Nationwide Jewellers has partnered with the diamond manufacturer that announced it is the “first diamond brand to offer a Nationwide Standard & Transparent Price List” promising its customers transparency and value.

Diamond Solitaires has also launched a new mobile phone application that both retailers and consumers can use to verify and track a diamond from the mine to the bricks-and-mortar, as well as keeping an up-to-date valuation of the diamond.

Nationwide Jewellers managing director Colin Pocklington said the new app would benefit the buying group’s members who would be able to access a digital certificate of authenticity and inscriptions, which would also be available to consumers for valuation.

“The application is intended for consumer use so that consumers can purchase a diamond, and in a year or five years down the track, they can see how much their diamond is worth. At any moment they can see how their diamond has increased in value. The app is updated every month,” he said.

Pocklington said he hoped the software would give customers a “sense of confidence” in purchasing diamonds in the future.

All solitaires are checked on 123 parameters including brilliance, fire, scintillation, overtones, fluorescence and lustre. A diamond must pass each of the parameters to be included in the collection. According to Divine Solitaires, the average international laboratory checks diamonds against an average of 40 parameters. The additional 83 are used to ensure only the highest quality of gemstones are included.

“Consumers know their diamond will be different to any other diamond given how it is measured on the 123 parameters and they can keep a record of its value, which will also give them confidence if they choose to trade it in for another diamond some time down the track,” Pocklington said.

“The list of parameters covers the most major factors in terms of appearance and quality of the diamond. They aren’t usually covered in diamond certificates and it will make a difference to the diamonds they stock.”

Nationwide Jewellers will have the stockist kit with marketing material, catalogues, and application information, along with a large range of the diamonds on display this weekend at the IJF.

“We already have four members who have started stocking Divine Solitaires and we expect others will join them very soon,” Pocklington said.

SNEAK PREVIEW OF CONSUMER-BASED APP

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The licensing partnership with diamond cutter Mike Botha will consist of eight patented diamond shapes: the Sirius Star 80 Round, Sirius Star 100 Round, Sirius Star Cushion, Sirius Star Cushion 100, Sirius Star Square, Sirius Star Octagon, Sirius Star 88 Round and Sirius Star Oval.

Upon signing the agreement, Botha said: “This is a tremendous milestone for the Sirius Star brand as Dharmanandan has the depth of expertise and global reach to carry the brand in adequate inventory in all the sizes and clarity necessary for successful distribution.”

The cuts are marketed to offer “additional light performance compared to a round brilliant cut and address the retailer’s issue of shrinking profit margins.”

The Sirius Star 80 is said to feature greater scintillation and increased light return, improved brilliance and higher visual appeal than various other round cuts. Its 80 inclined facets include an eight-pointed star pattern in the pavilion with 100 per cent light return while the Sirius Star 100 features a 10-pointed version.

DDPL director Sandip Patel said the range would offer retailers a point of differentiation in the market and would provide their customers a product of both “visual beauty and light performance.”

“This exceptional line-up for proprietary shapes gives us an opportunity to transform how we scale our business in the Special Cut segment, allowing us to reach more people around the world faster, while also enhancing the experience we offer to our customers,” he said.

Botha counts almost 50 years in the diamond industry. His career that began in South Africa has taken him to Russia and Canada where he worked across certification programs, consultancy and education with leading diamantaires.

The collection, which is now available to Australian and New Zealand retailers, is named after the Sirius Star, the brightest star in the sky. It will be the latest addition to Dharmanandan Diamonds’ manufacturing of over half a million carats a year.

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The man entered the Nambour store on Monday 16 July around 3:45pm and asked to view a gold chain on sale. The offender fled the store with the gold chain after the female shop assistant handed him the chain.

The woman chased him into a nearby automotive store where the pair wrestled over the chain, which the man held onto as he jumped into a red Toyota Camry parked nearby.

Two men who witnessed the altercation ran to the car in an attempt to complete a citizens’ arrest.However, the offender threatened the pair, claiming he had a gun, before speeding off. One of the witnesses was treated in hospital for a possible fractured arm while the other man and the woman received treatment for minor injuries.

Meanwhile, a New Zealand jewellery store was also robbed, this time at knifepoint, on Tuesday 17 July.

The Somerville jeweller was held up about 2:45pm. Detective Inspector Fa’amanuia Va’aelua told the New Zealand Times that a shop assistant was threatened during the robbery.

“Three males entered the store armed with knives. They threatened a store worker, smashed glass counters and took off with items,” he said. “Thankfully nobody was injured during the incident, and police are now following positive lines of enquiry and are in the process of retrieving CCTV footage.”

Investigations are still continuing for both incidents.

In other robbery news

The mastermind behind the UK Hatton Garden jewellery heist has been released from prison.

Brian Reader left Belmarsh prison in London earlier this month after serving half of his seven-year sentence for his role in the multi-million dollar safety deposit box robbery.

The 79-year-old led a ring of thieves, most of whom were aged in their sixties  and seventies, to steal £14 million (AU$24.75 m) worth of jewellery and valuables from the safety deposit box centre back in 2015.

Reader will attend court once a date has been set to settle whether or not he will return to prison for the remainder of his sentence. The Kent man was originally supposed to return to jail after he failed to pay back his £6.5million (AU$11.49 m) confiscation order, which was due this month.

Former Flying Squad commander John O’Connor told The Sun: “He ruined people’s lives, and until he pays back that money, or tells the police what happened to it, he should stay in jail.”

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