thegembank

I wrote this blog 2 years ago, I find it as relevant today as it was then. Please let me know if your business is suffering from “the Amazon Effect” and how you are dealing with it. Death of the Family Jeweller and Other Nonsense Some might say that the family jeweller is a dying breed because the Internet is killing off business on the high street – Nonsense! There’s always lots of talk about “the Amazon Effect” where many business are worrying that they just can’t compete. And to be honest if you are just selling the same indistinguishable generic products that can be found all over the highstreet, then no you probably can’t compete, at least not on price. If you’re a family jeweller, perhaps with an old

This weeks Milan fashion week showed a fabulous range of styles that could be complemented by any number of coloured gemstones. So we have taken the opportunity to look at some of the lines and paired them up with the gem stone that we feel would suit each style best! Dolce & Gabbana led with tweed black and white herringbone suits. These could as easily be paired with either black or white diamonds, or in a deco setting using both. I think however to really hit the season’s trend, either grey diamond slices or roughly cut grey diamonds should be used, which would really set them off. Missoni’s light and airy style would work well with so many stones fromcontrasting Mandarin Garnet, to very complimentary Sky blue Ceylon sapphires. I

To all our friends We wish you a wonderful holiday season. May 2013 be filled with Health Happiness and Prosperity. I would like to thank all of you who we have had the pleasure of working with over the last year. Best wishes Richard and everyone at International Gemstones and TheGemBank.com

On the show this week Vanessa Burkitt is joined by Richard Haruni, Gem dealer and Director at The Gem Bank. Also on the show is this weeks Jewellery and Fashion Highlights and a competition to give you the chance to get your hands on tickets to go to an extraordinary event that Catherine Jones is hosting showcasing platinum jewellery. Download “Star Radio’s Jewellery & Fashion Show – May 7th 2012″ (26.54 MB, 19:19)

It’s a tough old business world out there, especially in light of recent news that we could be about to hit a double dip recession. So you might be asking yourself what you can do to make your business stand out in these difficult times where everybody is clamouring for business in an ever decreasing market. As you already know Vision and Goal setting is crucial to a successful business and this month I have been talking predominantly about Unique Selling Propositions – USP. When anybody starts their own venture they have a vision that their business is going to be unique and the service or product that they are offering is going to be far superior than what is being offered by the competition. And that may be true,

When you’re a star studded celebrity walking down the red carpet on your way into the Oscars, you are already aware that the world is watching. As the press surrounds you screaming “what are you wearing?” you already know that the actual winning of an Oscar is only part the fun. 2012 was no different. And as every girl knows, even the most stunning gown would never be complete without accessorising with the latest jewellery designs

Every business needs goals. Jewellery and creative businesses also need goals, but for some reason we don’t understand that. Our businesses are not the same as everyone else’s, so why should we run them like businesses. Because they’ll fail otherwise. Set some goals and move your business forward.

Many businesses right now are breathing a sigh of relief that the big Christmas dash is out of the way and most are already starting to look forward and plan for next Christmas, and who could blame them, after all the Yule season is where alot of businesses make the bulk of their money. But does this have to be the case? For example Valentines Day is almost upon us, and even though we are currently living through an economic decline, Valentines sales still remain high. Statistics over the past few years say demand in the U.K for products this season is getting higher and higher especially for diamonds, with coloured diamonds also becoming more and more in vogue. In fact according to the American Express Spending & Saving Tracker

As you were stuffing yourself with mulled wine and mince pies many of you were probably thinking about the coming year and what you could  do to achieve your business goals. Or so we like to think.  With the economic climate still looking uncertain at best, this makes that process even harder. What’s worse, is that our inability to set out our priorities for the coming year (other than survive) creates anxiety as we go through the year. So that come the end of the year, we’re so frazzled and drained, that all we can do is eat more mince pies, drink more mulled wine and start all over. I used to go through this cycle, year after year and as the financial crisis hit in 2008, would regularly find

Vision and Goal setting is a much tried and tested successful method for me. I have found that setting goals gives you a long term vision with short term motivation. It minimises distractions and focus’s the mind, in fact goal setting is one of the strongest keys to a successful business. Clarity and Vision ensure that your efforts are focused on achieving a clearly defined outcome.