Retailers are closer than most consumers to the cheeriest time of year, already working on their stock, their advertising, and their special events. Pinterest has released its advice on marketing for the holiday season, just in time to get busy planning.

This guide is geared specifically toward persuading marketers to spend dollars on Pinterest, so the content as it relates to how businesses should be using the platform is a little dry (for current top trends on Pinterest, check here). But the data shared by Pinterest does paint a convincing picture as to why businesses should reserve some of their marketing budget for it, particularly where online shopping is concerned.

According to Pinterest, the platform’s users spend more money during the holiday season than users of other platforms; three in four holiday shoppers reportedly discover new brands and products during the holiday season; and more than half of the holiday shoppers on Pinterest say the platform influences their purchases.

With a seemingly eager audience, Pinterest suggests businesses consider a full-funnel campaign strategy for best results—with ads at the awareness, consideration, and conversion stages. The company reports that conversion rate for viewers to buyers is three times higher among brands that run full-funnel campaigns, compared with those that advertise at only one stage. Suggestions for how ads might look are in the guide. Pinterest also includes a case study from Michaels.

Read the full report on Pinterest’s blog.

(Image via Pinterest)

VicenzaOro will once again host the contemporary watch lounge VO’Clock Privé in September, announced the Italian Exhibition Group, organizers of the jewelry show held twice a year at the Vicenza Expo Centre in Italy.

Dedicated entirely to watchmaking culture, VO’Clock Privé will be located in the first-floor foyer of the Expo Centre and open to the general public—watch enthusiasts, experts, and collectors of timepieces—from Sept. 8 to 10 (the VicenzaOro show runs Sept. 8–12).

At VO’Clock Privé, visitors are invited to handle the products, interact with watch manufacturers, and peruse displays of top brands and independent watchmakers. This is the second edition of VO’Clock Privé, returning after its successful debut last year with new sharing and learning opportunities, including appearances by watch professionals such as Ander Ugarte, head of design at Tudor, and watchmaking personalities Beppe Ambrosini and Bruno Bergamaschi.

Educational events at VO’Clock Privé will include courses hosted by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) in Geneva and a seminar on “Italian Watchmaking and its Future,” conducted by Ugo Pancani, trainer at FHH, with special guests Sandro Fratini, Auro Montanari, and Marco Mantovani.

There will also be a Zenith Watch Clinic, and the prestigious Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI) will present eight master watchmakers: Andersen Genève, Kudoke, Ludovic Ballouard, Meccaniche Orologi Milano, Matthias Naeschke, Sinclair Harding, Vincent Calabrese, and Marc&Darnò.

For more information, visit vicenzaoro.com/en/vo-clock.

(Photo courtesy of VicenzaOro)

Thankfully, there are plenty of incredible coral pieces out there—from a statement-making strand of branches to earrings that incorporate just a couple of vintage polished beads on gold shells. Below, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite coral jewels on the market right now.

Handcrafted on Nantucket, this necklace from By Fede displays coral branches handpicked in Italy. The result is a unique piece that radiates the allure of two distinctive places connected by one vast ocean.

Bursting with coral beads, Van Cleef & Arpels’ domed ring also includes rows of cultured pearls, making it the perfect statement piece for any seaside summer soiree.

Organic meets opulent through the combination of 47 coral beads and cabochon corals and 324 brilliant-cut diamonds set in 18k gold and platinum on David Webb’s bracelet.

Feminine and flirty, Renato Cipullo’s Coral Shell (Corallo Conchiglia in Italian) earrings combine two elements of the sea. They’ll make you feel like you’re in both a different time and a different place.

A one-of-a-kind piece featuring a textured gold shell and South Sea pearl, Haute Victoire’s necklace uses a Sardinian coral branch to unite the elements. It’s a celebration of the Mediterranean at its finest.

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How the recession doomers got the U.S. economy so wrong

The ultra-wealthy have never been richer and they’re spending like crazy

– Pam Danziger: Luxury customers putting purchases “on hold”

Retail rents rise in second quarter

Walmart adds advertising in store aisles

Kering-Valentino deal helps reignite luxury M&A market

Diamond prices plummet in “difficult market”

– De Beers faces “next quartz crisis” (subscription)

Botswana plans new sales channel

– Next for De Beers: a Namibia deal

Insurance companies think lab-grown diamonds are a “risk headache”

No pay disparity between lab-grown and natural diamond polishers

Angry letters show tensions between Indian bourses

555 ct. black diamond bought with misappropriated funds, says SEC

Over $10 million in jewels stolen from Paris Piaget

How a GPS-enabled Rolex led to the capture of a robbery crew

The great Rolex recession is here

– Discontinued Daytonas helping Rolex prices

– Second-hand watch prices slump to two-year low

Aurate partnering with Helzberg on collection

John Hardy appoints new president and CEO

– Reed Krakoff’s first John Hardy collection is here

IGI names new director of operations and business development

Lagos promotes Amanda Willinger to chief revenue officer

Brosway Italia hires two U.S. VPs

Macy’s supply chain officer steps down

Interview with new Smithsonian gems curator

– NPR interviews retiring curator Jeffrey Post (as does JCK)

How green is your watchmaker?

