On March 27, I received a press release from a company called IIa Technologies about its opening of one of the world’s largest diamond growing facilities in the world in Singapore.

Michelle Graff

It’s a statistic that is not surprising in the least. An increasing number of couples getting married are using mobile devices to help them plan and make purchases for their big day.

Michelle Graff

Although winter weather is lingering in certain regions of the country, spring is here and celebrities are bringing in the season with bold-colored baubles.

Last week, I had the chance to have a nice, long talk with industry veteran Neil Koppel, who is currently president and CEO of JewelNet.com Corp. and lab-grown diamond company Renaissance Diamonds.

Michelle Graff

Sam’s Club and Amazon remain the top companies for customer experience, according to research recently released by the Temkin Group.

Michelle Graff

The lawsuit filed by one-time Gemesis CEO Stephen Lux against his former company in U.S. Circuit Court in Florida is ongoing, with the latest filing in the case coming earlier this month.

Michelle Graff

While female stars typically are the subject of this blog, I had to pay special homage to our handsome counterparts today. Many famous men accessorize quietly with cufflinks and watches but when done right, it’s all they need.

For me, the current NFL season drew to a pitiful close on Dec. 23, when Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw the interception that ultimately ended the Steelers season.

Michelle Graff

Brazil produces more topaz than any other country in the world. Most of the production is colorless, which is irradiated and heated into various shades of blue. Precious and imperial topaz offer a rare and warmer alternative to the cool blue shades we are accustomed to seeing in jewelry stores. “Precious” topaz usually refers to yellow to orange colors while “imperial” topaz usually refers to pinkish-orange to pink to purple and even red colors (see figs. 1 and 6).  However, some dealers argue that all topaz in these warmer hues should be classified as imperial. Since the origin of the word topaz is most likely from the Sanskrit word “tapas,” meaning fire, this argument seems to have merit. Recent price increases are due to limited mining, renewed interest from designers in these warmer hues and strong domestic demand in Brazil.

Edward Boehm

Barack Obama was sworn in for his second term on Monday, marking another four years under the same Commander in Chief and presenting an especially momentous occasion for attending celebrities and politicians to flaunt their best jewelry.

The Golden Globes, movie premieres, appearances on news segments--so far, 2013 has been full of events for celebrities. Color is proving to be a continually strong trend in star jewelry, namely vibrant hues such as turquoise, ruby and emerald.

The results are in and frankly I have no idea who, if anyone, has won.

Michelle Graff

For the first time in 70 years, De Beers’ executives entered the United States this week to conduct business, something they had been unable to do for the past seven decades due to anti-trust issues.

Michelle Graff

What do you create for a man who proposed to his girlfriend with an R2-D2 engagement ring around Halloween while dressed as Charlie Brown from the Peanuts? The answer is simple: a C-3PO wedding band.

Michelle Graff

Including all its variations, people in general like to use the quote, “When one door closes, another one opens.” I found this sentiment to be true when I met New York-based designer Michael Pereira.

It’s always interesting to compare the list of what we deemed to be the “biggest” news stories of the year to the hard numbers--the stories that were the most read on NationalJeweler.com.

Michelle Graff

Although the colder months at the end of the year usually lend themselves to darker clothing and accessories, celebrities have been keeping fall looking bright and sparkly, especially on the red carpet (which is, quite enviously, usually rolled out in a warmer climate).

Much to the delight of retailers, De Beers is back on the airwaves this holiday season with this nationwide commercial that seems to be one of the favored spots among the jewelry set.

Michelle Graff

Brazil produces much of the world’s gemstone supply with vast reserves in the northeastern part of the country. Increased global demand for colored gemstones has enabled renewed mining activity in one of the world’s most productive mining regions.

Edward Boehm

As a journalist with experience in both the consumer and trade press, it’s always interesting to me what gets reported, and what doesn’t make the cut, following the industry’s more widely followed events, such as the recently concluded Kimberley Process plenary in Washington, D.C.

Michelle Graff

In these modern, social-media crazed times, the word “fail” has taken on a new life.

Michelle Graff

Parisian designer Lydia Courteille’s new collection, “Homage to Surrealism,” is a nod to the European artistic movement of the first part of the 20th century.

Thursday (Nov. 8) was the first day back in the office for most of the National Jeweler team following Superstorm Sandy, and we are doing our best to try to get back into the groove.

Michelle Graff