to least expensive
– it has the reserve effect.
The perception is that quality is decreasing,
and the focus is shifted away from trying to
spend less money. As a result, the article
argued that customers feel inclined to
purchase something more expensive.
The example given was a menu at a bar;
however, the same principles could easily
be applied to jewellery listed on a website,
in a catalogue, and even when displayed
in a store.
Another interesting study found that
male customers associate the colour red
with implied savings, particularly around
marketing campaigns. This is likely because
red is commonly used for discounting.
This study found that men seem to process
advertising ‘less in-depth’ than women and
use price colour as a visual representation to
judge perceived savings.
It’s also been said that if you’re going to use
the colour red when pricing products –
it can’t just be on one product!
It singles out that product as inferior
to the rest and harms sales rather
than increasing them.
Pricing psychology is a fascinating topic;
the above examples are a handful of many.
While not all – or possibly none – of the above
may apply to your business, it’s something
to think about.
At the very least, these types of insights
highlight the many unspoken factors that
influence consumer decision-making.
Many of these factors impact consumers
subconsciously, and chances are your
customers aren’t entirely conscious
of the subtle reasons why they favour
one product or business and not another.
It’s also a reminder that your business
is likely communicating with your
customers in ways you may have
never considered or intended.
SAMUEL ORD
EDITOR
November 2024 | 9

Upfront
Rewind: Best Bench Tip
Stranger Things
Weird, wacky and wonderful
jewellery news from around the world
Let them eat cake
A historic necklace with possible
links to Marie Antoinette will be sold
at Sotheby's with a high estimate of
$USD2.8 million. The necklace is at least
240 years old and comprises three rows
of diamonds weighing more than 300
carats. The diamonds are believed to
be sourced from the Golconda Mine in
India. It will be offered at Sotheby's Royal
and Noble Jewels Live Sale on
11 November in Geneva.
Trump’s surprise timepieces
With the 2024 US presidential election
roughly one month away, one could be
forgiven for thinking that Republican
nominee Donald Trump would be too
preoccupied to venture into a new retail
market. Of course, anyone making that
assumption would be wrong. In what is
almost certainly a first for a presidential
candidate, Trump has unveiled a line
of luxury timepieces priced between
$USD499 and $USD100,000. The
Republican nominee discussed the
release of Trump Watches, suggesting
ownership places the wearer in
a ‘very exclusive club’.
AUGUST 2018
“Always listen to a
customer’s requirements
– you can never have too
many details.”
CRAIG DODD
CHRISTOPHER GREEN JEWELLERS
HISTORIC GEMSTONE
Rosser Reeves Star Ruby
The Rosser Reeves Star Ruby is a
138-carat rich red and well-defined
star gemstone. The early origins of
the gemstone are unknown; however,
it is believed it was discovered in Sri
Lanka. A gemstone dealer in London
purchased it in the late 1950s. It was
eventually owned by Rosser Reeves, a
US advertising executive and pioneer
of television advertising. He carried
the ruby for good luck and claimed
that he had acquired the gemstone at
an auction in Istanbul in the 1950s; however, this has been disputed.
Reeves donated it to the Smithsonian Institution in 1965.
Timeless Trends
Vintage-inspired jewellery is
always in vogue because it appeals
to nostalgia and fine craftsmanship.
It's a form of adornment that evokes
feelings of timeless elegance and
heritage, meaning consumers
can wear pieces that tell powerful
personal stories.
Image: Fred Leighton
Image: Lightbox Jewelry
Brave barbers take action
A pair of barbers have thwarted
three men who allegedly attempted to
rob a jewellery store in Queensland.
Queensland Police have arrested
and charged three men after a failed
attempt at a robbery at a jewellery
store in Westfield Coomera on the
Gold Coast on Friday afternoon. The
trio allegedly arrived at the shopping
centre in a vehicle around 5pm. Two
men attempted to smash a glass
cabinet at a jewellery store using a tyre
iron. The plot was foiled, however, when
two barbers observed the robbery and
decided to intervene.
Facial recognition technology
A trial of facial recognition
technology in New Zealand has
been praised as ‘encouraging’ as
authorities attempt to curb retail
crime. The trial took place across
25 stores during six months. The
technology produced more than
1,700 ‘alerts’ with only one reported
case of misidentification. Retail
NZ CEO Carolyn Young explained
that early results suggest the
trial reduced harmful incidents,
including physical and verbal abuse.
Campaign Watch
Lightbox Jewelry, the lab-created
diamond jewellery brand, has
released two new campaigns —
Shine Bright Spend Less and
Modern Family — that reflect the
focus on accessible pricing and
fashion jewellery. The De Beers
Group-owned company recently
announced it would no longer create
diamonds for use in jewellery.
VOICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN JEWELLERY INDUSTRY
Published by Befindan Media Pty Ltd
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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.

News
Intriguing jewellery sales
analysis as holidays approach
Start to finish: Sydney jeweller launches diamond
marketplace to improve consumer experience
“Fairfax & Roberts consumers will now have
access to a secure and reliable global diamond
wholesale service, not only guaranteeing
quality but the ultimate bespoke process from
selection to curation,” she said.
“This new offering benefits from Fairfax
& Roberts’ incredibly strict quality control
whereby consumers can feel confident
knowing they now have an end-to-end,
one-stop platform to alleviate the stress
of navigating and selecting the diamond of
their dreams.”
The latest analysis of Australia’s independent
jewellery stores revealed a modest decline in sales
across September.
In the latest report from Retail Edge Consultants,
sales from September decreased by 2.7 per cent on
a year-on-year comparison and six per cent when
compared with 2022.
This follows a six per cent decrease in sales in
August, while July was highlighted by a 2.9 per
cent increase. Average unit sales decreased by
eight per cent on a year-on-year comparison, with
the average retail sale (inventory only) recorded at
$262, an increase of seven per cent.
Breaking the data down further, diamond
jewellery sales decreased by 3.2 per cent when
compared with September 2023. Change in sales
of colour gemstone jewellery (decrease 0.1 per
cent) was negligible.
Silver and alternative metals jewellery decreased
by 13 per cent on a one-year comparison, while
precious metal jewellery without a diamond or
gemstone improved by 13 per cent.
A minor decrease was detected in laybys between
new orders and pickups or cancellations. Services,
such as repairs, declined substantially, while
special orders improved modestly.
Bigger picture?
An analysis released by the Australian Bureau of
Statistics (ABS) reported higher-than-expected
sales for the nation's retailers in August, with
these results attributed to sunshine.
Head of business statistics Robert Ewing said
retailers benefited from warmer-than-expected
weather, with sales increasing by 0.7 per cent.
“This year was the warmest August on record
since 1910, which saw more spending on items
typically purchased in spring. The lift in turnover
from the warmer weather was also boosted by
higher discretionary spending as consumers took
advantage of Father’s Day sales events during the
month," he said.
Economists previously expected a 0.4 per cent
increase in sales.
Australian jewellery retailer Fairfax &
Roberts has launched a new digital platform,
offering a wholesale diamond marketplace
directly to consumers.
In an announcement, the retailer said the
platform gives consumers access to a vast
global diamond supplier network, providing
both lab-created and natural diamonds.
More than 500,000 certified diamonds, ranging
between 0.3 and 20 carats, are available at the
‘click of a button’.
CEO Irene Deutsch said the platform would
ensure the retailer can offer a comprehensive
bespoke process.
Canturi unveils stunning diamond timepiece
Sydney jeweller Stefano Canturi has created a
remarkable one-of-a-kind diamond-encrusted
watch with an eye-popping price tag.
The piece features a Swiss-sourced ETA
movement and more than 330 natural
diamonds, totalling 50 carats.
In an interview, Canturi said that after more
than 35 years spent designing luxury jewellery,
he was interested in a new challenge.
Director of retail Joshua Rogers described
the platform as an all-inclusive, end-toend
service unlike anything else available
in Australia.
“From sourcing to retailing, all diamonds
undergo rigorous testing at our in-house
workshop before they reach consumers and
our new wholesale diamond marketplace will
be no different,” he explained.
“This platform is set to be a comprehensive
full-service solution, allowing consumers
the unique opportunity to curate a bespoke
piece of jewellery, from initial concept
to final presentation at the hands of the
trusted experts.”
Fairfax & Roberts is based in Sydney and has
been operating since 1958.
“Everything’s about timing. “You don’t try to do
a watch when you’re ten years in business, it
makes no sense, it’s too complicated,” he told
the Australian Financial Review.
“I just thought, ‘you know what? After years
of making beautiful high jewellery, this is the
perfect time’.”
Canturi confirmed that one offer of $530,000
for the watch had been received so far and
said that one of the key challenges was finding
a recognisable design without a logo.
“In the early days, I used to sell Jaeger-
LeCoultre, a beautiful watch, which I loved,
loved, loved, and I fell in love with the
whole world of watches. But we made the
decision not to carry other brands in order to
concentrate on our own designs,” he said.
“I would love to do the next piece and the
next piece. It’s about what I can do here in my
beautiful atelier and a goal would be to have
something new released every few years.”
Canturi operates three stores in Melbourne,
Sydney, and Brisbane.
12 | November 2024

News
Case study review: Diamond dealer takes legal action for reinstatement as CEO
Trust is often touted as paramount in the jewellery
industry, and a recent legal case in Australia has
highlighted several critical lessons for small
business owners.
In late April, Jeweller reported on the unusual
case of Craig Miller's ousting from the CEO
position of his company, JC Jewels.
Miller — who was recently elected president of
the Diamond Dealers Club of Australia - was a
director and 25 per cent shareholder in JC Jewels
when he was suddenly terminated. According
to Australian Securities and Investments
Commission (ASIC) records at the time of
publication, he remains as such.
Jeweller recently learned that following his
unexpected ousting, Miller sought an interlocutory
injunction to be reinstated as CEO. This is a court
order to compel or prevent a party from doing certain
acts pending the final determination of the case.
Dispute background
On 6 April, Craig, and Lonn Miller – who also worked
for JC Jewels – received termination letters.
According to NSW Supreme Court documents,
"The letter to Miller offered that he could resign
in lieu of termination and asked him to tender his
resignation by 5pm Sunday 7th April 2024. No such
offer was made to Lonn. Miller did not resign.
“Miller and Lonn then sought reinstatement
which was not responded to. Shortly thereafter,
Miller and Lonn’s access to JCJ’s office was cut off.”
Subsequently, they were physically locked out
of the Sydney office and denied access to the
company’s software, including email, supplier
WhatsApp chat groups, and bank accounts.
The termination letters outlined the following
reasoning: “As you are aware, JC Jewels has
undertaken a review of the business and has
determined that in order to ensure the longa-term
profitability of the business a restructure must occur.
“As a consequence, your employment is being
terminated. Your termination is due to the
corporate and financial restructuring of JC
Jewels. As a small business employer, we note
that redundancy is not payable.”
Legal proceedings were then commenced on
19 April 2024. Miller was seeking “a variety of
final relief including an order declaring that the
conduct of JCJ’s affairs is and has been,
oppressive to, unfairly prejudicial to, or
unfairly discriminatory against, Miller.”
There was a dispute about who started the company
and when. Court documents detail that it was
formed in September 2018, and Miller was appointed
in August 2020.
It is worth noting that in December 2023, Miller
had offered to sell his shares to the other directors.
There was also a dispute about the background and
details of Lonn Miller’s employment contract.
“Lonn was employed by JCJ as Sales Director by a
written document entitled Heads of Agreement and
dated 6 October 2020. The agreement provided that
5% Class B Shares would be created as an option
to Lonn upon him reaching a target of $2,000,000 in
revenue within a 12-month time frame being granted
Class B,” the documents state.
However, there was disagreement on whether Lonn
reached the $2 million target because it “appears to
have involved [Craig] Miller apparently transferring to
[brother] Lonn a number of Miller’s [his] clients.”
Miller’s termination letter also raised a dispute about
his alleged misuse of a company credit card. He
denied there had been any wrongdoing.
In his 7 May decision, Justice Pike noted: ”The
suggestion was that Miller had misused his
corporate credit card, and this appears to have
contributed, at least in part, to the breakdown in
trust and confidence referred to by [director and
shareholder Stephen] Braun.
“Counsel for the plaintiffs [Miller] took objection to
this material being admitted into evidence on the
present application. I admitted it over objection. I do
not need to, and do not, make any findings in relation
to these allegations. Miller strongly denies that there
has been any wrongdoing.
“The fact that the allegations have been made, and
there is a dispute about them, goes to the present
state of the relationship between the plaintiffs on the
one hand and the other owners on the other.”
Decisions and determinations
The interlocutory relief sought by Craig and Lonn
Miller failed. In an interesting decision dated 7 May,
four days after the hearing, Justice Pike dismissed
the interlocutory injunction and awarded costs
against the brothers.
The judgement made several salient points as to
why he dismissed the interlocutory injunction.
This includes the following: “And contrary to what
was contended by the plaintiffs, reinstatement
would not be maintaining the status quo, but
rather upsetting it.”
Put simply, Justice Ian Pike explained how the
company had ‘moved on’ since the Millers had
been terminated.
“Reinstating Miller and Lonn would also bring about
an outcome which the majority of the owners of the
business do not want in circumstances where there
appears to be a breakdown in trust and confidence.
Miller said as much at the Board meeting held on 14
November 2023,” the documents state.
“I do not accept any contention that the assertions of
a loss of trust and confidence made by Mr Braun in
his affidavit are somehow confected. The termination
of Miller and Lonn suggests quite clearly that the
majority of the owners no longer want them working
in the day to day operations of the business. Miller
also seeks a buy out as his primary final relief.”
As previously reported, when Jeweller contacted
JC Jewels in April for comment, director Stephen
Braun was asked about the circumstances of the
company’s restructuring.
“We're in a competitive market and restructures are
not uncommon and often necessary,” he explained.
“While we recognise that restructures can be
challenging for all parties involved, we're confident
this decision is in the best interest of the company
and our customers.”
Lessons learned
This legal case is a fascinating lesson for many
small businesses. In particular, it demonstrates
how the breakdown of complicated interpersonal
relationships may be assessed in court.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
November 2024 | 13

