D'Damas launches new Saumya collection

The Saumya collection of gold and diamond pendants encompasses deities and religious motifs from all religions

Post By : IJ News Service On 19 May 2011 11:43 AM
A gathering of 274 attended the Plumb Club Forum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, between March 2-3. The by-invitation-only educational conference was attended by top management of retail jewelers, major mining companies, financial institutions and trade associations including Howard Sherwood, Co-President of Daniels Jewelers, Mark Moeller, President/CEO, RF Moeller Jeweler, Beryl Raff, Executive Vice President and General Merchandise Manager of Fine Jewelry, J.C. Penney Company, Inc., amongst others. The forum was a discussion on key challenging issues which the diamond and jewellery industry faced at the present moment.%% Industry experts chose to speak on digital marketing, corporate social responsibility, gold pricing, the diamond pipeline, gem treatments, and the need to make fine jewelry more fashionable. “The Forum is about change,” said Plumb Club Forum Chairman Ofer Azrielant in his opening remarks. “Our industry is in the midst of a paradigm shift, a perfect storm. The Plumb Club created this Forum to help the industry survive it.” Four Web 2.0 sessions were on ways to better web content, explore communication options in collective formats rather than one-to-one e-mail, and capitalise on the demands of the net generation; an opportunity for jewellers”. Carly Fiorina, the former Chairman/CEO of Hewlett Packard, remarked that the two most important forces in the 21st century: globalisation and the technology revolution.%% “Issues That Keep You Up at Night,” highlighted the need for transparency in the industry, legal compliance for business practices; ways in which retailers could prepare for the future. It was also opined that fine jewellery must be made more fashionable in a session “Lessons from the Fashion Industry.” Diamond and gemstone identification and treatments were informed by Gemological Institute of America, the Educational Sponsor of the Forum. “Where is Gold Going?” focused on the major drivers behind the fourfold price increase since 2001. An Audience Response System (ARS) session was orgainsed for retailers to think on “How Well Do You Know Your Customers?”. Martin Rapaport, Chairman of the Rapaport Group spoke on “The Commoditization of Diamonds.” Also, Diamond panelist Jeff Fischer, President, International Diamond Manufacturers Association, made a strong plea to Martin Rapaport to “reconsider” the changes to his price list, to help change the price of these stones. “It’s a Rough World” was a flashback of the changes in the diamond pipeline. Richard Lennox, Executive VP/U.S. Marketing Director, Diamond Promotion Service, called for more focus on marketing collaboration among various sectors to help differentiate the product.%% The Plumb Club Forum was supported by American Gem Society, Antwerp Diamond Bank, Gem Certification and Appraisal Lab, Gemesis, GemEx Systems, Gemological Science International, IGI, JCK Events, Malca-Amit, Natural Colored Diamond Association, ScotiaMocatta, World Gemological Institute, and the World Gold Council. The first-time event was supported by presenting sponsor Rio Tinto Diamonds and top sponsors GIA, JCK, ABN AMRO, HSBC, and ScotiaMocatta, among other leading industry organisations.

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