Archive for April, 2007

Pearls

Friday, April 27th, 2007
There are many stories you can tell your customers about pearls. The Persians called them “children of light” and believed they were the tears of the gods, while the Chinese thought the moon gave them their power to glow. 

Throughout the ages, pearls have been shrouded in mystery and coveted by Emperors, Tsars, Maharajas and Queens. In ancient times, the Greeks adorned statues and temples with them, and wealthy Roman women wore their pearls at night, so they would appear in their dreams. But perhaps history’s greatest pearl lover was England’s Queen Elizabeth 1: The Virgin Queen. Pearls symbolized purity and she routinely wore seven ropes of them, some reaching to her knees. She had over 3000 pearl-encrusted dresses, 80 wigs set with pearls, multi-strand bracelets and jewel-trimmed fans.

Meeting the world’s desire for pearls has often been difficult. In Roman times, pearl beds were almost fished to extinction and laws were introduced to curb demand. Between the 14th and 16th centuries, similar laws were passed in England, France, Germany and other countries to avert crippling trade imbalance due to so much gold going out of the country to buy pearls. In the early 1900s, overfishing, industrialization and pollution threatened the very existence of fine, naturally occurring pearls.

But the pearl may have disappeared all together if not for the son of a noodle maker, Kokichi Mikimoto. Building on the work of two other men, it was Mikimoto who unlocked the secret of hand seeding or culturing pearls.

Australian pearling had its humble beginning in the mid-1900s when shells off the North West coast were collected for mother of pearl. Used for making pearl buttons, this industry was short-lived when World War II brought with it the invention of plastic and ready replacement. However, an enterprising group of Japanese people saw potential in the remote, untamed area of Broome with its oversized oysters.

Together with a local pearling family, they introduced culturing techniques in the country’s first commercial pearl farm. When they launched their big, beautiful, lustrous pearls in the market in the 1960s, they also set Australia on the road to becoming the largest producer of rare, White South Sea pearls.

Shanore loves pearls and we have a stunning collection of pearl pendants for everyone to enjoy. 


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Secacus trade fair starts on Saturday April 21st

Tuesday, April 17th, 2007

Secacus trade fair starts on Saturday April 21st and Alan and I will be there. We will have plenty of new products on show aswell as new sales ideas that we want to discuss with everyone.

On the new products we will have new Celtic and Claddagh wedding rings, a stone set Claddagh dress ring, a stone set Celtic cross, a stone set Celtic heart pendant and a stone set Celtic pendant and earring suite. We have been working on an exquisite new diamond Celtic engagement rings collection recently and we will have some of this stunning collection with us for you to view.

One of our new concepts that we are launching will be our new ladies and gents watch lines. We have been working on this project for quite some time now and we are delighted with the end result, we hope that when you see our samples, you too will be equally impressed.

On the sales end of things we are bringing with us some add slick art work for our “ribbon of life” and “mother and child” brands. This has been very successful for us and we have had great feedback from everyone who has taken this idea on.

The other sales concept that we will have with us is a state-of-the-art digital screen. This screen will be able to show all of Shanore’s sub-brands. It is shown like a slide show and we feel that this is an excellent way for you to sell these sub-brand lines.

So once again we will look forward to seeing all of you at Secacus. We hope that you will take time to come and visit us and chat to us about how 2007 has been for you so far and your plans for the summer and of course Christmas.

Shane

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Tanzanite

Thursday, April 12th, 2007

Selling jewelry is so much more than reeling off a list of facts and figures- retailers need to sell an emotion, and this is something that can be achieved so easily, particularly when dealing with colored stones. The popular 1984 film Romancing The Stone launched a phrase that has become part of our modern lexicon, and for jewelry professionals, it’s a vital concept.

