FINDINGS
CARTIER ACTION: Cartier is opening two more stores this summer.
The fine jeweler is planning to open a 2,670-square-foot store at the King of Prussia Mall in King of Prussia, Pa., next month, followed by a 2,050-square-foot unit at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, Calif., in September. This will bring the number of Cartier stores in the U.S. to 29. Both will feature the company’s new design concept, which was introduced in Paris and Tokyo in 1999, and updates traditional elements such as oak wood with slate and stone.
Cartier is also renovating and expanding its Ala Moana Center store in Hawaii, which will also feature the new look. It will take over the neighboring unit, adding 885 square feet to total 1,885 square feet. The boutique is expected to open late this month. Until then, Cartier has relocated to an adjacent temporary space.
UNDER THE SKY: The Accessories Council is holding its fifth annual networking evening on Aug. 8.
This year’s theme is “On the Avenue,” since the event will be held on the rooftop of Lord & Taylor on Fifth Avenue. Sheila Block, the council’s executive director, said the party’s theme is “a New York-inspired evening.”
The Accessories Council is expecting up to 350 retailers and vendors this year.
BORDA TO LAGOS: Claire Borda has been named vice president of sales at the Philadelphia-based Lagos jewelry firm.
Borda joined Lagos from an 11-year stint at Coach, where she was director of sales for May Co. stores. She also spent 10 years with Macy’s East as a buyer for designer and bridge footwear and handbags.
In her new post, she will oversee sales and merchandising, as well as marketing strategies for major Lagos accounts, including Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bailey Banks & Biddle, Jacobson Stores and Finlay Jewelers.
In addition, Cheryl Nickell has joined Lagos as divisional sales manager for all independent accounts. Nickell has 17 years’ experience in fine jewelry, garnered during her tenure at Mikimoto, where she held positions in sales and merchandising.
Related Galleries
BRUNI’S NEW GEM: Leonardo Lanaro has joined fine jewelry firm Pasquale Bruni as general manager for its U.S. operations.
Lanaro will handle the management and development of the company’s marketing projects in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to joining Bruni, he was vice president of sales and marketing at Unoaerre. In his new post, Lanaro reports to Marco Pocaterra, the company’s worldwide general manager.
Known for using a variety of colored gemstones, Pasquale Bruni’s fine jewelry is sold at independent fine jewelers and selected Saks Fifth Avenue stores.
TIMED EXHIBIT: Watchmaker Audemars Piguet unveiled “As Time Goes By,” an exhibit of rare and intricate watches, at New York’s Regency Hotel last week.
The two-day exhibit featured a watchmaker showing visitors how watches are put together, and there were 12 displays with different watches featuring complications such as chronographs and tourbillon. The “Grande Complication” watch, which is valued at more than $600,000, was one of the 37 displayed watches.
The exhibit will travel to several cities until the end of October, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta. Audemars Piguet is best known for its Royal Oak luxury sports watch.
WATCH OUT: Silhouette Optical Ltd., the Austrian eyewear maker known for its lightweight titanium “Titan Minimal Art” sunglasses, has appointed Gloria Maccaroni as vice president of retail marketing.
In the new post, Maccaroni will handle strategic marketing programs and activities for the Silhouette brand in the optical and specialty arena. She joins from Seiko Corp. of America, where she was vice president of marketing.
SOTHEBY’S PROMOTION: Hoda Esphahani was promoted to chairman, international jewelry, at Sotheby’s. Prior to her promotion, Esphahani was executive director.
Esphahani came to Sotheby’s in 1998 after working as vice president and a senior jewelry specialist at Christie’s. She has also worked as senior sales associate at Harry Winston and had a stint at the Gemological Institute of America.