a matching suite of ruby and diamond jewelry that napoleon ordered in 1810 has a history as colorful and brilliant as the gemstones it contained. first worn by empress marie-louise, some of the jewels ended up decorating a new york socialite at a controversial ball in 1897. now rubies from the suite have been resurfacing at recent auctions among the most intriguing jewels in the world are piece…

the american gem society’s cutting edge competition honors the best of north american and international lapidary artists the american gem trade association’s annual cutting edge competition is america’s premier showplace for exquisitely cut gemstones. this year’s judging – held in dallas, tex., on april 22, involved more than 200 entries.

nysja installs officers, presents awards the new york state jewelers association welcomed new officers and presented achievement awards at its annual convention, held may 20-22 at the marriott wind watch in hauppauge, n.y. this was the first time in about 15 years the convention was not in the catskills.

jewel-making tips cheap thrills in the tool shop: inexpensive equipment options and bench tricks for goldsmiths, by charles lewton-brain. 1994. 80 pages. 8 illustrations. $24.95. (jck data center hb-005) to order call (207) 767-6059. once in a while a master takes time to record the tricks amassed during a lifetime, although among jewelers this is very rare.

many people remember that fantastic cartier necklace on view years ago at an auction, gallery or antique show. far fewer are fortunate enough to have the taste and means to afford it. however, discerning collectors with an eye for beauty and a limited pocketbook needn’t despair. there is an alternative.

the new name of the giant trade fair in basel, switzerland – the world watch, clock and jewellery show – didn’t drastically alter its makeup. but it did better reflect the nature of the timepiece and jewelry business as a global concern that for years has reached well beyond the swiss alps and europe.

saying goodbye to a true industry leader come september 30, mike roman is going to retire. there’s a good chance that as recently as the spring of this year, when he made the announcement, most people who know mike just couldn’t imagine him retiring. he seems such a permanent part of the jewelry industry.

your best customer enters the store a month before his 25th wedding anniversary and wants to get his wife a diamond of around 5 carats – “the finest he can get.” you obtain on memo a $55,000 4.64-ct. emerald-cut diamond with a grading report from a major lab saying it’s d color, si1 clarity. you sell it for $65,000 and tell the customer the lab report is a guarantee the diamond is as good as yo…

great white north the fifth annual toronto ready-to-wear collections featured straightforward fashion – no supermodels and no theatrics, just strong looks that women could wear off the runway and straight into the office, according to the “talking trends” report by the fashion group international. nicole tysowsky, merchandising editor of vogue magazine, reported for fgi.

long’s commissions art for boston marathon long’s jewelers has commissioned local artist e. joseph fontaine to create an original work of art to be the official poster for the 100th running of the boston marathon in april 1996. long’s, a 116-year-old firm with five stores in the greater boston area, has been the official award supplier of the boston marathon for a number of years.

pearl prices may escape high yen the free-falling u.s. dollar is having much less effect on akoya and south seas pearl prices than originally expected, say pearl dealers. the japanese yen, the currency in which virtually all pearls are traded, grew about 35% against the dollar in the first quarter of 1995 (from y108=$1 to y80=$1).

golden circle club to honor gesswein the golden circle club of new york will honor roger gesswein of paul h. gesswein & co., bridgeport, conn., during a “roast” in the sky club of new york city sept. 21. gesswein is a former president of the golden circle club and the 24 karat club of the city of new york.

big deals in the big apple the diamond and jewelry industries development corp., a new partnership between the new york city government and several industry associations, has introduced jewelers’ new york, a year-round travel service open to all jewelry professionals. the program offers substantial savings on airfares, restaurants and entertainment.

the lab report says the diamond weighs 1.09 cts, has a g color, a vvs clarity. no cut grade but a selection of dimensions. the lab report also says these figures and letters represent opinion, not necessarily the exact grading they seem to represent. this odd situation has existed for years. the report says, in effect, “these are the facts.

antique watches and clocks often command very high prices at auctions. but many modern watches – scooped up directly from their makers – now also fetch very large sums and attract much attention. the calibre ’89 by patek philippe, for example, brought $3.17 million when sold in 1989. a duplicate is expected to bring more than twice that.

treasure troves in trunks have you ever wished for a way to double your inventory at no cost? a low-risk option for test-marketing a new line? a promotion that attracts customers without a margin-eating sale? trunk shows might be just the answer. many jewelry and watch manufacturers and designers are willing – even eager – to come to your store for a day or two to exhibit their complete line.

asa announces home-study program the american society of appraisers now offers an audiocassette home-study version of its uniform standards of professional appraisal practice course. the course, which is mandatory for all asa members, covers the history, preamble, ethics provision, competency provision, departure provision, jurisdictional exception and all 10 standards – just as does the tradit…

pgi japan names design winners the platinum guild international japan announced the winners of its “platinum design of the year” contest. the contest evaluates designs from among all platinum jewelry and other platinum products created over the past year. there are four sections: commercially produced jewellery, works of art, designers’ proposals, and students’ proposals.

plans announced for great lakes show the great lakes jewelry show, formerly called the chicago jewelry show, will be held aug. 19-21 at chicago’s navy pier. the illinois jewelers association, show sponsor, expects more than 200 display booths. a seminar program will feature a discussion of “clarity-enhanced diamonds” by ron yehuda of yehuda diamond corp.

diverse. eclectic. innovative. free. even designers can’t agree on one word to describe american jewelry design. it has no specific look, no one trait that shouts “american.” from henry dunay’s dazzling diamond creations to michael good’s graceful curls to richard kimball’s elemental textures and colors to david yurman’s fashionable sterling cable bracelets,american jewelry design remains as st…

enthusiasm runs high at jck show jewelers enthusiastically rustled up business at the fourth annual jck international jewelry show. the event, which featured a rodeo theme, was held june 7-12 at the sands expo and convention center in las vegas, nev. many jewelry, watch and loose stone vendors reported their best sales in recent memory, indicating retailers expect a good year.