Breast cancer awareness month kicks off today, and for jewelry lovers looking to give back, there's no shortage of ways to do so.

Michelle Graff

After a sleepy couple of weeks, news wise, De Beers woke up the diamond world on Monday when it announced a series of changes, a "distribution update" if you will, to the way it sells its rough diamonds. See story...

Michelle Graff

I was delighted Thursday afternoon when I received a package containing a Tagua ring by eco-friendly jewelry designer Lisa Linhardt, whose eponymous jewelry gallery coincidentally is located just blocks from my own apartment. Ahhh, I've always loved getting fun things...

Michelle Graff

After the whirlwind of news that was the last two weeks I feel compelled to circle back around and delve deeper into one of the big headliners: the decision on the De Beers class-action lawsuit. As many of you probably...

Michelle Graff

Before I left for a lovely, long Memorial Day weekend I got the chance, via a ticket obtained through the Diamond Information Center (DIC), to see the new Broadway musical "Memphis." Set in Memphis, Tenn., in the 1950s, the musical...

Michelle Graff

Over the last few weeks, I've spent a lot of time pulling together photos of jewelry for a Vegas Market Week preview in our June issue (look for it in the mail or at the shows next week). But with...

Michelle Graff

A few weeks ago, I attended a great session hosted by the Diamond Dealers Club of New York on crime against diamond dealers and jewelers or, more specifically, on how to prevent it. I thought it was a very enlightening...

Michelle Graff

Going into its second year of breakfast peer-to-peer jeweler discussion panels at Couture, National Jeweler's America's Best Jewelers program has put together a set of excellent topics. Each morning at the Wynn, prior to the Couture show floor opening, we'll...

I find jewelry to be highly personal, so in that sense, giving it as a gift can be a pretty daunting feat. But lately, the bounty of sentimental, customizable designs on the market has made the process a lot easier...

Michelle Graff

In addition to the "Silver appears in new guises at BaselWorld" report, here are a few more sterling silver items that caught my eye at BaselWorld 2010. Just click on the images to make them larger. Luxenter, known for its...

Michelle Graff

Looking for ways to pitch in for Haitian relief? Jewelry designers have been busy crafting new pieces for the cause. Above: Ken and Dana Design "Haitian relief b-side Rights necklace" in sterling silver; suggested retail price is $125. From Jan....

Michelle Graff

Last night, A Diamond is Forever (De Beers’ U.S. marketing team) hosted a special screening of the cinema-specific holiday commercial for the Everlon Diamond Knot Collection, followed by a complimentary viewing of the latest A Christmas Carol, complete with free...

Michelle Graff

When I was a kid, I loved it when our class’ annual field trip was to Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Back then, life didn’t get much better than an afternoon out of the classroom surrounded by dinosaur bones....

Michelle Graff

Working on the interactive display story this month gave me a fun taste of what's to come in jewelry retailing, and it’s something I'm very much looking forward to. I love perusing jewelry in stores--who isn't attracted to bright, shiny...

Michelle Graff

I came across this great article on IDEX Online on Thursday by my colleague Edahn Golan in Israel attesting to an increase in rough-diamond demand ahead of De Beers’ upcoming sight. The sight, scheduled for Nov. 2-6, is the ninth...

Michelle Graff

Deadlines, a brief trip to Boston and events have been keeping me away from this blog of late, but I’m not complaining. Better to be busy these days then to find yourself with nothing to do. In any case, here...

Michelle Graff

I have yet to check out the new film Coco Before Chanel, but when I do, I'll definitely be keeping a close eye on the jewelry. The iconic fashion designer helped to launch Verdura founder Fulco Verdura's career, hiring him...

Michelle Graff

A little while back, I received an e-mail about Cassy’s Sassy Jewelry, a company run by a young woman who had established her business at the age of 12. Since then, Arizona-based designer and owner Cassy Saba has been featured...

Michelle Graff

One idea that popped into my head during Tuesday's eco-luxe event (other than ‘I am a wasteful human being who needs to recycle more’) is that it's probably not a bad time to invest in some socially conscious, lower-price-point pieces...

Michelle Graff

Early last week, I spent some time at Tacori's Los Angeles headquarters, where the brand was hosting a "Club Tacori" event for some of its best retailers (more on all the goings-on to come). I kicked off Monday morning in...

Michelle Graff

Last week, I attended the Rapaport Diamond Conference, which concluded with an interesting discussion on the Kimberley Process. While my original article focused on that--journalists are suckers for a good debate--I felt I'd be remiss not to mention another topic...

Michelle Graff

When I first set out to write a story about the new Glennpeter Jewelers Diamond Centre in Albany, N.Y., I was really focused on the bar-in-store angle. But as I interviewed Chief Executive Officer Jeff Weiss, it became apparent that...

Michelle Graff

This week, Jewelers of America (JA) released the results of its annual industry benchmarking survey, the “Cost of Doing Business.” We received the results mid-day on Tuesday and posted a story immediately. To be honest, I'm a little surprised at...

Michelle Graff

I'm off to New Hope, Pa., to attend the wedding of a dear friend, one of my housemates from my mostly memorable days at Ohio University. This wedding is just one of the many I have been involved with this...

Michelle Graff

Last Thursday, I trekked my happy, east-side self over to Manhattan’s west side for the Diamond Information Center’s annual diamond jewelry showcase extravaganza. There were many pieces I wanted to take home (but won’t, as their price tag well outstrips...

Michelle Graff