Platinum today: News/Jewellery

IJL attendees encouraged to follow 'Platinum Trail'

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Platinum jewellery retailers have been reminded about the helping hand on offer for them at the upcoming International Jewellery London (IJL) event.

Organisers Platinum Guild International will be offering a 'Platinum Trail' at the Earls Court show for the third year in succession.

This will allow attendees to view all the collections of platinum jewellery by looking for specially-marked display cases.

In addition, a panel of judges will be on hand on the opening day to select the manufacturer they believe has the most impressive array of pieces.

"Retailers following the trail will also get the chance to give their vote for the best display by voting online for the Retailers' Choice," noted Retail Jeweller.

There will be considerable interest for platinum jewellery industry players at the event, with award-winning designer Fei Liu launching two new collections.

The first, known as the Silver Dawn Collection, is said to be bright, structural and colourful, while the second, the Allure Collection, is based on the Allure Ring.

Mr Liu's Allure Ring, which has several pieces individually set with diamonds in platinum and white gold, has received widespread recognition and approval.

Meanwhile, The Raphael Collection, which is a 2010 UK Jewellery Awards finalist, is set to unveil its GEMEX range, which is being billed as the ultimate bridal and eternity ring collection.

A wide selection of male and female bands - plus diamond earrings, pendants and bracelets featuring 18-carat white, yellow and rose gold, platinum and palladium - are included.

One of the judges, Retail Jeweller's Editor-in-Chief Jenni Middleton, admitted that she can hardly wait for this year's event to get underway.

"This year will be my first year back at IJL after a three-year absence and I can tell you from reading the exhibitors' press releases that have been flooding into my inbox that I am really looking forward to seeing all the new jewellery," she wrote in the publication.

International Jewellery London takes place between 5th and 8th September.

Sources:

IJL 2010: Who's going to be there? (09/10)

Ready, get set, go: IJL special editor's welcome (09/10)

Hey, good looking: IJL trends (09/10)

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Prestigious platinum jewellery competition winners announced

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The eight winners of a prestigious platinum jewellery competition have now been confirmed, along with details of their pieces.

An 11-strong panel of experts assessed drawings presented to them in April to determine who should land the honours for this year's Lonmin Design Innovation Awards.

The assessment was split into two categories, namely 'Emerging Designers', for those with less than five years' commercial experience, and 'Established Designers', for those with more than five years' involvement in the industry.

In the former group, the winners were James Powell of TCJ Designs, Miranda Wallis of Mirranna, Luke Rose of Luke Rose Jewellery and Dot the Jewellers' John Bradley.

The latter category was made up of Haruko Horikawa, Fangfang Qiao, Katie Rowland of Katie Rowland Jewellery and Alexander Davis.

Mr Powell's Persephone entry is an interchangeable hair piece, featuring a comb on the reverse, plus a summer piece with rock crystal and tsavorite, and a third section with diamonds.

The Capture ring designed by Ms Wallis has a half dome of 1.2mm wires forming a hollow basket, with each end set with a 3mm cultured pearl.

An 11mm Tahitian Pearl adorns the centre of the basket and is surrounded by 1.2mm diamonds totalling 0.23 carats and beads set along the side of the pearl cup.

Mr Rose impressed the judges with his Icon necklace, which is crafted entirely from platinum and features 20 carats worth of black diamonds.

The piece also boasts 18 diamond-set 'eyelets' - each with ten fine white diamonds - plus black diamond briolettes and a 2.1-carat rose-cut black diamond set into the clasp.

Mr Bradley's Affirmation design is a platinum-linked bracelet with 8mm black freshwater pearls and 18-carat yellow gold detailing.

Meanwhile, in the second category, Ms Horikawa's Fluttering Feather pendant offers two layers of platinum feathers which combine to create three-dimensional volume and movement.

Ms Qiao's entry, known as Ice and Water earrings, consists of a series of platinum triangles grouped together, with a triangular piece in the centre linking two of the combinations.

The Hydra platinum swirled ring, set with sparkling white diamonds, was one of two pieces crafted by Ms Rowland to be selected by the judges.

She has also been recognised for her Shakti pendant, which again boasts a platinum swirled design and is pave set with white and champagne diamonds of different colours.

Mr Davis' DNAture pendant features diamonds and sapphires which mimic the wearer's unique DNA codes, thanks to the designer's use of DNA sequencing techniques.

