Articles and News
Brand News From Frederique Constant, Forevermark, Jewelers’ Mutual, WR Cobb, and Versace Watches June 12, 2013 (0 comments)
Frederique Constant Book Says Live Your Passion; Chronicles The Firm’s History
Geneva, Switzerland—With its slogan “Live your passion”, watchmaker Frederique Constant has launched a book designed to encourage others to share its passion for fine watchmaking.
True passion is the result of fine sensitive processes that happen over time, not the exploits of some exciting moment. It represents one’s internal drive, not daily habits or needs. Time and moments pass but the accomplishments of one’s drive remain over time.
The idea for this book started during a seminar in Amsterdam, where the Frederique Constant management team attended. Over the years, various fans of the brand suggested a book about the owners’ and employees’ passion and the history of Frederique Constant, Alpina, and Atelier deMonaco.
The purpose initially was to create a book as a publicity vehicle for potential customers and new employees, to explain how and why the company was born, and to leave some kind of a legacy, a “rule book” on what the owners envision as the long-term culture of the company. The book also endeavors to explain to the owners’ and employees’ children what their parents have been doing for the past 20 years.
Aletta and Peter Stas, founders of Frederique Constant.
The book is a mix between a coffee table book and business book. Including its purpose, ”let more people enjoy luxury” and an in-depth explanation of the “accessible luxury” concept that has been the basis of the creation of Frederique Constant over twenty years ago. (The company acquired the Alpina brand in 2002; Atelier deMonaco was incorporated in April 2009 and is the third watch company in the Frederique Constant group.)
To order a copy of the book, click here.
Forevermark Names Leadership Council
Las Vegas, NV—During a breakfast meeting at the recent JCK Show in Las Vegas, Forevermark announced the establishment of the first-ever Forevermark Leadership Council, to discuss and debate ideas and thoughts on how to improve the Forevermark partnership and work towards a stronger leadership role in the diamond industry.
The Council includes: Jeffrey Link and Doug Sills (A. Link), Dylan Dix (Crossworks Manufacturing), Hertz Hasenfeld (Hasenfeld-Stein), Lenny Kramer (Leo Schachter Diamonds), Doug McDowell (Mémoire), Stuart Samuels (Premier Gem), Schlomo Elias (SES Creations), Lawrence Boch (Bachendorf’s), Susan Jacques (Borsheims), Clayton Bromberg (Bromberg’s & Co), Jeff Corey (Day’s Jewelers), Jack DeAngelis (Morton & Rudolph), Mark Moeller (R.F. Moeller Jeweler), Scott Sedlacek (REEDS Jewelers), and Bart Marks (Rogers Jewelry).
Forevermark also announced new Forevermark diamantaires and manufacturers. The brand has expanded fancy shape offerings in both round and straight edge, fancy yellow diamonds, Hearts and Arrows, and special cut diamonds.
Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company Names New Board Chair, Vice Chair, And New Board Members
Neenah, WI—The board of directors of Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company has elected Mark Fiebrink chair and Kurt Steckbeck vice chair. Outgoing chair Nancee James, who served in the position for four years, will continue her work with Jewelers Mutual as a board member. Carl Rudolph, a financial services consultant, retired from the board of directors after 10 years of service.
"It's an exciting time at Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company, and I'm proud to work with Mark Fiebrink and Kurt Steckbeck in their new roles as chair and vice chair, respectively," said Jewelers Mutual president and CEO Darwin Copeman. "Nancee has been an incredible leader at Jewelers Mutual, and we will continue to rely on her expertise in the insurance industry. Carl Rudolph was a valuable member of our board of directors for the last decade, and we will miss his contributions to our company."
Now retired, Fiebrink was most recently the president and chief operating officer at Wausau Insurance Companies, where he was responsible for all of the company's service operations. Prior to Wausau Insurance Companies, Fiebrink held positions with Liberty Mutual Agency Markets, including executive vice president, chief financial officer and chief actuary. His extensive insurance background also includes positions with ING's U.S. Property and Casualty operations and Nationwide Insurance Group. Fiebrink earned several professional designations, including Fellow Casualty Actuarial Society (FCAS) and Member American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA).
Steckbeck is the chief executive officer of North American Jewelers Inc., in Chicago, IL. Founded in 1986, the company is a manufacturer of diamond jewelry, producing more than 125,000 pieces of jewelry per year. Its products are sold through various retailers in the United States and Canada. He also is chairman of Steckbeck Jewelry PVT, a Mumbai, India-based company that specializes in jewelry manufacturing for a global market. He received a bachelor's degree in science from Regis University in Denver, Colo., and holds a Graduate Gemologist (GG) designation from the Gemological Institute of America.
Additionally, Jewelers Mutual has appointed Sherry Manetta and John Ward, both longtime executives in the insurance industry, to its board of directors.
WR Cobb: 89% of Traffic Generated By Pay-Per-Click Ads From New Visitors
East Providence, RI—WR Cobb says jewelers who use pay-per-click (PPC) advertising are seeing an increase in visits to their page, new customer visits, and “likes” on Facebook. The company says PPC advertising is almost always an effective marketing technique, and an affordable way to stay on top of the competition.
“The benefit of PPC is that jewelers can generate leads by budgeting how much they want to spend. Your business only has to pay when someone clicks on the advertisement and when that allotted budget is maximized, the ad will no longer appear. The key is to develop ads that will appeal to consumers when they are searching for your business, jewelry products, or other keywords that are relevant to your offerings,” says Jay Gerber, vice president of WR Cobb Online.
Gerber explains PPC advertising gives more control of how a business appears in a relevant search query, increases visibility to consumers looking for jewelry products, and increases the likelihood of them visiting the business’s website and store location.
WR Cobb has experience creating tailored digital marketing solutions for independent retailers, including the latest PPC techniques, for optimal results. For more information, click here.
Student Wins Versace Watch Talent Competition
Milan, Italy—Renowned fashion designer Donatella Versace last week announced that Adrien Nebel, a 22 years old student from Genève, Switzerland, is the winner of the inaugural Versace Watch Talent competition.
The competition was established to promote creativity among young watch designers. Entrants were invited to create a new women’s watch with an innovative and contemporary version of the Versace DNA.
Nebel won with his project “Crepuscolo degli dei.” He both designed and handcrafted the piece, interpreting Versace’s signature design in the union of a watch and jewelry. It was chosen by a jury including Donatella Versace, and Franca Sozzani, editor-in-chief of Condé Nast Italy.
The winning entry will be considered for production, possibly becoming the precursor to a new line of Versace watches. Nebel also receives a cash prize, and the opportunity for a three-month internship at the Timex Group Design Lab in Milan.