Archive for April, 2008
Court Halts Sale of Jewelry at Christie’s
New York Times, United States
An appellate court agreed on Monday to stop a Christie’s auction at which $34 million worth of jewelry was to have been sold on Tuesday evening.
The sale, which was being held to pay back part of a $187 million loan made by Merrill Lynch to the jeweler Ralph O. Esmerian, was to have included a $15 million pink diamond ring and a $6 million diamond-encrusted brooch once owned by the wife of Napoleon III. Christie’s had billed it as “the most important antique jewelry in history.â€
But Mr. Esmerian, 68, contended that the auction was a fire sale and that the jewels would bring more money if they were sold privately.
“These were jewels that Ralph, his father and his grandfather had collected,†said Helen Davis Chaitman, Mr. Esmerian’s lawyer. “Christie’s has priced them at one-quarter to one-third of their actual value.â€
They were to be the cornerstone of Fred Leighton, a jewelry business Mr. Esmerian bought in 2006 with loans from Merrill Lynch. “This was to have been the focal point of the Beverly Hills store that is opening on Rodeo Drive in September,†Ms. Chaitman added.
Last week, Justice Helen E. Freedman of State Supreme Court in Manhattan ordered the sale to proceed. But the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court stayed that decision.
A lawyer for Merrill Lynch said the fight was far from over. “A preliminary injunction against the auction would be wrong,†said Howard R. Hawkins Jr., who is representing Merrill Lynch. “Christie’s auction is the best way to sell this jewelry, and we are going back to Judge Freedman to seek a further ruling so the auction may proceed.â€
April 15th, 2008
Cultivating greater capability
Global Sources, Singapore
Models adorned with diamonds, semiprecious stones and Swarovski crystals dominate the latest releases.
Makers of pearl jewelry from both sides of the Taiwan Strait are taking diverse steps to boost competitiveness.
Mainland China is the biggest producer of cultured freshwater pearls, accounting for 90 percent of world supply. In fact, more than 1,500 tons of freshwater pearls, valued at about $4 billion, were cultivated there last year. The coastal provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Hainan are home to the largest farms.
This is the prime advantage jewelry makers in the mainland have over Taiwan counterparts. Some suppliers even have the capability to cultivate their own pearls, including one company interviewed for this report.
Moreover, the mainland’s pearl jewelry exports have been rising steadily, registering 25 percent growth in the past three years. Suppliers are optimistic of an additional 20 percent increase in shipments in 2008.
Even with such benefits, the majority of companies focus on OEM and have weak R&D. This is inhibiting them from establishing their own brands. At present, OBM orders make up only 10 percent of annual sales.
To bolster capability, suppliers are sending their R&D teams to various trade shows to keep them updated on the latest design trends and cultivation technology. Several have also started researching better ways of farming that could yield bigger, higher-quality pearls.
In Taiwan, meanwhile, many makers are moving their factories to the mainland to exploit the lower operating and material costs there. Currently, only 50 suppliers still have factories in the island.
Taiwan companies are also launching midrange and high-end models that incorporate diamonds, semiprecious stones and Swarovski crystals.
Among the mainland suppliers interviewed for this report, Shanghai Unique Pearl Trading Co. Ltd has a pearl farm in Poyang Lake in Jiangsu. Prior to production, the gemstone is checked for quality at the Shanghai Institute of Measurement and Testing Technology.
On new models, the material is interspersed with semiprecious stones such as turquoise and opal, and rhinestones. These are set in 925 silver or metal alloy.
Mother-of-pearl jewelry is also offered.
Resharn International Co. Ltd sources the gem from a 20,000sqm farm in Zhuji, Zhejiang. The company’s products feature 2 to 12mm pearls set in gold- or platinum-plated silver or brass. Prices go from $10 to $30. Models are checked for rhodium content before packaging.
L&G Jewelry Co. Ltd also purchases cultured freshwater pearls in Zhuji. Concentrating on the EU market, it offers gold-plated metal alloy pieces adorned with CZs and pearls in their natural colors or dyed. Pearl dyeing is subcontracted to a specialist factory.
Products are free from nickel and lead.
Earrings from V-like Industrial (Hong Kong) Co. Ltd are priced between $2 and $5 per pair. The company also offers necklaces, bracelets and rings, using pearls dyed in pink, black and brown. Semiprecious stones and CZs are used as trimming.
