Attire Accessories - Jan/Feb 2020 (Issue 80)

14 TOUCHSTONE AWARD WINNERS INVITED TO GOLDSMITHS’ HALL TO CELEBRATE SUCCESS Winners of the Touchstone Award 2019 were recently welcomed to Goldsmiths’ Hall to mark their success. The Touchstone Award is presented by the British Hallmarking Council and funded by the four UK Assay Offices and the National Association of Jewellers. Its objective is to raise the profile of Hallmarking amongst Trading Standards professionals to ensure this important strand of consumer protection continues to be enforced. It is more important than ever that the UK’s rigorous Hallmarking regime be upheld as internet sales remain relatively unregulated and the high price of precious metals makes potential fraud more tempting to criminals. Winners Shared Regulatory services (SRS) of Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend were rewarded for a two-part initiative including inspection of bricks and mortar premises and the exposure of a website selling jewellery, which was wrongly described and therefore defrauding customers. The Award was officially presented at the CTSI Symposium in Brighton in June and also locally in the presence of Local Authority officials. The final acknowledgment for the winners was a ceremony in the splendour of Goldsmiths’ Hall where, after a full tour of the Assay Office, BHC Chair Noel Hunter OBE presented the Award amidst the Management Board of the Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office before lunch in the impressive luncheon room. Reflecting on the day Sarah Smith from SRS said, “Winning the Touchstone Award has given us all such a boost. We were very satisfied to bring successful prosecutions against individuals defrauding vulnerable customers and so pleased to have our hard work recognised by the Touchstone Award. It has made our Local Authority Joint Committee understand some of the hallmarking compliance challenges we are facing and will hopefully encourage them to make resource available to enforce this important legislation.” VIVIEN SHERIFF SUPPORTS DAKS IN 125 TH ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN Renowned British millinery brand Vivien Sheriff has collaborated with luxury clothing and accessories design house DAKS, providing the hats for its latest 125 th anniversary campaign shoot. A sleek black Vivien Sheriff fedora and classic baker boy hat were selected to complement DAKS’ specially created ‘125 anniversary check’, a design that is deeply rooted in the house’s heritage. The campaign is entitled, A Window To The Past. Captured by photographer Nick Tydeman it features singer-songwriter, Ciinderella Balthazar and creative director, Mathias le Fèvre wearing refined silhouettes of DAKS’ anniversary check as they pay a visit to the birthplace of DAKS’s first flagship store, Simpsons of Piccadilly. Simpsons of Piccadilly was created by the son of DAKS’ founder, Alexander Simpson, and architect Joseph Emberton. When opening its doors in April 1936 it was the largest menswear store in Britain. Today the store is a Grade I listed building, and book shop Waterstones occupy the premises. It was also a source of inspiration for the DAKS design team who reflected the building’s large windows and brickwork architecture in the final design of the ‘125 anniversary check’. Commenting on the collaboration, Vivien Sheriff said, “We are proud to be part of such a high profile campaign that celebrates this special milestone for DAKS - one of British fashion’s true heritage brands. “The hats we have designed for this campaign reflect the bygone era of the 1930’s, a time when millinery and tailoring were wardrobe staples worn by all,” she added. Featuring DAKS’s signature colours; Vicuna, Camel and Black, the ‘125 anniversary check’ is represented in the campaign through a double breasted coat, long-sleeved statement dress and plush check knitwear. The coat’s fabric has been woven in England from a variety of yarns to create a rustic surface, combining wool, linen and man-made fibre for strength, the result is modern take on classic overcoat. Visit viviensheriff.com WESTON BEAMOR AND DOMINO CONFIRM DIAMONDS COME FROM NATURAL STONES Weston Beamor and Domino have confirmed that, following extensive testing and audit, they are confident that all of the diamonds that they use across each business are 100 percent natural stones. This guarantee comes after months of testing, undertaken in partnership with their core supplier, which involved the testing of more than 20,000 diamonds using technology developed by DeBeers gemmological division, IIDGR. Commenting on the new customer guarantee, WB The Creative Jewellery Group Operations Director, Mark Thomas, said, “We are really pleased to be able to offer this guarantee to customers, as we know that it will provide them and their consumers with peace of mind. The increase in availability and production of lab-grown stones means that there is room for error, whether deliberate or otherwise. We wanted to be able to reassure our customers that, as well as leading-edge technology, high-quality and ethical recycled precious metals and on-trend design, that they could also be confident that every single diamond that we set is natural.” The Birmingham manufacturer has invested in its own on-site IIDGR SYNTHDetect, which can test colourless stones with no lower size limit, including loose stones, as well as those set in rings, bangles, brooches and necklaces. Likewise its main supplier for diamonds has confirmed the natural origin of its entire stock of more than 20,000 stones, after investing in its own high-specification IIDGR machine, which allows it to test multiple diamonds at one time.