Archive for October, 2006
India : Technology to backbone jewelry retailing
October 9, 2006
Fibre2fashion.com, India
A tie-up between Krysaliis, the Indian jewelry and Intelligent Business Systems (IBS), the Artificial Intelligence (AI) software specialist firm is likely to have wide-ranging impact in the jewelry retail trade.
With custom designed AI software from IBS, Krysaliis would know exactly which designs and lines of jewelry to stock in each of its stores, tailoring this inventory to prevailing fashion trends and the demographics of the area, thus matching supply perfectly with demand.
IBS will be providing Krysaliis with the capability of changing jewelry lines and styles every six to nine months-a turnaround time.
The gems and jewelry market is a key emerging area in India and has significant potential.
While Indians continue to shop with unbranded jewelry stores, the organized sector is offering branded solutions to meet the demand for quality and value.
Krysaliis has plans to expand into branded jewelry retail, setting up one hundred exclusive branded jewelry stores across India through the franchisee model.
IBS will be providing Krysaliis with the capability of changing jewelry lines and styles every six to nine months-a turnaround time.
Krysaliis will be the first jewelry chain in India with a virtual presence on the Internet completely integrated with a physical presence through the jewelry store chain.
Subsequently, Krysaliis plans to expand its chain to Dubai and a few select countries in Europe.
October 10th, 2006
NON-BRANDED JEWELRY ACCOUNTS FOR VAST MAJORITY OF JEWELRY SALES IN DUBAI
Tacy, Israel
8 October 2006
Non-branded jewelry accounted for 84 percent of all jewelry sales in Dubai, according to a new industry survey conducted by AC Nielsen and commissioned jointly by the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre and World Gold Council. Locally manufactured jewelry accounted for 42 percent of sales, trailing significantly behind imports.
The survey found that tourists account for 52 percent of gold and jewelry sales in Dubai, while Dubai residents account for 43 percent.
The industry survey also found that diamond jewelry sales accounted for 35 percent of annual retail turnover.
Retailers say that the local Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai Summer Surprises and Ramadan initiatives accounted for nearly two-thirds of annual sales.
“These findings reflect the latest trends in Dubai’s gold and jewelry trade, and will assist all market players in strategizing their business opportunities,†explains Chetan Karani, Deputy Managing Director, Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group.
October 9th, 2006
Mediterranean jewelry is ‘must have’ this Holiday season, and EyesonYou.com is offering customers an extra 20% off through January 2007.
PR Inside (Pressemitteilung), Austria
2006-10-08 19:34:32 - Mediterranean jewelry sets and separates are the ‘must have- this Holiday season, and Eyes on You is offering customers an extra 20 percent discount through January 2007. Eyes on You (http://eyesonyou.com), offering ’something new, something different and something sexy to set necklines, ears, wrists and fingers apart,- is unveiling their Winter collection just in time for the Holiday season.
Because the search for quality jewelry at an affordable price has become an endless and exhausting hunt, the Akcakaya sisters launched, Eyes on You an online shopper’s paradise providing fine and affordable jewelry imported from Turkey.
‘The uniqueness of our jewelry has its origins in the rich cultural heritage of Mediterranean civilizations.- said Yasemin Akcakaya, founder and president
of Eyes on You. ‘Many different ancient tribes including Hittite, Lydian, Byzantine and Ottoman Empire would design their own motifs reflecting the prevailing tastes, and now local artists combine these ancient motifs with today’s fashion trends to generate truly unique and authentic designs. We are proud to bring those designs to you, our customers.-
The Eyes on You’s winter’s collection originates from Italy and Turkey, and includes many new sterling silver items, including cuff bracelets, over-sized necklaces and odd-shaped rings in a variety of colors, cuts and stones, like Onyx, Turquoise and Amber. And Eyes on You will be introducing gold jewelry pieces in the new year.
