Color Story: Trend 2007

(via Leatrice Eiseman) Amber Michelle writes:

A different color story has emerged for 2007, says Eiseman. Gray, especially those shades with a lavender cast--will continue into spring. "Gray is wearable and practical and when women invest in a wardrobe, they want to have it for several reasons," she says.

Silver Peony, described by Eiseman as a soft rosy, peach tone, will be a new neutral to mix with other colors. Strawberry Ice, a warm pink with a mid value tone, will also be important because it is flattering to all skin types. There will also a continuation of brown, forecasts Eiseman. "It will be a Cafe Creme, like you have taken coffee and added cream." She believes that the popularity fo brown diamonds in the past few years has helped to glamorize the color and make it a more popular choice in apparel.

Tarragon, a green that is close to a khaki tone--and that can be used as neutral--will also be important. "It has a classic quality to it," Eiseman says.

Green Sheen, which is a yellow green, is another color of the moment. "It is the newest of the trend colors for fashion," explains Eiseman. "It adds a fresh approach to a wardrobe."

As we move further into 2007, Eiseman predicts that we will see a move away from blue-based meditative, mystical and spiritual purples into red purples that are more sensual and fun. Metallics will also stick around. Eiseman believes that this is a long term color look, as textiles get sparkle adn sheen from new technologies. "Metallics add excitement," says Eiseman. "They are a dichtonomy. Gold and silver have a glamorous aspect, but they are neutral." Black, of course, will always have its place in fashion, says Eiseman. "Women understand black, its dependability and elegance. But it will have a variation in tone or fabric texture."

More info @ www.rapaport.com

Leatrice Eiseman
Trend Forecaster
Director of Pantone Color Institute
Author of More Alive With Color

Lev Leviev

(via Wiki) Lev Avnerovich Leviev (born July 30, 1956 in Tashkent) is an Israeli billionaire businessman with wide-ranging interests, including the diamond trade, real estate and chemicals. He is also a supporter of Jewish philanthropic causes and is president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS (FJC), an umbrella body representing Jewish communities across the former Soviet Union. He is the founder of the Ohr Avner Foundation, named for his father.

He lives in Bnei Brak, Israel, with his wife Olga and their nine children. He owns the Israeli TV Russian channel Israel Plus and Africa-Israel Investments, an international holding and investment company involved in residential real estate, shopping malls, energy, fashion, telecom, and media. Furthermore, Leviev, controls diamond mines in Russia and Africa and has emerged as a major competitor to De Beers.

Leviev was born in the then-Soviet city of Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 1956. His father, Rabbi Avner, and his mother, Chana Leviev, were prominent members of the Bukharan Jewish community. In 1971, when he was fifteen, his family emigrated to Israel. Shortly afterwards, Leviev began to work as an apprentice in a diamond polishing plant, and following his military service, established his own diamond polishing plant.

With the fall of Communism in the early 1990s, Leviev expanded his business endeavors into Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. He received the blessings for success in business and personal support of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson for his philanthropic activities.

He is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Africa-Israel Investments Limited, an investment company active in Israel and the Yesha territories. Known to be a champion of right-wing Jewish politics, in 2005, Leviev's company completed a controversial $230 million 5,800 apartment project in Modi'in Illit, for the Haredi sector.

Leviev is also the owner of the new high-end luxury diamond retailer bearing his name.

More info @ www.wikipedia.org

Dilip Mehta

Dilip Mehta joined the family business in 1970 and established Rosy Blue N.V. in 1973, in Antwerp, Belgium as the first overseas office of B. Arunkumar (now Rosy Blue India). His efforts led to global expansion through Greenfield growth and acquisitions, resulting in sales, manufacturing and financing offices in 15 countries spanning 4 continents. He also delivered unprecedented results by growing the group turnover and created a new industry benchmark, confirmed Rosy Blue's leadership position in financial transparency, robustness and innovation through the securitisation of inventory and receivables.

He transformed a manufacturer / trader office to a global marketer of a broad range of products and services, demonstrating the group's leadership in value-added, vertically integrated supply partner. You can say that 35 years of strong domestic and international P&L management experience driving market share, revenue and profit growth, made him a high-integrity, energetic entrepreneur and Senior Operating and Management Executive.

More info @ www.rosyblue.com

Mines, Mosquitoes and Multicolour: An Adventure in Madagascar

David Weinberg writes:

Multicolour.com’s Bangkok-based partner David Weinberg has just returned from a fact-finding visit with his family to Madagascar where he discovered at first hand the realities of life in a country famed as one of the world’s most prolific sources of gemstones.

