No amount of Zoom fatigue should keep you from attending the incredible lineup of jewelry events taking place this week (virtually, natch). Diamond mining in Botswana, opportunities in the lab-grown diamond category, contemporary jewelry design, “pretty and powerful pearls,” the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, nurturing diversity, the (sordid?) history of the Tiffany & Co. diamond feather, and fake ancient gold—this week’s jewelry topics truly cover it all.
LISTEN
The Jewelry District, Episode 39: Ongoing
In the latest episode of JCK’s The Jewelry District podcast, editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates have a frank, fascinating conversation with Alexander Lacik, CEO of Pandora. From Alexander’s circuitous route to the jewelry industry to how he’s navigating the company through a multiyear turnaround and the pandemic, the talk offers numerous lessons on how a contemporary jewelry brand overcomes challenges and connects with consumers worldwide.
New Plumb Club Podcasts: Ongoing
Two new Plumb Club podcasts tackle topics of immense interest to retail jewelers. In the first episode, Citizen Watch America’s Barbara Garces and Regina Fiedel define a digital-first strategy and provide insight on reaching consumers and creating awareness and desire using digital tactics. In the second episode, Cora Lee Colaizzi and Tom Pautz of Quality Gold look at how lab-grown diamonds can help retailers capitalize on the category’s growing popularity.
BID
Bonhams’ “Powerful & Pretty” Pearls Sale: March 8–12 (online)
Bonhams is using the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8 to open a virtual sale dedicated entirely to pearls. Powerful & Pretty: Pearls Online showcases the sea-born gem’s “transition from symbol of fusty femininity to emblem of women’s autonomy and achievement,” as JCK senior editor Emili Vesilind wrote in a recent preview.
ATTEND
Gemflix Conversation With Lucara CEO Eira Thomas: March 10, 12 p.m. ET (online)
Next up on Gemflix, the series of virtual jewelry events organized by the jewelry social club Gem X, is a conversation with Eira Thomas, CEO of Lucara. When she was fresh out of university, the geology graduate discovered the Diavik diamond mine in the Canadian Arctic, and went on to explore the deserts of Botswana. Following her talk, which is organized in partnership with the Natural Diamond Council, attendees will be taken on a virtual tour of the Lucara mine with Botswana managing director Naseem Lahri. It is free to attend the event in real time (register here). Anyone interested in viewing the talk at a later date will need to access the archives for a monthly fee of $10.
92Y Talk With Gabriella Kiss: March 10, 1 p.m. ET, $10 (online)
Jonathan Wahl, director of the 92Y Jewelry Center, continues his virtual conversations with contemporary jewelers with sculptor-turned-jeweler Gabriella Kiss, whose training with Ted Muehling informed her poetic, nature-focused style. Check back every Sunday through mid-March for info about upcoming guests. Each talk is $10.
Branko Gems Panel Discussion on Lab-Grown Diamonds: March 11, 4 p.m. ET (online)
JCK’s very own Rob Bates moderates a panel discussion for Branko Gems that looks at the future of the diamond trade through the lens of lab-grown. The panelists—including Garry Holloway of Holloway Diamonds in Australia, Swarovski’s Michael Schlamandiger, Lab Grown Magazine’s Dan Scott, Borsheims’ Sean Moore, and author and consumer advocate Antoinette Matlins—will address numerous questions, including where they see the category, and prices, going.
The Jewelry Library’s “Tiffany Diamond Feather” Talk: March 10, 5 p.m. ET (online)
Industrial designer, metalsmith, museum curator, and Rhode Island School of Design professor Matthew Bird leads the Jewelry Library’s latest talk “The Tiffany Diamond Feather,” a roaming discussion that promises to delve deep into diamonds, as well as croissants, undercooked gingerbread, and strychnine poisoning! Register here (if you dare).
Diamonds Do Good’s 3rd Virtual Global Conversation: March 11, 11 a.m. ET (online)
Diamonds Do Good devotes its third annual global conversation to the topic of “Bridging the Barriers: How to Nurture Diversity in Your Business and Enhance Sales.” DDG president Rebecca Foerster kicks off the free event by interviewing His Excellency Onkokame Kitso Mokaila, Botswana ambassador to the United States; Mmetla Masire, permanent secretary, Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy; and Botswana-based designer Boitshoko Kebakile of House of Divinity. Sally Morrison, PR director of Natural Diamonds at De Beers, then moderates a design-focused discussion with leading jewelers and retailers, including Lola Oladunjoye of Paris-based Lola Fenhirst, Roxanne Rajcoomar-Hadden of London-based RRH Jewellery, and Lorraine West of Brooklyn-based Lorraine West Jewelry.
WJA NY Metro “All That Glitters Is Not Old”: March 11, 5 p.m. ET (online)
Reality, illusion, and the murky borderland between them have preoccupied jewelers since the beginning of time. In the WJA NY Metro chapter’s latest event, “All That Glitters Is Not Old,” Dr. Jack Ogden, the British jewelry historian, focuses on the long history of gold fakery, and how counterfeit Egyptian rings, Greek wreaths, and medieval pendants have found their way on to the legitimate market. Be prepared to learn tips and techniques for spotting the spurious!
Top: To honor Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting female jewelry designers in this Sunday newsletter and throughout our editorials this month and beyond. (Blue opal Buddha charm with boulder opals, $4,100; Cathy Waterman)
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