In a new column, Peter Smith posits that people actually enjoy putting together IKEA furniture, and the same is true for engagement rings.
GJEPC focusing on US, Canadian markets
India’s Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council has a new three-year marketing campaign designed to develop business relationships in the U.S., Canadian and South American markets.
Las Vegas--India’s Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council has a new three-year marketing campaign designed to develop business relationships in the U.S., Canadian and South American markets.
Announced at breakfast press conference held during the Las Vegas jewelry shows, the new campaign centers around what the GJEPC is calling Business Development Conferences, or BDCs, which will be held in the Americas and give Indian manufacturers and exporters the chance to meet in person with clients to discuss issues and hammer out possible solutions.
The dates for the first conference already have been set. It is scheduled to take place in Chicago from Sept. 5 to 8 and will be the first of several face-to-face meetings in phase one of the GJEPC’s three-year-long campaign.
GJEPC Chairman Pankaj Parekh said they expect 15 manufacturers/exporters from India to attend the Chicago conference, along with 15 to 20 companies from North America.
Former National Jeweler Publisher and Editorial Director Whitney Sielaff and Rick Bannerot of S&B Partners LLC are organizing and running the conference on behalf of the GJEPC. Sielaff and Bannerot also organized two BDCs recently held by the GJEPC in India.
“This September BDC is the first such event held in the USA,” GJEPC Chairman Vipul Shah said. “For us, it is a significant outreach program to the Western Hemisphere, not only looking at our important markets but including our colleagues, clients and competitors.”
The latest statistics from the GJEPC show that Indian gem and jewelry markets to the U.S. alone grew 11 percent year-over-year, increasing from $4.03 billion in 2012 to $4.79 billion in 2013, and the GJEPC notes that the Indian manufacturers supply the majority of the U.S.’s leading traders.
“In today’s world, change is constant and we hope BDCs…will make sure India’s gem and jewelry industry is tied firmly into the world’s trends, technologies and capabilities,” Shah said.
Sponsored by India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the GJEPC is a trade organization for Indian jewelry designers, manufacturers and exporters, representing more than 5,300 members of the gem and jewelry industry.
The Latest

The jeweler has partnered with Jenner’s 818 Tequila brand 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.

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

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.

Colored gemstones, artisan finishes, mixed metals, and meaningful details are shaping demand in bridal jewelry.

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.

Michel Patrick DeSalles was sentenced after pleading guilty to the 2017 murder of Omid Gholian, who owned a jewelry store in Manhattan.

Longtime industry executive Beth Miller has taken on the role.

The brooch was owned by Virginia Fortune Ryan Ogilvy, who served as a lady of the bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II for nearly 50 years.

Jamie Cygielman will take on the role on Aug. 24.

Moore, Polly’s husband, is remembered as a family man with an easygoing spirit and a love for sports and the outdoors.

Duvall O’Steen and Jen Cullen Williams share the best ways to display, present, and explain colored gemstones to younger customers.

The mid-year conference for jewelry and watch appraisers will take place Sept. 5-6 on Zoom.

Honest Hands Ring Co. Founder Benjamin Bosworth shared his thoughts on jewelry technology and why AI can never replace the human element.




















