Luxe Jewelry blog

Fast-fashion specialty retailers with exceptional speed-to-market have outperformed department stores and less nimble specialty stores not only in their profit margins, but also in their pace of revenue growth, according to a study by The Sage Group LLC’s Apparel and Retail Group.

Surveying results from 47 retailers, all of them publicly held and the overwhelming majority of them based in the U.S., Sage found in the last 12 months, the five stores with the best EBITDA margin earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization as a percentage of sales were Hennes & Mauritz, at 23.4 percent; The tiffany jewelry Inc., at 22.5 percent; Zara operator Industria de Diseno Textil SA (Inditex), at 20.3 percent; Urban Outfitters Inc., at 19.8 percent, and Fast Retailing Co. Ltd., owners of Uniqlo, at 18.6 percent.

Other specialty retailers such as Gymboree, Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc., Aropostale Inc., Gap Inc. and American Eagle Outfitters Inc. filled out the top 10 rankings with marks ranging from 18 percent down to 13.9 percent, but Kohl’s Corp. distinguished itself as the best broadlines retailer with an 11th-place finish at 12.6 percent.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (11.7 percent) and Limited Brands Inc. (11.6 percent) followed, before the first upscale department store appeared on the list, Nordstrom, whose 11.4 percent mark placed it at 15th. Macy’s Inc. was 18th with a 10.5 percent EBITDA margin.

The other stores in Sage’s retailing universe to finish with a margin above 10 percent were off-pricers The TJX Cos. Inc. and Ross Stores Inc. (10.1 and 10 percent, respectively) and two others with a 10 percent margin, Zumiez Inc. and Bebe Stores Inc.

Sage also noted the fast-fashion subset has achieved strong growth as well, with the three-year revenue growth rates of Fast, Inditex and H&M far outpacing those of department store firms, several of which have had declines over the three years studied. American Apparel Inc. was first on this list with a compound annual paloma picasso rate of 39.8 percent, followed by Fast (24.3 percent), Zumiez (19.8 percent), Buckle (18.2 percent) and Urban Outfitters (16.3 percent). The bottom half of this top 10 were Aropostale (15.2 percent), The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. (14.5 percent), Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (14.1 percent), Inditex (13.9 percent) and Jos. A. Bank Clothiers (14.1 percent). H&M scored 11th, with 12.1 percent, followed by J. Crew Group Inc. (12 percent). Bon-Ton’s growth rate can be partially attributed to acquisitions, including its purchase of Saks Inc.’s Northern Department Store Group in 2006.

Measured by gross margin in the past 12 months, Abercrombie & Fitch was best, at 65.1 percent of sales, followed by Jos. A. Bank Clothiers (61.5 percent), H&M (60.3 percent), Inditex (56.6 percent) and American Apparel (55.5 percent).

On a market-cap weighted basis, stock prices for the fast-fashion subset have gained 17.3 percent over the past year, trading at 11.3 times [EBITDA for the last 12 months], on average, Sage noted. By comparison, the department stores cited in the study Macy’s, J.C. Penney Co. Inc., Nordstrom and Dillard’s had seen their stock prices decline 17.8 percent over the last year and were trading at an EBITDA multiple of 7.9 times.

Among apparel firms, the EBITDA margin was highest among two brand management firms Iconix Brand frank gehry and Cherokee Inc., at 71.3 and 66.6 percent, respectively followed by Coach Inc. (33.9 percent), True Religion Apparel Inc. (27 percent) and Tiffany & Co. (21 percent). The top 10 included Guess Inc. (18.9 percent), Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. (16.9 percent) and Gildan Activewear Inc. (14.8 percent).

Frederick Schmitt, managing director of Sage, was lead editor of the study.

Delhi Police issued the following news release:

Anti Snatching Cell, West District has busted a gang of notorious cheats who used to win tiffany over the victims, divert their attention and take away their jewellery articles. More than 7 cases of such cheating have been solved. Total 4 gang members have been arrested.

RECOVERY MADE

Two gold chains, One gold ring & One gold Kara.

