#3) Women Who Stole the Show

Lauralee

WhoWoreWhatJewels.com

Gary Roskin

Roskin Gem News Report

The Met Gala has never been a stage for subtlety, and this year’s red carpet was no exception. The women arrived wrapped in couture fantasies—gowns that defied gravity, trains that needed their own ZIP codes, plus sky-high hairdos and towering hats. And the jewelry? Think maximalist meets museum exhibit: massive stones, like the 123-carat sapphire hanging from Anne Hathaway’s neck, or the two massive (and borderline dangerous) rings Tracee Ellis Ross was wearing—a large carved sugilite that looked like a pacifier, and a 47-carat rubellite tourmaline surrounded by a dizzying number of diamonds. Whether dazzling or just plain overwhelming, it was a night where more was definitely… more.

Let's take a closer look... thanks to Lauralee and WhoWoreWhatJewels.com.

Tap here for the women and their jewels at the Met Gala!



Gary Roskin

Roskin Gem News Report

New charts distinguish between cedarwood oil and resin-treated Colombian emeralds

Gemworld International, publisher of the GemGuide, best known for its gem pricing guides for all significant gem materials, has introduced important updates to its emerald pricing guides in the May–June 2025 issue. For the first time, pricing for Colombian emeralds is separated by enhancement type, with distinct charts for stones treated with cedarwood oil and those treated with resins.

[For greater detail on oil and resin enhancements, see Brecken Branstrator’s feature in the GemGuide magazine, “Emerald Fillers and Today’s Market: Demand and Pricing.”]

According to Stuart Robertson, President of Gemworld International, the change was prompted by feedback from the retail sector.

“We had some requests to include more specifics about enhancement types in our emerald section,” Robertson explained. “These requests were from larger corporate retail firms, not miners or wholesalers.”

Tap here to read the full story on why we need new clarity enhanced emerald pricing charts, one for cedarwood oil, and one for resins.

Gary Roskin

Roskin Gem News Report

In our “Spotlight on De Beers – the Las Vegas Presentation” from last year’s JCK Show (June 2024), Al Cook, Chief Executive Officer of the De Beers Group, told us that De Beers would no longer be in the synthetic diamond jewelry business!

He told us then, “We believe that the value of Lab Grown Diamonds lies in technology rather than in jewelry. So, De Beers will suspend production of lab grown diamonds for jewelry, and instead, we will evolve Element Six so it’s not just a leader in producing synthetic diamonds, but it becomes THE leader in synthetic diamond technology solutions. This starts with concentrating all our resources in a single world class CVD hub here in the United States, in Portland, Oregon.”

Recap – De Beers brought down the price of LGDs by entering the synthetic diamond jewelry market (Lightbox), and now that prices have fallen even farther below where De Beers thought they might end up, they no longer need to be in the business.

At that time, in June 2024, Lightbox still had plenty of inventory, so they were not going away just yet. But we knew that as soon as they reduced their inventory, they would be gone.

And now here we are, almost one year later, announcing the closure of Lightbox.

Tap here for more details on this final execution

of "the plan," De Beers' plan to widen the gap

between natural and synthetic diamonds!

Gary Roskin

Roskin Gem News Report

GIA has updated how it describes nacre quality stated on all GIA pearl classification reports, replacing the previous broad terms “Acceptable” and “Unacceptable” with GIA's established traditional scale: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, and Poor.

Previously, “Acceptable” denoted "expected commercial nacre quality, in terms of thickness, layering and condition," while “Unacceptable” denoted "poor quality nacre that may impact durability, such as thinness, chalkiness or damage."

Exceptional vs. Commercial

Prompted by observations and requests from members of the global pearl trade, the new scale broadens the grading range, allowing for distinctions between Excellent nacre quality and commercial nacre quality. The new scale provides greater consistency within the report, being more aligned with other quality factors.

“Nacre formation plays a critical role during a pearl’s growth, as its structure influences other value factors such as size, shape, luster, and surface quality. Nacre thickness and continuity also affect the pearl’s durability,” said Tom Moses, executive vice president and chief laboratory and research officer. “This update on the nacre quality scale provides improvement to the existing nacre quality description for the GIA 7 Pearl Value Factors classification system that better serves our clients.”

Tap here to learn just a bit more about

 GIA's new updated Pearl Classification Report!

