I don’t have to start this post with a spoiler alert because I haven’t seen all of Mad Men yet. I’m still on season 6 so I don’t know what happened on Sunday night’s big series finale. And don’t spoil it for me either.
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In this edition of Rocks On, National Jeweler looks at how the vibrant blue shades of topaz continue to generate demand for the gemstone, even as price has increased.

Rafael Marques de Morais no longer faces 24 counts of criminal libel but had to agree not to republish his 2011 book detailing abuses in Angola’s diamond fields.
The Accredited Gemologists Association is holding a half-day conference on Thursday, May 28 in Las Vegas, bringing together industry experts to talk about detection, market perceptions and pricing of lab-grown diamonds.
The Indian Diamond & Colorstone Association is set to celebrate its 31st annual gala and awards ceremony in Las Vegas on the evening of Friday, May 29.
A week from today most of us will be in Las Vegas descending upon Couture, JCK and the Antique Jewelry & Watch Show.

After 19 years as the contributing editor of fine jewelry and watches at InStyle magazine, Marion Fasel is venturing out on her own with an online magazine and consulting company, joined by longtime colleague Lisa Jordon Helms.
The trade show has announced a strategic partnership with consulting agency Kaiser Time to help it grow its luxury watch category.
Jewelry sales are down for the sixth consecutive month and revised data from the U.S. Commerce Dept. shows a smaller and less lucrative jewelry market overall.
With a recent donation to the hands-on science education exhibit at the Smithsonian, one gem hound is helping inspire a love for the subject in the younger generations, Associate Editor Brecken Branstrator writes.

Salespeople or stylists now can send customers messages about a product they might like and all they have to do is text back “BUY” to purchase it.

Michael Benavente, the former managing director of Gucci watches and jewelry in the Americas, will take the helm at the brand.
Via a new program with FIS, Jewelers of America members now can receive discounts on materials they need to process non-cash payments.

Pandora cutting 105 retailers and Blue Nile’s plans for a “webroom concept experience” at a New York mall were the top stories on National Jeweler last week.

Targeted at consumers as well as the trade, “For All Its Worth” emphasizes people’s personal connection to their jewelry.

Columnist Peter Smith writes that jewelers should spend time and energy on their top performers and not neglect them in favor of helping weaker players improve.
Slated for next March ahead of the JA New York Spring show, the Jewelry Industry Summit will focus on discussing sustainability and responsible sourcing.
Sean Robinson and Kendal Thompson entered pleas in connection with armed robberies performed by an organized crew at high-end jewelry and watch stores in four states.
How is this for a memory that absolutely smacks of the 1980s: I am on the school bus on a warm day. All the windows are open (no A/C, of course) and there is an older boy from my neighborhood at the back with a boombox (cassette, of course) blasting the first single from Bon Jovi’s 1986 album Slippery When Wet.
Lagos named luxury industry veteran Stephen Chambers as visual merchandising director, putting him in charge of conceptualization and execution of the brand’s visual directives.

The jewelry manufacturer is partnering with JCK Las Vegas to hold a “World of Wearables” exhibition and panel on May 28 showcasing the latest innovations in wearable technology and connected devices.
The lab wants to reexamine the stones because it believes they’ve undergone a treatment that improves their color by as much as three grades but fades over time.

The brand said Tuesday when releasing its first quarter financial results that it closed 105 silver, white and travel retail doors in the Americas, almost all of them in the United States.
Three men robbed Tourneau’s Madison Avenue store Tuesday afternoon in an armed smash-and-grab incident, firing a gun twice and eventually fleeing with several Rolex watches.

The March 2016 edition of MJSA Expo is moving to the Javits Center and will be held at the same time as the JA New York show there.