Jeweller - July 2019

VOICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN JEWELLERY INDUSTRY 

JULY 2019 

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THE TRENDS SHAKING UP 

ENGAGEMENT AND BRIDAL JEWELLERY 

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THE LATEST AND GREATEST WATCH 

MODELS FOR THE NEW SEASON

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A CLOSER LOOK AT THE 

WHITE DIAMOND CATEGORY 

VOICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN JEWELLERY INDUSTRY 

THE TRENDS SHAKING UP 

ENGAGEMENT AND BRIDAL JEWELLERY 


THE LATEST AND GREATEST WATCH 

MODELS FOR THE NEW SEASON 

CONTENTS 


17/ 

25/ 

29/ 

FEATURES REGULARS BUSINESS 

17/ WITH THIS RING 

How to get the best out of the 

engagement and bridal category 

as it continues to evolve. 

25/ ICE AGE 

Are diamonds really in the rough? 

Jeweller takes a look at the many 

facets of this competitive sector. 

29/ TIMED RELEASE 

Post-Baselworld, the leading watch 

brands debut exciting models for the 

new season. 

7/ Editorial 

8/ Upfront 

10/ News 

14/ ARA 

15/ New Products 

33/ Gems 

Organic Gems Part IV: ammolite 

41/ My Store 

42/ 10 Years Ago 

43/ Calendar 

44/ My Bench 

46/ Soapbox 

Dennis Coleman levels criticism 

at watch brands for their attitude 

to repairs and spare parts. 

35/ Business feature 

Should you use SEO or SEM? 

Laura Dawson reviews the 

pros and cons. 

37/ Selling 

Gretchen Gordon explores a very 

common trap for sales leaders. 

38/ Management 

Part one of Doug Fleener’s guide to 

achieving goals and beating stress. 

39/ Marketing 

Companies should put customer 

service first, writes Barry Urquhart. 

40/ Logged On 

Graham Jones explains why short 

beats long in content marketing. 

Classic rock 

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Front cover description: 

Engagements and weddings are 

the entry point into a lifetime 

of memories and moments 

celebrated with jewellery. 

July 2019 Jeweller 5

With a pool of $20,000 and crowning rights to the winner of 

each category, who and what piece do you think will win? 

The 2019 Jewellery Design Awards has more than $20,000 in cash and prizes on offer with every category being 

enthusiastically sponsored by the industry. As anticipation grows, industry suppliers have thrown their support 

behind the Awards with a common theme of celebrating creativity, passion, and skill. 

AWARD CATEGORIES 

• 1st & 2nd Year Apprentice/Student Award SPONSORED BY BRINKS 

• 3rd & 4th Year Apprentice/Student Award SPONSORED BY BRINKS • Australian Opal Award SPONSORED BY OPALS AUSTRALIA 

• Bridal Award SPONSORED BY REINE JEWELS • CAD/CAM/Cast Award SPONSORED BY CHEMGOLD 

• Coloured Gemstone Award SPONSORED BY MARK McASKILL • Diamond Award SPONSORED BY SAMS GROUP AUSTRALIA 

• Innovative Timepiece Award SPONSORED BY ADINA • Men’s Accessories & Jewellery SPONSORED BY TBA 

• Pearl Award SPONSORED BY IKECHO • Precious Metal Award SPONSORED BY PALLION 

INTERNATIONAL 

J E W ELLERY & WATCH FAIR 

AUGUST 24 > 26, 2019 

ICC Sydney I Exhibition Centre I Darling Harbour 

Organised by 

For further information regarding the awards, including full terms and 

conditions, please visit www.jewelleryfair.com.au or give our 

team a call on 02 9452 7513

EDITORIAL 

PANDORA – THE CHARM BEFORE THE STORM? 

Pandora has announced another round of 

sackings, and this time the job losses will be at 

its Australian distribution centre. 

It’s probably no surprise given that only two 

months ago, Pandora International’s chief 

financial officer, Anders Boyer, said: “The first 

quarter was characterised by continued weak 

like-for-like [figures], further burdened by our 

deliberate commercial reset.” 

At the time, he announced that 1,200 Pandora 

staff at its Thai manufacturing facility would 

lose their jobs – and that came after 700 

workers were dismissed in February. 

Pandora’s “reset” (otherwise known as costcutting) 

includes closing 50 ‘concept stores’ 

over the next year and, perhaps as a sign of 

Pandora’s woes, only eight concept stores 

were opened in the first quarter of 2019 – 

compared to 39 during that period in 2018. 

Hence the announcement from Phil 

McNutt – Pandora Australia’s new CEO – on 

17 June that the Sydney distribution centre 

would be closed in favour of handing over 

the company’s important customer service 

department to an external operation. 

McNutt, who joined Pandora in January, said 

the decision came after a six-month review. 

He advised independent stockists via email 

that the services performed by the in-house 

Pandora distribution centre “will be transferred 

to alternate suppliers in a phased approach 

from now until January next year.” 

Pandora International has been undergoing 

a massive restructure after a long period of 

disappointing financial results. In mid-May 

Boyer warned, “I see very significant costsaving 

opportunities. If revenues continue to 

decline, then you have to revisit the situation.” 

At the time Pandora reported worrying results; 

global sales fell by six per cent and net profit 

fell 31 per cent – from DKK1.15 billion to only 

DKK797 million. 

It was only a year ago, in June 2018, when 

McNutt’s predecessor at the Australian 

operation, Mikael Kruse Jensen, announced 

the closure of 100 retail accounts. The 

company sent emails to the affected stockists 

and then immediately attempted to allay the 

fears of remaining stockists. 

That episode caused a public relations 

nightmare, with many retailers telling me that 

they were making plans to ‘dump the brand 

before they got dumped’. 

Kruse Jensen’s email attempted to explain 

the reasoning, advising the spared stores: “It 

is important to note that this announcement 

does not change the nature of our relation 

and will have no impact on your account.” 

The problem for Pandora was that no-one 

believed a word of it! 

Now, more than 12 months on, I know 

many stores are continuing to move away 

from Pandora and their fears will only be 

heightened with McNutt’s latest staff sackings. 

IN AN 

INSENSITIVE 

DISPLAY OF 

CORPORATE 

SPEAK, MCNUTT 

REFERRED TO THE 

STAFF ABOUT 

TO LOSE THEIR 

JOBS AS “FAMILY 

MEMBERS”; BUT 

THAT DIDN’T 

MATTER, THEY 

WOULD BE 

SACKED ANYWAY 

I have written in the past that there are 

two words that I hear consistently used in 

conjunction with Pandora: arrogant and 

conceited. Sadly, McNutt’s handling of the 

recent “review” of the Australian operation is 

not likely to change that opinion. 

In an insensitive display of ‘corporate speak’, 

McNutt referred to the staff about to lose 

their jobs as “family members”; but that didn’t 

matter, they would be sacked anyway! 

Worse, he said, “The Pandora distribution 

centre and its staff have been a critical 

and extremely successful member of the 

Pandora family and value chain, and we 

will be disappointed to see them and their 

contribution leave the business.” 

I am not sure I have seen a better example 

of ‘corporate speak’ and nonsensical jargon 

– words and phrases used to avoid being 

forthright, or said to make someone believe 

something that is not true. Firstly, the staff 

are not “leaving” – they are being sacked. 

And if they are “critical and extremely 

successful” and are part of your “family”, 

then why is the centre being closed? 

It’s corporate speak gone mad – apparently, 

your critical and extremely successful staff 

should be sacked! If this is how “family 

members” are treated, then one wonders 

what Pandora has planned for its remaining 

retail “partners”? 

Coleby Nicholson 

Managing Editor 


UPFRONT 

BULLETIN BOARD 

n COSTLY PURCHASE 

Recently announced sales figures 

from Costco have revealed that one 

customer purchased a $400,000 

engagement ring from the discountbulk 

retailer! The sparkler, purchased 

online and picked up at a secure 

Costco store locker, is believed to be 

a platinum solitaire featuring a round 

brilliant 10.3-carat diamond. 

n FINE TOON 

In other ring news, a Japanese retailer 

is now offering Pokémon-themed 

engagement and wedding rings! Two 

matching sets are available, with each 

design based on a different loveable 

critter – either Pikachu or Mew. There’s 

also a limited edition Pokéball case 

available. What better way for fans to 

say, ‘I choose you’? 

n WATCH OUT! 

A pre-owned watch dealer has 

revealed what is believed to be the 

most convincing fake Rolex of all 

time. Watchfinder & Co examined a 

replica Rolex Daytona, valued at £1,000 

(AU$1,830), which had a steel case 

and bracelet, ceramic bezel, locking 

mechanism and – crucially – a calibre 

seemingly identical to the real thing. 

RUBY 

JULY BIRTHSTONE: 

DID YOU KNOW? 

Large rubies are more precious and valuable 

than diamonds, so it’s no wonder they were 

known as ratnaraj – “the king of jewels” – 

in Sanskrit. Prized by royalty throughout 

history, their deep red colour naturally 

symbolises fire, passion, courage and 

energy. In the past, rubies were thought to 

increase vitality and wealth, as well as bring 

success in love and battle. 

DIGITAL 

BRAINWAVE 

WHO SAID? 

“In the last 20 years there has 

been far more effort put into 

the economic, social and 

environmental impacts 

associated with our business.” 

Turn to page 25 to find out. > 

GOING MOBILE 

As of July 1, Google has announced that mobile-first 

indexing will be the default for all new web domains. 

This means that when you register a new website, 

Google’s bots will scan the page for mobile-friendly 

content. Even more important for business owners is 

that Google will use mobile-friendly content to index 

pages, understand the data on the page, and show snippets of content in users’ search 

results. Put simply, the more mobile-friendly content you have, the better your ranking 

will be on Google. This change has come about because the majority of Google users 

search on their mobile devices. There are plenty of online tools to check if a site is 

mobile-friendly – and there’s never been a better time than now to make sure! 

TOP PRODUCT 

The Bohemia Chain Drop Mini Hoops from 

Ania Haie feature delicate draping chains 

embellished with cubic zirconia. These 

earrings are the perfect addition to any 

bohemian-inspired wardrobe. Available in 

925 sterling silver with rhodium plating or 

925 sterling silver with 14-carat gold plating. 

Distributed by Duraflex Group Australia. 

VOICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN 

JEWELLERY INDUSTRY 

jewellermagazine.com 

Publisher & Editor 

Coleby Nicholson 

Associate Publisher 

Angela Han 

angela.han@gunnamattamedia.com 

Journalist 

Arabella Roden 

arabella.roden@jewellermagazine.com 

Production Manager 

& Graphic Design 

Jo De Bono 

art@gunnamattamedia.com 

Accounts 

Paul Blewitt 

finance@gunnamattamedia.com 

Subscriptions 

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Jeweller is published by: 

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Copyright: All material appearing 

in Jeweller is subject to copyright. 

Reproduction in whole or in part is 

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consent of the publisher. 

Gunnamatta Media Pty Ltd strives to 

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8 Jeweller July 2019

S

NEWS 

NEWS 

Football star wins $70K from Bensimon 

A business associated with Ron Bensimon, 

also known as Ronnie Ben-Simon, is facing 

legal complications over a missing diamond 

belonging to AFL player Joel Selwood. 

Bensimon Online, trading as Bensimon 

Bespoke Diamond Atelier, has been ordered 

to pay Selwood, the captain of the Geelong 

Cats, more than $69,000 after the business 

lost his fiancée’s engagement ring. 

The company is owned by Ron Bensimon’s 

wife, Kate, but promotes him as leading its 

diamond sourcing operations. 

Selwood, 31, purchased a custom-designed 

3.21-carat round brilliant diamond ring, 

valued at $66,000, from the company in July 

2018. It was sent back for resizing in October 

but was never returned, according to legal 

documents. In addition, the promised GIA 

Certificate for the centre stone was not 

delivered to Selwood. 

In a statement, the company claimed the 

footballer was fully refunded in February this 

year – a claim repeated by Ron Bensimon to 

The Age last month. 

However, Selwood countered that he had 

only received $6,000. 

Representatives for Bensimon Online did 

not attend the hearing at the Magistrates’ 

Court of Victoria and a default judgment was 

More job losses at Pandora 

Following a six-month review, Pandora 

Australia has confirmed it will close its inhouse 

distribution early next year. 

The news came after Pandora International 

decided to overhaul its Pacific region 

infrastructure, in the wake of the company’s 

restructuring following disappointing 

financial results. 

In an email dated 17 June to Pandora 

stockists, Phil McNutt, managing director 

Pandora Australia and New Zealand, said, 

“The services performed by the PDC 

[Pandora distribution centre] will be 

transferred to alternate suppliers in a phased 

approach from now until January next year.” 

“The PDC and its staff have been a critical 

JOEL SELWOOD, HIS FIANCEE AND THE MISSING RING 

entered against it, upholding an earlier order 

for Selwood to be repaid the value of the ring 

plus interest and legal costs. 

Selwood’s counsel Sarah Galbally, of LOD 

Legal, told The Age, “The money owed to 

Joel Selwood has not been refunded by 

Kate Bensimon or the company. We are still 

awaiting Kate Bensimon or her company to 

make the payment to meet the orders made 

by the court, by way of a judgment debt. The 

next step is for enforcement proceedings.” 

As reported in Jeweller, Ron Bensimon’s 

previous business, Bensimon Retail Group 

– which included Bensimon Diamonds 

within the Crown complex in Melbourne 

– was placed into liquidation in 2016 

owing $7 million. 

Ron and Kate Bensimon later relocated to 

Sydney, where she established the onlineonly 

Atelier business. 

and extremely successful member of 

the Pandora family and value chain, and 

we will be disappointed to see them and 

their contribution leave the business,” 

he added. 

“The PDC staff are currently working through 

the proposed changes with HR over the next 

short period.” 

Jeweller attempted to clarify with McNutt 

the exact number of job losses and whether 

the decision would mean that, in the future, 

Pandora stockists would have to deal 

directly with the outsourced distribution 

company on returns, faults and repairs. 

At the time of publication he had not 

provided answers. 

PANDORA IS 

CLOSING ITS LOCAL 

DISTRIBUTION 

CENTRE 

Prizes announced 

for Jewellery 

Design Awards 

Organisers Expertise Events have 

announced the prize list for this year’s 

Jewellery Design Awards (JDA), which 

will take place on August 25 as part of 

the International Jewellery and Watch 

Fair (IJWF) in Sydney. 

Winners will share in more than $20,000 

in prize money and category-specific 

prizes, with each award sponsored by 

the industry. 

Joshua Zarb, general manager Expertise 

Events, said, “We are so grateful for 

the generosity from our sponsors to 

give something back to designers to 

recognise all the hard work that they 

have put into their submissions.” 

