Sekonda was founded in 1931, now it is part of Time Products (U.K). It remains the same privately owned business that it started as, but has evolved to cater to 6.5% of the British watch market (GFK data 2006). With a market share like that it is no surprise that Sekonda is presently the U.K.'s best selling watch brand. More amazing is the fact that it has remained the U.K.'s favorite watch brand since 1988 and in 2006 became the best seller by both volume and value. Showing that it is firmly established in its position at the top of this industry. The reasons for their success are many and perhaps can be best summed up by their own slogan “beware of expensive imitations.”

The History

Sekonda used to import Soviet watches for sale in the Western markets. They are associated with the original production of both digital and quartz watches. Firstly sourcing Russian mechanical watches and then moving their production to Hong Kong as quartz technology became the highly desired watch mechanism. This flair for utilising innovations has been a crucial element of their success. In the 1980's a host of fashion houses such as DKNY, Gucci and Guess began producing their own fashion watches. This marked the beginning of a new era of competition within the watch industry and questions began to be raised about how to combat the new influx of competitors; the main problem was that the size of the market had not increased at the same rate as those after market share.

Sekonda's Solution

The key values that have driven Sekonda's success are price, quality and service. RRP's are chosen before product development is complete. This places the emphasis on the buyers to reduce material costs, rather than on the retailers to sell at a higher price. The core lines retail between £20 and £80, eminently more affordable than their fashion house counterparts. Strict quality controls have remained firmly in place since the start. Each watch is checked by hand for any faults which has resulted in a return rate of less than 1%, even though they sell in excess of 1.6 million watches a year. Admirable. Additionally both end customers and retailers continually express their satisfaction with the sales process and the after sales care.

Brand Revolution

Sekonda have managed to retain their market status not only by providing a high quality of product and service but by constantly evolving to satisfy the desires of their key target market, 25-35 year olds. In the last twenty years this has meant a change of strategy as fashion now dictates that style must be fast and disposable. The notion of impulse buying has become not just a bonus for the retailer but a staple diet. Sekonda decided to develop ranges that fed into this market and, in 2004 and 2005 respectively, the Seksy and One ranges were born.

These two identities now account for 20% of Sekonda's overall sales. Both ranges consist of watches that are individually named, most famously the Seksy Eclipse, which both emulates high fashion's penchant for naming items and creates a tag that is significantly more likely to lodge in the mind of the consumer than just an image or traditional product code. Image conscious women and men were suddenly provided with high fashion style for high street prices from a reliable brand. This sales strategy has been one of the most successful of recent years. Essentially the model that they have created is eminently effective marketing actually backed up by a good quality product at a good price. They are ticking all the boxes and this constantly creates a substantial amount of work but allows for continual reassessment and innovation.

Practical Management

One of the essential elements of a fashion brand is a quick turn around on products. The lead time for a new Sekonda watch is only 3 months, so their 'cool hunters' can capitalise on a trend within a relatively short time. They also have product launches every six months to facilitate this. This is a logistic nightmare. But thanks to a precise stock system, based upon perceptive use of market research and advertising strategies Sekonda have one of the lower waiting times for delivery in the watch sector. This has come to be essential in a market based upon rapidly changing fashions. At any time they have approximately 1 million watches in stock, yet aim to sell 600,000-700,000 of this stock within a short period. In addition to this they will also label products for individual retailers based on their systems rather than Sekonda's. This further enables a speedy transition to the shop shelf.

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The name white was used for centuries to describe apparent color of colorless stones but true white diamonds do have a true milky white inherent color and a translucent milky white apparent color.

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Jewelry making has long been an art form passed on from father to son, all the way back to ancient times; people have adorned themselves in Silver, Gold, and Gemstone Jewelry,

African tribes, the Native American Indian tribes and numerous ethnic tribes have used Bone carved pendants, Animal Ivory, Bird feathers and Seashells, to fashion accessories to use as jewelry.

Today we give our Jewelry titles ,such as Ethnic Jewelry ,Tribal Jewelry ,Antique Jewelry, Fashion Jewelry and so on .In this article we are going to Talk about Designer Hand made jewelry ,How to make it either for fun or for those really keen students how to do it and make money from your hobby .

Right lets get going .You have two options to start with, you can either buy raw silver from your local distributor, or find a Jewelry Manufacture that will supply you with the materials, there is a choice between 925 or 985 in the grade of silver you buy, I prefer to work in Fine silver 985, but you may find this a little difficult to buy. For the purpose of this article we are going to choose the second option and buy our material from a reputable Jewelry Manufacture and we are going to start with making a simple Sterling silver 925 pendant with a Turquoise cabochon Gemstone.

