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During September I attended the Bishopsland Trust Retrospective in Reading. Since its founding in 1993 around 100 silversmiths and jewellers have become Fellows of the Trust, many carrying on to study at the Royal College of Art and a remarkable 50% of all alumni earning a living as silversmiths or jewellers. The story of Bishopsland started with the vision of Oliver and Pope Makower, a remarkable couple who founded the Bishopsland Educational Trust.
At the Retrospectrive I particularly liked the work of Max Warren who has used his year at Bishopsland to create a portfolio and hone his skills in preparation for entering the Royal College of Art where he starts this October.
Max explained how much he had enjoyed his time at Bishopsland. He had recently spent a week with the engraver Malcolm Appleby at his workshop in Scotland. It was not just engraving techniques which Max had come away with but the experience of seeing how Malcolm worked as a craftsman and just as importantly a businessman. This has given Max a tremendous insight into earning a living as a craftsman that no amount of theoretical teaching could possibly give.
Max also feels that through Bishopsland he has entered a community of craftsmen who are willing to help each other and share information. He gave the example of visiting lecturers Rod Kelly and Lucian Taylor who he felt he could call upon to be his mentors.
The Bishopsland Educational Trust runs the silver and jewellery workshops at Bishopsland. The workshops provide a one year course which acts as a bridge between college and career. Members, or ‘the gang’, as they are fondly known, spend one year living and working at the workshops before setting up on their own in pursuit of a professional career.
Approximately 100 graduates have passed through Bishopsland. Most have established their own business, either designing and making in their own workshop, managing their own gallery or designing for the retail sector. Thirty-six have gone on to take an MA degree, 28 at the RCA.
Bishopsland is similar to the second half of an old-fashioned apprenticeship, when the aspiring craftsman started meeting customers, assembling his tools and stock, and prepared to earn his living. “No one can afford an apprentice any more, nor are people keen to sleep under counters and sweep floors. Nonetheless craftsmen need time to polish their skills, to make contacts and to understand the principles of marketing,” explains Oliver Makower.
Bishopsland works on a tutorial system, teaching specialist skills to the highest standard. It lays great emphasis on marketing and professional practice.
“Bishopsland hones everything. Pope explains to us that we are not students, we’re self employed with visiting tutors available, rather than lecturing. John Bartholomew, previously a technician at the RCA visits and teaches silversmithing once a week. On another day the jeweller Lin Chueng visits as well as the silversmith Andrew Fabian,” explained Shimara Carlow, a former Bishopslander.
“I have built up my contacts throughout my time at Bishopsland. I’m now exhibiting in a number of galleries. I’ve learned a lot about mass production, marketing and PR but also I’ve had time to think about new ideas, “ said alumn Kathryn Hinton.
“It’s quite tough because you are immediately exposed to a highly competitive market-place. In your very first week you are expected to produce a range of jewellery for the Jelly Leg’d chicken gallery....if someone is selling earrings like fury and you have not got your act together the pressure is unavoidable.”
There are two trusts at Bishopsland. The P&O Makower Trust was founded in 1974 and is primarily concerned with the promotion and exhibition of contemporary silver and the support of young silversmiths. It commissions new work from recent graduates which goes on long term loan to national collections. The V&A has a collection of the Trust’s pieces on display in the Silver Gallery.
Pieces originally commissioned for The Crafts Council are now on loan to the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff. The P&O Makower Trust is currently also working with the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. These can be seen on the Bishopsland website on the fellowship page.
Members take part in important exhibitions and have been invited to take a stand at Collect at the V&A in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Networking and introductions to galleries are an important part of the course as are crucial commercial skills such as pricing, display, book-keeping and presentation.
Oliver Makower explains: “The Bishopsland course is demanding, but you will leave with an above average chance of making a go of it.”
I have just returned from another buying trip to Asia and have successfully acquired a good number of the items required for our clients for their Christmas business.
The perennial favourites were, as always in demand, but some of them were not achievable due to the market conditions.
As ever, the weaker dollar can make things look anomalous. With this making 5th Avenue a good place to shop, many buyers expect a softening in price. The reality is in fact different as most goods are based upon costs in local currency and the opposite occurs as the miners and cutters reduce production. This along with some serious bankruptcies [and/or chapter 11] in the United States has caused the market to slow considerably.
With the Thai former Prime Minister now based in the UK and raising his profile with much publicised sports acquisitions, there were lots of enquiries from Thai based suppliers as to his activities within these shores. [You would think I dine with him most days given the level of expectation of some of the questioners]. Most seem to think there is a possibility of a swing back to his favour and that another government ‘adjustment’ was quite possible.
The principal effect on the stones on the market is the lack of choice, this usually manifests itself with parcels being far more limited in volume and the quality for the money being far less achievable.
It is always hard to find rubies of two carats and above, this time it was from 1.5 carats that the goods began to become limited in options. Upon my return I saw a parcel of fine 8x6 stones I bought and supplied to a customer last year and offered to buy back from him. Sensibly he declined.
Sapphire of lower lustre seems readily available, yet bright goods in medium sizes were uncommon. I suggest that production is so slow that this will remain the case for a good few months yet.
Jason Williams
International Jewellery London Review
The IJL Show moved a step closer to competing on the world stage with a much improved new look. Many visitors and exhibitors commented on the more luxurious spacious ambience created by the ‘Central Boulevard and Bar’ sponsored by QVC. This central section of the hallshowcased leading names such as Shaun Leane, Vivienne Westwood, Dower & Hall and Calvin Klein.
Despite the feeling that the tube strike problems had kept visitors away IJL representatives said that final day numbers were up and IJL achieved the best attendance to date with 9240 (unaudited) visitors!
Record breaking Show…
Show regulars were equally pleased. Gary Stamp, Sales Manager/Metal Supplier, visits every year and said “This year’s layout is very impressive. I attended the Tanzanite seminar given by Eric Emms, which I thoroughly enjoyed and overall I felt that the Show was extremely well run”.
Exhibitors delighted…
Exhibitors reported good business at International Jewellery London, and also commented on the timing of the Show. Ari Sagal, UK Sales Manager at Marco Bicego, stated “We have had a very good Show. It’s our third year at IJL but this year we have a new bigger stand similar in design and format to what we are using in other international exhibitions such as Vicenza and Basel. We are selective about which Shows we exhibit at and IJL is the only event we exhibit at in the UK. IJL works well for us as it attracts the right contacts and the timing is excellent for pre-Christmas – both of which are important as the UK market is becoming increasingly important for Marco Bicego”.
IJL also awarded a selection of exhibitors, recognising that great stands help to make a great Show. Amongst these were Marco Bicego, awarded Best International Exhibitor, Ole Lynggaard as Best Newcomer and MeeVIDA for Best Overall Contribution to IJL 2007.
B&N
Amber Saunders at B&N explained, “Our 40th anniversary celebrations were intensified by the impressive sales generated at the IJL . All four new collections received universal acclaim from the many visitors to the stand who were also impressed by the accompanying marketing support.”
“Customers were extremely complimentary about B&N introducing stylish, price pointed, diamond jewellery. This is a new direction for us, which is aimed very firmly at the self and gift purchasers. It will be perfect for Christmas, Valentines or Mother’s Day. Stockists confirmed our confidence in the new collections by helping to take the overall business generated at the show to 50% more than last year, which was some going!” reported smiling Sales Director Gary Williams.
Among the many supporting events at International Jewellery London, was the first IJL Great Debate, hosted by The Birmingham Assay Office in partnership with Reed Exhibitions.
Appropriately this proved to be a truly international occasion with panellists and delegates from around the world.