This year sees the Supreme and Fair 

Visitor Choice categories replaced by the 

Innovative Timepiece Award. 

“This is an area that is still a large part 

of the overall jewellery industry and we 

are looking forward to seeing advances 

in both design and technology in this 

space,” Zarb explained. 

Categories and sponsors: 

• 1st & 2nd year Apprentice/Student 

Sponsored by Brinks 

• 3rd & 4th year Apprentice/Student 

Sponsored by Brinks 

• Australian Opal Award 

Sponsored by Opals Australia 

• Bridal Award 

Sponsored by Reine Jewels 

• CAD/CAM/Cast Award 

Sponsored by Chemgold 

• Coloured Gemstone Award 

Sponsored by Mark McAskill 

• Diamond Award 

Sponsored by SAMS Group Australia 

• Men’s Accessories & Jewellery 

Sponsored by Peter W Beck 

• Pearl Award 

Sponsored by Ikecho 

• Precious Metal Award 

Sponsored by Pallion 

• Innovative Timepiece Award 

Sponsored by Adina 


NEWS 

A new celebrity face for Thomas Sabo 

Duraflex Group Australia (DGA) has 

announced that British pop star Rita Ora 

will be the new face of Thomas Sabo 

jewellery and watches. 

The singer – who is also an actress, model 

and TV presenter – follows in the footsteps 

of previous brand ambassadors Katy 

Perry, Poppy Delevingne and Georgia 

May Jagger. 

“Rita is the perfect face and association for 

the brand with a broad target audience 

that completely aligns with Thomas Sabo,” 

Phil Edwards, managing director DGA, said. 

“Rita will be pictured in all upcoming 

marketing material and, in particular, all 

in-store signage options,” he added. 

The two-year partnership officially began 

on July 1, with Ora making her debut as 

the face of Thomas Sabo in the autumn/ 

winter 2019 collection. 

As part of the marketing package, Ora 

has begun promoting Thomas Sabo 

through social media with the hashtag 

#RITAORAxTS. Ora – who has 15 million 

Instagram followers – first announced the 

partnership by thanking the company for 

providing her with custom-made jewellery 

at the end of May. 

So far, Ora has worn the Thomas Sabo 

Black Cat ring from the Rebel At Heart 

collection, star-themed earrings inspired 

by the Kingdom of Dreams collection, and 

a selection of silver chains. 

“In addition to the social media 

communication that will involve Rita, 

it will be exciting to launch the new 

season product with a fresh new face and 

approach at the store level – in particular 

with direct visuals to connect with 

consumers,” Edwards said. 

Opalised dinosaurs thrill scientists 

A group of more than 60 fossils from 

the Sheepyard opal field near Lightning 

Ridge have been found to belong to a 

new species of dinosaur. Among them is 

also the world’s most complete opalised 

dinosaur skeleton. 

The fossils – which are mostly made up of 

grey potch opal – were unearthed in the 

1980s by miner Bob Foster, but have only 

recently undergone a full examination by 

palaeontologists after being donated to the 

Australian Opal Centre. 

Dr Phil Bell, lead researcher from the 

University of New England, Armidale, 

said, “We initially assumed it was a single 

skeleton, but when I started looking at 

some of the bones, I realised that we had 

four scapulae [shoulder blades] all from 

different sized animals.” 

It’s believed the dinosaurs belonged to 

a herd or family group. The species has 

been named Fostoria dhimbangunmal, 

referencing Foster and the words for ‘sheep’ 

RITA ORA IS NOW REPRESENTING THOMAS SABO 

ONE OF THE OPALISED FOSSILS. PHOTO: ROBERT A. 

SMITH, COURTESY AUSTRALIAN OPAL CENTRE 

and ‘yard’ in the local Yuwaalaraay and 

Yuwaalayaay languages. 

It’s the second new dinosaur species to 

be discovered in Lightning Ridge in eight 

months. An opalised jawbone fossil from 

the dog-sized Weewarrasaurus pobeni was 

discovered in December last year. 

Lightning Ridge is the only known 

place where dinosaur bones routinely 

turn to opal. 

+ MORE BREAKING NEWS 

JEWELLERMAGAZINE.COM 

IN BRIEF 

* 

NEW MINERAL DISCOVERED 

The International Mineralogical 

Association has recognised carmeltazite 

as a new mineral. An Israeli mining 

company first discovered it earlier this 

year near Mount Carmel. Its chemical 

composition is similar to corundum, 

and includes titanium, aluminium and 

zirconium. It can appear dark brown to 

dark green and is suitable for jewellery. 

* 

BRILLIANT BIRTHDAY 

The Antwerp World Diamond Centre 

celebrated the 100th anniversary of the 

brilliant cut last month, marking a century 

since local engineer Marcel Tolkowsky 

developed it aged just 19. Tolkowsky 

discovered how to maximise the amount 

of light being refracted through the table 

and crown of a diamond by cutting 57 

precisely placed facets. 

* 

POE’S WATCH SOLD 

An 18-carat gold key-wound pocket 

watch once belonging to writer Edgar 

Allan Poe has been sold at auction 

for US$250,000. The piece – which is 

engraved with his name – was sold as 

part of the Christie’s Fine Printed Books 

& Manuscripts Including Americana 

Auction in New York last month. 

* 

$3 MILLION DIAMOND THEFT 

An employee of Russian diamond 

producer Alrosa has been detained by 

authorities after being caught trying 

to steal a batch of diamonds valued 

at AU$340,000 from a sorting and 

grading facility last month. A raid of 

the employee’s home and that of two 

accomplices turned up more than 

AU$3 million in stolen diamonds. 

* 

MARCOS JEWELLERY AUCTIONED 

The Philippines government has 

authorised an auction of jewellery once 

belonging to the family and friends of 

dictator Ferdinand Marcos. The collection 

– which was valued at US$19 million 

(AU$27.8 million) in 2015 – includes a 

25-carat diamond and a tiara belonging 

to former First Lady Imelda Marcos. 


NEWS 

Swarovski embraces natural diamonds 

New GIA certificate 

for fancy-colour 

diamonds 

As part of its push to improve traceability, the 

Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has 

begun issuing country of origin reports for 

natural fancy-colour diamonds. 

Previously, Diamond Origin Reports were only 

available for colourless diamonds. However, 

the organisation has now approved processes 

for identifying when a polished stone 

matches a rough on file, thereby creating a 

record of that diamond’s origin. 

“In recent years, there has been a growing 

demand for transparency and traceability in 

the diamond industry. Consumers want to 

know the origin of products and their socioeconomic 

and environmental impact,” Susan 

Jacques, GIA president and CEO, said. 

Three years after launching its synthetic 

diamond business, Swarovski has announced 

that it will expand into natural diamonds 

within the next 12 months. 

The announcement was made during the 

JCK Las Vegas trade show during a panel 

discussion on sustainability. 

Nadja Swarovski, head of corporate 

communications and design services, said, 

“We believe in the natural diamond story and 

we want to tell the story of a product that 

makes a positive contribution.” 

The Austrian company, which was founded 

in 1895, is still best known for its signature 

glass crystals. It also sells natural gems, 

synthetic stones, finished jewellery and 

household goods. 

The company has recently been promoting 

its Atelier Swarovski fine jewellery collection 

with Oscar-winning actress Penélope Cruz, 

which is made entirely from synthetic 

diamonds – which it markets as ‘Swarovski 

Created Diamonds’. 

During the trade show panel, Nadja Swarovski 

reiterated the business’ commitment to being 

environmentally and socially conscious, 

confirming the natural diamonds would be 

“sustainably sourced” and manufactured 

rough to polished in Austria. Polished stones 

from third-party suppliers will also be used in 

future collections. 

“The GIA Diamond Origin Report fits 

perfectly with GIA’s mission of educating and 

protecting the public, and ensuring their trust 

in gems and jewellery.” 

The process involves analysing, testing and 

recording the characteristics of each rough 

stone submitted for grading, and then 

assigning an identification number. 

When a polished stone is returned to the GIA 

for grading, the laboratory will see if it has 

an identification number matching a rough 

stone on file. 

If a match is found, the natural fancy-colour 

diamond is then put through the same tests 

and analysis as the rough was to confirm it’s 

the same stone. 

“If the data from the polished diamond and 

the rough match, GIA will confirm the country 

of origin provided by the mining company, 

and include that information on the Diamond 

Origin Report,” Tom Moses, GIA executive vice 

president and chief laboratory and research 

officer, said. 

Duraflex lands Baume & Mercier 

Swiss watch brand Baume & Mercier is now 

exclusively distributed by Duraflex Group 

Australia (DGA), it has been confirmed. 

The partnership came into effect on 1 June. 

Phil Edwards, managing director DGA, said: 

“The addition of the Baume & Mercier brand 

is another important development for the 

planned growth of our business. 

“The expansion into luxury watches adds 

a new tier to our portfolio and we are 

excited to be working with a brand of 

such high calibre.” 

DGA also distributes Swiss brands Luminox 

and Mondaine, as well as TW Steel, Jag, Limit, 

Police and the Thomas Sabo watch range. 

“We are excited to partner with Duraflex 

Group,” Romain Lambert, managing director 

Baume & Mercier South-East Asia and 

Oceania said. “It is clear that there is an 

DGA NOW DISTRIBUTES THE SWISS WATCH BRAND 

untapped opportunity to develop a stronger 

retail network in order to service current and 

potential Baume & Mercier customers.” 


RETAIL 

ARA 

POLICY AND POLITICS MUST WORK TO HELP RETAILERS 

As the retail industry faces economic 

headwinds, the Australian Retailers 

Association (ARA) believes decisions 

from the Fair Work Commission and the 

Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will have 

far-ranging implications for the sector. 

Recently the Commission ruled to increase 

the national minimum wage by 3 per cent, 

to $19.49 per hour, starting from 1 July. 

It also increased Modern Awards by 3 per 

cent including the General Retail Industry 

Award, which will rise to $21.41 per hour for 

full- and part-time employees, and $26.76 

per hour for casuals. 

While the rise was in line with expectations, 

retailers had hoped for a more modest 

increase of 1.8 per cent, which would 

have struck a balance between tough 

conditions in the sector and the need for 

employees to have their wages increase in 

line with prices. 

As it stands, the increase is more than 

double the rate of inflation and also 

outpaces GDP growth, which was at 2.3 

per cent for the year to December 2018. 

However, while the decision will make 

it more expensive – and therefore more 

difficult – for small businesses to hire extra 

staff, it could also boost consumer spending 

by putting more money in the pockets of 

low-wage earners. 

Also easing the squeeze is the RBA’s 

decision to cut interest rates by 25 basis 

points. This policy will aid struggling 

retailers – who are experiencing the 

lowest retail sales growth in 50 years – by 

increasing consumers’ disposable income, 

thereby stimulating spending. 

BUSINESS 

LEADERS HAVE 

CHORUSED 

THEIR SUPPORT 

FOR MORE 

INFRASTRUCTURE 

SPENDING AND 

REGULATORY 

REFORM IN 

ORDER TO 

CONTINUE THE 

COUNTRY’S 

UNMATCHED 

27-YEAR RUN 

OF ECONOMIC 

PROSPERITY 

Trade figures for April showed an 

unexpected deterioration from the March 

numbers, leading to widespread conjecture 

about the overall health of the $320 billion 

retail sector. 

In addition to the RBA’s decision, 

stimulatory changes – including the 

Morrison Government’s proposed tax cuts 

– may well filter through in the coming 

months, giving the industry a reprieve from 

the challenging market conditions. 

A TIME FOR ACTION 

Indeed, Australia’s soft GDP figures, 

released in June, have only added to calls 

for government intervention to boost 

the economy. 

Business leaders have chorused their 

support for more infrastructure spending 

and regulatory reform in order to continue 

the country’s unmatched 27-year run of 

economic prosperity. 

Following the reforms of the Hawke, 

Keating and Howard Governments, 

Australia saw major dividends – but the 

last 10 years have seen a disappointing 

lack of vision and action from both the 

major parties. 

The politicisation of tax changes and 

the Canberra “blame game” have lead to 

the country resting on its laurels instead 

of adapting and evolving to meet the 

challenges of today and tomorrow. 

Even worse, Australia’s economic 

reputation and prospects have been 

damaged overseas. 

Rather than accepting slowing global 

conditions, it’s now time for state and 

federal governments of all political stripes 

to pro-actively identify and execute a 

bold agenda. 

The ARA supports a cut to the company 

tax rate to 25 per cent, which would make 

businesses more competitive, as well as 

re-examining tax compliance structures 

for businesses. 

GST and PAYE are also overdue for review, 

with states needing to align taxation to 

give certainty and foster efficiency for 

cross-state businesses. 

While company tax cuts have been painted 

as “handouts to billionaires”, the reality 

is that lowering and simplifying taxes, 

streamlining regulation and cutting red 

tape for businesses – as well as undertaking 

major infrastructure projects – would 

generate much-needed jobs and boost 

the economy. 

RUSSELL ZIMMERMAN is 

is the executive director 

of the Australian Retailers 

Association (ARA). 

Email: info@retail.org.au 

The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is the largest association representing the country’s 

$310 billion retail sector, which employs more than 1.2 million people. Providing expert advice 

across multiple disciplines including leasing and wage rates, the ARA’s mission is to ensure 

retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for members. 


NEW PRODUCTS 

NEW PRODUCTS 

HERE, JEWELLER HAS COMPILED A SNAPSHOT OF THE LATEST PRODUCTS TO HIT THE MARKET. 

COUTURE 

KINGDOM 

From the brand new Couture Kingdom collection 

inspired by The Lion King, in cinemas this month, 

come the Simba hoop earrings. The future king 

of the Pridelands, as drawn by Rafiki in the film, 

suspend delicately on these ultra-modern hoops. 

Crafted with a high-shine finish and artistic 

enamelling. Visit: couturekingdom.com 

DANSK SMYKKEKUNST 

Unique, fluid shapes inspired by nature feature in 

the new Danish Urban Eve collection from Dansk 

Smykkekunst. Necklaces and earrings available in gold, 

silver or hematite tones. Visit: timesupply.com.au 

+ MORE NEW PRODUCTS 

JEWELLERMAGAZINE.COM 

GEORGINI 

ENGELSRUFER 

This beautiful handmade bracelet 

is made of rose-plated 925 

sterling silver with a rose quartz 

stone. With its variable length, it’s 

ideal for very narrow wrists and 

can be perfectly combined with 

other jewellery. Visit: dgau.com.au 

IKECHO 

These sterling silver hook 

earrings feature white 9–10mm 

near round freshwater pearls, 

combined with a chain tassel 

element. A matching necklace is 

also available. Visit: ikecho.com.au 

The Mosaic collection features an 

intricate collage of tiny princess 

and baguette stones, delicately 

placed to capture every angle 

of light for maximum sparkle 

and shine! The Mosaic gold ring 

is perfect for every occasion. 

