TJC (TV channel)

The Jewellery Channel

The Jewellery Channel (UK) Ltd is a British falling price auction style Home shopping channel specialising in jewellery. And are competing in a market, along side rival UK shopping channel Gems TV. The channel launched on Tuesday 4th April 2006 at 5pm, since launch it has expanded its broadcasting hours to 19 hours per day from 8am to 3am daily. The channel recently celebrated its second Birthday with a 3 day Diamond weekend special. Unlike Gems TV the channel offers a 30 day money back guarantee to all customers and it broadcasts live even on Christmas day.

The Jewellery Channel is part of the VGL group established in 1980 with a turnover of US$10 Million - US$50 Million employing over 1000 staff worldwide & the STS Jewels group established in 1991. The group has offices in the following countries: Japan, USA Long Island & New York, India, Hong Kong, UK, Canada and Mexico. The company mines and handcrafts many of the products sold on its TV networks, hence cutting out the middlemen so it is usually able to undercut High Street prices. TJC is also available online in the UK, USA & Germany.

TJC also claim to sell the world's widest variety of gems stones, and that they are one of only 8 site holders to the Tanzanite one mine giving it access to some of the most desirable gems. The Channel also sell their own exclusive brands of Iliana, its 18 carat gold jewellery and Rhapsody - 950P Platinum jewellery.

Building upon, the channels selling gimmick of free P&P days in 2007. The channel are now offering themed days such as 'One Price, One Plunge' where everything sells in 4 minutes or under. And a 'Double Quick Gems' day, where viewers are against the clock, and other viewers not knowing the quantity available. The channel also has discount days where it reduces the final auction prices by 20% or 17.5% the equivalent to the UK 17.5% VAT charge.

In 2008 The Jewellery Channel moved from Teddington Studios to a brand new purpose built widescreen, high definition studios in West London. The channel relaunched in widescreen with a new set and lighting design on Monday 14th January. It still has plans to broadcast in HDTV in the future.

On Saturday 11th April 2008 using Brian Dowling (The Winner of Big Brother 2 in 2001), TJC launched a brand new delivery service to the Irish Republic. Viewers in ROI can now buy goods from the channel via their own dedicated lo-call rate phone number. They pay the same delivery charge as UK viewers and their pounds sterling bids are converted by their credit card companies into Euros at the exchange rate at the time of their card transactions.

Unlike many other UK auction channels The Jewellery Channel does not use premium rate numbers for bidding. UK Viewers call an 0844 non-geographic lo-call rate number, calls are charged at around 5 pence per minute from BT lines and Irish bidders can call an equivalent 1890 number which is charged at around 5 cents per minute from all Republic of Ireland land lines. Customers wishing to bid can also do this via the channel's website free of charge, here they have the added benefit of only paying one postage charge of £5.95 for all orders between 8am and 3am the next morning. (A full broadcast day for the channel).

The Jewellery Channel is available on Sky Digital (640) 8am to 3am. It is also on (185) via Five US, Tiscali TV (30) and Virgin Media from 9am until 12noon daily. The channel is also broadcast in other parts of the world, including Germany and from Texas in the USA. Their current UK presentation line-up, consists most of past shopping & quiz TV faces.

On the 21st July 2008 The Jewellery Channel's Sky channel number will be changed from 640 to 650 as part of a reorganization of the Sky EPG in the UK and ROI, QVC (UK) will be taking their old 640 Sky channel number on the same day. The channel was also carried on Freeview 44 between 7-9pm daily between December 2007 and the 31st May 2008 but decided not to renew this platform contract and dropped this slot for unknown reasons.

In July 2008 The Jewellery Channel is introducing some new on screen auctioneers to add to their established regular line up. The new names announced to date are: Olivia Hill & Frayer Berry. The channel will also part company with Lottie Mayor & Simon Brown in June who have been with the channel since day one.

US Channel

The Jewellery Channel (called The Jewelry Channel in the USA) launched a 24/7 live operation in the United States in May 2007. On television, the channel is available on DirecTV and The Dish network. In 2007 The Jewelry Channel also became available through various cable providers in the U.S. and some TV affiliates, broadcasting from Austin, Texas to the entire US and Hawaii. The channel is also streamed live at the company's US website.

German Channel

The Jewellery Channel launched its German TV service from Düsseldorf in 2006, called Der Schmuckkanal. The channel is an almost identical replica of the UK channel with bidding in euros rather than pounds. The channel is also streamed live at the company's German website.

Criticism

Misleading Customers

The Jewellery Channel has been censured by the Advertising Standards Authority for misleading customers in connection with the quality of its products.

Prosecuted by Trading Standards

On 16 January 2008, it was prosecuted by Trading Standards for making false claims about the treatment of a gemstone product sold through its TV channel. After complaints were made, the channel discovered that it had been selling jewellery described as natural 'pink topaz’, when in fact it was colourless topaz sprayed pink.

The channel pleaded guilty to 16 offences under the Trade Descriptions Act – eight for applying false trade descriptions and eight of supplying goods to which false trade descriptions had been applied. They were fined £3,200.

ASA Complaint

In May 2008, The Jewellery Channel has been censured by the Advertising Standards Authority for misleading customers in its (advertisments) live broadcast. Confusion arose concerning the start prices used despite the fact that the channel ticker says "The start prices does not imply a value of the jewellery", it was viewed by the ASA that unnecessary pressure may have been put on viewers to make a purchase by using on screen clocks. However this is something that done by most other UK auction channels.

Since the complaint the channel has decided to take a proactive lead in auction television and totally remove the start price from our TV screens for the sake of clarity. This change happened on 30th May 2008. Thier auctioneers also explain that thier 'plunge' price starts at a random number as they do need to start somewhere, this figure is never an estimate of value or an RRP. The channel continues to use clocks to end some auctions like many other broadcasters, but they now explain at the start of these clocked auctions that the auction will end in this way. The channel continues to work closely with the ASA to ensure that they are totally compliant and think that their actions taken will prevent a repeat of any such complaint.

UK auctioneers

• Derek Gibbons
• Vicki Browne
• Sarah-Louise Buckle (She also presented 6 months for the USA Jewellery Channel in 2007)
• Anoushka Williams (Will be away on maternity leave from July 2008)
• Steve Milne
• Lee Clark
• Ian Gardner
• Pollyanna Woodward
• Georgina Burnett
• Liz Fuller
• Jim Brooman
• Vicky Letch
• Elisa Portelli
• Alan Ennis
• Andrianna Christofi
• Sharon Clancy
• Nathan Marley
• Kay Little
• Christine Quayle

• Olivia Hill (New July 2008)
• Frayer Berry (New July 2008)

Promotional material with Brian Dowling (from channel 4's Big Brother show)

Ex UK Auctioneers

• Abby Surgeon - Last show July 2007,
• Donna Duval - Last show - September 2007,
• Chloe Marshall - Last show in November 2007,
• Justine Van Buren - Departed the channel in January 2008
• Gema Ensenat - Final show April 2008
• Lottie Mayor - Last show 13th June 2008
• Simon Brown - Last show June 2008

External links

• UK website
• USA website
• German website