Author: Alastair Smith

Tim Schlick has taken the helm as Chief Executive Officer of Platinum Guild International (PGI), succeeding Huw Daniel who retired on April 4, 2024. Mr. Schlick’s tenure at PGI began in 2015, and he has since progressed through key positions including Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Operating Officer.Background and Expertise Prior to his new role, Mr. Schlick was recognized for his strategic and marketing prowess, having consulted for over 30 Fortune 500 companies. His career also includes significant roles at DDB China Group, McCann Erickson, and Andersen Consulting. With a comprehensive background in both the European and Asian markets, Mr.…

The British Academy of Jewellery (BAJ) in partnership with Graff recently hosted an exhibition and awards evening to showcase the outcomes of the BAJ X Graff Fine Jewellery Project. This event underscored the synergy between educational initiatives and industry-leading craftsmanship, offering a platform for first-year BA (Hons) Jewellery Design and Production students to exhibit their work.The challengeFor this project, Graff supplied each student with a 3D printed resin model of a pear-shaped diamond, an exact replica of the Graff pear-shaped 18.38 carat diamond, which originates from the 1,109 carat Lesedi La Rona rough diamond. Sam Sherry, Workshop General Manager at…

Parisian jeweler FRED, a unit of luxury group LVMH, has introduced its first synthetic blue diamonds, named FRED Audacious Blue. Known for its elegant and exquisite creations, the brand has ventured into the realm of lab-grown diamonds, marking a significant shift in its product offerings.Limited-Edition CollectionThe brand has released a limited-edition collection consisting of just four jewelry pieces, each containing a 0.50-carat blue lab-grown diamond in the brand’s proprietary Fred Hero Cut. Additionally, a loose 8.88-carat synthetic diamond of the same colour and cut has been unveiled. All five stones are fancy-vivid greenish-blue, have VS clarity or higher, and carry…

Jewellery, especially high-value items, is rarely an impulse purchase. Customers often take time to consider their options, explore various designs, styles, and price points before making a decision. So, when a visitor comes to your website for the first time, it’s unlikely they will make a purchase straight away. This is where a digital sales funnel can come into play.What is a sales funnel?A sales funnel, in essence, represents the journey a potential customer takes from their first interaction with your brand to the final purchase. It’s called a ‘funnel’ because, much like a real-world funnel, the number of people…

Launched in 2022, Boutee is a new jewellery marketplace which aims to help people discover and buy from Britain’s best independent jewellers.Unlike more general hand-crafted marketplaces like Etsy or Not On The Highstreet, Boutee offers only high-quality jewellery from independent British jewellers. Each jeweller has a dedicated storefront on the marketplace, where customers can not only see the products on offer, but also discover the story and people behind the products.Founders Billy and Ethan Ward grew up surrounded by the jewellery industry and saw first-hand how difficult it was for smaller jewellers to compete against larger, more digitally-savvy businesses. With…