Articles and News
Brand News: Karl Lagerfeld Bridal Ads Bow; Forevermark Hosts Mine Visit; Virtual Diamond App Grows August 31, 2016 (0 comments)
Karl Lagerfeld Bridal Jewelry Ads To Tie Into Brand’s Fall Fashion Campaign
New York, NY—The North American launch of KARL LAGERFELD Paris is set to bow with its fall 2016 advertising campaign, Love from Paris, Karl xx, featuring supermodels Joan Smalls and Hailey Baldwin. The campaign depicts the collection as it arrives in the Americas, bringing Lagerfeld’s trademark Parisian chic across the Atlantic.
At the same time, the brand’s new fine jewelry bridal collection—introduced to the trade in Las Vegas--will bow with a series of supplemental ads that mirror the brand’s overall campaign.
Photographed by Karl Lagerfeld himself, the KARL LAGERFELD Paris fall 2016 campaign reflects his iconic aesthetic in tones of black and white. Captured through his lens, Smalls and Baldwin are depicted against a backdrop of famous landmarks of New York City and Paris.
The bridal jewelry collection, created in conjunction with Frederick Goldman Inc., is inspired by signature brand patterns: pointed stud motifs, geometric shapes, and Parisian architecture. Three groupings range from $1,000 - $10,000 retail, and will be available in select high-end independent jewelers in Fall 2016.
The fall 2016 campaign will appear in top fashion and lifestyle titles, with both two page spreads and four page inserts, in addition to social channels and platforms. The campaign will appear in Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour, W, Elle, Harpers Bazaar, Marie Claire, PSW, Southern Living, and V magazine. It will be supported in social media with two new hashtags, #SayYesWithKarl and #KARLLAGERFELD.
Forevermark Carat Club Winners Tours Diamond Mine
Stamford, CT—The inaugural members of the 2016 Forevermark Carat Club were treated to an expedition to De Beers’ Victor mine in Northern Ontario, Canada last month. There, they had an opportunity to witness the beginning of the journey of a Forevermark diamond first-hand.
“We are delighted to honor our inaugural members of the Forevermark Carat Club with the opportunity to visit our Victor mine,” said Charles Stanley, President of Forevermark US. “Our core values of quality, integrity, and commitment to responsible sourcing begin at the mining level, the birthplace of a Forevermark diamond, and the world-class operation at Victor is a shining example.”
The Carat club, launched in 2015, recognizes the top Forevermark sales ambassadors across the United States each year. The 17 inaugural members each sold in excess of 20 carats of Forevermark diamonds one carat and larger in 2015 to earn their spot on the trip.
During the visit to Victor, Carat Club members received training on the mine’s rigorous safety standards, which recently earned it the prestigious John T. Ryan National Safety Award, Canada's most celebrated award for mine safety. Following training, the group toured the open-pit mine site and process plant where more than 5.6 million carats have been recovered since the mine opened in 2008. The tour ended with a viewing of some of Victor’s run-of-mine rough diamonds, which are among the finest quality diamonds produced by any mine in the world.
“I have been in this industry over 40 years, and as a gemologist, I know what goes into bringing the beauty of a diamond to life, but to experience it in person is truly awakening,” said Paul Minton of B.C. Clark Jewelers in Oklahoma City, OK. “From the Forevermark standpoint, the enthusiasm is infectious. To visit Victor and see the passion that everyone has from the safety of their employees, to overall quality, integrity, and environmental standards provides a sense of pride and ownership in this magnificent process, which we will pass onto our staff and clientele in our stores.”
Members of the Forevermark Carat Club of high-achieving salespeople, together with De Beers and HRA/Crossworks executives, visit De Beers' Victor Mine in northern Ontario, Canada.
As part of De Beers’ commitment to sustainable development in local communities, approximately 35% of the employees at Victor, including De Beers and long-term service contractor employees, are from local First Nation communities. Ceremonial Shabatowans, or traditional teepees, were built on-site at Victor so Aboriginal employees can celebrate their heritage with traditional cultural ceremonies. Carat Club members also visited a site where the Victor mine environmental team recently planted saplings indigenous to the area, as part of Victor’s rehabilitation program following the mine’s eventual closure. These activities are examples of Forevermark’s commitment to the protection of nature and support of local communities as part of the De Beers Group of Companies.