The majority of tools needed can be purchased form a good hardware store and some of the more hard to find items you will be able to get from either a Silver Jewelry Manufacture or Supplier.

Your heat source can be either a gas bottle with extension hose and flame adjusting nozzle or as we use in our workshop a petrol bellows and hose set with adjustable nozzle, its important witch ever set you buy that you can regulate the flame and heat .Next comes the hand tools you will need a small brass hammer, tweezers about 7inches long, small tin snips, brass block 4inches by 4inches and 1inch thick ,rags,2part epoxy, battery acid, fine grade file , a flexible shaft grinder and a ceramic base to heat your silver on ,here is a handy tip a house brick and unglazed roof tile work just great. That should be enough for you to get started.

Step1 is to cut a strip of silver slightly wider then the thickness of the turquoise and long enough to wrap around the diameter of the gemstone, and carefully cut it so as the 2 ends meet tightly around the gemstone.

Step2, take your solder and place a small amount of flux on the two joins, heat the silver strip till red, apply the solder carefully, and it’s joined. If you haven’t done any soldering before try a few practice runs first, you will be able to use that silver later on.

Step3, take your sterling silver band and place it on a flat piece of silver plate, check that the turquoise still fits, then as in step 2 apply flux and solder the band to the plate.

Step4, remove the excess silver with your tin snips and sand off any rough edges.

Step5,decide on a shape for your bail and cut it out of silver accordingly, bend into shape .now solder that to the pendant ,and while hot dip the whole pendant into a small jar of acid ,rinse in a jar of clear water and dry.

Step6, Place your turquoise into you silver and carefully trim away any surplus silver. Once your happy with the fit you can sand the silver again with fine grade emery paper, give a small amount of epoxy to the inside of the pendant and insert the turquoise stone .Now take a spoon and using the back work it around the pendant to give a snug fit with the silver and allow to dry.

Step7, Using your flexi grinder insert a polishing cloth disc, add some silver polish and buff the silver to the required finish.

The principles above are applied to all silver work; no it’s up to the imagination of the jewelry designer and skillfulness of the jeweler.

One of the most unforgettable and amazing highlight of your life is your wedding day. Your wedding day is the grace of God that you and your beloved are called to be united as one. This is the time for the bride to be well above the others. Every bride wants to be the most beautiful for this special event, so the bride and accessories are very important animals. Bridal jewelry, one of the most important accessories of the bride pays to be prepared. One of the main effects of the Bridal Jewelry is to add more charm to the aura of the bride. Completes the look on all of the bride, from the fingertip.

Many jewelry designers agree that Pearl is the best to improve the collection of all aspects of the bride. Pearl makes the bride look stunning. It has a timeless and classic elegance that catches all eyes. Now, to help determine the use of bridal pearl necklace, is now here:

Pearl necklaces from six long as a necklace, choker, princess, rope, opera, and the matinee. The pearl necklace is usually 14 to 16 inches long and stays in the collar bone, and this classic of the length of the necklace of pearls is a perfect fit for the dress of the bride. This works perfectly with the wedding dresses and wedding dresses.

A bridal necklace usually measures 10 to 14 inches long. This consists of at least three strands of pearls. This is perfectly combined with a plunging neckline, or a Strapless V-neck wedding dress. This type of pearl necklace adds a great look in every aspect of the bride.

Unlike other collars, a pearl necklace princess far more time is usually 17 to 19 inches long. This type of collar is very famous for its versatility. If you will notice, princess necklace goes well with any wedding dress. To be more creative, you can combine different types of pearls to create a pear princess collar.

The opera necklace measure 27 to 36 inches long. This has to be used normally with high necklines or wrapped in double strands. This is very popular and famous among the major fashion designers for its sleek look. Pearl Rope is also commonly used if you want a great look of the jewelry pearl Wedding Jewelry. The usual measures of a pearl necklace cord is 40 to 72 inches long.

The price of these necklaces bridal resource, however, depends on the quality and weight of the pearls. When compared with other metals pearl jewelry, the cost of metal jewelry are more expensive than those pearls. However, it really does not matter if the pearls are much cheaper than other jewelry metals, which owns most of the issues that is most appropriate for your wedding fashion taste.

