4 STATE OF THE MAJORS 2018 ELEGANCE THAT FITS COMFORTABLY FOR A LIFETIME LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER THE STATE OF THE MAJORS ANALYSIS Losing Middle Ground Indicators show that 2017 was a strong year for watch and jewelry sales in North America, but not all retailers shared in the wealth THE LISTS $100 Million Supersellers Retailers whose North American jewelry and watch sales totaled $100 million+ in their most recent fiscal year Top 50 Specialty Jewelers The largest jewelry chains in North America, ranked by store count as of the end of 2017 THE STATE OF THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY New Kids on the Block(chain) What leaders in the diamond industry are hoping the Bitcoin-backing technology will do for them THE STATE OF JEWELRY DESIGN Independent Designers, Instagram and the Battle Over IP How small designers are protecting their intellectual property in the age of social media THE STATE OF THE COLORED STONE MARKET All Together Now? The growing use of grading reports for colored gemstones has stoked discussions about origin determination, color calls and harmonization 2019 TRADE SHOW & EVENT SCHEDULE AD INDEX FINAL ANALYSIS Ending on a Positive Note Columnist Peter Smith shares a handful of his favorite quotes about the importance of being optimistic STATE MAJORS the of the WHAT’S INSIDE 6 10 18 32 46 52 60 68 71 72