The theme of the event was “A brand without values has no value at all” and the debate addressed the various ethical, social and humanitarian issues facing the global jewellery industry. Chairman Michael Allchin, Chief Executive of The Birmingham Assay Office gave an overview of the issues. These included Conflict Diamonds, Dirty Gold and the way the industry has responded via the Kimberley Process, the founding of the Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices, and through the leadership of CIBJO.
Michael reminded the audience of the precarious dependency of over 10 million people worldwide on the spend of the Western jewellery consumer. This was then reinforced by Dewa Made Sastrawan, Indonesian Minister Counsellor for Economic Affairs. He spoke on behalf of the Indonesian “Mutumanikam Nusantara”, a new non profit organisation helping small community jewellers build an export business.
Presentations from Catherine Sproule, Head of the Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices for North America, and Greg Valerio of Cred Jewellery illustrated the diverse ways in which sectors of the industry are responding on a global scale. A comprehensive statement from Anglo Gold Ashanti, one of the World’s largest mining companies clearly set out the company’s response to a wide range of issues and cited specific examples of cooperation in Colombia, Ghana and elsewhere.
Last to speak was Annie Dunnebacke, from Global Witness, who set out the case for the industry to pay more attention to the source of its diamonds and gave examples of where conflict is still being funded by the diamond trade.
The debate which followed included many people with international interests including Martin Rapaport, Anel Laas from “Vukani-Ubuntu”, an organisation working with community development projects in disadvantaged African communities, Christian Richardson from ethical jewellery company “Tiny Difference” and Stephen Russell from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
The debate focussed for some time on the practicalities of “traceable gold” and other questions were raised as to panellist’s views on the proposed exploration of the Arctic, and the mining rights of artisanal miners.
Willie Hamilton, who recently joined the jewellery industry as Chief Executive of the Company of Master Jewellers after a career in the grocery industry, ended the debate with a challenge to his new colleagues. He reminded them that 10 years ago the food industry was facing the same problems which many thought were impossible to overcome but the trend towards conscientious consumption leaves the jewellery industry no option but to find a solution or suffer the consequences.
Summing up Michael Allchin said: “The diverse audience representing organisations and businesses from around the world and throughout the supply chain have made this into an unprecedented event. Senior figures from the major UK jewellery companies and organisations were all here too, and we feel it has been very worthwhile and positive. Our objective was to inform and provoke thoughts and action – I feel we have achieved that today”.
The IJL Seminar Programme also featured well attended sessions again this year. Speakers such as Michael Wainwright, of Boodles, and Vivienne Becker, speaking on behalf of SWAROVSKI, attracted particularly large crowds.
Award Winning Talent…
The Bright Young Gems were on top form this year. They were awarded with prime positioning next to the Central Boulevard Bar and were also visited by previous year’s winners who have gone on to achieve success within their careers already. Bright Young Gems proved extremely popular with visitors, as this is seen as the ideal opportunity to keep a finger on the pulse and to find out which names to look out for.
IJL strives to showcase the best of the best, and the Bright Young Gems weren’t the only award winning talent at the Show. The winning work of both the Design Innovation Awards and the Goldsmiths’ Craftsmanship and Design Awards were displayed, both of which are sponsored by International Jewellery London.
TH March New Look
TH March unveiled their striking new branding at IJL. Neil McFarlane explained, “The modern new look has been designed to convey TH March’s passion for pioneering needs driven insurance solutions whilst capturing the jewellers’ and their customers’ attention The striking new colour scheme, bold shapes and updated logo are all in tune with TH March’s dependable heritage whilst allowing the brand to remain current and competitive.
IJL is the perfect place for us to showcase our new branding to the jewellery industry we have launched:
March Guard 1
March Guard Jewellery Insurance provides instant jewellery insurance without any drama. The cover comes in the form of a straight forward self issue insurance certificate unique to TH March. March Guard allows customers to feel safe in the knowledge that they have instant insurance cover in place before they even leave the shop and will have items replaced on a like for like basis, with no excess applied to losses. The simple certificate also provides cover anywhere in the UK with up to 30 consecutive days abroad and all items are insured against physical loss or damage.
March Guard 3
March Guard 3 Jewellery Insurance is a bespoke extended version of the standard March Guard scheme. As well as providing cover for lost, damaged or stolen jewellery through the simple self issue certificate, March Guard 3 allows for a three year period of insurance, starting from the point of sale. March Guard 3 is available for all jewellery items up to £10,000 for any one customer (£7,500 for London jewellers), not exceeding £5,000 on any one item (reduced to £1,500 for watches).
Soon to be available is a touch screen till based system for automatic quotes of March Guard 1 and 3, designed to be simple for the jeweller to operate with minimal paperwork. This system was launched at the IJL exhibition by both TH March and Bransom Retail Systems. On completion of a sale, an insurance receipt can be printed, without re-keying data, specifying the items to be insured, as well as the period, the replacement values and premium paid. This data is stored and transmitted electronically automatically, with no need for sales assistants to handwrite anything.
Yves Frey Diamonds exhibits extremely rare red fancy diamond at IJL
Yves Frey Diamonds are part of a family of diamond manufacturers and merchants.
The diamonds are predominantly polished in their factory in Israel by a team of skilled craftsmen. Based in Tel Aviv, they operate globally throughout Europe, United States and the Far - East.
Yves explained: “Red Diamonds are the rarest of the fancy colour diamonds. In fact, they are so rare in nature that most jewellers and diamond dealers have never even seen a natural red diamond”.
Rarity
There are only a handful of diamonds known in the public domain, which have a GIA certificate of a straight “Natural Fancy Red”. The earliest known red diamond 1.00 carat “Halphen Red” was owned by a London gem dealer. It was sold in the late 18th century for 800 pounds. The Halphen Red has since disappeared.
The two most famous reds known today are the 0.95 ct Hancock Red and the 5.11 ct Moussaieff Red. The Hancock Red increased exposure of red diamonds in the world following the record breaking price of US $ 926,316.00 per carat for a 0.95 carat purplish red diamond paid in 1987 at Christies Auction in New York.
Moussaieff Red
The Moussaieff Red Diamond is a diamond measuring 5.11 carat (1.022 g) with a triangular brilliant cut (sometimes called a trillion or a trilliant cut), rated in colour as Fancy Red by the Gemmological Institute of America. While this may seem relatively small when compared to other famous diamonds, the Moussaieff Red is, in fact, the largest Fancy Red the GIA reports having rated. The Moussaieff Red is reported to have been found by a Brazilian farmer in the mid-1990s as a rough of approximately 11 carats. The diamond was purchased and cut by the William Goldberg Diamond Corp, where it went by its original name the Red Shield. It is currently owned by Moussaieff Jewelers Ltd.
The Moussaieff Red was displayed as part of the Smithsonian’s “The Splendor of Diamonds” exhibit, alongsideThe De Beers Millenium Star and The Heart of Eternity.
Other reds
In December 2001 at Phillips, a 1.92 carat fancy red VS2 clarity diamond sold for $1,652,500.
Why are reds red?
Tremendous pressure exerted on a diamond deep in the earth can abnormally compress its structure, thus creating a red, pink, purple or brown stone.
Red diamonds are caused by Plastic Deformation; a twisting of the crystal structure of the carbon atoms during the formation of the diamond in the earth which alters the absorption spectrum of the stone. It appears in the stone as grain lines similar to grain in wood. It does not alter the nature of the diamond only its color. Red diamonds are most often found in Australia and Brazil. Red diamonds tend to be modified by purple or brown.
The colour of pink diamonds is due to graining in the diamond crystal. The amount of colour depends on the amount of this so-called “pink graining”.
Distortion of the crystal lattice might also produce red diamond colours.
How many Red Diamonds are out there?
