Service-focused distributor is ideal for offering ear piercing in the fine jewelry channel

Inverness, maker of the world’s safest & gentlest ear piercing system*, is pleased to announce that Goodman Bros, a leading distributor of Connoisseurs and Lox, has signed on to distribute the company’s ear piercing products to jewellery retailers throughout the UK. The partnership will launch formally at IJL September 1-3, 2019, followed by the first of a series of free ear piercing training events to be held September 30, 2019 in the NAJ Birmingham office.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Goodman Bros. Their focus on service and training makes them an ideal fit for carrying our ear piercing program,” said Michael Schwartz, President of Inverness. “They have a proven record of providing superior training and marketing support, two factors that are key to launching a successful ear piercing program.”

Goodman Bros. will team up with buying groups and training associations to provide free Inverness ear piercing training to prospective customers. The first free training event will be held at the NAJ Birmingham office on September 30. Subsequent events will be held in partnership with (CMJ) Company Master Jewellers and Houlden Group. In addition to International Jewellery London Show (IJL) 1-3 September 2019 #Stand R139, Goodman Bros. will be presenting Inverness at the Jewellery and Watch NEC Birmingham and City West Ireland tradeshows in 2020.

“Inverness ear piercing fits perfectly with our strategy of getting jewellers back to service, all things jewellery and watches, and not to just focus on hallmark occasions and sales,” said Philip Goodman, Director. “When we launched Connoisseurs UK 4 years ago, we made it our mission to help our customers create a retail environment that consumers will shop at regularly.”

Gavin Merrison, Goodman’s Director, adds “Partnering with the world’s safest ear piercing brand allows us to empower our customers to increase their service offerings with a best-in-class, professional ear piercing experience. This is a service that can only be offered in person, so well marketed program will help increase footfall year-round.”

The new Embrace collection will be available fully finished with a choice of diamonds and precious gemstones from September 2019.

British casting specialist and fine jewellery manufacturer, Hockley Mint, has announced the launch of a significant new collection of engagement rings, wedding bands, stud earrings and pendants united by a new ‘loop’ setting.

The Embrace collection boasts close to 150-pieces, including more than 60 solitaire engagement ring profiles, 16 halo engagement ring designs, six wedding bands, and a matching selection of 30 earrings and 30 pendants.

Starting with a classic solitaire aesthetic, the Hockley Mint design team created a new setting inspired by a continuous, entwining loop. This motif appears across the range, ensuring all pieces are cohesive for wedding day jewellery suites or matching Wedfit® engagement ring and wedding bands.

Highlights include a broad selection of single stone, claw-set pendants and earrings with the loop setting, targeted at the wedding day jewellery and anniversary/gifting markets.

Hockley Mint designer, Kirsty Brown, who developed the new collection, says: “This new range was created to capture a sense of love and intimacy, while also bringing a more playful approach to our bridal jewellery offer. The graceful interlacing of the Embrace setting is symbolic of togetherness, which will allow our retail customers to share a romantic and timeless story with their clients. The natural fluidity of the loops adds dimension and detail to each piece without sacrificing the classic elements, as we know simplicity is favoured among the bridal jewellery market overall.”

Solitaire diamonds and precious gemstones are available in the range from 0.33 carats up to 2-2.5 carats, depending upon the shape of stone. Customers can choose from round, princess, emerald, oval, cushion, Ascher, pear or marquise-cut diamonds, with matching plain and diamond-set wedding bands that can also be marketed as eternity rings or stacking rings.

The range is cost-orientated and has been carefully designed to offer the most accessible breadth of prices for retailers and their customers. For example, pieces require one-part casting, therefore reducing production times, and have been made with slimline bands to reduce precious metal weights and make prices more competitive.

Customers can also be confident in the knowledge that the new Embrace collection is manufactured and finished by Hockley Mint in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, making it a British-made product that does not sacrifice quality for cost.

Retailers will be able to view the entire offer in the new Hockley Mint Wedfit® catalogue, which will be released at this year’s International Jewellery London.  

Hockley Mint creative manager, Poppy Elder, says: “We are hugely excited about the new Embrace collection, which is cost-effective, diverse and flexible for our retail partners and their customers. By mixing-and-matching a selection of pieces from the range, retailers can create their own capsule collections for the Christmas sales period. However, if a customer asks for a specific diamond-cut or a coloured gemstone, retailers can be safe in the knowledge that we can fulfil their request right here in the Jewellery Quarter.”

Since 2018, Hockley Mint has offered its entire Wedfit® collection fully finished with a choice of certified diamonds (across a range of different cuts and carats weights) or coloured gemstones. Pieces are designed, created and finished in the UK, eliminating the need to source and set stones elsewhere.

Hockley Mint will showcase the new Embrace collection, in addition to new fine jewellery ranges and its revamped Pure Wedding Rings package, at International Jewellery London (IJL) 2019, from September 2-4 at Olympia London. Find them on Stand D90.

The Festina Group has confirmed the appointment of Unique & Co as the UK distributor of the recently acquired and renowned Kronaby hybrid watch brand.

London based, Unique & Co is currently the exclusive distributor of all the Festina Group watch brands and will be responsible for the service and distribution of the Kronaby brand of products in the UK with immediate effect. 

The Kronaby watch brand has brand awareness on a global scale thanks to its unique brand DNA combining connected technology with a distinct Scandinavian design.  With an impressive watch and jewelry brand portfolio, including the trail-blazing Festina brand, together with an important manufacturing base and a world class own retail chain of over 200 points of sale, Festina is one of the few Spanish companies listed in Deloitte’s Top 100 largest luxury companies in the world.

The well-established watch manufacturer Festina Lotus SA is delighted to have added yet another brand to the portfolio represented by the esteemed and respected UK national distributor. For Festina, Jason Newman, Export Sales Manager, comments, ‘we are confident to build on the success achieved already by Unique & Co, whose reputation as a successful distributor is widely recognized in the UK watch and jewelry sector’. 

Director and founder of Unique & Co, Daniel Ozel comments ‘Adding a new brand, particularly in the hybrid and smartwatch sector to the Festina Group portfolio is a great business opportunity. With the experience and resources of the FESTINA GROUP Kronaby will be lifted to the next level. Kronaby has standout design and technology and quality of watch-making that we at Unique are excited to represent. We will be supporting and delivering a great service to the existing customers and are confident in our experience of expanding this further. We can’t wait to build on the existing brand presence of Kronaby in the UK market and take the brand to new heights.’

Unique & Co will be showcasing Kronaby watches at IJL 2019 on their stand, E61. Book your FREE ticket to attend the show and discover this exciting new brand alongside other leading brands within the global jewellery and watch markets.