Let’s be honest: when it comes to jewelry, sometimes a photo just doesn’t cut it.  That’s why we’ve been working on increasing the videos on our website, as well as on YouTube and Facebook.  This week, we’ve added rotating video footage of our loose gemstones in a variety of shapes and colors, so you can get a better idea of which will best suit you and how they’ll look when they arrive.

Click here to see our YouTube videos featuring clusters of gemstones arranged by color, or visit the loose gemstones section of our website to see videos of individual jewels displayed on their product pages.

 Today, March 16th, we will be closing our customer call center for one hour from 10 am to 11 am Central Standard Time.  During this time, we will be having a company meeting to review last year’s progress and this year’s new goals.  We look forward to taking your calls again as soon as this meeting is finished!

If you’re too busy to call us after 11:00, (and believe us, we understand busy!) feel free to e-mail us with your questions at CustomerService@DiamondNexusLabs.com.  We’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.

Ever wanted to see a Diamond Nexus Labs diamond simulant side-by-side with a comparable mined diamond?  If you’ve visited our retail location, you may have seen our display case where we have one of our 1.0 carat solitaires presented alongside two 1.0 carat mined diamond solitaires of varying quality, with their respective prices attached.

Since not everybody can make the trip to our store, however, we’ve posted two videos on our YouTube channel so everyone can see for themselves!

Click here to see one of our Signature Series gemstones, set in a Four-Prong Round Cut Tiffany-Style setting, with a flawless “D” grade mined diamond.  The Signature Series gem costs $149, while the mined diamond cost $30,000.  The Diamond Nexus Labs gemstone is the one on top, while the mined diamond is the one on the bottom.  Remember: the prices here are for the gemstones only, and do not include the cost of the setting.

Let’s be honest, though: how many of us will ever be in the market for a $30,000 flawless “D” grade mined diamond?  Most people purchase something in a slightly lower grade.  Click here to see the Diamond Nexus Labs Signature Series gemstone compared to a more average mined diamond: slightly flawed, “I-J” grade, purchased for $5,500.  Again, the diamond simulant is the one on top while the mined diamond is the one on the bottom, and the prices here are for the gemstones only and do not include the cost of the setting.

Last September, Petra Diamonds discovered a 507 carat white diamond in the Cullinan mine of South Africa – the same mine from which the Star of Africa and many other British crown jewels were taken years ago.  Judged to be one of the twenty largest high-quality rough diamonds ever discovered, the stunning new stone sold for a whopping $35.3 million last week to a Hong Kong jewelry company.  The sale sets a new record for the highest price ever paid for a rough diamond, and has heightened anticipation of what the final polished gem may look like.  Many feel that it has the potential to join the ranks of some of the most important jewels in the world.

Regular readers of our blog may remember previous stories of exceptionally large gemstones and a game we like to play in which we compare the actual stone’s price to Diamond Nexus Labs’ own standard price of $99 per carat.  That means that if we were to produce a Diamond Nexus simulant replica of this staggering new diamond, it would be priced at $50,193.  That’s approximately 1/700^th of the price of the mined diamond.  Bear in mind, however, that after cutting, the mined diamond will actually weigh much less than 507 carats, and will probably cost even more than its current $35.3 million.  How big will the change be?  Until the new jewel is unveiled, we can only speculate.

Award winning jewelryConnectTriStates.com powered by KHQA, ILBy Chad Douglas There’s a sphene that’s part of an award winning piece of jewelry that was made in Hannibal at Ava Goldworks. Walk into Ava Goldworks in downtown Hannibal, and you’ll see a lot of jewelry, quite a bit of it custom made. …

Jewelry also stolen in home-invasion caseJoplin Globe, MOA man who is in custody in Kansas City, Mo., on a warrant in connection with a recent home invasion near Miami is accused of taking jewelry in addition to a large amount of cash from a safe at the home, according to a probable-cause affidavit. …One arrested, one [...]

Vintage jewelry on display in Hong KongCCTV, ChinaAn exhibition to spotlight extravagant jewelry from Renaissance Europe through till now has opened in Hong Kong. Famed jewelry maker Chaumet gives jewelry lovers a glimpse of its collection of rare antique pieces, many of which were created as a token …

Wearing crystal jewelry in summerNewDesignWorld (press release), UKWhich kinds of jewelry is suitable to wear in summer, it has great knowledge, specially wearing necklace , like the silver necklace, the pearl necklace, the crystal necklace and so on, which kind of handmade jewelry is suitable? …

Buzz: Jewelry stores host 2 weekend trunk showsThe Herald-Sun, NCThe sparkly: Jewelry lovers have two trunk shows of their choosing this weekend in downtown Durham. At Hamilton Hill in Brightleaf Square, the store will be welcoming Switzerland’s Furrer-Jacot and Florence designer Nouvelle Bague from 11 am to 6 pm …

I have a great opportunity in the luxury goods industry! Please see description below and have all potential candidates submit resumes asap to jstewart @ surgecreatives.com.

