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2025 Was a ‘Price Up, Units Down’ Year, Here’s What That Signals for 2026 In a market defined by more selective consumers, Sherry Smith shares why execution will be independent jewelers’ key to growth this year.
OtherSep 21, 2014
What you might have missed
More reactions to RapNet’s decision to stop listing diamonds with EGL reports, the sale of a Mellon’s jewelry, and another bank leaving the industry were a few of the top stories on National Jeweler last week.
New York--Here are the five most popular stories from NationalJeweler.com and the top three from the website’s blog, 10X, for the week of Sept. 14 to 20, according to Google Analytics.
NationalJeweler.com
1. RapNet’s EGL decision ignites flurry of reactions. RapNet’s decision to stop listing all EGL-graded diamonds has resulted in a number of different reactions from grading labs with the “EGL” initials and diamond trading platforms. EGL International was the latest to issue a statement about the decision.
2. In NY, Sotheby’s to sell jewels of a Mellon. On Nov. 20 and 21, Sotheby’s New York will auction a number of jewelry pieces that used to belong to horticulturalist and art collector Rachel Lambert Mellon. The sale’s expected top lot is a 9.75-carat pear-shaped fancy vivid blue diamond that is expected to sell for up to $15 million.
3. Antwerp Diamond Bank to shut down. Yet another bank is poised to exit the diamond and jewelry industry. KBC announced Friday that the sale of the Antwerp Diamond Bank to Yinren Group has fallen through, which forces it to close the bank per its agreement with the European Commission.
4. Lesotho mine yields 23-carat pink diamond. Storm Mountain Diamonds unearthed a 23.82-carat pink diamond from its Kao mine in the Kingdom of Lesotho. Dubbed the “Lesotho Storm,” the stone will be up for sale in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Antwerp between Sept. 21 and Oct. 7 by Fusion/Hennig Tenders, alongside two large yellow diamonds weighing 51 and 35 carats and more than 30,000 carats of run-of-mine production.
5. JCP aims to snag the well-heeled modern bride. J.C. Penney is elevating its Modern Bride-branded line of engagement rings by offering the “Signature Collection,” featuring rings priced between $2,500 and $10,000. The retailer also will begin selling loose diamonds on its website so that brides-to-be can create custom pieces.
10X Blog
1. A watch from Apple could lift the bunch. Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff discusses whether or not the Apple Watch could not only boost the smartwatch category in general, but reinvigorate the Millennial generation’s interest in timepieces as a whole.
2. Brazilian gemstones on the rise. This nearly 2-year-old blog seems to have come back around in popularity for readers. In this December 2012 post, National Jeweler columnist and Graduate Gemologist Edward Boehm, owner of gemstone supply and consultancy RareSource, outlines a trip he took to the
top gemstone mines of Brazil.
3. These are your grandmother’s pearls. Senior Editor Hannah Connorton details how she has come to appreciate her great-aunt’s jewelry and how she wears it in a modern way.
More on Other
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