Hermès has $1 billion in watch sales in its sights

“How culture drives the Swiss watch industry” (subscription)

Tiffany lands on NRF’s list of fastest-growing retailers

Jesper Nielsen claims Pandora owes him money (translation)

Customer flabbergasted at eco-impact of jewelry packaging

Colonial diamonds overshadow Tower of London’s most interesting objects

“Beefy brawlers” get into fight in Diamond District store

New laser slicing technique for diamond semiconductors

Anti-counterfeiting tech draws on unique qualities of micro-diamonds

Drake bought Tupac’s ring for $1.01 million

– It’s Drake’s latest auction win

Kelly Clarkson says you can throw diamonds at her (but that’s it)

Which Sex and the City engagement ring was the most expensive?

From the Podcast     

The Jewelry District, Episode 101: Guest Jeffrey Post

Have a great weekend!

– Email: rbates – at – jckonline.com.

– Twitter: @robbatesjck

– Connect on LinkedIn

 (Photo: Getty Images)  

That’s where the latest releases from Rainbow K come in. Perfect for the fall season, the jewels are inspired, the brand tells JCK, by the punk fashions parading down recent fashion runways—Givenchy, Burberry, Paco Rabanne, Marine Serre.

Pieces with names like Cyborg and Nano Punk bring to mind postapocalyptic, steampunk imagery that’s continued to be relevant as massively popular sci-fi films like Star Wars, Mad Max, and Dune gain new generations of fans. Translated to real life, the fashions feel a bit more like quiet luxury with statement accessories, said accessories giving off rebel vibes without being overly on-the-nose—razor-sharp angles, bullet-shape accents, machine-like details. Rainbow K carefully cultivates a nonconformist tone while maintaining the upscale design the Parisian brand works so well.

“The new collection is influenced by fashion and our infusion of vintage designs inherited from our grandparents,” say the brand’s founders, Kelia Toledano and Kelly Souied. “We mix old styles with new on-trend designs—structural forms, texture, mixed metals with fluid lines—inspired by Parisian architecture, art, objects, and designs from the current times. We design to the whims of the trend cycle to become a worthy investment piece that can be worn every day for any occasion. The collection exudes a sense of rebellious attitude with glam.”

Top: Cyborg earring in 14k yellow and white gold with 0.21 ct. t.w. diamonds, $2,880; Rainbow K

“The auction is ideal for those wishing to acquire their first piece of Chanel or the seasoned collector looking to add to their collection.” Meg Randell, Bonhams’ head of designer bags and fashion in the U.K., said in a statement about next month’s The Art of Luxury: Chanel sale. “We are delighted to include a selection of haute couture designs, originally created for the elite Chanel couture buyers.

“Chanel has long been known as the name behind the world’s most coveted style. Gabrielle Chanel created some of the most iconic and elegant fashion statements, from the 2.55 flap handbag to the bouclé suit, both of which have stood the test of time and continue to garner intense interest at auction,” Randell’s statement said.

One standout from the sale is a one-of-a-kind piece designed by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel herself for fall/winter 1966–1967, with its original Chanel label. The tailored jacket of gold-embroidered tweed on cream silk features a Nehru collar and gold chain woven buttons, with black stitch detail accenting the collar and cuffs as well as a cream silk lining with a gold chain hem. The jacket is expected to fetch between £500 and £800 ($632–$1,102).

The original designs don’t stop there. The sale also offers jewels by Victoire de Castellane for Chanel, including a pair of oversize gold-plated earrings from spring 1987, which are expected to go for anywhere between £1,200 and £1,800 ($1,518–$2,277). In addition to jewels and ready-to-wear, Bonhams’ sale includes plenty of Chanel’s signature handbag designs—of course!

The V&A Chanel exhibit opens Sept. 16.

Top: Chanel jumbo double flap bag (circa 2003) in black lambskin with silver hardware, estimate £4,000-£6,000 ($5,062–$7,593)

Images courtesy of Bonhams

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Jewelry has the gift of making us feel special: loved, remembered, stylish, fun, rebellious—there’s no end to the feelings and memories a treasured piece can evoke. While an ear cuff might be a romantic gesture (possibly?), it most definitely gives off badass vibes.