The judges also selected his Diadem platinum, diamond and amethyst ring, which has vaulted diamond-set arches that form an orb and sceptre in the centre, with Gothic-style bands curling outwards.

All of the winning designs will be on display for the first time on the Johnson Matthey stand at an International Jewellery London event at Earls Court.

Models will then wear them at the Serpentine Gallery Party at a party and awards ceremony which is scheduled to take place on 6th September.

Source:

Innovation's what you need: IJL Design Innovation Awards (09/10)

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Jewellery Roundup September 2010

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Jessica Biel is A-Team in Tiffany's (03/08/10)

Jessica Biel dazzled in Tiffany platinum jewellery at the Berlin premiere of her new film, A-Team, at the end of July.

The actress chose a pair of Victoria diamond bracelets set in platinum, worth £12,250 and £8,800, plus a pair of diamond earrings set in platinum, valued at £2,920.

Neil Lane helps put a ring on 'Bachelorette' Ali (04/08/10)

Ali Fedotowsky, star of reality show The Bachelorette, was thrilled when finalist Roberto Martinez proposed to her with a custom-made Neil Lane engagement ring.

The ring, which boasts a 3.03-carat total weight, features a central asscher-cut diamond set in platinum and accented with 184 round brilliant-cut stones.

Ali Flashes Ring as She and Roberto Celebrate Engagement (03/08/10)

After the show, the couple made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live before being spotted at Los Angeles bar Capitol City, US Magazine reports.

Onlookers said that the Fedotowsky and Martinez, who took pictures with fans, appeared to be very "lovey dovey" and "very affectionate" towards each other.

"I'm a lucky man. I'm just looking forward to enjoying that normal life and kind of having that normalcy and enjoying each other," said Martinez on Good Morning America recently, according to the news provider.

Fedotowsky added: "He said during the proposal, 'I want every time that I'm with you to let you know that you're so, so loved.' And he does do that now, you know, outside the show."

Chelsea Clinton marries with platinum wedding band (03/08/10)

Chelsea Clinton has married long-term boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky with a platinum wedding ring at Astor Court in the New York village of Rhinebeck.

The Bride Wore Floral Earrings, Her Mother Pink Drops - The Clinton Affair (05/08/10)

In addition to her ring - a square-cut diamond set in platinum - Clinton wore diamond earrings featuring two clusters of seven diamonds, plus a matching tennis bracelet.

"While the engagement ring and wedding jewellery were modest and understated, they cost an estimated $200,000," an IDEX Online report claimed.

Liz Taylor To Wear $3M Diamond Encrusted Wedding Turban (02/08/10)

Elizabeth Taylor will wear a $3 million turban, made partially from platinum, when she ties the knot with partner Jason Winters later this year, according to BANG Showbiz.

The diamond-encrusted bridal crown, which was designed by Keith Holman, features a 30-carat centre stone and two 40-carat round yellow canary diamonds.

Anria to exhibit at IJL 2010 (05/08/10)

Indian firm Anria Ltd has revealed that it will be returning to International Jewellery London (IJL) for this year's instalment of the show.

The company imports and markets platinum chains, while its parent company, Tankaria Exim, sells manufactured jewellery pieces to more than 350 upmarket outfits in countries such as the UK, the US and India.

Mehul Lodhiya, Chief Operations Officer at Anria, told Professional Jeweller: "The primary goal to participate in IJL 2010 is to gain exposure to new clients and to strengthen existing client relationships.

"We see IJL as the premier jewellery show in the UK, and the UK as a dynamic growth market for Anria's jewellery."

India: Report On Platinum Jewellery Consumption (05/08/10)

Platinum jewellery is now available in over 300 retail outlets in India, compared with just 12 in 2000-01.

According to Platinum Guild International (India), this figure could rise to more than 1,000 in the next two to three years.

Furthermore, a report by IBEF has suggested that India's share in the global platinum jewellery market is increasing by 19 per cent every year.

Julia Roberts wears platinum on the cover of Elle (09/08/10)

Julia Roberts sported platinum jewellery in her shoot for the September edition of women's glossy ELLE.

The 42-year-old actress wore a pair of Bvlgari platinum and diamond earrings for one black and white image, and a platinum and diamond bracelet, also from Bvlgari, for another photograph.

Rising star: Katie Rowland (08/10)

Katie Rowland is planning to add a fine jewellery arm to her burgeoning range of luxury pieces, Retail Jeweller reports.