Some dealers guess there are 10-20 straight reds in the world. The most anyone will see is one or two straight reds a year and slightly more purplish reds per year. Most red diamonds and purple reds come from Australia but they may also be discovered in Brazil and Africa.
And also……….discontent amongst the stone dealers. A heated meeting.
A major stone dealer reported, “The rebels meeting, to discuss the moving of a number of exhibitors to another hall, was attended by quite a few and most of the larger exhibitors. We have a list of 36 stands that say they will pull out rather than be moved. The list includes most of the big German bead companies so in total square footage it will represent most of the stone area. People feel very strongly about it and in particular that it is no way to reward the group of exhibitors that bring the most visitors to the show.
The designer section are extremely unhappy about our being moved out of the same hall as themselves and so a separate petition should really have been started there.
Geoff Field at the BJA has said that he will write to Reed on our behalf but whether they will be persuadable remains to be seen. I am 90% sure that I will pull out if we are moved”.
RASHBEL at IJL
Rashbel are regular exhibitors at the IJL but this year our stand also included jewellery made by company staff, Andrew Lawrence, Helen Walls and myself Rose Williams.
Sagit Levy-Gavish the Managing Director is very supportive of her staff as makers and wanted to give us the opportunity to exhibit at IJL. Having the possibility to display our jewellery at such a prestigious show motivated all of us to develop new work.
As well as completing his jewellery Andy also set up a website in preparation and has had a lot of visitors since the show.
Helens work received a lot of interest being very different in style as she uses leather in combination with silver. One style journalist from Holland was particularly impressed with her pieces and also complemented Sagit on her foresight as a Manager in giving us such an opportunity.
Personally I received a lot of interest and gave out my business card to publicise Handmade in Britain, a four-day exhibition in November where I will have my full collection on show.
Although we were all nervous about exhibiting before hand it has been a massive opportunity for all of us and given our jewellery some great exposure.
World’s largest diamond reportedly found in South Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa—A diamond said to be twice as big as the 530.24-carat Cullinan Diamond—formerly the world’s largest—that could be worth up to $30 million has been discovered in northwest South Africa, but the tale of its discovery is still unclear.
The BBC reported that a small South African mining firm made the discovery. A shareholder in the unnamed mine told the news agency that the diamond was unearthed at their operation in the northwest province on Monday.
He said the stone was about 7,000 carats, twice the size of the Cullinan, which is the centerpiece of the British crown jewels.
According to published reports, the stone has been rushed to a bank vault in Johannesburg “until we calm down and decide what we are going to do,” a spokesman for the mining company that discovered it reportedly said. A security company is being hired to protect the diamond.
But some industry experts are reportedly sceptical about the unconfirmed claim.
Brett Jolly, a shareholder at the mine, told the BBC he hoped tests today would prove its worth.
In a photograph e-mailed to the BBC, the stone appears to be about the size of a coconut and has a greenish tinge.
A spokesman for De Beers said the northwest province is not known for producing gems, and greenish stones are even rarer.
The firm also said that if the find is genuine, it would be the stone of the century.
SOUTH-WEST JEWELLERS TRAVEL TO BOLIVIA TO SOURCE ETHICAL PRECIOUS METALS
Three jewellers from the South-west will travel to Bolivia next week on a pioneering trip to source ethically mined gold and silver for British craft workers.
Jane Theobald, 52, head of Applied Arts Foundation Degree at Plymouth College of Art and Design, her former student Polly Withecombe, 21, from Plymouth, and Diana Porter, 64, a jewellery designer from Bristol will fly to La Paz on August 22.
All three women are concerned about the way precious metal mines exploit workers, particularly children. They want to forge partnerships with enlightened mining companies in Bolivia to give employees a better deal.
“We are also concerned that most of the gold and silver that jewellers use in this country has been mined under deplorable conditions,” said Jane Theobald, whose research is being funded by Plymouth College of Art and Design. “The industry in this country turns a blind eye to this situation, but we want this to be a wake-up call. We also want to source ethically produced metals in Bolivia and create strong trade links with design colleges and practitioners across Britain.”
For Polly Withecombe the three-week trip will be the culmination of a year’s study into the ethical processes surrounding the extraction and use of precious metals. She has just gained a first-class honours degree in jewellery from Plymouth College of Art and Design.
Diana Porter runs a jewellery business in Bristol, where, she says, the working conditions of her staff are paramount. “I have also tried to source ethically produced silver but I have found nothing. We all hope this trip will be the start of a bigger movement to find acceptable precious metals that can both be tracked from mine to maker and be made available to students and jewellers in this country.”
The trio’s research study comes in the wake of “No Dirty Gold”, Oxfam’s Earthworks campaign, which aims to put a halt to the exploitation of hundreds of thousands of miners worldwide.
Bolivia, the poorest country in South America, has the largest amount of unmined silver in the world. The foothills of the Andes are home to thousands of small mines, where countless women and children work in appalling conditions.
There are, however, hopeful signs. The new socialist government of Evo Morales has said it will improve conditions and force companies to behave in a more ethical way. In addition, Apex Silver, a Canadian mining company, has established the San Cristobal Model, a template for strong community involvement in the mining process.
“This is an exciting project for us and one we hope in the long term will change the way we source precious metals in Britain,” said Jane Theobald. “Exploitation in the mines is something that the jewellery industry has brushed under the carpet for too long.”
Every year Malcolm Appleby makes an 18ct gold bangle as the ‘Banchory Bangle’ that is raffled for the Scottish charity ‘Children First’. Scrap gold and silver is generously donated by members of the public to help pay for new gold. The original model for the bangle is carved and engraved in silver and cast by Niagara Falls Castings, who over the years have given their skills free of charge.
As well as the one-off 18ct gold bangle there is a second prize of a silver bangle. The theme of the bangle is usually the wildlife found along the river Dee by Banchory, where Malcolm lived for nearly 30 years. Owls, primroses, wrens and ivy, herb Robert and heart’s ease are subjects of past bangles. Last year’s bangle, Primroses or ‘Spinkies’ raised more than £12,000. The 2007 Banchory Bangle features a pair of peacocks.
Books of raffle tickets cost £10 per book of ten.
For raffle tickets contact Malcolm or Philippa on 01887 840484
e-mail swap@dircon.co.uk
Diamond Milling Service
HSR is a traditional diamond milling workshop, based in the heart of Hatton Garden. One of a small number of engravers who provide a specialist bespoke service to manufacturers and retailers, HSR has over 30 years experience in the industry and is the only independent diamond cutter in the area.
HSR offers thousands of basic diamond milling designs for wedding rings alone, including contemporary lines, textures or traditional patterns. They engrave the inside of wedding rings with names or dates – much of which is bespoke for young couples who want to personalise their rings. In addition, they will engrave the channel for setters to channel set diamonds and precious stones.
Diamond milling or diamond cutting is a form of engraving first developed in the 19th century to create very bright, decorative patterns and lines on precious metals, jewellery and flatware. HSR says: “Quality is important to the customer – they have high expectations and do a lot of research before they buy. They know what they want. In order to achieve the desired result, I listen to the blade cutting into the metal and I can hear when it is right.”
Although wedding rings are a major part of the business, HSR’s skills extend to diamond cutting signet and engagement rings, bangles, earrings and pendants. Over the last decade, customer demand has moved to platinum and 18 carat yellow and white gold, with many of the pieces engraved to order whilst the mass market ranges are imported. Designs for the noughties have tended towards the simple, classic lines and geometric shapes set with diamonds that are the hero of the ring and have moved away from the ornate swirls and floral patterns that were popular in the last decade.
Hockley Mint - New Range
Hockley Mint has again been busy putting together a catalogue for not only a brand new third edition of WEDFIT® mounts but also a new range of Passion Diamond set wedding rings.
