Here's the latest sign of hard times in the jewelry industry. Interweave Press has killed publication of Colored Stone and laid off Editor-in-Chief David Federman. The January-February issue will be the last one.
Of course, there was no official death notice sent to readers. To the contrary, in the November-December issue of Colored Stone, Interweave promised subscribers a switch to a twice-a-month digital edition starting in January 2010. Excited by such thrilling news, many readers, myself included, recently renewed their subscriptions or were planning to. If you're in the latter category, here's a holiday spending tip: save your money. If you're in my category: ask for it back.
Of course, getting your money back may be difficult, if not impossible. According to David Pyle, an Interweave vice president / division publisher, the company will "fulfill" Colored Stone subscriptions with Lapidary Journal / Jewelry Artist. When asked what Interweave would do if the subscriber had no use for that magazine, he answered, "We will fulfill the subscription with another Interweave publication."
In other words, no cash refunds.
Bait and switch?
It is common for publishers who cancel magazines to substitute--or attempt to substitute--other publications as a means of fulfilling subscriptions. They will tell you that the substitution represents an exchange for an equivalent product.
The question remains: Is Lapidary Journal/Jewelry Artist a true equivalent to Colored Stone?
Not for my money. That's why I want it back, and that's why I cancelled my subscription to that magazine three years ago.
Lapidary Journal/Jewelry Artist is a hobbyist magazine. For the past few years, it was a how-to magazine exclusively with "Jewelry Artist" in large letters and "Lapidary Journal" in small ones. Now, just by making the dual titles equal in font size, it is trying to tell the world it can serve two completely different audiences with equal satisfaction. I doubt that it can fulfill such bipolar expectations. Just the opposite; by trying to serve two different audiences, both will feel shortchanged. That could pose problems come subscription renewal time.
But even if the editors of Lapidary Journal/Jewelry Artist can manage their somewhat schizophrenic editorial mission, the end product will still not be a true equivalent to Colored Stone. LJ/JA is a hobbyist publication intended for the crafts person and amateur. Colored Stone was a trade publication intended for the businessperson and professional. I need and paid for a professional business publication that keeps me informed of the latest news, products and trends, plus spots and tackles challenging issues. Colored Stone has always been an early warning system for the perfect storms of the gem world. Besides being perceptive about news and developments, it was fearless in reporting them. Names got named--and, when needed, blamed. Last, it had also begun to serve as a first-class provider of scientific writing and analysis. Is LJ/JA going to give me all that? I highly doubt it. And, quite frankly, I don't need to learn about metal clays or saw blades. And I certainly don't need to learn about yarns or water colors (other hobbyist areas addressed by Interweave publications). I need to learn about my world, which has never been so exciting or so threatened.
So give me Colored Stone or give me my money back.
Unanswered Questions
Getting answers regarding the sad fates of Colored Stone and David Federman has not been easy. On Tuesday, December 15th, readers of GemMail, Colored Stone's biweekly newsletter, received an issue in which the customary credit given to Mr. Federman for writing and editing was conspicuously absent. Yet there was no announcement of Colored Stone's demise--or, for that matter, GemMail's.
Matters were made worse by the fact that the writing style was unmistakably its editor's. Yet no mention of his name was made or reason for its omission given. Readers were left to infer the worst. Calls to Federman's office were directed to managing editor Karla Rosenbusch--or, should I say, Ms. Rosenbusch's voice mail?
Then a Colored Stone advertiser and friend of the JEA forwarded the following message apparently sent to all Colored Stone Advertisers:
“After lengthy consideration, we have decided to cease publication of Colored Stone magazine. The final issue of the bimonthly, international trade magazine for the colored gemstone industry will be the January 2010 issue.
The decision to stop publication of the magazine and its website is driven entirely by the economy. The gem and jewelry market has been impacted by the global recession more severely than any of our other categories, and this economic market will not support our business expectations.
With this move, Editor David Federman will leave Interweave. We're proud of what David Federman and his team have accomplished over the last two years and wish him well. Managing Editor, Karla Rosenbusch, will remain with Interweave and will continue to work on the Tucson Show Guide as well as a number of other properties in Interweave’s Jewelry group.
Making this move allows us to better focus on building and growing the brands that remain in our portfolio and making the best use of the skills and talents of our staff.
Best regards,
David Pyle
VP/Division Publisher for Art, Jewelry, and Yarn Interweave”
The bucks stop in Loveland
Finding it hard to accept the news of Colored Stone's demise, I tried calling Federman. After a week of voicemail with no return phone calls, I started to fear the worst was true. Since the decision to close Colored Stone had been reached, as Pyle wrote, "after lengthy consideration," one would have thought some of that consideration included notification and fair treatment of subscribers loyal to the magazine. Yet we had been told nothing.
So I put in calls to Interweave’s Colorado corporate offices where, Pyle's message made it clear, the decision to shut down Colored Stone and terminate David Federman's job had been made. My calls were fruitless. When I finally reached an operator in Loveland, I was told to call the editorial offices in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Again, I had no luck. Instead, I kept getting an ominous voice mail message: “Thank you for calling Lapidary Journal”. Hmm… no mention of Colored Stone Magazine.
A call to Colored Stone's subscription line gave me the message: “This number is no longer in service”. How I wish I had received that message before I renewed my subscription to Colored Stone. Now I will have to fight to get my money back rather than be saddled with a magazine I do not need or want.
Why, you might ask, would a reputable publishing company force subscribers to receive magazines they do not want? Do the arithmetic. With a paid circulation estimated at around 7,000 subscribers, cash refunds for one or multi-year subscriptions to Colored Stone could cost Interweave upward of a hundred thousand dollars. That's a large sum to pay customers--no matter how justified their demands for refunds. So Interweave will try to persuade--or, worse, force--subscribers to take alternate magazines.
There's just one problem with this solution. To quote Mr. Pyle, Colored Stone is "the bimonthly, international trade magazine for the colored gemstone industry." And after its final issue in January 2010, this one-of-a-kind magazine will have no replacement or imitators. Interweave Press will have no viable alternative to offer me.
So either resume publishing Colored Stone or give me back my money. They are the only options I will accept.
And they are the only options I should be offered.
Copyright © 2009-2010 Jewelers Ethics Association. All Rights Reserved.