Zale ex-chairman wants $1.3M for moving expenses - JB News Feed

Zale Corp.'s former chairman and chief executive, Robert J. DiNicola, filed an arbitration claim against the company Tuesday, arguing that the Irving-based jewelry retailer owes him $1.32 million in moving expenses.

Mr. DiNicola, who is now chairman and CEO of New Jersey-based Linens 'n Things Inc., has been chairman and CEO of Zale twice. In the 1990s, he turned the company around after it exited bankruptcy.

He returned a second time at the board's request in 2001 as chairman and CEO after his successor stepped down. He was chairman until 2004 and after than became a consultant to Zale under a new agreement that he said included Zale's payment of his moving expenses.

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Being in the Right at the Right Time - JB News Feed

Elaine Silverstein walked into Saks Fifth Avenue in Bal Harbour Shops a few years ago, and it launched a second career.

Silverstein had been reading how-to jewelry books in order to assemble multistrand tribal necklaces with semi-precious stones. She was wearing one that day and on other Saks excursions, and they caught the eye of Mindy Curtis, who was then assistant general manager of merchandising.

''I just went up to her and asked her where she bought them,'' said Curtis, now vice president and general manager of Saks/Palm Beach Gardens.

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Jewelry Retailer Industry News Headlines from Around the World...

The Digital Diamond District
It may be the largest consumer purchase in Web history--and also the most unlikely. This June, online jeweler Blue Nile sold a single diamond for $1.5 million.

US recalls more Chinese-made toys; lead paint mars bobble heads
The US government Thursday issued a flurry of product-safety recalls affecting hundreds of thousands of Chinese-made children's toys and jewelry amid fresh concerns about lead paint. The latest recall notices, issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, follow mass recalls of Chinese-made toys earlier this year. The world's biggest toy maker, Mattel, has been particularly hard hit by the recalls. The government said it was recalling 142,000 toy buckets decorated in a Halloween theme that have been sold by Family Dollar stores across the country.

Dueling Fools: Blue Nile Bear
Blue Nile (Nasdaq: NILE) is establishing itself as a great online destination for buying diamonds and jewelry. It's a solid company with a low-cost business model. Yet in spite of the company's obvious strengths, I see three reasons to worry about investing in Blue Nile right now

JSA warns Fla. jewelers of quickie burglaries
The Jewelers' Security Alliance (JSA) is ringing the alarm for jewelers in Florida, urging the retailers to take precautions and lock up all goods at night to avoid becoming victims of the three-minute burglaries that have been happening throughout the state this fall.

GIA Carlsbad reopens for business
The Gemological Institute of America's (GIA) Carlsbad operations have reopened for business as usual today, after having been closed this week due to the wildfires affecting Southern California.

U.S. small-business owners optimistic about holiday
A majority of U.S. small-business owners are concerned about competition from large retailers this holiday season, yet remain optimistic, with 63 percent of them anticipating strong sales, according to a recent survey by Constant Contact.

Rio Tinto's pink tender breaks records
All 65 pink diamonds included in the 23rd annual Rio Tinto Diamonds Argyle Pink Diamond Tender sold to 17 different bidders from around the world, many at record-breaking prices. The diamond sale featured some of the world's rarest pink diamonds from the Argyle mine in Australia..

Tissot unveils 'Danica Patrick' T-Touch
Swiss watchmaker Tissot unveiled yesterday the T-Touch Danica Patrick Limited Edition watch, which is inspired by the company's brand ambassador, racecar driver Danica Patrick.

Zale Scheduled to Speak at the Johnson Rice & Company Annual Consumer Conference
Zale Corporation ZLC today announced that Rodney Carter, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer, is scheduled to present at the Johnson Rice & Company Annual Consumer Conference on Monday, October 29, 2007, at approximately 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time.

Rapaport buys stake in jewelry software company
The Rapaport Group has bought a 50 percent share in software company Octahedron Pty Ltd., a move that will increase the reach of Octahedron's inventory-management software to jewelers across the globe.

