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Welcome to the January issue of The Gem Bank Newsletter. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Happy New Year. I look forward to working alongside you all in 2012 and making this year a great success for us all! This is the year to open your mind!!! Trading at the end of 2011 ended on an optimistic note. Reports show that the sale of high end jewellery products increased within the last quarter with consumers becoming more and more comfortable to splash their cash online. In December we watched with fascination the late Elizabeth Taylor’s Christie’s jewellery auction reach a record breaking $115.9 million with one of her necklaces featuring a 16th Century peal selling for £7.6 million, ten times the auction estimate!

Thank you for your support As the year comes to an end, I would like to make a personal thank you to our customers and suppliers alike, who have helped us over the last year. This year has seen my business grow as my team and me strive to service you better. While this may not have always gone as smoothly as we’d like, we are constantly working on improving. Thank you. May 2012 bring us all a little more peace, prosperity and success! Welcome to the December issue of the Gem Bank Newsletter. Trading at the start of November in Europe was a little slow, as we saw with the recent auction results in Geneva. Which is unusual as November is normally the peak trading month of the season.

As usual we have been very busy in the last few months. In September we took part in the Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair. The big shows play such an important role as an early indicator of diamond pricing trends; and as this is currently the world’s leading jewellery event, our participation means that we can assess the trade show and report back directly with you, keeping you abreast of all the latest industry news, jewellery fashion trends and gem pricing.

If you are not on the web with your jewellery business then you are leaving profits on the table that could otherwise be flowing in your direction. Even the smallest stores can easily start selling online using an ecommerce website of their very own, and at a cost that is much lower than you might think. All it takes is a little bit of creativity and you’ll soon be enjoying the benefits of making money off of two storefronts – one that is “bricks and mortar” and another that is on the world wide web! Getting started with an online storefront Even if you have never had any experience with ecommerce before, it is incredibly easy to get started with an online storefront. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of

Fine jewellery is one of the most beautiful and emotional things in the world. Nothing makes a person feel special like a lovely piece of jewellery, and nothing evokes more feelings of love and happiness. A great deal of marketing and advertising effort is put into promoting traditional white/colourless diamonds as the preferred gemstone for fine jewellery, but more and more people are discovering that coloured gemstones and diamonds are just as beautiful and noteworthy. You can increase your customer base and expand your business success by tapping into this rapidly growing fascination with coloured gemstones and diamonds. All it takes is a bit of creativity and some attention to detail to help your customers understand how much fun it is to be innovative with coloured gemstones. Innovating with colour

Apart from beauty, individuality and sheer style, coloured gemstones have one more asset that should be most attractive to the you the seller: Profitability! In our modern world, though, many people do not even think about choosing coloured gemstones because they are so focused on traditional white diamonds and retailers are missing a trick by not promoting them more. Figuring out how to market coloured gemstones successfully is an excellent way to diversify your business and expand your customer base, and dramatically improve your bottom line. The basic aspects of marketing coloured gemstones There are a number of basic aspects to marketing coloured gemstones. These include: Familiarisation – Most people are simply not familiar with coloured gemstones, and those who do know a little bit about them often have grave

The most valuable commodity in your business is not your inventory of gemstones and jewellery. Rather, it is your database of past and current customers. If you want your business to stay profitable and succeed over the long term it is critical to make the most of this valuable base of customers by reaching out to them in a variety of ways. This kind of proactive outreach is the best way to stay connected with your customers, build and strengthen their loyalty, and keep them coming back for repeat business year after year after year. What is the value of a past or current customer? It may be hard to put an exact value on a past or current customer, but most business experts will tell you it costs anywhere

For many decades, the utmost in glamour and beauty when it comes to gemstones has been the traditional white diamond. Much of this has been driven by large diamond companies actively promoting their gemstones, but in recent years there has been a resurgence in the popularity and demand for coloured gemstones as well. The fact is that coloured gemstones are a thriving (and rapidly growing) part of the modern fashion world and you can take advantage of this terrific trend to further promote and expand your business opportunities. The allure and attraction of coloured gemstones Today’s modern fashion divas, celebrities, and movie stars are re-discovering what many people have known all along. That is, coloured gemstones are absolutely gorgeous and can be a stunning addition to any wardrobe. Take a

It is a common characteristic of the gemstone and jewellery business that some times of year are far busier than others. Christmas and Valentine’s Day are two of the biggest holidays, along with Mother’s Day. These holidays offer plenty of opportunities to attract customers and increase sales, but that’s not enough to keep your small to medium size business afloat for the entire year. What you need is to find a way to drive demand for gemstones all year round. Something new for each month Start by looking at the calendar year in a month by month way. For each month, take a look at any holidays you might emphasise (even if they are small or specialised). Build a plan around what you find, being creative in how you combine

Grabbing the attention of customers and potential customers is a big part of your overall success. After all, if you can’t get them to notice your gemstones and your jewellery pieces you are not going to get them to actually make a purchase. Coloured gemstones can be a huge benefit in grabbing customer attention, so think about all of the creative ways you can use them to your advantage. A splash of colour makes all the difference Think about the advertisements you see in your local newspaper. Which ones attract your attention the most? Chances are it is the advertisements that contain a splash of colour. A headline, a border, or just a burst of colour off to the side is often all it takes to make one advertisement stand