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Category Archives: Business
Diamonds May Be Forever, Oppenheimers Aren’t
For the trade, the announcement was as stunning as it was historic. Last week the Oppenheimer family announced it has sold its 40 percent stake in De Beers to Anglo American for $5.1 billion. The sale gives Anglo American 85% … Continue reading
Posted in Business
Tagged Anglo American, Cecil Rhodes, De Beers, diamonds, Ernest Oppenheimer, Oppenheimer Family
Pearl & Bead Stringers also covered by FTC Guides
Just this weekend while at a gem show, I was told by a dealer that the material I was looking at was jade. In reality the stones were serpentine. This is what is called an unfair or deceptive practice. Anyone … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Manufacturing Tips
Tagged advertising, false and deceptive claims, Federal Trade Commission
Low Cost Resource for Pearl and Bead Stringers
I recently stumbled on a new resource that might be of interest to pearl and bead stringers. It is an auction website called www.propertyroom.com. It’s apparently been around since 2001, but it is new to me and may be new … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Manufacturing Tips
Tagged chain, jewelry components, propertyroom, propertyroom.com, resource
Pros and Cons of Tungsten Carbide
As tungsten carbide becomes more popular, professional pearl and bead stringers may wish to familiarize themselves with the pros and cons of using this material in their work. In addition, it’s not unlikely that a client may ask for a … Continue reading
Posted in Business
Tagged Frederick Goldman, FTC, Scott Kay, tungsten carbide, wedding bands
Sales Tests Imposed by Clients
Years ago a first time client asked me to identify the green gemstone she was wearing. When she asked, she was considering buying an ivory necklace–legal back then–from me. Whether or not she consciously framed it in this way to … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Sales
Tagged clients, gemstones, manufacturing, product knowledge, sales
Bad Times Spark Creative Ferment in Jewelry Industry
Instead of pulling back during hard economic times, the jewelry industry is engaged in a creative ferment that might influence the way we look at jewelry for many years. Here is a review of some major trends.
New Surge of Creativity in Jewelry Design and Materials
I maintain a separate g-mail account where I receive jewelry newsletters, press releases, gemstone and business news and other jewelry industry updates, including bead stringing news. Work commitments pulled me away from a daily review of this account for about … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Jewelry Design
Tagged carved gemstones, green jewelry, organic gemstones, oxidation, silver, silver oxidation, sliced diamonds
Pearl & Bead Stringers: Avoid this Textbook Example of Deceit
A justly irate consumer recently illustrated for pearl and bead stringers, jewelers and others in the trade that honesty is always the best policy. Always. This person had bought a diamond from a New York diamond dealer. Although she was … Continue reading
Posted in Business
New “Fairness Act” Anything But Fair
So, now it comes. Driven by the insatiable need for new revenues, dressed up in language designed to appeal, and reflecting a total misunderstanding of how business works, “The Mainstreet Fairness Act” was introduced in Congress July 29th by Senator … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Internet Sales Tax
Tagged Dick Dubrin, entrepreneurs, Mainstreet Fairness Act, national internet sales tax
Millennial Buyers and Art Jewelry
A recent study by Harrison Group and American Express has implications for the work of pearl and bead stringers. That study found that affluent millennials—buyers born between 1979 and 1993—rely on luxury brands to communicate their success more than the … Continue reading