News
Case study review: Diamond dealer takes legal action
for reinstatement as CEO
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13
The case became the subject of a YouTube video hosted by James
d’Apice, founder and principal lawyer of Gravamen - a boutique law
firm specialising in shareholder and partnership disputes.
As part of the Coffee and a Case Note series, d’Apice explained that
Justice Pike’s decision to dismiss the case was based on the ‘balance
of convenience’ test.
This test involves the court determining whether the inconvenience or
injury the plaintiff would be likely to suffer if an injunction were refused
outweighs or is outweighed by the injury the defendant would suffer if an
injunction were granted. d’Apice explains the various factors a court must
consider when evaluating such a case.
“The court noted that in matters of this type, generally speaking, the
court is going to be reluctant to order interlocutory relief. We can
understand that this makes sense because we have the expression of
the will of the majority of the shareholders and the majority of the board,”
d’Apice explains.
“They’ve said, ‘We don’t like plaintiffs one and two anymore, and we
want them gone.’ The court is going to be reluctant to force back into
the company people who the majority have already said they want gone,
and so that weighs against the balance of convenience test.”
He continues: “And so what we have here is the plaintiffs failing in their
application to be reinstated as CEO and sales director, and they’re left
to fight another day in relation to the buyout of their shares, but that
disposes of their application for an interlocutory injunction.”
Following their termination from JC Jewels, Craig and Lonn Miller have
since started a new retail business - Jewelco - based in Rose Bay, Sydney.
ASIC records reveal that the Jewelco business name was registered on
12 March 2023, around a month before the Millers were locked out of the
JC Jewels office.
Craig Miller was contacted several times prior to publication; however,
he did not respond to requests for comment.
Watches of Switzerland buys Hodinkee
Watches of Switzerland Group has acquired the editorial company
Hodinkee.
According to a statement, Hodinkee will remain an independent media
organisation headquartered in New York City under the Watches of
Switzerland ‘umbrella’.
Ben Clymer, who founded the company in 2008, will return as CEO — a
position he held until 2020. In an article published online, he explained
what this acquisition means for the publication's future.
“We're gonna sit back from retail and let our partners at Watches of
Switzerland do the selling. We’ll do the writing and the special things
that only we can do,” Clymer writes.
“Will we cover brands that Watches of Switzerland doesn't sell?
Absolutely. Will we cover interesting retailers that have nothing to do
with Watches of Switzerland? Absolutely."
Watches of Switzerland has more than 200 stores across the US and
UK. The acquisition of Hodinkee will include a website, magazine, brand
partnerships division, and an insurance business.
Neither company has disclosed the terms of the sale. Watches of
Switzerland CEO Brian Duffy said in a statement that it was a deal that
would benefit both parties long-term.

A new range of Argyle pink and blue diamond jewellery,
from one of the original Argyle Pink Diamond Select Ateliers.
All Rosé products are made with official Argyle pink and blue diamonds.
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Nina’s Jewellery proudly supports White Ribbon Australia. Stand up, speak out and act to end men’s violence against women.

News
Rolex in space: Astronaut's
luxury watch up for auction
Best of the best: Brady’s watch collection up for grabs
Legendary US athlete Tom Brady has placed
his luxury watch collection up for auction.
The seven-time NFL Super Bowl champion’s
collection will be available in December at
Sotheby’s as part of ‘The GOAT Collection:
Watches and Treasures from Tom Brady.’
The timepieces range in value between
$USD12,000 ($AUD17,800) and $USD800,000
($AUD1.18 million).
Among the collection are Patek Philippe,
Rolex, and IWC Schaffhausen models and a
custom-made Audemars Piguet.
A Rolex worn by an astronaut on the Moon is
currently up for auction in the US and is expected
to generate significant interest among collectors.
RR Auction in Boston is offering a GMT-Master
‘Pepsi’ model watch, which Edgar Mitchell, the
sixth man to walk on the Moon, owned. The watch
is named ‘Pepsi’ from its blue and red bezel.
“This incredibly rare watch, part of Mitchell’s
personal collection, is one of only two Apolloflown
Rolex watches ever sold at auction,” RR
Auction writes.
“A historic timepiece, it symbolises the
intersection of human achievement and
precision craftsmanship.”
Although all Apollo astronauts were issued Omega
Speedmaster Pro watches, some preferred Rolex
chronometers, and Mitchell wore the GMT-Master
to the moon along with his Omega.
Mitchell's Rolex is expected to return $USD400,000
($AUD593,640) before the sale closes on 24 October.
The watch is engraved with the following:
“Worn by Cdr. E. Mitchell on Apollo 14, 1971,
To Karlin – My Daughter.”
Anthony Traina of Hodinkee expects the auction
to attract an unlikely buyer.
“I'd have to guess that a watch of such importance
will attract the interest of Rolex as a bidder,”
Traina writes.
“It's no secret the brand has scooped up a few of
its historically important watches at auction over
the last few years.
"Last year, it bought Commander Warren's
GMT-Master ref. 6542 at Sotheby's, one of the
more expensive results we've seen for a vintage
GMT-Master.”
Mitchell was the pilot for the Lunar Module of
Apollo 14, the eighth crewed mission of the
Apollo program and the third to land on the Moon.
After making the lunar landing, Mitchell completed
two walks on the Moon's surface.
Brady said his interest in watches began
during high school after he received a
timepiece as a graduation present.
“I’ve been so fortunate to have such an
amazing journey in my career, and these
watches and collectibles really capture those
unforgettable moments and all the hard work
behind them,” he said.
“I’m excited to give fans and collectors a
chance to own and cherish these special
pieces from my journey just like I have.”
Among the items of interest is a white gold
and diamond-set flying tourbillon Royal Oak
by Audemars Piguet, expected to return a
minimum of $USD400,000 ($AUD594,000).
A Richard Mille 35-03 Baby Nadal is
likely to sell for as much as $USD500,000
($AUD724,000).
Brady was a quarterback in the NFL for 23
seasons (2000-2022) and is widely considered
the competition’s greatest player of all time.
Election fever: Trump showcases line of luxury watches
With the 2024 US presidential election roughly
one month away, one could be forgiven for
thinking that Republican nominee Donald
Trump would be too preoccupied to venture
into a new retail market.
Of course, anyone making that assumption
would be wrong. In what is almost certainly a
first for a presidential candidate, Trump has
unveiled a line of luxury timepieces priced
between $USD499 and $USD100,000.
In a video released on 27 September, the
Republican nominee discussed the release of
Trump Watches, suggesting that ownership
places the wearer in a ‘very exclusive club’.
“This isn’t just any watch, it’s one of the best
watches made,” he said.
“It has almost 200 grams of gold and more
than 100 real diamonds.
"That’s a lot of diamonds. I love gold.
I love diamonds.”
Interestingly, one of the timepieces is the
Fight Fight Fight watch, engraved with the
words shouted by Trump after his 13 July
assassination attempt.
Trump is well-known for attaching his image
to a range of unlikely consumer products,
including steaks, trading cards, and even
Bibles. A disclaimer on the website states:
"Trump Watches are not designed,
manufactured, distributed or sold by
Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or
any of their respective affiliates or principals.
"TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC uses the
“Trump” name, image and likeness under
a paid license agreement which may be
terminated or revoked according to its terms.
Trump Watches are intended as collectible
items for individual enjoyment only, not for
investment purposes.”
The website continues: “The images shown
are for illustration purposes only and may
not be an exact representation of the product.
These watches are not political and have
nothing to do with any political campaign."
Trump Watches is not the first line of
timepieces the former president has
marketed. In 2005, he released the Donald
J. Trump Signature Watch Collection.
16 | November 2024

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News
Christmas cheer: Best is yet
to come for Michael Hill
The CEO of Michael Hill International has outlined
his expectation of a robust holiday sales period for
the major jewellery retailer.
It’s been a productive year for Michael Hill,
including a significant branding overhaul, the
expansion of Bevilles, and the launch of luxury
brand TenSevenSeven.
CEO Daniel Bracken said with positive sales in the
opening weeks of the financial year, the holiday
period was shaping to be one to remember.
“As we prepare for the all-important Christmas
trading period, the positive momentum we have
seen in the first 14 weeks is very encouraging,”
Bracken said.
“I’m particularly excited about the launch of our
new Pendant Bar concept, providing a unique
gifting proposition for Christmas.
“Couple this with next week’s launch of our
new campaign, ‘It’s a Michael Hill Christmas’,
together with our best-in-class in-store visual
merchandising and focused retail execution from
our teams, and I’m confident that we are wellplaced
for the critical Christmas trading period.”
Gross margin recovery will be a priority for the
retailer over the coming year. Bracken also said it
would be important to maximise the popularity of
the retailer’s loyalty program.
“Beyond the brand’s leading position in bridal,
promoting other key milestone moments like
birthdays and anniversaries, provides significant
revenue opportunities for the business, while
leveraging the data in our loyalty program and
growing the opportunities with self-purchasing
customers,” Bracken continued.
“Even with the challenging trading conditions in
the fine jewellery sector, the business has held
firm on its strategic intent to grow the footprint and
strengthen Bevilles’ position in the market.”
In other notable developments, Michael Hill
confirmed that Miranda Kerr will be the company’s
global ambassador in April and opened a new
flagship store in Melbourne in May.
Patek Philippe releases drought-breaking collection
Luxury timepiece manufacturer Patek
Philippe has released its first new watch
line in 25 years.
The Cubitus is reportedly aimed at younger
consumers. It has a square case with
rounded corners.
It comes in three distinct styles: steel with
an olive dial, a steel and rose gold two-one
model with a blue dial, and a complicated
platinum with a blue dial.
Prices start around $USD40,000 and climb
as high as $USD88,000. Before the unveiling of
Cubitus, Patek Philippe’s most recent line was
the Twenty-4 collection, released in 1999.
The brand described the release of the
collection as a ‘milestone in the company’s
history’ in a statement; however, it hasn’t
been all smooth sailing thus far.
“Rumours of the Cubitus launch have been
circling since as early as 2021, when eagleeye
watch fans discovered a trademark had
been filed for the name,” writes Nick Hall of
Man of Many.
“With that reveal, speculation mounted that
Patek Philippe was looking to introduce a new
range, and it wasn’t long before references
to the Cubitus began regularly appearing on
watch forums and Instagram pages in the
lead-up to the 17 October Munich showcase.
Then came a supposed leak.
“An advertisement in Fortune Magazine gave
a first brief glimpse at the new watch, sending
the watch community into a frenzy and
spurring anxiety (presumably) in the hearts of
Patek Philippe retailers worldwide.
"The jury is still out on whether the ‘leak’
was a genuine accident or just a well-timed
marketing stunt, but it matters little now.”
Based in Switzerland, Patek Philippe was
established in 1839.
Be Love: New releases for Pandora’s holiday campaign
The world’s largest mass-market jewellery
brand, Pandora, has unveiled its 2024
marketing campaign, a continuation of the
Be Love project.
The Be Love campaign was launched
earlier this year, featuring a range of artists,
actresses, and musicians. The holiday
campaign will feature Pamela Anderson,
Chloe, and Halle Bailey, as well as models
Agyness Deyn and Jocelyn Corona.
Erin Matson, vice president of marketing for
Pandora North America, said the campaign
encourages thinking beyond traditional gifting.
"Our ambassadors are public figures who
uphold the shared idea of love in all forms, and
who value quality, beauty and sustainability in
their jewellery," Matson said.
"Icon Pamela Anderson embodies self-love
and serves as a powerful force in today's
society, reminding us that gifting to others
can also be an act that makes you feel good,
too. Meanwhile, the dynamic sister duo of
Chloe and Halle Bailey perfectly represents the
essence of this campaign, which celebrates
the bonds we share with our loved ones."
Among the new releases as part of the
campaign are customisable engravable heart
charms and bow motifs, classic pave tennis
bracelets and various new styles using a blend
of mixed metals.
"This collection is all about themes of light
and love, so we wanted these celestialinspired
designs and iconic symbols of holiday
magic and love, like the Be Love Heart, to
really shine through within the campaign
imagery," Matson continued.
"The bow items are not only on trend but are
also a playful holiday symbol. We carefully
curated this collection to showcase our pieces
made from sterling silver, 14-carat gold,
hand-blown Murano glass and lab-grown
diamonds."
In August, Pandora predicted a revenue
increase of between 9 and 12 per cent
for this financial year.
18 | November 2024

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Long live love — Since 1976
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Proudly Australian owned and operated.

