From: JCRS
Diamond rough—a chunk of unpolished, uncut stone, pretty much as it comes from the mine—used to be just the starting point for a piece of fine jewelry. Now it’s likely to be the centerpiece.
Nieman Marcus is showing it. Wall Street Journal is writing about it: Jewelry set with raw, uncut diamonds.
What’s the attraction? A diamond’s cut—its expert faceting—is what gives the gem its sparkle and brilliance. Without that faceting, what’s the appeal?
Faceting is a relatively recent development, and even a taste for diamonds that sparkle is said to be only a few centuries old. Since ancient times maharajas, kings and queens have prized uncut diamonds for their natural beauty. Jewelry designers setting the trend today praise the elemental look and feel of such stones.
De Beers says its Talisman Collection, which mixes rough with faceted diamonds, “explores ancient beliefs about the power and magnetism of the uncut diamond.” This collection plays on the theme of ancient roots with names like Babylon Bracelet, Sun Medal Pendant, and Hypnotic Pavé Pendant. Other designers create elaborate custom designs for single rough stones.
One of the most famous rough diamonds is the Kahn Canary Diamond, worn by Hillary Clinton to both presidential inaugurations of her husband. The canary yellow diamond, owned by Stanley Kahn of Kahn’s Jewelers, was found at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. It is said to have remained uncut in order to preserve its flawless natural beauty. (more…)
FROM: JCKONLINE JCK Las Vegas opened Friday at the Sands Expo & Convention Center/Venetian Hotel Resort Casino.
The show, which runs till June 3 is hosting 3,100 exhibitors and 21,000+ retailers. Opening events included the JCK Welcome Reception and Fashion Show at Caesars Palace in the Augustus Ballroom and a keynote presentation by hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons,
The Design Center is featuring Eight New Rising Stars and is among dozens of specialty pavilions including the “VicenzaOro Pavilion at JCK.” Conference sessions were held Wednesday and Thursday.
In addition, the 6th Annual Swiss Watch by JCK also opened Friday in The Venetian Hotel Resort Casino and will run through Tuesday. Swiss Watch by JCK is a collection of the world’s most legendary Swiss watch brands including Baume & Mercier, Bell & Ross, Bulgari, Chopard, Corum, Ebel, Franck Muller, Gucci, Hermes, IWC, Maurice Lacroix, Mont Blanc, Omega, Piaget, Rado, Swatch, Longines, Tag Heuer, Tissot, Ulysse Nardin and Zeni
I am a BIG FAN of message jewelry (being a “child of the 60’s”) and thought this article on “Man Jewelry” was interesting!
From WRAL - There’s a fine line not to be crossed when men wear jewelry. Too much can be a put-off but a little glimpse of shine under the collar or cuff can be powerful or even sexy. The jewelry market has changed lots in recent years, partly as hip-hop’s influence has expanded. So if you’re thinking of giving the man in your life jewelry this Valentine’s Day, don’t be blinded by all that sparkle.
Here’s a guide:
STARTING PIECE: A watch is the entry point for most men in the jewelry market. It’s an item they’re expected to wear, but they have it more for show now than practicality. “You don’t need one so much,” says hip-hop mogul and fashion entrepreneur Russell Simmons, who launched Simmons Jewelry Co. in 2003. “It’s more like a bracelet. They (men) get the time from their phone or their BlackBerry, so now a watch is basically jewelry.” Status watches have always helped make the man, he points out. From there, it’s not a far leap to a bracelet, says Simmons, who alternates between two - one a malachite and rough diamond bracelet from his company’s Green Initiative Collection that raises money for educational programs in Africa, the other a steel bracelet with diamonds. Something smaller like cuff links or a belt buckle, however, will be less showy. “A man can say of these, `It’s jewelry, but it’s not what my wife wears,” says Ori Zemer, vice president of Charriol North America, a fine jeweler. Belts in particular seem in line with trends because they’re a way to be brand identified - he notes Prada and Gucci offer signature buckles - but without being blinged out. Men who are more comfortable wearing traditional jewelry also might consider a jazzed up ring, perhaps a wedding band with diamonds or a ring with nautical-style roping. “The roping is a little rugged,” says Zemer. “It works for a man who is going to the office or a construction worker. It’s wearable, durable and a cool statement.” (more…)
Here’s an interesting article about keeping your beautiful diamonds clean and sparkling! After all the time and care we spend picking out the perfect stone….remember to keep it clean!