NAME AND PROFILE OF ARRESTED ACCUSED PERSONS

1. Ashu s/o Hira Lal R/o Tankiwali Jhuggi, Raghubir Nagr, Rajouri Garden, Delhi, Age- 30 yrs. Previous paloma picasso involvement- 2. Ravi @ Bada S/o Shanker R/o Tankiwali Jhuggi, Raghubir Nagr, Rajouri Garden, Delhi, Age- 20 yrs 3. Daya Nand S/o Bhikajie R/o Regarpura, Karol Bagh, Delhi, Age- 40 yrs, (Receiver)

4. Sakir Khan @ Shakil @ Tinu S/o Fariyad Ali R/o Tanki Wali Jhuggi, Rajouri Garden, Delhi, Age- 21 yrs. (Receiver) Previous involvement -02

INFORMATION/OPERATION :

Secret information was received by the team of Inspector Rajkumar, Anti Snatching Cell, West District tffany keys about a gang of notorious cheats. The gang used to indulge in cheating ladies by showing hand made bundle of currency notes, divert their attention and take their jewellery and other valuables. On this information, sources were deployed and information regarding these criminals was gathered. Specific information was received that one member of this gang will be coming near Balaji Action Hospital, A-4 Block, Paschim Vihar. On this information a raiding party under the supervision of Insp. Rajkumar, consisting of SI Naveen Kumar, HC Rajinder, HC Sanjeev, Ct Rajkumar, Ct. Surender and Ct. P. Tirky was constituted and deployed near Action Balaji Hospital, Paschim Vihar, Delhi at about 05.45 PM. One man came who was apprehended on the instance of secret informer. He disclosed his name as Ashu S/o Hira Lal R/o Tanki Wali Jhuggi, Raghubir Nagar, Rajouri Garden, Delhi. On interrogation, he disclosed about commission of various cheatings with his associates. He was arrested in case FIR No. 147/09 u/s 420/411 IPC PS- Hari Nagar. On his instance one receiver namely Dayanand S/o Bhika Ji R/o 50/46/51, Regarpura, Karol Bagh, Delhi was also arrested and gold chain wanted in the case was recovered. Thereafter on further investigation other two gang members namely Ravi @ Bada and Sakir Khan @ Shakeel were arrested and pair of golden bangles, golden chain and one golden ring were recovered. These jewellery items were found to be wanted in similar case of PS Punjabi Bagh.

INTERROGATION/MODOUS OPERANDAI:

During interrogation, Ashu disclosed that he is residing in jhuggi cluster, Raghubir Nagar and came in contact with one Ravi @ Bada who lives in neighbourhood. Being a youngster and attracted with the western life style, Ashu dreamt to make instant money. They used to target ladies above 40 yrs old standing either on Bus stands or near religious places. Both Ashu and Ravi used to win over their target by telling her stories about their poverty and problems at home and thus gain sympathy of the victim. They used to show bundles of fake currency and frank gehry persuade the victim to hand over the jewellery articles and other valuables in exchange of currency bundles which are fake in reality. It is only after a while when the victim used to open the bundle of currency notes, she will realize that she has been cheated of her jewellery articles and other valuables. Both of them used to dispose the jewellery items to Dayannandand Shakir Khan @ Shakil.

Further investigation of the case is in progress. The staff involved in good work will be suitably rewarded.

Germans will now be able to use Cash4Gold to exchange their unwanted or broken Tiffany and co for cash safely and conveniently from home, no longer having to travel to pawn shops or jewelry stores to sell those items.

“Our successful expansions in the UK, Canada and the Netherlands have shown us that there is a universal desire for our unique service,” said Cash4Gold CEO Jeff Aronson. “Cash4Gold created the mail-in gold buying concept, and we are pleased to provide the people of Germany with our secure, easy, fast and 100% satisfaction-guaranteed service.”

Cash4Gold accepts gold, silver and platinum items and pays customers based upon the quality and quantity of precious metal contained in an item, also known as melt value. Melt value is based solely upon the actual precious metals contained in an item and does not account for decorative, artistic or sentimental value.

Cash4Gold’s celebrity endorser is three-time Grammy necklaces Award-winner and hip-hop legend MC Hammer.

