10/04/2019
The jewellery industry is now in its third consecutive year of difficult trading conditions, and most people may not be aware that the current downturn has resulted in a greater drop in jewellery sales than in the recessions of 1974/75, 1983/84 and 1991/92.
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09/03/2019
Over the past few years, I’ve visited and spoken to many jewellery retailers who have been the victims of crime – ranging from theft to break-ins and armed robberies. I’ve seen too many simple security steps overlooked, ignored or neglected. Jewellery businesses need to take security seriously and continually budget for upgrades and improvements.
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09/02/2019
Behavioural analysts, researchers and social commentators have written profusely about the different generations of consumers and their buying habits. The buying habits in the jewellery industry are changing, especially in relation to diamond purchases.
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12/11/2018
Back in 2012, I wrote about how Australia tends to be up to 10 years behind other global jewellery industries in terms of technological innovation in the mass production industries.
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01/10/2018
Online shopping has absolutely affected my business, as it has the entire industry and retail landscape. Customers approach me for products differently now and the variety of products on the online market has further confused customers who are trying to navigate the oversaturated market.
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15/08/2018
As a teen growing up in the 80s, if someone told me I’d be working in a career that involved lasers, computer-aided design and 3D printing, I probably wouldn’t have believed them. But while the rapid acceleration of technology should make our lives as jewellers easier, it often adds pressure and heeds hefty expectations from today’s consumers.
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01/08/2018
The industry sure has changed a lot over the years. Like many others my age, I started out in the business with my father, cutting gemstones and making jewellery by hand.
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04/07/2018
After I had a book written about me, it gave me an opportunity to reflect on all the changes that have taken place over the course of my career.
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12/06/2018
You know things have changed in the jewellery industry when your profit on a diamond is only 10 per cent, or you keep losing customers to ‘better deals’ on the internet. So, how can small, independent jewellers stay in business?
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08/05/2018
I’ve been through five recessions since I started my jewellery apprenticeship in 1963. There was a lot of pressure on jewellers during recessions; the one in the 1980s was very damning – we were paying 25 per cent for business finance among other things. But we survived it, because we took care of our customers.
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28/03/2018
In Australia, coloured gemstones often play second fiddle to diamonds, and outside the big three – ruby, sapphire and emerald – the knowledge of the general population is lacking. This is a problem because not only are customers missing out on an array of wonderful gemstones, retailers are missing many opportunities to make sales.
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06/03/2018
During my early days as a jeweller, troubling images of filthy mines with poor working conditions prompted me to research alternative gold sources. This led me to become Australia’s first licensed supplier of Fairtrade Certified Gold, a qualification which guarantees the gold I work with has been mined and sold according to Fairtrade standards.
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07/02/2018
As a gemmologist who works in the jewellery industry, I’ve heard many terms used to describe gemstones. Some are correct and some are not.
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22/11/2017
I’ve been in the retail industry my entire working life, both as a retailer and most recently as a supplier, and I’ve never seen the market as difficult as it is right now. It’s like being on a boat and you know the storm is coming but you really don’t have any idea how bad it is going to be.
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23/10/2017
WorldSkills Australia is dedicated to the promotion and the building of a skills culture that celebrates excellence. We support VET-based careers and endorse the value of apprenticeships and then challenge these apprentices through competition.
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