For fine jewelry retailers, managing the millions of small details that make a store a pleasant and efficient place to shop—things like greeting customers warmly and keeping cases streak-free—is as important as ever. But in a rapidly consolidating U.S. retail environment that saw 1,269 jewelry Subscribe or log in to read the rest of this…

Rick Antona, the owner of Uptown Diamond in Houston, ­expects to see revenue double in the next year, and he attributes the spike to his role as the official jeweler for the University of Texas. For the next five years, the store will design and craft championship rings, money clips, necklaces, cSubscribe or log in…

Girls love pearls. I can vouch for that. Pearls were my first love (in the jewelry business, that is). At the start of the millennium, I took a job writing about them for a gem and jewelry trade website, even though I was so new to the industry I had no idea what a cultured…

What JCK magazine’s Victoria Gomelsky is loving this month “Opal is the Sybil of the gem world. I’m obsessed with its multiple personalities!” —Victoria Gomelsky, JCK editor-in-chief (Above) Pendant with 9.84 ct. black opal and 1.16 cts. t.w. diamonds in 24k gold with silver and green pSubscribe or log in to read the rest of…

Welcome, autumn! I’m writing this in August but I am ­already looking forward to the change of seasons. The summer went by in a hot blur, yet there were definite highlights. First up was the all-new LUXURY Privé show in New York City, held in July in its beautiful new location, the InterContinSubscribe or log…

To reverse its declining fortunes, Signet Jewelers has turned to board member Virginia “Gina” Drosos. She is replacing embattled mainstay Mark Light as company head. Drosos (pictured) is Signet’s first female CEO and its third CEO since longtime head Terry Burman left in 2011. Drosos has a Subscribe or log in to read the rest…

In July, Alan Revere, founder of the San Francisco–based Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, announced that he is retiring and selling his famed jewelry-making school. Here, he talks to JCK about how teaching jewelry-­making has changed over the years, why he’s not interested in CAD/CAM, and why crSubscribe or log in to read the rest…

Debbie Klein, owner of the fine jewelry and art outpost Art + Soul in Boulder, Colo., had been planning to redo her 3,000-square-foot boutique for years. Then, during a shopping trip with her adult stepson, a 20-something police officer, renovation inspiration struck. “He had been going to a big-Subscribe or log in to read the…

15310 Antioch St., Pacific Palisades, Calif. Chunky bling shares space with delicate sun- and moon-inspired pieces at this refined yet friendly shop that fits right into its beachy neighborhood Nestled across from a bustling restaurant on an unassuming street in Los Angeles’ tony Pacific PalisadSubscribe or log in to read the rest of this content.

(Above) Carved tanzanite bangle with Mexican fire opal, opal, tsavorite, and diamonds in 18k blackened gold; $94,500; Arunashi; 310-888-0123; arunashi.com Maya carved turquoise leaf ring in 18k yellow gold and enamel; $9,550; Brooke Gregson; sales@brookegregson.com; brookegregson.com Hand-caSubscribe or log in to read the rest of this content.

Karma is rich for Kirsty Stone and her up-and-coming brand, Retrouvaí, whose jewels reconnect wearers to the past   When Kirsty Stone was a child in Toronto, she did everything you might imagine a future designer would do. “I was like a creative, gypsy child,” she says of her early yeaSubscribe or log in to…

Impatience is a virtue for the Mountain Brook, Ala.–based Jordan Alexander designer   Pearl lovers know that Jordan Alexander is one of the go-tos for cool-girl pearls. (For proof, see the chain-wrapped strands in “Pearls’ Night Out.”) But jewelry lovers know that Theresa Harper Bruno’sSubscribe or log in to read the rest of this content.

CAN’T-MISS COLLECTION Fertile Ground A recent move to Tel Aviv, Israel, prompted former New Yorker Ilana Ariel Sarna, founder and owner of Ilana Ariel jewelry, to create a collection inspired by the city’s abundance of graphic Mediterranean tile work. Grounded—a series of curvilinear rings, nSubscribe or log in to read the rest of this content.

CAN’T-MISS COLLECTION Custom Agent The “breakaway” concept behind the Christian Paul fashion watch brand that Timothy Caruana founded in Australia two years ago has a dual meaning: “The watch breaks apart”—into a case, strap, and buckle that customers can choose separately—“and it�Subscribe or log in to read the rest of this content.

Ed. note: After going to press, Reed Jewelry Group announced that the JIS October show would relocate to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., due to damage from Hurricane Irma. The dates, Oct. 8–11, remain the same. Click here for more information on the event and to learn about the Jewelers Disaster Relief Subscribe or log in to read the rest…

At July’s IIJS, the government’s tough new demonetization scheme was good for business   In a surprise move last November, India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, revoked 500- and 1,000-rupee bank notes in an effort to bring the country’s black market to its knees. The government also Subscribe or log in to read the rest of…

In social media’s early days—back when brands first began getting serious about building their followings—the thinking went like this: Avid social media users were eager to follow brands solely for the purpose of aligning themselves with that brand’s identity. Essentially, if you cultivated Subscribe or log in to read the rest of this content.

WHO, WHAT, WEARABLE Fossil Q Venture  Fossil’s ambitious goal for 2017, which it publicly announced in March, is to debut at least 300 hybrid and touch screen–connected styles by Dec. 31. Its wearable releases for splashy fashion brands including Emporio Armani, Michael Kors, and Kate SpadSubscribe or log in to read the rest of this…