Madagascar is an extraordinary country – vibrant, exciting, frightening and fun, all at once. And there are gemstones, everywhere! Touching down on in the Multicolour Single Engine Beechcraft airplane at Andelamena was an experience in itself, as Andelamena International is a grass field with a 385yard runway—easy to land but hard to take off. The French pilot Michele is experienced but even with the three of us it would be hard to take off from the short runway so we had to dump most of the gas. Scary plane rides are all in a day’s work for my partner Werner, and I have to admit I was more worried about the mosquitoes than anything.

African stories about malaria had me worried and then my friend Arnold told me about the German tourist in Tulear who died of encephalitis and how mosquitoes were the most dangerous animals imaginable. My older daughter, who didn’t really want to go to Madagascar anyway, told me they had Ebola too—I believed her of course. And get this—they still have cases of bubonic plague. We went there anyway, despite the worries, and it was fascinating—a 226 square mile island in the Indian Ocean to the east of Africa with just 15 million people living there.

We arrived in the capital, Antananarivo (Tana), after the long flight from Bangkok and Singapore with a stop at the tiny French island of Reunion. Customs were about the same as other third world countries – disorganized, confused, generally disinterested, and looking for handouts. We don’t speak much French so I was happy that Werner came to meet us at the airport. There were mosquitoes in the airport too. Werner offered us a place to stay but there were mosquitoes there as well, so we decided to try the Hilton. We had a business card from another Swiss guy who must have been a big shot because we got a 50% discount after some minor haggling and trying the old "I’m a travel agent" trick. It wasn’t long before the real adventure began, with our visit to the mines at Andelamena, only a plane ride, but a million miles away from the Hilton.

The new deposit is actually about 85 kilometers north of the village. Most of the sellers were either miners or middlemen who had walked the 85 kilometers to sell us the rubies. Like most parts of Madagascar, there are no roads so walking or flying are the only options. As usual there was a big line in front of the Multicolour hut. With 20 years experience buying in the bush, Werner knows the huts have to be specially designed with a separate entrance and exit, and strong enough to withstand all the pushing and shoving. The buying was great—excellent quality for the price. The ruby was a bit violet but the sizes were good and the material looked quite clean. Many of the pieces would yield rubies over a carat and some could make more than three or four carats. I have yet to see the cut stones but Werner says they burn well and the Thais like to buy it if they can. When I arrived, the police or army guys were there to chase all the Thai gem dealers away, but we must have had the right connections because they didn’t bother us.

The long line-up to sell to us quickly developed a party atmosphere, with blasting Malagasy music, tape sellers, and people selling ice cream. We bought for three or four hours and went through 20 or 30kgs of cash. Yes, kilograms – the cash is heavier than the stones! Werner looked at all of the stones and we bought between 60 and 90 percent of what was offered. No time for bargaining, Werner tells them the price and it’s ´yes´ or ´no´. No second chance. Our offers are good and they sometimes come away with more than they expect. But if they show the same stone twice or try to show another parcel with out agreeing on the first one, they get short shrift from the inimitable Werner, and often a light tap on the head with his flashlight!

The plastic bags they carry the stones in are something else. They’ve been repaired with scotch tape a thousand times and they don’t even look like a plastic bag anymore. I ask Werner: "Why don’t they have plastic bags?" He says the tape is cheaper, or they just don’t have any plastic bags. Strange! So many rubies, but no plastic bags to keep them in! The next day we took "Mad Air" down to Tulear [Toliara??] while the Multicolour shuttle flew down to Ilakaka. With space for a bodyguard, a pilot, the buyer and the 40kgs of cash we had to rent a car and would rendezvous the next day. After all that excitement at the mine it was time for a couple of peaceful days on the beach at Ifaty – we ate seafood, including stingray, and saw a bit of everyday Madagascar life.

We went snorkeling over the beautiful coral, and my wife Na, who is an artist, had time to paint some of the local scenery. Just the birds singing and the crickets chirping…No success on the fishing trip though! We savored the fresh air after the smoky atmosphere of Antananarivo, where a lot of charcoal is burned for cooking. The Yamabalaya mixed seafood was excellent, and there was even chilli sauce, much to the delight of Na: And just enough time for the girls to check out the shopping – batiks, shells and local crafts, and for Na to do some painting, despite the unwanted attentions of curious locals.

