International News
US Watch and jewelry sales remain steady in March, overall increase of 0.4 percent
US Watch and jewelry sales remained steady in March, with a slight overall increase of 0.4 per cent, according to the latest US Department of Commerce figures. Jewelry sales rose slightly, while
Watch and jewelry sales in the US remained steady in March, with a slight overall increase of 0.4 per cent, according to the latest US Department of Commerce figures. Jewelry sales rose slightly, while watch sales dipped, as consumers opted for higher-priced items, but bought fewer of them.
In February overall sales increased by just 0.2 per cent and in January they fell by 1.0 per cent
The US government’s BEA (Bureau of Economic Analysis) reported a 0.7 per cent increase in consumer spending in March, the biggest increase for two years, but said it was largely driven by a rush to buy cars before US reciprocal tariffs forced prices up.
Watch and jewelry sales have been characterized by very modest increases in recent months, following on from a year of sustained growth – 10 per cent or more in some months – as shown below.
Reciprocal US tariffs – announced in April, then paused until July – will almost certainly hit sales, as producers forced to either absorb the costs or pass them on to consumers.
International News
Cartier Romanov sapphire bracelet nets $4.9mn at Sotheby’s Geneva auction
The cushion-shaped sapphire attributed to onetime ownership of Russia’s imperial family was billed as a very rare stone, and had been expected to fetch between 850,000 and 1.7 million francs ($1 million and $2 million)
A Cartier bracelet that was previously part of the imperial Russian crown jewels more than doubled its high estimate to bring in CHF 4.1 million ($4.9 million) at a recent Sotheby’s auction in Geneva.
The cushion-shaped sapphire attributed to onetime ownership of Russia’s imperial family was billed as a very rare stone, and had been expected to fetch between 850,000 and 1.7 million francs ($1 million and $2 million) at the Geneva auction.
The piece centers the cushion-shaped, 197.80-carat Romanov sapphire with the bracelet featuring brilliant-cut diamonds and accented with modified shield-step-cut diamonds. It has an interchangeable engraved rock crystal center embellished with triangular diamonds. The lot was the top seller, beating its CHF 850,000 to CHF 1.7 million ($1 million to $2 million) estimate.
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