Gold scales 28-year peak
Gold climbed to a 28-year peak on Friday and platinum traded just below an all-time high, as a record low dollar and lifetime-high oil spurred buying. Gold, often seen as a hedge against oil-led inflation and traditionally deemed a safe-haven asset..

Platinum reaches record on supply concerns
Platinum rose to a record on Friday after Anglo Platinum, the world's largest producer, closed shafts at its biggest mine. Anglo Platinum expects to lose 1 300 ounces a day of output.

Independent Jewelry Artisans Collaborate in January 2008 to Create Artistic Pieces
In the tough market of online selling, specifically handmade jewelry, a unique group of women has teamed up to create and promote their own line of high quality jewelry. They call themselves, “The Eclectic Jewelry Artisans,” a team of women who have joined together to promote their handmade jewelry on the Internet. Team leader, Ahna White, came up with an idea to pair off the members and have them combine their artistic talents and materials to design a set of unique jewelry items. Members listed these items in the team’s new online store at http://TeamEJA.Etsy.com. Reviews of the jewelry have been excellent.

Jewelry Television(TM) Finds Payment Processing Engine in Litle & Co.
Litle & Co. today announced its selection by Jewelry Television(TM), a $500 million home shopping network, as the transaction processing and payment management engine for the network and its companion web site, www.jtv.com -- a top five online jewelry retailer according to Internet Retailer.

Malibu's Wealthy Leave TVs, Jewels...
Malibu resident Joanne Gary owns a 1-carat diamond wedding ring from her former marriage and a collection of lapis lazuli jewelry...

Charles Tiffany Found All That Glittered In Jewelry
Charles Lewis Tiffany knew he'd have no trouble finding a place to open a stationery and fancy goods store in 1837.So many businesses in New York City had been failing that plenty of storefronts were available. A fire, riots over inflation and poor sanitation (free-roaming pigs were the garbage collectors) plagued many of the city's businesses. In just two months that year, 260 businesses with liabilities of $100 million shut their doors, wrote Joseph Purtell in "The Tiffany Touch." For India all that glitters is gold as festival nears
Diamond, ruby and emerald-studded jewelry hangs in rows at a New Delhi shop, but one slim gold chain is all that N.B. Yadav settles for with the price of the metal at multi-year highs.

Metal Jewelry, Flashing Rings Recalled
Greenbriar International Inc. is recalling 198,000 pieces of children's metal jewelry because of high levels of lead.

Artist finds fashion in flatware
About a year ago, Weiberg, who is addicted to craft Web sites and blogs, joined an online charm swap. She had to make 25 charms, send them to people around the world and she'd get 25 different charms in return. Trouble was, she had no idea what kind of charm she'd make. That is until she was unloading the dishwasher.
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Harris Michael Jewelry Affiliate Marketing Program...

Profit Rank has been awarded the management of the Harris Michael Jewelry Affiliate Marketing program. The program will be managed in the Commission Junction affiliate network. Harris Michael Jewelry buys direct from the manufacturer and because they have no physical retail overhead they can offer fine quality jewelry from 40%-70% off normal retail prices. There is also a frequent buyer program for even greater discounts, free shipping, free gift box, and lots of coupons for even greater savings.

Mike Gunn, CEO of Profit Rank, said “Harris Michael Jewelry is a perfect gift for the holidays or any special occasion. The large jewelry selection is not only beautiful but the discounts make it extremely affordable as well. We think affiliate marketers who are always looking for unique items and huge discounts to offer their audiences will benefit from this affiliate program.”

Profit Rank provides affiliate marketing management services to internet e-commerce

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Sam's Club(R) Unveils $2 Million Jewelry Collection - JB News Feed

Sam's Club is giving luxury shoppers a reason to celebrate this holiday season with an exclusive jewelry collection estimated at more than $2 million, including a stunning and incredibly rare 8.75-carat Asscher cut diamond ring for $347,368. The ring and other "wow" jewelry is available online at samsclub.com with an assortment of complementary pieces also in Clubs nationwide.