I was still worried about the mosquitoes, but fortunately they were scarce. We met with Clement, one of our well-connected local partners, and drove up to Ilakaka. The drive was uneventful with the odd baobab tree adding to the excitement for us. It looked like New Zealand, reckoned Na. The road was pretty good with few cars but more ox carts and plenty of the locals just walking. Coming from Thailand, we were all elated to find a Thai restaurant right there in the middle of nowhere near Ilakaka. We had a quick look at the town and went back to the Thai restaurant/hotel to stay for the night. The Thais were out there in the high desert practicing their golf and partying as usual. We all ordered the Thai seafood noodles and my younger daughter Danielle ordered the crab. She always likes crab. It was cold and very windy in the high desert Ilakaka plain, much colder than I expected for a tropical country.

Next day we were in the official buying area, buying again. The government tries to control the business but in general they are hardly involved and free market forces flourish, distributing cash to the miners and diggers, who in turn redistribute it throughout the country with a multiplier effect, which can only be good for such an impoverished nation. As usual the line to sell was long. They start queuing as soon as the plane arrives.

Indeed, even if you don’t have stones, your place in the line is worth money and it can be sold. The security is there mostly for crowd control – five or six army guys with guns, and a couple of police as well as the regular Multicolour black belt bodyguards, trying to prevent the stampeding. It’s not the danger of robbery; it’s more the pushing and shoving of hundreds of over-eager locals anxious to sell to Multicolour because the prices are fair and because we buy all kinds of stones and every quality. The line has rules and the security team is there to see that they are enforced. Women and children come first, everyone gets a chance to show; if you want to bargain, go back to the end of the line; and don’t get caught showing the same stone twice. Sometimes they even dig under the fence to try and cut the queue! At one point the crowd was really pushing and I thought the hut was going to give way with my kids inside. My teenage daughters didn’t want to walk around outside and didn’t appreciate the attention.

One Madagascan lad tried to hold my younger daughter’s hand, which terrified her, and she stifled a cry. I don’t think there was any danger, they’re all just there for the money, but she probably thought otherwise. Trust is the key, especially as many of the sellers don’t know the price. It was amazing – when we arrived there were ten or more shops open for buying. After a few minutes all the other buyers cleared out –it was pointless for them to even attempt to buy as the entire crowd was lined up for Werner. The prices are good and we buy all.

What’s a miner to do with the stones he can’t sell? Put them back in the mine? Finished with that line, we were off again. The girls had had enough anyway. That night we stayed at Les Renes De L’Isalo a beautiful hotel built into the unique rock formations in the Ilakaka area at Isalo National Park. It was a welcome respite and the girls surely appreciated the clean accommodation, while Na thought it was stunning. "It looked like a palace," she said.

Werner flew off for more buying in the capital and we took the scenic route – 703 km from Ilakaka to Antananirvo, or rather 14 long tortuous hours off twists and turns: The "Long and Winding Road" to be sure. Fianaratsoa was a milestone of sorts with the old combination French-Chinese style hotel serving as our accommodation for two nights while we went sightseeing to Ranomafana National Park. The road was really bad and it took four hours to negotiate the 120 km round trip. The waterfalls were well worth the trip, however, but we didn’t see any of the lemurs the island is famed for. There was also plenty of opportunity for Na to paint as well, and a spot of shopping for crafts and a very nice chess set.

On Sunday we drove the last 405 kilometers. The locals seemed to like hats from the 50’s and were all dressed up in the Sunday best for church. Antsirabe was another highlight with some interesting colonial architecture and generally nice scenery. It seems to be a manufacturing area but they still have cholera and I was worried about that. I always like a big meal and we had a wonderful fondue bourguignon the last night before the return flight. I tell my wife: "We need carbohydrate loading for marathon airplane flights." Customs seemed like they wanted kickbacks for anything – even the wooden chess set we bought. Back to reality, I suppose, until the next time...

More info @ www.multicolour.com

Campbell Bridges

AP writes:

Geologist Campbell Bridges's fascination with a rare, shimmering green stone known as tsavorite has meant a lifetime of adventure. He has dodged elephants and buffalo, mined in areas infested by snakes and scorpions, all on a quest for the gem. It all started more than 40 years ago, he recalled recently as he sat by a crackling fire beneath his tree house deep in the Kenyan bush, where he was directing his latest mining project.

