Now in its third year, London Jewellery Week kicked off last night with a party Goldsmiths’ Hall, where some of the UK’s top jewellery designers showed off their latest creations in gold, silver and diamonds. Though they’re facing strong head winds from tough economic times and rising precious metal prices, London jewellery manufacturers hope with this event to replicate the success of London Fashion Week and highlight the city as a center of manufacturing. Reuters (India) Jun. 8, 2010
Austerity Be Damned, London Jewellery Week Kicks Off with Glitzy Cocktail Party
QVC UK to Showcase New Designers During London Jewellery Week
QVC head of jewellery buying Vannessa Bartsch explains the lengths to which her company will go in order to bring new jewelery designs and talent to 23 million homes in the UK. In addition to scouring for new up-and-comers at all the trade shows, the retailer has established paid-on-commission terms to make scaling up production easier for less established designers. This month, QVC will host three hours of programming during London Jewellery Week dedicated to London-based designers. On June 11, the network will welcome Sho Fine Jewellery, Leblas, Tomasz Donocik and Kimberley Selwood during prime time slots between 7pm and 10pm. About the potential perils creative types might face by working too closely with an enterprise like QVC, Bartsch says, “We want our designers to have their own handwriting … We have a lot of jewellery on QVC and if it all looked the same our customers wouldn’t want to buy from us.” Professional Jeweller Jun. 1, 2010