From Sopcos - A dirty diamond is one of two things: a rough diamond, or a diamond that hasnt been cleaned in a while. Rough diamonds are uncut and unpolished hence, they are dirty. But that type of dirty diamond will soon be cut and polished and sitting in a beautiful jewel box in a display case. Then someone will purchase it, and before long, it will become a dirty diamond once again. Diamonds become dirty. When you wash your hands with a diamond ring on, soap scum clings to it. When you put on hand lotion, it gets grease on it. Shower with your diamond earrings or necklace, and again, you get soap scum. In one short day, your brand new diamond could be dirty!Purchase an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner the same day that you purchase your diamond jewelry, and use it every single day, without fail. The clarity of the diamond changes when the diamond is dirty it loses its sparkle. By taking one minute each day to clean your diamond jewelry, you can avoid this, and your diamonds will never be dirty
From ACM - If you have not done so already you may want to start checking your receipts and back statements to see if you purchased a diamond between 1994 and 2006. If you have than you may be able to receive some money from the $295 million dollar lawsuit that De Beers has just settled. It seems that the De Beers company was charged with anticompetitive prices and advertising that was misleading. The bottom line is that consumers paid more than they should have for their diamonds. They have never admitted that they did anything wrong but they did agree to the settlement. If you would like to submit a claim you can do so by visiting https://diamondsclassaction.com. Or you can call 1800-760-5431 for additional information. The history of the De Beers company is a long one. The De Beers company is the largest and most successful diamond company in the world. According to MSNBC.com, they control a large part of the rough diamond market, which is why many felt that they were guilty of price fixing. Of course the De Beers company is not the only company that has been accused of price fixing. According to www.citynews.com, The Hershey Company and several other candy makers are being sued in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. There have been a total of three lawsuits which have been filed. Yet another case of a company being charged with a price fixing scheme is the oil giant BP. According to an article by the Associated Press, In October, 2007 BP agreed to pay $273 million dollars in fines and restitution. It is pretty obvious based on these other stores that De Beers is not the only company guilty of price fixing.
‘Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop,’ by Landon Pigg
Perhaps you’ve had that feeling of unknowingly falling for someone. If you have, then this DeBeers “Diamonds Are Forever” commercial really hits home. A young man and woman driving along a city street have nothing to say, because Landon Pigg’s music says it for them: “I think quite possibly, maybe I’m falling for you/Yes there’s a chance that I’ve fallen quite hard over you.” While some watchers are consumed by the lyrics of the “Coffee Shop,’ Pigg seems to have a different opinion. He told Spinner, “It’s great getting to hear a song against such beautiful cinematography. Even if your TV was on mute, you would still be satisfied.”
From JCK - Zale Corp. said Tuesday it will close 60 unprofitable stores in the next 90 days and possibly dozens more by the end of the year, The Dallas Morning News reports. Chief administrative office Rodney Carter said that the Dallas-based jeweler is also cutting its capital spending to $85 million this year from a planned $100 million, the newspaper reports. Carter was speaking at the Cowen & Co. annual consumer conference in New York. Stores closings include Zales, Gordon’s, and Piercing Pagoda kiosks. In a related mater, Breeden Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Zale to 17.7 percent from 15.9 percent, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Tuesday. The Greenwich, Conn.-based investment fund, owned by activist investor Richard Breeden reported owning about 7.9 million shares on 44.6 million shares outstanding as of Nov. 30. This is the fourth time this month that the fund has reported increasing its stake. Breeden, is the former SEC chairman.