Crafted in 925 sterling silver and 

plated in 18-carat gold. Visit: 

westendcollection.com.au 

FABULEUX VOUS 

PASTICHE 

Inspired by the water lily, the Aurelia 

Earrings and Necklace are a bold 

design with a light filigree finish. 

Crafted in stainless steel ion-plated 

with yellow gold, these pieces are 

from the Night Sky Collection for 

winter 2019. Visit: pastiche.com.au 

The new Areeya collection from Fabuleux Vous features beautiful freshwater pearls, in 

both natural colours and dyed to make a fashion statement, mixed with crystal and beads 

hand threaded onto silk wire with stainless steel findings. Visit: fabuleuxvous.com 


ENGAGEMENT AND BRIDAL 

Love 

All for 

NEW TRENDS ARE SHAKING 

UP THE ENGAGEMENT-RING 

SECTOR. ARABELLA RODEN 

DISCOVERS HOW JEWELLERS 

ARE ADAPTING TO THE 

CHANGING TASTES AND 

BUDGETS OF CONSUMERS 

diamond is forever is one of the most-effective 

marketing campaigns of all time. Seven decades 

since De Beers launched its 1948 sales pitch, more 

than 70 per cent of engagement rings still feature a 

classic white diamond. 

The trend seems to be turning, however, as more couples opt 

for fancy-colour diamonds, unusual gems and fancy shapes in 

order to tell their unique love story. 

“The bridal market is changing and the bridal consumer is 

changing,” Stephen Lussier, chairman of consumer products at 

De Beers, recently told JCK. 

SAMS Group CEO Steve der Bedrossian, whose company 

distributes Pink Kimberley and Blush Pink Diamonds, agrees: 

“Couples are looking at different options to style up their 

engagement rings,” he says. “Due to social media, clients are 

shown far more styles than what they would in a jewellery 

store, which influences every detail in a design.” 

At the same time, retail jewellers are evolving their design 

processes and sales techniques in order to accommodate the 

changing desires, expectations and budgets of this category’s 



information – from design to ring size. That way they both get to enjoy the right 

ring and the surprise element. Win-win!” 

THE COLOUR OF LOVE 

When it comes to selecting a standout stone, Der Bedrossian believes nothing is 

more unique than pink. 

KAILIS 

largest group of current and future shoppers: Millennials and Gen Z. These 

consumers combine their desire for unique retail experiences with strong demand 

for unique, personalised pieces that both attract attention and tell a story. 

Jewellers are turning to unusual engagement rings to satisfy these needs 

and capitalise on this critical category, which can be the first chance to form 

relationships with customers that can last years; buying an engagement ring is 

often the first step in the life journey of a customer, who will go on to purchase 

wedding jewellery, anniversary gifts, push presents and more. 

CULTURAL SHIFT 

DELIQA GEMS 

The way consumers think about and purchase engagement rings has changed 

in recent years. Younger generations take a less-traditional view of marriage but 

there’s still a strong connection between love and rings, whether promise rings, 

commitment rings or engagement rings. 

“Millennials are really looking for uniqueness,” explains Yseult de Crombrugghe, 

project manager Langerman Diamonds, which exclusively deals in fancy-colour 

diamonds. “They want a symbol of their love that reflects their story. Future 

brides are looking for rings that come off the beaten path whilst having the same 

sentimental value as traditional rings.” 

Kelly Safarewicz, retail leader at Pieces of Eight gallery in Melbourne, agrees: 

“For many, an emotional connection to a piece is enough to win them over 

and I find more people are searching for a unique stone that reflects their 

unique relationship.” 

Marriages are also taking place later. The median age of marriage has been steadily 

increasing since 1950 and is now 32 for men and 30 for women, according to the 

Australian Bureau of Statistics. The nature of proposing has changed and so has 

the ring-buying process. 

Justin Linney, creative director at Linneys jewellers in Perth, says the engagement 

ring is now more likely to be a “combined decision”. “Culturally, roles are evolving. 

More couples are designing the ring together these days,” he says, adding that this 

is a trend popular in same-sex marriages. 

“For our same-sex couples, it is a mix of making a ring for the proposal or having 

the couple come in together and make matching rings or different designs to suit 

their individual styles.” 

That said, traditional proposals aren’t finished yet: “The surprise proposal is alive 

and well so there are still some romantics out there,” Linney says. 

Jacqueline Fowler, jewellery consultant, Holdsworth Bros in Victoria, says, “Many 

times couples will come in together to get an idea of what they like and we make 

notes. When the time is right, the partner will come back and we have all the 

“Pink diamonds are extremely rare so they add a touch of class,” he says. “Blush Pink 

jewellery takes the lighter hues of the Argyle pink diamond and arranges them 

in a design to maximise their colour and radiance – most are pave or cluster-style 

designs. Pink Kimberley jewellery, on the other hand, uses larger, darker Argyle 

pink diamonds to achieve a boutique-style masterpiece.” 

De Crombrugghe says the demand for fancy-colour diamonds has “exploded over 

the last couple of years”, which she puts down to celebrity engagement rings, 

scene-stealing red-carpet jewellery and record-breaking auctions. She also notes 

that fancy-colour diamonds are harder than other coloured gems, making them 

ideal for everyday wear. 

“Uniqueness and custom-makes are very important for couples today and colour 

is a great way to personalise a ring,” de Crombrugghe says, adding, “One of our 

customers asked for a diamond matching the eye colour of her life partner. We 

found the perfect match with a beautiful fancy greenish-brown diamond.” 

Linney says custom-makes with yellow, champagne and black diamonds are 

popular for clients wanting something “different to what their friends might have”, 

adding that pink diamonds are also highly sought after: “We enjoy using pink 

diamonds either as side stones, centre stones or as halos to frame a stunning 

white diamond.” 

Fowler has also noticed a demand for Argyle pinks and chocolate diamonds, as 

well as yellow-diamond halo rings. 

“Sapphires are a very popular choice at the moment; however, we also have 

couples that choose aquamarines and rubies,” she says, adding, “Tanzanites have 

also become popular in recent times.” 

The demand for sapphire engagement rings in particular has seen an uptick after 

receiving royal approval. Princess Eugenie of York made headlines around the 

world in 2018 when her fiancé proposed with an oval-cut Padparadscha sapphire 

from Sri Lanka, estimated to be 3 carats. 

Sasha Gammampila is founder of Deliqa Gems, which deals exclusively in 

sapphires of all colours. She says the demand has been “consistent” and the royal 

ring “certainly sparked a trend in sapphires”. 

Katherine Kovacs, director K&K Export Import, agrees: 

“In the last year or two, we have noticed a significant 

spike in calls requesting colour gemstones for use in 

engagement rings. 

“Top of the list for us is sapphire; Sri Lankan (Ceylon) 

sapphire dominates but demand for Australian 

sapphire is growing – particularly in blue, green and 

teal colours – often with clients specifically requesting 

that the stone is Australian.” 

Kovacs says that sapphire and ruby are both from the 

corundum family and have the suitable hardness and 

toughness for everyday wear. 

“Spinel is also great choice for wearability,” she adds. 

SAMS GROUP AUSTRALIA 



Linneys has also had requests for pearl engagement rings, though the jeweller 

advises customers that pearl engagement rings will wear differently to a diamond 

engagement ring due to the fragility and softness of pearls. 

Similarly, gems such as amethyst, emerald and aquamarine do not share the 

same hardness as diamonds, sapphires or rubies. These gems have become more 

popular in the revival of the birthstone engagement ring, which was the tradition 

before white diamonds. 

HOLDSWORTH BROS 

LANGERMAN NATURAL COLOR DIAMONDS 

Another growing trend is the ‘salt-and-pepper’ or ‘galaxy’ diamond – white 

diamonds filled with dark inclusions that give the stone the appearance of the 

night sky or stormy seas. 

Safarewicz says Pieces of Eight clients are “drawn to their [galaxy diamonds] 

individuality and distinct look. There is certainly a trend of young couples in their 

twenties and thirties looking at these stones to feature in their engagement rings.” 

Heavily-included and tinted diamonds can also appeal to price-sensitive 

consumers, according to Safarewicz, who says they “allow clients with a more 

modest budget to purchase a diamond while still appealing to their desire for a 

unique ring”. 

Pearls, too, are becoming more popular in engagement rings – so much so 

that West Australian pearl jewellery company Kailis has launched a bespoke 

engagement-ring design service. 

“We have seen great demand from Kailis customers who wanted a bespoke 

engagement ring,” Julian Power, Kailis head of design, says. “Australian South 

Sea pearls are the rarest in the world; it comes down to couples and individuals 

wanting to express their individuality and have a beautiful ring that is customised 

to their taste.” 

Birthstones have a bold look and add a beautiful sentimental element to the 

ring – some couples choose a combination of their own birthstones or even the 

birthstones of their children. Yet the softness of some birthstones means they are 

only suited to use as small accent stones or channel-set into the band to minimise 

the risk of chips and scratches. 

SHAPE REMAINS SOLID 

Coloured gemstones may be giving engagement rings a modern look but where 

shape is concerned, Fowler says it’s all about tradition. 

“Couples are still looking for the classic round-brilliant in a claw setting,” she reveals. 

“Halos are really popular at the moment combined with fancy shapes like pear, 

oval and marquise centres.” 

De Crombrugghe agrees, saying, “Round diamonds are still the most popular but 

they are not always the best choice for fancy-colour diamonds as the roundbrilliant 

cut has been designed to enhance the whiteness of a colourless diamond.” 

Linney says oval-cut diamonds have been trending over the past 12 months, 

adding, “We have also noticed more requests for 18-carat yellow gold.” 

Meanwhile, Der Bedrossian notes that pave-style clusters in pink are proving 

popular, as are pink-diamond halos around a white diamond centre stone. 

“White gold is still the king of all metals for engagement rings,” he adds. 

The most-popular searches on apps like Instagram and Pinterest reflect these 

trends, where oval stones, petal-effect halos and half-halos, sunbursts – a marquise 

Selling the dream 

– retailers talk engagement sales 

LINNEYS 

“We have many families who have been 

shopping with us for generations and are 

more like friends than customers – they love 

the attention to detail that they receive with 

us; they trust us and we are always honest with 

our customers. More often, clients want to 

know all about diamond quality and they are 

definitely expecting the best service.” 

– Jacqueline Fowler, jewellery consultant, 

Holdsworth Bros 

“Engagement ring buyers are doing a lot of 

research online before buying now, which 

can have some positive and some negative 

effects, given not all the information they 

read is correct. From a design perspective, 

customers are flooded with different design 

options online and I think they feel pressured 

to know what they want before they visit our 

showroom. Once they actually try rings on 

their hand or view our designs in reality, they 

quickly realise what they like and don’t like.” 

– Justin Linney, creative director, Linneys 

“We encourage a dialogue with our clients 

about their jewellery: what their expectations 

are and what styles and materials will be 

most suitable. We want the client to feel 

confident in their purchase but we also 

respect that purchasing or creating a 

special piece of jewellery can often carry 

a lot of emotion with it.” 

- Kelly Safarewicz, retail leader, 

Pieces of Eight Gallery 


or pear-cut diamond with a round-diamond 

halo – and gold bands have topped consumers’ 

wish lists. 

EYES ON THE PRICE 

ANDREW BARCHAM/ 

PIECES OF EIGHT 

According to the New York Times, a broad survey of US adults listed 

the median payment for an engagement ring at about US$2,000, with 

just seven per cent spending over US$10,000. Another US poll found 

that 68 per cent of Millennials expected to pay US$2,500 or less for an 

engagement ring. 

In contrast, the average price of engagement rings in Australia 

is $5,000, according to the 2018 Australian Wedding Industry 

Report (AWIR), a survey of more than 4,000 couples conducted by 

Easy Weddings. 

This gap presents a marked challenge for jewellers but, as with any 

jewellery purchase, a thorough understanding of one’s customer and 

the value of the product is the key to successful sales. 

An engagement ring is a deeply-personal purchase. With more and 

more young couples now living together and saving for their home 

deposit or paying off a mortgage, splashing cash on a huge diamond 

is no longer feasible. 

“Clients are telling us that the type of consumer that requests a 

coloured-gemstone engagement ring likes to have something unique 

but is often driven by price – you can usually get a bigger ring for 

fewer dollars with a colour gemstone than you can with a diamond,” 

Kovacs explains. 

Even at the higher end of the market, Linney says price is still a 

factor. The key is to find the perfect ring for the customer’s budget: 

“About $10,000 seems to be a common figure that guys and girls are 

prepared to spend on an engagement ring,” he explains. “Purchasing 

an engagement ring is one of the most important financial decisions 

couples will ever make so it is important that they are well-informed 

and make the right choice.” 

For this reason, couples are often shopping for their engagement rings 

together, discussing exactly what they want and what they can afford. 

“Often couples come in just knowing their budget,” Fowler confirms. 

“Others come in with a design including the exact diamond size and 

quality they would like.” 

Social media has enhanced the proposal, making 

it more public. As a result, the story of choosing 

the ring, the significance of the personal 

design elements and the unique, photogenic 

appearance of the finished product are all 

major selling points. 

“Deciding what to spend on 

an engagement ring is a very 

personal decision,” Fowler says. 

“What our clients end up spending 

is based on a combination of 

many different things. But 

ultimately the significance of 

continued page 23 

PETER W BECK 

New collections 

‘Bohemian Dream’, ‘Fringe Appeal’ 

and ‘Mineral Glow’ now available 

with more releases coming soon 

Proudly distributed by 

02 9417 0177 | www.dgau.com.au


Going the 

aisle 

After “Yes” comes “I do”, which is another opportunity for jewellers to create the memory 

of a lifetime by selling the wedding ring, the bridal jewellery and the wedding-party jewellery 

WORTH & 

DOUGLAS 

Wedding rings are priced lower than engagement rings and don’t have 

the same fanfare, but there’s no reason this jewellery purchase should be 

an afterthought. 

“The appeal of wedding rings is because of tradition and ceremony – a wedding 

ring is something worn by a wide range of people with a wide range of budgets,” 

Olivia Baird, marketing co-ordinator at Peter W Beck, says. “A basic lightweight, 

9-carat, yellow-gold wedding ring can be purchased at retail for as low as $150 but 

those people with a higher budget will spend many thousands of dollars on their 

wedding rings.” 