The company’s award-winning site is ranked in the Top 50 Jewelry Websites. The site showcases their signature collection, ‘The Evil Eye,- which according to Turkish superstitions, is one of the oldest and widely believed myths. Wearing Evil Eye jewelry is believed to provide protection and good fortune. The myth dates back to Greek and Roman times, and can also be found in Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist and Hindu traditions, as well as throughout various folk cultures and preliterate societies.
‘We keep the site fresh with the newest jewelry styles, and on occasion we even have free give-a-ways. Remember that most of the collection featured on our site is hand-made by local Turkish artists and are offered to the consumer at the best possible value,- said Yesim Akcakaya, buyer and creative director for the Eyes on You.
According to The State of Retailing Online 8.0 , an annual Shop.org study conducted by Forrester Research (Nasdaq: FORR) of 137 retailers, 2004 online sales rose 23.8 percent to $141.4 billion. Excluding travel, online retail sales also rose 23.8 percent to $89.0 billion, representing 4.6 percent of total retail sales.
Several retail categories will experience steep growth this year, largely due to the growing acceptance of online shopping by women. In fact, categories with products purchased largely by women will see the most growth this year. Online sales of cosmetics and fragrances are expected to grow 33 percent while sales of over-the-counter medications and personal care will rise 32 percent. Additionally, sales of jewelry and luxury goods (31%) and flowers, cards, and gifts (30%) are expected to rise dramatically. (More information can be found at www.shop.org/press/05/052405.asp)
Eyes on You provides customers the best value, quality, service and selection of silver jewelry. Our mission is to offer each visitor an extraordinary shopping experience. The company offers customers extraordinary values on select the perfect piece of jewelry - each the perfect necklace, pendant, bracelet, ring, earrings to be worn and enjoyed. For more information visit www.eyesonyou.com.
October 9th, 2006
Jewelry Price Inflation Continues to Moderate
IDEX Online, Israel
(October 5, ‘06, 4:23 Ken Gassman)
The news about inflation in the U.S. is all good: both consumer prices and producer prices are rising far less rapidly than earlier this year. Likewise, inflationary pressures in the jewelry industry reflect those same broad-based positive trends that characterize the U.S. economy.
In August, jewelry producer prices rose by only 7.6 percent, far below May’s price spike of over 11 percent, and in line with July’s price rise of about 7.6 percent. The rise in consumer prices for jewelry also slowed in August, with a gain of only 3.5 percent, just barely above the core inflation rate for all commodities (ex-food and energy) of 2.8 percent for the month.
The lack of price inflation – especially for jewelry as well as gasoline, heating oil, and other energy sources – is good news for jewelers as the jewelry industry enters the all-important 2006 holiday selling season. Shoppers will have more discretionary income available to purchase luxury items such as jewelry.
Jewelry Producer Prices Moderate
Cooling commodity prices helped bring about lower inflation for jewelry manufacturers and suppliers in August. While precious metal prices are still well above year-ago levels, they fell from record heights set earlier this year.
The graph below summarizes the U.S. Producer Price Index for jewelry and jewelry products.
October 6th, 2006
Get your art on
San Diego designers craft innovative, personalized jewelry
by Michael Klam
April Ordoñez
April Ordoñez is a relative newcomer to the jewelry scene. She created her first line in 2005. Her pieces are whimsical and fun.
“My jewelry is positive, not pretentious,†says Ordoñez. “It talks to you.†One particular necklace carries a pendant with a quote by English novelist Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley: The Beginning is Always Today. The materials for her colorful, eclectic pieces include hand-blown Venetian glass, 14-karat gold and enamel charms, vintage glass beads, leather and sterling components. Ordoñez’s designs can be viewed at www.fifty07.com.
Ginger Che
“Jewelry is visual language,†says designer and mixed-media artist Ginger Che. “A good piece can reflect exactly how you feel at that moment of your life.â€
Wearable art creates what Che calls yuan, a connection that can bring people together, not only with each other, but with the elements of the earth.