V-like maintains an abundant stock of pearls at its 200sqm factory to ensure expedient processing of orders. The material is sent to SGS for testing prior to production.
Taiwan-based Belong 2 Co. embellishes models with CZs, Swarovski crystals, jade and diamonds. It purchases pearls in Zhejiang and Jiangsu and exports mainly to the UK and Asia.
Apart from its Taipei factory, the company has mainland plants in Guangzhou and Zhuhai in Guangdong.
Necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings from Origem Industrial Co. Ltd, also of Taiwan, are shipped mostly to Europe and the Middle East. The pearls range from 8 to 12mm in diameter. These are sourced from the mainland.
Designs can be adorned with diamonds, crystals and semiprecious gemstones.
Intercuir Corp. is a Taiwan supplier of freshwater pearls sized from 8 to 10mm. Agate and CZs are incorporated in models to add visual appeal.
April 14th, 2008
Striking Metal: Alexander Calder’s bold jewelry speaks of love and longing
MiamiHerald.com, FL
BY FABIOLA SANTIAGO
Before and after he made his famous mobiles — those dangling, twirling, contraptions that marked a turning point in the history of sculpture — Alexander Calder hammered and chiseled away at jewelry.
He created more than 1,800 earrings, bracelets, brooches, tiaras and necklaces through the years, and from the time he fashioned his first pieces from beads and discarded copper wire as adornments for his sister’s dolls, they served him well.
Calder made jewelry to woo the love of his life, to give as presents to the wives of his famous artist friends and as a way to earn extra money in difficult economic times.
”Every piece of jewelry he made is unique, and he did not make editions,” says Alexander S.C. Rower, the Calder grandson who chairs the Calder Foundation and was in West Palm Beach for the opening of Calder Jewelry at the Norton Museum of Art — the first museum exhibition devoted entirely to the artist’s little-known sideline.
The exhibit, which runs through June 15, showcases some 100 objects — jewelry, fashion accessories (including five belts and three hair combs) and The Jealous Husband, a stunning, 16-inch brass wire contraption with shoulder spikes that a young Angelica Houston wore for a New York Times Magazine cover in 1976.
There also are large-scale photographs of other famous women modeling the jewelry: actress Brooke Shields, artist Georgia O’Keeffe (she wears a brooch that spells OK) and art patron and philanthropist Peggy Guggenheim, shown in Venice smiling broadly and sporting long, mobile-like silver earrings.
Organized by Mark Rosenthal, Norton’s adjunct curator of contemporary art, in collaboration with the Calder Foundation, the show travels after its Norton run to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin.
”Each piece of jewelry was a work of sculptural art,” says Norton director Christina Orr-Cahall. “His inventive jewelry techniques echoed those used for his world-famous sculptures.”
But Calder’s innovative jewelry also seems charged with more personal emotion, and this element gives the Norton show the context of spirited biography.
For instance, when Louisa and Calder were courting — they had met on a ship sailing from Europe to New York in 1929 — he made her a brass bracelet that spells ”Medusa,” a nickname inspired by her blond ringlets.
The couple was married for 45 years, and Calder marked every anniversary, birthday and otherwise memorable occasion with another exquisite ornament. Some pieces he made for specific applications: buttons for a coat; a buckle for a wool cape. He worked with gold, silver and brass and sometimes accented the works with colorful beach glass, fine braided rope, wood.
A photograph of Louisa’s dressing table confirms her emotional connection to the jewelry; the table looks like a mini Calder gallery or, perhaps, a shrine to the couple’s love.
”She had hundreds of pieces,” says Rower, sporting spiraling silver Calder cuff links. “When I was a child, her bureau always seemed a mysterious altar to me.”
Calder also made jewelry for friends — including the wives of Joan Miró, Marcel Duchamp, Marc Chagall and Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel. Some of these pieces are included in the Norton show.
”A lady visiting his studio seldom walked away without a piece of jewelry,” says Rower, who was 13 when his grandfather died in 1976 at 78.
Calder’s jewelry has the same abstract lightness, the same linear yet three-dimensional appearance of his mobiles. When worn, the pieces flash with a similar dramatic motion.
