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Brand And Industry News: Uneek Wins More Awards; Platinum Price Hits Low Of $800 July 03, 2018 (0 comments)
Uneek Designer Benjamin Javaheri Wins Three Awards
Los Angeles, CA—Uneek Jewelry recently was honored with three design awards: two from an industry publication and one from a consumer website, WeddingWire.com. These are the 15th such accolades for the brand and its designer, Benjamin Javaheri.
Uneek won two INSTORE Design Awards for Retailer’s Choice, in the Colored Gemstone and the Engagement/Wedding Ring categories. The brand also received 2018 Top Rock Award from WeddingWire (left) at the recent Luxury/JCK Shows in Las Vegas.
The winning piece for the INSTORE Colored Gemstone Category is a one-of-a kind platinum sapphire and diamond ring from Uneek’s Silhouette Collection. It features an eight-carat oval sapphire flanked by 0.25 cts. of epaulette diamonds on a diamond studded Silhouette-inspired shank.
“I wanted to create a simple but elegant design that shows off the center stone and compliments it with the beautiful epaulette sides, not taking away from the main stone, but adding a touch of ‘wow’ to it,” says Javaheri of the design.
The INSTORE award for the Engagement/Wedding Ring Category was captured by a bridal set from Uneek’s newest collection, Us. The distinctive wedding set is 14k rose gold, featuring baguette-cut diamonds on the matching bands, with a round center stone.
“The concept of this particular Us Collection Ring Set was a collaborative effort with Cortland Shopper, our VP of Sales. Our desire was to bring out something modern and edgy. The east-west setting of the baguettes was intentional, to capture and highlight its brilliance and to take a break from the ordinary halo ring,” said Javaheri.
The 2018 Top Rock Winner is also from the Us Collection. It’s a three-piece set for fashion forward brides. The concept lets the wearer express her individuality by customizing a combination of rings to represent each milestone, or “just because.” Explains Javaheri, “It needed to be exceptional and extraordinary, and just show that this Us collection is all about being Uneek. I wanted to let the individuality shine through by being able to customize your own ring and go beyond the norm of a two-piece set.”
The 14k rose gold set features a band with crisscross motif of round and baguette diamonds, and a matching band/engagement ring combo featuring diamond-shaped stations, each decked with a cluster of white round diamonds. This ring trio has about one carat of diamonds in total weight, excluding center.
For more information, e-mail info@uneekjewelry.com, or call (1-888) BE-UNEEK.
Platinum Hits 14-Year Low Of $800/Ounce
New York, NY—Platinum futures dropped to $800 an ounce overnight Monday into Tuesday, a price not seen since December 2008, says a report on Kitco.com. But by midday Tuesday, the bargain hunters had stepped in, driving the price back up to $844.30.
It’s an 18% drop for the metal since the beginning of the year. Platinum remains well under the price of gold ($1,280/ounce at press time) but for a rare moment, it’s also trading considerably below palladium, another platinum group metal that was trading at $940 an ounce for September futures.
Analysts point to intensifying global trade issues as a key component driving the metal’s price weakness, especially a potential 20% tariff on European automobile imports to the United States.
Both platinum and palladium are used in auto catalyst fabrication, and palladium prices are currently faring a bit better than platinum, a weak auto sector is bad news for either metal.
At least platinum has jewelry to fall back on—sales of platinum jewelry rose 11% in the past year already and is on track to gain ground again with its new “platinum crown” initiative.
Related: The Fifth C: New Platinum Crown Program Helps Retailers Get Ahead
VICENZAORO September To Feature Three New Sections
Vicenza, Italy—Preparations are underway for VICENZAORO September, which will be held September 22-26 at the Italian Exhibition Group's venue in Vicenza, Italy. This year’s edition of VICENZAORO September will introduce a range of new features:
The Design Room is an exhibition concept tailored specifically for independent jewelry designers from around the world. Located within the ICON community, it provides a space that promotes experimentation and creativity to find exclusive and inspired items of jewelry.
The Watch Room is a new area dedicated exclusively to watches. It will be in the LOOK district, the hall dedicated to fashion jewelry, and will provide extensive visibility to 12 watch brands presenting both mechanical and quartz timepieces in a variety of price points.
T.EVOLUTION is a new section at the show dedicated entirely to small machinery and gold and jewelry processing technologies. Occupying an entire district of the show, T.EVOLUTION will spotlight companies specializing in the design, production, and sale of cutting-edge and high-tech machinery and tools for the gold and jewelry sector. Many focus on 3D printing, which is a technology that is becoming increasingly used in the industry.
A regular feature of VICENZAORO September is the launch of the newest edition of TRENDVISION Jewellery + Forecasting’s Trendbook, which forecasts design and consumer trends in jewelry, watches, and gemstones 18 months into the future. This year sees the introduction of TrendBook 2020+, and it will be presented at the customary seminar in the VO Square area.
TRENDVISION Jewellery + Forecasting is VICENZAORO's independent observatory specializing in jewellery trends, consumer attitudes and developments in the international luxury markets. It is the first such observatory worldwide to specialize in jewelry.
VICENZAORO also features a robust program of conferences, workshops, and seminars being offered during all five days of the show. On the schedule this year is Digital Talks, organized in collaboration with Federpreziosi Confcommercio, focusing on the digital universe that has become an indispensable element in the sector. TRENDVISION Jewellery + Forecasting will look at emerging and future trends, and a new and interesting entry is the Gem Talks, being organized in collaboration with the Italian Gemmological Institute (IGI).
For information, visit www.VICENZAORO.com.