These rings are another chance for a couple to commemorate their love with 

personal or matching pieces that show off their flair for design. “Over the last 

12 months we have seen continued popularity of our zirconium range in men’s 

wedding rings,” Baird says. “The striking black offers a modern twist on our classic 

styles, while our zirconium-and-gold styles make for a sophisticated combination 

of materials in a wedding ring.” 

Chris Scanlan is manager at RJ Scanlan & Co, which distributes Dora wedding rings 

for men. He agrees that black has been a trend, especially contrasted with yellow 

gold or even rose gold, and that carbon fibre also has a strong following. 

Chris Worth, of Worth & Douglas, has observed the same trend, noting, “Twotone 

with a textured finish is still a popular choice for men’s rings. While we’re still 

finding the choices to be more on the conservative side, men are stepping away 

from the traditional look and we’ve seen this particularly with the black ‘ZiRO’ rings.” 

Scanlan says the average price for a wedding ring has dropped considerably, 

maybe by as much as 25 per cent in five years, but adds, “There is still a large 

market out there that does want to wear something of quality and of value on 

their fingers.” 

Similarly, in the women’s market, Baird says platinum has been growing in 

popularity due to a recent price fall, while designs have been trending towards 

“very dainty widths of 2–3mm”. 

IKECHO 

Worth confirms that “diamond-set rings in white gold or platinum” are still 

very popular for ladies’ rings, while there are growing trends for claw-set 

wedding rings and a shift back to yellow gold for both men and women. 

One trend across both engagement and everyday jewellery 

is stacking rings. Otherwise known as ‘the Triple’, the 

engagement ring is worn between the wedding ring and 

an eternity ring that is often given either on a wedding 

anniversary or on the birth of the couple’s first child. 

We offer a wide range of unique engagement-ring 

designs and always ensure they can be perfectly 

coupled with a specially-designed wedding ring as a 

set,” Worth says. 

Meanwhile Baird confirms, “We are seeing a resurgence 

in the popularity of wedding rings designed with a curve 

to fit perfectly against the engagement ring.” 

For retailers, stocking a variety of men and women’s styles is also essential. 

“In Germany and Scandinavia, nearly all couples will go in and buy matching hisand-hers 

wedding bands,” Scanlan explains. “This doesn’t really happen in Australia. 

More often, you’ll have a woman buying a wedding band to suit her engagement 

ring, while her fiancé will buy a wedding band to suit his style.” 

Baird says couples still purchase wedding bands together, despite a preference for 

differing styles. 

“Couples will often choose wedding bands where one element of the set is 

matching – the material, finish or profile perhaps. Matching one of these elements 

means the rings fit together but still give the couple the opportunity to highlight 

their personal style,” she explains. 

Scanlan also points out that many men and women are not able to wear a 

wedding ring at work for safety reasons. In this case, the ring could come with a 

chain so it can be worn under clothes or alternatively come in a secure display box 

so it can be kept safe when not worn. 

HERE COMES THE BRIDE – AND BRIDESMAIDS 

Wedding jewellery doesn’t stop with the rings; brides also consider earrings, 

necklaces, bracelets and decorative pieces for their hair or veil. The Australian 

Wedding Industry Report (AWIR) found that the average couple has seven to 

10 people in their wedding party, providing ample opportunity for jewellers to 

suggest matching jewellery for bridesmaids and cufflinks for groomsmen. 

A classic choice of adornment for many brides and their bridal parties is pearls, 

which traditionally symbolise femininity, purity and loyalty. 

“We create modern pearl jewellery at affordable prices for the bride and 

bridesmaids that look classic and on trend,” Ikecho founder and director Erica Miller 

says. “Brides like to feel special with some extra bling, while they tend to choose a 

more classic style for their bridesmaids.” 

The soft lustre of pearls and their range of colours, including black, pink, cream, 

gold and pure white, complement all skin tones as well as different metals. 

“Pearls are timeless and elegant, which is often their appeal brides and mothersof-the-bride. 

They complement almost every outfit, including the white tones 

in a wedding gown,” Kailis head of design Julian Power explains. “Kailis offers 

many different ranges to appeal to different tastes, including the Classics and 

Contemporary collections, an Art Deco-inspired range called the Charlston and 

the Kailis silver collection, which offers perfect gifts for the bridal party.” 

When it comes to selecting bridal jewellery, Power reveals that Kailis’ new flagship 

boutique in Perth – opening in August – will have a fitting room for brides to try 

on jewellery with their wedding gowns. Ikecho also offers marketing support 

to retailers, specifically-oriented towards helping brides select the perfect pearl 

jewellery for their big day. 


RJ SCANLAN 

continued from page 21 

the ring and enjoyment from wearing it 

and showing it off continues long after the 

purchase price is forgotten.” 

Safarewicz agrees, saying, “Clients can 

often be swayed to go beyond their initial 

price range by a spectacular stone or to 

buy something bigger than what they had 

planned; however, there is almost always a 

budget and it remains an important factor 

for clients. 

“We never push people to a pricier option; we 

always look to find a beautiful stone that is 

within the budget,” she says. 

Consumer research recently conducted by 

the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) 

found that 69 per cent of US bridal customers 

‘prefer a diamond with an origin story’. This 

is one area where natural diamonds and 

other gems have an edge over materials like 

synthetic moissanite and cubic zirconia. 

While fancy-colour diamonds have a 

reputation as being more expensive than 

other diamonds and gems, de Crombrugghe 

stresses, “A natural, fancy-colour diamond 

doesn’t need to be big to be stunning. Also, 

pure colours are more expensive so why not 

offer a colour diamond with a secondary hue? 

This will often be even more charming and 

hypnotic than a straight colour. Subtle fancy 

light colours are also far less pricey than fancy 

intense or fancy vivid colours.” 

She adds, “Nobody will ever notice very small 

inclusions without magnification. 

What really matters is the energy and the 

beauty that will be there every single day on 

the finger of their life partner. The lucky owner 

of this fabulous stone will be the only one to 

know that all these small grading deviations 

are nature’s signature of that 

unique diamond.” 

Der Bedrossian notes 

that pink-diamond 

halos and accent 

stones have 

become more 

popular as 

“premium 

customisations” 

for engagement 

rings, as large 

pink diamonds 

are too expensive for 

most consumers. 

Another way around 

the difficult price 

question is to offer 

financing. Online retailers 

have embraced the practice and 

Blue Nile and James Allen both tout interestfree 

financing either through a payment plan 

or an ‘in-store’ credit card. 

Buy now-pay later services like Afterpay 

and ZipPay have also been adopted by 

parts of the jewellery industry, though they 

are not always suited to smaller retailers or 

large purchases. 

Another rising trend is the ‘placeholder ring’ or 

‘loaner ring’. Generally priced at $500 or less, 

they suit a groom-to-be who hasn’t settled 

on a design, can’t afford the dream ring yet 

or does not want to risk travelling to the 

proposal location with the real thing. 

The placeholder ring can be inscribed with 

a unique proposal message and kept as a 

sentimental token of love, or act as a deposit 

and be swapped at a later date when 

the couple is ready to choose the bride’s 

engagement ring. 

In the US, Helzberg Diamonds conducted 

market research and found that 60 per 

cent of men listed ‘selecting the ring’ as the 

hardest part of proposing. A similar number 

felt it important to involve their partners in 

choosing the ring. 

“I’d have to say that buying an engagement 

ring is one of the scariest – and most 

rewarding – experiences for most men. You 

want to be excited with them and share the 

special experience,” Fowler says. 

The placeholder means the romantic 

proposal tradition can continue – without 

the stress – and it gives the jeweller the 

opportunity to create another beautiful 

memory for the couple when they come in to 

design their dream ring together. 

Above all, the engagement ring signals the 

start of something, in both the literal and 

emotional sense. Combining modernity and 

tradition, this piece of jewellery is a symbol of 

love, hope and happy memories – one of the 

most meaningful purchase decisions people 

will ever conduct. It’s the jeweller’s privilege 

to help make the moment unforgettable. i 

K & K 

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IMPORT 

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NATURAL DIAMONDS 

The 

white diamond 

report 

THE BACKBONE OF THE 

JEWELLERY INDUSTRY IS THE 

DIAMOND. ARABELLA RODEN 

DISCOVERS HOW THE CATEGORY 

IS ADAPTING TO NEW TRENDS 

AND OVERCOMING OBSTACLES 

here’s no question the diamond industry is facing challenges. The world’s 

largest producers have seen sales of both rough and polished stones 

slump in recent months – De Beers reported its worst sales results in two 

years in May, while Alrosa confirmed an 8 per cent year-on-year decline. 

At major buying fairs across the globe, the sentiment has been mixed and slow 

trade recorded. “The diamond market is still suffering and most categories are not 

doing well globally,” Yehuda Diamond Company president Dror Yehuda says. 

The problem is not oversupply but weakening consumer demand, both for the 

diamond category and across the retail industry in general. In recent years, a large 

number of jewellery retailers have closed their doors, struggling to cope with a 

downturn in consumer spending and the changing nature of shopping itself. 

Even at the luxury end, publicly-listed retailers Tiffany & Co and Signet have posted 

losses for the first quarter of 2019. 

At the recent JCK Las Vegas trade show, buyer numbers were estimated to be 

down by as much as 25 per cent. While some blamed the downturn on moving 

the show from weekend to mid-week, panels still focused on how to turn the tide. 

“Demand has become very narrow and very specific in terms of what people 

are looking for,” Rapaport senior analyst and news editor Avi Krawitz said at one 

seminar, adding that some parts of the industry have been slow to adapt to the 

“tremendous change” that has occurred over the past few years. 


NATURAL DIAMONDS 

TRADING INSIGHTS 

Like other luxury goods, diamond prices are highly elastic, which means any changes 

in price have a direct impact on demand. Vipul Sutariya, director Dharmanandan 

Diamonds, explains, “White diamonds are always in demand because of their rarity 

and beauty but the micro and macro economy play a vital role in the price point of 

jewellery. During a particularly challenging time, the lower colour grades will attract 

more consumers who are looking for something affordable.” 

Sutariya says 0.5 to 2 carats are “moving decently” – an observation echoed by Royal 

Gem Australia’s David Karakai. “The smaller sizes, up to 1 carat, are very competitive,” 

he says. “However, we specialise in larger sizes so we are seeing a lot of demand 

in the 2 to 3-carat range as well as 5 carats. Clients are always price sensitive 

and looking for the best deal.” 

Meanwhile Yehuda lists various colours and clarities in 1 to 2 carats as performing 

better, noting a “big shortage” in G-I colour VS1-VS2 diamonds over 2 carats. 

In terms of cut, he says ovals have done well over the past year, particularly in the US. 

Pear and emerald cuts are also in demand. 

UNCERTAIN TIMES 

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, consumer spending has been 

on a downward trend since the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 with consumers 

reluctant to spend on discretionary luxuries like jewellery. Spiralling debt, 

LEFT AND RIGHT: THE SIRIUS STAR CUT FROM DHARMANANDAN DIAMONDS 

a softening property market and stagnant wages have all given many 

shoppers pause. 

The effect on the retail industry has been stark and National Australia Bank 

economists declared the sector “clearly in recession” following the May edition 

of the bank’s Monthly Business Survey. 

For the diamond category, the answer has been to re-orient the product 

to include women’s self-purchase jewellery and not just once-in-a-lifetime 

engagement rings. 

“The women’s self-purchase market has been the growth engine of the sector 

over the past few years,” Jean-Marc Lieberherr, CEO of the Diamond Producers 

Association (DPA), says. “In the US, about one-third of diamond jewellery sales are 

women purchasing for themselves and the price points have grown to be similar 

to those for gifts, at between $US1,000 and $US1,500 for the median price.” 

Jonathan Kendall, president, De Beers Group global industry services, confirms: 

“The self-purchase sector has been growing over the past 20-plus years and 

today it represents up to 40 per cent of purchases in some markets. So yes, it’s 

important and slowly trending upwards.” 

Lieberherr explains that the change has come about due to a cultural shift. 

“Historically, many women have not seen diamond jewellery as a self-purchase 

option as the idea of a diamond as a gift of love or symbol of commitment has 

dominated,” he says. 

“At the same time, the branded-accessory market has been growing, 

with women as the primary purchasers, pointing to a lost opportunity for 

diamond jewellery.” 

Today, Lieberherr says women are looking to purchase diamond jewellery for 

themselves “to celebrate important milestones, reward themselves or simply 

because they can and it makes them proud,” which means retailers need to 

market and sell directly to women. He points to the DPA’s ‘For Me, From Me’ 

campaign, which gives retailers the resources both in-store and online to 

capitalise on this market. 

Diamonds also appeal as gifts to mark various milestones. 

“We see diamond gifting at christenings and other religious ceremonies, 

graduations and 21st birthdays, as well as silver and gold wedding anniversaries,” 

Kendall explains. “As populations age, we are also seeing a trend for eternity rings 

as partners show their love and appreciation, and brooches and necklaces are 

popular gifts for the older generation.” 

Lieberherr calls the process “diversifying purchase motivations”. Rather than 

pivoting away from engagement and bridal, which still represent about 30 per

cent of diamond sales, the trade is adding occasions to celebrate with 

a diamond. 

SYNTHETIC VERSUS AUTHENTIC 

Millennials and Gen Z shoppers are attracted to authentic and ecofriendly 

businesses and are willing to pay more for these attributes, 

according to consumer research company Nielsen. 

“More consumers are looking for sustainable products,” Sutariya says. 

“They are concerned about how and where their jewellery comes from 

– is it responsibly sourced?” 

S E CUR E 

E A RRI NG B ACK S 

P r o u dly d e sig n e d a n d 

m a n u fac t u r e d in the U K 

Producers of lab-grown diamonds have touted their alleged 

sustainable and ethical credentials, striking a chord with younger 

consumers; however, these claims have been criticised as capitalising 

on consumer ignorance of how synthetic diamonds are manufactured, 

as well as the lack of knowledge about the true environmental and 

social impact of diamond mining. 

“There is nothing sustainable about lab-grown diamonds. They require 

heating up reactors at [extreme] temperatures, which require millions 

of gallons of water to cool off,” Lieberherr says, adding, “None of today’s 

lab-grown diamond producers make use of renewable energy, despite 

what some claim, and most of the volume comes from regions of the 

world where electricity is produced with coal and fossil fuels.” 

For natural diamonds, the challenge is emphasising the industry’s 

long-term commitment to transparency, traceability and energy 

efficient technology. 

S A F E 

S ECU R E 

NON-S LIP 

H YPO-A LLERGE NIC 

C OMFOR T ABLE 

Both De Beers and Alrosa have recently announced their own 

traceability initiatives. Tracr, an end-to-end blockchain platform 

developed by De Beers in collaboration with the diamond industry, 

will launch its beta version in the next few months and aims to build 

consumer confidence while making industry practices more efficient. 