News
Worth The Wait: De Beers and Signet launch new
marketing campaign ahead of holidays
It will also appear across several Signet brands.
CEO of De Beers Brands, Sandrine Conseiller,
said the campaign focuses on modern love and
evolving relationship dynamics.
“We're excited to launch this campaign as part
of our refreshed approach to natural diamond
category marketing to connect a new generation
of consumers to the wonder of natural
diamonds,” she said.
The world’s largest diamond mining
company and diamond jewellery retailer have
collaborated on a new marketing campaign
before the holiday season.
The De Beers Group and Signet Jewelers have
released ‘Worth The Wait’, a natural diamond
campaign targeted at young consumers.
A 90-second long-form feature and two
30-second and two 15-second spots will appear
on television, social media, and online platforms.
“While the campaign draws on our track record
of iconic natural diamond advertising, it brings
an entirely fresh approach grounded in deep
insights about the relationships of today’s
diverse couples.”
She continued: “The premise of the campaign
is to celebrate the individual, challenging
and rewarding journeys that couples go on
before making the momentous decision to
get engaged, which is perfectly mirrored by
the journey of a natural diamond formed deep
within the Earth’s surface.”
The campaign was created by Arnold
Worldwide, an American advertising agency
based in Boston.
Kaleidoscope: Fancy colour diamond tender launched
A new range of natural
coloured diamond jewellery,
from Australia’s coloured
diamond specialists.
ninasjewellerywholesale.com.au
Rio Tinto has launched its 2024 Beyond Rare
Tender, showcasing 48 lots of fancy colour
diamonds.
The Colour Awakened collection is spearheaded
by seven ‘Old Masters’, historic diamonds from
the Argyle mine.
These are seven round brilliant cut pink and
red diamonds, ranging from 0.6 carats to 2.63
carats.
Each diamond was recovered more than a
decade ago, with one of the stones discovered
in 1987.
The tender collection comprises of 76 diamonds
weighing 39.44 carats, featuring seven Old
Masters with one Fancy Red diamond, 32
exquisite single pink and violet lots with a Fancy
Purplish Red diamond, and nine curated sets,
including a 2.47-carat Fancy Intense Yellow and
a 4.04-carat D color diamond from Diavik.
Sinead Kaufman, chief executive of Rio Tinto
Minerals, said it was a remarkable collection of
diamonds.
“No other mining company in the world has
custody of such a kaleidoscope of coloured
diamonds,” she said.
“Four years on from the closure of the Argyle
mine, our Beyond Rare Tender platform is a
testimony to the enduring prestige of the Argyle
Pink Diamonds brand, the quality of production
from our Diavik mine, and the ongoing demand
for highly collectible natural diamonds.”
The 48 lots will be displayed in London,
Australia, Singapore, and Belgium, and bids
will close on 18 November.

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News
Luxury watch listing leads
to home invasion
Police in South Australia are encouraging the public
to exercise caution after a listing for a luxury watch
on social media allegedly inspired a home invasion.
Three men entered a home in the Adelaide suburb
of Lightsview last week armed with a variety of
weapons, holding the tenants hostage for 30
minutes. Investigators have since revealed that the
crime is believed to have been motivated by a $37,000
Rolex listing on Facebook Marketplace. The suspects
tracked the address through a previous listing.
In an interview, the victim – who remains
anonymous – said he hoped that people
would learn from his experience.
"People with bad intentions essentially saw those
listings and tried to arrange for an inspection and
tried to get some more details, and obviously, they
successfully did that," the victim told 9News.
The Rolex had been sold three months earlier;
however, the suspects took car keys, wallets, credit
cards, and a mobile phone during the robbery. Police
recommended meeting in public spaces in daylight,
ideally with security cameras nearby. Anyone with
information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on
1800 333 000.
Legal battle: 50 Cent sues jeweller for using his likeness
US rapper 50 Cent is suing a New York City
jeweller for using his likeness to promote and
sell luxury chains.
TMZ reported on 10 October that 50 Cent (Curtis
James Jackson III) has filed a lawsuit against
Maksud Trax Agadjani, known as TraxNYC, for
publicity and trademark infringement.
TraxNYC is a jeweller with more than 2.5 million
Instagram followers.
A recent social media post featured diamondstudded
pendants and chains and references to
50 Cent. Social media users flooded the post,
suggesting that it was a mistake and that 50
Cent would take legal action in response — and
they appear to have been correct.
Southern District of New York court
documents, obtained by TheWrap, state that
the rapper is seeking damages of $USD5
million ($AUD7.42 million).
“Jackson did not purchase his necklace from
Defendants and Jackson has never authorised
Defendants to capitalise on his goodwill and
reputation in order to promote their goods and
services,” the lawsuit reads.
“Defendants, who are in the jewellery business,
willfully and knowingly created imitations
of an original necklace designed exclusively
for Jackson; used Jackson’s name, image
and other intellectual property rights to
mislead consumers into believing Defendants’
reproductions are affiliated with, sponsored by,
or endorsed by Jackson; and continue to use
Jackson’s name, image and other intellectual
property rights for commercial gain.”
The document reportedly lists several occasions
when Agadjani promoted the necklace design
online between August and October.
WHOLESALE /
DISTRIBUTOR
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02 6249 1509
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News
Iconic singer’s jewellery collection impresses at auction
More than 80 pieces of jewellery from Shirley
Bassey's private collection have impressed
buyers after appearing at an auction in Paris.
The collection was part of the Sotheby's Fine
Jewels sale, which took place on 10 October.
The proceeds went to charities.
The auction returned €2.2 million ($AUD3.58
million). A diamond brooch from the early 1900s
sold for €162,000 ($AUD263,500), almost five
times its estimate.
A Van Cleef and Arpels emerald and diamond
necklace sold for €174,000 ($AUD283,100), more
than double its estimate.
"I fell in love with jewellery when I first
discovered natural pearls as an up-and-coming
singer, and I bought myself my first string of
pearls - the first piece of jewellery I'd ever
bought,” Bassey said.
"However, I quickly graduated to my lifelong
passion for diamonds which preceded the
recording of Diamonds Are Forever.
"In fact, I accepted to sing the song because
it rang true to me and the way I felt about
diamonds then and now.”
She added: "Collecting jewellery for me is like
collecting memories and this collection is full
of them.”
A vintage 1960s Van Cleef and Arpels ring with
brilliant-cut diamonds, gifted to Bassey by
Elton John, sold for €48,000 ($AUD78,100).
Emerald brooch returns to auction block after 50 years
An emerald brooch that appeared at the
inaugural Christie’s Geneva jewellery sale in
1969 is expected to hit the block for a second
time in November.
The Aga Khan emerald brooch will enter the
Geneva Magnificent Jewels auction on 12
November with a presale estimate of $USD8
million ($AUD12.1 million).
The brooch features a 37-carat Colombian
emerald and was commissioned from Cartier in
1960 by Prince Sadruddin Aga Kahn as a gift for
his wife, Nina Dyer.
It was sold for $USD75,000 ($AUD113,700)
in 1969.
Christie’s Max Fawcett said it was a charismatic
and eye-catching piece.
“The emerald brooch is not just a piece of
jewellery; it carries with it the stories and charm
of a bygone era,” he said.
“We are thrilled to present it once again, not only
because of its history but also due to the increased
interest in coloured stones the market has
witnessed in recent years. We believe it will attract
a high level of interest from clients globally.”
Christie’s will also feature five lots belonging to
the Sassoon family, known as the 'Rothschilds of
the East'.
Among the collection is an art deco Indo-Persian
necklace by Cartier with antique cushion-cut
diamonds totalling more than 130 carats. The
necklace has a presale estimate of $USD1.5
million ($AUD2.2 million).

10 Years Ago
Time Machine: November 2014
A snapshot of the industry events making headlines this time 10 years ago in Jeweller.
Historic Headlines
Jewellers to receive new-look sales training
Kate Spade New York makes Aussie debut
Thomas Sabo creates Xmas buzz with debut TV ad
Sales increase and new stores for Pandora
First Australian jewellery conference announced
Diamond grading furore
continues; ‘approved’ lab list
released
In the wake of international controversy
surrounding the “over-grading” of diamonds,
the JAA has published a list of “approved”
laboratories while the World Federation of
Diamond Bourses has stepped into the debate
with a call for action.
The Jewellers Association of Australia (JAA) has
taken steps to improve consumer confidence
in diamond grading by publishing a list of six
“approved” diamond grading laboratories.
The list endorses only two Australian
operations, and while it has recognised four
international laboratories, no New Zealand
operator has been given a stamp of approval.
GIA takes action over mislabelled
diamond
The Gemological Institute of America has
suspended one of its services across all
laboratory locations after receiving a sealed
diamond that did not match the accompanying
data label.
According to a statement released by the
Gemological Institute of America (GIA), its
diamond sealing service – a process that
involves sealing a graded diamond and its key
information in a compact, tamper-resistant
package for easy transport and display – had
been put on hold. An investigation held in
conjunction with an independent agency was
said to be underway to determine the source
of the mislabelled sealed diamond and the
circumstances surrounding its submission.
Clients with concerns about a GIA-sealed
diamond were encouraged to submit the
unopened sealed packet for examination.
Editor’s Desk
A tale of two (jewellery) locations
"If the JAA’s lease project gains traction, there’s
a good chance that jewellers will be able to
use the valuable information contained in the
database to negotiate reductions in leasing
costs or, at the very least, ensure they are not
paying above market rates.
The game has been stacked against small
independent retailers for too long but things
might be about to change.
Sadly, though, the greater security risks –
including the potential violent, armed attacks
for jewellers located on the high street – will
always remain."
Soapbox
I am Plating. Hear me roar.
"Thank goodness the technology for making
me has become so refined and we can keep
creating big, beautiful designs that draw
people into the stores.
Madonna, a singer with neither the finest voice
nor looks, is now touted to have a net worth
of $1 billion not because she is precious but
because she is bold and ready to lead. Don’t
you think it is worth applying the same logic of
her success to me? In her words, “You know
that we are living in a material world, and I am
a material girl.”
Helen Hagerty,
Julie Sandlau Australia
November 2014
ON THE COVER CITIZEN
STILL RELEVANT 10 YEARS ON
Sometimes your success will come down
to demanding more from your business
and, consequently, more for yourself.
It requires an understanding of the
“gap” that exists between what we want
the business to achieve and what it is
currently achieving. This is known as
GAP analysis.
Gold jewellery demand weakens,
platinum council established
READ ALL HEADLINES IN FULL ON
JEWELLERMAGAZINE.COM
Global gold jewellery demand in the third
quarter of 2014 was unable to match last year’s
“exceptional” corresponding period, according
to the World Gold Council’s latest report.
Although the Gold Demand Trends report found that
global jewellery demand had decreased by 4 per
cent to 534 tonnes, it noted that the third quarter
of 2013 had been the “strongest third quarter for
jewellery demand since 2008, and by
a fair margin”.
When viewed in the longer term, the third quarter
was considered to have performed “marginally
stronger” than the quarterly average of 528 tonnes,
with the volumes said to indicate a continued
recovery from the low experienced in 2009.
Bank accused of money
laundering for diamond dealers
An international bank has been charged with
assisting Antwerp diamond dealers to hide
money in offshore accounts to evade tax.
According to multiple media reports, the
Belgian prosecutor has charged a Switzerlandbased
subsidiary of HSBC Bank, HSBC
Private Bank SA (Suisse), with fraud and
money laundering. In a statement, the
prosecutor alleged that the bank “knowingly
eased and promoted fiscal fraud” by allowing
clients to move money into offshore companies
based in Panama and the Virgin Islands.
The prosecutor claimed that the bank’s
activities – which were estimated to have cost
the Belgian government hundreds of millions of
euros – dated back as far as 2003 and involved
soliciting and managing the assets of more than
1,000 wealthy clients, mainly from the Antwerp
diamond industry.
24 | November 2024

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REVIEW
Gems
Gemmologists who changed the game:
Campbell Bridges
Campbell Bridges was a world-renowned
geologist, gemmologist, gemstone dealer,
and prospector who made a tremendous
impact on the world of gemmology.
Born in England, Bridges was introduced to
geology from an early age through his father,
Dr RJ Bridges, a chief geologist for The
Central Mining and Investment Corporation
in South Africa. His childhood in South Africa
and his father's work exposed Bridges to
various gemstones, which he collected.
Bridges was educated at Hilton College
before completing his Bachelor of Science
in geology at the University of Witwatersrand.
He worked across South Africa and Zimbabwe
before expanding his explorations into
Tanzania, where he made many critical
gemmological discoveries.
In 1967, Bridges discovered deposits of
tsavorite, a green variety of grossular garnet,
in the mountain ranges of northeast Tanzania.
The discovery was made in the Taita Hills,
near the Tsavo National Park, which inspired
the gemstone's name.
Along with the discovery of tsavorite, Bridges
became enamoured with a purplish-blue
stone he encountered at local markets. In
an interview for Diamond World, Campbell's
wife, Judith Bridges, described their first
encounters with tanzanite.
"We arrived in the city of Arusha in 1967 to
find bazaar stands teeming with samples of
a translucent purplish-blue stone. The first
specimens of tanzanite had surfaced nearby
earlier that year, but it was still a local find,”
she explained.
Bridges purchased rough of the purplishblue
stone and sent it to the Gemmological
Association of America in New York for further
testing. The stone caught the attention of
key figures in the industry, including Tiffany
& Company jewellers, prompting Bridges to
bring tanzanite to the international market.
He did this for several years until the Tanzania
government nationalised mining, blocking him
from mining and exporting the gemstone.
However, Bridges perseverance and geological
knowledge motivated him to continue his
exploration.
Campbell Bridges: 1938 - 2009. A celebrated
geologist and gemmologist, Bridges made
groundbreaking discoveries of tsavorite and tanzanite,
significantly impacting the gemmology field.
He surmised that the seam bearing tsavorite
and tanzanite gemstones could stretch across
the border into Kenya.
In 1971, his theory would prove partially
correct, and he discovered the tsavorite
deposits again in Kenya, where he officially
registered his discovery and purchased
mineral rights. With production and
exportation possible, he commenced business
with Tiffany & Co. to promote the new
gemstone varieties to the mass market.
In 1974, Tiffany & Co ran a full-page
advertisement in The New Yorker magazine
to promote the new gemstone, tsavorite,
which featured Campbell Bridges.
His discovery of tanzanite was also celebrated
in a feature article in Life Magazine in 1969.
Tanzanite was also promoted with a lavish
campaign featuring Elizabeth Taylor wearing a
pair of eight-carat tanzanite earrings cut
from rough that Bridges had mined.
Campbell Bridges was awarded a lifetime
membership in the Alumni Association of
the Geological Institute of America (GIA)
and a senior membership in the National
Association of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA).
In Kenya, where Bridges lived and worked for
more than four decades, he was a founding
member of the International Coloured
Gemstone Association, founding chairman
and committee member of The Kenyan
Chamber of Mine, and former vice chairman
of the Kenyan Gemstone Dealers Association.
Campbell and Judith Bridges lived in a
treehouse on their claim in Kenya, where
they raised their family.
Bridges owned and operated the Scorpion
Mine in the Taita-Taveta District of southeast
Kenya.
Despite living in Kenya for more than 40
years, the success of his tsavorite mine made
him a target for a large, organised crime
syndicate. Bridges had received numerous
threats, prompting him to alert Kenyan police
officials and hire his security team.
Tragically, despite these efforts, Bridges' life
came to an end when he was ambushed by
a gang of more than 30 armed men. Bridges
was murdered in front of his son, Bruce
Bridges, and a security team.
The tragedy devastated the gemmology
community and was a confronting reminder
of the volatile and dangerous conditions that
can exist in the gemstone mining industry.
Bridges' family continue to fight for justice
over his death.
Bridges leaves behind an immense legacy
in the world of gemmology and geology. His
name will forever remain synonymous with
tsavorite garnets and the rise of tanzanite as
a beautiful and desirable gemstone.
Teaghan Hall is a fine art graduate with a
specialised interest in antique jewellery. She works
in the antique jewellery trade and has written for
various industry publications while studying with
the Gemmological Association of Australia.
For more information on gems and gemmology,
visit www.gem.org.au
November 2024 | 27