Following the trip to Victor mine, the Carat Club achievers flew to Sudbury, where they visited Forevermark Diamantaire Crossworks Manufacturing’s state-of-the-art cutting and polishing factory. Here, they experienced the next steps following the mine in the life of a Forevermark diamond. While Crossworks’ expert craftsmen cut and polished diamonds, some fresh out of Victor mine, Carat Club members learned about the rigorous process of cutting and polishing a diamond to exacting Forevermark standards. Carat Club members also got to try their hands at the polishing wheel and feel what it takes to achieve the perfect combination of touch, angle, and rhythm to polish a facet on a diamond.
“The team at Crossworks really provided us with a clear understanding of where the beauty of a diamond comes from and what it takes to unlock that beauty,” said Robert Fontenot of Diamond District in Estero, FL.
In addition to the trip, Carat Club Members last April each received aForevermark diamond pin, presented by Stanley and Stephen Lussier, Forevermark CEO and De Beers Group EVP, during the induction ceremony during Forevermark’s Annual Forum in Phoenix, AZ.
The 2017 Carat Club incentive program will run through the end of this year. The bar has been raised, however: sales ambassadors will be required to sell 35 carats or more of one-carat plus Forevermark diamonds. The top 20 achievers will receive an exclusive trip to London to visit the Forevermark headquarters. They will also visit the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels as well as experience an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the Forevermark Diamond Institute in Antwerp, Belgium.
Stuller Announces Fall Transform Tour Dates & Locations
Lafayette, LA—Stuller’s Transform Tours - are returning for the fall 2016 season. Transform Tours allow Stuller professionals to travel the country and address the challenges independent jewelers face.
“Jewelers will get the chance to experience the connectivity between Stuller’s sales floor solutions and online customization,” says Heather Kutzman, sales services director. “This is an important force in retail jewelry and one that will continue to gain strength.” This event also allows attendees to get a first hand look at a variety of products and see up-close demonstrations of Stuller’s software options.
The fall Transform Tour event schedule is as follows:
- Minneapolis, MN – September 25
- Seattle, WA – October 9
- New Orleans, LA – October 23
For more information click here, call (800) 877-7777 ext. 3227, or email transform_tour@stuller.com.
Virtual Diamond Boutique Tops 3,500 Users
New York, NY—Virtual Diamond Boutique (Vdb) achieved a major milestone this month, topping over 3,500 registered unique users, following enthusiastic trade response at both the JCK Las Vegas Show in June and the India International Jewellery Show (IIJS) in Mumbai in August. The registered unique users include both retailers and diamond wholesalers now using the B2B Vdb app to source, match, and/or list diamonds, all from the palm of their hand. The platform is available for Apple and Android mobile devices and shortly will be available for desktop PCs.
“Retailers and wholesalers are beginning to understand the potential of this new network, and the buzz has been truly amazing,” says CEO and founding partner Tanya Nisguretsky. Following a strong presence at the JCK Show, more than 1,200 retailers and wholesalers then registered to begin using the free B2B platform during the IIJS show, and more than 50 Indian wholesalers signed on to start listing their stones on the Vdb network.
The mobile nature of the Vdb app appeals to the international diamond community because retailers can virtually and visually search around the world for diamonds by price, availability, and all the C’s (carat, color, clarity, cut), from anywhere, at any time, on their mobile devices.
The Vdb app offers users a unique interactive user experience with customized views, saved searches, and grouping stones into collections/favorites, creating efficiency and potential cost savings. Users can also find matching diamonds at the click of a button, letting the software do the difficult, time-consuming work of sorting through qualifications and certificates of hundreds of diamonds to find a matching pair. Unlike other diamond search applications, the Virtual Diamond Boutique is free for retailers and offers visual imagery for unbranded merchandise. The app provides retailers the opportunity to virtually enhance their inventory with thousands of available diamonds from their preferred partners or from the entire network of vendors. The HD, high quality photos and video allow the sales associate to pre-sell the diamond(s) before requesting stones, effectively reducing shipping costs and security risks, while also offering the potential for savings on inventory investment. This digital app becomes an efficient training tool, as well, with visual imagery that makes it easy for new sales associates to learn standard diamond terminology and information.
Wholesalers have their own unique interactive user experience controlled by log-in credentials, and they can list diamonds on the network for a minimal fee. The platform enables efficiency, enabling users to create folders or saved search criteria by buyer preference, and allows customization by partner, as well as honoring exclusive distribution agreements. Each diamond listed on the Vdb app has its relevant diamond grading reports uploaded within the app, and its availability is updated instantly via the vendor’s inventory software systems.
The Virtual Diamond Boutique app is available for free download by certified trade professionals on the App Store for iPhone and iPad or the Google Play store for Android. The platform is password protected with trade credentials checked prior to account activation. New trade users can register on the app to create a username and password or they can request login credentials by visiting http://www.vdbapp.com/.