Following their launch of the Wedfit® brand in spring 2006 Hockley Mint have seen customers move to this revolutionary range of engagement rings. The whole range, single stone, three stone, five stone and even cluster mounts fit perfectly flush against standard wedding bands. This greatly helps retailers when helping their customers choose an engagement ring as there is no need to make individual fitted wedding rings. All popular diamond shapes and sizes are included in the Wedfit range which are available in both Platinum and gold, many from stock.
To compliment the Wedfit® range Hockley Mint have available a huge range wedding rings.
The DEVOTION range of plain wedding bands are available in six profiles and three weights, and are available in Platinum and gold, again many from stock with most orders despatched for next day delivery. These can also be diamond set, polished or satin finish.
The PASSION range of Diamond set and fancy wedding bands are also available in Platinum and gold and now include a new collection of full set wedding bands.
Leading silversmith reveals UK’s first permanent horse racing trophy
The refurbished grandstands won’t be the only new addition to the St Leger that race goers will see this September; for the first time in English sporting history a permanent trophy has been made for an English classic horse race.
The honour of creating the new trophy has been awarded to Sheffield Hallam University designer and senior lecturer Chris Knight. Knight and his team are at the forefront of a renaissance in metalworking and silversmithing in the city, connecting Sheffield’s illustrious metalworking heritage to its current status as a creative hub. The university itself originally grew out of a silversmithing and metal work design school established in 1843, so its experts were the ideal choice for the Doncaster Racecourse panel when it came to commissioning its new prize.
The piece itself is in keeping with tradition in the form of a large hand worked silver plate, with intricate patterning and relief work based on a stylised Yorkshire Rose. The designer has incorporated contemporary elements into the design including an innovative centre piece which can be removed and presented to the owners of the winning horse on the 15th September 2007.
Knight will manage the commissioning of a new central section each year to ensure the trophy remains continuously innovative. Knight explains; “It’s a really unique piece and a historic event for the racing community so I’m keen to get it absolutely right. I’m also very pleased to be commissioning a new designer each year to make the central section. That’s something that’s never been tried before on a UK sporting trophy and Doncaster should be commended for going with such an innovative idea’’.
Other designers in Knight’s St Leger team include Sheffield Hallam graduates Owen Waterhouse and Sarah Denny, who not only assisted in the making of the piece but also with the initial high tech computer aided design process. Three further recent BA graduates from the metal work and jewellery course have been assisting in the manufacture of the piece; Sarah Stevenson, Stefan Tooke and Nick Palmer.
For more information contact Danielle Treanor at the Sheffield Hallam University press office on 0114 225 2811 or email on d.treanor@shu.ac.uk
Scottish First for Art
in China
THE first ever exhibition of Scottish applied art in China was on display in Beijing during September.
‘Silver of the Stars’ – a unique collection of contemporary silver commissioned by the Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh to mark the 550th anniversary of hallmarking in Scotland - opened at the Beijing World Art Museum on 3 September 2007.
The opening coincided with a one day symposium which brought together experts in Scottish art and silver from Edinburgh University, Glasgow School of Art and the National Museums of Scotland, with their counterparts from the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University.
Silver of the Stars, which has already been seen in London, New York and St Petersburg, is a collaborative project between 10 world famous celebrities and 10 of the leading silversmiths working in Scotland.
Amongst the famous names involved are Sir Sean Connery, Billy Connolly and Ewan Macgregor.
Michael Laing, Deacon of the Incorporation of Silversmiths of the City of Edinburgh, says: “Silver of the Stars has opened to huge acclaim around the world but nothing can match the excitement of being the first ever exhibition of Scottish applied art to be seen in China.
“We hope it will help to foster interest in modern and contemporary British art within China and help to build strong links between the artistic communities in both countries.”
Silver of the Stars was at The Beijing World Art Museum from 3 – 21 September before moving on to Kyoto, Japan in October and then returning to The National Museums of Scotland from January in time for the 550th anniversary exhibition.
Sarah Hutchison, Edinburgh
Sarah’s individual “fringing” technique was developed initially in her jewellery and also in small bowl forms. Being invited to make a teapot for Sharleen Spiteri gave her the opportunity to make a larger piece. Sarah researched the construction of a non-drip spout – famously one of the great silversmithing challenges. She also developed new techniques to create this innovative diamond studded showstopper of a teapot.
Marion Kane, West Kilbride
Marion departed from her usual feminine style of silversmithing, with its natural, flowing lines, to create this chunky and quintessentially masculine coffee set for Ewan McGregor.
PURE INDULGENCE....
PURE is a precious LIMITED EDITION collection crafted from sterling silver and lavish diamonds. PURE conjures feelings of luxury and sophistication without intimidation. The guaranteed diamond quality of colour I and clarity S1 is the first of its kind for HOT DIAMONDS. Contemporary, fashionable and sumptuous each piece comes with its own certificate of authenticity limited to only 925 pieces per design to link with the purity factor of sterling silver.
PURE comprises of thirty items with seven mini suites and is aimed at the woman who wants to wear something personal and precious for all occasions. Rounded, generous shapes give a warm nugget feeling of solid silver and brilliant cut diamonds add luminosity and an undiluted pinch of glamour.
Each piece from the collection is rhodium plated and presented in an exquisite highly lacquered wooden jewellery box.
Further enhanced by a PURE Gift Box that is individually ribboned and bowed. Retail Price: £150.00 - £425.00
Otto Jakob´s fascination with jewellery began early in his life. In 1968 at the age of seventeen, he began teaching himself the art of goldsmithing through study of the masterpieces created by the ancient Etruscans, Celts and Greeks. He admired their artistic handling of gold and the inherent magic in their creations. Their work exhibits a harmony with nature and a graceful marriage of art and technique which he failed to find in existing contemporary jewellery.
Too proud to ask anyone for technical advice, Otto acquired the old and complex jewellery techniques by reading the manuals of the Roman, Medieval and the Renaissance periods.
His early exposure to these historic treasures enable him to successfully evolve as an artist in his own right: to elaborate on his own iconography and to continue to grow over the next twenty - five years.
In 1980, after finishing his study of painting under Georg Baselitz, Otto decided to focus completely on goldsmithing.
The first collectors of his work were important German artists such as Georg Baselitz, Jörg Immendorff, Markus Lüpertz, Günter Förg and Sigmar Polke.
From 1981 to 1987, the art dealer Hans Neuendorf, in Hamburg, became a sponsor of his work and purchased the majority of Otto´s earliest pieces. Otto´s artistic freedom was enhanced by these relationships, and enabled him to create a complex, multilayered and distinctive body of work.
A piece of Otto Jakob jewellery is a true sculpture.
Precious materials and details are not limited to fronts and backs, they penetrate the object like the content. He uses his materials with the artistic perspective of a painter. Colour plays an important role for him and his unusual choice of stones is always of the highest interest and quality. His masterful use of enamels have brought comparison to jewellers like Louis Comfort Tiffany, Jean Schlumberger and Fabergé.
Today, Otto has a growing number of passionate collectors in Europe and in the U.S.A.
Among them are renowned artists, patrons and stars from the music, art and filmworld - independant and cultured individuals who can truly appreciate his incredible work.
Otto Jakob lives with his wife, two children and dog in an Art Nouveau house in Karlsruhe, Germany.
There he presides over the eleven master goldsmiths he has working for him, fabricating his fabulous, intricate miniature sculptures.
He posesses a unique collection of rare and bizarre desert plants, which he put together from a sculptural standpoint. In addition he collects natural artifacts, modern and archaic art.
