Sales for Richemont’s four jewelry brands increased 8 percent, while watch sales picked up toward the end of the year.
Richline’s Gemvara Adds Lab-Grown Diamonds to Ring Builder
A major retailer also is testing the platform, and Richline said it plans to expand to more retailers later this year.

New York—Gemvara, the e-commerce site for custom jewelry owned by Richline Group, is getting into the lab-grown game.
The company announced this week that it is now offering customers both natural and lab-grown diamonds as well as colored gemstones as options on its ring builder.
Gemvara is selling lab-grown center and accent diamonds as well as lab-grown sapphires, rubies and emeralds 3 mm and larger for most jewelry styles.
Richline said the initiative is currently in a “private test” with a “large retailer” under the name Gembuilder.
The company is not disclosing which retailer is testing the initiative at this time, though it seems likely it is one of the sizable retailers owned by parent company Berkshire Hathaway.
Berkshire Hathaway owns 210-store chain Helzberg Diamonds and 92-store chain Ben Bridge Jeweler along with Borsheims in Omaha, Nebraska.
Richline said it will expand the program to a limited beta test group later this year, allowing retailers to utilize Gemvara’s customization platform for their own customers for both complete designs as well as semi-mounts with lab-grown diamond accents.
Gembuilder is slated for a wider rollout in 2020.
When asked the source of its lab-grown diamonds for Gemvara/Gembuilder, Richline said it is not releasing that information at this time.
The sale of lab-grown diamonds on Gemvara is Richline’s second initiative involving lab-grown diamonds after the launch of “Grown With Love” at J.C. Penney and Macy’s last year.
For that line, Richline sources some of the lab-grown diamonds from WD Lab Grown Diamonds.
“By adding both the Gemvara and the upcoming Gembuilder launch to the company’s already robust lab-grown diamond offerings, we are proud to be at the forefront of this exciting new space with an innovative experience that offers modern shoppers meaningful choices,” Richline Group President and CEO Dave Meleski said.
For more information on Gembuilder, email gembuilder@richelinedigital.com.
Richline will exhibit at the upcoming JCK Las Vegas jewelry trade show, scheduled for May 31-June 3 at The Venetian and Sands Expo.
Contact Michael Schechter, mschechter@richlinedigital.com, for an appointment.
The Latest

Two scholarships are available, one for new and non-members and another for NAJA certified members.

The retailer’s new flagship is set to open in October at the Tuscan Village development in Salem, New Hampshire.

Gain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.

Sapphires, emeralds, and rubies are finding their place in a U.S. market captivated by the gemstones once referred to as “semi-precious.”


Peter Smith joined Michelle Graff to chat about the state of brick-and-mortar stores and share a few book and podcast recommendations.

The necklace features a candy-colored Australian white opal in 18-karat Fairmined gold, as the brand was named a Fairmined ambassador.

Supplier Spotlight Sponsored by GIA

Sponsored by the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry and Watch Show

A private American collector purchased the 10-carat fancy vivid blue diamond.

The designer has taken the appeal of freshly picked fruit and channeled it into a capsule collection of earrings, necklaces, and pendants.

The country’s gem and jewelry exports fell 5 percent year-over-year last month, while imports declined 18 percent.

Around 54 million Americans and counting live with a disability. Here’s how to make your jewelry store and website more accessible.

The event is also accepting poster submissions now through June 16.

Before Pope Leo XIV was elected, a centuries-old procedure regarding the late pontiff’s ring was followed.

The one-of-a-kind platinum Rolex Cosmograph Daytona was estimated to fetch up to $1.7 million.

While the product has entrenched itself in the market, retailers and consultants are assessing the next phase of the category’s development.

The police are trying to identify the man suspected of robbing two Tiffany & Co. locations in the area.

The donation was the result of the brand’s annual Earth Day Ingot event.

Located in NorthPark Center, the revamped store is nearly 2,000 square feet larger and includes the first Tudor boutique in Dallas.

The nonprofit has made updates to the content in its beginner and advanced jewelry sales courses.

BIJC President Malyia McNaughton will shift roles to lead the new foundation, and Elyssa Jenkins-Pérez will succeed her as president.

As a nod to the theme of JCK Las Vegas 2025, “Decades,” National Jeweler took a look back at the top 10 jewelry trends of the past 10 years.

The company plans to halt all consumer-facing activity this summer, while Lightbox factory operations will cease by the end of the year.

Following weekend negotiations, the tax on Chinese goods imported into the United States will drop by 115 percent for the next 90 days.

“Artists’ Jewelry: From Cubism to Pop, the Diane Venet Collection” is on view at the Norton Museum of Art through October.

The deadline to submit is June 16.