The retailers at the top of the list offer affordable products and fun, discovery-fueled experiences.
Revenue, profit up for Gemfields in fiscal 2014
Both revenue and profits increased this past fiscal year for Gemfields Plc, which saw the company push into the black as it began selling rubies for the first time.
London--Both revenue and profits increased this past fiscal year for Gemfields Plc, which saw the company push into the black as it began selling rubies for the first time.
The colored gemstone miner reported Monday that revenue hit $160.1 million in its fiscal year ended June 30, up from $48.4 million in the prior-year period.
Gemfields recorded profits of $16.3 million in the 12-month period, a drastic increase from the net loss of $22.8 million it saw in fiscal 2013.
Annual production of emerald and beryl from the company’s main asset, the Kagem mine in Zambia, was 20.2 million carats, down 33 percent from the 30 million carats extracted last year. The company said that this decrease was due to high amounts of rainfall, grade volatility and delays in the next phase of the program to expand the pit size.
Three auctions of emerald and beryl mined at Kagem, two of higher-quality and one of lower-quality rough, were held in Lusaka, Zambia, during the year, generating revenues of $84.4 million.
Traded rough emerald auctions for gems not mined by the company were held in Jaipur, India, in September 2013 and May 2014, generating revenue of $22 million.
Total ruby and corundum extracted from the Montepuez mine in Mozambique, meanwhile, was 6.5 million carats. Gemfields held its first auction featuring the gemstones from that mine in June 2014, realizing $33.5 million and an average per-carat price of $18.43.
RELATED CONTENT: Gemfields’ first ruby auction nets $34M
The auction was 91 percent sold by value and 90 percent sold by volume. Gemfields attributed its success in part to the development of a “first-of-its-kind” comprehensive grading and sorting system that Gemfields developed for rough rubies, which was based on the proprietary rough emerald grading system used at the company’s Kagem emerald mine in Zambia.
The miner said that the next auction of ruby and corundum is scheduled to take place before the end of calendar year 2014.
Meanwhile, Gemfields also recently infused a $2.5 million investment into its Kariba mine to significantly increase production of amethyst and just announced it has acquired an interest in a Sri Lankan company to mine sapphires there.
Fine jewelry house Fabergé, which is 100 percent owned by Gemfields, saw increased unit sales and a 12 percent relative increase in gross profit margins from sales and sales orders during the 12-month period.
The brand
Fabergé also exhibited at Baselworld and, in New York, completed its Big Egg Hunt this spring, raising $2.7 million for the “Elephant Family” and “Studio In A School” charities.
Gemfields CEO Ian Harebottle said, “The Kagem emerald mine in Zambia continues to be our cornerstone asset and the fact that Kagem is now a fully tax paying entity (and has distributed its first ever dividends to our partners, the Government of the Republic of Zambia), validates the investment, turnaround and growth initiatives initiated when Gemfields acquired 75 percent of Kagem in June 2008. We are very grateful to our dedicated and hard-working team and remain tremendously excited about our expanding global portfolio of emeralds, rubies and sapphires.”
The Latest

Daniel Bing was formerly the marketing director for the Americas at Vacheron Constantin.

In our Piece of the Week, the designers reimagine the tennis bracelet with green enamel wrapped around a strand of “Desert Diamonds.”

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

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


Founder Vik Westermann said the app is a “starting point” to inspire people to work with appraisers and gem labs, not replace them.

The Verdura brooch, which belonged to the late Virginia Fortune Ryan Ogilvy, was sold to a private collector in Asia.

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

The five students were awarded a total of $10,000 through the nonprofit’s 2026 “Future of Jewelry Making” scholarship.

Steven Lerche is now beginning his term as the youngest member to become president of The Plumb Club’s elected executive committee.

Murphy will retire at the end of the year and Alexander, currently the company’s president, will take over at the start of 2027.

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

The new campaign, “You Are The Occasion,” discourages shoppers from saving their fine jewelry for special occasions only.

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

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.




















