National Jeweler recounts the top five stories and top three blog posts from the previous week.  

Michelle Graff

A recent wave of crime in California holds a valuable lesson for retailers everywhere: always be mindful of being watched, Jewelers Mutual’s David Sexton writes.

Michelle Graff

Italian jewelry brand Nomination just rolled out a new advertising campaign that “embraces the emotional heritage, the history and the future aspirations of the brand.” 

Michelle Graff

Jeweler James Alperin says labs that want to give diamonds ‘trumped-up’ grades should develop their own grading system and not use the same scale popularized by the GIA. 

Michelle Graff

Submissions now are being accepted for the seventh annual Centurion Emerging Designer Competition, which will afford two winners showcase and exhibit space at next year’s Centurion show. 

Michelle Graff

If you keep up with magazines or blogs that cover jewelry, you’ve likely seen the headline, or some variation of it, at least once: “These aren’t your grandmother’s pearls.”

Jewelers for Children soon will begin accepting nominations for its Local Grants program, which gives 10 separate $10,000 grants to local charities nominated by jewelers. 

Michelle Graff

Fueled by popularity and intrigue, a museum display in California that illustrates the stories of the world’s most famous diamonds and their equally well-known owners has been extended into the fall. 

Milenyum Mining announced that it has been granted two trademarks by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for csarite, the color-changing gemstone it mines in Turkey. 

Michelle Graff

From 8 to 10 on Friday nights, Jewelry Television now is doing what it terms “Girlfriend Friday,” a show not exclusively limited to selling jewels.

Michelle Graff

The MJSA Education Foundation recently gave six students in U.S. graduate and undergraduate programs $1,000 scholarships to help advance their skills in jewelry making and design. 

Michelle Graff

In this new monthly feature, National Jeweler editors delve into the when, where and why of antique jewelry. August’s focus is on eye miniatures, which first became popular in the 1770s.   

Michelle Graff

In this new monthly feature, National Jeweler editors delve into the when, where and why of antique jewelry. August’s focus is on eye miniatures, which first became popular in the 1770s. 

Michelle Graff

Recent SEC filings by diamond grower Scio show that the company is in default on a loan and may come under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

Michelle Graff

Gemological Science International has delivered its first shipment of school supplies and children’s clothes to underprivileged children in India, the result of a recently launched campaign called “Joy Box.” 

Michelle Graff

The latest development in the New York attorney general’s investigations into alleged cases of racial profiling has resulted in Macy’s Inc. agreeing to pay $650,000 to settle complaints against it. 

Brecken Branstrator

A watch thief in Palm Beach has been arrested and sent to jail after a diligent jeweler recognized it as belonging to a fellow jeweler and friend. 

Designer Monika Knutsson breathes new life into old pieces of lace by dipping them in karat gold or sterling silver to create jewelry. Read more in Associate Editor Brecken Branstrator’s Q&A with the artist.

Brecken Branstrator

The American Gem Society Laboratories is expanding its take-in window operations with a new location in Los Angeles. 

Michelle Graff

For the next six months, De Beers will evaluate and buy secondhand diamonds from a select group of retailers in the United States, giving it a foothold in the sizable market for “recycled” diamonds and the chance to evaluate the diamond reselling experience from the consumers’ perspective. 

Michelle Graff

In an ongoing attempt to grow outside of the U.S., Blue Nile has launched an Arabic language version of its website, allowing consumers in the United Arab Emirates to shop in their native language. 

As of Monday afternoon, donations to the ALS Association, the nonprofit that works on research, care services, public education and public policy surrounding amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease), were up 767 percent year-over-year. They rose from $1.8 million between July 29 and Aug. 18 of last year to $15.6 million in the same time period this year, according to figures released by the association.

Michelle Graff

Police in the town of Greece, a suburb of Rochester, N.Y., are searching for three suspects accused of keeping two jewelry store workers and their adult son tied up in their home for hours in order to rob the store. 

Michelle Graff

Submissions now are being accepted for the International Pearl Design Competition, a design contest hosted by the Cultured Pearl Association of America each year to celebrate and recognize excellence in pearl jewelry. 

Michelle Graff

Aiming to get its products in more stores across the country, Etsy, the popular marketplace for handmade goods, officially has launched its wholesale division to allow retailers access to products from smaller designers. 

Michelle Graff