Signet and China’s Chow Tai Fook have already pledged their support 

for the initiative. 

Alrosa, meanwhile, has announced ‘electronic passports’ for each of 

its diamonds, including details on each stone’s age, origin and date of 

extraction. The passports will also note the time and place where the 

diamond was cut and the cutter’s name and background. 

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has also begun issuing 

Diamond Origin Reports. 

In terms of environmental impact, the DPA has recently released 

the results of an independent investigation into diamond mining 

conducted by third-party evaluator Trucost. 

It found that natural diamonds emit three times less carbon dioxide 

per polished carat than synthetics; however, mining still has a 

significant environmental cost. 

“The report points to the undeniable, negative environmental impact 

of diamond mining – carbon emissions account for the bulk of that 

impact, as diamond mines have a limited physical footprint and make 

limited use of chemicals,” Lieberherr notes. “It is important for the 

sector to look at ways to reduce its carbon footprint through energy 

conservation, greater access to renewable sources and ambitious 

carbon-absorption programmes.” 

Proudly distributed by 

02 9417 0177 | www.dgau.com.au

SAMS GROUP 

AUSTRALIA 

LEFT AND RIGHT: ROYAL GEM AUSTRALIA 

Precious Gemstone & Diamond Set Jewellery 

Ruby, Sapphire, Paraiba & Emerald with Argyle Pink Diamonds 

A delicious range of natural precious gemstone 

jewellery set with sparkling white diamonds, 

available in every colour of the rainbow! 

Beautifully crafted in 18ct gold. 

E pink@samsgroup.com.au 

W samsgroup.com.au 

P 02 9290 2199 

Kendall believes the industry has come a 

long way – further than outdated consumer 

stereotypes might suggest. 

“The real diamond industry has a broad 

sustainability approach,” he says. “In the last 

20 years there has been far more effort put 

into the economic, social and environmental 

impacts associated with our business. 

Sustainability is paramount to any business 

success and our industry is progressing well 

in this regard. Operating responsibly, creating 

healthy workplaces, supporting employees, 

their families and local communities, and 

protecting the environment are all a real focus 

in the modern diamond industry.” 

He references De Beers’ Project Minerva, 

which supports groundbreaking research 

into carbon-neutral mining as well as the 

group’s partnership with UN Women and its 

strict environmental measures and ambitious 

carbon-reduction targets. Kendall says De 

Beers “has reduced its carbon footprint 

significantly in the last five years with 

excellent initiatives such as the first solarpowered 

grading lab in Surat, India”. 

In terms of social benefits, Trucost determined 

that large-scale diamond mining generates 

US$16 billion in net benefits every year, 

of which more than 80 per cent flow to 

local communities around mines. These 

benefits include employment, services, 

taxes and royalties, as well as infrastructure 

and redevelopment. 

Still, Rapaport Group chairman Martin 

Rapaport recently delivered a stern warning 

to the industry at JCK Las Vegas: “The 

diamond trade is not profitable enough to 

support a sustainable supply chain,” he said. 

“If the trade does not change its business 

practices and adapt to new realities, the 

diamond industry will suffer extreme financial 

and regulatory disruption.” 

Lieberherr predicts a backlash against 

synthetic diamonds, claiming consumers will 

realise their lack of inherent or resale value – 

but Yehuda says retailers should cater to the 

current demand for synthetics. 

“If you really wish to stand out and have 

the courage to do it, go into lab-grown 

diamonds. This category is doing extremely 

well in the US,” he says. “Despite all the 

controversy around the lab-grown diamond 

sector, it’s a product that can help your 

bottom line. You just need to be honest and 

passionate about the product you are selling.” 

Still, Lieberherr urges caution, saying the 

synthetics category jeopardises diamond 

retailers’ premium positioning. 

Sutariya believes the best solution for retailers 

is to add value to natural diamonds through 

technology. “At present, certification is very 

common; the same certificate with the same 

colour and clarity is available at a cheaper 

price at an online store,” he explains. To help 

retailers stand out, Dharmanandan exclusively 

offers Sirius Star diamonds in its Love Facets 

Collection, which are uniquely cut to optimise 

light return. 

Billed as the ‘brightest diamonds in the world’, 

Sutariya claims stocking the collection “makes 

competition irrelevant” because there’s no 

way other retailers can mimic the effect and 

undercut the price. 

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS 

There’s no way to predict the challenges the 

diamond industry could face in the future but 

it’s certain that, like all industries, evolution 

will be necessary. 

In the meantime, better marketing, 

technological innovation, catering to 

consumer trends and streamlining supply 

chains are some tools that can help the 

diamond industry keep shining. i

NEW SEASON WATCHES 

What’s 

new 

in the 

watch market? 

ICE-WATCH 015604 ICE LO MALIBU 

WHILE MANY COMPANIES HAVE WITHDRAWN 

FROM BASELWORLD, THE SWISS TRADE SHOW 

STILL MARKS THE START OF THE NEW WATCH- 

BUYING SEASON. ARABELLA RODEN DISCOVERS 

THE LATEST MODELS FROM LEADING BRANDS 

ust a few short years ago Baselworld was king of the watch industry. 

The luxury trade fair once attracted more than 2,000 exhibitors and 

150,000 visitors. 

Held in March, at the end of the Northern Hemisphere winter, it was 

a time of excitement, renewal, and growth – the ideal place to launch new 

watches and timepieces ahead of the summer shopping season. Some industry 

commentators even likened it to an awe-inspiring ‘pilgrimage’. 

Unfortunately, the once-great show fell into a slow pattern of decline. 

Predatory local businesses charged higher and higher prices for meals and 

accommodation, leading to lower visitor numbers. Booth prices soared, making 

exhibiting prohibitively expensive for many brands; at the same time, a redesign 

of the main Hall 1 venue in 2013 softened numbers due to reduced floor space. 

Meanwhile, falling Swiss watch exports in 2015 – the end of the so-called 

‘China watch boom’ – saw further contraction. By 2017, the show had shed 600 

exhibitors and was in dire financial straits, reporting losses of CHF110 million. 

As a result, long-term managing director Sylvie Ritter, director of sales Martin 

Fergusson and marketing and communications director Loraine Stantzos left the 

show’s parent company MCH Group. 

Yet Baselworld had still not hit rock bottom; that came a year later with the 

departure of industry juggernaut Swatch Group, parent of Breguet, Longines, 

Tissot, Omega, Hamilton and Rado, among many others. 

Its CEO Nicolas Hayek Jr publicly criticised MCH’s management, claiming they’d 

ignored complaints and refused to adapt the format to attract more buyers, 

before abruptly pulling out of the show. 

René Kamm, who had been CEO of MCH Group for 15 years, resigned shortly 

after – but the decision could not prevent a further exodus of high-profile 

manufacturers, some of which had supported the show for more than 60 years. 

Maurice Lacroix, Corum and Raymond Weil quickly announced their decision to 

stop exhibiting at Baselworld. 

Yet there were glimmers of hope following the 2019 edition, under the fresh 

leadership of MCH Group’s new managing director Michel Loris-Melikoff. 

Industry commentators acknowledged that while exhibitor numbers were still 

hovering at the 600 mark and attendees around 80,000, there was a willingness 

to embrace change and at least some vision of what the future would hold. 

With new MCH Group CEO Bernd Stadlwieser also coming in to breathe new life 

into the venerable trade show – which marked its 102nd anniversary in 2019 – 

there’s a sense that, with the right strategy and enough time to implement it, the 

challenges can be met. 

While Baselworld is not what it once was in terms of exhibitors, visitors and 

industry support, it still marks the natural time for brands and suppliers to debut 

current and upcoming releases, as well as get retailers informed and enthused 

about the latest products. 

Its timing makes it the focal point of the buying year, and even in its present form, 

there is no other watch industry trade fair of its calibre in terms of reputation, 

recognition and reach. 

Whether participating at Baselworld or debuting fresh stock on their own terms, 

here’s what leading brands and suppliers have in store for retailers. 



THOMAS SABO 

TWA0342 CODE TS 

Seiko 

SSA393J PRESAGE 

Seiko’s Prospex Collection is an adventure 

series of watches purposely built for land, 

sea and sky. The two new additions are 

from the Sea series, and are 200m water 

resistant with rotating bezels and stainless 

steel cases. Meanwhile, the latest models 

from the Presage Collection display the finest 

mechanical watchmaking from Japan. 

SRPD25K PROSPEX 

Duraflex Group Australia 

Thomas Sabo’s Code TS watch is characterised by the brand’s 

distinctive aesthetic, mixing modern and traditional influences. 

At Mondaine, MS1.32110.LD is the latest addition to the 

sustainable Essence collection. Meanwhile, the rugged Luminox 

XL.1201 is part of the ICE-SAR Arctic 1200 Series, designed for 

Icelandic search and rescue teams. 

SNJ025P PROSPEX 

SSA397J PRESAGE 

MONDAINE 

MS1.32110.LD 

ESSENCE 

LUMINOX XL.1201 

ICE-SAR ARCTIC 

1200 

Heart & Grace 

Aravis is the first Cluse collection for men. These 

sophisticated and stylish watches are leading 

Cluse to a whole new audience. Meanwhile, the 

latest models from Pierre Lannier continue the 

company’s 40-year legacy of elegant, quality 

watches at affordable prices, designed and 

made in France. 

CLUSE 

CW0101502004 

ARAVIS 

PIERRE LANNIER 

076G598 

LIBERTY 

PIERRE LANNIER 

224G169 CAPITAL 


PIERRE CARDIN 

6003 CHARLOTTE 

InStyle Watches 

Pierre Cardin’s new releases feature 

beautiful design and function. The 

masculine, multifunction Ryan comes 

with a sturdy stainless steel band, while 

the Mila and Charlotte have mop dials 

and floating crystals for an elegant 

finish. Perfect for daily wear and 

special occasions alike. 

PIERRE CARDIN 

5985 MILA 

PIERRE CARDIN 

6014 RYAN 

SEVENFRIDAY P1C/01 

MAD & Associates 

The MeisterSinger Bronze Line No 3 

features a brushed bronze case with 

striking galvanic blue dial. A single 

hand indicates time, doing away 

with redundant minutes and 

seconds. Meanwhile, the Zürichdesigned 

SEVENFRIDAY P1C/01 

– the third instalment in the White 

Series – features a Corian case, a unique 

and non-traditional material. 

MEISTERSINGER AM917BR 

BRONZE LINE NO 3 

Christian Paul 

SYDNEY


CITIZEN BN2036- 

14E PROMASTER 

MARINE 

JOWISSA J5.545.L 

FACET WATCH 

Citizen 

The Promaster series releases new models 

designed for travel and adventure across 

mountains, oceans and time zones, with water 

resistance, accuracy and rugged construction 

at their heart. At Bulova, the world’s first curved 

chronograph movement makes its debut. 

CITIZEN 

JY8088-83L 

PROMASTER 

SKY 

Swisstime 

This season sees the relaunch of the Glycine Airman, which 

dates back to 1953 and was famously worn by US Air Force 

pilots and NASA astronauts. Another watch brand with 

US military pedigree, Traser, debuts a new model: the OdP 

Evolution, which features the brand’s self-powered illumination 

technology. And finally, Jowissa offers the chic J5.545.L Facet 

Watch, ‘a piece of jewellery that tells the time’. 

BULOVA 96B309 

CLASSIC 

TRASER 

109046_P96 

ODP EVOLUTION 

BULOVA 96A205 

CURVED 

GLYCINE GL0054 

AIRMAN 

West End 

Collection 

From the classic design of Bering and Paul 

Hewitt to the cool and colourful Ice-Watch, 

the new releases are all about playing to 

each watch’s strengths. The most recent 

edition to West End’s distribution portfolio, 

Claude Bernard, brings Swiss-made quality 

to designs for both men and women. 

PAUL HEWITT 

PH-C-B-BSR-1M 

32 Jeweller July 2019 

ICE-WATCH 016977 

DUO CHIC CALIFORNIA 

CLAUDE BERNARD 

10216_3_APN2 

DRESS CODE 

BERING 11739-797 

TITANIUM

GEMS 

ORGANIC GEMS PART IV: AMMOLITE 

desired and collectable form of these 

ancient creatures. 

The vivid iridescent sheen of ammolite is 

caused by an interference effect, when white 

light is refracted and reflected back from the 

layered aragonite platelets within the gem’s 

structure. The thicker these layers, the more 

red and green hues are seen; when layers are 

thinner, violet and blue hues dominate. 

The pattern, intensity and range of colour 

all contribute to the overall value of an 

ammolite gem. Green and red are the most 

common colours, with blue and violet being 

rarer, and therefore more valuable. 

Ammolite may be described as either 

fractured or sheet. Sheet ammolite is 

unbroken, with a continuous movement of 

colour across its surface. Fractured ammolite 

may have various different patterns and 

some have been described with terms such 

as ‘dragon skin’, ‘cobblestone’, ‘moonglow’ and 

‘paint brush’. 

Hundreds of millions of years ago, the 

Earth was very different. Little did the 

creatures of our planet know, they 

would not only be a stepping-stone in 

the evolution of life, but also provide 

the humans of the future with fabulous 

jewellery gems in the form of ammolite. 

The process begins with ammonites, marine 

invertebrate animals that are now extinct. 

They thrived in tropical seas during the 

Devonian geological period, beginning 

about 400 million years ago, to the close of 

the Cretaceous period 66 million years ago. 

Ammolite forms when the fossilised shell 

of the ammonite is preserved and the 

cavities that originally held its soft body 

are filled with aragonite – the same mineral 

that is responsible for the nacre of pearl 

oyster shells. 

The resulting organic gem – which 

resembles an opal in some ways – is 

beautifully coloured, with a wonderful 

iridescent sheen. 

The ammonites that form ammolite 

specifically inhabited a prehistoric inland 

subtropical sea that bordered the Rocky 

Mountains of northwest America. 

As the sea receded, layers of sediment 

preserved the shells. 

Ammonite shells comprise a number of 

minerals including small aragonite platelets, 

and depending on the conditions of 

deposition, these are often replaced by 

pyrite or calcite. 

The result is a pseudomorph of the original 

shell shape, which may contain beautiful 

cavities of crystalline material throughout 

the shell‘s structure. Thus ammonites 

themselves can make beautiful and 

interesting pieces of jewellery. 

But it is the ammolite that is the most 

THE PATTERN, 

INTENSITY AND 

RANGE OF COLOUR 

ALL CONTRIBUTE 

TO THE OVERALL 

VALUE OF AN 

AMMOLITE GEM. 

