The billion-dollar acquisition still needs regulatory approval from the European Union, Japan, Mexico and Taiwan.
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![Mall owner CBL Properties is nearing a bankruptcy filing as retailers struggle to stay afloat and pay rent. 20200818_Shopping_bags.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/7c541bb9774a7d162cbfa7321755fa09.jpg)
As the company nears a bankruptcy filing, here’s how it got there and how it may get out.
![Tiffany & Co.’s New York City flagship has temporarily relocated to 6 E. 57th St. while its main store on Fifth Avenue undergoes a renovation. (Photo credit: Rodolfo Martinez) 20200824_Tiffany_Flagship_Temporary_Location.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/e40d3ec27bdc33df4af940935953b897.jpg)
Non-essential construction stalled in New York City as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
![British jewelry brand Robinson Pelham released two new colorful collections for summer. Pictured here are Murano glass bead and 9-karat gold necklaces from Robinson Pelham’s “Arcadia” collection, paired with pendants from the “Cipher” collection. 20200819_RP-header.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/b35dad38b0fab7c5062d9dd391cfe84a.jpg)
Three new virtual events for the industry, a major appeals court decision, a colorful new summer collection and more.
![There are now 12 miners selling their rough stones through the Virtu Gem virtual marketplace. 20200821_Virtu-header.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/451b82eafa86f192ddbaa50d354fb60d.jpg)
Started in response to the pandemic, Virtu Gem sells rough from miners in Zambia and Malawi.
![Gurhan is holding a contest to gift jewelry to frontline healthcare workers. 20200821_Gurhan_header.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/c4b6ce9f9a4c8531a39324b2d2d2c1bf.jpg)
Four lucky winners will receive Gurhan jewelry as a token of the brand’s appreciation for frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
![GCAL Founder and President Don Palmieri gets a COVID-19 antibody test at the office. It’s part of the lab’s new protocol for protecting employees working on-site during the pandemic. 20200821_GCAL.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/36be20820987a530f3e4ba4bbb45b9a7.jpg)
The New York City gemstone laboratory has developed a model system for doing business in person during the pandemic.
The online buyer and seller meetup is scheduled for Aug. 27 and 28.
The biennial gathering that brings together IDMA and the WFDB is scheduled for mid-September.
![Sales of charms, a Pandora staple, fell 40 percent in the company’s second quarter. 20200818_Pandora_Bracelet.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/f8cc5d4de37f1565d2d9d5a36daee1c2.jpg)
The Danish jewelry company also shuttered 32 stores in the second quarter, mainly in Germany, the U.K. and the Nordic countries.
![2020_CBG_logo.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/3253f9af8cba284f677e5b6bdada8d60.jpg)
The Continental Buying Group is pivoting from holding a physical jewelry trade show in October to a virtual one in September.
![JIS has cancelled its trade shows for the rest of 2020 but is working on holding the shows virtually. 20200814_JIS_Logo.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/a123a455215115a82565502c35d6c8c3.jpg)
The convention centers in Miami Beach and San Diego were both converted to medical facilities and will not be changed back in time for the shows.
![Lucara Diamond Corp. operates the Karowe Mine in Botswana, shown here. Normally, about 70 percent of the company’s annual revenue comes from the large, high-value diamonds it recovers from its mine, but it deferred those sales in Q2 because of market weakness. (Photo courtesy of Lucara) 2020_Lucara_Karowe_Mine.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/908f8d08c57c417388194efd4cd5f617.jpg)
The diamond miner has inked a partnership with Antwerp-based cutter HB Group to buy all its diamonds weighing more than 10.8 carats for the rest of 2020.
![The gold price rose to a record high this month, crossing the $2,000-per-ounce threshold. Pictured here is Gumuchian’s Honeybee “B” 18-karat gold and diamond linking bracelet. 20200810_Gold_trends-Gumuchian.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/56715d6f81756a3fe5f717354e75ea0b.jpg)
And the price is likely to keep rising this year.