One of the most unforgettable and amazing highlight of your life is your wedding day. Your wedding day is the grace of God that you and your beloved are called to be united as one. This is the time for the bride to be well above the others. Every bride wants to be the most beautiful for this special event, so the bride and accessories are very important animals. Bridal jewelry, one of the most important accessories of the bride pays to be prepared. One of the main effects of the bridal jewelry is to add more charm to the aura of the bride. Completes the look on all of the bride, from the fingertip.

Many jewelry designers agree that Pearl is the best to improve the collection of all aspects of the bride. Pearl makes the bride look stunning. It has a timeless and classic elegance that catches all eyes. Now, to help determine the use of bridal pearl necklace, is now here:

Pearl necklaces from six long as a necklace, choker, princess, rope, opera, and the matinee. The pearl necklace is usually 14 to 16 inches long and stays in the collar bone, and this classic of the length of the necklace of pearls is a perfect fit for the dress of the bride. This works perfectly with the wedding dresses and wedding dresses.

A bridal necklace usually measures 10 to 14 inches long. This consists of at least three strands of pearls. This is perfectly combined with a plunging neckline, or a Strapless V-neck wedding dress. This type of pearl necklace adds a great look in every aspect of the bride.

Unlike other collars, a pearl necklace princess far more time is usually 17 to 19 inches long. This type of collar is very famous for its versatility. If you will notice, princess necklace goes well with any wedding dress. To be more creative, you can combine different types of pearls to create a pear princess collar.

The opera necklace measure 27 to 36 inches long. This has to be used normally with high necklines or wrapped in double strands. This is very popular and famous among the major fashion designers for its sleek look. Pearl Rope is also commonly used if you want a great look of the jewelry pearl wedding jewelry. The usual measures of a pearl necklace cord is 40 to 72 inches long.

The price of these necklaces bridal resource, however, depends on the quality and weight of the pearls. When compared with other metals pearl jewelry, the cost of metal jewelry are more expensive than those pearls. However, it really does not matter if the pearls are much cheaper than other jewelry metals, which owns most of the issues that is most appropriate for your wedding fashion taste.

Guys who are ready to ask for a woman's hand in marriage will inevitably attempt to figure out how much money they should spend on a diamond engagement ring, what the diamond will cost them and whether they will be able to afford a diamond engagement ring for their fiance. Most people have heard the expression that diamond engagement rings cost two months' salary.

Where did the two months of salary idea come from?

The origin of the two months' salary began with DeBeers, the largest diamond producer and diamond marketer in the world. In 1947, DeBeers decided to promote diamonds following the depressed wartime market. DeBeers launched a marketing campaign with a New York advertising firm. A copywriter penned the famous slogan "A diamond is forever" that is now synonymous with Diamonds.

De Beers wanted to bring diamonds to the masses, make them seem more affordable, instead of the wealthy and select few only being able to buy them. Accordingly, the price of a diamond for an engagement ring was set at approximately two months of salary.

This was a concept that everyone could understand, it was aimed at the groom-to-be and therefore made buying a diamond for an engagement ring achievable no matter whatever his salary was. No longer did people think of diamonds as being something which they could never afford, they now had a figure to relate to in simple terms - two months salary.

Thus the two months salary became the norm and in the mind of the groom it was the predetermined and acceptable price for a diamond engagement ring. As a general guide grooms usually spend between 10 - 20% of their annual salary on a diamond engagement ring.

There is no right or wrong amount to spend on a diamond engagement ring and many men do spend more than two months' salary on their fiances engagement ring. Lets face it when the wedding and honeymoon are over; What is left? What will she wear every day as a memory?

The Rings! - A symbol of Your Love and Comittment

At Diamond Imports - www.diamondimports.com.au - we have an exceptional range of certified loose diamonds that create stunning diamond engagement rings.

You may copy this article and place it on your own website, as long as you do not change it and include this resource box including these live links to Diamond Imports http://www.diamondimports.com.au

Copyright © 2008 Diamond Imports Pty Ltd

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When referred to wholesale jewelry, most people will think of low quality and badly-designed jewelry sold in bulk. I must say that you are wrong! Now many products adopt the wholesale method so as to get more benefits. Do you know that Tiffany also sell its products in bulk? You can find many online stores selling Tiffany jewelry wholesale.

What most people do not realize is that Tiffany jewelry wholesale has a lot of potential benefits. At first, finding the Tiffany jewelry wholesale supplier that you can trust is pretty difficult, but once you found that supplier, the effort becomes all worth it. This is very important if you love jewelry. Maybe you own a shop and you're interested in selling jewelry. Or maybe you simply love shopping for jewelry to the point that wholesale prices appeal to you because you order in bulk purchases.