Contact: Russell Elliott
Cassleton Elliot & Co Ltd
info@cassletonelliott.com
+44(0)20 8836 9000
There will be a truly international flavour to the 2007 Gem-A Conference with top speakers from Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Germany and Switzerland, as well as from the UK. Expecting to attract up to 200 gemmologists, Gem-A members, students and jewellery leaders worldwide, the theme of the event is to be Pearls and Jade. Presentations will cover subjects of particular relevance to the trade arranging from the quality of green jadeite jade and how to assess its value, to the latest identification methods for the pearls on the market today.
SPEAKERS
Shigeru Akamatsu, a senior manager at Mikimoto, Japan, will be speaking about the about the globalization and future prospects of cultured pearls, and the age of Akoya.
George Bosshart, Switzerland, will speak on the old Jade Road. This led eastwards to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, where the bulk of rough and worked jade was distributed to trading centres across China and into the Far East. Now a slightly longer but easier route through the border city of Rui Li in Yunnan’s southwestern tip, again passing Kunming, has since taken over the role of main jade distribution channel.
Prof. Dr Henry A. Hänni FGA, a director of the SSEF Swiss Gemmological Institute, will give a presentation on the requirements, options, challenges and risks for pearl farmers. Based on the speaker’s research and observations on the pearls currently on the market, the talk will include detailed information on beaded cultured pearls (Tahiti, South Seas) as well as beadless cultured pearls from oysters and mussels.
Roger Keverne has his own business and runs a gallery in London’s West End. His presentation will concentrate on the history of the collection of jade, the jade market and fakes during the past one hundred years.
Mimi Ou Yang Chiu Mei FGA founded the Hong Kong Gems Laboratory and the Hong Kong Institute of Gemmology. Mrs Ou Yang will explain how the value of green jadeite jade varies according to the depth and distribution of the green colour and can be a challenge to many gemmologists to appraise. She will discuss the factors affecting the quality of green colour jadeite jade and how to appraise its value.
Kenneth Scarratt FGA DGA, Director of Research at GIA Research, Thailand. In his presentation he will look at the identification characteristics of several rare natural pearls. He will also detail the various treatments applied to natural and cultured pearls and methods of their detection.
Elisabeth Strack GG FGA of the Gemmologisches Institut, Germany, will explain the use of tomograms to look into the interior of pearls. Conclusions will be drawn on the use of the method for the distinction between natural and cultured, and different types of cultured pearl.
The Conference is to be held on Sunday 28 October at the Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel, from 10:00 am to 6:00 p.m., followed by an optional informal dinner at the Hotel.
For further details of this major event go to :
www.gem-a.com/conference2007.htm
Mary Burland
The Gemmological Association of Great Britain
27 Greville Street (Saffron Hill entrance)
London EC1N 8TN
Will the diamond certificate industry finally backfire on itself causing irrevocable damage to our trade?
As yet there has been no in depth independent research results, as to the accuracy of the huge amount of laboratory certificates available, from hundreds of laboratories worldwide, which offer to grade polished diamonds.
Currently, most requests to stone merchants are for certificated goods, consequently, on behalf of a client I will take my time viewing a stone along with its certificate to obtain the genuine article. However, often the certificate is so far removed on the grading, both in colour & purity that it is no longer a laughing matter, and I certainly could not bring myself to send the goods for client approval. Even owners of the stones, most like me who have been in the trade for some decades, have become worryingly blasé regarding this trend.
In particular, retailers have a large role to play in this debacle, accepting any posh looking bit of paper called a certificate, just so their client appears to get what they asked for, (When the F colour supplied is clearly only a good H) supplying a misleading certificate is no way to behave. Retailers have to wise up and stand their ground, be professional, understand changing business practises, and if they suspect the grade is wrong, look for a stone on a more suitable certificate where the chances of regular errors are less common.
An alarming downside since the wonderful explosion of certificates, particularly for retailers, is the ‘buy back’ market. Certified stones offered by the public back to a retailer are always closely viewed. Sadly now the client is often informed that the difference between the stone & stated grade on their certificate is far from agreeable. This is their precious investment - you know the rest, aggravation and a very long time-consuming conversation!
Our trade’s reputation is heading for trouble. I believe that any large scale research into this phenomenon would reach the public via media coverage double quick. Do you want a shop full of questionable certificates when this happens?
It’s true our trade has overcome other hurdles: - the yag, cubic zirconia, mossainite, lab grown diamonds, to name a few, but these are all marketing issues and the trade has done a proud job in protecting the diamond jewellery industry. With certificates it is much closer to home, we have a product which has no sure accurate one hat fits all process. How would the public react to two identical stones having such very different grades given. And we have not even touched on financial issues surrounding that example?
It is serious, as there appears to be little or no true independent policing or unification or better still a league table of accuracy on this matter, despite for example, each laboratory supposedly having ‘sample stones’ to work from, at least for colour, which is just one of many guidelines we know they are supposed to work to.
It is a complex matter which cannot be covered in one short letter such as this, however, the public have now effectively taken away from both stone merchants and retailers the wonderful art of debating, passion, arguing, and posturing over the merits of a stone, so we should at least ensure the replacement in the form of these certificates, are accurate to the extreme from one laboratory to another. Is it fair that our profession has allowed a ‘Buyer Beware’ era on the general public?
Next time you buy a stone, do just that, focus on the stone first, understand it, and only then absorb what the certificate states. Are you sure it can’t come back and bite you at a later time. Be competent in your chosen profession.
Too many buy and sell the certificates blind & regardless. Don’t treat it as though the diamond comes free!
Dan Seller
Member of the London Diamond Bourse & Club.
Gemstone Market Appraisal By Peter Grummit of Apsara
Rubies
Prices for unheated rubies from Mogok have increased by approximately 30 - 40% since the beginning of the year. This is mainly due to the continued worldwide increase in demand for unheated stones, along with the growing market for Mogok rubies in Eastern Europe and in the Commonwealth Of Independent States. Unconfirmed reports suggest there is a wee bit of money laundering going on. I came across more than a few rubies in various shades of red, being offered along with locally produced Gem ID reports describing the colour as ‘pigeon blood’, a much abused term, giving dealers an excuse to bump up their prices. Fine quality rubies from other sources are scarce. There were some carat sized unheated Mong Hsu rubies on the market but most of these stones were too dark and too expensive. There were also supplies of African & Madagascan rubies but much of this material was also too dark whether heated or not.
Blue Sapphires
Madagascar remains the dominant source for upper-commercial to fine quality blue sapphires. There seemed to be more people offering unheated stones but the colour of these sapphires can be a little on the greenish side. High fuel costs have pushed up prices of blue sapphires, which have risen across the board.
The cost of both heated and unheated stones from all regions were up between 10 - 20% by comparison to prices at the beginning of the year. There were also good supplies of Sri Lankan sapphires available but as their appearance is so similar to the Madagascan material, it is often not possible to tell the difference between the two without lab-testing the stones.
Fancy Sapphires
Fancy coloured sapphires remain very popular in all colours. Good quality pink sapphires are a lot more difficult to find especially in sizes over two carats. Burmese pinks were available but good quality stones can be at least double the price of the Madagascan pinks. Thai green sapphires have shot up in price, especially in larger sizes, despite the fact there was plenty of mining of activity at the sapphire mines in Ban Kacha. There are lighter coloured green sapphires from Songea in Tanzania, which unlike the Ban Kacha stones need no heating and are much better value at the moment. I also managed to find a few unheated colour change sapphires from Madagascar, which show good colour change and come in sizes of between one and three carats.
Other Gems
The paraiba tourmaline craze seems to continue unabated. Unfortunately, the name ‘paraiba’ is becoming another much abused term, being used to describe a wide variety of colours and qualities. I have seen ‘paraibas’ vary from clean glowing neon blue / blue-green gems to heavily included dull green stones. Some stones I have seen with a paraiba label show a remarkably similar appearance to treated blue topaz. Prices being asked for these stones can be very high, even for the included green material.