"Our team and suppliers tracked down the season's must-have diamonds, gemstones and pearls," says Tina Corley, senior diamond buyer, Sam's Club. "We've taken the best looks from the runway to the red carpet and turned them into real possibilities at Sam's Club prices for our Members."

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Angara Hits Big in the On-Line Jewelry Market - JB News Feed

Angara, the online jewelry retailer, introduced Gemstone Designer – an interactive interface that will allow users to shop for gemstones and jewelry online as well as custom design their own jewelry. To use this application, you don’t need to be a bench jeweler or know the mechanics of the trade, the only tool you’ll need is a mouse.

Latest trends in the fashion and jewelry market have induced the need for custom jewelry, where individuals can have their own signature jewelry expressing their unique style and personality. With the Gemstone Designer, customers can choose a gemstone according to their preferred specifications, and then choose their favorite setting from a wide variety of choices, and within minutes a custom designed piece of jewelry is born. This web interface provides a user friendly environment making it easy both for novice as well as experienced jewelry shoppers to select precious / semi-precious gemstones and

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Does Amazon.com Discriminate Against eBay Jewelry Sellers? John LaRouche

Amazon reported today that it quadrupled profits

"Amazon, the biggest Internet retailer, said Tuesday that third-quarter earnings quadrupled on strong sales of electronics and jewelry. Net profit climbed to $80 million from $19 million a year earlier. Revenue increased 41 percent to $3.26 billion."

Amazon noted that two categories (electronics and jewelry) experienced strong sales. Approximately six months ago, we focused on the addition of the jewelry category on Amazon. We strongly recommended that sellers of jewelry and gemstones give Amazon.com a "test drive" by way of signing up and selling a DVD or book in order to get familiar with Amazon selling process.

Last week, we revisited Amazon and browsed through their jewelry category and registered to sell jewelry and diamonds on Amazon. The request was denied. In fact, the denial came within seconds of registration and it appears as though if a seller inputs the keywords "jewelry" and/or identifies themselves as ...

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Selling Jewelry on Ebay?

EBay Inc. has significantly boosted its advertising revenue since last year, but some sellers worry that the company's efforts in this area are driving potential buyers away from the online marketplace.

Last year, eBay signed deals to run ads from the Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. networks in order to better capitalize on the massive traffic it draws to its Web sites, primarily its core eBay.com marketplace. The strategy seems to be working: In 2007's second quarter, ended June 30, eBay's advertising revenue almost doubled compared with the same period in 2006.

The very influential Professional eBay Sellers Alliance (PESA), a group of large eBay sellers,

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Alex Woo: Heart at Work - By Alice Suh

When

“Maybe I was just ambitious or naïve, but I always aim high and the worst that could have happened is that they say no,” Woo says.

Fortunately for the Chinese American designer, her risk paid off when “InStyle” magazine (her first choice) decided to feature Woo’s designs in 2001. Since then, her jewelry has graced the pages of “Self,” “Elle” and “Lucky” magazines and garnered a notable celebrity following from the likes of Eva Longoria, Jessica Simpson and Kelly Ripa.

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Special Edition: The Truth on Blue Topaz - By Robert James FGA, GG

Special Edition: The Truth on Blue Topaz
 

or.....how the NRC and JVC yelled FIRE in the theater!

 

Blue Topaz: Too Hot to Handle! That is the headline from one leading gemstone industry publication. But has the panic over the radiation of blue topaz taken over common sense, and more importantly the truth? I believe it has. And in this Special Edition of the ISG QuikConnect eNewsletter we would like to present some down to earth information to clarify this situation.

 

The History

 

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Platinum Gains on Signs of Increased Borrowing

Platinum gained in London on signs borrowers are seeking new supplies amid expectations global production will fall short of demand. Palladium declined.

The cost of borrowing platinum for one year has risen to 4.34 percent, compared with an average of 3.64 percent in the past 12 months, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Platinum supply will fall short of demand by 178,000 ounces this year, Societe Generale SA forecast last month.