Che tends to mix opposites, in yin-and-yang fashion, using a soft material like denim, for example, against a hard natural element like coral or shell. “I consider my work and jewelry to be for the contemporary goddess, women who have a connection to the earth but are very urban at the same time,†she says. Her designs can be found online at red-ginger.com and in her Bird Rock gallery, located at 5726 La Jolla Blvd.
Che, like most designers of handmade pieces, collects gems, beads, antique jewelry, baubles and trinkets “like a mad woman,†she says.
Her search for usable materials ranges from trips abroad to find exotic wood beads and gemstones to treasure hunting through San Diego’s antique and thrift stores.
Linda Winkler
Local designer Linda Winkler, creator of Linda Winkler Jewelry Designs, began her search for design ideas in Baja California. She says her primary source of inspiration is the sea: “I think Mother Nature is my biggest influence.â€
In the beginning, Winkler made shell earrings for her friends while barefoot on the beaches of Cabo San Lucas. Now, for her ever-growing clientele, she combines things like abalone, coral and pearls with suede and sterling silver to create what she calls “high-quality daily wear.â€
Her custom designs are creative, unique, versatile and made to be worn. “If they’re not wearing it, it doesn’t serve them,†says Winkler. She has a line of wraps (necklaces that can be worn in a variety of ways) and her “Whim†necklaces feature a hook that allows the wearer to change pendants to match outfits and moods.
Winkler also makes custom pieces and a few designs for men, including what she describes as a “totally cool fossil on black suede with sterling hook-and-eye clasp.†Her designs can be seen online at www.lindawinkler.com.
Elisa Gonsalves
Vintage clothing aficionado and designer Elisa Gonsalves of Soul Source by Eli (www.soul sourcebyeli.com) employs “any type of material to create new designs…. I use anything from vintage pieces, leather, horn, bone, glass, pearls,†she says.
Some of her designs reflect her cultural heritage—Day of the Dead calaveras (skulls) and crosses and a “medley of images†that remind her of her family. Her work is showing and selling in 20 stores around San Diego, including The Basement and North Park’s Kate Ross.
Michelle Tamoush
Michelle Tamoush of Moush.art Jewelry and Design began her career by selling earrings to Cirque du Soleil musicians who liked her work. Tamoush now makes jewelry in a variety of styles by wire wrapping, a process that involves the use of tools—bent nose pliers, for example—to bind and twist metals like sterling silver and gold-filled wire around gemstones.
“I really like working with people one-on-one in terms of jewelry or an aesthetic,†Tamoush says. “My friends are my greatest customers.†And, like most handcrafted-jewelry designers, her business is growing steadily by word of mouth.
Tamoush’s most recent pieces are made of wood, gold, white coral, carnelian and peridot, and can be viewed online at www.moushart.com. Her jewelry is currently available at Virgin Vintage in Hillcrest, Maeve Riley Boutique, Mabel’s, Highway One Gifts (in Cayucos, Calif.) and Veronica M.
Vickie Riggs
Award-winning local gemologist and designer Vickie Riggs made the transition from graphic design to jewelry, and her experiments led her to goldsmithing. She creates heirloom-quality jewelry with gemstones and precious metals. Riggs, a board member of the Women’s Jewelry Association, edits the association’s newsletter, and her pieces can be viewed at www.vickieriggsdesigns.com.
10/04/06
October 5th, 2006
High-end jewelry store opens
Bizjournals.com, NC
Duncan & Boyd Jewelers, an Amarillo-based jewelry and diamond boutique, opened in 26 Doors at 1206 W. 38th St., marking the third retail store for the company — the first in Austin.
Duncan & Body’s other locations are in Amarillo and San Antonio.
A family-owned business, the store will be operated by gemologist appraiser Ron Boyd, and the husband-and-wife team of Andrew and Chandler Ware.
