Department store chain Bon-Tot announced on Sept. 29 that it will begin to run the fine fashion jewelry departments of its 86 stores nationwide beginning in late October, according to The Business Journal of Milwaukee. The stores had previously been run through an agreement with Finlay Fine Jewelry Corp., whose parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August 2009. Bon-Tot CEO Bud Bergren said that the company saw new business opportunities in getting involved with selling designer jewelry directly.

“We are very excited about this new endeavor in fine jewelry,” said Bergren. “We believe internally operating and building this destination business will provide increased sales and profits as well as drive traffic into our stores.”

While it’s possible to buy jewelry at department stores, chances are you won’t get nearly the same prices or selection that you will by shopping with an online jewelry store like Rilee & Lo. We have amazing deals on all of the major designers, as well as smaller, boutique designer accessories such as Kimberly Baker jewelry that you just won’t find in a department store.

Diamonds have an allure that transcends all other stones. Their fire, brilliance and hardness make them the king of gems.
 These days, diamond jewellery shoppers are looking for larger diamonds, chandelier or hanging pendant-style jewellery settings and solitaires (single stones). And diamonds are no longer considered strictly for special occasions; it is quite the norm to wear discreet diamond jewellery to the office. “Even clerical staff have diamond rings,” said one retailer. (more…)

Diamonds were first discovered in Sierra Leone in 1930, and by 1940, alluvial diamond mining had started. By the 60s, there was already a diamond mania in the country; every one wanted to have his/her share of the diamond loot. Since then, the precipitation to get rich quick through diamonds has been rapidly increasing, to an extent that the effects of the illicit activities in the diamond industry plunged the nation into awful predicaments at different periods in the country’s chequered history. (more…)

Four thefts of baggage containing jewelry have occurred on Shinkansen bullet trains since last November, with the perpetrators allegedly substituting empty cases for jeweler’s bags containing gems just before the trains departed from JR Tokyo Station. The thefts have made insurers reluctant to sign contracts with jewelers, informed sources said.

Total losses in the four thefts have reached nearly 400 million yen, with only the first of the four cases having been solved.
Some jewelry companies have blamed careless staff, and the jewelry industry association has begun preparing manuals to raise employee awareness on luggage theft on trains. (more…)

Although $800 million market cap Jostens Inc. is about to be snatched up by a private investment group led by Investcorp, most of the sparkle in jewelry manufacturing M&A has been with smaller companies.

Ken Gassman, a jewelry industry analyst with Davenport & Co., said while jewelry manufacturing deals are few and far between, there is a trend towards consolidation. “There are increasing cost pressures in the diamond industry, as well as among jewelry manufacturers,” he said, adding that, “in order to continue operating efficiently, there is going to be more consolidation among companies.” (more…)