Third-quarter net sales exceeded online diamond seller Blue Nile Inc.'s expectations, increasing 2.4 percent to $66.9 million on the strength of bridal and international sales.

Washington--The National Retail Federation (NRF) is welcoming passage of legislation that will allow retailers and other businesses to lengthen the period during which they can "carry back" current losses to claim a tax refund from previous years when they made a profit.

Reston, Va.--U.S. online retail spending dropped 2 percent in the third quarter to $29.6 billion, representing the first time on record that consecutive quarters have seen negative e-commerce-spending growth compared with the same quarter the year prior, according to the latest report from ComScore.

Columbus, Ohio--The board of directors of the Ohio Jewelers Association has announced that the Columbus Jewelry Show will return in 2010 as the "Mid America Jewelry Show" (MAJS), and the association itself will be renamed as well.

New York--Things are looking up for luxury goods in general, and jewelry, in particular, according to the latest statistics for the month of October released by SpendingPulse, an information service provided by MasterCardAdvisors.

Following a meeting this week in Namibia, members of the Kimberley Process--the system designed to stem the flow of conflict diamonds into the trade--opted not to suspend Zimbabwe, The Wall Street Journal reports, despite all the problems in the Marange diamond fields.

New York--Following a meeting this week in Namibia, members of the Kimberley Process (KP)--the system designed to stem the flow of conflict diamonds into the trade--opted not to suspend Zimbabwe, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports, despite all the problems in the Marange diamond fields.