Kate Moss buys cuff right off the wrist of Mark Ronson’s jewellery designer mum

It seems that when Kate Moss sees some jewellery she wants, she gets it. Moss is reported to have spotted a black onyx, black diamond, solid gold and silver cuff on the arm of Ann Dexter-Jones – mother of music producer Mark Ronson and an aspiring jewellery designer – while at a wedding and got her friend Topshop boss Sir Philip Green to buy it for her there and then. Moss then gave Dexter-Jones the Chanel bracelet that she was wearing so she would have to bear a bare wrist at the festivities.

Pictured: Kate Moss wearing Fire of London by Stephen Webster

Christies prepares for bumper jewellery sales day

Christie’s will hold two sales of exceptional jewels in New York on December 10, which are expected to realise a combined amount of more than £9m. The sales will feature more than 180 pieces of jewellery from rare and important diamonds to period jewels, plus designs by brands such as Buccellati, Boucheron, Daniel Brush, Bulgari, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, David Webb, and Tiffany & Co.

The first sale will be New York Jewels, a selection of jewellery ranging from £600 to £1.2m. This will be followed by a Magnificent Jewels sale of 10 jewels from a private collector that includes the rare and important 39ct D-grade Evening Star diamond, which is expected to fetch more than £6m.

Pictured: The Evening Star diamond

BrandAlley takes over Oxford Circus with FlashWalk

Luxury discount e-tailer BrandAlley, which sells jewellery and watch brands including Missoma and Baume & Mercier, sent six models to carry out a FlashWalk (that’s a flash catwalk) at the new diagonal crossing at London’s Oxford Circus on November 20. The models took centre stage at one of the world’s busiest shopping spots wearing nothing but body paint and jewellery from Dyrberg/Kern, which is running a flash sale of its watches at BrandAlley later this week.

Spectators, including tourists and policemen, stood with mouths agape as the nearly naked models dropped their trench coats and transformed the pedestrian crossing into an impromptu catwalk. On their fronts, the models were painted with clothing to represent key looks from this year’s global Fashion Weeks and on their backs “The sale goes on and on and on” was painted to reflect BrandAlley’s new slogan “The non-stop designer sale”.

The FlashWalk has been used to create an online viral video. You can watch the video by clicking here.

BrandAlley has also relaunched its website this week with a fresh look and increased search functions.

Watch brand Lancaster to create jewellery line

While doing a bit of freelance work, I've rediscovered Lancaster watches. I've seen this brand in the flesh a few times before but it's not one of the best known brands in the UK. However, should Santa be reading, it's certainly on my Christmas list this year.

Also, just read on its website that Lancaster is currently developing a range of jewellery and accessories - should be interesting. The brand also creates sunglasses, small leather goods, bags, cufflinks and writing implements.

Chamilia creates exclusive Marie Curie bead for Ernest Jones

High street jeweller Ernest Jones and bead brand Chamilia have teamed up with charity Marie Claire Cancer Care to create an exclusive bead in the shape of Marie Curie’s iconic daffodil (pictured). The enamel and sterling silver charm is on sale in Ernest Jones stores now and £5 from the £30 retail price of the bead will be donated to Marie Curie.

Ernest Jones, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, announced plans to stock Chamilia in June and has been selling the popular bead brand online at ernestjones.co.uk and in selected stores. It also stocks Pandora beads and charms from Hot Diamonds and Truth.

US brand Chamilia opened its first UK sales and distribution office in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in May.

European sales sparkle for Tiffany

Luxury jeweller Tiffany recorded double-digit sales growth in Europe in the three months to October 31, driven in part by the opening a store in at Selfridges in Manchester. European sales rose 12% to $65m (£39.2m).

However, the retailer struggled in the US, which accounts for more than half of its total sales. Like-for-like sales dropped 10% and total sales fell 9% to $303.5m (£183.1m).

Tiffany chairman and chief executive Michael Kowalski said: "We were pleased to see that the rate of sales declines in the US lessened as the quarter progressed. At the same time, many countries in Asia-Pacific and Europe achieved considerably better-than-expected sales. These results, combined with ongoing expense restraint, contributed to earnings above our prior expectation."

In the UK, Tiffany has eight stores in London in addition to the newly opened Manchester boutique. It also has a concession in upmarket department store Brown Thomas in Dublin.

Pictured: Rings by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co with diamonds, green tourmaline, tanzanite and pink tourmaline

Giles Deacon unveils latest H Samuel collection

Giles Deacon’s latest jewellery collection for Signet-owned high street retailer H Samuel has now gone on sale. The range includes designs featuring crystals and sterling silver and locks, keys, hearts and stars feature heavily in the designs.

Deacon’s first collaboration with H Samuel in 2008 was his first eve high street jewellery collection.

At the time, Deacon described his designs by saying: “Jewellery is becoming so much more important in fashion. I think the woman who will wear the collection is fashion conscious with a sense of humour and loves to accessorise her outfits."