The Cash4Gold customer experience is easy and convenient. To start the process, consumers request a postage-paid Refiner’s Return Pak online or by calling the toll-free hotline. Once the pre-paid envelope is received, it can be used to send jewelry items that contain gold, silver or platinum through the mail. The package’s contents are appraised based on precious metal content at Cash4Gold’s state-of-the-art European facility by the company’s trained professionals.

With the appraisal done, Cash4Gold then sends a check to the customer or electronically deposits the payment into their bank account, based on their preference. tiffany christmas tree If for any reason the customer changes their mind or is not entirely satisfied with Cash4Gold’s offer, they can contact the company by phone or e-mail within a 12-day period and the items will be returned free of charge. This 100% satisfaction guarantee is at the heart of Cash4Gold’s commitment to its customers.

Americans interested in monetizing their gold, silver and platinum frank gehry jewelry are invited to visit www.Cash4Gold.com or call 1-800-GOLD-590.

About Cash4Gold

Cash4Gold is the world’s #1 buyer of precious metals including gold, silver and platinum from the general public. Hundreds of thousands of satisfied customers have received millions of dollars from Cash4Gold since its inception. To sell your gold, please visit www.cash4gold.com or call 1-800-GOLD-590 for more information, and don’t forget to visit the Cash4Gold blog. Connect with Cash4Gold on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Cash4Gold

The Duchess of Windsor once owned a valuable tiara that was too tight and gave her headaches. And so Tiffany and co it was sent to a New York craftsman, who enlarged it invisibly, and the Duchess wore it without pain.

Tiara repair is not a major concern in this country, but one jeweler estimates that billions of dollars in necklaces, bracelets and rings are languishing in bank vaults and bureau drawers because their owners don’t like them enough to wear or because they need repair.

”Women have jewels they inherited or gift pieces they’ve never been happy with,” said Gerard Riveron, vice president of the Genevabased Eric Bertrand Inc., jeweler and stone dealer. ”The stones may have increased in value, but if the settings are old-fashioned or don’t suit the wearer, the jewelry may just lie around forgotten.” Since one of the specialties of his company is re-creating new designs using the customer’s own stones, Mr. Riveron shakes his head in regret at the waste.

In the handsome Bertrand offices, he spreads out artist’s renderings of new designs made from neglected pieces: a sapphire pendant was set with diamonds and turned into a ring for a fee of $5,000. Another commission began with a jeweled belt buckle that was redesigned and centered on a new pearl choker; the rubies and diamonds from a nonworking watch were transformed into earrings. ”That’s another thing,” Mr. Riveron added. ”We see stones with a different eye than the client. The rubies in the watch were of excellent quality and more valuable than the diamonds, so we played them up for the earrings.”

Bertrand, on the third floor of the General Motors Building, sees clients by appointment. Like many jewel remodelers, its designers will make suggestions for remodeling and will do quick sketches initially, then a colored drawing of the new piece in a few days. The customer should allow four to five weeks for the finished work.

The jewelry craftsman who enlarged the Duchess’s tiara is Leopold Woolf, who could be called a jeweler’s jeweler. Stores often send him repair work they can’t handle themselves. He also does repairs and remodeling for private clients. Trained in Vienna, he has been at his craft for 40 years and is a specialist in antique necklaces jewelry. He has restored Faberge pieces and repaired old jewelry for the James Robinson shop.

Mr. Woolf will replace lost stones, resize rings, lengthen or shorten chains, repair catches, change earrings from clips to pierced-ear backs, repair enamel and regild vermeil. He has turned cuff links into earrings and mounted a narrow diamond bracelet on a wide gold cuff. The other day he was working at one of his favorite tasks: rebuilding a hinge on an unusual Victorian bracelet set with a rare cameo of a man’s head. He also appraises jewelry. Prices for resizing rings start at $20 and can go over $100, depending on the metal involved and if stones have to be reset.

