The five students were awarded a total of $10,000 through the nonprofit’s 2026 “Future of Jewelry Making” scholarship.
Bitter diamond
A diamond may be forever, but love and marriage sure isn’t. With an estimated 50 percent of all marriages ending in divorce, a new Web site, "I Do, Now I Don't" is looking to capitalize on this more cynical side...
A diamond may be forever, but love and marriage sure isn’t.
With an estimated 50 percent of all marriages ending in divorce, a new Web site, "I Do, Now I Don't" is looking to capitalize on this more cynical side of diamonds.
Founder and CEO Joshua Opperman came up with the idea after his fiancée abruptly called it quits.
He explains:
"A few months into our engagement, I came home from a tough day at work only to find that my apartment was completely empty. All of her stuff was gone, and all that was left was the engagement ring lying on my table."
Ouch.
Rather then hopefully saving it for another woman, he went on an epic quest to "toss the ring back into the fiery chasm from whence it came." (OK, perhaps not, but I couldn't resist a Lord of the Rings reference.) Actually, he went back to the jeweler where he'd bought it three months earlier, but found he could only get 32 percent of its original cost.
What's a jilted guy to do? Turn his pain into profit, naturally.
Opperman created "I Do, Now I Don't" to help others unload their bitter reminders and offer a good deal to those who still believe in love. It's like eBay for the "take this ring and shove it" set. Engagement rings are posted, bid on and then sold to the highest bidder. Only rings with GIA, AGS or EGL grading reports are accepted for auction and the site pockets 5 percent of the final sale.
I'm not so sure a proposal that includes "Oh, and I got a great deal because the last owner of this ring was dumped" will go over well, but maybe he can put a positive spin on it. After all, actress Ellen Barkin recently proved that ex-jewelry can be trendy to the tune of $20 million.
One can only hope that the new ring bearers will have better luck.
The Latest

The industry veterans join the podcast to discuss diamond marketing, the FTC Jewelry Guides, and lobbying for lower tariffs.

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Submit your pieces for a chance to win in this year's competition.

The jeweler is encouraging customers who own lookalike rings to come into the store and trade them for credit towards an authentic piece.


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Mehta led India’s GJEPC through the 2008 financial crisis and was respected worldwide for his wisdom, integrity, and knowledge.

Retailers are seeking new ways to attract customers, increase traffic, and create revenue – Estate buying events are a popular solution.

One is the driver who allegedly crashed a car into a Sacramento jewelry store in April, striking a 71-year-old employee who later died.

In a new column, Peter Smith posits that people actually enjoy putting together IKEA furniture, and the same is true for engagement rings.

9lakha Jewelers in Iselin, New Jersey, was the target of a smash-and-grab robbery on Aug. 8.

The jeweler has partnered with 818 Tequila to gift lab-grown diamond studs to a bride-to-be and their bridal party.

The exhibition will feature more than 100 drawings of stained-glass lampshades, windows, and more, many created by women and émigrés.

Marquise-cut diamonds in drop charms are the center of the new collection, reflecting the movement of a dancer in modular styles.

The inaugural Fort Lauderdale Jewelry, Antique, & Object Show will be held from Jan. 28 through Feb. 1, 2027.

The family-owned jeweler will open a new showroom in Bel Air, Maryland, this fall.

Amanda Ileana Hernandez is married to Carlos Hernandez, one of two men in prison for the 2024 murder of Michigan jeweler Hussein Murray.

The reimagined jewel, our Piece of the Week, trades the diamonds in the original 1998 design for blue, pink, yellow, and green sapphires.

Sponsored by American Gem Trade Association

In the United States, second-quarter sales were flat amid soft consumer sentiment and lower in-store traffic.

The 22-karat gold egg, sold at Batemans Auctioneers in the U.K., was part of a 1980s treasure hunt ad campaign for Cadbury Creme Eggs.

Lucara Diamond Corp., which recovered the “Motswedi” diamond from the Karowe mine, sold the stone for an undisclosed amount.

The expanded collections now feature hand-cut gemstones like topaz, tanzanite, chrysoprase, chalcedony, smoky quartz, and fire opal.

The lab-grown diamond jewelry brand’s newest boutique is in Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, California.

The gemstone supplier and manufacturer acquired the remarkable 104-gram Zambian emerald at Gemfields’ auction in May.

Two suspects offered to trade the woman a “winning” lottery ticket for her jewelry.

Finsch has been in business rescue since May, and owner Petra Diamonds said it sees no viable path forward for the mine.