A lot of different kinds of Tiffany wholesale are out there in the market. Your choices are not only limited to authentic Tiffany jewelry because there is also replica Tiffany jewelry. These replica Tiffany jewelries are immensely popular for everyday wear among women. Not everyone can afford expensive jewelries with precious gems, so these types of replica jewelries are hot among women. Instead of these highly expensive ones, we prefer to have a collection of costume and fashion jewelries.

If you want to enter the jewelry market through selling Tiffany jewelry wholesale, it is important to keep in mind that women are not looking for expensive jewelry. What they want is something inexpensive that they can use to accessorize themselves. Beauty and affordability are the key things that they are looking for.

Article source: Online New Style, fashion Life and Jewelry Talk.

Are you fond of body jewelry but scared of getting piercing? Then you need not worry because now you can wear your favorite body jewelry without getting yourself pierced. You can now look glamorous with beautiful body jewelry that can be worn without piercing. The non piercing belly rings are one such example of body jewelry that can be worn without piercing. The non piercing belly rings are a perfect option for those who are scared of getting their belly pierced and who do not want to undergo pain. Through non piercing belly rings, you can flaunt your belly and look beautiful.

If you are ready to get piercing done, then you can go for any of the piercing like ear plugs piercing, eyebrow jewelry piercing, tongue ring piercing, body piercing plugs, etc. ear plugs piercing is one of the piercing which has become quite popular with the youngsters. The ear plugs piercing block the hole in your ears with beautiful jewelry. Another type of piercing jewelry which is very popular with the youngsters is eyebrow piercing jewelry and tongue ring piercing. You can use any type of jewelry in Eyebrow Jewelry Piercing and Tongue Ring Piercing which you like.

You can buy your favorite body jewelry from retail stores or there is Piercing Jewelry Wholesale also. Through piercing jewelry wholesale, you can get the body jewelry at reasonable prices. The body piercing plugs and other body jewelry is available on the website as well. So, if you do not wish to go anywhere, you can simply log on to the website and order your favorite jewelry.

There are a few things that demand special care so that they can last a lifetime. If it's gift from some one special then your ugre to retain it for a lifetime, increases by many folds. Here I am giving you certain tips to maintain your silver jewelry so that its luster remains the same through years. Silver jewelry has a tendency to develop a patina layer over a course of time.
Following are a few things which if properly taken care of can increase the age of your silver jewelry and you can even pass it on to your next generation.
• The easiest step is to keep clean your silver jewelry each time after wearing it and earning loads of compliments.
• Always make sure that your silver jewelry pieces are safely in a dust free and dry place. They are best stored in an air tight box.
• Silver jewelry experiences maximum damage when it comes in contact with water. It is advised to remove your silver jewelry pieces while working in water.
• It is a safe option to envelope your silver jewelry in soft linen before placing it in any box.
• Paper should not be used in place of linen because the wood is known to contain an acid that can tarnish the radiance of your silver jewelry.
• If you have a dust in your silver jewelry, the best option is to immerse overnight in the soft drink, preferably 7up. As soon as you take it out you can see it is dazzling as though new.
• Care should be taken while wearing your exquisite silver jewelry. Avoid the use of perfumes and deodorants. Wear you perfume before adorning the silver jewelry.
• Use a soft cotton cloth and no toxic solution for the purpose of cleaning.
• The best way to clean your silver jewelry is to take a mildly concentrated soap solution for cleaning.
• To remove tarnish or other heavier dust particles on your silver jewelry, you will need to use special silver cleaner. Silver cleaners can available in the form of a paste or liquid, also known as silver dip.
With all the above mentioned tips you can follow the ones that suit your requirement. I hope you would implement some of them which will help keep your silver jewelry safe and increase its life. With all the heavy bucks and even greater amount of love invested in the pieces of you silver jewelry, it is important to maintain them properly.

Wedding preparation entails costs. This is a reality that you have to face especially if you want to have a perfect wedding ceremony during your wedding day. Part of the planning stage for your wedding ceremony is planning how much to spend for the different important matters during your wedding. There are lots of considerations that you have to take into account in creating your budget plan for your wedding ceremony. You have to consider how much will you spend for your wedding gown and your groom's suit, how much will be spent for the venue of your wedding, how much will you be spending for the food of your guests, and of course, how much are you willing to spend for the souvenirs and gifts of those people who were with you before and during your wedding day.

One of the persons that a bride and her groom can never forget to thank is their bridesmaid. This may be because of the fact that their bridesmaid may be the sister of the bride, the bride's best friend or someone who is very close to their heart. In order for the bride and the groom show their appreciation for the job done by their bridesmaid before and during their wedding, they may opt to give their bridesmaid a present.