Gary Roskin

Roskin Gem News Report

With total sales exceeding 60 million Swiss Francs (over $70 million), Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva did not disappoint. While the much-anticipated Golconda blue diamond—rumored to be worth upwards of $100 million—was notably absent, the evening still delivered a compelling show of market strength.

The spotlight belonged to the “big four” — emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and diamonds — with blue diamonds taking the top two spots. A fantastic collection of JAR jewels embarrassed the sales estimates, reaffirming the house’s collectability. Blue sapphires performed well, emeralds held steady, and rubies — though few — soared past high estimates with ease.

The catalog was a who's who of historic and modern maisons: Harry Winston, Van Cleef & Arpels, Graff, Bulgari, Buccellati, Belperron, Marcus & Co., Fabergé (from the early 1900's), and David Webb all made appearances, each offering exceptional pieces. The depth and diversity of the evening made it impossible to spotlight all of the highlights — but suffice it to say, collectors had plenty to compete for.

Gemologically Intriguing

Let’s begin with JAR. Looking closely at the six pieces we’re highlighting (from a dozen offered), you’ll notice several key gemological details are missing — like the obvious... gemstone weights! Or disclosure... the origin of color for both diamonds and colored gemstones. A few of the JAR jewels contain black diamonds with only the note: “not tested for natural colour.” There were also two important sapphire rings where country of origin was undeterminable! And, quite surprisingly, a remarkable diamond necklace—visually substantial—that checks the trifecta: no listed weights, no colors, no clarities. Nothing at all!

Moving to the other 100+ items up for sale, there was a magnificent emerald and diamond brooch (seen here) that ties in nicely to our newsletter feature, “Emerald Filler Clarity: New Price Guides for Clarity-Enhanced Emeralds Now in the GemGuide.” While these emeralds are too large to be priced within the current guides, the result — CHF 900,000 [$1,000,000!] — may offer insight into how clarity enhancement (Minor and Moderate Filling) impacted the bidding.

And of course, we can’t forget the auction’s top two lots: the 6-carat VVS2 Fancy Deep Blue and the 3-carat VVS2 Fancy Vivid Blue. Both appear to be potentially Internally Flawless with minor recutting - so we will take a closer look at those too!

And finally, we will compare the two diamond necklaces: the one with no provenance but full grading on the larger stones, and the JAR necklace — showstopping, yet offered with no grading at all. An interesting comparison worth unpacking.

All of that — and more — awaits! Let’s get started!

Tap here to find out more about these Magnificent Jewels!

AGTA Press Release

AGTA CEO John W. Ford, Sr., and AGTA Board President and President of Bridges Tsavorite Bruce Bridges continue to meet with key members of Congress in Washington, D.C., regarding tariffs that affect the colored gemstone and broader jewelry industry.

“The focus of our efforts has now shifted as we have consolidated support from key members of Congress, and we are now meeting with senior members of the Trump Administration,” says Ford.

Following up on AGTA’s early May meetings, Ford returned last week to Washington, D.C., for another round of constructive conversations with members of Congress from both sides of the aisle. He also met with the Assistant United States Trade Representative (AUSTR) from the Executive Office of the President. Accompanying Ford to the meeting were Tim Hecht and Franklin C. Phifer, Jr., of Hecht, Latham, Spencer & Associates, AGTA’s trade representatives. The AGTA delegation was led by U.S. Congressman Randy Weber.

Ford reveals that the group “had a lengthy meeting with the AUSTR and members of the U.S. Trade Representatives staff, which effectively laid out the blueprint of how AGTA would move forward meeting with other key members of the Administration seeking tariff changes.” Ford went on to say that “the effect of walking into a meeting in the Executive Office of the President with a leading member of Congress cannot be underestimated.”

Tap here for more, the complete release.

We start out with a Pendulette Mystérieuse | A unique and highly unusual 18 karat yellow gold, platinum, silver, agate, diamond and topaz-set 8-day mystery clock in the form of a strawberry with heart-shaped mount, made in 1949.

We also look at a Cartier Libre Noeud, an asymmetrical case, diamonds and a watch, all tied up in a knot (see above).

And finally, we review a Jacob & Co. "Astronomia Tourbillon" with a rotating 3 dimensional dial, including a moon (a faceted diamond bead!) that revolves around the earth! This is definitely over-the-top!