![Yoram Dvash, acting president of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses, penned a letter to the diamond industry declaring “there’s a light at the end of the tunnel” after months of declines in diamond trading and sales due to COVID-19. 2020_Yoram_Dvash.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/c58cdc6467f9edd9fb9a961fade6b16f.jpg)
In a letter sent out Thursday, WFDB’s Yoram Dvash wrote there are multiple reasons to be optimistic about the state of the diamond industry.
![The former Lord & Taylor flagship store on New York’s Fifth Avenue, sold in 2018 to WeWork. The retailer and its owner Le Tote recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. 20200804_Lord_and_Taylor_Flagship.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/8b95f6180d5d75d45840686ceb10f02b.jpg)
The department store chain and owner Le Tote join the nearly 40 retailers that have filed for bankruptcy this year.
![The interior of M. Flynn, the Boston jewelry store run by sisters Megan and Moria Flynn. The homey space embodies one of five retail trends on the rise. 20200803_M_Flynn_store_header.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/0d02ceebddd2bf110c605fa84ae0e539.jpg)
From offering immersive micro-experiences to fostering safe and comfortable spaces, retailers across industries must keep getting creative to remain relevant to consumers.
![JBT data show that the number of retail jewelers that closed in the second quarter fell by almost half year-over-year. But, that doesn’t mean as much in this unusual environment. 20200731_Closed_sign.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/7153ff17f141c32e469c4624953146f3.jpg)
Jewelers Board of Trade President Erich Jacobs put the number of Q2 store closures in perspective, and gives predictions for the remainder of 2020.
![Kashmir sapphires and natural pearls from Horovitz & Totah, the company of GemGenève trade show co-founder Ronny Totah. 20180410_GemGeneve.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/a52607e81005e3699861501625882159.jpg)
GemGenève has adjusted its November show dates and the Bangkok Gems and Jewelry Fair pushed its fall event to early 2021.
![The consumer confidence level decreased in July, especially in states like Florida and Michigan, where an increasing number of COVID-19 cases have been reported. 20200730_Clothing_rack.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/2030b84bd33e0fa8ce0c5ccddb56d633.jpg)
States that experienced an uptick in COVID-19 cases saw large declines in consumer confidence.
![A Mineralismo bracelet featuring rhodonite with black diamond and pink sapphire accents in rose gold from Kering-owned Pomellato’s first high jewelry collection. The division housing Kering’s watch and jewelry brands posted a 26 percent drop year-over-year in first-half revenue. 20200729_Pomellato_Mineralismo.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/dd5b4ac18896f91cfa8e453caba2d7d6.jpg)
The jewelry brands’ limited exposure to the recovering Asia-Pacific market dulled their performance in the first half of the year.
![As part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, Neiman Marcus is closing its store in New York City’s upscale Hudson Yards development. 20200728_Neiman_Marcus_Hudson_Yards.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/75a3108b9ac818ae98ba97f60c0a5250.jpg)
The department store chain is rethinking its store count as its customer base shifts to online shopping.
![The newest version of the Connected smartwatch from LVMH-owned watch brand TAG Heuer. The luxury giant saw jewelry and watch sales fall 38 percent in the first half of the year, with overall sales down 27 percent. 20200724_TAG-Connecte.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/96d6af17d6c69d1a772ff7c7e2282f87.jpg)
Declining orders from retailers have hit TAG Heuer and Hublot hard, though TAG’s new smartwatch has “been a great success.”
![20200728_Trade-show-header-2.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/de47f8322b622dd233076ceb0010c934.jpg)
COVID-19 has quieted the usually bustling world of trade shows and events in 2020. Where do we go from here?
![Botswana native Naseem Lahri is the managing director of Lucara Botswana (Pty.) Ltd., which operates the Karowe mine. She joined the company as chief financial officer in 2013 and was promoted to managing director five years later. 2020_Lucara_Naseem_Lahri.jpg](https://uploads.nationaljeweler.com/uploads/d070195c8c3ee5f9e23c9dae010066ff.jpg)
Lahri is the managing director of Lucara Botswana, which operates the Karowe mine. She’s the first woman—and the first female citizen of Botswana—to run a diamond mine in the country.