Retail prices range from £29.99 for a pair of crystal-studded earrings (pictured) to £69.99 for a sterling silver charm-style bracelet. The collection is on sale now at H Samuel stores.

Clogau Gold creates new heart collection

Brand Clogau Gold has launched a new heart-inspired collection called Close To My Heart. The pendant and set of earrings in the set feature lustrous ribbons of gold that have been twisted into heart shapes and have the Welsh word Cariad engraved on them, which means beloved, sweetheart or darling.

The retail prices for the Close To My Heart collection are £260 for the pendant and £149 for the drop earrings.

Lily Cole evokes otherworldly glamour with Shaun Leane’s Luna

Model of the moment Lily Cole chose jewellery designer of the moment Shaun Leane when she glammed up for the London premiere of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Cole wore black diamond multi-drop earrings from Leane’s Luna collection.

The surreal Luna range is inspired by astronaught Neil Armstrong’s quote “it’s different but it’s pretty out here”. Also in the range is a cocktail ring with a carved centre surrounded by glistening black diamonds that evokes otherworldly glamour.

Leane was crowned Jewellery Designer of the Year at the UK Jewellery Awards 2009 in July.

Kabiri hosts Jayce Wong glow-in-the-dark exhibition

At a special launch event at the Kabiri store in Covent Garden, London last night, Jayce Wong showcased her collection of precious jewellery featuring naturally fluorescent gemstones. The range, which uses stones such as rubies and diamonds, was displayed in a blacked out room in the store, lit only with UV lights to highlight the fluorescent properties of the jewellery.

Kabiri will be hosting an exhibition of Wong’s work, entitled A New Stone Age, at the store from now until December 3.

Wong is a classically trained jeweller and gemologist and earned a Bachelor and Master Degree in Jewellery Design at London’s Central Saint Martins. Jayce Wong's opulent jewellery showcases her passion for coloured gemstones and is inspired by the how light affects each piece.

Recognise Alexa's skull necklace?

A friend of mine spotted a picture of Alexa Chung (ignore the becoming expression) wearing a delicate necklace with a skull motif at The Whitney Museum Gala at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. She’d love to know who has designed it but I’m at a loss – any ideas, please comment below!

Pictured: Alexa Chung (Picture from Contactmusic.com)

Heart Gallery in Hebdon Bridge will be hosting its fourth annual selling exhibition

Heart Gallery in Hebdon Bridge will be hosting its fourth annual selling exhibition featuring more than 80 designer-makers from the UK, including jewellery designers Alice Gow, Andrea Thorpe, Claire Troughton, Karen Morrison, Lua Lua, Lucy Palmer, Nick Hubbard, Rubie Rae and Tanya Krackowizer.

The event takes place on November 7 at Heart Gallery, The Arts Centre, 4a Market Street, Hebdon Bridge.

Pictured: Rings by Alice Gow

CMJ reports revived demand for higher-end pieces

Demand for precious jewellery, particularly D- and E-grade diamond pieces, was revived at the August meeting of buying group the Company of Master Jewellers (CMJ), which attracted a record 500 delegates to the event at Chesford Grange. At previous meetings since the recession hit, CMJ members had been focused on topping up stock and buying into fashion lines such as beads but the mood has significantly shifted.

Sales of the CMJ’s own diamond brand MasterCut rocketed 500% in the eight weeks to September 15, and the group’s 12 key diamond suppliers reported that the August buying meeting was their best in 18 months – exceeding pre-recession meetings.

CMJ chief executive Willie Hamilton said: “There was a great buzz at the meeting and buyers are now realising that they have to shop across the mix. At the beginning of the year people were so cautious but now they realise that precious jewellery has held its value.”

Quality watches from brands including Raymond Weil moved well despite fears from independent retailers that multiples will repeat the heavy festive watch discounting experienced on the high street last year.

Platinum sales were said to be “exceptional” and there was increased interest in palladium jewellery as a result of the hallmark coming into place in July. Gold, however, evoked more caution from buyers due to continuing rising prices which broke the $1,000 per oz barrier in September and could be set to rise again.

Rox invests £1m on first store outside Glasgow

Rox is investing £1m on its fourth shop, which is its biggest to date and its first outside of Glasgow. The retailer has signed for a 1,353 sq ft boutique on the ground floor of new development Union Square in Aberdeen and the store will be the city’s first fashion-forward luxury jeweller, stocking brands such as Stephen Webster and ToyWatch.

The store at Union Square, which will be the only new shopping centre to open in Scotland this year, is part of a wider plan to increase Rox’s empire. The retailer has enjoyed “significant year-on-year growth” and plans to expand, focusing on opening new stores in shopping centres.

Rox co-founder Kyron Keogh said: “Aberdeen’s economy has been resilient throughout the recession and Union Square’s strong fashion edge complements our contemporary range. The jewellery market in Aberdeen is currently dominated by very traditional jewellers so Rox will offer Aberdeen customers a completely unrivalled shopping experience.”