TRADE SHOW WRAP
Pearls in Hong Kong
AUTORE
OPHIDIA ENCHANTRESS NECKLACE
T
here's something for everyone at
international events like Jewellery and
Gem World Hong Kong; however, this
year’s September event had an unlikely hero.
Diamonds, colour gemstones, luxury watches
and jewellery of all thinkable varieties light up
every corner of the Hong Kong Convention and
Exhibition Centre and AsiaWorld-Expo venues.
As a result, it’s not surprising that this year’s
show in September attracted more than
50,000 visitors from 142 countries – each
eager to view showcases presented by more
than 3,300 exhibitors.
With that said, there was one clear star at this
year’s event – pearls and pearl jewellery. It’s
easy to understand why pearls have enraptured
humans for thousands of years.
Pearls' unique and lustrous appearance is
captivating, and subtle colours add elegance
and sophistication to any outfit. They are classic
and never go out of style.
Pearls have been valued for centuries, making
them a staple in vintage and contemporary
fashion. Event organiser Informa Markets thrust
pearls into the spotlight in Hong Kong with the
launch of the Orient Odyssey on 18 September.
It was a fascinating tour through the intricate
world of pearls, taking visitors from ‘shell to
market’.
Director of jewellery fairs at Informa Markets,
Celine Lau, says the exhibition was designed to
introduce a new generation of jewellers to the
beauty of pearls.
“Few things evoke fascination like the world’s
only living gemstones, inherently perfect from
the moment of harvest," she explains.
"Orient Odyssey is celebrating the timeless
beauty of pearls while at the same time
introducing them to a new generation of buyers
and ensuring that their enduring allure remains
at the forefront of the industry’s collective
consciousness."
The exhibition showcased oysters' production of
pearls, offered insights into the world’s various
pearl grading systems, and highlighted the
evolving science of pearl cultivation.
Live demonstrations of pearls extracted
from oysters captivated onlookers. Designer
Rosemary Chung hosted sessions on
pearl jewellery styling, while renowned
gemstone artist Victor Tuzlukov provided live
demonstrations of pearl facetting techniques.
One of the major supporters of the exhibition
was Australia’s Paspaley Pearling Company.
Executive director Michael Bracher says that
Australia has an important story to tell on the
global stage.
“It’s been a fantastic experience, and I think
it’s really opened many people’s minds as to
what is capable with the Australian oyster,”
Bracher explains.
“We’ve presented many pearls from our
private collection that aren’t for sale, including
the Paspaley Pearl, , which we found in 2003. My
uncle said at the time that we shouldn’t sell it
until we find a better one, and funnily enough,
here we are in 2024 and still holding it.”
Many consider the Paspaley Pearl
to be the
finest South Sea pearl ever discovered. It was
harvested more than two decades ago on the
Kimberley Coast. Perfectly round and measuring
more than 20 millimetres in diameter, it has an
intense lustre and strong pink overtone.
“It’s been great to showcase our unique
collection of the most interesting and
important pearls that we’ve found over
many decades,” Bracher explained.
"We even spoke with a few clients and got their
permission to temporarily showcase them at
this booth so that we could highlight the
excellence of Australian pearls.”
Located in the fine jewellery pavilion, Autore
Pearls also supported the exhibition. General
manager of jewellery sales and operations
Justin Schwarz offered an up-close look at
some of the company’s finest creations.
These include the award-winning Enchantress.
Creative director Jane Autore and her design
team created the necklace in 18-carat rose
gold, which features more than 16 carats of pink
diamonds and 23 carats of white diamonds,
mimicking the pattern of scales.
In the snake's head, a two-carat pear-shaped
white diamond sits like a crown, and the eyes
and nostrils are adorned with rubies, black
diamonds, and moonstones.
Australian company Autore's awardwinning
Ophidia Enchantress Necklace
is crafted from A-grade South Sea
Keshi pearls set in 18 carat rose gold
and 16.64-carats of pink diamonds and
23.99-carats of white diamonds, with a
2-carat pear shaped white diamond set
in the head of the serpent.
28 | November 2024

Visitors observed live pearl extraction from oysters, saw gemstone artist Victor Tuzlukov demonstrate pearl faceting, and attended a fashion show by pearl companies
at the Tahitian Pearl Association Hong Kong reunion party, spotlighting the elegance and craftsmanship of pearls.
The piece contains 26 Autore South Sea keshi
pearls collected over eight years.
“Autore is renowned for offering the finest quality
pearls, and we have seen that reflected in the
interactions and feedback we’ve had with buyers.
We’ve been very busy,” Schwartz tells Jeweller.
“One of the most valuable aspects of shows
such as this is educating visitors on the value
of Australian pearls. It’s a great chance to build
rapport and highlight how special these natural
wonders are. “
He added: “This isn’t just limited to buyers
from overseas, too; we find that Aussies still
have plenty to learn.”
Thick of the action
Jewellery and Gem World Hong Kong is divided
across two venues for those unfamiliar. The
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is
dedicated to finished jewellery, while AsiaWorld-
Expo features loose gemstones.
The 2024 show included an interactive
exhibit called 'Orient Odyssey' that
showcased pearls and included live
demonstrations.
The pearl section of AsiaWorld-Expo is usually
a hive of activity, with buyers feverously
purchasing strands. There was a notable
decline in foot traffic this year, which has
been attributed to a range of factors.
Among the crowd was Adam Crase of South
Sea Pearls and Jewellery, based in Sydney.
“There’s definitely been a significant reduction
in foot traffic this year, but I’m happy with some
of the new contacts we’ve made,” he says.
“We’ve done really well with some of our
silver lines in particular. We’ve spoken with
some interesting buyers – generally speaking,
Europeans aren’t particularly passionate about
pearls, particularly in comparison with buyers
from Asia.”
Crase raised an interesting subject that
attendees of recent jewellery fairs in Hong
Kong have previously discussed — the impact
of China’s expanding middle class.
Diamond Federation of Hong Kong chairman
Victor Yiu previously noted that diamond jewellery
sales in China have slowed because an expanding
middle class encourages consumers to delay
marriage in favour of career advancement.
Crase offered an interesting perspective on
this topic.
“If you think that about it in simple terms, if
there’s an additional million families entering
the middle class in China, that’s an additional one
million strands of pearls to be sold,” he explains.
“Advertising certainly helps promote pearl
jewellery in that regard, and the message is
often that you don’t need to have the very best
pearls, but you need to have some.
“As the emerging middle class comes into China,
they’re accepting a lower-grade pearl because
pearls are associated with wealth.”
Located a short walk away was Jonathan
Jacobson, co-founder of Pearl Traders.
An industry veteran, he specialises in
South Sea, Tahitian, and gold pearls.
“We’ve spoken with quite a few people, and
the feedback has been mixed; some people are
quiet, and some people are busy. It’s like any
trade show,” he tells Jeweller.
“We are really happy with how we’ve gone;
we have no complaints. I think people are
finding that buyers are interested in anything
and everything.
“Whatever is available, they’re going to buy.
We’ve got a wide range of pearls – from colour
to black and gold and commercial pearls, and
it’s all been selling which is fantastic.”
Eye on the future
As part of a new initiative, Informa Markets
launched the Sustainability Awards 2024, with
an expert panel from the jewellery and gemstone
industry judging the efforts of businesses of all
sizes. Autore Pearls was named a finalist in the
Environmental Stewardship category.
Furthermore, on 18 September, a panel
discussion titled The Power of Pearls:
Sustainable Gems For A New Generation
was held at the HKCEC's Grand Foyer.
The discussion centred around innovative
strategies, from design to branding, that
increase pearls' appeal to consumers.
Rosario Autore, founder of The Autore Group,
participated in the discussion and went
‘off-script’ to conclude his presentation,
emphasising the importance of bringing the
next generation into the industry.
“Our key responsibility as leaders of this industry
is to inspire the younger generation who will follow
our path. It’s a commitment to building an industry
for these future leaders so that they can, in turn,
inspire and engage with their peers,” he said.
“We need to provide them with the passion and
dedication that everyone in this room has, and I
hope we can all get together and make sure that
we progress further down this path.”
In 2025, Jewellery and Gem World Hong Kong
will be held from 15-19 September at the AWE
and from 17-21 September at the HKCEC.
November 2024 | 29

DEFYING TIME
A Lasting Legacy
Very few brands survive nearly two centuries.
SAMUEL ORD
explores the unique history and fascinating legacy of WOLF.
T he watch and jewellery industries are
steeped in tradition and legacy, with
many brands proudly wearing their
history as a badge of honour. Very few brands
have a story that rivals WOLF.
The brand celebrates 190 years of operation
this year – and has done so in style, with the
release of five new collections marking important
moments and milestones.
Watch winders and jewellery boxes are intriguing
propositions for Australian retailers. On one hand,
they’re niche products that cater to a specific audience.
Put simply, most people are likely to purchase an
engagement ring at some point in their lives; however,
only a select few will be so committed and dedicated to
collecting watches that they’ll require a winder.
The same could be said for fine jewellery boxes as
many consumers undoubtedly feel that ‘any old box
will do’ – jewellery is meant to be worn, not stored!
That said, this niche appeal can offer retailers access
to loyal and dedicated consumers passionate about
watches and jewellery.
These products can also position a jewellery business
as an ‘all-encompassing’ authority on luxury goods —
with the answer to another common question (storage)
easily on hand.
Furthermore, retailers can pair these items with
watches and jewellery, encouraging customers to
purchase complementary products, thus increasing
revenue with add-on sales.
Jewellery boxes and watch winders offer retailers a
unique point of difference in a crowded market – and
‘standing out’ is something WOLF prides itself on.
Past: Winding back the clock
The brand began in 1834 with Philipp Wolf I, a jeweller
and silversmith by trade in Hanau, Germany. Dreaming
of presenting his jewellery in the best way possible, he
began handmaking boxes.
He realised that he’d found a niche in the market, and
as the popularity of these boxes grew, he shifted away
from silversmithing to focus on this new passion.
In a move highlighting the enduring respect for tradition
and family the brand would later embody, Philipp Wolf
I would later base the design of his family crest on the
Hanau coat of arms.
The second generation of the family was led by
Philipp Wolf II, who immigrated to Sweden in 1895
and, 15 years later, married Ida Wilhelmina Peterson.
Unfortunately, not every fairy tale story has a happy
ending, and after the tragic loss of two of their five
children due to illness, he suffered severe mental
health issues. With her husband unable to work,
Ida took it upon herself to lead the company.
She would travel throughout Sweden and Scandinavia
by rail and horse-drawn carriage, selling whatever
products the factory could make from a wooden trunk.
Ida kept the WOLF story alive, and in 1936, two of her
remaining children - Philipp Wolf III and his brother
Ernst – took control of the business.
Philipp Wolf III is described as a visionary. At the factory
in Malmö, Sweden, he developed many new production
techniques and processes. He is renowned for inventing
the musical pirouetting ballerina box, which would
become a world-famous jewellery box.
In the 1950s, Philipp Wolf IV joined the family business
at a young age, helping his father create samples and
spending time at the factory.
During this time, he briefly moved to England and
encountered the woman who would become his wife –
less than a week after they first met!
In the 1960s, he moved to the UK, instructed by his
father to build a factory and start production in Ireland.
Production was soon relocated to South Wales.
In the 1980s, a fifth generation was added to the family
business – Simon Philipp Wolf V.
He recently visited Australia as part of the anniversary
celebration, meeting with retailers in Melbourne
and Sydney.
Speaking on the third floor of a hotel lounge in
Melbourne on a warm spring afternoon, Wolf fondly
remembers these early days – and laughingly
dismisses any suggestion that joining the family
business was ‘destiny’.
“Growing up, I watched my father go to the office in
London. I knew the work he did, and I found the boxes
and samples fascinating; however, I never had any
intention of joining the business,” he tells Jeweller.
“I was very lucky as a child. I had a great education,
went to boarding school, and lived in Sweden for a year
before returning to London to study at university. That
didn’t work out well for me.
“One day, my father came to me and said, why don’t you
try going out on the road with Tony?”
‘Tony’ was a travelling salesperson for the business
– and Wolf describes that suggestion as a ‘lightbulb
moment’ in his life.
Discovering first-hand how business is conducted
was an eye-opening experience, and he loved
every moment.
It’s a relatable origin story; indeed, there’s often
something special in seeing exactly how the
‘sausage is made’.
Witnessing the types of retailers Tony would visit, how
he interacted with them, and how orders were made,
finalised, and completed was inspiring.
“When we returned to the office in London, my father
dropped the phone directory in front of me and said go
and sell something,” Wolf remembers.
“Two years later, my father asked me what I thought of
our distribution. I said I thought I could do a better job.
I didn’t have a clue what I was talking about; I was only
22 years old.”
He continues: “I have these distinct memories from
those days. How inspiring it is to learn how business
works and the stress and duress and fear of not
knowing what you’re doing. Those are
the emotions and feelings
that you remember
clearly decades later.”
THE WOLF TIMELINE
30 | November 2024
1836-1896
Philipp Wolf I
The Silversmith
1869-1946
Philipp Wolf II
The Boxmaker
1889 - 1991
Ida Wilhelmina Peterson
The Traveller

