30 of the Best Jewelry Reads of 2022

By Rob Bates | December 23, 2022

Snowed in? Flight canceled? Then you’ve got plenty of time to devote to these industry stories. Happy clicking!

As I do every year, I would like to spotlight my favorite 2022 articles on jewelry and related industries and topics that had the nerve not to appear on JCKonline.com.

And as I also do every year, I apologize in advance for leaving out many excellent pieces and writers from this roundup.

The end of the year is always a time for reflection and taking stock. We hope the following 30 pieces give you a few things to think about.

BUSINESS

Colorful watches — *Photo: Getty Images*

It turns out television sells lots of watches

Designers find consignment “a touchy subject”

CRIME

counterfeit designer jewelry — *Counterfeit designer jewelry (photos courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)*

Jewelry counterfeit problem keeps getting worse

The story of the 1987 Argyle gem heist

Who murdered an elderly jewelry salesman?

How England’s biggest home burglary was cracked

The 1870 San Francisco great diamond hoax

DIAMONDS

diamond fluorescence Getty — *Photo: Getty Images*

MIT student mines valuable insights from diamonds

Edahn Golan on the lab-grown diamond contradiction

Snopes on whether it really rains diamonds on other planets

DIAMONDS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Man in illegal mine in South Africa — *A worker in an illegal mine in South Africa (photo: Getty Images)*

Diamond diggers in South Africa risk their lives

The New York Times looks at tailings failure at Jagersfontein, South Africa

Lab-grown diamond makers buff up green credentials

FIRST-PERSON

Lenore Fedow remembers her mom through her jewelry

Reporter gets jewelry permanently welded to wrist

GEMSTONES

Brecken Branstrator: What I learned following the veins of East Africa’s mines

Profile of modern-day Indiana Jones Yianni Melas

RETAIL

Chopard precious lace paraiba tourmaline necklace sketch — *A sketch of the Chopard Precious Lace paraiba tourmaline necklace, a salute to the jewelry house’s Precious Lace symbol (photo courtesy of Chopard)*

The not-so-famous symbols of jewelry houses

The stories behind six jewelry stores with unusual names

Most luxury brands will disappear by 2030

91-one-year-old jeweler still goes to work every day

E-TAIL

The great post-COVID online shopping bet was a costly delusion

Everything on Amazon has become an ad

Intimate look at Rent the Runway’s turbulent year

How Shopify outfoxed Amazon

SHOWBIZ

Jane Seymour spoofs her own jewelry ads

The story behind Marilyn Monroe singing “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”

Lucille Ball’s unique engagement ring

SOCIAL MEDIA

hand with Le Vian rings JCK instagram — *@JCKmagazine is full of sparkle, especially when we’re at the JCK show*

The New Yorker: Everyone can be Liz Taylor on jewelry Instagram

TikTok is helping people locate their lost engagement rings.

Top: Getty Images

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