The shop, which will create 10 new jobs in the city, will open at the end of October in the development alongside a wealth of contemporary fashion retailers, eateries and a cinema. Azendi, which was shortlisted for Multiple Retailer of the Year at the 2009 UK Jewellery Awards, has also taken a unit at the £250m Hammerson development.

Clogau Gold to raise international profile by investing in travel retail

Clogau Gold is hoping to establish itself as an internationally recognised brand by targeting the travel retail sector. The Welsh gold brand has appointed David Butler as head of global sales to drive the initiative forward and will also take its first independent stand at duty free and travel retail exhibition TFWA at Cannes in October.

Clogau Gold is already stocked onboard planes and cruise ships, including large carriers British Airways, Virgin and Air Canada, but the sector represents just 4% of overall sales. Butler, who was part of a team responsible for establishing Hot Diamond’s travel retail business that launched five years ago, said he hopes to increase this percentage but expects the process to be a long-term initiative not a quick fix.

Butler said: “It’s a difficult market to break in to. I don’t see it happening over night; I see it more as a three-year project to develop the brand internationally.”

In addition to increasing its presence onboard aircraft and ships, Butler is hoping to make alliances with airport retailers.

Travel retail operators tend to demand high margins from brands, up to 70%, so there are no quick financial gains to be made in the sector. However, Butler believes that it is an important profile-raising step that will help it breaking into new international markets, such as the US.

Karen Morrison plans London pop-up shop in November

Jewellery designer Karen Morrison will be hosting a pop-up shop in London’s stylish Clerkenwell in November, selling handmade precious and semi-precious gemstone jewellery. Collections will be on display at The Corner Shop, Craft Central, 21 Clerkenwell Green from November 10 to November 15.

Morrison sells her jewellery in many outlets throughout the UK as well as on her website, karenmorrisonjewellery.co.uk. She has featured in magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Grazia and ES Magazine and was this year nominated in the Scottish Fashion Awards for Jewellery Designer of the year.

IJL 2009 attracts highest attendance in 53 years

International Jewellery London (IJL), which took place at the city’s Earl’s Court last week, registered the highest number of visitors in its 53-year history. As the trade show closed, the unaudited visitor number was 9,304 – a 7% increase on the previous year.

IJL event manager Syreeta Tranfield said: “The IJL team were overwhelmed with the positivity from visitors and exhibitors at IJL. 2009 has been a tough year that ended with an excellent result and we are thrilled to record the highest ever attendance figure. I spoke to so many people who had noted the upbeat attitude at the event and this is very encouraging in the current climate.”

The success of IJL, which is considered an industry barometer, has left many optimistic for Christmas trading. Sue Sinton of luxury retailer Richard Sinton Jewellers in Newcastle-upon-Tyne said: “I attended IJL this year having only missed three exhibitions since first visiting in 1976. Despite the economic gloom, there was a positive and optimistic feel throughout.”

Pictured: Dali large facet onyx studs in 18ct yellow gold by IJL exhibitor Francesca Sibylla Augusta FSA

Karen Morrison reveals chunky fuchsia and black A/W collection

Autumn/winter 09 jewellery collection Fuchsia Daze from Karen Morrison, who was shortlisted for the Scottish Fashion Awards in May for Jewellery/Accessory Designer of the Year, features black onyx, fuchsia dyed quarts, garnets, cream and black Swarovski crystals and freshwater pearls strung on sterling silver chains. Pieces in the collection include chunky statement necklaces, bracelets and headbands.

London-based jewellery designer Karen studied fashion design in her hometown of Glasgow before moving to the capital where she worked as a fashion model for many years. Karen then went on to study jewellery, art and design and began working with independent London retailer EC One, former De Beers creative director Reema Pachachi and jewellery designer Kate Dumbleton, among others, beofre branching out to create her own collections.

Shaun Leane prepares for Cherry Blossom consumer launch

Shaun Leane's Cherry Blossom collection will be available for sale direct to consumers through the designer's own transational e-tail site shaunleanshop.com at the end of the month.

Leane unveiled the Cherry Blossom collection in April this year at a private showing at the Metropolitan Hotel in London, rather than launching the collection in BaselWorld as he has done with new collections in previous years. There has been a trend this year for jewellery brands to shun trade shows in favour of intimate private events. Pianegonda, for example, decided not to exhibit at Vicenza earlier this year, choosing to welcome buyers to its headquarters near to the show.

Lua Lua new collection swaps brights for gold and silver

Lua Lua’s new collection Solaris takes a step away from the bright, bright Perspex ditties that the brand is famous for. Instead, the more subdued, grown-up collection features gold- and silver-mirrored Perspex strung with silver or coloured thread. The reflective nature of the materials means that the collection, which features angular wing shapes as well as circles, squares and triangles on necklaces and earrings, change appearance in the light.

Lua Lua said of Solaris: “The inspiration behind this collection lies with aviation and science fiction creating elegant emblems to wear with both casual and eveningwear for every season.”