Present: Recognition and refinement
Those fears were justified in many regards, and it
wasn’t always smooth sailing for the brand. In the early
2000s, he would pursue an ambitious rebranding from
Wolf Designs to WOLF, aiming to highlight the heritage
and family tradition behind the business.
“Around 15 years ago, things began to change
dramatically for us. We began to be recognised as the
‘go-to’ for watch winders and jewellery cases, and I
suppose it would say that was the beginning of a series
of successive ‘ah-ha’ moments,” Wolf explains.
“It was about recognising the value of the people who
worked with me and realising that we could achieve so
much more than we were. I have great people who work
with me today, and when we’re set in a direction, the sky
is the limit.”
A distribution partnership between WOLF and Duraflex
Group Australia was announced in September 2020.
At the time, managing director Phil Edwards said
the brand’s niche and unique appeal would be wellregarded
in the Australian market.
"WOLF is a truly unique brand with an unrivalled
product offering that’s necessary for our market. We’re
delighted to be the exclusive agent and look forward to
growing this luxury brand locally,” he told Jeweller at
the time.
"The five-generation family-owned brand understands
that extraordinary objects are representations of
extraordinary moments in life.”
Nearly half a decade later, Edwards says the
partnership will only continue to grow.
“We are honoured to be associated with the WOLF
brand and truly value the partnership that we share,” he
tells Jeweller today.
“To be celebrating 190 years is a
monumental milestone for the brand,
and their commitment to innovation
and sustainability is inspirational. The
response from retailers and press
meeting with Simon Wolf personally
during his first visit to Australia has
been exceptional.”
He continues: “We look forward to now taking the WOLF
brand to the next level.”
As mentioned, WOLF has celebrated its 190th
anniversary by releasing five new collections. The
first is the Silver Watch Jewellery and Legacy Box, a
commemorative piece for Philipp Wolf I, who started
the company as a silversmith in 1834.
The silver box is decorated with a piano hinge and an
engine-turned finish and features two lift-out trays.
The Ida Trunk Jewellery Box is a tribute to the woman
who kept the business alive amid great grief and loss.
It's a trunk-style jewellery box with a recycled canvas
exterior, top-grain leather trim, brass stud detailing,
and a custom lock.
Next is the Ballet Musical Jewellery Box, an iconic
WOLF design created by Philipp Wolf III in the 1930s.
It has eight compartments lined with blue ultrasuede.
There are two ballerinas to choose from within the
walnut wood veneer and marquetry-inlaid music box.
Simon's wife, Fiona, designed the embroidery within
the inner lid framing the mirror.
The Philipp Watch and Jewellery Lifestyle Box is
inspired by the creation of Simon’s father, Philipp
Wolf IV. The men’s watch and jewellery lifestyle case
embodies vintage 1970s aesthetics with a modern twist.
A rich brown vegan leather and beige nubuck exterior,
with the Design Philipp ‘DP’ logo in a gold finish, is
paired with a custom-designed lock.
The final anniversary collection is Earth, designed
by Simon to commemorate the brand's history. The
collection blends sustainable materials, such as apple
leather, with the latest WOLF technology, such as a
lock-in dynamic cuff and app-set turns per day.
Future: Cultural influence
When celebrating an anniversary, it’s natural to turn
one's attention not only to the past but to the future—
and a 200th-anniversary celebration in 2034 beckons.
Between now and then, WOLF has some significant
ambitions – and has already outlined the steps required
to achieve them.
“By the time we reach our 200th anniversary, I hope the
brand is recognised more universally,” he says.
“The objective is to have our messaging strong enough
that people no longer say they need a watch winder or a
jewellery box; they need a WOLF.”
Indeed, a brand name becoming synonymous with a
product is often viewed as climbing the ‘Mount Everest’
of marketing.
The most common example most may recall is Kleenex
being said instead of tissue in the US; however, Band-
Aid, Tupperware, Frisbee, Velcro and even PowerPoint
are all examples.
It’s a sign that a brand has achieved market dominance
and its product quality and reputation have reached
cultural influence.
Many brands and marketing teams dream of this
accomplishment, and Wolf said he’s confident his
company has what it takes.
“It’s about taking one step every single day. It’s about
being consistent with our products and development,
how we deliver our messaging and the story behind the
product, and supporting our customers and retailers,”
he says.
“It’s not something that happens overnight. It happens
organically, every day, every week, and every month,
as we continuously react and adjust the valuable
information we receive from our retail partners
and customers.”
He continues: “That’s how this company has managed
to survive for nearly two centuries, and it’s how we’ll
move forward in the future.”
From humble beginnings at the hands of a silversmith
in Germany in the 1830s, WOLF has evolved into a
global industry supplier with a strong presence in
Europe, the US, Asia, and Australia.
Making a brand name synonymous with luxury watch
and jewellery storage is a lofty and ambitious dream.
However, with more than 190 years of history supporting
the brand, the odds are undoubtedly in WOLF’s favour.
1911 - 1993
Philipp Wolf III
The Fisherman
1936
Philipp Wolf IV
The Aviator
TODAY
Simon Philip Wolf V
The Designer
November 2024 | 31

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JEWELS DOWN UNDER
Uniquely Australian
FOR THE LOVERS OF HOMEGROWN
Is the passion for Australian jewellery still burning bright?
SAMUEL ORD speaks with local jewellery retailers about
the priorities and preferences of their consumers.
Christie Nicolaides

CHRISTIE NICOLAIDES
SAPPHIRE DREAMS
I
t’s been a long-held belief in Australian
retail circles that consumers are
passionate about supporting local
businesses and brands.
With so many significant changes to the retail
landscape over the past five years, it’s worth
asking whether these purchasing patterns
have changed.
Indeed, in many ways, it would not be surprising
to discover that the dedication local consumers
claim they have for Australian jewellery products
is nothing more than a ‘convenient truth’.
It could easily be a self-proclaimed characteristic
based on image, desire, and emotion rather than
the reality reflected by purchasing patterns.
The good news is that first-hand reports from
jewellery retailers across Australia would appear
to dismiss this fear!
VICTORIA BUCKLEY
Research conducted by Roy Morgan in
2023 found that consumers associate
many appealing values with the ‘Australian
Made’ logo.
Among them were supporting local jobs and
employment, high-quality and reliable products,
the use of ethical labour and environmental
awareness, and expensive yet good value
products.
The broader philosophy behind these
purchasing patterns is simple and easy to
understand. With Australian brands, you know
what you’re getting – quality products made at
high production standards.
At the same time, you’re helping maintain
Australian jobs, strengthening domestic
industries, and supporting local communities.
These are the advantages Australian jewellery
presents consumers. For retailers, it’s a different
and yet still compelling equation.
Partnerships between local retailers and
suppliers offer improved quality assurance,
faster turnaround times, and reduced
shipping costs.
Closer geographic proximity can lead to more
robust communication and relationships, and
local suppliers may offer more customisation
and flexibility, along with market insight.
Unique challenges
That said, the retail landscape has changed
considerably over the past five years. With stores
and shopping centres nationwide forcibly closed
during the COVID-19 pandemic, Australian
consumers were temporarily forced to turn to
online sources for jewellery shopping.
These consumers discovered that now, more
than ever, a wide range of jewellery is available
online and for delivery at friendly prices.
This presents a challenge for Australian
brands and retailers, as customers were
forcibly introduced to new sources of jewellery
that threatened to undermine long-standing
relationships reinforced by civic pride.
IKECHO
Angus Smith is the CEO of Krool Jewels, which
operates stores in Newcastle and Melbourne.
He says the pandemic was an unusual
experience for his business.
“I think the pandemic certainly widened people’s
buying habits,” he tells Jeweller.
“I definitely benefited from the buying habits
during the pandemic because, at that point in
time, my business was completely online with a
strong social media presence.
“Now that I have two brick-and-mortar stores,
I think my relationship with customers is very
different than it was when I was only online.”
Smith says there is a distinction between
consumers shopping in-person and online.
Those in person are quick to espouse the
importance of supporting Australian brands,
while those online are likelier to favour price,
style, and aesthetics over origin.
“I think, especially in Melbourne, people have
a strong urge to buy local, and I think the
handmade aspect is still a solid selling point
that many of my customers seem to appreciate,”
he explains.
“But in my experience, I think there is still a big
appreciation for supporting locals and love for
handmade pieces; even so much appreciation,
it seems people would pay more money to have
something done locally by someone they can
meet rather than online.”

Earth+Ocean
PEARL & OPAL JEWELLERY STYLED BY NATURE
Ph +612 9266 0636 | enquiries@ikecho.com.au | wholesale.ikecho.com.au

JEWELS DOWN UNDER | Uniquely Australian
Australia’s Longest
Operating Watch Brand
ClassiqueWatches.com
Become a stockist today 02 9290 2199
36 | November 2024
Changing tastes
Defining consumers' different motives was also
crucial to Natalie Barney, a French jewellery
designer working in Sydney.
She says there has also been a specific
category of consumers interested in chasing
cheaper prices from overseas. These
consumers are less interested in the creative
process behind jewellery and, by extension,
less concerned with the emotional experience
associated with pieces.
Put simply, they favour the fast and efficient
process of ordering online.
“We know that jewellery is not only an emotional
purchase; the experience of buying or creating
jewellery is also one that feeds off human
connections,” she tells Jeweller.
“That means feeling that you are connecting
with someone who is attentive to your needs and
will come up with the right recommendation,
especially when it comes to bespoke or madeto-order
jewellery where trust is such an
integral part of the process.”
She also referenced an emerging type of
‘anti-social’ consumers, who prefer to shop via
technology rather than in person.
The perception of these consumers
undoubtedly differs from one business to
another. Older generations are more likely
to view them as unusual or unconventional,
while younger business owners may feel it’s
‘business as usual’.
It’s easy to imagine how the conditions of the
pandemic would've reinforced these habits.
With e-commerce more accessible than ever,
there’s been little motivation to return to instore
shopping.
“What I have seen is an increase in local people
who are more receptive to either ordering
online sight unseen or connecting with me as a
designer through emails, messages, or phones
and then placing an order without again having
a physical appointment with me,” she added.
Increasing savvy but still proud
Another Australian business owner pointed
out that trust can be found easily in local
businesses but is more challenging to discern
when shopping online.
Victoria Buckley, a jewellery designer based
in Sydney, says that her customers are more
savvy and aware of international designers
than ever.
Social media and online shopping have
undoubtedly played a vital role in this
increasing awareness as the market
transitions from learning about jewellery at
local stores to online.
With that said, she argues that the nature of
jewellery is a highly valuable and emotional
product, which means that connections with
local businesses remain as strong as ever.
Natalie Barney
Natalie Barney
“What I have seen is an increase
in local people who are more
receptive to either ordering
online sight unseen or connecting
with me as a designer through
emails, messages, or phones
and then placing an order
without again having a physical
appointment with me.”
Victoria Buckley
Victoria Buckley
“Australians are increasingly
well-travelled and aware of
quality. Australian-designed
and made jewellery is highly
regarded and generally thought
of as being excellent quality.”
Davina Adamson
Black Finch Jewellery
“Local now can feel global if
your values align. At the same
time, there is a certain romance
of walking past a store every
day where you have purchased
significant jewellery, and that
will always be the case.”
Angus Smith
Krool Jewels
“I think, especially in Melbourne,
people have a strong urge to buy
local, and I think the handmade
aspect is still a solid selling point
that many of my customers seem
to appreciate.”
Geneine Honey
Geneine Honey Bespoke Jewellery
“All of that being said, even
the younger shoppers love a
personalised experience, to
meet the maker and have a little
help navigating a purchase.
Jewellery can be a big financial
decision, and who doesn’t need
help with those!”