From R&B Observer - A LEWES woman has been reunited with her £2,000 diamond ring, after a good samaritan handed it into the police. The Express also played an important role in getting the ring back because the owner only discovered it had been found after an appeal in last weeks’ paper. Gaynor Warren lost the ring just after Christmas and feared the worst. She said: ‘I lost it on December 30 and I really don’t know how. ‘I turned the house upside down but I couldn’t find it. ‘I was frantic, it was an eternity ring which had seven diamonds, it’s probably worth about £2,000 but obviously it’s worth more to me in sentimental value.’ Fortunately, the ring was found on the same day in Western Road and handed in a few days later. However, Mrs Warren’s original call to the police was put through to officers in Hove and when the ring was handed in to Lewes Police Station there were no reports of it being lost. Luckily the Express came to the rescue and published an appeal for the ownerto get in touch with the police in Lewes. (more…)
From PRWeb - A Silicon Valley firm has developed a new nanotechnology process that permanently inscribes high-resolution photos on any diamond or other gemstone. The unique process used by Gemory LLC, does not harm the diamond in any way, preserving its original quality and customers’ memories forever. Immortalize the treasured moments of your life - any event or occasion can be preserved forever with high-resolution photo inscription from Gemory™. Events and the emotions tied to them are only temporary, but now you can maintain memories of them forever by inscribing photos on your diamond. Even inscribe family photos side by side in a perpetual family album. Future generations can add their own photos and create a lasting record of family lineage. Diamonds are forever, and now, with Gemory™, so are memories. Gemory™ Process is the Next Evolution of Diamond Inscription. The patent-pending PureDiamond™ process from Gemory uses nanotechnology to inscribe photos in high resolution on the surface of any diamond, pearl or other gem. Although microscopic and invisible to the naked eye, the photos can be viewed at any time using GemmaView™, Gemory’s proprietary portable viewing device. For the past 25 years inscription technology has only allowed inscription of letters, numbers and simple, all-black logos. Gemory has catapulted the diamond-inscription industry into a new era by developing the ability to inscribe high-resolution photos in a full-range of grayscale tones. Plus, Gemory’s proprietary technology is unique in its ability to make those photos inscriptions that are non-invasive and last forever on the surface of a diamond.
From The Guardian - Turkey will launch its first diamond market this month, aiming to become a regional trading hub for the precious stone, a senior industry official said. “The ‘diamonds and precious stones market’ will start to operate soon, hopefully in the coming few weeks,” Oguzhan Aloglu, vice president of the Istanbul Gold Exchange Exchange told Reuters this week. Aloglu said the market will operate within the Gold Exchange and it will allow participants to physically trade both rough and polished diamonds. The aim is to fulfill and boost increasing domestic demand from Turkey’s young generation and attract customers from the Middle East, particularly in Dubai and Israel. “In Turkey, the consumption of diamonds has risen around 25 percent annually. The young generation increasingly prefers diamonds to traditional jewellery,” Aloglu said. Gold jewellery is a traditional gift at Turkish weddings but as the record gold price increased the cost of jewellery, customers are seeking added value by including diamonds. Sales of rough diamonds in Turkey stand around $600 million while the consumption of diamond jewellery is around $1.2 billion, according to Aloglu. (more…)
From Earth Times - Authorities in New York have accused two American Airlines workers at John F. Kennedy International Airport of stealing $235,000 in diamonds. Cargo handlers Richard Lombardo and Steve Tsihlas were arrested and charged with stealing a package of diamonds insured for $235,000, the New York Post reported Sunday. After the uncut diamonds went missing Wednesday, police began questioning Lombardo, who allegedly admitted unspecified details about the crime. Police said Tsihlas was then arrested and he allegedly confessed to taking part in the diamond theft. Information from those interviews allegedly led police to a staff locker bay at the airport, where the stolen diamonds were found. The pair are now facing grand larceny charges in relation to the theft and one law enforcement source said their arrest has left other airport employees shocked and disappointed. “These two have been working together in the same crew for a long time like a family,” the anonymous source told the Post. “A lot of people were hurt by this.”