Slip on an ear cuff, and you’re almost instantly more confident, this little piece of jewelry offering a new level of cool many other styles cannot provide. Like a well-fitting T-shirt that just works with everything, it’s that rare feels-good, looks-good piece that can affect your whole mood.

And if it seems like the ear cuff has quietly been making its way back into the spotlight, that’s thanks to pieces like these. Designers are bringing their A games where this category is concerned, and here is just a sampling of what’s available.

Top: Le Cercle ombre ear cuff in 18k yellow gold with 1.38 cts. t.w. sapphire and blue topaz, $2,060; Nadine Aysoy

I don’t often think of ruby as a “fun” gemstone. Gorgeous? Of course. Luxurious? Absolutely. But so often it’s such the picture of extravagance (in all the movies that feature forbidden gemstones, aren’t they almost always ruby?) that it’s easy for forget its ability to infuse good design with impressive color.

Such as we have here, with the geometric, organic aesthetic presented by Alishan. Now these are fun—and ruby fits right in! Here, the precious stone does so in a suspended trio of slices, each with natural curves hugged in rich 18k yellow gold.

Equally compelling is the sculptural creation that tops our ruby trifecta, a combination of dual-textured golden box and a diamond enspiraled in gold at the post. Adding to the pair’s charm is the asymmetric way a line of diamonds is set within each golden rectangle: On one ear, the diamonds are set against brushed gold; on the other, they’re in the half of the box shape that’s more highly textured. It’s a clever detail that enhances the earrings’ playfulness, and one that shows careful consideration in design.

While pink is the color of the moment, a nice ruby red is a sophisticated alternative (or complement) to it, and will fare beautifully for the upcoming fall and winter seasons. Jubilant and cheery, these rubies’ color—and their presence in such a memorable design—is everlasting.

Top: Drop earrings in 18k yellow gold with 5.9 cts. t.w. ruby slices and 0.27 ct. t.w. diamonds, price on request; Alishan

X will be—is, I suppose—the new moniker for Twitter, its new logo a closer reflection of owner Elon Musk’s personal brand.

The rollout wasn’t especially smooth—remnants of Twitter were still live throughout the site post-rebranding—but it does signal the end of an era and continues Musk’s vision for the platform to be an “everything app,” not one solely based in text.

Along with the rebranding came news from Twitter—oops, X—regarding its ad revenue sharing program. Now available to eligible creators globally, the program allows users with high engagement to make money from their posts. While a previous iteration was reportedly successful for a number of creators (some earning thousands of dollars or more), the bar to qualify is high.

To take part in X’s ad revenue sharing, a creator must be subscribed to Blue or be a verified organization; have at least 15 million impressions on cumulative posts within the past three months; and have at least 500 followers. More information on the program can be found here.

And finally, in another small bit of Twitter—no, X!—news, Musk announced the platform will soon be available only in dark mode, which better aligns with its new color scheme (and is great for Tweeting—Xing?—from dark rooms, I guess?). But the following day, Musk backtracked on his statement after user feedback, saying the app plans to keep light mode but will default to dark.

Meanwhile, Meta’s competing Threads reportedly lost more than half its users in the weeks since its launch earlier this summer, so Meta looks to add more “retention-driving hooks” to the app. Time will tell.

Top: The new X logo (image courtesy of X Corp.)

When it comes to the watch’s nuances, Omega is, naturally, going for gold. The piece features a laser-structured diver’s bezel in positive relief crafted from the brand’s own yellow gold alloy, 18k Moonshine Gold—which radiates a more subtle shade of gold—with a single speck of phosphorescent lume at 12 o’clock.

But the face of the watch isn’t the only thing to see here. The back of its stainless steel case features Omega’s proprietary gold in an inlaid medallion bearing the Paris 2024 emblem—and standing out even more in contrast to the laser-ablated background. “Paris 2024″ and the instantly recognizable Olympic rings are etched and polished in stainless steel against that frosted background.

The rest of the watch’s specifications fall in line with what’s expected of a Diver 300M, from Omega’s Seamaster line. It has a 42 mm case and is 13.7 mm thick, and it’s fastened on a stainless steel bracelet featuring the watchmaker’s new Quick Change System—the bracelet can be swapped for a red, white, or blue rubber strap or even a dedicated Paris 2024 woven NATO strap, offered in five different colors.

Currently available only at Omega’s boutique in the 2024 Olympics’ host city, the special-edition watch—although not limited or numbered—is priced at $8,700 (compared with $5,900 for the standard Seamaster 300 in stainless steel).

Top: Seamaster Diver 300M “Paris 2024” special-edition watch in stainless steel and 18k Moonshine Gold, $8,700; Omega (photos courtesy of Omega)

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