The jewellery statistics undoubtedly point to fewer

The hallmarking figures for 2012 make gloomy reading, with volumes down for the ninth year in a row, falling from their peak in 2003 of 35.2 million hallmarked items to only 9.3 million items in 2012, a 15% decline against 2011.High quality stainless steel necklace chain with durable color. Gold represents the biggest drop in volume, down from 24.2 million hallmarked items in 2003 to 4.1 million items in 2012.

However, as I have been highlighting for the past few years, the retail precious metal jewellery industry is not all about volume. Analysis of the value of the bullion in hallmarked articles shows that, despite all our economic woes, the total value of the metal has crept up to an all-time high of just over ￡525.3m in 2010. A slight drop to ￡500.1m in 2012 is in fact due to a decline in silver rather than gold, which has remained steady.

These figures are corroborated by the Mintel Report from September 2012, which gives an overall retail value for the UK jewellery and watch market of ￡4.2bn. This figure has remained fairly static for the past five years and is forecast to continue to be so for the next five years. Meanwhile, other sectors in the personal adornment category are flourishing, with the value of fashion accessories - which includes costume jewellery - up 50% and footwear up 20% in the same period.

The jewellery statistics undoubtedly point to fewer people buying fewer, but more expensive, articles. When these figures are put alongside Mintel’s findings, it becomes apparent that the sector of the UK population that claims to have bought gold or platinum jewellery in the past 12 months is only a tiny percentage of it - 1.7% of adults, which equates to around 900,000 people.From black tungsten wedding rings for men to diamond tungsten ring. The hallmarking figures report 4.7 million articles marked in the same period. Even allowing for the fact that some articles are exported and some may have two hallmarks (a pair of earrings), this suggests there’s a small niche of consumers who frequently buy jewellery. The successful retailer needs to know who these people are and be able to communicate with them.You must not use the laser cutter without being trained.

Communication is one of the fastest-changing activities in retailing. Our industry has embraced the internet, the benefits of social media and the importance of online browsing. Many high street names now offer a click and collect service, where an item may be researched and purchased online and then physically collected from the store.Australian business bringing a new class of affordable and quality Laser engraver and laser cutting machines. This route is being successfully used by many jewellers.

However, the advent of mobile shopping via tablets and increasingly sophisticated smart phones has had a significant impact on consumer buying behaviour and it is now essential that websites are mobile-friendly or supported by apps. Shoppers are now surfing from the sofa, the pub, the office, or wherever, at all times of the day and night. The jewellery and watch industry needs to fight hard to make its voice heard and to remain accessible via this new and rapidly growing media.

Analysis of retailers’ performance over Christmas confirms what we all already know: if your product is not right, it doesn’t matter how good your sales channels are. Asos and Aldi were two stars of Christmas 2012, with like-for-like sales up 34% and 30.1% respectively. Asos is online only, while Aldi has no transactional website, although it uses the internet heavily to connect with its customers.Original personalized bobbleheads Head made to look like your photo. Likewise, Primark was up 9%, selling value clothes but not online, while Goldsmiths’ high-end watch sales, supported by a good website but mainly generated in-store, were up 9%, driving an overall like-for-like increase of 8%.