It was 1961 and Bridges, a bearded Scotsman with a voice reminiscent of Sean Connery during his James Bond period, was working for the British colonial government in what was then Rhodesia, searching for uranium when he attracted the attention of an angry buffalo. He jumped into a gully to escape, and noticed a green glint in the earth. The buffalo, unable to reach him, eventually wandered away. But tsavorite never loosened its hold on Bridges's imagination. As he scrambled along the gully that day, he didn't have time to mark the location of that first sample.Back then, tsavorite did not even have a name. Bridges knew of the rare and precious member of the green garnet family, but had never before seen it.

Seven years later, he became the first man to record the discovery of gemstone quality tsavorite, in Tanzania. Gemstone-quality tsavorite has so far been mined only in Tanzania and Kenya. It varies from light to dark green and is exceptionally lively and brilliant, even before polishing "A perfect tsavorite is like green diamond," Bridges, 68, said in this remote, southeastern corner of Kenya. "You don't even need to rotate it to see its brilliance." Tsavorite (pronounced TZAH vor rite) is one of the youngest green gemstones in the world and is as hard as one of the oldest, emerald. Tsavorites are much rarer than emeralds. They also are much tougher, less brittle, more durable and twice as brilliant _ qualities that attract jewelry designers, Richard Wise, a geologist and president of R. W. Wise, Goldsmiths Inc. said by telephone from Lenox, Massachusetts.

Tsavorite also is one of the few gemstones that does not need to be treated with heat, oil, irradiation, dyes or coating to enhance color, remove impurities and hide flaws. "It is one of the few natural gemstones in the world," said Kennedy Kamwathi, a jeweler in Kenya's capital, Nairobi.

For all its qualities, retailers are reluctant to stock and promote a gemstone whose supplies are not guaranteed a situation that has prevented tsavorite from becoming better known.Because deposits, known as pockets, are small and fragile, tsavorite is difficult to mine. Miners start by blasting rocks with dynamite, then use drills, and finally chisel to chip their way to the prized crystals. In recent years, additional tsavorite production has come on stream along the Mozambican gemstone belt _ a geological formation that runs from the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar to continental Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan, Bridges said.

The belt is laden with tsavorite, rubies, sapphires, turquoise, rodolite, garnets and other prized stones. "I would say the Mozambican belt is the richest gem belt in Africa," said Bridges, who has explored large parts of the formation.Bridge's gemstone adventure has suffered some setbacks, the most serious of which occurred in 1970, when the then-socialist Tanzanian government nationalized his tsavorite mines without compensation. He moved to neighboring Kenya, reviewed colonial geological records to search for suitable rock formations and found tsavorite three months later _ near two national parks that have the largest elephant population in the country.Bridges and Henry Platt, then deputy head of Tiffany, named the gemstone after the wildlife sanctuaries, Tsavo East and Tsavo West national parks.

Tsavorite costs between US$900-2,000 per carat in shops. Bigger stones will go for much more. "At the moment, tsavorite's price is 1/10th of the price of an equivalent quality emerald," Bridges said. "Emerald was found thousands of years ago, so it had more time to be romanced." It already is romantic enough for Bridges. He said he proposed to his wife using a ruby mined from one of his operations, but plans to give her a two-carat tsavorite to mark their 40th anniversary.

Internet Threatens N.Y. Diamond Dealers' Way Of Life

(via Reuters InformationWeek ) Karina Huber and Reuven Fenton writes:

Many of the old-time diamond dealers whose shops line Manhattan's West 47th Street are having difficulty competing with online companies such as Seattle-based BlueNile.com.

In the confines of the Diamond Dealers Club, a Hasidic Jew from Brooklyn and a dealer from Antwerp huddle over a small, folded piece of paper.

The Hasid reaches inside to produce a flawless diamond, which his client inspects closely with a jeweler's magnifying glass. The two reach a deal, shake hands and say a Hebrew blessing "Mazal U' Bracha" ("Good luck and God bless"). This typical scene, witnessed earlier this month at the elite epicenter of New York City's diamond business, is becoming threatened by electronic commerce.

"In the olden days, most of the trading happened on the trading floor. Now it's moved to electronic," said Elliott Krisher, treasurer of the Diamond Dealers Club. "It's become an electronic handshake." In the last five years, membership in the club has stayed flat at 2,000. Yet 1,200 new members joined the club's Web-based trading platform launched four years ago.

Many of the old-time dealers whose shops line Manhattan's West 47th Street are having difficulty competing with online companies such as Seattle-based BlueNile.com, a jewelry company whose estimated earnings for 2006 are $250 million, up from $44 million six years ago.