(03) 9663 2321
INFO@ATHAN.COM.AU
WWW.ATHAN.COM.AU
602/220 COLLINS ST, MELBOURNE VIC 3000

BECKS
“Because of the high value of jewellery,
and the challenge of visualising scale
and quality online, customers still
generally prefer to experience a piece in
person,” Buckley says.
“I’ve had very high-value pieces purchased
online, unseen, before – it does happen.
Generally speaking, however, customers like to
hold a piece in their hands before purchasing.
Once they know they can trust your brand, that
becomes less essential.”
Buckley argues that the profile of Australians
as consumers has changed significantly
over the past decade and that they are
increasingly comfortable purchasing
jewellery overseas. With that said, they’re still
proud to be Australian – and to support local
jewellery brands.
“Australians are increasingly well-travelled
and aware of quality. Australian-designed
and made jewellery is highly regarded and
generally thought of as being excellent
quality,” she says.
“I know our customers are very loyal
and appreciative that my company
makes everything locally. It’s a significant
factor in our long history.”
Memory lane
Geneine Honey Bespoke Jewellery is based in
Fitzroy North in Melbourne. The owner, Geneine
Honey, was also quick to raise the importance
of trust and quality. She says that younger
consumers are tech-savvy and willing to chase
value online, partly because they’re yet to
feel the sting of ordering jewellery online and
discovering its poor quality.
FUEDAL CROWN & PENDANT
KROOL JEWELS
BECKS
ELLENDALE DIAMONDS
She says that experiences such as these and the
frustration of having to return a piece overseas
motivate older consumers who understand the
value of shopping locally.
“Younger consumers also don't remember
a time before little designer boutiques and
businesses lined the Melbourne streets,”
she recalls.
“Older customers remember the 1990s and how
many empty shop fronts there were and what
a monopoly of retail we had dominated by big
business, they understand and remember what
limited choices we had here in Australia.”
She continues: “I opened my first retail store
in 2001 on Gertrude St in Fitzroy. What is
now a thriving retail strip full of designer
boutiques and broadsheet-worthy eateries
was then a wasteland of empty shopfronts
and boarding houses.
“Since those early years, the boutiques have
populated the inner north, and it’s easy to take
them for granted.”
Indeed, local consumers still have many
advantages to enjoy when choosing between
shopping in person and online.
You can take your purchases home
immediately without the infuriating
wait for shipping! You can physically
touch, try on, or test products, which
builds confidence in decision-making.
As Honey explains, face-to-face
interactions with staff can provide
valuable assistance, recommendations, and
irreplaceable personalised service, which
allows jewellery retailers to extoll the virtues of
locally made jewellery.
“All of that being said, even the younger
shoppers love a personalised experience, to
meet the maker and have a little help navigating
a purchase. Jewellery can be a big financial
decision, and who doesn't need help with
those!” she jokes.
“Many of our customers are local and do really
want to support local business, we also have
a loyal customer base that has grown with the
business over the past 20 years and shops with
that brand loyalty in mind.”
Diving even deeper
BLACK FINCH JEWELLERY
Black Finch Jewellery is based in the
Melbourne suburb of Collingwood and
manufactures its pieces in a workshop above
the store.
“Local now can feel global if your values
align. At the same time, there is a certain
romance of walking past a store every
day where you have purchased significant
jewellery, and that will always be the case,”
explains creative director Davina Adamson.
“I think identity is such a huge part of
culture now, finding the brand that aligns
more precisely with 'who you are' has
become more valued.”
38 | November 2024

NATALIE BARNEY
At the end of 2023, the business completed a survey of more
than 700 customers. One of the questions asked consumers to
rank the factors that influence their purchasing.
The three most popular responses were budget constraints,
quality craftsmanship, and unique design. General manager
Marie-Lauren Romano says these responses revealed
a significant advantage Australian jewellery brands and
businesses have over overseas competitors.
“I think now more than ever consumers are seeking a point
of difference - not only in jewellery but from multiple lifestyle
industries,” she explains.
“The rise of e-commerce, social media and our increasing digital
connection across the globe has led to homogenised product
offerings. It's uninspiring, to say the least. Coming from a
design business, the importance of innovation and integrity is
more evident; these values are the life of our business.”
Word spreads quickly
It’s clear that those with their ‘feet on the street’ have identified the
key characteristics that attracted Australian consumers to local
businesses and brands.
Local consumers prioritise brands and businesses that uphold
ethical standards in their operations, including fair labour practices,
transparency in sourcing, and responsible corporate behaviour.
They're also after high-quality products or services that consistently
meet or exceed expectations. Consumers are willing to pay more
for reliability and durability. Strong customer service is naturally
a significant factor. Consumers appreciate businesses prioritising
their needs, providing personalised experiences, and responding
promptly to issues.
Finally, supporting local communities is a factor that resonates
strongly with Australian consumers. They prefer businesses that
source locally, contribute to community initiatives, and create
employment opportunities. Businesses that align with these values
attract and retain loyal customers.
The good news for Australian jewellery brands brings all this to
the table – and more. Retailers can capitalise on consumers' trust
in Australian-made products, which can foster brand loyalty and
repeat purchases.
In a similar light, reduced shipping times and proximity to the
market mean quicker stock replenishment and faster response to
changing consumer demands. Retailers can align with consumer
sentiment towards supporting local jobs and industries, which can
resonate positively with their customer base.
Indeed, Australian jewellery brands and suppliers can provide
retailers with a competitive edge through quality, trust, and
alignment with consumer preferences.
November 2024 | 39

AN EVENT TO REMEMBER
Colour Gemstone Mastery
W
hat do dinosaur bones, space shuttles,
religious relics, and fine jewellery all
have in common? They’re all objects
of fascination to Robert Procop.
Earlier this month, Holloway Diamonds hosted a
special showcase that brought the creations of one
of the world’s most sought-after jewellery designers
back to Australia.
Across two evenings at the Holloway Diamonds
store in Canterbury (Melbourne), budding jewellery
collectors were introduced to the work of Robert Procop
Exceptional Jewels.
Two additional evenings were hosted at the
Melbourne Museum under cover of night, during
which established jewellery collectors were shown
the latest rings, bracelets, pendants, and earrings
from the Los Angeles ‘jeweller to the stars’ amid a
backdrop of dinosaur fossils.
Procop has little interest in the spotlight despite
having every reason to live in its warm glow. He’s
perhaps best known for his work with Angelina Jolie
and Brooke Shields; however, those are just two items
on a seemingly never-ending curriculum vitae.
Among his many accomplishments are working
hand-in-hand with several US presidents and receiving
personal instruction from Queen Elizabeth II on the
restoration of the English Crown Jewels.
Who is Robert Procop?
Introducing people to Procop and his work
is an unenviable task — knowing where to
begin can be difficult.
Garry Holloway says that telling stories is the key.
“Storytelling is the only way to explain how significant
this jewellery is and how unique of a person Robert is,”
Holloyway explains.
“He’s a self-made man who became fascinated with
jewellery while working at his brother-in-law’s pawn
shop in Beverley Hills. Pawnbrokers in Los Angeles
aren’t like ordinary pawnbrokers – people quickly cycle
between wealthy and poor in Hollywood.”
He continues: “Robert would watch the pawnbrokers
remove gemstones from all types of trophies and
awards – Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, and so on – so
the gold could be melted and sold, and noticed that
the gemstones would chip and shatter. He asked the
pawnbroker what became of the leftover gemstones,
and from there, a business was born.”
Procop was informed that chipped and broken
gemstones were sold in parcels once or twice a year.
He asked if he could purchase a handful and then
visited a gemstone cutter who taught him how to cut,
polish, and repair the gemstones. His development was
aided by an understanding of lighting, which came from
working with his father, a General Electric engineer.
From there, he was taught
the disciplines of
gemstone cutting and jewellery design. He soon found
himself travelling from California to Las Vegas with his
own collections to sell to retailers.
He later opened a store called Diamonds on Rodeo,
where he created jewellery for influential figures,
including President Ronald Reagan.
These were the opening stepping stones on Procop’s
journey, which eventually took him to the UK. There, he
was appointed CEO of Asprey & Garrard, leading the
company through a high-profile restructuring and a
return to its beginnings as two separate companies.
Class of its own
Even the most oblivious layperson – this author included
– is immediately aware that Procop’s jewellery is in
a class of its own. He specialises in large untreated,
rare, natural colour gemstones and uses an expansive
network to ascertain these stones.
Beyond the value and rarity of these gemstones is the
intricacy and sophistication of the jewellery itself.
A single bracelet can feature hundreds of hinged joints,
meticulously crafted to maximise flexibility and comfort.
Platinum earrings featuring dozens and dozens of
gemstones are intricately constructed to dramatically
minimise weight, creating a practical piece that can be
worn like any other.
Procop is even a devotee of ‘surprise diamonds’ –
concealing stones beneath settings and under bands
that won’t be visible when the jewellery is worn.
They serve as a hidden complement to any already
remarkable piece. It’s a secret ‘cherry on top’.
Among many fantastical tales is the suggestion that he
sleeps with a gemstone in each pocket at night –
waiting for each stone to tell him where it belongs.
40 | November 2024

“Robert is remarkable in the way that he can
seemingly ‘break all the rules’ in terms of practical
jewellery design while refusing to cut a single
corner,” Holloway explains.
“He has a remarkable team of craftsmen in exotic
cities in every corner of the planet. There are former
Van Cleef & Arpels people in Paris who work with
Robert to create specific pieces, while in Bangkok,
setters sit side-by-side with gemstone cutters to
ensure that each gemstone is trimmed to be the
perfect size.”
“He will use 20 different torches with varying colour
temperatures to ensure that each stone in a piece will always
match under differing light sources.
“It’s a level of attention to detail and sophistication that most jewellers can
only dream of – and even if it were achievable, most people simply don’t
have the patience and commitment to work to this standard of perfection.”
It’s a description reminiscent of the best-selling book Mastery by US
author Robert Greene, published in 2012. The central finding is as
follows: Mastery is not a function of any innate genius or God-given
talent. It’s a function of time and intense focus applied to any particular
field of knowledge.
Procop visited Australia in person for the first time in 2019, and his work
is supplied to Holloway Diamonds every two years for these types of
unique displays.
It resulted from an unlikely friendship that began in 2018 at a Las Vegas
trade show. Holloway laughingly recalls the first time he saw Procop’s
work in person.
“I was nagged by a friend for several years to travel to the US and meet
Robert, and when I finally found the time and sat down and looked at his
jewellery, I started weeping,” Holloway remembers.
“My wife asked me what on Earth was wrong and I said that I had never
felt like such an amateur before. It’s not just about the gemstones and how
beautiful they are; all these incredibly talented people from around the
world are tasked by Robert to create jewellery that is the best of the best.”
Psyche of a collector
Holloway describes Procop as the ‘penultimate collector’ and believes this
passion plays a large role in his ability to appeal to collectors. Tucked away
in Beverley Hills – not far from the pawn shop where this story began -
Procop’s home sounds like a boyhood dream realised.
Film memorabilia, religious artifacts, spacecraft, and dinosaur fossils are
meticulously placed throughout the property and more than 50 tonnes of
quartz crystal line the walls. Oh, and his neighbour is actor Johnny Depp.
“If I had to describe Robert’s collecting, I would have to say obsessive,”
jokes Holloway.
“He collects everything and anything he’s passionate about, but it’s very
focused, and there’s always a good reason or motivation to own something.
He has a great understanding of the psyche of collectors, and I’ve got no
doubt that plays a key part in his jewellery being so widely sought.”
Among his collection is a time capsule with replacement gemstones for
many of his pieces that have long since sold. With the exception of feature
stones, Procop maintains this cache of replacement gemstones if his
pieces are damaged today or in the decades to follow. It’s a rare dedication
that ensures the jewellery remains ‘as it should be’ even after the sale is
finalised and a new owner is found.
“When you tell people these stories, it doesn’t take them long to get the
idea that Robert is not a normal jeweller,” Holloway explains.
“These are exceptional practices, and how fitting it is that he would call his
business Robert Procop Exceptional Jewels.”
Procop wasn't able to travel to Australia this year; however, he was
represented by Tina Herman, who led the presentations with Holloway.
SapphireDreams.com.au
Become a stockist today 02 9290 2199

BUSINESS
Strategy
Do you need to strive to be
the best at your job?
GRAHAM JONES explains why working yourself to the point
of exhaustion can bring down those around you.
Being a weather forecaster is a
challenging job. Every day, people will
know whether you are good at making
meteorological predictions.
Recently, in the UK, the bulk of the
nation was given a ‘weather warning’
by the Met Office, saying there would be
thunderstorms and flooding from north
to south. As it turned out, the severe
weather was largely restricted to a few
small areas. The rest of the country
wondered why they had been warned
about poor weather as they sweltered in
the summer heat.
Despite what you might think, weather
forecasting is highly accurate. The Met
Office’s data shows that a four-day
forecast is now as accurate as the oneday
forecast was 30 years ago.
The meteorologists in Exeter, where the
Met Office is based, do their hardest to
get the weather forecast right. Indeed,
the one-day forecast is now 97 per cent
accurate. Given the vast variety of things
that affect the weather, this remarkable
feat shows how hard the forecasters
work to do their job well.
I assume you, too, do the best you can
in your job. I expect that you put in the
additional effort required to ensure that
your tasks are completed to the best of
your ability. You might even be putting in
the kind of effort we witnessed from the
Olympic Games athletes in Paris.
However, we have also witnessed several
individuals supposedly at the top of
their game demonstrate that they are
currently not doing their very best.
Sir Andy Murray, tipped for another
gold medal, finished his professional
career this week without even making
it to the semi-finals. Adam Peaty, the
swimmer, achieved second place silver
despite a massive build-up suggesting
he was sure to get gold. BMX cyclist
Beth Shriever finished last in the
final, even though she had won all her
qualifying races.
What was remarkable about these
people failing to do their very best was
that they were ecstatic with their results.
Three people are supposedly doing their
very best, demonstrating they were not,
and then all saying it is OK.
That’s not what you hear in most
workplaces. People who fail to do their
very best are either called out for it or
asked to improve by their bosses. Or
they are prepared to admit to it and
apologise to their work colleagues for
letting them down. This is not a healthy
situation because the employee feels
under personal pressure or bulldozed
by bosses.
A recent Healthy Organisation Index
produced by McKinsey shows that
these old ways of thinking are no
longer applicable.
The report says, “Organisations can
move away from treating employees as
cogs who hit their deliverables to using
an artists-and-athletes model, which
inspires people.”
The report suggests multiple ways of
encouraging people to achieve their
best, including ‘empowering leadership’
that gives individuals more autonomy.
Striving to
do your very
best can cause
problems for
you and those
around you.
That does not
mean you
should not aim
for success.
Some of those employees, though, will
strive to achieve their most remarkable
possible work. That may be good for
them as individuals, but is it suitable
for those around them?
A new study from the University of
Pennsylvania suggests otherwise.
This research shows that people at
work often take on multiple tasks to
demonstrate that they are doing well at
their jobs. However, individuals who do
this deceive others into believing that
success is more easily achievable than
is the case.
This is known as ‘the floating duck
syndrome’. Your fellow employees,
who are doing their very best, make it
look easy, like a duck floating on the
water, which is paddling like crazy
underneath. This means that if you
strive to do your very best at work,
you are making it harder for your
colleagues to do the same.
The McKinsey report suggests that
we should be more like those Olympic
athletes. We know how hard it has been
for Adam Peaty or Sir Andy Murray to
achieve what they have done. Their
struggles to do their very best have
been highly public. They were not
‘floating ducks’. If you want to emulate
either, you know what you are letting
yourself in for.
So, does that apply in the workplace?
If you strive to do your best but paddle
away like a duck on water, your
colleagues will have no idea how hard
it is to do what you do. This puts them
under pressure and potentially leads
to failure.
42 | November 2024

