Lesley, The proposal went great! Gretel loves her ring, (it is really shiny!) and I love that everyone agrees that I did a great job picking out the diamond and making the selection. I could not be happier with my investment. I will be sure to tell all my friends to look beyond the typical B & M stores and go with a true class act. Thanks for providing me such a great experience! Blessings to you and your staff always! Grace and Peace.
‘Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop,’ by Landon Pigg
Perhaps you’ve had that feeling of unknowingly falling for someone. If you have, then this DeBeers “Diamonds Are Forever” commercial really hits home. A young man and woman driving along a city street have nothing to say, because Landon Pigg’s music says it for them: “I think quite possibly, maybe I’m falling for you/Yes there’s a chance that I’ve fallen quite hard over you.” While some watchers are consumed by the lyrics of the “Coffee Shop,’ Pigg seems to have a different opinion. He told Spinner, “It’s great getting to hear a song against such beautiful cinematography. Even if your TV was on mute, you would still be satisfied.”
From JCK - Zale Corp. on Thursday announced that retail industry veteran Neal Goldberg has been named president and chief executive officer of the Dallas-based specialty retailer of fine jewelry, effective immediately. He also has joined the company’s board of directors. Goldberg, 48, replaces Betsy Burton (pictured), who the company said is stepping down from her management and board positions. Burton, a director of Zale since August 2003, has served as CEO of the company since February 2006. She will continue to advise the company pursuant to a two-year consulting agreement. Goldberg has 27 years of experience in the retail industry, including senior roles at Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret, and Gap Inc. Most recently, he served as president of The Children’s Place Retail Stores, Inc., a leading specialty retailer of high quality, value-priced apparel, and accessories for children. “We believe Neal Goldberg will be an outstanding CEO,” said John B. Lowe, Jr., chairman of Zale Board of Directors. “He has a unique combination of retail experience, leadership and teambuilding skills, and talent to move the company forward, building on the progress that has already been achieved. (more…)
From JCK - More than $14 billion has been spent online during the holiday season-to-date (Nov. 1 – Dec. 2), according to comScore Inc., a 17-percent gain year-over-year. More than $4 billion was spent online during the week ending Dec. 2, also a 17 percent gain year-over-year. The heaviest online spending day of the season thus far remains Cyber Monday (Nov. 26) with $733 million in sales, according to the Reston, Va.-based firm which measures digital data. All figures exclude travel, auctions, and large corporate purchases. “This most recent week started strong as consumers spent $733 million on Cyber Monday, which was followed by three consecutive days where spending surpassed $700 million,” said comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni. “However, strong sales subsided towards the end of the week, eventually resulting in a 17-percent gain versus the corresponding time period last year—in line with the growth rates we’ve experienced for the season-to-date.” Jewelry and watches did not show up among the top 10 categories for consumer online spending. Video games, consoles & accessories continues to be the hottest online retail category, rising 145 percent in November year-over-year, while furniture, appliances & equipment (up 45 percent) and sport & fitness (up 30 percent) are also performing well. Three of the most popular holiday season categories, toys, consumer electronics, and books & magazines, are each growing at 17 percent, coinciding with total online retail spending growth.
From News.com.au - THE DUCHESS of Cornwall has out-dazzled the Queen in one of the most opulent royal necklaces ever seen. Its five strands of diamonds covered her decolletage and made the Queen’s jewels look quite modest as they attended the Queen’s banquet for the Commonwealth Heads of Government in Kampala, Uganda, on Friday. But Camilla didn’t deliberately set out to overshadow her mother-in-law - the Queen gave her permission to borrow it from the royal collection. Camilla’s favourite couturier, Anna Valentine, designed her a simple duck-egg blue dress and matching stole to set off the necklace, estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars. The Duchess added the Queen Mother’s Boucheron tiara, a set of diamond earrings and the Queen Elizabeth II Family Order, given to female members of the royal family. The Queen wore an equally stunning tiara and the Nizam of Hyderabad’s diamond necklace over a white lace dress.
From Daily Mail - Diamonds are a girl’s best friend but they can also be her worst enemy, especially when the stone in question is a £5million Montblanc. Australian Supermodel Elle Macpherson and Hollywood A-lister Hilary Swank both wanted to wear the stunning necklace containing the gem to a party to launch the jeweller’s new collection last week. “There was a hoo-ha around who would wear it,” says my source. “In the end they compromised. Elle wore it in the day while Hilary had it on during the evening.”
JCK Online has posted photos from the movie premier we sponsored and a video trailer for the movie on their site (thanks JCK). Congrats again to everyone at Whiteflash & Skyy Vodka for making the party possible, and to Jessica Alba and Dane Cook for a funny, charming movie. Link to article.