If you are a consumer who purchased diamonds in the US between Jan 2004 and March 2006 and would like more info check these sites: diamondclassaction FAQ and JVC Legal.
From TheTimes -De Beers, the world’s largest supplier of diamonds, has been ordered to pay $295-million following allegations about price-fixing in the US diamond market. The principal allegations of the class actions against the diamond giant, which is 45 percent owned by Anglo American, are that from January 1994 to March 2006, De Beers monopolised and controlled the supply of rough diamonds in violation of certain US federal and state laws. By manipulating supply, De Beers forced the prices of rough diamonds higher than they would otherwise have been. The lawsuits were brought against De Beers by individuals and businesses that bought loose diamonds and jewellery, or other products containing gem diamonds in the US. De Beers said it did not accept the allegations, but had agreed to pay the penalty. Lynette Gould, media relations manager for De Beers in London, said: “We do believe that settling this class action is in the best interests of our clients, our shareholders and consumers.” Under the proposed settlement, a $295-million fund has been created by De Beers. This settlement fund will be distributed to two groups, or classes, of purchasers: the direct purchaser class and the indirect purchaser class. Direct purchasers will be entitled to claim up to $22.5-million and indirect purchasers will be entitled to claim from the remaining $272.5-million in the fund. (more…)
From Science Daily - Shine a white light on the Hope Diamond and it will dazzle you with the brilliance of an amazing blue diamond. Shine an ultraviolet light on the Hope Diamond and the gem will glow red-orange for about five minutes. This phosphorescent property of blue diamonds can distinguish synthetic and altered diamonds from the real thing, and it may also provide a way to fingerprint individual blue diamonds for identification purposes, according to a team of researchers from the Naval Research Laboratory, the Smithsonian Institution and Penn State. Other colors of diamonds do not phosphoresce, but fluoresce, emitting visible light only as long as they are stimulated with ultraviolet radiation. Blue diamonds that phosphoresce emit light even after the ultraviolet lamp is turned off. Unlike the Hope, however, most blue diamonds produce a bluish light rather than reddish light. The red phosphorescence is rare enough that researchers thought that those blue diamonds that did glow red must have come from the parent of the Hope — an original 112-carat blue diamond mined in India in the mid-1600s. That diamond was cut down to 67 carats to become the French Blue owned by French kings and, after being lost during the French Revolution, appeared 20 years later in 1812 as the 45-carat stone known today as the Hope Diamond. (more…)
From Rapaport - Ghana opened its first diamond cutting school in an effort to add value to its diamond exports. According to the Ghana News Agency, the Natural Diamond Training Institute was established in Accra to teach Ghanaians basic skilling including: identification of raw diamonds; cutting; polishing; separation, assortment and grading of diamonds. Raj Maheswaran, director of the institute, told GNA that students were also being taught diamond marketing skills and were being equipped to establish their own companies. The institute runs a two-month intensive course for senior secondary school graduates and is open to students from the West Africa Sub-region. Ghana exports all its diamonds mined cutting and polishing abroad. The country mined 972,647.88 carats of diamonds valued at $30.9 million in 2006, according to the latest Kimberley Process statistics.