There are lots of available gifts that a bride may give her bridesmaid. But traditionally, the most common gift that a bride may give her bridesmaid would be a bridesmaid jewelry gift. The bridesmaid jewelry's cost may depend upon the kind and the type of the crystal or pearl that the bridesmaid jewelry bears. It may also depend where the bridesmaid jewelry will be bought. Some may be too expensive but some may be considered fairly priced or may be considered affordable. The gift's value would depend upon the choice of the bride. The bride may give her bridesmaid complete bridesmaid jewelry set if she has allocated enough budgets for it and has the capacity to do so or, on the other hand, the bride may give her bridesmaid simple bridesmaid jewelry such as a necklace or just a pair of earrings if she is having a tight budget.

Having a tight budget for your wedding does not mean you won't be able to find a suitable gift for your bridesmaid. Nowadays, there are lots of inexpensive bridesmaid jewelry and discount bridesmaid jewelry that are available in the market. In fact, there are crystal bridesmaid jewelry and pearl bridesmaid jewelry that you can buy at a price below 30 dollars such as the Swarovski crystal bridesmaid jewelry. You may find them in the market or you may search the internet to find some. You just have to be patient in looking for an elegant looking yet affordable bridesmaid jewelry. Remember not to sacrifice the jewelry's quality in purchasing cheap bridesmaid jewelry. Quality is indeed important as it is believed that bridesmaid jewelry gives a bridesmaid an elegant look and an air of royalty during the wedding ceremony.

Budgeting is indeed important in planning your wedding. Before anything else, you and your groom-to-be must create a budget plan in order for you to be guided on how much you can spend on your wedding gifts and other wedding expenses. You have to follow the budget plan as much as possible in order for you to avoid incurring costs that may result to breaking up your funds and your other bank accounts. Most importantly, you have to remember that the value of the bridesmaid gift does not depend on the price of the gift. It depends upon the effort of the bride to find something that would show her appreciation to her bridesmaid. You don't have to drain your funds just to give your bridesmaid an expensive bridesmaid jewelry set. A simple one would be totally appreciated as long as it came from your heart. Although there is no limitation on how much you can spend for your bridesmaid gifts, still it would be better if you will be choosing affordable yet high quality bridesmaid jewelry for your bridesmaid.

The term watch glass refers to the transparent covering over the face of a watch. There are a number of different materials that are used to make watch glasses. They are generally made of one of three common materials depending on the make, uses and quality of each particular watch. Each material has it's own advantages and disadvantages, so it is worth understanding the differences. Sometimes the glass is referred to as the crystal, this is not to be confused with the quartz crystal inside of a lot of watches which regulates the timekeeping.

Acrylic Glass
The cheapest glass is actually a plastic. Acrylic plastic is tough, flexible and transparent. It is not likely to shatter as it is very light. The downside is that it may scratch easily. The scratches can be removed, it is advisable to consult a jeweller about the best way to proceed. Childrens' watches often have an acrylic glass as they are unlikely to be able to break it even if they are not as careful as they could be! 

Mineral Glass
The most common form of glass is mineral glass. This is made by using heat or chemicals to treat ordinary glass in order to make it more scratch resistant. If the glass does become too scratched it will need to be replaced.  Unfortunately this also has the affect of making the glass more likely to shatter. Occasionally when a watch glass shatters small shards of glass can lodge themselves into the workings. If this happens then the cost of repair is likely to exceed the value of the watch. Most watches, however, do not end their life in this way; so there is no need to be unduly worried. But it is worth being careful if your watch glass does shatter in order to prevent this from happening.

Sapphire Crystal
The most desirable watch glasses are made out of either synthetic or genuine sapphire. Commonly synthetic sapphire is used. This is made out of crystalised aluminum oxide, it has the same physical properties as the natural gem frequently used in jewellery but without the colouring. It is the most expensive way to create a watch glass but the advantage is that the glass is incredibly durable. Sapphire rates 9 on the Moh scale, (that is the scale that measures the relative hardness of all materials) and is just behind diamond which measures 10. Of all the glasses it is the least likely to shatter or be scratched. If anything you should be more concerned that your watch may scratch another surface! Sapphire crystal is one of the features that pushes up the price of high end watches. This is due to the value of sapphire and partly because expensive tools that use diamonds to cut and shape the sapphire have to be used to make them. Premier brands such as Seiko and Citizen watches often use sapphire glass for their watches.