Below is the position description.
Target Salary is base $65K + bonus/commission (confidentially may be an equity play)
Travel is 25 – 40% (average about 30%)
Ideally looking for someone w/ National Sales experience in jewelry, luxury, accessories or contemporary apparel. Would also be open to someone from Beauty (Estee lauder, Elizabeth Arden, Lancome)

Level of Experience: Sales Director vs Sales Manager
(XYZ client) is open to hiring either a sales manager or sales director. With respect to budget, the ideal candidate would step in as a sales manager, with the potential to grow into a broader role and take on additional responsibility.
In order to validate hiring a sales director, this person must possess relevant experience and a proven track record for successfully building a similar business, ideally on a global platform. S/he would be a visionary leader, bring fresh ideas and relationships, and can assist in developing a sales strategy, and understand how to expand the brand, globally.

Following is an outline of key priorities for this position. While focusing on the Sales Director criteria, candidates with less experience however demonstrate potential, may be considered for the Sales Manager position.

Key Priorities for the Sales Director
§ A Strategic and Visionary Leader – able to provide strategic vision and business direction for a standalone business; able to identify and capture growth opportunities, new segmentation and product lines. Strong balance of strategic business planning, operations and creative vision.
§ An Organizational builder – a strong leader with team- and organization-building skills, who attracts, motivates, develops and retains key talent. Able to successfully motivate an institutional sales force.
§ Industry expertise - Experience in the jewelry, accessories, luxury goods and/or contemporary brand categories. Experience developing multiple channels of distribution. Ability to understand both business/institutional selling to retail industry background, ideally in a high touch environment
§ Build and Motivate the International Sales Force. Presently, the sales team consists of five sales representatives across a variety of international markets. There is an opportunity to increase and rethink the sales team. The sales organization could be properly trained and supported to seize new opportunities through appropriate motivation, training and development
§ Develop new business opportunities off the existing platform. There are currently 250 points of retail distribution, and as (client) continues to expand, this individual will also be responsible for bringing new ideas for growth.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Position:The Sales Executive will report to owner, with the objective of growing the business through increased penetration with existing and new accounts while identifying and nurturing new opportunities for growth. The successful candidate will manage a team consisting of five sales representatives. S/he will help to create and execute a strategy to grow the brand’s revenues through brand segmentation, new brand extensions and possibly licensing. S/he will support product development and merchandising for each season by analyzing and utilizing available sales data. Most importantly, S/he will maintain relationships with customers including specialty stores and high-end customers, as well as with direct sales team to maximize growth opportunities and drive successful sales. The successful candidate will have the ability to advance within the organization.
Responsibilities:
S/he will be responsible for:
§ Maintaining strong external relationships within the retail industry, with particular focus (client) customers in the marketplace. Ensure that each category properly addresses the needs of each diverse channel of business, and drives sell-thrus that are profitable.
§ Overseeing detailed and regular analysis of sales data in order to meet the financial objectives of each product category.
§ Maintain and foster relationships with existing 250 in-house accounts comprised of international boutiques and department stores, both domestically and globally. Attend and manage tradeshows.
§ Generate and develop new business opportunities, leads and domestic and international expansion.
§ Strengthen the sales organization- and team building while reinforcing (client) culture. Set the pace and tone for team building so as to focus the entire organization on agreed upon goals for (client). Identify, attract, develop, train and motivate appropriate sales talent and develop core capabilities to support the company’s long-term business strategies.
§ Conduct quarterly review with sales reps and officers and host daily or weekly meetings with reps.
§ Build and motivate the sales force by assessing existing sales and showroom representation and the opportunity to hire new representation as appropriate.
§ Oversee and enhance the appropriate merchandising direction, order processing, delivery and payment systems to instill a much more disciplined approach to planning, forecasting, replenishment and management reporting.
§ Contribute to the merchandise vision by helping to create relevant products that are compatible with the needs of the various channels of distribution. This will include staying ahead of the competition to offer world-class products that are fashion-right
Qualifications & Experience
This ideal must possess relevant experience and a proven track record for successfully driving sales, ideally within a contemporary accessories or apparel manufacturer that sells into specialty and department store channels. S/he would be a visionary leader and bring fresh ideas and relationships, can assist in developing a sales strategy, and understand how to expand the brand, globally. S/he must be accustomed to driving sales and delivering profits through sound operational strategies and financial planning. S/he will have proven management and leadership potential and outstanding communication capabilities.
Additional experience should include:
§ A visionary leader. Forward-thinking, creative executive with a passion for developing and growing businesses. Seeks innovation, new business opportunities and calculated risk taking.
§ Minimum of 5 years of experience in jewelry sales and/or related product.
§ Exposure to upscale, fashionable brands. “Open eyed” to the fashion industry and relevant trends.
§ A builder of cohesive teams. Interfaces and collaborates with senior team and all levels throughout the organization.
§ Passionate about product.
§ A self-starter with strong interpersonal skills.
§ Comfortable with P&L responsibility for a multi-product, multi-channel business that appeals to the contemporary market
§ A meticulous planner who delegates but closely monitors results.
§ Experience in merchandising, product development a plus
§ Excellent communication skills and the ability to build relationships across the organization at all levels, particularly with senior business leaders and line executives. Good listening, reasoning, and motivating skills
§ Effective leader. Strong executive presence and well-established role model who can inspire others. Hands-on, down to earth, flexible.
§ Initiative/tenacity. Anticipates and deals with issues proactively, decisively, comprehensively, and persistently.
§ Strong appreciation for the accessories market; understands the contemporary customer and service; sensitive to customers’ motivation and lifestyle.