From Easier.com - Hollywood hearththrob Ewan McGregor has been voted the Scottish celebrity women said they would have liked to receive a diamond from in their stockings this Christmas. The Crieff born actor beat off stiff competition from Paisley singing sensation Paolo Nutini, Dr Who star David Tennant, tennis ace Andy Murray, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, rugby and dancing sensation Kenny Logan and actors Sean Connery and Dougray Scott to become Scotland’s Diamond Geezer. The online, celebrity poll was conducted by VisitScotland as part of their Winter White Campaign which encourages visitors to take a break north of the border this winter by showing them all the amazing seasonal, white things they can do and see. VisitScotland’s Product Manager, Suzanne Casey said: “Ewan McGregor is a great ambassador for Scotland and it’s no surprise that he came out on top as our favourite Diamond Geezer with 37% of women taking part in our Winter White poll voting for him. The Diamond Geezer poll was a fun way to get women around the country talking about Scotland and encouraging them to find out more about things to do and see during a winter break by visiting Visitscotland.com/white. So whether you are interested in our stunning white landscapes, climbing our snowcapped mountains or simply enjoying a glass of white wine while you dream of your Diamond Geezer, Scotland has something for everyone in winter.” (more…)
From IDEX - Global polished diamond prices rose sharply in December 2007, according to the IDEX Online Polished Diamond Price Index. Driven by price surges of large polished gemstones in the 3.0-to-5.0 carat size range, polished diamond prices in December 2007 were up nearly 5 percent over the same month a year ago, and polished diamond prices rose by 1.2 percent in December over November 2007, the largest month-to-month gain of the year. The outlook for polished diamond prices is bullish. While the U.S. jewelry market appears to be soft, other regions of the world are posting solid sales gains for diamond jewelry, especially for larger carat, high quality goods. As long as the demand for diamonds and diamond jewelry remains strong, prices will likely rise. The graph below summarizes the IDEX Online Polished Diamond Price Index from the beginning of 2006 through December 2007. This graph represents the composite average prices of all diamonds traded at the wholesale level. It is clear that diamond prices are posting solid, consistent gains, especially during December 2007. (full story)
From WKYC - Brace yourself. The amount of property disappearing from passenger luggage may disturb you more than any rough landing. Channel 3 News has learned nearly $57 million in personal property from passenger luggage has turned up broken, missing or stolen at airports nationwide. Much of that property disappears after entering secure areas of the airport. For 7 months, Channel 3 News Investigators have been battling the Transportation Security Administration to obtain public records on passenger property. We finally obtained an electronic database from TSA that contains about 3,000 pages of valuables that passengers reported missing or damaged. Passengers are claiming all kinds of items have turned up missing from their checked and carry-on bags; things like medicines, laptops, DVD players, and jewelry. Channel 3 News found the most common items missing or stolen nationwide were clothing, including belts and accessories. More than 5,900 items valued at $2.5 million. Second on the list is more than $13 million of fine jewelry with 5,680 pieces missing. Digital cameras are third with more than 4,400 of them reported missing and stolen, carrying a value of nearly $3 million. Nationwide, passengers have filed 76,000 claims in just 3 years. Marti Hallstrom of Wadsworth is among those who have accused TSA of stealing personal property at Cleveland Hopkins. Marti inadvertently left her glasses, a watch and a special bracelet at a TSA checkpoint. (more…)
From PressTV - Harvard astronomers have discovered ‘Lucy’ the largest diamond in the galaxy located at a distance of 50 light years from the Earth. According to Scientists ‘Lucy’ is the heart of an extinct star that used to shine like the Sun, and weighs at least ten billion trillion trillion carats. This is while the largest diamond on Earth which was found in South Africa weighed 546 carats. “You would need a jeweler’s loupe the size of the Sun to grade this diamond,” said Travis Metcalfe, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Astronomers added that Lucy is a crystallized white dwarf, the remaining hot core of a star after its death. They claim that in five billion years, our Sun will also die and turn into a similar diamond which will forever sparkle in the center of the solar system.
Diamond rough is tightly controlled; in the United States via the Clean Diamonds Act & Census Bureau monitoring, and globally by the United Nations’ Kimberley Process & NGOs. Rough mined anywhere in the world must receive proper certification at the source and follow a process of approval before it can be traded to a legitimate cutting house or purchased on the open market. Here, friends of Brian “The Cutter” Gavin from Guinea visit Whiteflash with diamond rough & the accompanying documentation and seals demonstrating provenance.
