Blue Nile’s sales rose 20 % year on year for the third quarter of 2012. Turn over for the third quarter was $89.8 million.
4 quarter sales are expected between $140 million and $153 million, compared with $112 million in the fourth quarter of 2011.
We are excited to report solid results in the third quarter, with accelerating revenue growth and expanding earnings per share, Said Blue Nile.
With continued steady execution of our strategy coupled with exciting product offerings for the holiday season, we believe we are well positioned to achieve our goals for 2012.
The American Gem Society, in partnership with Verichannel, announced today the launch of a specialized search engine for diamonds graded by AGS Lab, available from AGS suppliers.
The online service is integrated into the members only section of the AGS website, and is also accessible to AGS members from the Verichannel platform itself. “AGS Diamond Search” consists of a database of stones uploaded by AGS suppliers, and also stones uploaded directly from the AGS Lab, immediately after being graded, based on permissions set by the supplier. They are searchable using standard criteria of color, clarity, shape, etc. AGS retailers contact suppliers directly to initiate a purchase.
“We’re very pleased to be able to make this resource available as a member benefit for AGS retailers and suppliers,” said Ruth Batson, AGS Chief Executive Officer. It makes sense to give our retail store buyers the most convenient means possible of finding AGS stones from AGS suppliers, essentially all in one place, and right there at our website.”
“We have already uploaded hundreds of stones into the AGS Diamond Search,” said Charles Rosario, Senior Vice President of Lazare Kaplan International Inc., an AGS supplier. “Given that this is a very targeted and exclusive environment, it provides a means of reaching out to AGS stores directly and efficiently.”
Verichannel created the concept of labs uploading diamonds online, immediately after being graded, when it launched its Daily Diamond Report service in January. “The same technology is being used for AGS Diamond Search,” noted Jacques Voorhees, president of Verichannel. “In today’s diamond market, buyers and sellers need to be able to communicate with each other as efficiently as possible, especially when it comes to finding the right diamond, and finding it quickly.”
“At the AGS Lab, we provide a direct feed of freshly graded diamonds to Verichannel’s database, with authorization from suppliers,” explained Peter Yantzer, Executive Director of Gemological Services for the AGS Lab. “These then instantly become part of the AGS Diamond Search system on the AGS website. It’s the fastest way imaginable to get a stone to market.”
“AGS Diamond Search will be a big time saver,” noted AGS retailer Tom Wright, of Wright’s Jewelers, Lincoln, Nebraska. “We’ll begin using this resource as soon as we’re back from Conclave.”
More information on AGS Diamond Search is available at www.ags.org and also at www.Verichannel.com.
DCLA teaches about diamond grading and diamond buying at a hands-on Diamond Workshop; register now for a 2-3 hour course before buying your diamond.
DCLA diamond experts will walk participants through the steps of grading a diamond for quality, and how to buy a diamond, during a 2-3 hour in-house workshop located at the actual DCLA Laboratory.
Call DCLA on 1300 66 3252(DCLA) to reserve your place. Spacing is very limited.
Diamond Buying workshop topics include:
•Detailed explanation and hands-on evaluation of the 4C’s of diamond grading. Participants will take part in the grading process to learn how the quality and value of a diamond are established.
•Choosing the diamond shape, size, and quality right for you
•How to shop for a diamond and questions to ask jewellers
•How to read, understand, and compare Diamond Grading Certificates when shopping
•Explanation and identification of diamond treatments, and how they affect value
•Explanation and identification of synthetic diamonds, and how they affect value
Participants will have ample opportunity to ask questions throughout the workshop.
Again, contact DCLA on 1300 66 3252(DCLA) to register and reserve your place.
It is with great pleasure that the DCLA announces the launch of the DCLA Diamond Exchange, a new company and diamond trading floor that gives all diamond buyers direct access to DCLA certified and guaranteed diamonds.
The mission of the DCLA has always been to protect diamond buyers and maintain consumer confidence in diamonds. In the continuing pursuit of this mission, the DCLA has had overwhelming demand to provide the public with access to DCLA certified and guaranteed diamonds. If you cannot find a DCLA diamond at your jeweller, DCLA Diamond Exchange is happy to assist.
The DCLA Diamond Exchange is the first and only diamond exchange where consumers buy diamonds with the greatest confidence that all diamonds are guaranteed to be correctly graded, providing you with the right diamond at the right price. Every diamond listed on the DCLA Diamond Exchange is backed by the DCLA Laboratory Consumer Grading Guarantee. This guarantee assures buyers that every diamond listed on the site is independently graded and verified, and is protected by a full-replacement guarantee.
Through the DCLA Diamond Exchange, leading Australian diamond merchants list their DCLA certified diamonds directly to you on the Diamond Exchange trading floor, while DCLA diamond experts guide you through the buying process from beginning to end.
Consumers view and compare diamonds with the personal assistance of a diamond expert in a professional laboratory setting. DCLA Diamond Buying Workshops offer consumers succinct and comprehensive diamond knowledge. Select diamond advisors provide full analyses and explanation of the diamonds being viewed, for complete confidence, understanding, and peace of mind.
This means that the DCLA now provides the first ‘one-stop-shop’ for all diamond consumer needs. Consumers can depend on reliable expert advice and diamond buying information to ensure they make a smart purchase, regardless of where they decide to buy.
Buy your diamond from the diamond experts, and select a jeweller whose designs and work you like. For more information, or to find a diamond, go to the DCLA Diamond Exchange.
Why buy from the DCLA Diamond Exchange?
• DCLA are experts in diamonds and determining diamond quality, with vast knowledge and experience in diamonds.
• DCLA Diamond Exchange draws on the thousands of DCLA diamonds available right here in Australia, which guarantees you the right diamond at the right price.
• DCLA gives you all the information you need to make a smart purchase, even if you buy elsewhere.
• DCLA certifies, guarantees and cold laser inscribes every diamond for your protection.
• The DCLA Diamond Exchange will have the largest selected variety of DCLA Laboratory certified, approved, and quality guaranteed diamonds available in Australia.
DCLA has seen an alarming increase in the number of treated diamonds being submitted as natural diamonds to the laboratory for certification.
It should first be said that diamond treatments are neither good, nor intrinsically bad in and of themselves. There is nothing wrong with buying a treated diamond, provided that the treatment is fully disclosed and that you pay the appropriate price for the diamond. Because of their lower cost and value, treated diamonds can allow a person to buy a diamond that appears to be of a higher quality than it truly is.
However, too often the presence of such diamond treatments is concealed. Whether this deception is by intent or negligence, such concealment is tantamount to fraud.
Not only does artificially treating a diamond significantly reduce its value, but most diamond treatments are unstable and reversible. For this reason, all internationally accepted rules for diamond grading forbid the certification of treated diamonds. An extremely disturbing discovery just recently in the DCLA Laboratory was that of a coated diamond accompanied by a certificate from a supposedly legitimate Australian ‘laboratory’.
Members of the diamond industry have a responsibility to consumers to convey accurate and transparent information, and each individual that handles a diamond as it moves down the diamond pipeline from the mines should be held accountable for making known any treatments that a diamond has undergone.
It is deceptive and unfair to fail to disclose treatment of a diamond when it has a significant effect on a diamond’s value. In its pursuit of consumer protection, DCLA is offering a ‘Diamond Amnesty’ for diamond owners Australia-wide – any diamond brought in with its matching diamond grading certificate will be verified for grading accuracy and tested to ensure that it is natural and free of treatments. This service will be provided free of charge.
Diamond Intelligence Briefs: http://www.diamondintelligence.com/magazine/magazine.aspx?id=7833
