The Gemological Institute of America has recently added a number of features to its Retailer Support Program, including the ability to embed videos as well as graphics and images to websites, such as GIA’s Gem Encyclopedia.
Retailer Riddle’s Jewelry announced that it has acquired gold manufacturer Landstrom’s wholesale and manufacturing division.
Jewelry is the most widely collected luxury item in the world among the wealthy, although in North America it ranks third behind art and watches, according to The Wealth Report 2014.
The Chinese jewelry market has become, and will remain so for generations, one of the most important on the globe. Columnist Jan Brassem provides a "Freshman 101" study guide for those who are considering expanding into this growing luxury market.
A 70-carat rough white diamond from the Diavik mine in Canada is among the lots that will be offered at Rio Tinto’s first tender of the year, which will take place in Israel and Antwerp.
Web site upgrades for MJSA, colored gemstone company Omi Privé and insurance company Jewelers Unblocked are among the industry players to debut new websites recently.
Due to “other professional commitments,” Pandora’s Chairman of the Board Marcello Bottoli will step down as soon as a successor is found, the jewelry company announced Monday.
On a busy afternoon in his store, one Illinois retailer strayed from the normal procedures used when buying diamonds over the counter and ended up with moissanite. He cautions other retailers to take their time when buying merchandise off the street and inspect the metal and stones carefully.
Designer Sylva Yepremian is the female half of the husband-and-wife design team behind Sylva & Cie. She lived in Lebanon and Paris before coming to California as a teenager, counts English as her fifth language and likes to run, work in her vegetable garden and throw large dinner parties in her spare time. Read on to learn more about what inspires Yepremian and her husband Raffi in this interview conducted by guest blogger Marissa Collections, a retailer of fine jewelry and high fashion in Naples, Fla. Marissa Collections has begun conducting Q&As with new designers as the store adds them, and shares these with National Jeweler exclusively before posting the interviews on its jewelry blog at MarissaCollections.com. Marissa Collections: Your father was a master jeweler for Cartier. Tell us about his history and what he taught you. Sylva & Cie: He began his apprenticeship early on in our native Lebanon, where he learned jewelry-making techniques that date back hundreds of years. It’s rare to find craftsmen who still practice them. He taught me the balance between creativity/beauty and craft/engineering--both sides must be synchronized in perfect harmony for the piece to work. MC: Does he still work in the business? S&C: Yes, even at the age of 76 he comes in every day. My family works in the same building in downtown L.A., but on separate floors so we stay sane. He’s especially helpful regarding technical aspects. I’ll come to him with a problem such a designing a hinge or creating alloys that are a major component of my work. It isn’t just about surrounding a stone with diamonds and boom! MC: What brought your family to L.A.? Did you experience culture shock? S&C: It’s even more complicated. We’re Armenian and moved to Paris from Lebanon when I was little. My father decided to go on his own from Cartier and thought it would be better to start completely fresh so we moved to L.A., where we had family. I was distraught to be uprooted at the age of 16 but ended up loving California’s climate and convenience. It was a difficult adjustment though since English was my fifth language--I always thought I’d become a UN translator. MC: What do you miss most about living in Paris? How often do you return? S&C: I miss the culture and high attention to aesthetics. Everything the French do is about maximizing beauty from a fruit plate to an outfit just to run errands. You don’t see a lot of Uggs there. I visit at least once a year and have probably been to the Louvre 25 times. MC: Your mother’s also in the industry. What’s her niche and what did you learn from it? S&C: My mom and aunt strung pearls, onyx and jade for a major department store. To earn extra money, I helped and learned all about beading. Their business exploded into a retail operation that has become one of the city’s premier bridal jewelry destinations to this day. The diamond ring on the left is 18-karat yellow gold set with two rough diamonds weighing a total of approximately 6.02 carats and 0.70 carats of single-cut diamonds ($14,375 retail). The ring on the right features two pear-shaped stones, 3.04 and 2.01 carats, surrounded by 0.72 carats of old European cut diamonds