GREEN AND 

RED ARE THE 

MOST COMMON 

COLOURS, WITH 

BLUE AND VIOLET 

BEING RARER, AND 

THEREFORE MORE 

VALUABLE 

Because the ammolite layer of the shell is 

usually mere fractions of a millimetre in 

thickness, most ammolite gems are in fact 

composite stones, generally in the form of a 

doublet or triplet. The ammolite is adhered 

to a dark backing material, usually its matrix 

or mother rock. 

As the ammolite is thin and fragile, a second 

layer, generally a polymer, is added to protect 

and stabilise the stone. To enhance the optical 

display, a piece of synthetic spinel, quartz or 

glass-type material may be placed on top. 

Ammolite is a magnificent gemstone with an 

incredible history of creation over millions of 

years. It is one of the most rare and beautiful 

organic minerals for use in jewellery. i 

STACEY LIM FGAA BA Design, is a qualified 

gemmologist and gemmology teacher/assistant. 

She is a jewellery designer, marketing manager 

and passionate communicator on gemmology. 

For information on gemstones, visit: gem.org.au 


Behind every gemstone, 

there is a fascinating story 

waiting to delight clients 

around the world. Studying 

with GAA brings the 

expertise, networking and 

confidence to build a solid 

career in a multimilliondollar 

industry. Joining 

one of the most supportive 

and passionate professional 

communities of gemmologists 

in Australia was one of the 

best decision I ever made. 

Gina Barreto FGAA DipDT 

Gemmologist and Diamond Technologist 

Diamond 

Courses 

Practical Diamond Grading & 

Diploma in Diamond Technology 

Enrolments now open 

For more information 

1300 436 338 

learn@gem.org.au 

www.gem.org.au 

Be 

Confident 

Gem-Ed Australia 

ADELAIDE BRISBANE HOBART MELBOURNE PERTH SYDNEY 

Passionately educating the industry, gem enthusiasts 

and consumers about gemstones

BUSINESS 

SEO OR SEM: WHICH IS BETTER FOR BUSINESS? 

Every business knows the power of 

appearing on the first page of Google 

search results. LAURA DAWSON explores 

which method is best for improving 

page rank and converting sales. 

When looking to grow, businesses will 

almost always invest money into some 

kind of online marketing. This often 

involves improving a business’ position in 

Google searches, which can be done with 

either SEO or SEM. 

Search-engine optimisation (SEO) is a 

process to improve a page’s rank on 

Google’s search results by tweaking the 

page itself. 

SEO may include improving a page’s 

loading speed, enhancing the content, 

working with images and ensuring it is 

optimised for mobile browsing. 

SEO is not a paid service per se but, 

depending on the competitiveness of 

one’s market, a professional company 

may be enlisted to get the best results. 

This approach is often referred to as 

organic search. 

Search-engine marketing (SEM), is a form 

of advertising and also known as pay per 

click marketing, or ‘PPC’. SEM is usually 

conducted through Google AdWords and 

is the number-one way to immediately 

rank first on Google. 

SEM requires a strong strategy and ongoing 

attention to achieve success without 

wasting one’s advertising budget. 

Which is better? Well, as with so many 

things, it depends. By learning the key 

differences between the two, businesses 

can make up their own minds and allocate 

resources accordingly. 

THE BENEFITS OF SEO 

Increases website traffic – Think about the 

way people conduct online searches ; when 

they see a business on the front page, they 

probably click on it, right? If one navigates 

to the third or fourth page of results, for 

example, they might not feel as confident 

about the quality of the businesses there. 

The point is that when businesses rank 

higher on Google, they get more trust from 

WHEN 

BUSINESSES 

RANK HIGHER ON 

GOOGLE, THEY 

GET MORE TRUST 

FROM VISITORS 

– A LONG-TERM 

SEO STRATEGY 

IS GOING TO 

DO A LOT MORE 

THAN PROVIDE 

LEADS; IT’LL 

ALSO IMPROVE 

A BUSINESS’ 

REPUTATION 

visitors. This increases business credibility. 

A long-term SEO strategy is going to do 

a lot more than provide leads; it’ll also 

improve a business’ reputation. 

Improves your website – When using an 

SEO strategy, a business is attempting to 

make a website the best it possibly can be 

so that when Google’s automated search 

bots crawl the site and the backlinks, they 

find the content to be genuine and useful 

for searchers. 

If all of the content on a page is keywordrich, 

which involves including terms that 

people are likely to use when searching, 

then Google will rank a page higher in 

the results. 

Great ROI – when an SEO campaign is 

successful and a business occupies that 

hallowed first, second or third position 

on Google’s search results, there’s no 

requirement to pay extra money (advertise) 

to maintain that rank. That business will 

need to keep up SEO efforts and content 

creation but won’t have to pay for every 

click to the website. 


BUSINESS 

Broad reach – All the customer research in 

the world still won’t predict all of the things 

that users will type into a search engine 

to find a business or product. Google 

gets more than six billion searches a day 

and SEO helps pages to rank higher for a 

broader range of topics. 

Less expensive – A focused SEO strategy is 

an ongoing monthly investment but the 

costs are far cheaper than an ongoing SEM 

strategy. Not to say that SEM doesn’t have 

a place in an online strategy as well, but 

SEO is cheaper in the long run and provides 

lasting results. 

THE DRAWBACKS OF SEO 

Slow to see results – While it would be 

lovely if SEO were effective overnight, 

the fact is that it takes time – and effort. 

Businesses need to improve their websites, 

write content, create valuable backlinks 

and develop the kind of web pages that 

really perform. Then they have to wait for 

Google to recognise this, which can take 

weeks or even months. 

Very competitive space – Depending on 

the industry, there may be many other 

companies that are looking for higher page 

rankings. Businesses need to be aware 

of this and make sure they are adjusting 

keywords and maintaining their websites, 

or at least employing professionals to 

assess their SEO strengths and weaknesses. 

Needs a content strategy – One of the 

largest elements of successful SEO is 

content. Publish regularly and ensure 

content is well-written and targeted to a 

particular topic. This can be challenging for 

smaller businesses but it is not impossible. 

Needs regular backlinks – It used to be 

possible to go and backlink any old page 

to get better SEO results. Google got wise 

to that and now requires pages to have 

trusted backlinks. Quality is everything. 

THE POSITIVES OF SEM 

Top Google instantly – The great thing 

about paid ads is that they sit above the 

organic search results. SEM ads appear 

right at the top of the page, and this is 

achievable simply by bidding in the PPC 

auctions for chosen keywords. When users 

search for these keywords, they’ll see the 

winning business first. 

Next is a map from Google called a 

‘Local Pack’. This is an unpaid section and 

businesses can appear here if they are 

strong in SEO. 

Lots of control – SEM means businesses 

must create their own ads, which then 

go on to appear in Google’s search results. 

This gives them a chance to test, tweak and 

adjust every detail to get the best results 

before launching. 

Businesses can also easily adjust the total 

amount they want to spend on Google 

AdWords and set budgets and limits for 

daily spends. They can then cancel at 

any time. 

Show off your goods – Appearing 

organically on page one of Google’s 

search results is an advantage but the 

listing is still restricted to just text and a 

page link. An SEM listing allows businesses 

to use Google’s visual product-listing ads 

to show off products and services. People 

are drawn to colours and imagery, which 

means SEM may lead to better results and 

more conversions. 

Increase your visibility online – New 

businesses and those trying to compete in 

an established market with new products 

or services will need to build awareness 

quickly. While an SEO strategy will 

broadcast your message over time, SEM 

can ensure that people see a business right 

now. SEM brings results much faster. 

Target like never before – Businesses that 

have done their research and, for example, 

analysed that their target market is online 

mostly between the hours of 7.30pm and 

9pm, based in Townsville and searching in 

French, on mobile phones, are in luck. 

SEM allows marketers to target many 

elements via AdWords, including the 

location, time, language and demographic 

of a preferred audience. Any business 

with marketing that is relevant to a 

particular time or location will love this 

element of SEM. 

Split testing for the best ROI – Businesses 

can monitor and manage every element of 

a campaign with split testing to quickly and 

easily find out which ad is more successful. 

A PPC campaign will give great results 

within a matter of weeks using this testing. 

SURE, INVESTING 

IN SEM IS A 

NO-BRAINER 

WHEN GETTING 

GOOD RESULTS 

BUT SOMETIMES 

IT CAN FEEL 

LIKE NON-STOP 

EXPENDITURE 

– THAT’S WHY 

CAMPAIGN 

MANAGEMENT 

IS VITAL 

Low-cost leads – The cost of leads always 

depends on a range of factors but SEM 

provides high quality and low cost leads 

to businesses that have organised their 

campaigns and honed their messages. 

THE CASE AGAINST SEM 

Can be very expensive – Businesses that 

are not investing sufficient effort into ads 

may find that, over time, their AdWords 

spend creeps up and up. Also, if they’re 

not prudent with keywords – and negative 

keywords – costs can escalate with very 

little to show for it. 

Ongoing investment required – SEM 

requires businesses to keep feeding the 

beast. Sure, investing in SEM is a no-brainer 

when getting good results but sometimes 

it can feel like non-stop expenditure. That’s 

why campaign management is vital. 

Competition can review your campaign 

– A final downside of SEM is that any 

competitor at any time can reproduce 

or steal ad copy from a business, reaping 

the benefits of that hard work. 

It won’t take much for any cunning 

competitor to work out what a business is 

doing to fill its sales funnel, especially when 

ads are so publicly displayed online. 

WHEN BOTH ARE BEST 

The simple answer to the question of 

whether SEO or SEM is best, is that any 

successful online marketing strategy should 

use both. However, if there is only budget 

for one, then SEM can be a great choice to 

begin a campaign – with a view to investing 

in SEO after a business has grown some 

initial awareness. 

SEM is great for giving businesses quick 

results and leads. SEO, on the other 

hand, is great for building long-term 

credibility and for sustaining a business 

in the online landscape. 

Perhaps the best way to consider these 

two important strategies is to think of 

SEO as a marathon and SEM as a sprint. i 

LAURA DAWSON is 

a content specialist at 

Kymodo Digital Marketing. 

Kymodo.com.au 


SELLING 

THE MARSHMALLOW OR THE MEANIE PANTS? 

SALES MANAGERS OFTEN FALL INTO ONE OF TWO ROLES: MARSHMALLOW OR MEANIE PANTS. GRETCHEN GORDON REVEALS 

HOW TO AVOID THIS TRAP BY NEVER LOSING SIGHT OF THE MAIN GOAL – GETTING THE ABSOLUTE BEST OUT OF EMPLOYEES. 

There is one over-arching thought any leader 

of a sales team should keep in mind: it is 

your responsibility to push your staff to 

greater heights than they would achieve 

on their own. If you can’t do this, you are 

excess cost. 

When it comes to driving employees to 

a higher level of performance, too many 

times sales leaders are extreme; they either 

want to be their salespeople’s friend – the 

‘marshmallow’ – or they feel like they have to 

be drill sergeants – the ‘meanie pants’. 

I recently conducted a webinar for a group 

of both new and experienced sales leaders 

on this topic. The focus was on accountability 

and, as is true with most everything, it taught 

that balance is the key; however, I recognise 

that it can be difficult to achieve that balance 

when it comes to managing people. 

There are two ways sales leaders can maintain 

balance and avoid being marshmallows 

or meanie pants. Firstly, they can set 

expectations and secondly, they can become 

accountability partners. 

HOW TO SET EXPECTATIONS 

If everyone knows explicitly what is expected 

of them then there won’t be any frustration or 

misunderstanding when those expectations 

aren’t met. It’s crucial that sales leaders set 

expectations about behaviours and activities 

early and communicate these effectively, 

instead of just focusing on outcomes. 

Too often there is a laser focus on outcomes 

– that is, the sales numbers generated by 

employees – instead of setting in place a plan 

of activity that will produce those outcomes. 

Set expectations for everything and it will 

make your job a lot easier. 

This doesn’t mean you have to bark at your 

sales reps and dictate every little thing – this 

would turn you into a meanie pants. Sales 

leaders will have a far greater impact if they 

provide guidance about the actions that 

employees themselves indicate they are 

going to do. 

IF EVERYONE KNOWS 

EXPLICITLY WHAT 

IS EXPECTED OF 

THEM THEN THERE 

WON’T BE ANY 

FRUSTRATION OR 

MISUNDERSTANDING 

WHEN THOSE 

EXPECTATIONS 

AREN’T MET 

BEING TOO TOUGH DEMORALISES WORKERS 

If you have a completely predictable process 

and you know what the exact metrics are, 

then you can certainly indicate the required 

activity to produce the expected result. 

If you don’t know for sure what those metrics 

are, or should be, then it can be 

a collaborative thing. 

However, don’t fall into the marshmallow 

mentality. If the level of activity isn’t 

measurable and precise, or seems too low 

or too high, then it is your obligation to veto 

it and ask the employee to go back to the 

drawing board. 

CREATING ACCOUNTABILITY 

Rather than being the all-knowing dictator, 

position yourself as a loving but fair uncle or 

aunt. This way, you will hold your employees 

to their plans and goals and you will inspire 

them to be better than they would be 

without you. 

If you refer back to the first key above – 

setting expectations – tell employees that 

this is your role. Even if they are seasoned 

professionals, it is still your job to push them. 

If you have done a good job of setting 

expectations with regard to outcomes, 

behaviours and activities then you will have 

your roadmap for being an accountability 

partner. Simply hold their feet to the fire to 

ensure they deliver on what they said they 

would do. 

Remember the old adage: what gets 

inspected gets respected. Keep it simple and 

focus on the items that will impact outcomes. 

The key traits of a leader, as it pertains to 

accountability, are simple: your beliefs must 

support accountability; you mustn’t seek or 

need approval from your employees; you 

must be willing to ask questions; and you 

shouldn’t accept mediocrity. 

Taking responsibility and managing both the 

pipeline and behaviour are important but less 

significant than the above traits. 

OVERSIGHT IS NOT A DIRTY WORD 

Seasoned staff both want and need oversight. 

While you may have total confidence in 

them and may default to just letting them do 

whatever they choose, recall the mantra that 

it is your responsibility to push your sales staff 

to greater heights than they would achieve 

on their own. 

Think about how weird it would be if you 

weren’t having regular accountability 

meetings with a high-performing salesperson 

and then they stumbled. Suddenly they 

aren’t producing per usual and you have no 

idea why. Wouldn’t it be awkward to start 

providing oversight when you hadn’t before? 

In reality, not providing oversight and 

assuming they’ll “snap out of it” is being a 

marshmallow. Consistency and balance on 

this point, as well as the others, is key. 