For his imagery, Calder borrowed from the Celts, the Egyptians, Africans and Native American cultures, with the spiral a recurring leitmotif. He also made pieces featuring animals and initials.
In the 1920s and ’30s, the jewelry-making served a practical purpose.
Calder sold his pieces for $15 to $60, and that extra cash helped him earn a living during the difficult wartime years. In upstate New York towns like Rochester, friends hosted ”Calder parties” in their homes.
The party hostess would get her shipment from Calder, who would package his goods in wooden boxes he had decorated with artful clasps. The Norton display includes one of those boxes.
Calder’s jewelry was wearable art, surely, but sometimes the sculptor let things get out of hand. Who could have worn the big, heavy Wire hat or Crown of leaves, both from 1940 and made of brass wire?
Even now, the Norton curator and Calder’s grandson shake their heads. Who, indeed?
But one of the show’s largest pieces, Necklace, also from 1940, was worn by the art patron Muriel Kallis Steinberg Newman.
Some years ago, Rower saw the diminutive Newman, then in her 80s, gliding past the crowds at the Whitney Biennal wearing the mammoth, swirling piece.
”You’re wearing a Calder!” he exclaimed.
”And that it is,” Newman said without pausing in her spritely jaunt, unaware that she was speaking to the master’s grandson.
That occasion was probably one of the last times she wore it. Newman bequeathed the piece to the Metropolitan Museum of Art along with her spectacular collection of abstract Expressionist art, valued at between $12 million and $15 million.
Newman’s dramatic flaunting of Necklace would have pleased Calder, the Norton curator says. Whether sculpting or making jewelry, he intended his work to deliver plenty of drama and motion.
‘His approach is far more ambiguous and witty, for some of the largest pieces are better described as `unwearable jewelry,’ ” Rosenthal writes in the exhibit’s formidable catalog. ‘Too big or unwieldy, his objects are not `jewelry’ in the conventional sense: pretty things made of precious materials, created to adorn and complement a body. Instead, Calder’s jewelry may be seen as a sort of Surrealist strategy to entrap the wearer into participating in an art performance, even to become bewitched.”
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April 14th, 2008
Philip Rickard and Hawaiian Heirloom Jewelry
KGMB9, HI
Hawaiian Heirloom Jewelry was a favorite among Hawaii’s Ali’i and it’s more popular than ever here in the islands. Philip Rickard, a local jeweler, has taken the art a step further, recreating some historic jewelry for a movie being filmed in the islands. Ramsay Wharton is down at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center with a look at the jewels.
Philip Rickard Honolulu has been creating jewelry and in particular Hawaiian Jewelry for the past 35 years. His Hawaiian Heirloom Jewelry captured the eye of film director, Marc Forby. He charged Rickard with creation and design of exclusive historically accurate pieces for the feature film, currently titled “After Heaven”, based on the life of Hawaii’s Princess Ka’iulani.
“Authenticity and quality are extremely important to this project. Everybody involved wants this film to be as historically accurate as possible. It was only appropriate that we approach a jeweler like Philip Rickard because of his skills and depth of knowledge,” said Forby.
Rickard’s love of Hawaii and his craft urged him to seek out historical knowledge on Hawaiian Heirloom Jewelry. He spent six years researching the history of the popular jewelry, traveling to Europe and around Hawaii, before publishing his book, Hawaiian Heirloom Jewelry: A Lasting Remembrance. His book is available at Borders Book locations, Bishop Museum and at Philip Rickard Honolulu locations.
For the film, Rickard reproduced several pieces from the era during which the film takes place. The actors will be wearing replicas of Queen Lili’uokalani’s original Hoomanau Mau bracelet, King David Kalakaua’s ring, and a Victorian crest worn by Princess Ka’iulani. Rickard also designed a solid gold brooch displaying Princess Ka’iulani’s emblem, working solely off a piece of stationary that’s survived from her time.
While all the pieces created for the film are truly representative of Hawaiian Jewelry at the time, they don’t differ drastically from the pieces showcased at any of Rickard’s seven Hawaiian stores. Rickards says his pieces are aesthetically evolved, but they’ve remained true to their origins in the eighteen hundreds.
“Although modern technology allows for variations in the jewelry’s designs, the roots are evident in each piece we create. When you wear one of our pieces, you’re wearing something with direct lineage to the pieces worn by Queen Lili’uokalani and the rest of the royal family,” said Rickard.
