#2.) AGTA's Spectrum & Cutting

Edge Awards - Extraordinary!

UPDATED!

More Images

and another judge's review!

If you have not seen this yet, (or even if you have...) check out the winners of the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) 2023 AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards!



Hundreds of entries filled the judging tables, with the top winners being Niveet Nagpal, from Omi Privé, who took First Place & Best of Show in Spectrum for his Platinum ring featuring a 15.22 ct. black Opal, accented with paraiba Tourmalines, Tsavorite Garnets, and Diamonds in Evening Wear (seen here), and in Cutting Edge, Joseph Ambalu, from Amba Gem Corp for his suite of 4 beautifully matching oval “Paraíba-type” Tourmalines, winning Best of Show & First Place, Best of Single Entries in Pairs & Suites.

Winners also included Jeffrey Bilgore, from Jeffrey Bilgore LLC, taking home six (yes, 6) Spectrum wins!

Spend some quality time to check out ALL of the winners here!

#3.) Getting Schooled:

Jenna White Talks Transparency

What we all need to know about transparent supply chains

The joint venture between AGTA, the American Gem Trade Association, and CSM, the Colorado School of Mines, is to research how to improve the transparency in the cultures of the colored gemstone supply chain, to add transparency to an otherwise opaque process.



Tap here for the challenges that lie ahead!

Gary Roskin

Roskin Gem News Report

In looking through the Sotheby’s catalogue of the Magnificent Jewels auction in Geneva, we came across a pair of diamond earrings.

They appear to be “matched,” with accent diamonds chosen to highlight the brown color.

Both earrings are set with a smaller and more saturated brown cushion at each post, with light to dark brown round brilliant cuts (RBCs) around the center pear shapes.

Both Pears, approximately 14 carats each, have GIA reports, with one getting a color grade of “M, Faint Brown”, and the other, a color grade of “U-V Range.”

Hmmm... That's curious!

Tap here to find out what is so interesting about this pair of pears!

Gary Roskin

Roskin Gem News Report

On October 17th, Rio Tinto announced a new exclusive sales event, the Beyond Rare Tender, featuring a rare collection of diamonds produced from Rio Tinto’s Argyle and Diavik diamond mines.

We have been following and covering the Argyle Pink Diamonds Tenders for decades, so we know that the importance of these tenders lies in the details. We asked for more, and we are excited to report back to you an exclusive look at what was included in this extremely important tender!

Tap here to see some amazing beauties as well as read all the details of an incredible tender!

Julia Mielke.

DW.com

The Zimbaqua aquamarine mine in Karoi, Zimbabwe, employs women only and pays them a fair salary, so says the feature video in DW.com

The gem mine keeps environmental impact as low as possible.

Before you Watch the Video…

One of the challenges that the AGTA/CSM research is finding (see Getting Schooled above) is in communication. The meaning of the term "Environmentally Sustainable" can mean so many different things to so many people. What exactly are they trying to say here?

Tap here to watch the video from the Zimbaqua aquamarine mine!

By Amrita Katara

TatlerAsia.com

Van Cleef & Arpels Hong Kong and Macau managing director Julie Clody shares details with TatlerAsia.com about how the brand’s latest collection came about, and why it’s dedicated to the maison’s love affair with diamonds.

"Van Cleef & Arpels has dazzled the world with exquisite jewellery since 1906, when 'Estelle Arpels, daughter of a precious stone dealer, married Alfred Van Cleef, son of a family of lapidaries,' says Julie Clody, managing director of Van Cleef & Arpels Hong Kong and Macau. United by their shared love of gems, they opened their first boutique in Paris and launched what would become one of the most storied maisons in high jewellery."

Tap here for to read Tatler's interview with Julie Clody

CJEWF

October 31, 2023

Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited, China’s leading jewellery brand built on nearly a century of trust and innovation, published its first-ever “2023 Jewellery Consumer Trends Report” to chart the evolving preferences of young consumers in Mainland China and Hong Kong, and their motivations for purchasing natural diamonds and pure gold jewellery.

Tap here for the latest Stats!

BRUSSELS, Nov 17 (Reuters)

Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, writing by Jan Strupczewski

ONLY A PROPOSAL

The European Commission is proposing to ban imports of Russian diamonds and diamond jewellery from the start of 2024 as part of a new sanctions package to curb Russia’s ability to finance its invasion of Ukraine, a Commission proposal showed.

The proposal, under discussion by ambassadors of the EU’s 27 governments on Friday, also calls for an import, purchase and transfer ban on diamonds transiting Russia and Russian diamonds cut and polished in third countries, such as India.

Tap here for the latest proposal...

The Gemological Institute of America's Gems & Gemology magazine this quarter features Oregon Sunstone. A gemologist's love affair, Sunstone appears in so many different variations, as one or several colors, with or without aventurescence.

Authors Shiyun Jin, Aaron Palke, Nathan Renfro, and Ziyin Sun, take a deep dive into the formation of colors and optical effects of this unique feldspar.

Cover image features an amazing carved Oregon Sunstone by gem artist Darryl Alexander. Inside the feature we see another incredible carving, this time by gem artist Larry Woods.

Images by Robert Weldon.

Tap here to go directly to GIA’s Gems & Gemology, available for download. 

Jennifer Nalewicki

LiveScience.com

During ongoing excavations at Claterna, an ancient Roman site in Italy known as the “Pompeii of the North,” archaeologists unearthed 3,000 coins and 50 gems, many of which were emblazoned with the images of ancient Roman deities.

Tap here to uncover the 3,000 year old find!

FRANCESCA FEARON

Scmp.com South China Morning Post Magazine / Style

Michelle Yeoh loves high jewellery brooches – and so do men at Sotheby’s: from Cindy Chao’s single-piece exhibition, to Cartier and Tiffany & Co.’s modern twists on tradition, wearable art is officially in!

Jewellery artist Cindy Chao in September staged an exhibition at the Long Museum in Shanghai devoted to just one jewel.

The displays shed light on Chao’s epic five-year creative process that culminated in the exquisite Amour Butterfly Brooch that marks the 10th annual creation in her Black Label Masterpieces series.

Tap here to find out more!

Photographs by Charly Gosp

Styled by Christina Holevas

W Magazine

Paired with popcorn and placed upon a teacher’s desk, the season’s most dazzling necklaces, earrings, cocktail rings, and cuffs serve as a reminder that life’s most ordinary moments can feel like special occasions—if you just add sparkle.

Tap here for the complete W Magazine pictorial!

Things aren’t always black and white. For the most powerful juxtapositions, embrace a refreshing new neutral. 

11.03.2023 by L’OFFICIEL USA

Photography Alberto Maria Colombo

Styled by Giulio Martinelli

In this sleek, monochromatic shoot, Bulgari jewelry shines through, contrasting the elegant grays. These looks prove the power and importance of a neutral, and the gray tones featured provide a refreshing take on a fashion essential. Explore Bulgari’s vision through these invigorating looks that bring new life to the concept of a muted, neutral palate. 

Tap here for the Bulgari pictorial!