You’ll avoid falling into the marshmallowmeanie 

pants trap and not only boost 

your business but get the most out of your 

employees, pushing them beyond their 

own expectations. i 

GRETCHEN GORDON 

owns Braveheart Sales 

Performance, a company 

helping clients to improve sales. 

braveheartsales.com 


MANAGEMENT 

HAPPIER AND MORE PRODUCTIVE LEADERSHIP 

SCALING UP A BUSINESS CAN TAKE ITS TOLL ON ONE’S WELLBEING. IN PART ONE OF THIS TWO-PART SERIES, DOUG FLEENER 

DETAILS HOW TO CHANGE MINDSET AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO BEAT STRESS AND IMPROVE OUTCOMES. 

Over the years, I’ve worked with various 

stressed-out owners and managers. Usually 

they are smart and dedicated people who 

couldn’t work any harder if they tried but 

they always feel like they’re getting less 

done and falling further behind. 

Does this sound familiar? 

Chances are there was a time you felt you 

had everything under control. It almost 

seemed as if your store or company was on 

autopilot. For some people, this may not 

have been too long ago – while for others 

it may be a distant memory. 

Everything was all good... and then 

something changed. You added more 

lines, more stores, more employees or 

perhaps fewer employees; your socialmedia 

exploded; your foot traffic fell away 

or increased and so on. 

Change is the one constant in business. 

Change is rarely the result of a single 

event; it’s instead an evolution driven 

by alterations in technology, buying 

behaviour, competition and countless 

other external and internal forces. 

So, are all of these changes the reason 

things no longer feel in control? 

Not really. It’s not the evolution of your 

business that causes you to feel stressed 

and overwhelmed; it’s the lack of evolution 

in the way you work. 

You can’t run a four-store chain the way 

you ran a single store 

You can’t manage a business that has an 

revenue of $2.5 million in the same way 

you ran a store with only $500,000 revenue. 

Also, you can’t run your business like you 

did three years ago. 

Too much has changed and if you’re feeling 

overwhelmed then there’s a good chance 

that you haven’t changed with it. The 

good news is that you can jumpstart that 

evolution right now. 

FOUR WAYS TO CHANGE 

Let’s look at four key areas that can 

help you be a more productive and 

happier leader. 

Accept that your work will rarely be 

done – Let’s agree that it is nearly 

impossible to get everything done in 

this always-on, always-wired, 24/7 world. 

I always joke that I became more successful 

when I started keeping a ‘to-don’t’ list 

instead of a ‘to-do’ list. 

At the end of the day, we just have to 

accept that some things will have to carry 

over to be done at another time or maybe 

they’ll never get done at all. 

Time management is neither the problem 

nor the solution – Unless you’ve got a 

time machine in your office, just take time 

management off the table. 

Of course, if you do have a time 

machine, please let me know because 

I have a few things that happened in 

my twenties that I’d like to go back and 

change... but I digress. 

There can be no blaming a lack of time for 

being overwhelmed. We all have the same 

number of hours in a day. 

What you have to manage is not time, 

but priorities – It’s about making the right 

choices regarding where you focus your 

energy and effort. Managers can make two 

mistakes when it comes to this. 

The first is doing what they want to do, 

not what they need to do. It’s human 

nature to gravitate to the things we like 

or do well and sometimes these are 

aligned with our priorities, but sometimes 

they’re not. 

The second is letting employees and 

outside forces dictate priorities. 

This happens more than people realise. 

Leaders have to manage priorities like a 

full-back holds on to a football. 

MANAGING PRIORITIES IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MANAGING TIME 

IT IS NEARLY 

IMPOSSIBLE TO 

GET EVERYTHING 

DONE IN 

THIS ALWAYS-ON, 

ALWAYS-WIRED, 

24/7 WORLD – 

I ALWAYS 

JOKE THAT I 

BECAME MORE 

SUCCESSFUL 

WHEN I STARTED 

KEEPING A ‘TO- 

DON’T’ LIST 

It doesn’t mean you’re not available when 

needed but you should be the one who 

decides when something else should take 

precedence over your priorities. 

Delegating isn’t enough – Although most 

managers and owners could increase 

delegation to their staff, this is not the 

cure-all that most people think it is. 

I can’t tell you how many times an owner 

or manager has told me he or she needs 

to delegate more, which always makes me 

think, ‘So do it!’ 

I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to distribute 

some of the tasks you’re doing that are 

keeping you from your priorities but the 

biggest reason to delegate is to have 

more engaged staff. 

It really isn’t going to have much impact on 

your own levels of stress. 

There’s a fifth critical element I’ll explore 

next month. In the meantime, think about 

the actions you can take now that will result 

in a more productive and happier you. i 

DOUG FLEENER is 

president and managing 

partner of Sixth Star 

Consulting. dougfleener.com 


MARKETING & PR 

WHEN CUSTOMER SERVICE IS UNSHACKLED 

IT’S NOT ENOUGH FOR A BUSINESS TO OFFER CUSTOMER SERVICE – IT SHOULD BE CUSTOMER-CENTRIC FROM THE TOP DOWN. 

BARRY URQUHART EXPLORES HOW CORPORATE CULTURE MUST EVOLVE TO PUT CUSTOMER-SERVICE SKILLS FIRST. 

Customer service skills are easy to master 

but they are impeded and compromised in 

many instances by inadequate, superficial and 

narrowly-focused corporate cultures. 

Delegating authority improves morale, 

contributes to staff loyalty, stabilises team 

compositions and reassures customers that 

they are dealing with people who have the 

Well-scripted mission statements and brand 

philosophies on office walls are insufficient 

and often misleading. This is because they 

seldom articulate the underlying driving force 

that makes things happen in a business. 

capacity to resolve issues to their satisfaction. 

The manner and speed in which product 

returns take place, and in which quality 

issues and service deficiencies are addressed, 

are key indicators of the degree to which a 

Considerable resources and funds are 

channelled into processes that reduce costs 

and enhance internal efficiency – at the 

expense of customer and client satisfaction. 

IN RETAIL, CUSTOMER SERVICE COMES FIRST 

service-oriented corporate culture prevails. 

For some, following up with customers is 

time-consuming and does not necessarily 

generate additional revenue. 

Under-utilised customer skills often remain 

unrecognised; employees go unsupported 

and improvements are not implemented. 

Frequently, the importance of customer 

service may be appreciated on a superficial 

level – but it often remains unrealised, to the 

dismay of front-line service providers. 

THE PERSONAL TOUCH 

Customer and client satisfaction is determined 

by, and measured against, expectations, as 

well as first impressions. 

Automated telephone systems remain a 

source of frustration and dissatisfaction, 

mostly because there’s no way to bypass prerecorded 

messages and get access to actual 

service professionals. 

By the time a customer reaches a person, it 

can be difficult for staff to recover from the 

anxiety and frustration that customer feels. 

The ability of staff to neutralise such emotions 

is important but this falls a long way short 

of creating customer satisfaction – let 

alone delight. A case in point is the recent 

declaration by Centrelink that telephone waittimes 

have been significantly reduced... to ‘just’ 

17 minutes! 

Against the benchmark of service excellence 

– when incoming calls are answered within 

three rings – it is little wonder that customers 

are reluctant to call. 

HAVING HIGHLY- 

TRAINED, QUALIFIED 

TEAM MEMBERS 

WHO POSSESS 

GREAT PRODUCT 

KNOWLEDGE 

COUNTS FOR 

LITTLE IF THEY ARE 

INSUFFICIENT IN 

NUMBERS AND 

CAN’T READILY BE 

FOUND ON THE 

SHOP FLOOR 

SERVICE BEGETS PERFORMANCE 

Even if staff have excellent service skills, 

an inadequate corporate culture will 

compromise customer-service standards. 

Department stores throughout Australia are 

reporting losses in sales, profits and market 

share. The response from senior management 

has been to declare a commitment to 

customer-focused endeavours, including 

increased training in customer service. 

Such utterances again fall well short, as 

do the number of available and accessible 

service providers. 

The consumer perception of the Australian 

department-store sector is that it is difficult 

to find staff when visiting stores. Having 

highly-trained, qualified team members who 

possess great product knowledge counts for 

little if they are insufficient in numbers and 

can’t readily be found on the shop floor. 

There is a universal need for all seniorexecutive 

and non-executive ranks to 

champion customer service delivery. 

ONE TOUCH ONLY 

A need for staff to refer matters to another 

person or department mars the customer 

experience and diminishes the chances of 

them becoming a long-term advocate of 

the business. 

Moreover, businesses are frequently reluctant 

to expose themselves to expressions of 

dissatisfaction from customers – but some 

things are better to know first-hand. Thirdparty 

complaints are difficult to manage and 

impossible to contain. 

It remains true that open, two-way 

communication is a key characteristic for 

sustaining client satisfaction and loyalty. 

DON’T COMPROMISE COMMITMENT 

With service excellence there is no place 

to hide. Training should involve senior 

management and board members, and 

active participation is essential. 

At the very least, participants should be 

able to present considered action plans to 

senior executives and non-executives at the 

conclusion of the training programme. They 

will feel rewarded and be reassured that they 

have been heard. 

In the new retail environment, customerservice 

initiatives are particularly relevant and 

businesses should ensure all endeavours are 

universally embraced and applied. i 

BARRY URQUHART 

is managing director of 

Marketing Focus and an 

international keynote speaker. 

marketinginfocus.net.au 


LOGGED ON 

BIGGER ISN’T BETTER IN CONTENT MARKETING 

WRITING FOR THE WEB IS ALL ABOUT USING ACCESSIBLE LANGUAGE. GRAHAM JONES WARNS RETAILERS NOT TO GET BOGGED 

DOWN IN BUSINESS SPEAK WHEN CREATING THEIR DIGITAL CONTENT, EVEN IF THEY THINK IT SOUNDS IMPRESSIVE TO READERS. 

If Little Red Riding Hood were reading 

much of the material on the web these 

days, she’d say, “My goodness Grandma, 

what big words you’re using!” 

Wherever you look, the internet contains 

massive words. Why? Business writing 

makes up the bulk of content marketing 

and the language of corporations is formal, 

stuffy and full of long words. 

There exists a belief that corporate writing 

appears more professional and that 

anything else could make a business seem 

low-key and less important. 

and straightforward, it is easier to follow. 

That’s the same with writing. 

Evidence shows that short sentences are 

easier to grasp than long sentences. Short 

paragraphs make a piece flow better and 

short words are easier to understand than 

long ones. 

However, businesses still believe that being 

formal is an important brand value as it 

shows how serious they are. In fact, it has 

the opposite effect; it can cause people to 

abandon what they are reading, sometimes 

because they find the author showy. 

USING APPROACHABLE LANGUAGE HELPS CONNECT WITH READERS 

The problem is that readers slow down 

when they see big words. This can lead to 

misunderstanding or failure to absorb the 

content and messages – even if readers 

make it through to the end of the article. 

Mostly, people just give up when they 

see long words; they can’t be bothered to 

waste their time. 

It’s not just big words that dominate the 

internet but long sentences too. Again, 

businesses seem to think that long 

sentences with plenty of sub-clauses will 

make them appear more professional. This 

is also true of poor writers. 

Inevitably, the opposite perception is 

formed whereby readers might think that 

people who use long words are distant and 

not very clever – just trying to impress. 

A study completed more than ten years 

ago at Princeton University showed us that 

the unnecessary use of long words created 

more problems than it solved. 

The researchers found that readers 

believed a writer was smarter if the writing 

was simple than when the words were 

unnecessarily long and complicated. 

KISS YOUR READERS 

‘Keep it simple, stupid’ (KISS) is one of 

the most popular acronyms in marketing. It 

is the idea that if something is simple 

Here are five things you can do to make sure 

your content grabs readers and keeps them 

believing in your business: 

Write as you speak – Forget those clunky 

rules about grammar. When we talk, we tend 

to use simpler words, shorter sentences and 

we regularly break grammar rules. 

This doesn’t mean you should ignore correct 

grammar but it means you can bend the 

rules without worrying too much. If you use 

a service like Grammarly, be sure to set the 

style to ‘informal’ and the domain to ‘casual’. 

This helps you connect with your readers. 

Read your content out loud – When you’ve 

finished writing your content, reading it 

aloud will help you to concentrate and spot 

mistakes more easily. If you struggle to read 

it aloud or stumble, then it’s clear that the 

writing is too complicated. Change it! 

Check the reading age of your content – Use 

your computer’s grammar-checking tool to 

calculate the reading score of your writing. 

Alternatively, go to the Readability Test Tool 

online and paste in your text. Look for the 

figure shown as the Flesch-Kincaid score. 

Add five to that score – this is the age at 

which a child can read what you have 

written. Aim for a Flesch-Kincaid score of 

between five and seven, which means your 

writing is suitable for readers aged 10 to 12 

and higher. 

RESEARCHERS 

FOUND THAT 

READERS 

BELIEVED A 

WRITER WAS 

SMARTER IF 

THE WRITING 

WAS SIMPLE 

THAN WHEN THE 

WORDS WERE 

UNNECESSARILY 

LONG AND 

COMPLICATED 

Research shows this is the score most 

suitable for quick reading, which everyone 

does on online. You are not dumbing it down 

– you’re making your writing more accessible. 

Just go with it – Set aside the notion that 

verbose writing is more professional. Use 

short words and engage more readers. You’ll 

communicate your messages more clearly 

and encourage more interaction, such as 

extra sharing on social media. Eventually, 

you’ll realise that you are achieving more by 

being ‘less professional’ in your writing. 

Read more – Read the most popular blogs in 

your sector, then read the online version of a 

popular newspaper. These top publications 

all use simple language. If you read them 

regularly, you’ll start to write like them. 

The best content on the web uses simple, 

approachable language consisting of short 

words and sentences. If you insist that you 

must use ‘business speak’, you risk making 

your content inaccessible and also risk readers 

switching off, which is the exact opposite of 

what we’re trying to do online. i 

GRAHAM JONES studies 

online behaviour and 

consumer psychology to help 

businesses improve website 

success. grahamjones.co.uk 


MY STORE 

THE WEARER 

LOCATION: London, UK 

NAME: Rachel Richards 

POSITION: Owner 

When was the space completed? Three 

years ago, in May 2016. 

Who is the target market and how did 

they influence the store design? My 

customers tend to be those that really 

value independent design, so I wanted 

to create quite a minimal space and let 

the jewellery do the talking – although 

my limited budget had a lot to do with 

that choice too! I went for a very pared 

back look, using clean plywood tabletops 

and copper piping details. Jewellery is 

displayed on raw, cut marble blocks. It 

has quite a youthful appeal and the fitout 

makes it a welcoming space where 

customers don’t feel too nervous to 

browse. Although some items are under 

glass, we leave a lot of our jewellery where 

it can be picked up and tried on. This made 

me feel anxious at first but it’s the easiest 

way to start a conversation and ultimately 

convert sales. 

