Jewellery Focus June 2017 | Page 9

MONTH IN REVIEW GO ONLINE www.jewelleryfocus.co.uk EVENTS Minute and Azimut to feature at London Fashion Week Men’s British watch brand Minute and Azimut will showcase their pieces at this year’s London Fashion Week Men’s. The upcoming brand will feature their Bisham range at the event, which come with a choice of alligator, calfskin and lizard straps. The Bisham watch is named after Bisham Woods in Berkshire and a donation is made to the Woodland Trust with each sale. The design of the watches is inspired by the 1960s and models come in a selection of gold, silver or copper finishes. The watch bran d will also display its range at this year’s Clerkenwell Design Week. Winnie Poon, the brand’s founder, said: “It is a real milestone for us to have been selected by the British Fashion Council as an emerging designer at London Fashion Week Men’s.” The brand will be at the annual show between 8 and 12 June. ECONOMY 1.4m jobs at risk as SMEs close, says business sale marketplace Over 1.4 million jobs in the UK are at risk as hundreds of thousands of small businesses close within the next five years, according to a survey by business sale marketplace Bizdaq. The survey showed that companies are closing at an “alarming rate”, with 363,000 small business owners planning to stop trading in the next five years. Bizdaq suggests that with most small businesses having an average of June 2017 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk four staff, this puts over a million jobs in jeopardy. Of those jobs believed to be under threat, 529,000 will be at risk in the next 12 months due to planned closures. The survey also suggested that 510,000 business owners were planning to sell their companies within the next five years. Sean Mallon, CEO of Bizdaq, said: “For too long, hard-working small business owners and their employees, who underpin the British economy, have been left without the support and advice they deserve from the government. “Given the government’s continued campaign for job creation, it’s amazing so little is being done to preserve the number of existing jobs at risk within Britain’s small businesses.” CLOSURE DiamondCorp goes into administration DiamondCorp has announced that it has gone into administration, leaving the future of the company in the hands of practitioners. Stephen Cork and Jo Milner of London-based advisory firm Cork Gully are now joint administrators of the rough diamond company. In a statement released this week, it said that its directors would continue to work with the administrators to try to “preserve any remaining stakeholder value”. DiamondCorp’s listing on the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) is expected to terminate on 15 May. Trading on Johannesburg-based hedge fund market, AltX, has been suspended since November. Investment bank Panmure Gordon resigned as the business’ nominated adviser and broker with immediate effect, with no plans to appoint a replacement. DiamondCorp has struggled to continue keep afloat since its Lace mine in South Africa flooded last year. 1 2 3 4 5 6 CELEBS Kate Moss to launch jewellery collection Kate Moss has teamed up with Brazilian jewellery designer Ara Vartanian for her first ever jewellery line. The limited edition collection has been designed by the model with the help of Vartanian, who she has been friends with since they met in Sao Paulo years ago. After visiting Vartanian’s store and commissioning a piece of jewellery, Moss found that she loved the jewellery he made and wanted to make similar pieces. She said: “Ara always wore this pendant and he explained to me it was an amulet which brings good energy. “When we spoke about working together I said I wanted to make more jewellery like that. Pieces that have meaning and that you can wear every day.” The collection features a number of precious stones, including the red garnet which is Moss’ birthstone. There is also an asymmetrical theme with the collection, with many of the earrings being mismatched. Vartanian said: “Kate wears jewellery in a very free way. She just throws it on.” He added: “But these pieces aren’t about fashion.The stones and attitude give them a powerful energy, they are forever.” The Kate Moss x Ara Vartanian collection will be available from 17 May with prices starting at £700. JEWELLERY FOCUS 9