Jewelry collectors tend to go gaga over venerable brand names. But for true connoisseurs, intrinsic value always trumps labels. Take this exquisite rose gold colored diamond ring, which is unsigned and has no known maker, yet earned more than $3.5 million at auction. Daphne Lingon, senior vice president and senior specialist for Christie’s, which sold…

Links of Love It all started in fall 2013, when Peter D’Enbeau, owner of Cincinnati’s Soulmates Jewelry, made a suggestion to his fellow jewelers on Facebook’s Metalsmiths Coffee House group: making a holiday gift for the group’s administrator. He had proposed a bracelet, but after 72 people committed to contribute a link, D’Enbeau realized the…

Silk Ties Carrera y Carrera’s new Seda Imperial (Imperial Silk) collection recalls a centuries-old Chinese legend about a silk shawl dubbed the Manila shawl and its ancient creation. According to lore, Chinese princess Liu-Tsu is forced to marry against her will. As an act of revenge, she stitches the closely guarded secret of Imperial Silk…

Eye on Dubai Dubai has seen phenomenal growth in the diamond business in recent years, mostly due to its free-trade zone and hands-off government, which is determined to increase its influence over the industry. A recent controversy, however, is threatening to taint the city’s image. In June, Antwerp World Diamond Centre, the Belgian industry group…

Like the fancifully feathered bird that inspired it, this gemmy peacock necklace by designer Alessio Boschi for AB Jewels is full of surprises. On the back of every individual feather is a minuscule one-of-a-kind peacock wrought in various gemstones, each with tiny black diamonds for eyes. Boschi says the lifelike design was inspired by “the…

business beat expectations at the annual iijs.

New York City’s Coterie show Sept. 14–16 spotlights designers of both apparel and accessories. Above:1. Three-piece Astral earrings and jacket in 23k gold-plated silver alloy with 2 cts. t.w. white topaz; $195; Elizabeth & James, NYC; 212-633-4948; elizabethandjames.us   2. Necklace in 14k gold-plated silver with clover motif and 0.15 ct. diamond; $125; Shy by…

This month’s Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair draws buyers from around the globe When Joe Sengul sets up his booth at the upcoming Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, his showcases will be full of fashion-forward jewels. “Buyers are very into floral and geometric styles with lots of color, yellow and rose gold, and…

pearl sales are poised to soar, thanks to new farming technologies that are making the gems less costly and thus more attractive to designers who once shunned them.

move over, millennials. step aside, gen x. bye-bye, baby boomers. there’s a new kid (with money) on the block, and as she gets older, she’s going to become more important to retailers.

when it comes to cooking up tantalizing consumer experiences, retailers of all stripes are embracing an old idea that, paired with technology, feels new again: the pop-up store.

From the big data boom to the science of trend forecasting, the newest retail developments are less overwhelming—and more accessible—than you might think The Information Society Harnessing big data to make small decisions in retail has never been so popular—or effective Retailers have always used consumer information to find out what customers want, and how…

As swinging socialite Daisy Buchanan in the 1974 film of F. Scott ­Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, 29-year-old Mia Farrow looked out of this world. And that was the intent. When the producers approached Cartier about adorning Farrow (and costar Lois Chiles) with custom jewelry, they asked that Daisy’s gems help her appear, literally, unreal. “Gatsby’s…

We just dig her Vibe’s The biggest misconception about pearls, says Danish designer Lene Vibe Dahlgren, is that they’re “something your grandmother is wearing.” And if you saw her lustrous multicolored Tahitian pearl body chain draped across a bikini-clad model in last month’s JCK…well, you’d never picture granny in that, would you? For two decades,…

Decorative artist Michael Aram moves from furniture and tableware to fine jewelry Michael Aram has a confession to make. It’s the tail end of an interview to discuss his new jewelry collection—a first for the designer, who’s known for his decorative and tabletop accessories—when talk turns to his surname. In Hindi, it means “gently, with…

What’s trending and who’s advertising in the July issues W Pushing:• Double-ended cuff with white resin; geometric cage-style earrings (“Art Walk: Make the gallery rounds with these seriously inspiring accessories”)• Watches with amethyst, emerald, and blue and orange sapphire briolettes; white-banded watches with mother-of-pearl dials (“These sparkling ­keepsakes are the ultimate fairy-tale pieces”) Advertisers:Omega, David…

the jewelry by design owner wants to help jewelers compete with blue nile, one seminar at a time.

this naples, fla., boutique features ever-apropos seashells and coral mingled with modern lucite and antique italian accessories.

A son follows in his father’s footsteps taking the reins of a five-decade-old family business When Dick and Louise Eiseman went into the fine jewelry business in 1963, “we had a couple of cases in a department store,” recalls Louise. Now, Eiseman Jewels in Dallas is one of the most influential independent ­jewelry retailers in…

these sites are bound to help your store run more smoothly.

No longer a Southeast Florida secret, Montica Jewelry is determined not to fly under the radar 1. What has been your most memorable sale? We had a very young lady—maybe 21 or 22 years old—come into the store one time. She was dressed nicely, but everyone was kind of blowing her off because they thought…

Thanks to these user-friendly real estate sites and apps, you can search for commercial space from your sofa: 1. LoopNet: Searchable by location and price, this database is the closest thing to MLS—the service all U.S. residential Realtors use to post homes for sale—for commercial property. (loopnet.com; loopnet.com/mobile) 2. SHOWCASE: Run by commercial real estate…

A new court case may test whether jewelers bear legal liability for the representations on their grading reports. Genesis Diamonds, the Nashville, Tenn., retailer whose use of reports from EGL International made it the subject of a critical local newscast in May, has now been slapped with a lawsuit over how it uses those reports.…

The 40 pieces that comprise the gem-rich Ophir Collection, the property of an anonymous collector who amassed them over two decades of world travel, are now for sale. Among the notable items: 1. The world’s largest sapphire (left) certified by Guinness World Records and weighing in at 31,308 cts., making it the size of a…

Happy September! I’m writing this month’s letter having just wrapped up a ­terrific jewelry week here in New York City. As always, it was four days and nights of great meetings, fun reunions with friends, and fabulous parties. First up was the debut of the LUXURY Privé show in its new Waldorf Astoria Grand Ballroom…

At the end of July, I joined some friends at a sidewalk table in Manhattan’s Union Square, where we attempted to recover from the events of New York City’s hectic-as-ever jewelry week. (To see what you might have missed, check out this issue’s party-centric Social Diary.) As we sat there admiring the crowded nighttime scene,…

1. Shows The Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria hotel hosts the 24 Karat Club of the City of New York gala dinner every January. So it’s possible a few people were disoriented in late July, when 60 jewelry exhibitors colonized the space for the fourth annual LUXURY Privé show, which ditched its former home…