Rob Bates

<p>Hi, everyone. I will be appearing on a panel at the AGS Conclave in Austin, Texas, next week—“360 Degree View of 2024: Industry Market Outlook, Expert Insights, and Business Opportunities,” on Monday, April 15, at 2:30 p.m. Central time. Hope to see you there, This week: Do you want your watch to smell like perfume?…</p>

<p>Loudr – A Bottomline Agency, a marketing firm that works with over 100 jewelry retailers, has announced two new hires. Emily Highet Morgan (left) is joining Loudr as director of media. She has 13 years’ experience in media, most recently served as a video strategist at Google, where she focused on YouTube. “I look forward…</p>

<p>A jeweler in the London borough of Tower Hamlets has been given a 20-month jail sentence for selling nearly a million dollars worth of luxury watches. Baldeep Singh Arora was sentenced on Jan. 25 for selling £700,000 (about $880,000) worth of counterfeit Rolex, Omega, Cartier, and Hublot timepieces, according to a government statement. During a…</p>

<p>The MJSA Education Foundation is now accepting applications for its annual “Future of Jewelry Making” scholarships. The foundation, a subsidiary of the Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America, will provide scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,500. They are available to students who are enrolled in a jewelry program and want make a career out of…</p>

<p>Art Jewelry Forum (AJF) is seeking a new executive director, after Yvonne Montoya, who has held the post since 2018, announced she is leaving the San Antonio–based educational group. “For a period of time, I’ve been dealing with health complications,” Montoya wrote in a mass email. “After much consideration and consultation, I’m taking my doctor’s…</p>

<p>Artificial intelligence will let retailers personalize the customer experience in ways we’re just beginning to imagine, David Edelman, a senior lecturer in marketing at Harvard Business School, said at a presentation on “Customer Strategy in the Age of AI,” held during the Plumb Club Symposium ’24. Personalization is “not just sticking your name on a…</p>

<p>Kendra Scott could enter into a financial agreement that would raise capital, as it looks to fund its expansion plans, according to a report on Axios. Company CEO Tom Nolan (pictured) declined to comment on whether the company had any specific transaction in mind or was working with an investment bank. A spokesperson tells JCK…</p>

<p>De Beers is pulling the plug on any Forevermark activities in the United States, as it transforms the loose diamond brand into a jewelry line focused on the Indian market. “From January 2026, Forevermark will [become] a jewelry brand,” said a letter to Forevermark partners signed by Sandrine Conseiller (pictured), who became CEO of De…</p> De Beers is pulling the plug on any Forevermark activities in the United States, as it transforms the loose diamond brand into a jewelry line focused on t…

<p>Borsheims has promoted longtime associate Carie Lehrke to vice president of human resources. In her new role, Lehrke will lead the Omaha, Neb., store’s employee relations, including recruitment, retention, onboarding, training, compensation, benefits, and company culture. Lehrke joined Borsheims in 1995, working initially on the customer service, gift sales, and inventory teams. In 1997, she…</p>

<p>The spot price of gold briefly passed $2,200 an ounce on March 21—a new world record. At press time, the yellow metal had retreated below that benchmark, to $2,161 an ounce. Even so, analysts believe the rally isn’t over: Aakash Doshi, Citi’s North America head of commodities research, told CNBC that the price may hit…</p>