Kathryn Morrison, costume designer for the film, said she was ecstatic about using Phil’s pieces with her costumes.
“As someone recently introduced to Hawaiian Jewelry, it’s so intriguing that each piece is not only beautiful, but holds so much historical and symbolic relevance to the islands and its history.”
Philip Rickard Honolulu has kept busy producing pieces of Hawaiian Heirloom Jewelry to match their popularity in the islands. But one Mainland visitor who fell in love with his pieces years ago asked Rickard to reach beyond his normal designs. In 2005, Gwen Stefani approached Rickard to create specialized pieces for her L.A.M.B runway show. Happy with the collaboration, she asked him to co-create more designs for her Spring 2008 Runway show in New York. His pieces also appear in Stefani’s 2004 “Luxurious” single.
Certain replicas of the pieces created for the film can be ordered at any of Philip Rickard’s seven Oahu locations or online at www.philiprickardhonolulu.com.
About Philip Rickard:
Lester Ralph “Philip” Rickard has dedicated much of his life to the study of the historical transitions of jewelry and has been particularly influenced by the Renaissance period in Europe. After years of studying throughout Europe a compelling vision in 1971 brought Rickard to Hawaii where he opened his first retail location store in 1986 at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. Philip Rickard Honolulu has grown to be the premiere manufacturer of world-class Hawaiian jewelry. This beautiful jewelry is made in many different gold colors and platinum, which features the deep, carved scrolling patterns, rich enameled names, and inlays. Many of these pieces hold diamonds and colored gemstones acquired daily by admirers in Hawai’i and around the world.
Today Philip Rickard Honolulu has seven retail stores in the Hawaiian Islands, web sites in English and Japanese, and a manufacturing and customer service location in Tokyo. Philip Rickard Honolulu jewelry can be purchased at any of his retail locations or online at www.philiprickardhonolulu.com.
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April 11th, 2008
People out there emptying old jewelry boxes, turning gold into cash
The Birmingham News - al.com, AL
In the new gold rush, 24-karat bling goes for about $920 an ounce
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
ROY L. WILLIAMS
News staff writer
Levy’s Fine Jewelry downtown and others in the business around the Birmingham area are seeing a gold rush - folks wanting to trade in unwanted rings and necklaces with gold prices near the $1,000-an-ounce mark.
“It’s like the gold rush of the 1800s,” said Jared Nadler, a graduate gemologist and son of Levy’s owner Rhoda Link.
Levy’s, in business since 1922, has seen a steady increase of customers responding to advertisements and coming in to sell old gold chains and other pieces of jewelry over the past few months as gold prices have staged a massive rally.
“I’m seeing people lining up every day,” Nadler said. “People are literally rummaging through old jewelry boxes and bringing it in. We have three or four buyers and they are always busy.”
For some sellers, the needs of the moment are trumping nostalgia, as old gold jewelry is sold to pay for necessities or finance purchases such as trips and even plastic surgery, jewelers say.
At Levy’s, business reached a fever pitch last month when gold prices briefly crossed the $1,000-an-ounce threshold, Nadler said. Though gold futures traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange have since slipped to the neighborhood of $920 an ounce, demand has remained high, he said.
Bob Allsbrook, chief economist of Regions Bank in Birmingham, said gold prices have been influenced by factors such as inflation concerns, speculation and political instability in many parts of the world.
Like Levy’s, Mike’s Fine Jewelry at 2324 First Ave. North in downtown Birmingham has seen a similar surge in customers selling gold, owner Mike Cohen said.
“It’s bringing out a lot of jewelry that people no longer want or had broken and stuffed in drawers,” said Cohen, adding he hasn’t seen such a rush to sell gold in 42 years of business downtown.
So who is among those rushing to sell?
At Levy’s, it varies among the well-to-do and lower-income, all enticed by the lure of big payoffs on unwanted jewelry, said Nadler.
“We don’t always know why people sell their gold, but over the last three weeks, we saw a customer use the money on a house, a young lady who was using it for plastic surgery and another couple selling gold to finance an exotic honeymoon,” Nadler said.
At Mike’s Fine Jewelry, the majority of gold sellers have been people needing extra cash to cope with high gasoline and food prices, Cohen said.
