Articles and News
Industry News: De Beers’ First Sight Improves; New DEF Board; Doug Gollan Launches Newsletter February 01, 2016 (0 comments)
Diamond Sales Up At De Beers’ First Sight of 2016
London, UK—The De Beers Group of Companies sold U.S. $540 million of rough diamonds in its first sale of 2016, a gain of almost 118% from the U.S. $248 million sold in its final sale of 2015.
“A positive holiday season in the United States from a retail perspective, low levels of rough diamond purchases by the midstream in Q4 2015, and a subsequent reduction in manufacturing saw polished diamond stocks pull through the pipeline. This has resulted in firmer polished prices,” the company said in a statement.
Rough diamond demand grew as cutting and polishing factories began to increase activity, it added.
CEO Philippe Mellier commented, “We are encouraged by the result of the first sales cycle of 2016, and will keep working closely with our customers to deliver sustainable improvements in the diamond industry in 2016.”
Diamond Empowerment Fund Announces 2016 Board Changes
New York, NY—The Diamond Empowerment Fund global board of directors is pleased to announce a new slate of officers and introduce five new members who are joining the board.
Phyllis Bergman, CEO of Mercury Ring, continues as president for 2016. Ed Hrabak, chief operating officer for Signet Jewelers has been elected vice-president. Yancy Weinrich, group vice president of JCK, was elected secretary and Rich Slomovitz, chief operating officer of Rush Communications remains treasurer.
New members joining the board include: Kathy Corey, owner of Day’s Jewelers; Beth Gerstein, co-Founder and co-CEO of Brilliant Earth; Eddie Le Vian, CEO of Le Vian Corp; Michael Pollak, president of Hyde Park Jewelers; and Susan Wicht, advisor, The Global Language Project.
Outgoing board members include: Cathy Calhoun, Meir Dalumi, Dylan Dix, Ellen Haddigan, Jean-Paul Tolkowsky, and Jaci Wilson-Reid. They become members of the DEF advisory board.
Remaining on the board are: Lita Asscher of Royal Asscher, Nicola Breytenbach-Steiner, Peter Engel of Fred Meyer Jewelers, Rebecca Foerster of Leo Schachter Diamonds, Michael Kaplan of Rocket Red Box, Anna Martin of GIA, Sally Morrison of DPA, David Prager of De Beers, Scott Rauch of SHR Jewelry Group, Bruno Sané of Rio Tinto Diamonds, Hedda Schupak of The Centurion Newsletter, Varda Shine, Elliott Tannenbaum of Leo Schachter Diamonds, and Kent Wong Siu-Kee of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Ltd.
“Maintaining a global, diverse and high level board membership will help the Diamond Empowerment Fund continue to grow its mission of supporting initiatives that empower people in diamond communities and shining a light on the good that is done with diamonds” says co-Founder Dr. Benjamin Chavis.
New Travel Newsletter For Private Jet Owners Launches
New York, NY—Doug Gollan, luxury travel and expert on ultra-high net worth consumers, announces the launch of DG Amazing Experiences, a travel e-newsletter for private jet owners and their pilots.
"Travel is the common denominator of private jet owners," says Gollan, who describes his audience as "incredibly diverse, hard-to-reach and much different than the stereotypes."
According to the National Business Aviation Association, private jet owners make over 100 flights per year. Additional research shows their spending averages over $500,000 on leisure travel, including hotels, resorts, safaris, cruises, soft adventure, villa and yacht rentals, and over 90 percent of recipients oversee selection of board meeting and incentive venues for the companies they run or own.
They are also large consumers of luxury goods such as jewelry, watches, fashion, autos, spending over $150 billion per year, as well as purchasers of high-end real estate. In the U.S., private aviation contributes $150 billion to the economy and supports 1.2 million jobs.
"Our readers are very busy, and their main focus is on the multiple businesses they own and run, which is why they own and use private jets to begin with. DG Amazing Experiences provides news on new hotels, resorts, luxury and adventure travel experiences in a concise, fact-based reporting style, including expert interviews with top travel advisors, links to relevant information and other credible reporting on the subjects we cover," Gollan said, adding, "The goal is to give our readers a quick-CEO view of places they should put on the travel agenda, presented in the business style they are accustomed to without fluff."
Gollan, founder and former editor and publisher of Elite Traveler magazine also co-authored of the 2007 book The Sky's The Limit: Marketing To The New Jet Set, based on over 600 interviews with private jet owners. His next book, Sales Superstars: Secrets of Selling to the Super Rich, is based on interviewing top sellers from fashion, jewelry, watches, private jets and travel. He also is frequently quoted in major business and financial media as an expert on both travel and marketing to the super-rich.
DG Amazing Experiences monthly e-newsletters provide news and updates on multiple subjects, while special reports provide an in-depth focus on a single hotel or experience.
"DG Amazing Experiences is based on my 15 years as president and editor-in-chief of Elite Traveler, 30 years of business reporting experience, and my understanding of what UHNW private jet owners are looking for," Gollan said.
Click here to see a sample of DG Amazing Experiences content.