The up-and-coming designer took the decision after witnessing huge interest in her platinum piece 'Siren', which has won the Lonmin Design Innovation Award for the past two years.

"I want Katie Rowland Jewellery to become an iconic British brand," she told the news provider.

"I'm not expecting that to be in a Heinz baked beans way, but I would like to be known for producing luxury jewellery."

New Men's Wedding Rings Web Site Opens for Business (13/08/10)

A new specialist online jewellery store has opened to offer men a wide selection of wedding rings.

Mens-Wedding-Rings.com, which will include platinum designs, was established to meet demand for a more diverse collection of engagement and wedding bands for men.

Nicole Sherzinger dazzles in platinum at pre-Emmy bash (24/08/10)

Nicole Scherzinger wore a selection of platinum jewellery for her appearance at the Audi and Chopard Emmy week kick-off party.

The Pussycat Dolls singer selected a pair of 33-carat platinum and diamond earrings, a 33-carat platinum and diamond bracelet, and a platinum ring.

Same-store Q2 up a modest 4.5 percent for Signet (26/08/10)

Signet Jewelers has revealed that its same-store sales increased by 4.5 per cent in second quarter, including a rise of almost six per cent in the US.

Although the company was satisfied with the results, Chief Executive Terry Burman claimed that conditions remain "challenging" in both the US and the UK.

"The outlook for the rest of fiscal 2011 [ending 29th January 2011] is uncertain," he said.

"However, we will continue to invest in the business, increase advertising during the holiday season and expand further availability of differentiated merchandise, in an effort to continue to gain profitable market share."

Tiffany Reports Second Quarter Results; Company Posts Solid Sales and Earnings Growth (27/08/10)

Finally, Tiffany & Co has confirmed that its worldwide net jewellery sales increased by nine per cent to $668.8 million in the second quarter of 2010.

The luxury jeweller also posted worldwide net sales of $1.302 billion in the first half of the year, representing a rise of 15 per cent from the same period in 2009.

"Tiffany's financial performance in the quarter continued to demonstrate the benefits derived from a growing global presence, with roughly half of our sales now occurring outside the US," said Chairman and Chief Executive Michael Kowalski.

"In the quarter, we were pleased that sales increased in most countries and product categories."

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Tiara set in platinum on sale for £1m

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A new tiara with 178 rare pink diamonds set in platinum and rose gold is now available for NZ$2.3 million (£1.05 million), it has been confirmed.

The piece was designed and manufactured by royal jewellers Asprey of London over the course of a year and has now been brought to New Zealand by Partridge Jewellers.

Anyone considering purchasing the tiara will be interested to note that its centre can be detached and fastened in a band to form a ring, the New Zealand Herald reports.

The lofty price tag is largely due to the inclusion of pink diamonds, which represent about 0.1 per cent of all diamonds mined and are therefore among the most expensive in the world.

"These ones come from Rio Tinto's Argyle mine in the northern region of Western Australia, which produces about 90 per cent of the world's pink diamonds," noted the news provider.

"The tiara returns to London via Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and New York."

Also now on sale is a necklace, crafted in the same Asprey workshop, which has a five-carat white diamond with blue, pink and yellow stones and retails at NZ$880,000.

Source:

Tiara: In the pink - yours for $2.3m (18/08/10)

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PGI honours affordable platinum jewellery designers

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A number of jewellers have been honoured as part of an inaugural contest to find affordable and creative platinum pieces, it has been confirmed.

Platinum Guild International (PGI) launched the competition in an attempt to broaden access to platinum jewellery, with more than 40 brands submitting a total of 75 entries.

The Platinum Innovation Challenge was assessed in five categories across each price range - originality, creativity, quality, wearability and innovation.

In the under $2,500 category, a semi-mount engagement ring by Designs by Vatches came out on top, with True Knots' 5mm wedding band ($998) winning the wedding bands under $2,500 category.

Benchmark's 8.5mm band with black diamonds ($2,200) took the honours in the colour under $2,500 sector, while Uneek Fine Jewelry Collection won the fashion under $2,500 award for its 'Snowflake' pendant with diamonds ($1,995).

Steven Kretchmer triumphed in the fashion over $2,500 category, despite his bracelet being valued at a princely $30,000.

All the winners received a prize package which includes signage, publicity and photography worth more than $20,000, courtesy of PGI.

Source:

And the Winner Is…Platinum! (19/07/10)

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