There were some very fine pieces of spessartite garnets (spessartine if you prefer) being offered. Some of these stones are now in our collection, which are well cut and show very fine bright orange colour. These stones come in sizes of between one to five carats at prices from £12 up to £50 per carat for bright clean gems.
Diamonds flash and sparkle in the sunny Moscow summer.
Martin Foster reflects on Diamonds and the burgeoning Russian jewellery industry.
The Moscow World Fine Art Fair (MWFAF) opened its doors in bright sunny 34 degree heat wave conditions on 28 May for a week of diamonds, fine jewellery, art and furniture. The show brought together international gallery owners, some of the most renowned antique dealers and prestigious jewellers from Russia, France, Italy, UK and around the world.
The show is organised by Geneva-based ArtCultureStudio which was founded in 2004 and organises international cultural events through its offices in Paris, London, New York, Moscow, Singapore and (soon) Beijing.
Housed in Moscow’s beautiful Manège exhibition hall, a stone-throw from the Kremlin and Red Square, the MWFAF annually brings together over ninety exhibitors. This year about 50,000 art lovers visited the show to see outstanding works from the history of art, early Sumerian masterpieces, contemporary art, furniture, diamonds and jewellery presented by galleries from 13 countries. Exhibitors from Italy, France, Japan, Russia, Switzerland, the UK and the USA presented works by Braque, Monet, Dali, Fabergé, Chagall, Brueghel (the younger), Cézanne and Monticelli together with a rash of Russian masters. The fair now enjoys a waiting list - a huge advance from its first event with just 27 dealers four years ago.
From New Bond Street in London came Partridge Fine Arts - one of the three or four most respected antiques dealers in the world, according to analysts. Partridge has helped to build the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum in California, the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
This is the first time Partridge has exhibited in Moscow and its Chairman, Mr Mark Law, said “I think the potential to sell into Russia is enormous - the inquiries we have taken indicate an informed interest by Russian buyers of quality fine jewellery and arts”. On the question of results from the fair Law went on to say “We will gauge the success of the fair by later sales. The bureaucratic process here is very difficult, the political climate is nervous and buyers are shy about displaying visible acquisition of luxury pieces. Notwithstanding this we have had a tremendous response.”
There was a profusion of the most exquisitely conceived settings of diamonds from dazzling water whites to all colours including an exceedingly rare red brought in by Leviev (London) from the Argyle Diamond mines in the Kimberley Ranges which is the source of the rare, highly valued pink diamonds and the now famous range of sparkling champagne and rich cognac diamonds.
Most interesting however were Russian diamonds mined in Russia and cut and set by Russian houses. For example a true heart-stopper was a rough diamond shown by the Jewellery House Angleje called the ‘Talisman lubvy’ (Talisman of Love) which was found in Yakutia. This champagne diamond has a rough weight of 167 carats and is estimated to yield a cut weight of 100 carats. The value of the diamond can only be accurately assessed when the final face is cut but is estimated at about US$6.6m depending on brilliance and inclusions. Stones of such beauty and size are very rare but it is nevertheless the 58th biggest in the world!
Yakutia (Sakha) where it was found is a north-eastern region of the Russian Federation located in eastern Siberia which stretches to the Henrietta Islands in the far north and is washed by the Laptev and Eastern Siberian Seas of the Arctic Ocean. And found here are large reserves of diamonds, gold, silver, oil, gas and coal. 99% of all Russian diamonds are mined in Sakha. Average January temperature is -28°C on the coast down to -50°C inland but reached as low as -72°C in January of 1926.
The ALROSA Russian diamond monopoly produces and controls nearly 100% of the country’s diamonds. It also accounts for more than 20% of the world’s rough diamonds about half of which are sold in foreign markets. ALROSA has a distribution agreement with De Beers’ marketing arm, The Diamond Trading Company, but is reducing the quantity of diamonds it supplies to De Beers.
The company also markets its own stones and supports a growing Russian diamond-cutting industry.
What is claimed to be the world’s largest diamond mine is in eastern Siberia (Mirny) and is so deep that the surrounding air zone is closed for helicopters after “a few accidents when they were sucked in by downward air flow...”
This huge open-cut mine is 0.5km deep.
The sheer scale of diamond production in Russia has provided the impetus for the value-adding processes of cutting and setting with knock-on benefits for marketing and support industries.
With a traditional philosophy Smolensk Diamonds (Moscow, St Petersburg and Minsk) produce jewellery with “Russian cut” diamonds. Jewellers of the company only use Ideal cut diamonds and setting designs are driven by the philosophy of restoration of the best Russian jeweller traditions.
The Moscow-based firm Jewellery Theatre came to the Moscow Fair with a catalogue of 240 pages weighing 1.7kg. Says Marina Lopato of the State Hermitage Museum “Irina Dorofeeva and Maxim Voznesenskiy create jewellery in different styles . . . They can be referred to as vanguard artists as they live in search of new expressive means . . . Jewellery Theatre creates the birth of a new tradition”.
This brief report touches on a few of the diamonds and firms which played a significant part of the brilliance of the displays. But Russia is a burgeoning jewellery market with precious metals looming large in mining, manufacture, import and export. The dynamics of Russian precious metals products moving through the state assay office tell us a great deal about how jewellery is flourishing in Russia both in the manufacturing and import sectors.
For gold, the months January to May of 2007 compared with 2006 have average month by month increases of 37% for manufactured pieces and a staggering 130% for imported pieces. For silver the increases are 27% and 33% respectively. The total of gold jewellery items manufactured and imported in 2006 was 96.8 tons which represented an average annual increase of 26% since 2000 and for silver the figures are 155 tons in 2006 with an average annual increase of 29% since 2000.
This Moscow fair is a spectacular standard setter. The glossy fair catalogue is 350 pages. It weighs nearly 2kg and is lavishly illustrated in brilliant colour with the finest examples from all branches of the arts. Even a cursory appreciation of the fair and the passing comments of the exhibitors indicate these exclusive jewellery and art items have ready buyers.
This fair is certainly the place to see the very top of the market for famous and significant pieces.
The next Moscow World Fine Art Fair will fall in May 2008. Be there in the warm summer air and experience the beauty of the Kremlin and this historic part of the city of Moscow - and see some really special jewellery, diamonds, art and furniture. It is truly well worth the planning.
Fashion Jewellery Trends
Autumn/Winter 2007
By Michelle Clare
Among the multitude of ideas that inevitably appear at the fashion shows, a few dominant trends emerged for Autumn/Winter 2007. Subtle was not one of them – clothes were bright and bold – what fashion writers would refer to as “statement” clothing, and they required equally bold jewellery to match.
Jewellery is an integral part of the catwalk shows, with designers conceiving the pieces along with the garments, right from the start of the design process. Stacey Duguid, Executive Fashion Editor of the fashion magazine Elle says, “for the catwalk collections, designers create the jewellery as an extension of the clothes.”
This can be seen in the 1930’s inspired Marc Jacobs collection, where slim-line clothes featured Art Deco patterns. This, says Stacey, was evident in the jewellery, “with Art Deco pendants in semi-precious stones that reflect the designs of the clothing.”
Such high-fashion trends quickly filter down onto the high street and can already be seen. Glance around the stores reveals numerous Art Deco-inspired pendants, such as the Decoluxe range by Freedom at Topshop, with coloured enamel or glass used in place of semi-precious stones.