“With oil prices going up and unemployment on the rise, people are looking for something to help them get enough money to make ends meet,” he said.
If you do plan to sell gold, come in with realistic expectations, Cohen and Nadler said. Commodity prices - the ones getting the headlines - are based on pure gold, which is 24-karat. Most gold in jewelry is 10-karat or 14-karat.
“Some people come in with the mistaken belief they’ll get $1,000 an ounce,” Cohen said.
The price a person receives for their gold varies depending on several factors, including the commodity price, Nadler said. Expenses that have to be factored in are the costs of insurance, and shipping the gold to a vendor who melts it, Nadler said.
“The beauty of gold is that you can refine it, get cash for it or resell it,” Nadler said. “We have a clientele looking for unusual fine pieces, so we pay top dollar.”
E-mail: rwilliams@bhamnews.com
April 9th, 2008
Jewelry on the nose, lips or tongue can be a piercing distraction
Janet’s World
By Janet Gilbert
April 6, 2008
Baltimore Sun, United States
In my opinion, there is nothing that says, “Look at my NOSE!” like a glittering gemstone in a pierced nostril.
I see a lot of adorned noses, but I can’t imagine getting one. Not that they are not attractive on the rare individual with flawless skin and a sculpted proboscis, but the Janet’s World Institute for Facial Statistics reports that, for 71.9 percent of us, the nose is not our best feature.
If anything, I might consider getting some other part pierced to divert attention from my nose. But what? I cannot at this point go with the belly-button ring, unless I decide to reveal the topographical relief map of Asia that appeared on my stomach after the birth of my three children. Similarly, a decorative ring on my chin would only declare, “Two-for-one sale!”
But my point about pierced noses is this: even if one’s nose is perfectly proportioned and alarmingly cute, it is not just a feature-spacer like the cheekbones, forehead or chin.
It is command central for our sense of smell, affecting our sense of taste. It facilitates inhaling and exhaling. It’s the part that alerts us to allergy season in Maryland, running from about August until November and March through June. And it’s a facial “mood ring,” warning us to take refuge indoors by turning a mottled gray in the frosty winds and brilliant red in the unrelenting sunshine.
So I think we must respect the nose, and not pierce it on a whim. We must check out the Boston Children’s Hospital Web page “Body Piercing, a Guide for Teens,” so that we can get the willies (http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/body-piercing.html).
Yes, this is one of those Web sites we should pass around to people interested in body piercing so that they can make an informed decision while having the living daylights scared out of them, with its helpful hints about potential HIV transmission and nerve damage resulting in loss of feeling at the piercing site.
But don’t fool yourself that this is going to dissuade the individual on the road to a body piercing, even if accompanied by your reasonable, strident or pleading argument.
Once, one of my son’s friends announced she was getting a tattoo. I immediately launched into a story about how I had recently been standing in line behind a woman at a black-tie event, and how my first impression of her was not of her fabulous gown but of this distracting grayish-blue blur on her shoulder — a faded phoenix tattoo. I offered to pay my son’s friend the cost of the tattoo NOT to get one. All the while, my son was making the frantic “cut” symbol.
“Mom, she’s made up her mind,” he said. “And you are not her parent.”
Well, this has never really deterred me. Recently, my niece asked my opinion on getting her nose pierced, and I managed to overcome my natural shyness to shout, “Don’t do it!”
I’m sorry to reveal the politically incorrect truth — jewelry in the nose, lips, tongue or eyebrows just invites rude staring by people like me. We cannot help it. We are consumed with wondering what would happen if you bent to pick up some shoes in a dark closet, and your eyebrow ring got caught on a hanger? Or if you’ve had to give up cool spices like Old Bay with a pierced tongue? Further, even though it’s disgusting, we want to know if you’ve ever sneezed out your stud?
And all the while, we are not noticing your lovely eyes, your shiny hair, or your beautiful smile. Like in the “Tide to Go” campaign, the noise coming from your facial piercing is — at least initially — overpowering any other message you might like to convey.
So please forgive us NOSE GEM if we appear distracted EYEBROW STUD when we’re talking to you MULTIPLE LIP RINGS. We’re just NOSTRIL BAR a little CARTILAGE BARBELL old-fashioned.