Jacquelyn Stewart
Director of Services
jstewart @ surgecreatives.com
786.205.4505

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Signet (SIG) Lags Jewelry Market GrowthGerson Lehrman Group, New YorkSignet Jewelry Ltd. reported earnings of $1.09 per share excluding goodwill impairment charges that matched analyst’s estimates according to Zacks Investment Research analysts Rob Plaza, CFA. Of particular interest was Signet’s hint that early first …

fairfieldweekly.com Dave Curland appraises Candice Gagnon’s gold jewelryfairfieldweekly.com, CTThe rest of the population, meanwhile, is raiding their jewelry boxes and cashing in, lured by the high prices and an abundance of buyers. They go to jewelry stores and temporary setups in hotels; they mail their jewelry to companies and even invite …

Suspected mastermind of jewelry store heist in court - Eau Claire Leader-TelegramThe accused instigator in the “crash-and-grab” armed robbery at an Eau Claire jewelry store nearly five years ago made his initial appearance this week in Eau Claire County Court. An arrest warrant was issued in March 2008 for Tyrone L. Dabney. A

Santa Fe jewelry thief steals $290k in diamonds - KOB.comThe owner of a Santa Fe jewelry shop is searching for the man who she says stole nearly $300,000 worth of diamond rings, right off of her fingers. Jewelry shop owner Rita Linder says this man, shown in her store’s surveillance video, is a smooth [...]

Contact: Tom Perry
(757) 539-2498

OVER 400 LOTS OF IMPORTANT STONEWARE PIECES, VINTAGE GUNS, ESTATE JEWELRY, FURNITURE, MORE TO BE SOLD AT FEB. 6 ESTATE SALE IN IVOR, VA.

Two important lifetime collections will be included in the sale, to be held by Tom’s Auctions.

(IVOR, Va.) – Over 400 lots of antiques and collectibles in a wide array of categories – important stoneware pieces, furniture items, jewelry, good used guns, decorative accessories and more – will be sold at a multi-estate sale planned for Saturday, Feb. 6, by Tom’s Auctions & Appraisals of Suffolk, Va. The sale will be held at the former Ivor High School building in Ivor.
Headlining the event will be Part 2 of the estates of the late Col. Carl Moulton and the late Anne B. Jennings, both former residents of Virginia. Part 1 of their estates was held Jan. 1, New Year’s Day, also in Ivor. The pair were dedicated collectors who amassed such large and diverse collections, their estates had to be split up into multiple sales. Up to four are planned.

Mr. Moulton was an antiques dealer and auctioneer. He owned and operated Carl’s Antiques in Chesapeake, Va., maintained booths in area malls and even owned a local pawn shop. He was a larger than life figure who was known and liked by everyone. He specialized in jewelry, coins, period American furniture, stoneware pieces, collectibles and vintage weaponry.

Mrs. Jennings (the former wife of the late renowned physician Dr. W. Stanley Jennings, known as “The Father of Chesapeake General Hospital”) loved primitives, but her estate also included stoneware, baskets, quilts and country collectibles. “Mrs. Jennings was a discriminating buyer and she had the means to buy the best,” said Tom Perry of Tom’s Auctions & Appraisals.
More than 130 pieces of stoneware will cross the block. Certain to pique bidder interest is a Washington County (Va.) incised jar, 8 inches tall, made around the 1820s and inscribed with a woman’s name. Also sold will be pieces by E.B Taylor (Richmond, Va.), J.F. Taylor (New Bern, N.C.), Paul Dryzmalla (Philadelphia), A.P. Donaho (Parkersburg, W. Va.), John Bell and artists Herman and Rinehardt (1935). Pieces from Charlestown and Edgefield will also be sold.
The stoneware category will also feature some highly collectible examples from the Catawba Valley (N.C.) region, a fertile breeding ground for some of the best Southern potters who ever turned a wheel. Sold will be a probst jug, a molasses jug and a ring jug. Also sold will be an Eastern Valley crock with blue decorations and a 2-gallon crock with blue decorations.

