Swiss luxury goods group Richemont has bid to acquire Net-a-Porter in a deal which values the UK online fashion retailer at about £350 million ($531 million).

Richemont already owns a 29% stake in the British company and is looking to acquire the remainder of the company from other shareholders. It includes Natalie Massenet, a former fashion journalist and the founder of the retail website who holds a 18.2% share.
Up to now, neither Richemont nor Net-a-Porter have commented on the subject. But if the deal was to be closed, Net-a-Porter, one of the fastest-growing private companies in Britain, will be part of …

Baselworld, the world’s largest watch and jewelry fair, opens its doors on March the 18th for a week.

Watchmakers and the industry in general have great expectations for this 2010 edition after last year’s catastrophic one. With the crisis behind (but still close) the fair motto is optimism but also caution. While Swiss exportation experienced its first rise since 2008 last quarter (+2.7% in January 2010 compared to January 2009), Jean-Claude Biver, Swatch group CEO still thinks the crisis is just around the corner…
Baselworld organizers and the industry experts hope to benefit the same conditions as did the SIHH (Haute Horlogerie …

Zurich, November 2009
Cartier, maker of fine jewelry and watches for the wealthy, has expanded its range of more affordable products ahead of Christmas, meaning more than just a select few may find its red boxes in their stockings this year.
Cartier, part of luxury goods group Richemont (CFR.VX), expects this year’s Christmas sales to be stronger than the weak 2008 festive period, echoing last week’s message from Richemont Chief Executive Norbert Platt.
The brand, which traces its origins back to a Parisian jewelry workshop in 1847, launched its latest collection, “les must,” earlier this month and Chief Executive Bernard Fornas told Reuters …

Nights are becoming cooler, leaves are drifting from the trees and it is time to think about adding more rich colorful accessories to our outfits. One designer who knows how to bring heft and color to accessories is the young British Nicola Gewirtz. Inspired to start a new life by launching her own brand after receiving a birthday gift, her Lola Rose line of jewelry incorporates semi-precious stones into luxury bracelets, necklaces and earrings. Founded in 2000 in the UK, the Lola Rose line incorporates a philosophy of affordable luxury, with designs created to bring color, glamor and a smile …

Abazias Platinum and Diamond Prong Set Engagement Ring
Predicted trends for the high-end jewellery market in 2008 are lots of platinum, palladium and nickel alloys, and no surprise; bought on the web.
With the price of gold sky-rocketing at over $900.00 an ounce and economies down shifting, brick-and-mortar jewellery stores are really taking a hit. The average luxury consumer has become quite sophisticated in getting a good deal and they are doing more comparison shopping online, where they can still get diamond jewellery in a gold setting at a good price.
Diamonds are much easier to compare online as the entire inventory is …