In turn, that leads to bosses
admonishing or a personal sense of
setback and all that entails.
Striving to do your very best can cause
problems for you and those around you.
That does not mean you should not aim
for success.
Rather, it suggests that we should all
be honest about our achievements and
comfortable accepting that second best
is often good enough—just like those
failing athletes in Paris or those weather
forecasters who are happy with less
than perfect.
How do you know?
Recently, I was trying to get home from
work in good time to watch the Opening
Ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
However, judging by the traffic on the
roads, everyone had the same idea.
My journey was constantly
interrupted by periods of sitting in
traffic, going nowhere. There were no
accidents or breakdowns, just many
cars slowing down.
Now and then, I would realise the cause
of the problem. Going up a hill, we
slowed down to about 30mph on a road
with a 70mph limit. Like me, I suspect
you get frustrated by drivers who seem
oblivious to the fact that to maintain
speed going up a hill, you need to give
the car more power. Their inability to
realise this affects the rest of us.
Later on in the evening, having
endured the four-hour Olympic
opening ceremony, the Olympic gold
medallist Rebecca Adlington made
a pithy comment. She pointed out
that for several points in the opening
ceremony, the attendees were left
wondering what was happening and
completely unentertained.
The ceremony occurred along the River
Seine and in various venues around
Paris. On TV, it all seemed to flow
seamlessly, albeit slowly. However, for
the people assembled in the hub of the
ceremony, the Trocadéro, not much was
going on for most of the time.
The organisers appear to have thought
about the television audience but not
the people in Paris. It’s rather like the
slow drivers - they were focused on their
driving, not their effect on other people.
I have encountered the same thing in
the workplace. Like me, I suspect you
have colleagues who focus on their work
but disregard their impact on others
around them.
For example, I once had a colleague who
dutifully went through his tasks in the
order they arrived. For him, that was
logical. However, he did not appear to
think that he should consider what to do
about the needs of his work colleagues.
He was very frustrating to work with.
Some years ago, Australian researchers
investigated work-life balance and found
that the most significant impact came
from our co-workers.
This suggests that we are impacted
most by the other people we work
with, not the job itself. In her book on
burnout, Dr Darlynne Kerr indicates that
when some people work to the point
of exhaustion, they are not affecting
themselves but also those around them.
These research elements suggest that
people focus on doing a good job without
realising the impact they are having on
those around them.
It’s the same factor again as the slow
drivers on a hill or an event organiser
who is concerned with one audience on
TV, forgetting those in the live audience.
LESSONS
LEARNED
Accepting
failure
The acceptance
of less-thanperfect
results
among athletes
contrasts with
how workplaces
often scrutinise
and demand
perfection.
Changing tides
Modern
businesses are
moving towards a
model that values
‘empowering
leadership’
and inspires
employees.
Broaden your
horizons
Focusing solely
on personal
performance
without
considering
its impact on
others can lead
to frustration and
inefficiency.
The bigger
picture
True job
performance is
measured not
just by personal
efficiency and
effectiveness, but
also by how one’s
work impacts and
integrates with
the work of others.
It is the same with our work colleagues
who believe they are doing an excellent
job because they work late to finish
everything. Or they think they are doing
very well because they finish all their
tasks on time with no delays.
But have they looked in their ‘rearview
mirror’? Have they considered the
impact of the way they work on those
around them?
Whether you do a good job is not about
whether you are performing your tasks
efficiently or effectively. It is about how
you go about your work and its impact
on those around you.
Even if you work alone, your work
will affect your family, customers,
or suppliers. You are only doing an
excellent job if you do not negatively
impact them.
I suspect the organisers of the Olympic
Opening ceremony will be patting
themselves on the back for doing a good
job; however, the hundreds of thousands
standing in the rain across Paris who
were rather bored for much of the
evening might have a different view.
The lack of focus on the impact on
everyone meant the organisers didn’t do
as well as they might think.
Like so much in life, you will do a much
better job at work if you spend your
time focusing on the impact you have
on others. Just thinking about the job
and trying your best could mean that
the people around you think you are not
doing well despite your best efforts.
GRAHAM JONES studies online
behaviour and consumer psychology
to help businesses improve website
success. Visit: grahamjones.co.uk
November 2024 | 43

BUSINESS
Selling
Time to start setting sales goals for the new year
Are you ready for the road ahead? Failing to plan is planning to fail!
DONNA ST JEAN CONTI encourages you to enter the new year with a strategy.
As we head into a new year, it’s an
appropriate time to begin thinking of
new goals and ambitions, including
setting targets for your business.
Whenever this subject comes up, I
remember a famous quote by Canadian
educator Laurence J. Peter: “If you don’t
know where you are going, you will
probably end up somewhere else.”
What are the secrets to setting practical
goals? It would be best if you made
them lofty yet achievable, set metrics to
determine success, and determine time
frames and/or deadlines.
What makes an effective business goal?
In the words of this article by Tech
Target, a business goal is an articulated
aim that a business wishes to achieve
over a period of time.
While this idea may seem trivial or
obvious, businesses must set goals
to help shape everyday activities
and decisions.
Goals provide a sense of direction
and aid in gauging success. More
importantly, having a specific goal
provides motivation to work hard
and grind away continually.
With that said, what are the attributes
of an effective business goal?
An article from Entrepreneur says to
aim for the following qualities:
Specificity: It’s important to be as
straightforward as possible when
defining what you would like to achieve.
They provide the example that merely
‘raising money’ is not a goal; however,
raising $10,000 by 1 July is.
Optimism: Phrasing your goal in a
positive manner is essential. For
example, aim for overall financial
security rather than to pay your bills.
Realism: Setting realistic standards
for your goals is critical.
Aiming to make an amount of money
you have never made is unrealistic
and will only demoralise you when it
is not achieved.
Instead, aim to increase your sales
by a specific percentage and take
incremental steps from there.
Day-to-day design: Short-term
goals are what you wish to
achieve in the coming weeks,
months, or years, and they can be
steppingstones to larger ambitions.
Long-range planning: Long-term goals
are those substantially loftier aims that
can be achieved in the distant future
and are only achieved by attaining more
immediate goals first.
The Entrepreneur article mentions
factors to consider when setting goals,
such a show much money you have and
how much you wish to make in your first
year and each subsequent year.
The article also encourages you to
consider your lifestyle, such as your
ability and willingness to travel. It’s
also important to factor in the number
of hours you are willing to work and
invest in personal assets that can carry
varying amounts of risk.
Consider the gratification that
you are looking to get out of your
business. When set honestly, these
qualities and factors go a long way
toward making an effective goal.
Best practices
Although the qualities and factors
mentioned are the essential building
blocks of setting business goals.
Phrasing
your goal in
a positive
manner is
essential. For
example, aim
for overall
financial
security rather
than to pay
your bills.
There are some additional best
practices to consider.
An article published by 15Five lays them
out and states that if you are not the
company owner, having support from
leadership is an absolute necessity.
Executives must decide where they
want to be in the marketplace and
create a roadmap of how the business
will get there.
Getting executive support may take
some convincing; however, explaining
how people need to work more
efficiently with clear goals, providing
a productive solution, and showing
how successful a team can be with this
solution are steps in the right direction.
The article also details setting ‘hard and
soft’ goals, celebrating incremental and
small wins, common missteps and how
to avoid them, and achieving objectives
as a team.
The new year is nearly here, and this
is a great time to start setting goals
for your business. Staying specific,
optimistic, and realistic is key, and
understanding what you want out of
your goals and securing the backing of
leadership is crucial.
To set effective goals, ensure they
are specific, such as raising a certain
amount of money, rather than
remaining vague.
Phrase goals positively, aiming for
overall financial security instead
of just paying bills. Set realistic
goals, such as increasing sales by
a specific percentage rather than
unattainable figures.
Break these into short-term goals
for immediate progress, which
support achieving long-term, more
ambitious objectives.
When done correctly, nothing is more
satisfying and fulfilling than setting and
achieving goals in business.
DONNA ST. JEAN CONTI is president
of St. Conti Communications, an
award-winning full-service marketing
communications agency.
Visit: stconticommunications.com
44 | November 2024

BUSINESS
Management
A strategic approach to business brainstorming
Are you ready to take your business to the next level?
PAUL SLOANE shares a valuable brainstorming exercise.
In the fast-paced and competitive
world of business, innovation is not
just a luxury; it’s a necessity.
Businesses must continually evolve
to meet the ever-changing needs of
customers, outpace competitors,
and adapt to new market dynamics.
One powerful method I use for
generating innovative ideas is called
Tri-Force Ideation.
It involves focusing on three key
elements: strengths, values, and
assumptions. This structured
approach ensures the brainstorming
process is comprehensive and
aligned with the organisation’s core
competencies and aspirations.
Building on strengths
The first step in this brainstorming
process is to identify and leverage
the key strengths of your business.
Strengths are the areas where your
organisation already excels.
By recognising these strengths, you
create a foundation for generating ideas
that can propel your business forward.
Identifying strengths: Begin by
gathering your staff to list all the
strengths that define the business.
This might include advanced strategies
you’ve developed, unique skills within
your staff, extensive market reach, or a
highly effective marketing strategy.
It’s important to be thorough in this
exercise, as each strength represents a
potential springboard for innovation.
Generating ideas: Once you have a
comprehensive list of strengths, the
next step is to brainstorm ideas that
build on these strengths. For example,
if your business has a robust technology
platform, consider how you might
expand its capabilities to create new
products or services.
If your strength lies in marketing,
consider innovative ways to reach
new customer segments or enhance
customer engagement.
The goal is to use each identified
strength as a catalyst for innovation,
ensuring that the ideas generated are
creative and aligned with what your
business does best.
Innovating through values
The second element of this
brainstorming method focuses on your
company’s values.
Values represent the principles and
beliefs that guide your organisation,
such as a commitment to customer
service, diversity, employee growth, or
even fostering a fun workplace culture.
These values are not just ethical
guidelines; they can also be powerful
sources of inspiration for innovation.
Identifying values: Start by listing
the core values that your business
embodies or aspires to. These could
include a dedication to sustainability,
a focus on employee well-being, or a
commitment to continuous learning.
Values such as these not only define
your business’ culture but also
influence how you interact with
customers, employees, and the
broader community.
Generating ideas: For each value,
brainstorm ways to innovate that are
consistent with and enhance that value.
For example, if your company values
diversity, you might develop new
initiatives to foster inclusivity in your
hiring practices or create products that
cater to a more diverse customer base.
If customer service is a core value,
consider innovative approaches to
exceed customer expectations, such as
personalised service offerings or new
communication channels.
By recognising
these strengths,
you create
a solid
foundation
for generating
innovative
ideas that
can propel
your business
forward.
By aligning innovation with your
company’s values, you ensure that
the ideas generated resonate with
both your internal staff and your
external stakeholders.
Challenging assumptions
This brainstorming method's third and
final element involves challenging the
fundamental assumptions underpinning
your business.
Assumptions are the beliefs or
expectations you have about your
customers, markets, products, and
competitors. While assumptions can
provide a valuable framework for
decision-making, they can also limit
your ability to see new opportunities.
Identifying assumptions: Begin by
listing the assumptions under which
your business operates. These could
be assumptions about customer
preferences, the landscape, or the
effectiveness of products or services.
It’s essential to be candid during this
step, as identifying the assumptions
that might be holding you back is crucial
for innovation.
Challenging assumptions: For each
assumption, ask, “What if this is not
true?” or “What if this changes?”
Challenging these assumptions opens
the door to new ways of thinking and
innovative ideas.
Selecting and implementing
After generating a wealth of ideas
through this structured brainstorming
process, the next step is to select
the most promising innovations.
Evaluate the ideas based on feasibility,
alignment with your business goals,
and potential impact.
Once the best ideas have been selected,
develop a clear plan for implementation
and ensure that the necessary
resources and support are in place.
PAUL SLOANE is an author and founder
of Destination Innovation, which offers
innovation workshops.
Visit: destination-innovation.com
November 2024 | 45