I found this email in spam: It appears that man is trying to propose to his girlfriend in an unusual way. He wants people to forward an email to as many people as possible. He hopes that it will eventually get to his girlfriend. Unlike so many chain emails, his quest seems genuine. You can read his log entries (beginning in Setpember 2007) on the proposal website: http://www.proposal-to-mary.com
We’ve had no such problems from our celebrity endorsers (see Whiteflash In The News). Let’s hope they continue being responsible with our treasured pieces.
From Rapaport -Celebrities are taking some slack over carats, because diamonds aren’t a girl’s best lend. Almost one year after ex-UK glamour model Kelly Brook lost an uninsured $113,000 diamond bracelet, luxury jeweller Harry Winston is no closer to compensation — or to repeating the mistake. An inside source told the Daily Mail: “We insist on contracts now. We get asked for our stock all the time by celebrities and we say ‘no’ a lot. Things get difficult.” Strictly Come Dancing star Brooke, 27, borrowed a bracelet for the Children’s Baftas in 2006, but lost it at a private party two days before the event. Winston insisted she pay. “It must have dropped off. You can’t go around accusing people,” said the source. After months of wrangling, Brook’s spokesman said yesterday the matter was being handled ‘amicably.’ But the Daily Mail source said: “It’s gone on and on because Kelly refused to pay…really awkward and embarrassing.” (more…)
Lesley - The proposal I made with my own Whiteflash stone was made good on last month! Here is a photo from our wedding in Cape Cod. - Mike & Jocelyn, MA
From Rapaport News - Sotheby’s New York will offer three lots of magnificent natural pearl and diamond jewels from the collection of Kelly and Calvin Klein on December 4. The auction house calls the offerings of historical importance as the Kleins purchased the pieces during a 1987 Sotheby’s Geneva auction of jewels from the Duchess of Windsor collection. Sotheby’s describes the top offerings as a single-strand natural pearl and diamond necklace (est. $1.5 million to $2 million,) a natural pearl and diamond pendant (est. $400,000 to $600,000,) and a pair of black and white natural pearl and diamond earclips (est. $300,000 to $500,000.) In the 20 years since the Windsor sale, few pieces from that incomparable collection have been re-offered at auction, and none as significant as the iconic natural pearls acquired by the Kleins. The pearls will be featured extensively worldwide in a pre-sale exhibition before the December sale. The necklace, pendant, and earclips will be offered as three lots in Sotheby’s December sale of Magnificent Jewels and carry a combined estimate of $2.2 million to $3.1 million. (more…)
From BBC News - An 8ft (2.5m) sculpture of a diamond by US artist Jeff Koons is expected to raise around $12m (£6m) when it is sold at auction in November. Part of the artist’s famed Celebration series, the blue “diamond” is in fact made of polished steel and chromium. It will be auctioned at a Christie’s sale of post-war and contemporary art in New York on 13 November. An Andy Warhol portrait of Elizabeth Taylor is expected to fetch $25m (£12m) at the same auction. Liz (Colored Liz) is one of the artist’s iconic celebrity portraits from the mid-1960s. Full Story.
Early this year a blog post titled “Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year” proposed that darkening the home page on millions of computers will save energy. People who support the concept are now using Blackle, powered by custom Google, as their primary search.
Whether you switch to Blackle or not, there are a number of useful energy-saving tips and reminders, found here on the Blackle site.
JCK online is reporting that Blue Nile Inc. and Tiffany & Co. are the two hottest jewelry retailers in the U.S., according to an annual survey of retailers.
Stores magazine, the official magazine of the National Retail Federation, ranked Blue Nile, the Seattle-based online jewelry and diamond retailer, 20th on its “Hot 100 Retailers” list. The venerable luxury jeweler Tiffany came in at 92. No other jewelry retailer made the list, which appeared in the magazine’s August issue. The list highlights retail companies with a minimum of $100 million in annual revenues that reported the greatest increase in year-over-year revenues in 2006. Here is the full article.
This was sent by one of my delightful customers, Andy.
Lesley, Vera & the gang, I thought you’d get a laugh out of some of my recent word finds that apply so well to you:
“Whiteflash is the ne plus ultra (the highest point, as of excellence or achievement; the ultimate) of diamonds and fine jewelry. Their selection of pellucid (transparent, translucent; Free from what obscures or dims; admitting maximum passage of light; reflecting light evenly), coruscating (to give forth flashes of light; sparkle and glitter) treasures will satisfy the most discriminating, punctilious (strictly attentive to minute details of form in action or conduct; Precise; scrupulous) customer.
I was recently reminded of this custom project once covered in Southern Bride. It was some time ago so new employees may not have seen it. We do a lot of complex design but here is an example of a subtle but no less elegant piece.
Here is an article about this project which appears on the Whiteflash site.
This amateur video is 8 and a half minutes long but it is absolutely astonishing. It’s taken in a wildlife preserve in Africa. Some parts are a bit startling but is a must-see if you are a Discovery Channel type or simply love animals.
The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization. Any errors are the authors' responsibility. In fact, let's blame that kid in the sandbox. I heard he got caught with a lighter once.
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