Leopold Woolf is at 22 West 48th Street, Room 1106; he prefers that customers make appointments. The Madison Avenue shop called Cravetz-Kahan will remodel and repair quality jewelry and is noted for its work with pearls. It has a large inventory of pearls and therefore can lengthen necklaces, but it can shorten or restring them as well. One of its unusual remodelings was done for a woman who had inherited a long rope of her grandmother’s pearls: the shop turned the rope into a three-strand choker and used the stone from an old emerald ring at the center. Another specialty is using antique diamond pins – bow-shaped or a small frog or an animal – as removable clasps for pearls. By interspersing the pearls with gold or semiprecious beads, a necklace can acquire a new look. Simple restringing can be done within a week, but seed-pearl necklaces may take months. Restringing prices start at $25 and can go up to the hundreds.

Cravetz-Kahan, which also sells jewelry, is at 810 Madison Avenue (68th Street). Allan Wander, vice president of Wander & Company, founded by his grandfather, says his company can do just about any repair or remodeling work, from resizing a ring to making an exact copy of a lost earring. Its craftsmen have converted diamond bracelets into necklaces by centering the bracelet and adding other stones or pearls to the back. Earrings can be turned into rings and cuff links into earrings. A collection of tie pins with the ends cut off can make an unusual brooch. Lost or chipped stones can be replaced and jewelry cleaned or replated (police officers bring in their badges to be replated with gold or platinum). Wander also does watch repairs. Converting an earring into a ring costs between $150 and $500.

Wander & Company is on the 14th floor of 745 Fifth Avenue (57th Street). Sometimes the small neighborhood jeweler turns out to be a trained craftsman and can do remodeling as well as repairs. Gerard Zierler, on the Upper West Side, learned his trade in Argentina and does all the work himself, rather than farming it out. One of his commissions was turning the diamonds from a watch bracelet into a pair of earrings, a job he did for $150. He repairs, lengthens or shortens gold chains and changes the backings on earrings from clip to pierced. Losing the small frank gehry backing that holds pierced earrings is a common problem, and Mr. Zierler has extras for sale, along with a good stock of watchbands. The store is at 202 West 96th Street.

Most of the large jewelers – Tiffany and Fortunoff, for instance – will repair only jewelry that was originally purchased in their stores. Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier will remodel jewelry from other sources, but only if the piece is of good quality. ”We mean genuine stones and real gold or platinum,” explains Henry Loeser, service director of Cartier. ”If a woman has inherited fine jewelry she would like remodeled, our designers can sketch out her ideas, and our workroom can do the job.” Mr. Loeser adds that Cartier can put new movements in watches or convert them with quartz movements. Fees for new movements or conversions range from $250 to $600.

A 60-year-old woman, a career burglar, faces new charges after police caught her leaving a Bentwood Road home Tiffany jewellery with $400 worth of stolen jewelry in her pocket, latex gloves and a screwdriver, police said Wednesday.

Oksana Lysenko has 40 convictions and has spent numerous stretches in Connecticut prisons since 1983, records show.

“We’ve been arresting her for years,” police Capt. Joseph Lasata said of Lysenko, who was arrested Friday when police responded to a resident’s tip about suspicious activity at a neighboring home.

Lysenko is accused of using a screwdriver to force open the door to the house, which police said she picked at random.

She was being held, with bail set at $500,000, and is due at Superior Court in Hartford on Aug. necklaces 20 to answer charges of fifth-degree larceny, third-degree burglary, second-degree criminal mischief and possession of burglar’s tools, police said.

Her record includes convictions for burglary, larceny, possession of narcotics and escape from custody. She has a fourth-degree larceny case pending at Superior Court in Hartford resulting from an arrest April 16 by West Hartford police.

During one West Hartford burglary in September 2003, Lysenko was confronted by a resident of the Dover Road home as she climbed through a window to get inside.

She walked away without saying a word. She stuck the man in the hand with a sharp object when he followed her but was captured quickly by police after the man used a bystander’s cellphone to call police.

In a Courant story on Sept. 6, 2003, about the Dover Road case, police said that Lysenko frank gehry had been arrested more than 60 times.

Lysenko was sentenced in December 2003 to 55 months for the Dover Road burglary, court records show.