(NEW YORK) - Jewelers’ Security Alliance (JSA) has released its crime statistics for the first six months of 2016 which indicate a continued decline in crime against the diamond, jewelry and watch industry. U.S. Dollar losses decreased from $33.2 million to $30.8 million, and the number of crimes decreased from 562 to 528.
What does it take for a jewelry artifact, whether it be a single stone or a hoard of gold, to be declared “cursed”? Well, it seems the main ingredient is a populace with a very active imagination, and successive owners who are willing to carry on the legend even if they’ve escaped with all their limbs. Like all fantastically expensive objects, jewelry of the most high-end kind tends to attract theft, disagreement, political problems, and other intrigue; but that’s just a fact of its desirability. Beyond that, historically, jewelry curses are often invented aspects to give a potential buyer a little bit more flavor. (The La Peregrina Pearl owned by Elizabeth Taylor has been blamed for the fact that she married eight times, but it’s more realistic to blame that on her interpersonal skills than on a blameless bit of cultivated oyster.)
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“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others” ~ African Proverb
The Fall, 2016 edition of the Atlanta Jewelry Show has wrapped, and I have lots of details to share with you from the show floor!
In last week’s newsletter we ran a story about 2 jewelers in Kentucky which were called by out of town “customers” looking to purchase loose diamonds using a credit card. In both cases the “customer” identified himself as a business owner from California.
As it turns out, these attempts are much more widespread than we expected. We received a great deal of feedback from readers who have experienced very similar situations. Here are a few of their stories:
More than 40,000 votes direct funds to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, Habitat for Humanity® and Feeding America®/Food Banks Canada
(NEENAH, Wis.) - Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company’s $2 million donation campaign, “Band Together,” came to an end on July 31. The company, a leading insurer dedicated exclusively to jewelry and the jewelry industry, invited its policyholders and the general public to vote online at its website for their favorite cause.
One occurrence is an anomaly. Two instances of a particular event a coincidence. But, three credit card scams from California-based construction business owners is a definite pattern. That’s what two Kentucky-based retail jewelers, separated by 215 miles on Interstate 64, determined when loose diamond purchases conducted by phone from out-of-town customers didn’t pass the smell test.
(NEW YORK) - The Rapaport Monthly Report stated that polished diamond prices softened in July, continuing the downtrend in the second quarter. Diamond markets were seasonally quiet with U.S. wholesalers taking their annual summer vacation. Overall polished demand remains weak.
