12-Carat ‘Martian Pink’ Diamond Could Fetch $10 Million

12.04-ct. fancy intense pink Type IIa round brilliant-cut diamond ring, by Harry Winston. © Christie's Images Limited 2012

The largest round fancy intense pink diamond to ever appear at auction will be part of Christie’s Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels sale on May 29. The 12-ct. diamond is estimated to fetch $8 - $10 million.

The extremely rare diamond is owned by a private collector. It was purchased from Harry Winston in 1976—the same year, the United States launched its first satellite on a mission to Mars: The Viking landers. Ronald Winston named the diamond the “Martian Pink” to honor the historic event.

The Martian Pink is one of two known significant sized round pink diamonds in this world—the other being the 23.60-carat Williamson Pink diamond that was presented to Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her wedding in 1947. While most natural pink diamonds exhibit a color modifier like purple, orange or grey, the gem that is up for auction “shows absolutely no trace of a secondary color, making it exceedingly rare,” the auction house said. “Combined with a Type IIa characteristic, the diamond shows an extraordinary limpidity together with a lovely intense pink coloration.”

11.85-ct. D VVS1 potential round brilliant-cut diamond ring, by Harry Winston. © Christie's Images Limited 2012

A second item from Harry Winston, an 11.85-carat D VVS1 Potentially Flawless round brilliant-cut diamond, is being offered. “Its dimensions, perfected by the round brilliant cut, ensures a stunning visual display of brilliance,” the auction house said. “Combined with top D color, this brilliant-cut diamond is a wonderful example of the classic round stone.” The auction estimate is $1.7 - $2.5 million.

Asia’s Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair Attracts Nearly 4,000 Buyers

Asia’s Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair, held at the AsiaWorld-Expo center in Hong Kong, attracted 3,878 buyers from 84 countries and region, according to UBM Asia, which owns and operates the trade fair. More than 75 percent of buyers were from outside the Hong Kong region.
 
The four-day event, which ended February 21, was held earlier than its usual March schedule in order to suit the international trade event calendar. The Top 10 visiting countries (excluding mainland China and Hong Kong region) were the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Japan, Korea, Germany, France and Russian Federation. They accounted for 34.6 percent of total visitors.

“We are happy to note that the United States was the source of the biggest number of visitors, which accounted for 10 percent of total visitors,” said Celine Lau, director of Jewellery Fairs at UBM Asia.

The exhibition space near the Hong Kong International Airport was expanded by 17.6 percent from last year’s edition, UBM Asia said. It housed 386 exhibitors from 17 countries and regions, an 18 percent increase over the 2011 edition of the trade fair. The exhibitors were from Australia, Canada, mainland China, India, Indonesia, Israel, Korea, Nepal, Netherlands, the Philippines, Samoa, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and Hong Kong and Taiwan regions. More than 80 percent of them are from outside Hong Kong region.

Asia’s Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair is held three times per year. Upcoming dates are: June 21 – 24, September 19 – 22, and March 4 – 7, 2013.

De Quercize to Head Cartier; Bos to Lead Van Cleef & Arpels

Stanislas de Quercize

Two internationally renowned luxury jewelry brands will soon be under new leadership in a bit of musical chairs by the Richemont group.

Stanislas de Quercize has been named CEO of luxury jewelry house, Cartier, to become effective by the end of the year. He will succeed Bernard Fornas, who reached the age of 65 earlier this month.

De Quercize is currently the CEO of the luxury jewelry house, Van Cleef & Arpels, and will continue in that role until he assumes his new position.

When de Quercize moves to his new position, he will be succeeded by Nicolas Bos, currently creative director of Van Cleef & Arpels and chief executive of Van Cleef & Arpels North America.

Swiss luxury good conglomerate, Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A., which owns both luxury brands, made the announcement Monday.

Since 1989, de Quercize has had an extensive career with Richemont, having worked with Montblanc, Alfred Dunhill, Cartier—where he rose to be president of Cartier Inc. in the United States—and, since 2005, Van Cleef & Arpels.

JCK Luxury Privé Heads to Panama

JCK Events will launch a new tradeshow, Luxury Privé Panama, October 22 - 24 at the Westin Playa Bonita Panama City. It is an invitation-only event for upscale manufacturers and retailers.

It will be modeled after Luxury Privé New York. JCK Events said it chose to expand to Panama because the country’s central location allows access to top independent luxury retailers from Central and South America, Mexico and the Caribbean.

“As the gateway to Latin America, Panama boasts a number of benefits, from its status as a safe, sophisticated tourist and business destination to its adherence of U.S. currency,” said Dave Bonaparte, JCK senior VP. “All of these factors, not to mention the ideal weather conditions, make it an appealing market for brands to establish, maintain and grow relationships.”

Mikimoto, Stephen Webster, Chimento, JB Star, Brumani and Aaron Basha are among the 50 select exhibitors signed on to exhibit, offering retailers a one-on-one personal opportunity to learn about these brands that are new to the region. The show is targeting top retailers throughout Latin America. More than 40 retailers have already registered to attend, including Anabella, Imperiale, Mercurio, Motta and Barakat of Panama; Carranza & Carranza, Daniel & Hijos, Liverpool and Maraf of Mexico; and Tropicana Jewelers of the Caribbean.

