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.
Louis Smith elected AGS president
Louis Smith, a certified gemologist at Smithworks Fine Jewelry in Spartanburg, S.C., has been elected as president of the American Gem Society’s board of directors.
He was appointed on April 26 during the AGS’ Conclave, which took place in San Diego.
Smith succeeds outgoing President David Gardner of David Gardner’s Jewelers in College Station, Texas. He will hold the position until April 2016.
“We have a talented team at headquarters, and a hard-working and dedicated board,” Smith said. “With that combination and our membership, I’m looking forward to great things in the next two years.”
Also announced at Conclave was the AGS’ 2014-2015 board of directors, which includes Scott Berg, president elect; John Carter, secretary and chair of the Conclave sub-committee; Bill Sites, senior advisor; Kelly Kinas, treasurer; Beryl Raff, director at large; Yancy Weinrich, director at large; and Charles Rosario, director at large.
Elected to chair positions are Laura Stanley, International Guilds Council; Michael Richards, Gemological Sciences Committee; Lisa Bridge, Education and Young Titleholders committee; Michael Wilson, Marketing Committee; Kelly Newton, Membership and Grievance and Review Committee; and Mark Moeller, AGS Lab Advisory Committee.
The board also elected three new members, each appointed as director at large: Frank Brown, Scott Udell and Stewart Wicht.
The Latest

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.




















