Manufacturers, Sellers, Designers

Among manufacturers and sellers in terms of the number of newsbreaks and financial results top positions are obviously occupied by Tiffany. The company that long ago became one of the integral parts of the USA’ collective image this year will celebrate its 170th anniversary.
According to branch analysts the company has chosen a strategy of the intensive growth. It plans to open new shops in already explored markets (The USA and Britain) and considerably expand the distributive network of its watch models. Such a marketing model does not require any special research in the area of public relations campaign, moreover at present the long-term company reputation is working for it. For example, if Eva Longoria, film star of well known serial “Desperate housewives” orders silver tubules for cocktails and plates for her wedding in Tiffany; it will be undoubtedly reported by some press and TV channels.      
Some other jewelry manufacturers and sellers competing between themselves somehow duplicate the strategy of Tiffany, but at the same time try to enhance their recognizability and a degree of a positive perception of their brands resorting to new information technologies.
Thus De Beers Diamond Jewellers is positioning itself as the first seller of luxuries in the USA offering wedding diamonds on-line. It is worth mentioning that relevance of such trade is explained by the fact that according to representatives of the Internet sector a purchase of a ring on-line reduces costs by 40%.
Sales on Internet site http://www.debeers.com/ began on June, 5. Prior to this the company had carried out a large scale marketing research which involved 10000 American couples. Polling results proved to be in many ways discouraging. It was found out that in only 19 % of cases weddings took place in a traditional movie style, when a man as a surprise gave a present of a diamond ring to a woman. 30% of diamond purchases were made with an active participation of women who did not hesitate to inform men about their likes. Many fiancées have gone further by buying a ring, putting it into the box and presenting to a fiancé together with a bill.
De Beers Diamond Jewellers assures that every purchase will be issued with a special certificate which not only warrants the quality and natural origin of diamonds, but also that they are not conflict and child labor was not used during their mining and processing. The certificate will facilitate the evaluation and insurance of jewelries. 
The minimum jewelry price is 500 US dollars (“Wedding collection”). A new exclusive collection of “Forever” platinum wedding rings with diamonds from 0,5 up to 1,5 carats is being sold at prices from 2000 US dollars.
Over time the company intends to expand Internet trade to other regions of the World.
The company is aware that most buyers prefer to purchase jewelries “live”. The main task of on-line trade according to De Beers representatives is to enhance a familiarization level of American consumers with the brand. The company which has been operating in the market for six years is known primarily for diamond nail earrings and wedding rings, but it seeks to gain a reputation of real Jewellers. Recently it has signed a contract for creating the male line with British jeweller Steven Webster who is known for his cooperation with Madonna.    
Cartier has become the first jewelry company to sign an advertising contract for mobile phones users. It concerns the so called “mobazines” i.e. versions of glossy magazines for mobile phones. Cartier reached agreement for placing ads in GQ and Glamour mobile versions within the framework of a wider media campaign for promoting its latest "Cartier Love” jewelry collection. As reported mobile versions of magazines have 60000 subscribers. The campaign started on June, 1 and would last for a month.
Kwiat Diamonds is the sponsor of popular “American idol” TV show (prototype of Star factory). It presented diamond jewelries to six female show finalists. As reported during the first performance Jordin Sparks, the winner of the competition was wearing earrings with diamonds and a black onyx worth $60000. Later she appeared on the stage wearing a bracelet worth $4400 and earrings worth $10385.
Kwiat was the sponsor of the fifth and the sixth seasons of “American idol”. Apart from the final show the competition participants appeared in Kwiat jewelries in other events of the sixth season. According to media the most unforgettable performance was of Lakisha Jones with a song “Diamonds for ever” during which she wore jewelries worth approximately 1 million US dollars.  
House of Taylor Jewelry continues supplying products of its brands to an increasing number of independent retailers throughout the USA. President Jack Abramov attributes the significant sales growth to the continued embracing of an increasing number of independent retailers by products of brand names:  Elizabeth Couture, House of Taylor Jewelry and Kathy Ireland Jewelry. Abramov also emphasizes the success of a project commenced at the end of last year for the market penetration and enhancement of the brand recognizability by means of sales of firm non mounted diamonds, that allowed the sales to grow by 2,7 million US dollars in the first quarter.   
As reported as of May 2007 products of House of Taylor Jewelry were being sold in more than 420 shops in the USA that twice as much as a year ago.