April 7th, 2008
Not All that Glitters is Gold: Digging for Ethically Sourced Jewelry
GreenBiz, CA
By: Marc Choyt
Shamsa Dawani, from the Women’s Miner’s Cooperative of Tanzania, gets up from her chair to open a small paper wrapping to show me brilliant red garnets. They represent a profound evolution for those who wish to make it socially unacceptable for anyone to buy bling that is not fair trade mined and fabricated.
Ethical jewelry? Many people passionate about the environment and social responsibility would balk at such a concept within a sector known for the blood diamonds and dirty gold. Yet real change is on the horizon.
I met Dawali in late October in Washington D.C. at the World Bank during a cross-sector Ethical Jewelry Summit. Only a hundred people were invited to this meeting originally organized by Earthworks Action, a small environmental NGO that works on mining issues.
Debeers, Tiffany, Cartier, WWF, Oxfam International, the U.S. State Department, miners from across the world and small designer firms met to discuss bringing fair trade practices to diamonds and precious metal extraction.
As I examined Dawani’s garnets, I thought about the pieces back at my shop, which were cut in India and mined who knows where. Dawani’s garnets are mined and cut by women in Tanzania. They alleviate economic hardship and support the “sheer entrepreneurial drive” of the business women in her association.
They have a spiritual sparkle.
When Mining is Small
Huge open pits and earthmovers with 10-foot tires is the image that often comes to mind when people think about mining. Yet between 13 and 20 million men, women and children from more than 50 developing countries work in small scale mines, often in impoverished areas associated with corruption, war and terrible environmental conditions.
According to the World Bank, more than 100 million people depend on small scale mining for survival. These artisanal miners produce more raw materials and benefit more people than all the large scale multinational operations combined.
But purchasing directly from artisanal miners is challenging. The supply chain often has many links and the materials they produce are mixed with other goods, where they become just another commodity offered at the lowest possible price.
Even in cases when I have visited my suppliers’ operations in Sri Lanka and Jaipur, I have not been able to really know what is taking place in mines and cutting factories.
The chaotic nature of small-scale mining districts can lead to unsafe and unfair working conditions and environmental damage. Artisanal mining can be a beneficial contributor to economic growth in the developing world only when principles of sustainability are introduced.
It costs more to mine responsibly. The goal of those in this movement is to give consumers a way to be sure that what they are buying supports communities like Dawani’s. We want to bring more of the wealth generated in the jewelry store back to those who depend upon small scale mining to live. To do this, we need fair trade.
Fair Trade
Fair trade exists to cultivate and grow the poor and marginalized producers. It is in essence an economic program linked to ecological responsibility and sustainable development. A critical component is third-party certification and a supply chain audit.
Third-party certified fair trade jewelry does not exist. The Association of Responsible Miners, (ARM), however, is now producing third-party certified gold from indigenous communities in Bolivia and Colombia in limited quantities. With talk of adding gemstones, ARM is at the forefront of creating a structure that supports those artisanal miners who most need help in getting their product to market.
A huge amount of money can be made by placing a third-party certification label on a jewelry product. Fair Labeling Organization (FLO) International has signed a memorandum of understanding with ARM and appears to be in support of small scale mining. TransFair USA, the American branch of FLO, is doing a pilot study on diamonds that has been funded by a grant of $100,000 from the Tiffany & Co. Foundation.
One important debate within the movement is which group should be the beneficiaries of certification agencies. Should fair trade be oriented to large scale producers, such as De Beers and Tiffany, and supply companies like Wal-mart, or should it support the efforts of the small, impoverished artisan miners? A fair labeling organization can make a lot more money easily working with a few large mines, rather with poor miners scratching in the dirt.
These issues are far from settled. It may be that FLO organizations are bypassed altogether. From the Madison conference emerged working groups that will focus on developing principles, standards and third-party assurance systems in artisanal and small-scale metals mining. Ongoing discussions are currently being held in the following areas: colored gemstones, diamond mining, recycled metals, precious metal mining, and manufacturing.
A Long Road Ahead
Jewelry, an emotional purchase that often represents the highest human aspirations, is greatly enhanced by ethical production. There is no question that the market demand is there, but the supply chain is not.