In addition to the sales aspect of the event, there will be networking and educational opportunities. A series of pre-show education seminars will include information on “How to Sell in the Latin American Market” as part of the show’s collaboration with AMBIO, the international business development consultancy headed by Paolo Novembri. The four-day event begins October 21 with a welcome reception, followed by the show’s official opening the following day.

Jewelry News Network is ‘Blog of the Month’

The U.K. has really taken to Jewelry News Network. My readership has been growing steadily across the pond and my new friends are active in their support of my web publication. The latest show of support is from Make Jewellery magazine, which named Jewelry News Network as its “Blog of the Month” in its April issue.

Make Jewellery magazine is led by editor Lorraine Luximon and has a circulation of approximately 40,000. It is billed as the UK's glossiest and most dedicated jewelry making magazine. Each issue contains step-by-step guides to create designer-style jewelry on a shoestring, and includes projects on everything from simple bead stringing and wirework to more advanced techniques such as polymer and precious metal clay and resin. It’s for folks who love to create handmade jewelry whether as a hobby or as a business.

The blog appears in the magazine’s “Bookmark this!” section, which spotlights places to visit on the Internet.

In addition to featuring me and my work, it showcases jewelry from Montblanc, Angelique de Paris and Leibish & Co., which have recently appeared on my blog.

QVC to Offer Titanic-Inspired Jewelry

Titanic diamond filigree design bold sterling cuff, approximately 499.

The luxury passenger ship, RMS Titanic, proclaimed “unsinkable,” slid into the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean after hitting an iceberg, taking 1,517 people with her. The 100th year anniversary of one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history will be held on April 15. QVC will be noting the anniversary by unveiling its Titanic Collection 100th Anniversary line on April 6 at 8 p.m.

Titanic 0.60-ct. citrine 14K clad hinged cuff, approximately $264.50.

The multimedia retailer says it is the first external retailer for the company named RMS Titanic, the only organization permitted by law to recover objects from the wreck site of Titanic. The collection will include jewelry, home goods, giftware and a fragrance, “Legacy 1912 –Titanicä,” inspired by authentic artifacts recovered from the ship. Items will be made of 14k gold or sterling silver with gemstones.

Titanic white topaz and diamond sterling ring, approximately $184.

“Each of the products being offered will either be an exact replica of an item found on the Titanic or will be inspired by a passenger’s belonging,” the company said in a statement. For example, the intricate designs of an evening bag have been recreated as the "Titanic Diamond Filigree Design Bold Sterling Cuff Bracelet."

Titanic First Class sterling and 14K clad key pendant, approximately $88.

Three Steps to Get Referrals from Your Clients

This is one of a series of articles by Mónica Arias, Excellence Expert specialized in Sales & Customer Service for luxury brands based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. These articles will focus on ways that sales and marketing professionals in the jewelry and luxury industries can improve their techniques.

Have you ever made an “all of a sudden,” unexpected sale just because you were referred to by one of your clients?

If you never experienced this exciting emotion, I highly recommend you take into account and put into practice these three simple steps that will add value to both your work and your income.

I cannot stress enough the importance of counting on a strategy like this in today’s business environment. It is crucial because there will always be moments when, for whatever reason, you just cannot reach your established sales goal. Yes, I have been through that, and I know how frustrating it can be: no matter how hard I tried, how much energy I devoted to my work and how connected I was with my clients, my efforts were sometimes not showing any results … or so it seemed.

So one day I decided I wanted to change that. I knew I loved what I did and was pretty good at it, I also knew my clients trusted me and the products and services I offered, so I concluded I needed to ask them for referrals.

But, how do you start doing this without sounding like it’s a burden for them or without making them feel obliged or uncomfortable?

You can do this by applying these three techniques:

1)    As soon as you have closed and cashed your next sale, invite your client for a brief informal conversation where you can talk about the great times he/she is going to enjoy with the piece/s they have just purchased from you. After the talk, ask them the following question: “I am so happy you are already enjoying your new XXX, and, as you know I really love to offer this beautiful pieces to as many people as possible, is there any person you can think of that I could send an invitation to come over for a drink? It would be lovely to receive them and of course you could also accompany them….”

2)    Call up your clients every so often and ask them for referrals (you can use a similar question as the one above). Hard as it seems, if you have worked out your relationship as I have shown you on my past articles, this will be a natural step to make and, more often than not, your clients will be delighted to give you some contacts. Be ready to get eight “No, I am sorry” answers out of 10 calls (on average). It doesn’t matter, thank your clients anyway and follow up with the two new contacts collected.

3)    Go out, mix and network. Ahá! If a bell is ringing, it means you never considered events (social or business) as an option for getting more clients. Trust me, it is a fantastic source of acquiring clients and therefore, future referrals. Check on your local chamber of commerce, chances are you will find an event or two where you could find some possible ideal clients to interact with.

Today´s world is evolving towards a new understanding of the nature of human communication. It is really a must to be able to do it frankly, adding value and offering help as much as you can. Your customers will be your best allies when you need them if you have planted the seeds of excellence in your relationship with them throughout the years.

Learn to develop this strategy and enjoy a stable forecast of your sales conversion, no matter how difficult or complicated the economy around you may be.

Mónica M. Arias
Excellence Expert: Helping you discover how to reach your next level through excellence.
contacto@monicaarias.com.ar
Copyright 2012