New figures have suggested that the jewellery market is continuing to show strong growth, with platinum helping to push up sales.

Despite the price of platinum escalating in recent months, demand for the precious metal does not appear to have waned among consumers and high-end jewellers such as Tiffany have continued to see strong sales of platinum jewellery.

Meanwhile, North America's largest retail jeweller, Zale, has announced that its same-store sales saw an increase of 1.4 per cent during its second fiscal quarter, which ended January 31st.

Total revenues, excluding 29 stores that the firm plans to close, rose by 2.7 per cent as demand for jewellery remained strong over the holiday period and beyond.

At the same time, Bulgari also revealed an increase in sales during the final quarter of 2005, which helped the company boost its annual sales by 10.5 per cent compared to 2004.

Announcing a 13.2 per cent rise in overall sales during the final three months of 2005, compared to the same period the previous year, Bulgari saw a 17.7 per cent jump in sales of watches during the quarter.

Platinum jewellery is becoming increasingly popular across the world, with China being seen as one of the biggest emerging markets for the precious metal.


Ÿ Adfero Ltd