BUSINESS
Marketing & PR
Important reasons to rethink your digital marketing
Have you thrown in the towel too early?
THOMAS YOUNG discusses the digital marketing revolution.
In my new book, Digital Marketing in
the Age of AI, I discuss using Artificial
Intelligence (AI) to supercharge your
business' digital marketing efforts.
In a way, AI is like the world’s most
intelligent sales and marketing
consultant. It has access to Internet
content and is designed to create a story
from that input, making AI an incredible
marketing tool.
After all, effective marketing is about
connecting with your target market’s
personal stories. AI isn’t always great
about facts, information, or history;
however, it is excellent at creating
stories of value and benefit to your
prospective customers. This is why AI
is helpful in supporting your sales and
marketing strategies.
How you get the best sales and
marketing advice from AI is
determined by the questions you
ask and how you use prompts. The
effective use of ChatGPT4 or Google’s
Gemini for digital marketing starts
with how you write prompts.
Many people give up on AI because their
prompts or questions are generic and
not descriptive or detailed enough to
generate helpful responses. Poor use of
AI prompts is also driving the creation
of generic AI content, which Google will
eventually ban from searches.
Be highly descriptive with your prompts
and mention your industry or company
name. Use prompts as if you are texting
and having a discussion with a highlevel
marketing consultant. AI works
best when content is specific to your
industry, customers, and marketplace.
Use prompts to create a dialogue,
just as you would if you had the
world’s most significant sales and
marketing consultant at your finger
tips. One way to start is by asking
questions about your most important
marketing challenges.
Uncover your key benefits
People purchase from your company
because of the benefits they receive
from your products and services. AI
can give you a thorough and accurate
checklist of benefits for each of your key
market segments.
You can then ensure these benefits are
featured in your digital content, on your
website and in your sales discussions
with prospective customers.
Place these benefits on your website's
homepage, key landing pages, social
media content, emails, and more.
Your target market cares about
benefits. You can verify AI-generated
benefits by asking your customers why
they buy from your company.
AI for personas
This may be the most powerful use of AI
in digital marketing. The best marketers
on the planet live inside the heads of
their ideal customers.
The worst marketers live in their
own heads and can’t visualise their
customers' needs.
You can use AI to create a persona
matching your ideal customer types.
This enables you to understand their
specific and unique needs as they
research your company.
This allows you to meet their needs
with content they want to read and,
more importantly, show empathy and
understanding of where they are in their
life story.
Use AI to write marketing personas
and move your marketing team to
action so that these personas can find
your brand.
Many people
give up on AI
because their
prompts or
questions are
generic and not
descriptive or
detailed enough
to generate
helpful
responses.
AI for digital content
Once you have personas identified,
you can use AI to determine the
content topics your personas want to
read. You can also use AI to find them
where they research your products
and services online.
This allows you to move quickly on
digital content and avoid the delays that
often plague digital marketing teams.
Focus on three channels with your
AI-generated content: your website
content found in Google search results,
social media content, and email
marketing content that connects with
your audience. Remember that all AIgenerated
content is first-draft content
and must be reviewed by a human!
Prepare your personas using the same
prompt thread, and the AI tool will know
which personas you are referring to in
your prompt.
Increase sales
AI is your personal sales and marketing
consultant. It is an excellent tool for
understanding where prospective
customers are in their sales research
journey, which is your sales funnel.
The greatest challenge to many
businesses is moving people through
a sales funnel. AI can help solve this
challenge with strategic ideas, updated
and improved content, conversion
recommendations and more.
AI is best when it supports what you
already do well. So, the better you
understand sales and marketing, the
better the results from AI tools will be.
Using prompts and interacting with
your favourite AI tool will improve your
results and the AI tool over time.
It’s hard for me to understand why
anyone would not use AI in their digital
marketing. Missing out will hurt their
ability to compete and drive growth.
THOMAS YOUNG is CEO of Intuitive
Websites. He has more than 25 years’
marketing and sales experience. Visit:
intuitivewebsites.com
46 | November 2024

BUSINESS
Logged On
Can you do what Artificial Intelligence cannot?
Are we overlooking something important?
DAVID BROCK considers some of the shortcomings of AI in the world of business.
We have become enamoured with
everything Artificial Intelligence (AI)
can do to improve our businesses.
It provides the potential to eliminate all
sorts of tasks that somehow seem to fill
our time. As both the technology and our
understanding of AI develop, we quickly
learn that there are some things these
machines cannot do. These tasks are
often critical to our jobs.
I would ask, are you doing those things
with the time that AI is freeing from
other tasks?
We will fail without people filling
these gaps, regardless of how well
we leverage AI. We will fail our
customers, fail to achieve our goals,
and fail our people!
What are some things that AI can’t
do that are so critical for humans to
focus on?
The first, most glaring area is emotional
intelligence and empathy. Business,
including selling, is about interacting
and engaging with people.
How are we connecting with people
and how they feel about their actions?
Research suggests that at least 60
per cent of planned purchases end
in ‘no decision made’. The underlying
reasons for this have nothing to do with
our businesses.
It is about how people ‘feel’ about the
change. Are they doing the right thing
for themselves and what they want to
achieve? Significant research has been
done on people’s lack of commitment to
change and how it impacts business.
These are human issues that can only
be addressed by humans working with
humans. Building trust and relationships
underlies all of this.
We build trust with each other and
betray trust; however, trust is core to
everything we do.
AI is very weak at complex problemsolving.
Complex problems are
never static. Perhaps the best way to
visualise problems in the real world is
using an amoeba.
Amoebas are constantly changing,
shifting shape and direction.
Because they are always changing, we
can never define what an amoeba looks
like. That’s what problems in the real
world look like - evolving. As we learn
more about the issue, things change.
The more people involved, the
perspectives of the problems,
their impact, and what should be
done constantly change. Ambiguity
underlies everything we see in
complex problem solving. Regardless
of how many times we solve certain
categories of problems, each is
nuanced and different.
In helping customers understand and
address change, we must be sensitive
to the constant changes and nuances
underlying every initiative. We must
help our customers and our people
successfully navigate these issues.
None of these problems exist in
isolation. Each exists in a larger
strategic context, unique to
each customer.
They exist in the context of the overall
business strategies, market dynamics,
competitive landscape. They exist in
the context of organisational cultures
and values. They exist in the context
of the expectations of each other’s
customers, employees, partners,
shareholders, and communities.
These are
human issues
that can only
be addressed
by humans
working with
humans.
Building
trust and
relationships
underlies all of
this.
What about innovation, creativity, and
critical thinking? While AI can help
us see patterns and things that were
difficult or impossible to see in the past,
we are faced with the question, " What
do we do about them?”
How do we combine disparate and
disconnected ideas to discover new and
novel approaches? No one imagined this,
yet when we see it, it becomes obvious.
It is the human imagination, curiosity
and creativity that underlie every change
we make.
Then, we start thinking about leadership,
motivation, and organisational
development. How do we inspire and
create a vision for what we do and where
we go? How do we align different people
with varied interests around a purpose,
mission, and goals?
AI is great at responding to what we ask
it to do; however, so much of what we
do is unscripted. We must be agile and
imaginative enough to understand and
respond to these things.
When you consider how we work
individually, organisationally, with
our customers, and with others, you
realise that AI isn’t good at many other
things. It helps us with bits and pieces;
however, it can’t put it ‘all together’ at
the right moment.
I’m excited about the future and what AI
can do to help us in business. I leverage
AI tools daily, saving time, completing
tedious tasks that I hate doing, and
sometimes giving me new ideas.
That said, what worries me about the
collective obsession with AI is that it
focuses on what it can do, overlooking
its shortcomings. This leads me to
question whether we have the skills and
capabilities to pick up the slack.
Until we address these issues, we will
never leverage AI the way it could be.
DAVID BROCK is CEO of Partners
In Excellence, a global consultancy
focused on helping organisations
engage customers more effectively. He
writes at partnersinexcellenceblog.com
November 2024 | 47

My Bench
Louis Kleimeyer
Artisans Bespoke Jewellers
AGE 33 • YEARS IN TRADE 2 • TRAINING Currently completing my apprenticeship with Artisans Bespoke Jewellers • First job Electrician
SIGNATURE PIECE
ODE TO OLIVIA
I handmade my fiance a bangle for the 2023 JAA Jewellery
Design Awards and called it ‘Ode to Olivia’. The bangle
design was inspired by the Art Deco period and features
an oval 1.42-carat pink spinel set within a diamond floral
halo arrangement with millgrain accents. More than one
carat worth of natural diamonds is a bezel set in round and
marquise patterns, a handmade heart-shaped hook, and
an eye-style clasp. The side of the bangle is personalised
with small family initials O, L, and S and a love heart symbol
representing a future family member.
FAVOURITE GEMSTONE Paraiba Tourmaline.
FAVOURITE METAL 18-carat yellow gold.
FAVOURITE TOOL Knipex Mini Parralel Pliers.
BEST NEW TOOL DISCOVERY ‘Zap Zap’ Lighter.
BEST PART OF THE JOB Working in a
supportive environment where I can learn
something new every day.
WORST PART OF THE JOB Cleaning out the
sink’s gold trap.
BEST TIP FROM A JEWELLER Don’t close your
eyes or sneeze when hammering.
BEST TIP TO A JEWELLER Never be afraid to
ask questions.
BIGGEST HEALTH CONCERN ON THE BENCH
Inhaling dust and chemical fumes.
LOVE JEWELLERY BECAUSE I get to make
special pieces for my fiancé
48 | November 2024

November 2024 | 49

OPINION
Soapbox
Taming the Beast: Lessons learned
from 30 years in jewellery retail
Time flies when you're having fun! ROMEL SANTOS reflects on wisdom attained
across three decades in jewellery retail.
Retail is tough, and jewellery retail is
more challenging again. I expect it will
only become more difficult in the next
few years.
This year marked 30 years in the jewellery
industry, and to celebrate, I’ve opened
a new store focused on creating an
unforgettable experience for customers.
With an emphasis on custom design, the
store is a throwback to the good old days
– when jewellery was about emotions and
sentiment and not ‘scoring’ discounts.
I’ve watched the industry change at
breakneck speed over three decades,
beginning as a teenage sales trainee and
now running two independent stores. It’s
been one heck of a ride, like trying to tame
a wild beast while wearing diamonds.
One thing I’ve learned from all the chaos
is that while retail is always a challenge,
jewellery retail is another beast entirely.
Diving into the unknown
At 17 years old, I attended my first job
interview with one of Australia’s largest
jewellery chains. I knew nothing about the
industry but was keen and fearless—or at
least I pretended to be!
The area manager dropped this wisdom:
“Retail is hard, but jewellery retail is even
harder — and it’s only going to get tougher.”
I’ll be honest – those words rattled me.
I was fresh out of high school, thinking I
had just found my dream job. I was told
that it was going to be an uphill slog. My
determination and youthful cockiness
prevented me from backing down.
Getting the job was one thing; keeping
it was another. When I walked into the
store on my first day, I could’ve sworn
the staff were taking wagers on how
long I would last.
My manager didn’t sugarcoat the situation.
“This is going to be hard work. Your first
goal is to sell. Hit your targets, and then
we’ll talk about your future here.”
I was thrown head-first into learning
everything from sales techniques and store
operations to product knowledge. Most
people reading this will know that jewellery
isn’t just pretty rocks and shiny metals.
There’s a science behind diamonds,
gemstones, and designs, and it doesn’t
all sink in overnight.
It was overwhelming; however, I thrived on
the challenge. At the time, jewellery retailers
had a straightforward formula for success.
Location was king, and appropriately trained
staff were essential. A clean and welcoming
store was a must-have, and you needed a
solid, well-executed sales plan. Key pieces
needed to be merchandised professionally,
and marketing was defined by television,
radio, and catalogues. Culture and morale
within the store were just as important as
the gold in the window.
More than anything, you had to sell personto-person
and face-to-face with excellent
customer service. If you could nail these
basics, you were golden. It was challenging
work, but the rules made sense.
The digital age & a new frontier
Being a great salesperson is only half the
battle today, and now, you need to be a
digital wizard. As a business owner, you’re
checking website tracking, tracking online
sales, and tweaking your SEO.
Internally, you’re constantly questioning your
business: Is your website driving enough
visitors, and are they buying anything?
These are things I never thought about 30
years ago. That’s without mentioning social
media – don’t get me started! It’s no longer
enough to have a sparkling store; you must
have a professional account on platforms
such as Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
Every post, every reel, and every story
needs to reflect your brand - and don’t
forget to keep an eye on Google reviews.
After one bad review, you’ll be sent
scrambling for damage control.
You must also master paid advertising,
content marketing, and ranking on Google
like it’s a second job. Your brand’s online
presence is now as crucial as your physical
store. It’s like playing chess with a dozen
opponents around the clock – and there are
no bathroom breaks!
The competition is global now. Remember
when your biggest competitor was the
jewellery store across the street?
Culture and
morale within
the store
were just as
important as
the gold in the
window.
Those were the days! Now, you’re competing
not just with other stores but against
Amazon, Temu, Shein, and eBay. They’re
selling everything from engagement rings to
fashion jewellery - faster and cheaper.
Wholesalers who once exclusively supplied
retailers are selling directly to consumers.
Digital tools allow customers to design online
and cut out the ‘middleman’ – me!
It’s enough to make you nostalgic for the
days when securing a good location and
maintaining shiny windows were your
biggest concerns.
People, passion & perseverance
Despite the industry's evolution, one thing
hasn’t changed — the importance of people.
My relationships with my family, friends, staff,
and customers have kept me grounded.
Thirty years ago, I had mentors who showed
me the ropes, and now I’m surrounded by an
amazing staff and a loyal customer base.
I’ve formed strong partnerships with
suppliers — some of whom I consider family
— and built a network of fellow jewellers
who’ve shared this journey with me.
No one makes it alone! You need the right
buying group, the best suppliers, solid
mentors, and a dedicated staff. Those
relationships are what help you through the
toughest challenges.
Looking ahead, the road appears tough;
however, I’m confident we’re ready for the
challenge. The future of jewellery retail
seems increasingly competitive and complex.
It might be more fast-paced than ever;
however, after 30 years, I know one thing.
While the tools and trends may change, the
core of the business – people, passion, and
perseverance – will always be the heartbeat
that keeps us going.
If you love what you do, every challenge
is just another part of a journey I wouldn’t
trade anything for.
Name: Romel Santos
Business: Santos Customs
Position: Owner
Location: Sydney, NSW
Years in the industry: 30
50 | November 2024

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jewelleryfair.com.au/mjexpo

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