Jewellery manufacturer and distributor Abbeycrest posted an increased turnover of £29.9m (£25.4m) but profits at the pre-tax line were pegged back to £523,000 (£545,000) for the half year to 31 August. Turnover increased by 18% on a strong performance from the Asian operations. Profits were hit by diamond price increases and the stronger dollar as the company was unable to pass costs onto its customers in the fixed price contract area. Essex International, its Thai business, increased its order book by over 40% and Sutcliffe believes that it could 'grow substantially without any additional investment'. Chairman Michael Lever commented that the group 'continues to seek acquisition opportunities' within complementary producers in the UK and distribution businesses in other parts of the world. Sutcliffe explained that the board aims to lift UK sales to £80m over the next three years