Co-founders Afzal Imram and Lin Ruiyin brought their son’s story of a cosmic egg, toadstool, and railroad to life in their new collection.
Dinner at Bonhams: What Wine and Jewels Have in Common
For your next in-store event, why not pair wine with gems? Here’s how Bonhams did it.
Ahead of its New York Fine Jewelry sale last week, Bonhams hosted a special event for select collectors and editors I was able to attend: a tasting in which wines were paired with the auction’s top lots.
Surprisingly, there is a great deal of synergy between the two categories, to the point where I wondered why I had never thought of pairing wine with fine jewelry before.
Bonhams had its own jewelry experts, CEO and Group Jewelry Director Matthew Girling and Director of U.S. Jewelry Susan Abeles, on hand to lead the tasting, along with special guest Bianca Bosker, journalist and author of The New York Times best-selling book “Cork Dork: A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste.”
A fantastic idea for in-store events or press previews, here’s how Bonhams and Bosker paired wine with jewels, for a multi-sensory experience.
Characteristics
Girling and Abeles used the sale’s top lot, a 16.9-carat diamond ring that sold for $1.8 million, to illustrate a diamond’s characteristics and how it is graded--the 4Cs.
As the diamond was passed around the room by the wait staff, Bosker spoke about the characteristics by which one judges wine, including sweetness (also known as level of “dryness”), acidity, tannins, body and color.
She paired the impressive diamond with a Wagner-Stempel Riesling Hollberg GG 2015, a surprisingly dry Riesling, using it to illustrate how to properly taste the wine while identifying the aforementioned characteristics.
A post shared by Ashley Davis (@ashleylikesgems) on Sep 21, 2017 at 2:41pm PDT
Provenance
Just as a gemstone’s value is partially determined by where it was mined, a wine’s value and characteristics are also determined in part by where its grapes were harvested.
The auction had several impressive sapphires for sale, and the Bonhams team used them as examples to highlight the significance of different provenances, which affect stone quality and/or value. One grouping of jewels featured stones from Kashmir, while another featured sapphires from Ceylon.
Bosker, meanwhile, had the group taste a Verdet Aurelien Gevrey Chambertin 2012, a pinot noir, to illustrate a wine that is a good representative of a classic wine region, Burgundy.

Similarly, the sale featured an impressive black opal, which the Bonhams team noted could
Guessing Games
The emerald, ruby and diamond brooch that was purchased for $8 at a garage sale, and went on to sell for $26,250, was paired with an interesting vino counterpart: an Exto Gredic Vineyard (toh-kai), Quattro Mani.

Bonhams’ event was so much more interesting than a typical auction preview or the average store trunk show, it had me thinking about other outside-the-box event ideas.
Why not hold an in-store event pairing a different wine with each of the 12 major birthstones, or different champagnes with different bridal styles?
The logic behind the pairings isn’t really as important as creating an event where people are enjoying themselves and learning something. As long as the wine is flowing and there are gems to covet, the possibilities are endless.
The Latest

The best time to prepare for the holiday season is right now, according to columnist Emmanuel Raheb.

This year’s winner is Morgan Keefe, who is currently studying at GIA to be a gemologist.

The Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship from Jewelers of America returns for a second year.

“The Jewelry Book” comes out this September.


The company is focused on modernizing the custom jewelry buying experience with e-commerce tools like product visualization and 3D styling.

Following its recent acquisition, the storied brand has updated its leadership team and regional managers.

The countdown is on for the JCK Las Vegas Show and JA is pulling out all the stops.

AGS also named the recipient of its “Women in Leadership” scholarship.

The 20-karat yellow gold and diamond wrap ring is modeled after the Monstera plants in the garden of the brand’s Miami villa.

Rocksbox President Allison Vigil shared the retailer’s expansion plans, and her thoughts on opening stores in malls.

The creator of the WJA Chicago chapter is remembered as a champion for women in the jewelry industry and a loving grandmother.

The decline was consistent across age groups and almost all income groups, with tariffs and inflation still top of mind.

The “Playlist: Electric Dreams” collection brings lyrics from the musician’s song, “Little Wing,” to life through fine jewelry.

The event is set for May 16-19 in Detroit, Michigan.

The Vault’s Katherine Jetter is accusing the retailer of using info she shared for a potential partnership to move into Nantucket.

Agents seized 2,193 pieces, a mix of counterfeit Cartier “Love” and “Juste Un Clou” bracelets, and Van Cleef & Arpels’ “Alhambra” design.

The designer brought her children’s book, “The Big Splash Circus,” to life through a collection of playful fine jewelry characters.

The trade association has chosen the recipients of the funding initiative it formed to foster the growth and sustainability of the industry.

The organization has also announced this year’s slate of judges.

Lori Tucker started at Williams Jewelers when she was 18 years old.

The “Marvel | Citizen Zenshin” watch is crafted in Super Titanium and has subtle nods to all four “Fantastic Four” superheroes on the dial.

The “XO Tacori” collection was designed to blend luxury and accessible pricing.

Pritesh Patel, the lab’s chief operating officer, will take over as president and CEO of GIA.

National Jeweler and Jewelers of America discuss the standout jewelry trends and biggest news to emerge from the shows this year.

Signatories to the “Luanda Accord” committed to allocating 1 percent of annual diamond revenue to the Natural Diamond Council.

The winning designs captured the “Radiance” theme.