AGTA Pavilion at JA NY Summer Show
from AGTA
The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) will once again host a pavilion of colored gemstone and cultured pearl suppliers at the JA New York Summer Show, July 26-28, 2009. AGTA exhibitors have had a presence at the JA Show for over twenty years. And this year, the AGTA will be offering a membership incentive for first-time members. More

Royal Jewels: A Bittersweet Tale
from First Water News
Several years ago, while on vacation in Europe, the author and her husband were invited to visit a castle that is no longer in use. The princess who grew up there is the friend of a friend and she graciously agreed to show them around. Could a a pair of 18th century silver, yellow gold, spinel and diamond Girandole earrings for sale at a New York vintage jewelry dealer be connected to that castle? More

The Elements of a Great Shopping Experience
from Forbes
New Wharton research finds that 35 percent of shoppers have had an extraordinary retail experience in the past six months. But in order to hit that mark, retailers must deliver on as many as 10 different elements of the shopping experience simultaneously. Retailers are rewarded when shoppers tell others about their experience. "Peoples' expectations are pretty high. It's easy to [fall short of those expectations], and hard to eclipse [bad experiences, even] with something that's over-the-top," says Wharton marketing professor Stephen Hoch. More

American Gem Society's Spectra Magazine Goes Digital
from JBT
Spectra magazine has undergone many changes since its inception in 1935, and this summer the American Gem Society’s newsmagazine will take yet another leap forward as it goes completely digital - and green. The publication, a four-color, 42-page glossy magazine, circulated exclusively to the 3,500 members of the American Gem Society, will be distributed through e-mail and available at www.AmericanGemSociety.org, with the publication of the Summer 2009 issue in July. More

Book Excerpt: Why She Buys
from The Wall Street Journal
Most sales training programs include a mantra about knowing thy customer. Across the world, women are the customers who buy virtually everything there is to be sold. Women make the purchase or are the key influencers in about 80 percent of all consumer product sales in the United States alone. But who markets and sells products to women? The answer - overwhelmingly - is men. How do you bridge the gulf? More

AGTA Stock Photography Program
from AGTA
The American Gem Trade Association’s (AGTA) Stock Photography Program offers high quality loose gemstone and finished jewelry images at a fraction of the price of shooting your own. The program provides professionally-shot images for use in advertising, marketing, web design, posters and many other uses. More

For Sale: One Leopard Skin Rolex and Maybe Some Frozen Sharks
from The Wall Street Journal
When a Mexican drug lord gets busted, what happens to his emerald-encrusted pistols? The answer lies at a little-known branch of the Finance Ministry that manages the over-the-top mansions, armor-plated Hummers and other assets seized in the Mexican government's escalating war on drug cartels. The agency is called the Asset Administration and Disposal Service, or SAE as it's known for short in Spanish. "You realize that the mansions in movies like 'Scarface' aren't exaggerations," says Omar Yaffar, a 36-year-old manager at the agency. "The real thing can be more amazing." More