MONTH IN REVIEW
www.jewelleryfocus.co.uk
DONALD TRUMP
Birmingham
City University
reproduces
historic American
coin for Trump
Birmingham City University has
reproduced a 227-year-old coin that
will be presented to US President
Donald Trump.
The coin is to commemorate
Birmingham hosting the annual British-
American Business Council (BABC)
transatlantic conference this week.
The event at the University’s Royal
Birmingham Conservatoire on 7
June will welcome delegates from all
over Britain and North America as
businesses in the West Midlands, led
by Greater Birmingham Chambers of
Commerce (GBCC) and supported by
Birmingham City University, seek new
markets in the post-Brexit era.
With 3D computer-aided-design
(CAD) imaging, the University’s School
of Jewellery helped to reproduce the
Large Eagle Washington Cent coin to
hand out to event attendees.
400 editions of the coin have been
produced and the very first specimen
is set to be delivered to Trump. The
second edition will be presented to
US Ambassador to the UK, Woody
Johnson, who will be in attendance at
the conference.
Following CAD imaging of the
original coin and importing images
into ArtCam software to enhance
shapes, a master pattern was created
and used to create a mould using high
temperature rubber.
The coins were then cast in pewter
by the A.E. Williams family, who are
based in Digbeth and have been
making the alloy since 1779.
12 JEWELLERY FOCUS
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James brings with him
considerable knowledge
and, like so many of us, he
has now decided to turn his
passion for watches into a
full-time career
Aurel Bacs, senior consultant
CRIME
Indian Jeweller
wanted for $2bn
fraud seeks
asylum in UK
Indian jewellery billionaire Nirav Modi
is said to be seeking political asylum
in London after being accused of
‘cheating’ state-owned Punjab National
Bank (PNB) out of nearly $2bn (£1.7bn)
According to reports Indian police
who have a warrant for his arrest have
been trying to track Modi since the
allegations in February.
Modi is a third-generation jewellery
tycoon whose clients have included
Kate Winslet and Priyanka Chopra with
stores located in London, New York
and Hong Kong.
According to the Financial Times
officials in India and the UK believe he is
in London and is trying to claim asylum
from what he called political persecution.
Modi is alleged to have worked
with bank employees to obtain huge
unsecured loans over a seven-year
period, according to a complaint filed
by PNB.
According to PNB, some of the loans
were used to “replenish lines of credit”
with other lenders and the scam could
have “wider ramifications” for India’s
ailing banking sector.
Modi was last seen flying out of India
along with his family on 1 January 2018
and is yet to comment on the claims.
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APPOINTMENTS
Phillips appoints
James Marks as
international
specialist for
watches
Phillips in
Association with
Bacs and Russo
has announced
the appointment
of James Marks
as its new
international
specialist for watches.
Based in London, Marks will assume
responsibility for leading the watch
department’s international sourcing
efforts from the UK.
He joins ahead of the upcoming
international exhibition, Watchmakers,
The Masters of Art Horology; a
partnership between Maxima Gallery
and Phillips in Association with Bacs
and Russo.
Having already travelled to Rome,
New York and Hong Kong, the
exhibition will finish at Phillips Berkeley
Square from 18 to 26 June.
Marks is said to have developed
a love and broad knowledge of
horology across all areas of watches
and wristwatches, focusing mostly
on vintage Rolex and Patek Philippe
wristwatches.
He joins Phillips following a 17-year
career in finance, where he was most
recently a portfolio manager for a
commodity hedge fund for seven years.
Prior to this, Marks worked at Merrill
Lynch and BNP Paribas.
Phillips said Marks in recent years
has studied watches, engaging with
high-profile collectors and developing
a very broad understanding of the
current market.
Aurel Bacs, senior consultant,
said: “Coming to Phillips with
an outstanding reputation in our
community and a solid network within
the collectors’ community, we are
delighted to welcome James to our
team of passionate specialists.”
July 2018 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk