EDITOR’S LETTER
CONTRIBUTORS
Watch out for those toxins
CONTRIBUTORS
KATY TROMANS
Katy is a jeweller,
CAD designer and
Birmingham City
University School of
Jewellery graduate
JORIE GRASSIE
Jorie Grassie is
the founder of
Jorie Jewellery,
a unique deer
tusk brand which
dates back to the
Neolithic period.
Her first collection
is currently
stocked at
Harvey Nichols.
JANET FITCH
Janet is a veteran
JF columnist, and
has written for
both magazines
and newspapers
including the Sun
and the Daily Mail,
later owning her
own jewellery
shops
LEONARD ZELL
Leonard has
been training fine
jewellers for 25
years. His monthly
column gives
some top tips on
sales training and
improving your
bottom line
ON THE
COVER
FEATURE
I hope you enjoy the issue.
MICHAEL NORTHCOTT
Editor, Jewellery Focus
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SALVAGE
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VIRTUAL
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Exploring the watch firm that
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How to supplement the bottom
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EXIT INTERVIEW
DEER-TUSKS
The brand reviving this millennia-old
jewellery tradition
26
Oddical
Rules can seem boring but rarely do they exist
for no reason. In recent weeks, a study found
some low cost necklace jewellery had excessive
levels of lead, cadmium or nickel release.
The study, carried out by London Trading
Standards found (in the worst cases) parts
containing 82 per cent lead and 56 per cent
cadmium. Lead and cadmium are known
toxic substances and as such the levels
allowed in jewellery are restricted to 0.05 per cent and 0.01 per cent
by weight respectively.
When you consider that children in early stages of development
can easily get their mischievous hands on jewellery, this really is not a
desirable characteristic for jewellery, notwithstanding the fact that it
is not great for adults either. True, the risks are most acute during the
manufacturing process – cadmium vapour is not doing anyone’s lungs
any favours – but really the risk should not be appearing anywhere.
This is exactly what REACH regulations were established for. Sending
samples off to testing houses for toxicity reports is not a cheap process
and slows down turnaround on new collections or pieces, but in a trade
that is reliant on a strong public perception of its integrity, making sure
jewellery is not chemically toxic to its wearers has to be high on the list
of priorities.
I would like to say a quick word of congratulations and express relief
that Theo Fennell, a much loved and super-creative jewellery brand, will
remain in business. Theo himself was one of the first figures I met in the
jewellery industry when I took up the editorship here four years ago. He
gave me a tour of his Fulham Road premises and his workshops - it was a
heck of a first impression of the world of jewellery craftsmanship.
SPECIAL FOCUS
Katy Tromans' objets d'art
July 2017 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk
In conversation with TH March's
departing John Watson
41 35
PEARL CORNER MAKE YOUR MARK
Beginnings of the cultured pearl
Learning about this
year's iteration
www.jewelleryfocus.co.uk/newswire
JEWELLERY FOCUS
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