(RAPAPORT) News & Observer: Three armed men, their faces covered by ski masks, walked into the Bailey’s Fine Jewelry at Cameron Village in Raleigh, North Carolina, smashed a display case and left in moments with an undisclosed haul of diamonds.
“We were all trying to run for cover because they had guns,” said the woman who called 911 to report what had just happened on February 17.
The store…
RAPAPORT… Graff opened in the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai through a partnership with Damas. The new 121-square-meter Graff boutique is located on the first floor of the luxury hotel and carries the jeweler’s Butterfly collection, Diamonds on Diamonds collection and Lotus for Jewellery collection, among others. Watches include GraffStar Grand Date, GraffStar Ladies, ChronoGraff and Sc…
Press Release: Gitanjali Group, the world’s largest integrated branded diamond jewelry manufacturer-retailer, has been honored with the prestigious Master Brand Award from the CMO Council of the USA and CMO Asia in a glittering ceremony recently held in Mumbai.The Master Brand Award was presented to Gitanjali Group on February 14, at the ceremony held at Taj Lands End, Mumbai. This award once agai…
RAPAPORT… Luxury group PPR reported that revenue in 2011 rose 11 percent year on year to $16 billion (EUR 12.23 billion). Net income rose 2.3 percent to $1.3 billion (EUR 986 million) or EUR 7.82 per share. Gross margin improved to 15.9 percent from 15.4 percent in 2010.
The luxury division, which includes Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Yves Saint Laurent, reported a sales increase of 23 percent yea…
RAPAPORT… Blue Nile’s fourth-quarter sales slipped 2.1 percent year on year to $112.3 million, while its cost of sales was flat at $89.1 million, for the three months that ended on January 1, 2012. Gross margin as a percentage of sales fell to 20.7 percent from 22 percent one year ago. Net income dropped 32 percent to $4.2 million. The number of orders that Blue Nile fulfilled in fourth-qu…
(RAPAPORT) San Fernando Valley Business Journal: Sherman Oaks-based No Roses Gallery is showing-off its rebellious side with a new jewelry line, KnucklePUNK.
The men’s collection features rings, bracelets and pendants made from 18-karat gold, sterling silver and black diamonds. The line offers shoppers a combination of “bling” and beauty with its crosses, Celtic scrolls and shiny skulls set upon …
RAPAPORT… U.S. weekly chain-store sales rose 2.8 percent this past week, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Goldman Sachs. But the change in sales for this week that ended on February 11, compared with the previous week, registered a sharp decline of 2 percent.
“Sales dipped over the past week on relatively light-volume sales and abnormally mild temperatures a…
RAPAPORT… De Beers Diamond Jewellers partnered with Colin Cowie Weddings for an annual Valentine’s Day wedding event at the Empire State Building in Manhattan. Four lucky couples will exchange De Beers wedding bands and say “I do” at their own private, personalized, lavish wedding ceremonies created by the wedding planner. The four couples were chosen from many video submission…
(RAPAPORT) Columbus Ledger: Michael Wright would concede it’s been a rough journey for his jewelry career and personal life. He has designed jewelry since high school, but embarked on a career in law enforcement in California before deciding the hard work, injuries and paltry pay weren’t worth it.
It was in 1989 that the big one rumbled through the San Francisco area, with the earthquake de…
RAPAPORT… Italian jewelry designer Roberto Coin opened his first boutique in Canada at the Four Seasons Vancouver, British Columbia. The 900-square-foot store follows the same design as recently opened boutiques in Palm Desert and Newport Beach, California, with white travertine marble, deep, rich woods, burnished mirrors and a separate “Roberto Coin Cento Collection Diamo…