set in oxidized sterling silver with an 18-karat yellow gold band. It retails for $103,750. MC: How does your exotic heritage inspire your work? S&C: I’m drawn to old things with a patina and ornate details from being surrounded by Arabic architecture. I could never be a minimalist. It’s just not in my DNA. MC: How would you describe your jewelry? S&C: Vintage influence meets rock ’n’ roll edge that appeals to a modern sensibility. MC: How could someone spot it? S&C: I customize oxidized alloys for a warm, antique effect, which I also achieve with reclaimed diamonds in a range of colors from soft white to champagne. Their softer refraction is more interesting than super-shiny diamonds. My imperfect cuts show the hand of the jeweler. MC: You’re inspired by Art Deco. Why and do any other periods appear in your work? S&C: Because jewelry was handmade then as opposed to being produced with mass-production molds. Each piece reflects the unique skills of its maker, and the magic comes from their inconsistencies. I’m also fond of Georgian jewelry. MC: Do you collect antique jewelry? S&C: I’m a hoarder, to my husband’s dismay. I shop antique shows and auctions all the time. Recently I bought a tiara, which I wear upside down on a silk ribbon as a necklace. I’m obsessed with tiaras now and designing one of diamond birds. MC: Your collection focuses on women’s jewelry. Do you plan to expand? S&C: I’m launching bridal since the market is limited to traditional looks. Many women are already using my stackable rings as wedding bands, so I’m creating a capsule collection of engagement rings in vintage diamonds. It will be ready this year.
Manufacturer Ptak Brothers Jewelry has introduced the “Loving Embrace” program, a new business-to-business product designed to help jewelers close bridal sales.
After being deemed compliant by the Kimberley Process in November, the Ivory Coast will urge the United Nations to lift its embargo on the nation’s diamond exports at a meeting scheduled for next month, Reuters reported.
U.S. Antique Shows has announced that it will hold its trade-only Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show from May 29 to June 1 at the Paris hotel.
While I was in Tucson, I managed to sneak in a few extra seminars at the AGTA GemFair for fun, and one of them was a presentation about the Cheapside Hoard, which I think is fascinating.
Following its all-day conference on Wednesday, the Women’s Jewelry Association moved to the 44th floor of the Hearst Tower in Manhattan for the evening and recognized its 10 “Shining Stars” for the year.
Fourth quarter sales were up 17 percent for ShopHQ as the multimedia retailer enticed customers to buy by offering more merchandise at lower price points.
The Oppenheimer family and diamantaire Laurence Graff still rank among the world’s richest while the founder of Firestar Diamond is a “new billionaire,” according to Forbes’ annual list of the world’s wealthiest people, which was released this week.
Once again, investing magnate and Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett will step behind the Borsheims counter to sell jewelry to shareholders of his company.
Alfred Albrizio, jewelry designer and owner of the C’est Magnifique jewelry store in New York City, died Feb. 2. He was 66 years old.
The government of Greenland has given Canada’s True North Gems Inc. an exclusive 30-year mining license for the Aappaluttoq ruby deposit in Greenland.
The American Gem Society Laboratories is opening its first take-in window in New York’s Diamond District, and it will be operated by Brinks from its offices in the 580 building.
The 162.02-carat and 161.31-carat diamonds recovered by Gem Diamonds Ltd. in January sold for a total of $13.5 million at the miner’s February tender.
Although the threat of a snowstorm and a closely scheduled fair in Hong Kong surrounded the JA New York Winter show this year, buyers turned out to shop the floor for the extended four-day show.
The Jewelers Vigilance Committee is hosting a contest that asks entrants to take a quiz on legal compliance for the chance to win a free or discounted membership to the organization.
Initiatives in Art and Culture has announced the dates for its fourth annual gold conference, “Gold--Desire, Design, and Demand,” an event focusing on gold jewelry, looking in particular at the importance of design and the emotional value and durability of the metal.
Don’t rely on a single manufacturer for any one product, pick suppliers that work with the store’s delivery needs and payment abilities, and check their references. These were just a few of the tips offered at a session on diversifying a store’s supply chain held Monday at the JA New York Winter show.
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