At the 2008 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, one of the largest events of its kind in the world, I raised the issue of ethical sourcing with some vendors. Though awareness is far greater now than a year ago, the jewelry sector as whole is still in a consensus trance of denial around ethical and environmental issues. I believe change will be slow until there is a stronger perceived market demand.
Marc Choyt is President of Reflective Images, an ethically sourced designer jewelry company that sells fair trade artisan diamond wedding rings online at ArtisanWeddingRings.com. His company produces eco-friendly, conflict-free diamond jewelry. Marc is also a journalist, and the author of FairJewelry.org, a comprehensive blog about fair trade and socially responsible business practices in the jewelry industry.
Diamond photo licensed under the Creative Commons by mafic.
April 7th, 2008
Carmichael jewelry school teaches all the facets
By Darrell Smith - dvsmith@sacbee.com
Sacramento Bee, USAÂ
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, April 4, 2008
Story appeared in BUSINESS section, Page D1
Local jewelers struggled to fill their employment ranks with new talent in the late 1970s, and Dee Rouse Huth spotted an opportunity in their frustration.
“I’d ask, ‘How do you find jewelers when you need them?’ ” Huth recalled. “They said, ‘You don’t.’ “
Huth decided to link her passion for jewelry design with a career in teaching, founding the California Institute of Jewelry Training in Carmichael.
“Truly encouraging people to ‘Do something you love and success will follow,’ and encouraging those who think a trade or career is not enough to get by in this world of ours is truly an opportunity.”
In the Sacramento area, she said, apprentice jewelers start at about $12 an hour, while experienced jewelers can earn upwards of $60,000 a year.
Fernando León, a 2002 graduate, has worked as a jeweler for Nan-Den Gems in Fairfield for six years. The 41-year-old Winters resident had worked in trash disposal for Davis until suffering a back injury in 2001.
León started from the ground up at the institute, learning the basics of soldering, stone setting and sizing, and the hard work paid off almost instantly. Nan-Den scooped León up a week after graduation day.
“For me, it was one week. I finished school one week and got the job the next week,” León said.
The school provides a pipeline of jewelry talent here and abroad. They’re a mix of high school graduates looking for a creative career track; stay-at-home parents; and individuals embarking on a second career.
Veteran paramedic David Newton enrolled just six weeks ago and aspires to be a custom jeweler and gemologist. The 50-year-old Carmichael resident sustained injuries in a 2002 on-duty collision that ended his career.
“It’s a hobby, but it’s also a profession. You can do this until you die. I didn’t think I’d find something as fun as being a paramedic,” he said. Huth discussed the California Institute of Jewelry Training in an interview.
Q: What type of student are you looking for?
A: The student who loves to work with their hands, who doesn’t want to work with theory all day. (The training) is 95 percent hands-on. We love to teach young people and older people who’ve worked their entire careers at something they didn’t love. They say, ‘I’m done with this corporate thing.’
Q: Why do students select California Institute of Jewelry Training?
A: Some people want a career change. For young people, this is something they can come out of high school and do as a career. They’re 18, 19 or 20 years old, and they can develop a career. What is exciting about CIJT is that it is buzzing with creativity from so many different individuals, all (with) a purpose to let all their creativity out and know they can make a living at it.
Q: This is a family affair. Your daughter Robyn is a student and a part-time instructor? Your grandchildren are also aspiring jewelers.
A: After she (Robyn) started working at the school with me, it just got into her heart, and the rest of her vocational history will definitely be made making or teaching jewelry.
Q: There are a number of careers that stem from training here. What are they?
A: Custom jewelry designer; retail sales associate. In our retail sales program, students work in gem identification, design, polishing. Then they can understand and appreciate what goes into it. It makes them better sales professionals.
Gemology. They study appraisal. You can’t be an appraiser unless you’re a gemologist and the integrity of being certified makes you very accountable for what a gem is worth.
Q: What’s the demand for jewelers?
A: There’s always a job. So many jobs are replaced by technology, but you can’t set a stone with a robot or interact with a customer. A machine doesn’t do that. We place almost all of our students.
Q: Why did you choose Carmichael?
A: I live here. I had kids in junior high, so I opened up a school near the junior high. Also, since it’s a little bedroom community, parents feel comfortable (sending their children to the school). It gives them peace of mind. We have a lot of the ambience and privacy of a campus without it being huge.