The diamond merchants form an enclave along a western block of Manhattan's 47th Street that is lined with jewelry stores. The dealers club estimates some 2,000 businesses along the street are connected in some way to the diamond businesses, among them shops, dealers and gem cutters. Many who work there are ultra-Orthodox Jews, clad in traditional long dark coats, black hats and beards.

What has happened to the diamond business is like the troubles affecting many retailers such as book, video and electronic stores that struggle to beat online rivals. The online companies are "cutting out the middleman," said Jack Friedman, a diamond broker. Friedman has earned his living for 20 years running from wholesaler to wholesaler finding stones for his clients, who are jewelry store owners.

There is no loyalty, he said, when jewelers can search for diamonds online. "With the Internet, there are jewelers that don't call anymore," Friedman said, adding that the only reason he's still in business is because "He's still here," pointing to the sky. Before the Internet, wholesalers would sell stones to jewelers, who would keep them in stock for future sales. Now that stones are just a click and overnight shipment away, there is less need for inventory.

Wholesalers increasingly must sell on consignment, and if a jeweler can't sell a diamond the wholesaler must take it back without making a cent. Retailer Meyer Malakov, owner of Diva Diamonds on the corner of 47th Street and Fifth Avenue, said he has noticed a traffic decline in the diamond district over the past five years and that Internet-savvy shoppers have grown more educated.

He complained that their new-found knowledge is "deadly" because customers think they know a lot about diamonds but they cannot pick up on the nuances of a stone, he said. "You have to feel it, touch it, make sure that you love it," he said. Customers also use the Internet to comparison shop, Malakov said, and they expect him to match advertised prices. Nevertheless, Malakov said he is doing well because he caters to high-end customers who would prefer to see a $20,000 stone in person before buying it.

However, people are increasingly buying expensive jewelry such as engagement rings and tennis bracelets online. According to spokesman John Baird, BlueNile.com sold a piece of jewelry for $324,000 in October, sight unseen. Baird said the online diamonds have been certified by the Gemological Institute of America and the American Gem Society Laboratories, arbiters of a stone's value.

BlueNile.com sells diamonds for 30% to 40% less than the store price because there are no overhead costs such as retail space and large numbers of employees, Baird said. "The supply chain was so convoluted" on 47th Street, he said. "There were layers and layers of middlemen, and all of that cost was being pushed down to consumers."

But purchasing diamonds online has its risks, said Cecilia Gardner, head of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, an industry trade association. She said some consumers who have tried to return diamonds bought online found the seller company no longer existed. She advises online shoppers to get a return policy in writing. "Ask a lot of questions and if you're not getting answers, shop someplace else," she said. Some diamond dealers are starting their own Web sites.

Corey Friedman, a wholesaler and jeweler at I. Friedman and Sons Jewelers on 47th Street, said he searches for merchandise online and runs a Web site that sells directly to retail shops and consumers. "I just sold a five-carat fancy yellow diamond to someone in California," Friedman said. "I'll never meet him." While Web sites may be a key to survival in the Diamond District, some believe that selecting engagement rings in person will never go out of fashion. "A diamond is a romantic item," Krisher said. "It's not so romantic to click and buy something on the Internet."

More info @ http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196701637&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Internet

Trade Journals Relating To Watch & Jewelry Industry

I found the following links educational + informative.

Pagine d’oro
Pen ME
Penna
Schmuck Magazin
Shenzhen Watch & Clock
Solitaire International
Solitaire and PRO
Stylus
Swiss Watch Report
The Best Joyas
Tiempo de Joyas
Tiempo de Relojes
Tiempo de Relojes Edición Puerto Rico
Time ‘N'Style
Timeless Jewels
Trade Post
Trends Time
Trésor - das Magazin für Uhren, Schmuck & Lifestyle
TWG Magazine
Uhren Juwelen
U.J.S. - Uhren Juwelen Schmuck
Watch Business
Watch Review
Watch Style & Time (Chasy Stil & Vremya)
WatchTime
World One

Gitanjali Gems Acquires Samuels Jewelers

JCK-Jewelers Circular Keystone writes:

Gitanjali Gems Ltd. has acquired a majority ownership interest in Samuels Jewelers Inc. from funds managed by DDJ Capital Management. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Samuels operates 97 retail jewelry stores in 18 states throughout the United States. It operates under three trade names: "Samuels," "Schubach," and "Samuels Diamonds." Measured by the number of retail locations, Samuels is the tenth largest specialty retailer of fine jewelry in the United States. The company will remain headquartered in Austin, Texas, according to a statement released Wednesday.

More info @ http://www.jckonline.com/article/CA6401819.html?industryid=46018