“Duncan & Boyd Jewelers has been proud to serve Texans for more than 38 years, and we are very excited to bring the store to Austin,” says Andrew Ware. “We believe the Austin market is an ideal match for us and we look forward to serving the community.”
The new Austin store will carry estate and consignment pieces, as well as a variety of jewelry, including such brands as Oscar Heyman & Brothers, Kwiat, Penny Preville, Jude Frances, Konstantino, Rudolf Friedmann, Matthia’s & Claire and Baccarat.
Duncan & Boyd will also have access to bench jewelers and a watchmaker, and will offer a private showing room for one-on-one consultation and diamond selection.
October 4th, 2006
Costume jewelry exports grow 46% in 2005
Sun Star
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DESPITE the low prices of fashion accessories from China, the local costume jewelry sector has spurred “tremendous†growth last year, an official from the Cebu-Fashion Accessories Manufacturers and Exporters (Fame) said.
Cebu-Fame president Marose Sobreno said Cebu’s total exports last year increased to 46.76 percent, or reached $63.4 million compared to the $43.2 million the previous year.
Data from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-7 information center also revealed the fashion accessories sector contributed 1.36 percent of total exports in Central Visayas during the first six months of the year.
“I am optimistic that the industry will continue to grow this year especially since new players come in every year,†Sobreno told Sun.Star Cebu.
The province accounts for 85 percent of the costume jewelry exports in the country.
Sobreno said the market for local spring-summer line of costume jewelry continues to generate interest, especially in the US market, during the first quarter of each year.
The US remains to be the country’s top market for costume jewelry, with total exports of $6.97 million in the first four months of the year, a 9.44 percent growth from the $6.37 million earned in the same period last year.
Global markets
The other top export markets include the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada, Australia and Netherlands.
However, Sobreno said despite the growth, the industry is still faced with several issues that the government needs to address.
“Although the government is helping us in trade promotions, they should also look into exerting more effort to bring in foreign buyers in local shows and exhibits because the attendance of these buyers are dwindling,†she said.
She added that most exporters have risked their finances to put up an exhibit abroad just to generate income.
“Whereas, if foreign buyers come here, we could have saved a lot,†she added.
In terms of mass production and labor costs, the industry is competing with other players in the field including China, Vietnam, India and Thailand since they “produce more at a cheaper rate,†Sobreno said.
She is, however, banking on the Cebuano’s creativity, ingenuity and craftsmanship as the country’s “competitive advantagesâ€.
Trend forecast
“The organization has had a surge of renewed participation,†said Cebu-Fame internal vice-president Jefferson Tio.
Tio said the organization received firm support from the Private Enterprise Accelerated Resource Linkages 2 project of the Canadian International Development in improving market intelligence capability.
He added that through the www.wgsn.com website, designers and exporters are able to forecast trends in the fashion industry for the next 18 months.
He added that the website even caters to the market for men’s fashion accessories since “they have become more concerned with their looks and style.â€
Tio said the support from foreign funding institutions and other local stakeholders have improved the organization’s market intelligence, productivity and efficiency as well as materials development and sourcing.
Cebu-Fame has 85 members in the province.
October 3rd, 2006
Jewelry Designer Fights Ed
Jewelry Weblog, CA -
Ed is not a guy. He’s not your ex-boyfriend or ex-husband. He’s much, much worse and much for difficult to get rid of. Ed or “E-d” stands for eating disorders.
In an effort to help fight Ed, two artists have teamed up. One uses words as her art form, author Jenni Schaefer, whose book Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too works as a guide book for women who are struggling with eating disorders.
The other is a jewelry designer for Sarah-Kate.com, Sue Gillerlain, who has used her talents to craft jewelry designed to give Ed suffers the strength to fight while at the same time raising money for The National Eating Disorder Association.
Here are piece from the collection (pendants, necklace, bracelets) available at Sarah-Kate.com:
October 2nd, 2006
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