One of the key trends this autumn is going to be colour – not just any colour, but bright, lollipop colours of the kind seen in pre-school paint boxes. Fashion editors in the women’s glossies are advising people to wear them in big, bold, overpowering blocks. A number of designers chose not to accessorise the look at all for the catwalk, while others decided that the only way to match such a dramatic look was with even more dramatic jewellery. This came in the form of oversized acrylic chains at Marni, with individual links that were several centimeters in length each, while other fashion houses opted for oversized beads and chandelier earrings.
Similarly, the fashion jewellery brand Mikey also features oversized beads and links as does Dorothy Perkins. Other high street brands simply extended the use of bright colour to the jewellery – the Freedom range in Topshop includes extra-wide plastic cuffs and large chains in electric-neon colours.
In fact if there was one characteristic that all the jewellery had in common it was the size. It wasn’t just big, it was absolutely huge – whatever the clothing trend, all the jewellery was oversized. While you might expect catwalk jewellery to be big, for the purposes of putting on a show, this year it has filtered down to the catwalk undiluted
.
A Futuristic theme also ran through many of the collections, which was coined Nu-Tec by the fashion editors, after the new technology fabrics that featured in the clothing. Fabrics have a highly polished or metallic finish, often with “metallic” threads woven into the fabric and were seen in the collections of Chloe, Dolce and Gabbana and Christopher Kane.
The accompanying jewellery utilised completed the space-age look.
Large crystals were set against, or into black leather by designer Christopher Kane, in cuff-style bracelets and knuckle-duster size rings that complemented the metallic backdrop. Other designers used large metallic beads to stand out against the clothing. Fashion duo Erickson Beamon (who began designing their own jewellery for their catwalk shows, when they were unable to find anything to accessorise their clothing with) have designed a range of futuristic Perspex and metallic bead necklaces for Debenhams this season.
The trend for bright, graphic-style prints, as seen at Emilio Pucci, is one that has been popular for several seasons, and is perhaps the one that translates the most easily into jewellery. The 2D geometric shapes easily lend themselves to the 3D versions, which at Emilio Pucci took the form of a riveted brass cube-cuffs and Marc Jacob’s bangle of malachite bricks, or are replicated as panels of flat colour.
Dorothy Perkins also features geometric-print inspired jewellery, with perspex shapes that reflect the patterns in the clothing, and there’s an abundance of brightly coloured geometric pendants in enameled metal elsewhere on the high street.
In contrast, texture also provided one of the big trends, on the clothing in the form of studded and ruched fabrics, and jewellery made from feathers. The Louis Vuitton collection featured a metal bangle set with a halo of feathers, while the fashion house Marni used feathers in place of beads and pendants. This is the one trend that has not been easily replicated on the high street, possibly because feathers are too delicate and don’t lend themselves to mass-production processes, and also because feathers, in comparison to other materials, are expensive. However, there is plenty of feather-inspired jewellery on the high street, with feather style pendants in plastic and metal.
Not all trends came straight from the catwalk though. An H&M spokesperson said, “we not only get inspiration from the catwalk but also from the street style of the public, and art.” This was the case for many retailers, who have included jewellery that reflects the taste for found objects in contemporary art, and who have an abundance of pierced-out pendants in their collections, which resemble the narrative tableaux that were ubiquitous at New Designers this year.
Michel Einhorn, founder of Cool Diamonds, has created the second most successful online diamond jewellery business in the world. He tells Claire Adler why he’s planning an exit strategy.
When in 1999 Michel Einhorn launched www.cooldiamonds.com to sell diamond jewellery online, his father, himself a third generation jeweller, asked his son why he was bothering. Eight years on, the site sees 5 million hits a month. Both Sothebys and the Financial Times have invited Einhorn to speak publicly about online jewellery retail. The Cool Diamonds four-storey clicks and mortar building in Hatton Garden is now expanding into the cellar to double its sales team and at £5million, its turnover is second only to American online jeweller www.bluenile.com.
With an estimated 300 family members in the diamond trade, no need to invest his own money in his start-up thanks to family wealth (he started by taking goods on sale or return from his father), and work experience at age 12 in the family business, you could say Michel Einhorn had a head-start.
But Einhorn says one of his greatest achievements has been transforming himself from a wholesaler into a retailer. Formerly based at the London Diamond Bourse, Einhorn’s business was 98% wholesale with “a couple of private clients.” A self-educated techie, who built robots as a teenager, Einhorn is fully committed to capitalising on the web’s capability. Having been in the jewellery business for over 30 years, he also understands consumer trends.
Today the enthusiastic Einhorn, who owns the business with partner Chris O’Farrell, is sitting in his freshly furbished office in the imposing Cool Diamonds building off Hatton Garden. To get here, we have passed through various security-tight doors and a fingerprint entry system also found at the FBI in Washington. Einhorn is wearing an open-necked shirt and suit and to his right is a curious contraption – a kind of diamond jukebox - which he uses to summon up any diamond he chooses from the vaults in the building. This machine was originally produced for use in hospitals to bring blood to the surgeon’s table. Behind Einhorn is a huge screen where anyone entering the office can see a projection of what is on his computer screen. He is separated from two important members of his sales staff (whose work is also being projected onto the walls behind them) only by a solid glass wall and office door.
“We made no sales in our first three months,” says Einhorn. After consulting a former Harrods marketing manager he conceded the website design needed huge modification.
“When I sold diamonds to Bond Street, the cash flow was bad. The beauty of selling retail is that now if people don’t pay, we can call the police.” Einhorn admits he has to weed out credit card fraudsters on his site daily.
“Cool Diamonds focuses on access to quality diamonds and high quality designer jewellery,” he says. Cool Diamonds has worked closely with some of the most established names in British fashion from Jasper Conran and Bruce Oldfield to Vivienne Westwood as well as Versace diamond jewellery. Cool Diamond’s link with the fashion world started in 2001, when it created catwalk jewellery for Jasper Conran. The company also runs an annual competition for third year Central St Martins students.
“We bring a bespoke service - where you can come in and ask for exactly what you want - to the £2000 to £25,000 price bracket,” says Einhorn. The average spend at Cool Diamonds is £3100, which includes a resize for £65 and wedding rings for £210.
Einhorn is now concentrating on European expansion. This summer he launched an Irish site, www.cooldiamonds.ie with Irish designer Paul Costelloe featured on the home page, and a Spanish site. He will soon gage where more offices are warranted.
Simultaneously, Einhorn is “trying to make himself redundant”. He would ultimately like to sell the company to one of the large luxury goods groups. “I built the business from day one with the intention of selling it. I’m a serial entrepreneur,” he says, cautiously hinting that his next project will involve the internet.
Einhorn believes we are at the infancy of the internet’s capability especially in terms of 3D imaging and zooming in to show off the smallest detail of a product’s quality. He is currently working hard to enable more personalised searches. If you hover over a list of diamonds on the site, the GIA or HRD diamond certificate appears on the right. If you search on Google for a four carat diamond, the link to Cool Diamonds takes you straight to that page, not the home page.
In the evenings, Einhorn can be found at home meticulously researching statistics on how long people spend looking at a photograph on screen, what time they browse, what time of day they buy and “working out why people are looking, not buying”.
Given the clicks and mortar business model, where customers can come into the Cool Diamonds building to buy or design diamond jewellery, Einhorn doesn’t have figures for offline and online sales.
“Some people come in the building to meet our salespeople and then buy online. Sometimes, the partner pays for it online and it’s impossible to trace the source of the sale,” says Einhorn. “Many people seem to buy engagement rings at 11.30pm after a night out drinking and then they cancel their orders early the next morning,” he smiles.
Lunch time is the busiest time on the site. On average, after looking online, a man comes into the Cool Diamonds office and spends an hour buying an engagement ring and a woman spends longer.
