Moses, who started at GIA’s Santa Monica lab in 1976, will leave the Gemological Institute of America in May.
A gallon of gas
I'm not a conspiracy theorist. Nor am I a whiz financier. So it's tough for me to fathom how we could go from paying nearly $5 a gallon for gas a month ago to under two bucks now. Our family's...
I'm not a conspiracy theorist. Nor am I a whiz financier. So it's tough for me to fathom how we could go from paying nearly $5 a gallon for gas a month ago to under two bucks now.
Our family's like many. Though I drive a put-put with 160k miles on it back and forth to work, my wife schlepps the kids from soccer to karate to school, etc., in an SUV. Fourteen miles a gallon.
Needless to say, like all the other Tony Soprano wannabes in their Suburbans out there, we got to wondering through 2008 where all the money was going. With $80-plus fill-ups, it was going up in fumes.
I just don't get it. Was it a sitting president with familial ties to the oil business helping the fat cats line their wallets? Was it a global rebalancing of energy footprints, with China, India and other developing industrial economies pressuring prices up through broadened demand? Was it owing to wars being fought in oil-producing countries? Was it natural disasters impacting production capacities?
Who knows? Certainly not me. But what I do know is that $1.85 a gallon this weekend sure put me in much more of a holiday mood.
And I can't imagine that it won't do so for many others. While you might argue that European motorists historically have paid multiples of what we do for gas, you just can't change a culture overnight. Americans love their cars, and our society is structured around driving.
But what could be a more visible representation of price inflation than those rolling figures on the gas pump, scrolling ever higher right before your disbelieving eyes? And when the expense began tallying into the hundreds each week, it had to have a dampening effect on consumer confidence and spending.
So the reverse must also be true. For someone who drives 500 miles a week, like I do, gas at $5 per gallon costs $400 a month. Throw in my wife's mileage, and we're talking $500 a month as a conservative estimate. At $1.85, we reduce to $185, or a savings of $315 a month!
Now that's not going to buy me a yacht. But it will buy me some peace of mind. All of a sudden, I stop counting nickels. And when my spending patterns loosen up at the low end of the scale, it carries across into my mindset when I consider making more significant purchases.
OK,
The official holiday selling season begins in four days, right after turkey. It's a lot easier now for you to throw in a tank of gas with every diamond purchased.
The Latest

Increased competition, falling lab-grown diamond and moissanite prices, and the rising cost of gold took a toll on the moissanite maker.

The earrings, our Piece of the Week, feature pink tourmalines as planets orbiting around an aquamarine center set in 18-karat rose gold.

Every jeweler faces the same challenge: helping customers protect what they love. Here’s the solution designed for today’s jewelry business.

“The Price of Freedom” campaign video for International Women’s Day confronts the quiet violence of financial control.


Also, a federal judge has ordered that companies that paid tariffs implemented under the IEEPA are entitled to refunds.

The ever-growing collection, which just expanded with the addition of Olga of Kyiv, features cameos of 12 women from history.

With refreshed branding, a new website, updated courses, and a pathway for growth, DCA is dedicated to supporting retail staff development.

We asked a jewelry historian, designer, bridal director, and wedding expert what’s trending in engagement rings. Here’s what they said.

The annual event will be held in Orlando, Florida, from Sept. 14-17.

The “Outlander” star modeled for the digital cover of the magazine’s spring issue, which features a story on her relationship with jewelry.

This year’s annual congress, which will mark the confederation’s 100th anniversary, will take place this fall in Italy.

Beverly Hills was chosen as the location for the brand’s first store, designed as a “private residence for modern monarchs.”

Kering, Apple, and other retailers have reportedly temporarily closed stores in the Middle East region in light of the recent conflicts.

Nearly half of buyers are prioritizing silver and fashion collections this season, organizers said.

The “Live Now. Polish Later.” campaign features equestrians wearing the brand’s jewels while galloping across the icy plains of Kazakhstan.

The precious metals provider has promoted Jennifer Ashworth to the role.

Nelson will be honored as the inaugural grant winner at the Gem Awards gala on March 13.

Experts from India weigh in the politics, policies, and market dynamics for diamantaires to monitor in 2026 and beyond.

The American precious metals refiner’s day-to-day operations remain the same post-acquisition.

These aquamarine jewels channel the calming energy of the March birthstone.

The “Innovative Design” category and award will debut in the Spectrum division of this year’s AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards.

Consumers were somewhat less worried about the future, though concerns about rising prices and politics remained.

Foerster is this year’s Stanley Schechter Award recipient.

Sponsorships and tickets to the annual fundraising event, set for May 31, are available now.

Chicago police and members of the U.S. Marshals Service tracked down the 35-year-old suspect earlier this week in St. Louis.

Owners of the Ekapa Mine reportedly filed for liquidation about a week after a mudslide trapped five workers who have yet to be found.






