With the relationship between store 

ambience and consumer purchasing 

in mind, which features in the store 

encourage sales? Because of the tiny 

size of the store, the ambience is really 

driven between the staff member and 

customer. There is always only one of us 

in at a time. Any more, and we wouldn’t 

fit the customers in too! The key thing is, 

we’re all jewellery addicts and can talk 

enthusiastically about each if the designers 

in the shop. I curated the selection myself 

and it’s important to me to have personal 

relationships with each of the designers 

we work with. Karina and Sarah, who work 

with me in the store, are designer-makers 

and we stock their designs. It really helps 

our customer fall in love with the product 

when you have that level of understanding 

of the creative process behind each piece. 

What is the store design’s ‘wow factor’? 

The ‘wow’ factor is being discovered! The 

store is so teeny and we’re tucked away 

down a side street. Often a new customer 

will stumble across us by chance. It’s that 

palpable expression of delight that I love; 

their excitement at finding this little gem of 

a jewellery box! i 


10 YEARS AGO 

WHAT WAS MAKING NEWS 10 YEARS AGO? 

A SNAPSHOT OF THE INDUSTRY EVENTS THAT MADE NEWS HEADLINES IN THE JULY 2009 ISSUE OF JEWELLER. 

JWNZ says money “intact” 

The story: The Jewellers and Watchmakers of New 

Zealand (JWNZ) has confirmed that nearly $20,000 

raised eight months ago to assist local apprentices will 

remain in a term deposit and will not be distributed 

because of the global financial crisis. 

In a letter received in response to last month’s 

story; ‘Kiwis say, “Show me the money”,’ JWNZ 

executive secretary Craig Anderson wrote, “Due 

to the present economic climate and interest rates, 

the JWNZ National Council was unanimous in its 

decision to keep the funds raised intact. Placed on 

term deposit last October the principal and interest 

Pandora HQ buys 

stake in Aussie arm 

The story: Danish company Pandora 

Holdings A/S will acquire a 60 per cent stake 

in Australian distributor Pandora Jewelry after 

nearly five years of incredible growth. 

Karin Adcock – who established the Australian 

agency for Pandora Jewelry in Australia 

alongside her husband Brook in 2004 – 

stressed that day-to-day operations would not 

change as a result of the sale. 

“The existing management teams will actually 

be empowered with additional benefits,” 

Adcock said. 

received has since 

been reinvested.” 

Anderson denied 

rumours of misuse 

but confirmed the money had not been placed in a 

Trust. JWNZ is yet to clarify if or when the funds will 

be spent, nor addressed the assertion that it hadn’t 

submitted its 2008 statutory annual return. 

When Jeweller contacted JWNZ President Susi 

Chinnery-Brown for further clarification, she 

challenged Jeweller’s right to report on the matter, and 

hung up the phone. 

SWATCH ANGER CONTINUES 

The story: Swatch has responded to a 

chorus of criticism from retail jewellers 

over its “arrogance”, lack of service and 

sub-standard support. 

The controversy was sparked when 

Dennis Coleman from Balwyn Jewellers 

in Melbourne went public about 

his dissatisfaction with Swatch in a 

previous issue of Jeweller. 

Shain Forth, of Leon Baker Jewellers in 

Geraldton, WA, has since revealed he is 

ceasing to sell Tissot due to problems 

with repairs, while Scott Godfrey from 

House of Fraser in Castle Hill, NSW, 

added: “Their customer service is 

appalling and the communication is 

almost non-existent.” 

Megan Parker, managing director 

Swatch Australia, defended the 

organisation, telling Jeweller, “I was 

disappointed to read the letters 

published so far... We certainly 

want to offer exceptional customer 

service whether it relates to the 

way that we sell watches through 

jewellers, or in particular related to 

the after sale service.” 

She added, “I would like to say that 

I hope that moving forward we look 

after every customer in the best 

possible way.” 

Ascot Four (Zamel’s) appeal dismissed 

The story: The Federal Court has dismissed an appeal 

made by Ascot Four, the former owners of the Zamel’s 

jewellery chain, against 11 charges brought by the 

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission 

(ACCC) in December 2006. According to a release from 

the ACCC, the Full Court unanimously dismissed the 

appeal on May 26, 2009 and ordered Ascot Four to pay 

the ACCC’s costs. 

Ascot Four was found to have falsely represented that 

the purchase of 11 items advertised in the Zamel’s 

Christmas 2005 catalogue would have resulted in a 

saving of the difference between the sale price and the 

strike-through price. This breached section 75AZC(1)(g) 

of the Trade Practices Act 1974, which prohibits false or 

misleading representations being made in relation to 

the price of goods. 


EVENTS 

JEWELLERY AND WATCH CALENDAR 

A GUIDE TO THE LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL JEWELLERY AND WATCH EVENTS SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE IN THE YEAR AHEAD. 


WINTON OPAL TRADESHOW 

Winton, Australia 

July 12 – 13 

qboa.com.au 

SEPTEMBER 2019 

INTERNATIONAL 

JEWELLERY LONDON 

London, UK 

September 1 – 3 

jewellerylondon.com 

HONG KONG JEWELLERY 

& GEM FAIR 

Hong Kong, China 


exhibitions.jewellerynet.com 

OCTOBER 2019 

NOVEMBER 2019 

VIETNAM INTERNATIONAL 

JEWELRY FAIR 

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 

November 14–18 

Learn more: vietnamjewelryfair.com/en 

LIGHTNING RIDGE OPAL 

& GEM FESTIVAL 

Lightning Ridge, Australia 

July 24 – 27 

lightningridgeopalfestival.com.au 

HONG KONG WATCH 

& CLOCK FAIR 

Hong Kong, China 


m.hktdc.com/fair/hkwatchfair-en/ 

SHANGHAI WORLD JEWELRY 

EXPO 2019 

Shanghai, China 

October 10 – 13 

Learn more: newayfairs.com/EN 

CHINA INTERNATIONAL 

JEWELLERY FAIR 

Beijing, China 

November 14–18 

Learn more: newayfairs.com/EN 

AUGUST 2019 

w 

AUSTRALIAN OPAL 

EXHIBITION 

Gold Coast, QLD 

August 1 – 2 

austopalexpo.com.au 

INDIA INTERNATIONAL 

JEWELLERY SHOW 

Mumbai, India 


iijs.org 

INTERNATIONAL 


Sydney, Australia 


jewelleryfair.com.au 

JAPAN JEWELLERY FAIR 

BIJORHCA PARIS 

Paris, France 


bijorhca.com 

VICENZAORO 

Vicenza, Italy 


vicenzaoro.com/en 

PALAKISS VICENZA 

SUMMER SHOW 

Vicenza, Italy 


palakisstore.com 

BANGKOK GEMS 

& JEWELRY FAIR 

Bangkok, Thailand 


bkkgems.com 

BHARAT DIAMOND WEEK 

Mumbai, India 


bharatdiamondweek.com 

INTERNATIONAL JEWELLERY 

TOKYO AUTUMN 

Yokohama, Japan 


ijt-aki.jp 

INTERNATIONAL 

JEWELLERY & WATCH 

SHOW 

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 

October 26–30 

Learn more: jws.ae 

MALAYSIA INTERNATIONAL 

JEWELLERY FESTIVAL 

Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia 

November 15 – 18 

Learn more: mij.com.my 

CHINA INTERNATIONAL 

GOLD, JEWELLERY & GEM 

FAIR SHANGHAI 

Shanghai, China 

November 28 – December 1 

Tokyo, Japan 


japanjewelleryfair.com/en 

SHENZHEN INTERNATIONAL 


Shenzhen, China 


newayfairs.com/EN 


MY BENCH 

Stephen Dickins 

WORKS AT: London 

Court, Perth 

AGE: 56 

YEARS IN TRADE: 40 

TRAINING: 4.5-year 

apprenticeship, 1st, 2nd, and 

3rd year Trade Certificate. 

FIRST JOB: Max Wilson 

Jewellers in Palmerston North, 

New Zealand. 

Favourite gemstone: I have 

no real favourite, but I like a 

top-quality Tanzanite because 

of the rarity and colour depth. 

Plus you can get them in a 

large size. They’re a setter’s 

nightmare, but worth it! 

Favourite metal: Platinum, 

because even thought it is the 

most difficult metal to handmake 

with, it pre-polishes 

brilliantly. You can use hard 

platinum solder throughout 

the make. 

Favourite tool: The PUK 

welding machine. It allows 

you to set up, move and re-set 

up pieces knowing they won’t 

move when soldering. 

Best part of job: The final 

polishing after many hours 

of working. 

Worst part of job: It really 

depends; melting the metal, 

rolling, soldering, filling, 

shaping, emering and 

polishing all have their 

own obstacles! 

Best tip to a jeweller: Just 

because you haven’t been 

shown how to do something, 

it doesn’t mean you can’t do 

it. I’m self-taught in a lot of 

things, and I’m always asking 

questions to improve my skills. 

Biggest health concern on 

the bench: Eyes. I increase the 

focus by having many visor 

headsets available. 

Love jewellery because: The 

satisfaction I get when I make 

a close to perfect piece of 

jewellery. It makes the client 

happy knowing they will have 

something that will be passed 

down through their family. i

SOAPBOX 

ACCESSING SPARE PARTS IS THE WORST 

PART OF THE WATCH INDUSTRY 

The big brands want us watchmakers 

to repair their watches, but they make 

getting the necessary spare parts 

maddeningly difficult, prohibitively 

expensive, or completely impossible. 

I’ve been repairing watches since I was 15, 

and in those days you could repair virtually 

any watch that came in the shop, because 

there were multiple spare parts retailers with 

a full range, and everyone was happy to sell 

you parts. 

Today, the likes of Omega and Rolex won’t 

sell parts to anyone who’s not a stockist. Even 

Swatch has this policy. For example, if my 

customer wants a replacement watchband, 

Swatch won’t even sell me a plastic one 

because I’m not a stockist! 

There’s a reason policies like this were 

introduced. Rolex was one of the first to insist 

that in order to get spare parts, you had to 

exchange the old ones. That was there to 

show them you weren’t repairing fake Rolexes. 

Omega kept on changing the ground rules; 

first you couldn’t go in and buy spare parts 

over the counter, then you had to fax your 

order in, then they said parts couldn’t be 

picked up and had to be posted out to you. 

Then they brought in a minimum charge 

of $25 for every spare parts order – it didn’t 

matter if it was a dollar, $10 or $10,000. Now, 

they won’t sell anything. 

Again, I can see why they’ve made these 

changes – they can see that there are only 

a handful of watchmakers left, and they’re 

worried that amateurs will get access to 

their parts. 

Other brands make the prices so high that it’s 

not worth it for independent watchmakers 

to do the repair. Even when the parts are 

available, they are only for the newer models. 

In reality, big brands want the watches sent 

back to them for repair. But that too is a 

problem; Omega has the option to send your 

watch overseas – sometimes to Switzerland, 

sometimes to Hong Kong – for repair. Often, 

the customer doesn’t know that. 

When a watch is sent in, the big 

manufacturers have a policy that if the 

luminosity on the hands is a bit off-colour, the 

hands need to be changed; every time you 

open the watch, the back seal needs to be 

changed; every time you service the watch 

you need to change the crown or the seal. 

They’d argue that the work is needed to bring 

the watch back to new standard, but the 

customers that come into my store with their 

vintage watches don’t want these changes! 

On the more common models, the big brands 

will rip the inside out and put a whole new 

movement inside, so in reality the customer 

doesn’t really get their own watch back. 

The consumer loses out on price, too. I’ve 

seen people come in with a repairs quote 

from Omega for $2,000. Even a basic service 

can be $1,000, whereas an independent 

watchmaker might charge $300 or $400 

and the customer can decide exactly what 

needs to be fixed or changed. The customer 

deserves the option of paying a less ridiculous 

price, especially if the work isn’t needed. 

There are other unintended consequences 

too – one of which is the grey market online. 

I HAVE TO FIND 

SOURCES IN 

SWITZERLAND OR 

AMERICA, WHEN 

IN REALITY IT 

SHOULDN’T BE 

THIS DIFFICULT FOR 

AN EXPERIENCED, 

QUALIFIED 

WATCHMAKER 

TO ACCESS THESE 

SPARE PARTS 

Admiring luxury watches is a huge hobby 

these days, and there are collectors who will 

buy spare parts on eBay and try to do the 

repairs themselves. 

Recently, a customer came in to have his Seiko 

repaired; I contacted Seiko and they were 

unable to supply the parts, as the model had 

been discontinued. I gave my customer the 

calibre number and he came in a week later 

with the part. He’d bought it online from a 

London seller for £20. 

I’m often forced to order parts from overseas 

myself; I have to find sources in Switzerland 

or America, when in reality it shouldn’t be 

this difficult for an experienced, qualified 

watchmaker to access these spare parts. 

Meanwhile, there are local authorised stockists 

who on-sell parts to suppliers through the 

back door, at a premium – then the suppliers 

on-sell to watchmakers for double that price. 

For the non-luxury and micro watch brands, 

they don’t keep any spare parts at all and 

there’s no support from the distributor. That 

was a big problem with Lion Brands, who 

have now closed. And don’t get me started on 

watches that aren’t available in Australia! 

Getting parts is a constant battle. Many 

jewellers now don’t even take watch repairs, 

and this is one of the big reasons: they just 

don’t want the headache. Sadly, it stops 

people wanting to become watchmakers. i 

Name: Dennis Coleman 

Business: Balwyn Jewellers 

Position: Owner and watchmaker 

Location: Balwyn, VIC 

Years in the industry: 51 years 


Where passion meets creativity 

Immerse yourself in a world of spectacular, original jewellery at the 2019 International Jewellery & Watch Fair. 

Be inspired by excellence in creativity of the latest designs and the passion in workmanship. See the latest global trends, 

seek new business opportunities and gain knowledge from industry insights. Talk with the experts and select from 

thousands of stunning pieces, just right for your business. Register to attend today at www.jewelleryfair.com.au. 

INTERNATIONAL 

J E W ELLERY & WATCH FAIR 

August 24 > 26, 2019 

ICC Sydney > Exhibition Centre > Darling Harbour 

Organised by 

WWW.JEWELLERYFAIR.COM.AU

PinkKimberley.com.au 

E pink@samsgroup.com.au W samsgroup.com.au P 02 9290 2199 

SAMS GROUP 

AUSTRALIA

Jeweller - July 2019

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