One day, a woman came in to buy an engagement ring and Einhorn was serving her. She knew exactly which style, colour, cut, clarity and size she wanted, and spent a total of 10 minutes in the building before leaving with her ring. Einhorn couldn’t help asking why she was so quick. “I’ve spent every lunch break for the last four years looking at your website. Now I’ve found Mr Right, believe me, I know exactly what I want,” she replied. Back to top
Steve Munro -
Master Engraver By Gordon Hamme
Steve Munro’s interest and skills in handwriting and calligraphy started at the age of 11 when he won a national handwriting competition.
With little idea what profession to follow his father, a highly skilled silver polisher in the trade guided him to talk to Norman Bassant, a silversmith Steve studied at the pre-apprenticeship course at Sir John Cass in London and then went to work for G.M.Betser in the engraving and piercing workshop, he was found to be particularly good at the placing of monograms on leather handbags destined for Asprey customers. Later he moved to T. and A. Wise and was then apprenticed to the engraver George Lukes.
Steve built up his skills during the late 1970s and 80s when he went self employed and rented bench space from silversmith Mark Gartrell in their Britton Street workshop in Clerkenwell. The boom for London’s West End silversmiths and engravers saw work from Grant Mcdonald come to Steve. Commissions came from Asprey, Garrards and many other shops and trade workshops. Steve recalls highly ornate swords, daggers, salvers and presentation pieces which came to him for elaborate engraving.
Steve first set up S.Munro Engravers in his first workshop in St.John Street in Clerkenwell. At the height of the work coming in from the Middle and Far East he moved to Farm Street, Berkeley Square, London W1 and between 1986-1989 employed 15 engravers to cope with all the work, which was mainly coming from Asprey.
Settling in Jersey Steve now runs his engraving business from his new workshop and retail premises in St.Helier. He travels regularly to London to speak to his trade customers. For more information from Steve on all the engraving, seal engraving and pictorial work call.
Tel: 01534 729099
Fax: 01534 729098
45 New Street
St.Helier
Jersey
JE2 3RA
DAVRAN
A small selection from the hundreds of charms we make and stock in 9ct and silver, two historic and one new Angel.
We have been asked for an Angel charm for many years, but with everyone's mental image of an Angel being slightly different, and no photo to go on we never got around to it.
We have however finally combined as many characteristics as possible of the Guardian Angel we all have, I'm told, and the charm has been an instant success.
Tel: 0121 523 1662
Ritual & Performance By Michelle Jessop UCCA alumni
We have invited Michelle Jessop to explain her MA dissertation Ritual & Performance.
Having graduated in BA Silversmithing, Goldsmithing and Jewellery Design at the University College for the Creative Arts I felt my exploration to push the definition of jewellery design influenced by The New Jewellery Movement had only just begun.
INTRODUCTION
An investigative revolt against traditional views of jewellery design was instigated by the New Jewellery Movement in the 1960's and 70's. This movement explored the use of various materials, combined with playing with scale, colour and motion in order to challenge jewellery's hierarchical connotations. A result of such an investigation had pushed the boundaries of jewellery as a craft-based discipline, extending jewellery's definition into new directions.
When given the opportunity to extend my studies at the UCCA through their MA Three Dimensional Design course, their approach armed me to freely explore the idea of disciplines and blur the lines that separate them. Focusing on the definition of jewellery I wanted to explore beyond the traditional association of ornamentation and to contend with the more recent definitions of either contemporary throw-away, fashion jewellery or the artistic, one off gallery pieces that are created by today's designers. My aim was to achieve a balance between the two by combining existing disciplines in order to develop a creative solution to jewellery design that involves the interaction of the wearer/viewer. As innovation in design becomes harder to achieve, I believe it is the grey area that lies between the disciplines that holds the potential.
By drawing on other areas of art and design and combining them with my background knowledge of jewellery my intention was to explore jewellery's flexibility with other art forms and record the collaborative outcome. The result is a time based performance, captured in a number of ways, ranging from film to the final product. The body's relationship with what we wear and how we interact with jewellery on a day to basis became the focus.
DEFINING ‘THE RITUAL'
Adorning oneself with items of jewellery can be defined as a contemporary ritual.
As a necklace is placed on the neck area, once the difficulty of securing the clasp is tackled with, our initial reaction is to touch the addition and alter its positioning. This allows us to familiarise ourselves with the item by ritualistically grooming ourselves in the mirror. Touching areas of the face, neck and hair until a level of contentment with our appearance is achieved. It is this regular dressing and undressing of items of jewellery that possesses a connection between jewellery and the body. The actions needed to place the jewellery securely on the body are an everyday experience or ritual. Perfected in its repetition this process becomes an unconscious act, unthought-of or quickly forgotten. To be able record or elongating such a ritual is something I strived to capture in my jewellery designs, with the aim of drawing this process onto a conscious level and heightening our awareness of the jewellery that adorns us.
By providing this process with permanence allows the ritual to obtain the same level of status as the jewellery itself. The focus has therefore shifted; the final piece no longer dominates our attention. It is the experience evoked by the actions of the body that contains the design.
‘EXPLORING PERFORMANCE'
My aim was to begin to theorize a new creative solution to jewellery design that thrives on the interaction of the wearer through the process of an everyday ritual.
The body's involvement with jewellery design has extended itself out-side the realms of the decorational . The body has the potential to become an area of sensation and experience, physically responding to the jewellery as if they are silently conversing with each other. This form of interaction implies a performance.
Adrian Heathfield, Editor of ‘Live: Art and Performance', describes performance as a discipline that, ‘takes the spectators into conditions of immediacy where attention is heightened, the sensory relation charged, and the workings of thought agitated.'
Performance art is an encounter. Liberated from restraint, performance plays on the body's senses, challenging our opinions and expectations. This format provides a rich source of inspiration, due to the art forms continual exploration of the body, the ability to capture work of an ephemeral nature and the involvement of the viewer. The question is whether performance art and jewellery design can unite in order to uncover much needed new contextual grounding within jewellery's development and function?
Immersion of a beaded necklace into black paint before being placed on the body was employed in order to record the collection of unconscious reactions. As the jewellery was placed on the body the unusual sensation of paint on skin provided a strong, visual representation of the wearer's ritualistic habits. Resulting in a collection of various mark-making over the fingers and chin, as well as leaving visually appealing patterns on the neck. All of which had been recorded on film, capturing a process of a transient nature and creating a time based performance.
As the process is captured in an ephemeral recording on the skin, the resulting pattern can be used as a template and transfer back into metal. Pierced back into a precious material the process has been immortalized and returned back to its original form of a physical item of jewellery. Resulting in a piece of jewellery where an experience or moment in time has been captured, from the original beaded necklace to the final patterns of its placement. It is the ritualistic grooming which is addressed in this piece, an unconscious reaction that provides a template for the final piece. Therefore it is the body that provides the decoration rather than the jewellery itself, suggesting a variation on the traditions of ornamentation.
The conceptual exploration of boundaries and everyday rituals culminates in the form of film, photography and product as well as providing the rich source of mass producible design templates. This form of jewellery design can be seen to occupy a place somewhere between the fashion market and the gallery piece, from jewellery design to Performance art .
Intent on breaking out from the definable I have found myself reaching into other disciplines along the way.
As a result I have found flexibility in my chosen field, blurring not only jewellery's definition but also those that I have touched upon. Illustrating the area that lies between each discipline is what holds an exciting future for my work and how this affects our relationship with jewellery design.
As a designer I feel that it's important to constantly challenge existing definitions as it is vital to keep all areas of design from becoming stagnated. The New Jewellery Movement has shown us that definitions are not set in stone, therefore raising the question of how far the understanding of these definitions can be pushed?
J-dex magazine 