 

The array of colored stones available today is staggering to both retailers and consumers-from the more familiar names such as ruby, emerald and sapphire, to rarer, more obscure gems, such as taaffeite, brazilianite and epidote. Retailers often over-look romancing the stone when a customer is hungry for information. Tanzanite is a great example of a colored stone with a romantic story, and has become hugely popular since its discovery in 1967. And its story is what retailers need to sell. A rare transparent violet ziosite, this precious stone was at first thought to be sapphire crystal rough scattered around in dirt clumps until the samples were shipped out of Africa for laboratory testing.

 

The most valuable tanzanite displays an intense blue-violet hue with pink flashes of color. As the name suggests, the worlds supply is located in Tanzania, within a radius of just a few kilometers. Insiders forecast that production may cease within our lifetime as the mines empty out. Even the name holds an interesting tale of its own-shortly after its discovery, Tiffany & Co. suggested the name should be changed from zoisite, as it sounded too similar to “suicide” , and so “tanzanite” was born and has since come into general use in the jewelry trade.

 

Having a few interesting facts such as these to hand about the stones you sell could be the key to increased sales and a passionate sales team. Shanore feels romantic details such as these transforms the casual browser into an avid collector, and enriches their appreciation for exotic gemstones.

 See our Tanzanite engagement ring

http://www.shanore.com/Celtic+Engagement+Rings/Celtic+Engagment++Ring+-+Trinity+knot+design+with+an+oval +Tanzanite+and+2+Brilliant+cut+Diamonds.159.1008.html

 

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Where is platinum mined?

Thursday, April 5th, 2007

South Africa provides over 75% of the worlds platinum supply, from deposits north of Pretoria known as the Bushveld Complex. Deep within the earth, these vast deposits, which are over 100km in length, have platinum reserves that will last into the next century.

Although evidence shows that platinum has been used in jewelry since ancient times, the first large deposits were only discovered in Russias Ural mountains in 1820.This particular mine was to remain the main source of the metal for the next 100 years until major new finds were made in Canada, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

When the ore containing platinum is extracted from the earth, it must be separated out into its constituent parts to extract the platinum, a process that takes up to 20 weeks.

Platinum is rare – ten tones of ore only produces one ounce of metal. Its properties keep demand for the metal high, particularly in environmental applications, and it is also a key component in medical pacemakers. But platinum’s popularity in jewelry has remained undiminished since Louis Cartier first used it to enhance his diamonds back in the early 1900s, and create new intricate jewelry designs.

Today, it is a popular choice of couples for bridal jewelry all over the world. Shanore loves this precious metal and we offer a selection of engagement and wedding rings in Platinum.

 

Shane

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Conflict Diamonds

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007

We at Shanore have been as interested as anyone on the hot topic of the moment that is “conflict diamonds”. In our opinion, the film blood diamond has done far more good than harm. Since it first appeared on the horizon, it has driven forward an interest from all sections of our industry in learning more about diamonds. In all of the years that we have been in the trade, we have never known one such happening to promote so much interest in people wishing to learn more about the product they sell, and the manner in which they earn their living.

Now this process has been kick-started, we must all continue to learn more about diamonds and the other aspects of our trade that affect the world in which we live.  Through greater education for us, and our customers, comes confidence-and we guarantee increased sales to boot.

The good news is the diamond industry, governments, and the United Nations have been addressing the issue with measurable results. Because of these efforts- known as the Kimberley Process and System of Warranties- conflict diamonds in the marketplace have gone from 4% of the worlds diamond supply in 1999 to considerably less than 1% today.  But even a single conflict diamond in circulation is one too many. By ensuring that all your diamonds are in compliance with the Kimberly Process and System of Warranties, you will be helping your customers and the world at large.

Diamonds are a vital major resource in Africa, transforming the continent and its people. The revenue that diamonds bring also helps developing African nations feed, educate, and improve the future of their people. They are also vital in funding the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Our diamonds have been purchased from legitimate sources not involved in funding conflicts and in compliance with the United Nations resolutions and the Kimberley Process.

We guaranty that these diamonds are conflict free based on our personal knowledge and written guaranties provided by our supplier.

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