Normal rough octahedron like the crystal at center right will often be sawed and polished into modern round brilliant or princess cut diamonds. Other crystals may be better-suited to other shapes. To read more about rough diamonds, global controls and beneficiation see the Whiteflash Conflict-Free Guarantee.
From WRCBTV - Devin Smith spent months orchestrating a romantic proposal on the river pier, only to watch his girlfriend’s perfect engagement ring fall 40 feet into the Tennessee River. Lucky for them, the story doesn’t end there. Amanda Hale explains, “It was just like a regular date. We were gonna go to the movies, then out to eat. It was just regular. I didn’t think one thing about it.” That regular date is now the story of a lifetime for Devin Smith and Amanda Hale. Two weeks ago, the couple came to Ross’ Landing. It’s where Devin planned to propose. It was just one of those moments. It happened in slow motion,” said Devin. “I went to open the ring box. It (the ring) hopped out of the box, bounced off the pier and into the river.” Amanda explained, “He went on ahead and proposed. He said, your ring may be in the bottom of the Tennessee River, but our love is forever. Will you marry me?” (more…)
From ShowbizSpy - It seems Posh Spice isn’t the only star falling victim to bling-loving thieves over Christmas - Courtney Love has been targeted to the tune of $100,000. The rocker is devastated after being robbed of a pair of pink diamond drop earrings at a hotel in New York on Boxing Day. The flash jewelery had been a special present for her teenage daughter Frances Bean, who was staying with her for Christmas. Last week, Victoria Beckham was also upset by thieves who swiped her stage costumes, jewellery and designer clobber worth tens of thousands of pounds. The glitzy gear was snatched from her dressing room during a Spice Girls concert in Germany. Meanwhile, Love’s 15-year-old daughter hadn’t even had chance to try on the earrings before thieves struck at the Four Seasons, according to US reports. And the loss has hit Love, 43, right in the pocket - she’d failed to insure the pricey diamonds. “Courtney is devastated,” said a source close to the singer. “She had bought the earrings for Frances as her Christmas present. Frances hadn’t even tried them on yet!” Police are investigating and hotel staff are being quizzed.
From JCK - Hollywood stars Teri Hatcher and Ashton Kutcher are the newest brand ambassadors of Swiss luxury watchmaker Baume & Mercier. Both will appear in the brand’s 2008 “Baume & Mercier & Me” ad campaign. For the past three years, such Hollywood luminaries as Meg Ryan, Kiefer Sutherland, Kim Basinger, and Gary Sinise have headlined the ongoing marketing camping. As in the previous campaigns, this new one also supports a good cause. All royalties normally due to the two actors, as well as the two photographers—Robert Erdmann for Teri Hatcher and Jim Wright for Ashton Kutcher—will be donated to charities jointly chosen by the actors and the watch brand. Those are the fight against cancer, the promotion of child education, and helping underprivileged women. The new campaign launches Jan. 1 with Teri Hatcher (pictured) and on Apr. 1 with Ashton Kutcher.
This kind of crime has lessened significantly in the United States over as more stores and malls have video surveillance. As a result, these cases are frequently solved. This just happened in Canada.
From WinnipegSun - Thieves pretending to be legitimately checking out diamond rings at a Polo Park jewellery store yesterday made off with a big one. About 1:30 p.m. yesterday, two men went into the People’s Jewellers store in the Winnipeg mall and asked the clerk to see a few rings. One of them was a 1.63-karat diamond ring worth $13,000. “They just basically turned around and ran out of the store and out of the mall,” said Sgt. Kelly Dennison, a Winnipeg police spokesman. The men got into a brown or green Chrysler LeBaron convertible and drove off, said Dennison. They are both described as Asian males in their 20s. One was about 5-foot-3 with short spiked brown hair and an earring in one ear, said Dennison.
The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization. Any errors are the authors' responsibility. In fact, let's blame that kid in the sandbox. I heard he got caught with a lighter once.
From: JCRS
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