April 4th, 2008
High prices are as good as gold in the jewelry market
The Canadian Press, NEW YORK
18 hours ago
NEW YORK — The buzz around record-setting gold prices is reminding jewelry shoppers that gold is indeed a precious metal.
Yellow gold has never completely fallen out of favour with the fashion crowd, but over the past decade the public took more of a shine to sterling silver and platinum. However, gold’s fortunes had already started to turn when it hit $1,000 an ounce in March.
Even as gold prices come back down, jewellers expect it will remain an attractive accessory for those who want something not everyone can have. Demand for gold jewelry was up 22 per cent in 2007 over the previous year, according to the World Gold Council.
“We like to think women buy jewelry because they love it, and design is our driving force and we think it’s what women respond to,” says Jon King, senior vice-president at Tiffany & Co. “But there is a certain aspect of attraction that comes as a result of an increased awareness of the value of the material.”
Adding to gold’s lustre is more creativity in design and technical processes that allow it to be shaped and shaded in new ways. Designer Paloma Picasso pairs gold with complementary stones such as green peridot and citrine, while Tiffany’s Frank Gehry collection features a smoky black gold in addition to yellow, white and rose golds, all of which are shaded by the alloys in the metal.
Mixing metals, either different golds or gold with silver or platinum, was at first popular at the turn of the 20th century, King explains, but is again en vogue for jewelry on the heels of a similar boom in the tabletop market.
“A renaissance in gold is happening,” Duvall O’Steen, spokeswoman for the gold council, who notes that gold has been embraced in home decor, beauty products, vodka and even cigars wrapped in gold leaf. “Americans tend to like things as they become more expensive.”
For now, the cost of gold jewelry hasn’t kept pace with rising commodity prices. O’Steen says it will take three to six months for retailers to feel pressure to increase their prices, since jewelry is typically ordered several months ahead of time.
However, some consumers are concerned about buying “dirty gold.” Several major U.S. retailers have signed on to a No Dirty Gold campaign by Oxfam America and the advocacy group Earthworks to reform mining practices that are bad for workers and the environment. Tiffany, for example, says it traces its gold from the source and throughout the jewelry-making process.
Vintage or recycled gold is one option recommended by the campaign - but it might look different from modern options. Over the last two years the trend has moved away from 14-and 18-karat gold toward 20 or 22 karats, O’Steen says. The result are pieces with a richer colour and the potential for high shine.
“When you’re dealing with luxury goods, you want the rich colour that looks regal and important,” she says.
There’s also a keen interest in texture, which is often accomplished with laser etching, and the more affordable mix of gold and ceramics, such as an open-link bracelet with every third link made of a ceramic material.
If the economy continues to sour, O’Steen predicts shoppers will turn to the classics, including cuff bracelets or necklaces with heart or cross motifs. They were also big in the 1970s - the last time gold was at a premium in both cost and popularity.
During the ’70s gold boom, people tended to sell off their jewelry for scrap, so any piece that did survive became that much more valuable. “There is always a market for gold, especially old Victorian pieces,” reports Robbin Mullin, owner of Antiques Anonymous in Washington.
Gold also ruled when it came to engagement and wedding jewelry, says Jennifer Hicks, publisher of Elegant Bride and Modern Bride magazines. Over time, though, platinum became the standard - and it still is.
Gold is making a slow comeback, but Hicks says that’s because of ever-evolving tastes, not price. Gold was considered flashy 10 years ago; now it’s become more sophisticated.
At luxury jeweller Cartier, some of the most popular gold designs can withstand “trends,” says Frederic de Narp, president and CEO of Cartier North America. The gold Trinity ring, created from three interlocking rings, has been sold for more than 80 years.
“Today, the design is just as relevant as it was in 1924 and is one of the most recognizable designs in the world,” de Narp says.
Still, Mullin, who wears a gold watch chain and fob almost every day, isn’t happy to see prices go so high, fearing they will scare off some shoppers. O’Steen expects the mid-market - those $75 gold hoop earrings - to take the hardest hit, probably during the holiday shopping season.
The bright spot for jewellers is that the public perception of the intrinsic value of gold seems to be high.
“If you’re going to spend a weak dollar, you want to spend it on a product that will last,” O’Steen says.
April 3rd, 2008
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