The guns from Mr. Moulton’s collection are mostly Colts – a name synonymous with vintage weaponry collecting. One piece in particular that will generate crowd buzz is a Colt .45 frontier pistol (circa 1875-1890), all engraved and with two handles – one mother of pearl steer head handle, plus the original sterling silver engraved handle. The gun is housed in a beautiful hand-carved, artist-signed box, highly decorated and a wonderful complement to a fine pistol.
Other lots from the militaria category include a clean set of “saloon girl” spurs, an Ames Navy Cutlet Civil War-era sword, and a framed photographic print showing Civil War soldiers.

Furniture pieces will include a marvelous Southampton County (Va.) primitive cupboard (circa 1800-1810), with original paint and nails; an antique wooden bed with red milk paint; a gorgeous primitive cupboard made in Smithfield, Va., with the original paint; a primitive stepback cupboard; an antique pie cupboard; and a vintage wood barrel with the original label. Also sold will be an old doll cradle, an antique apple butter stirrer and a North Carolina milk pan.

The jewelry category will feature a dazzling lady’s Tiffany 18kt gold and diamond watch; a .54-carat Marquise diamond ring; and a 14kt gold Tiffany gold ring with a .49-carat diamond stone.
Rounding out a partial list of some of the day’s expected top lots: a 3-section printer’s tray; a faceless black doll; a rare and unusual umbrella inscribed on the handle with the name of the original owner (Chester Dorman Hubbard, a prominent Civil War-era Virginia legislator); an early cheese press; an original advertising print for Cream of Wheat cereal; a genuine oak wall telephone; an early wood candle box; a Dobbs hat box; an early document box; a Harness Soap Dressing tin; an old goat cart; a lard paddle; a corn bread pan; and an antique wood block puzzle.
The old high school building in Ivor is located at 8430 Bell Avenue, off Route 460. The sale will begin promptly at 10 a.m. A preview is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 5, from 2-6 p.m. To learn more about the auction, and for directions to the venue, log on to www.TomsAuction.com. Many photos of the items to be sold have already been posted, and more images were being added at press time. There will be no online bidding, but phone and absentee bids will be taken.

Tom’s Auctions & Appraisals is one of the premier auction houses in the mid-Atlantic states. The firm is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign an item, an estate or a collection, you may call them, at (757) 539-2498, or (757) 617-9647. Or, you may send them an e-mail, at tombuys@tomsauction.com. For more info, log on to tomsauction.com.

Colt pistol:
Colt .45 frontier pistol (circa 1875-1890), all engraved and with two handles (one sterling silver).

Stoneware jar 1:
Washington County (Va.) incised jar, 8 inches tall, made around the 1820s, inscribed.

Stoneware jar 2:
The Washington County (Va.) incised jar is inscribed with a woman’s name (shown).

Primitive cupboard:
Southampton County (Va.) primitive cupboard (circa 1800-1810), with original paint and nails.

Lady’s watch:
Dazzling lady’s Tiffany 18kt gold and diamond watch.

E.B. Taylor:
The 130+ pieces of stoneware will include this 3-gallon crock by E.B. Taylor (Richmond, Va.).

Blanket chest:
Southampton County (Va.) blanket chest, with original finish.

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Jewelry & Watches: Global Industry Guide - TMCnetDatamonitor’’s Jewelry & Watches: Global Industry Guide is an essential resource for top-level data and analysis covering the Jewelry & Watches industry. It includes detailed data on market size and segmentation, textual analysis of the key trends Research and Markets: Jewelry & Watches: Global Industry Guide - [...]

Jaycee Dugard and family relocated to East Bay safe house - Contra Costa TimesKidnap victim Jaycee Dugard and her children have relocated to a safe, private location in a rural part of the East Bay, within driving distance of the house near Antioch where Dugard was kept most of her life, according to sources who [...]

Is toxic cadmium in your jewelry? - 10Connects.comConcern about the heavy metal cadmium in jewelry grew as a California environmental group said new testing of adult necklaces and bracelets bought at three leading retailers, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Aeropostale, detected high levels of the BC-US–Cadmium Jewelry,1st Ld-Writethru, US - MSN MoneyLOS ANGELES (AP) [...]