Tap here to see some magnificent gem-set timepieces!

Feeling the need to break away from the pack (or at least from its closest rival, Christie's) Sotheby's has changed the name of it's Magnificent flagship jewelry sale in Geneva to The High Jewelry Auction.

This year's High Jewelry Auction offered signed jewels from the world’s most esteemed Haute Joaillerie houses, vintage jewels, exceptional coloured stones and remarkable diamonds.

"We are particularly thrilled to announce that the sale will be headlined by The Mediterranean Blue, an exceptionally rare and magnificent Fancy Vivid Blue diamond weighing 10.03 carats. Named for its mesmerizing hue recalling the azure Mediterranean waters, this recently discovered diamond, polished as an elegant cushion-shape, stands as one of the most exciting coloured diamonds to be offered for sale at Sotheby’s in living memory." The Mediterranean Blue pulled in a respectable 17,860,000 CH ($12.7 million).

As for the name change, "Sotheby’s continually responds to the changing profiles and behaviors of the modern collector. To this end, our legendary Magnificent Jewels auctions have been renamed ‘High Jewelry,’ a title that aligns more closely with today’s increasingly digital marketplace. This change raises our online visibility, furthering our reach to new audiences and confirming our commitment to outstanding results. What remains unchanged, however, is the extraordinary quality and rarity of the jewels we offer and the superlative client experience provided by our specialists."

And you can see several important pieces

from this High Jewelry Auction here!

Canada-focused Burgundy Diamond Mines announced that it would "refine its approach to the high-end diamond market" by forging new partnerships with manufacturers, traders, and luxury brands, while closing its polishing facility in Perth, Western Australia.

The Perth facility is/was Australia’s only commercial diamond cutting, polishing and grading factory. This world class operation employed some of the most experienced and talented artisans in the industry, having cut the world-renowned Argyle Pink diamonds for the past 30+ years.

Burgundy said the move aligned with a strategy to “maximise the value of its sustainably mined Canadian diamonds” by partnering with select industry players committed to provenance, traceability and product excellence.

The shift follows “a thorough assessment of the long-term viability” of its Perth cutting and polishing operations, Burgundy said. The closure is expected to be completed by mid-2025 and would not materially impact financials or production, the company stated.

Tap here for more of this end of an era in Perth!

De Beers’ Quiet Discounts Raise Eyebrows in the Trade

Bloomberg

Creamer Media's Mining Weekly

Word is spreading that De Beers has been quietly offering 10-20% discounts on rough diamonds — but only to a select few siteholders. That’s not sitting well with others in the industry who’ve had to pay full price at official sales.

De Beers typically holds ten sales a year in Botswana for its roster of around 70 registered siteholders. Prices at these events are non-negotiable.

But behind the scenes, the company has reportedly been cutting special deals in an effort to move overwhelming inventories — without officially lowering prices. The result? A growing disconnect between De Beers’ site prices and what the broader market sees as fair value.

For those on the outside of these quiet discounts, the situation feels like a betrayal — and it’s adding strain to an industry already facing plenty of challenges.

As first reported by Bloomberg News/Creamer Media on May 13, 2025.

"In recent months, De Beers has sold hundreds of millions of dollars of rough diamonds through side deals with a small number of its customers, according to buyers who asked not to be identified discussing private information. The company has been selling the stones at a 10% to 20% discount to its set prices, the people said.

Tap here to find out more regarding

this unusual move by De Beers!

BrankoGems in Montana

International Gemmological Conference in Helena

– June 13-15, 2025



Australian Opal Awards

Lightning Ridge, Australia

– July 23-26, 2025



GIA and AGS “Converge” 2025

Symposium & Conclave: an Historic Collaboration

– September 7-10, 2025



JOGS – Las Vegas Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show

The World Expo, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

– June 4-7, 2025

Couture Jewelry Collection

Wynn, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

– June 4-8, 2025

Luxury – Reed Exhibitions

The Venetian Expo, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

– June 4-9, 2025

The Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show 2024

Wynn, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

– June 5-8, 2025

JCK – Reed Exhibitions

The Venetian Expo, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

– June 6-9, 2025 [Gems Pavilion June 5, Jewelry Show June 6]

Their dates are always confusing… check just to make certain! – gr