Swatch Group, the largest watch maker relies on an outburst of interest in luxury in the USA and one more time discovers Japan where the sales growth is denominated in two figure numbers, said Nick Hayek, company executive director while meeting reporters in a new skyscraper of Swatch in Ginza, a fashionable region of Tokyo.       
The great demand for products of high end brands owned by Swatch Group (Omega and Breguet) especially in such growing markets as Chinese and Russian enabled the Swiss company to receive an unprecedented profit in 2006. 
Swatch bought a land plot in Ginza where prices for land are among the highest in the world for about 130 million Swiss francs (105 million US dollars) and spent another 35-40 million Swiss francs to build a shopping centre.
There are seven transparent elevators with watch display stands in the entrance hall. Each elevator automatically brings visitors to a shop of each of company seven brands.  
Hayek believes that in Japan where watches are traditionally sold in supermarkets, a key method of increasing sales is to improve the distribution system by establishing attractive shops.
“Every time we properly set up a single brand shop we observe an outburst of sales growth because people like to see the brand in good surroundings” he says. 
“We wanted to create an atmosphere of general accessibility in order to attract young people who would say once they arrive here: It’s cool, when I have money I will buy this watch”.   
Theo Fennell, London luxe jewelry company is looking narrowly at the New York market in order to find new growth sources. The company emphasizes that among its clients are David and Victoria Beckham, Liz Hurley and Elton John and hopes to attract the same level clients in New York.
The company plans to open the second shop in Moscow in 2007
DreamzDesign Jewelry Company during the JCK Las Vegas show solemnly celebrated the inauguration of its new collection and announced the commencement of a competitive marathon with a prize fund of 50000 US dollars. Only clients who have purchased its goods to the amount of at least 15000 US dollars are allowed to take part in it. The marathon will end on December, 21 when seven winners will be declared at a special Christmas party.
 As a prize, winners will be granted a credit for purchasing any company goods, including manufactured at lines of Elite, Enamor, Rose Amor and Renaissance or out of three new collections: “I marry you”, “The only love” or “Princess of Kensington”. The main prize is $15000.
Watch maker Breitling, which is famous for its watches for airmen, has been selected as an official time controller of Red Bull Air Race World Series for next three years. Identity colours of the company will decorate a plane of British pilot Nigel Lamb.    
Swiss watch maker Corum famous for its naval models reported that professional British sailor Conrad Hamfrees will become the company identity.   Hamfrees distinguished himself in the round the world one man boat race of Vendee Globe and Extreme 40 series.
Blue Nile on-line trade company which as we have already mentioned commenced sales of stones from the exclusive collection of rear fantasy tints colour diamonds offer an additional service. With the assistance of its consultant a client may choose for mounting a stone one of more than 199 ring models available at the company site or order a pendant, suspension or earrings.   
Besides Italian Jewellers who are traditionally in the centre of attention of Mass Media, in May-June press turned attention to some designers and firms offering innovative approaches in which the originality of art solutions is harmonized with the consumers’ interests.   
Designer Cassia Saba, who is actively working with pop stars Alicia Keys, Beyonce and Brandy is popular among all age groups of American consumers due to a wide range of her hand made works: from skull pink breloques for teenagers to coral accessories for business suits.
The Subversive Jewelry collection by American designer and painter Justin   Giunta has gained a great popularity. The peculiar feature of his products is that they are made of pierces of jewelry which he is looking for in antique stores. 
Fabrikant-Tara International by June 2007 has developed special collections of jewelries for homosexual couples who pluck up courage to officially establish their relations. Unisex products are intended to emphasize the company slogan “No restrictions in love”.    
Superfit noticed that a significant part of population like to wear rings in all fingers. Rings designed by it are not only decorations; all of them due to a special articulated mechanism perfectly fit a finger of any diameter.   
Notorious British conceptualist Damien Hirst also resorted to the jewelry design. First, he presented a platinum human skull of a natural size covered by diamonds (100 million US dollars) in one of London galleries and duplicated it on posters by using silk-screening (20000 US dollars). Right after that he made a small number of bracelet-talismans (amulets) of silver and gold (15000 и 25000 pounds).   
Supermodel Claudia Schiffer is reported to have begun the work on her own collection. It is not known yet for which jewelry house it will be designed, but it is said that film star Elizabeth Taylor had the most successful experience. She opened her own line for producing jewelries with Kathy Ireland (House of Taylor). According to the company the amount of sales in 2005 was 5,6 million US dollars and based on 9 months’ performance of 2006 sales were 14 million US dollars.