Alisa Announces New Ownership

Fine jeweler Alisa is under new ownership. As owners Fred and Lisa Morgan move into retirement, industry veterans Marci and Adam Staub will head the company as its new principals.

Adam Staub is a GIA graduate gemologist and a member of the 24K Club in the southeast region. Together, he and Marci have 35 years of experience in the fine jewelry industry. According to a statement, the new owners will uphold the tradition of Alisa’s line and “creatively expand the product line as we go forward.”

“We are delighted that the Alisa brand will continue to be available to our many loyal retailers through such highly talented people,” said Fred and Lisa Morgan in a joint statement. “We’ve known Marci and Adam for more than a decade. They are true professionals in our industry—knowledgeable, innovative, energetic, and customer-service oriented—and they will be fabulous for the brand’s ongoing success.”

To see their current offerings, visit alisadesigns.com.

NAJA Announces 2020 Online Appraisal Studies Course

The National Association of Jewelry Appraisers has announced an updated and expanded online Appraisal Studies Course for 2020.

The course offers a wide variety of topics, ranging from appraisal theory and methodology to jewelry history, with a quiz rounding out the end of each lesson. Brief interactive sections as well as supplemental videos and external links are available to enhance understanding, and students are able to view and save their progress every step along the way. In addition, students are alerted to any updates or alterations made to the courses, and they are allowed to go back and revisit the course at any time.

The course is available to both NAJA members and nonmembers. For more information, visit najaappraisers.com.

Frederick Goldman Licenses Tungsten Carbide to Thorsten Jewelry

Frederick Goldman Inc. has announced it will license its tungsten carbide material to the Long Beach, Calif., men’s wedding band wholesaler Thorsten Rings. Frederick Goldman holds the patent of the Trent West Tungsten Carbide, which remains in effect until August 23, 2023. Only licensees authorized by Frederick Goldman may sell wedding rings made of the material on the market.

Frederick Goldman holds a number of patents on coatings and processes, such as Triton’s White Tungsten Carbide, which obtains its color through a patented nanotechnology multilayered coating applied to the surface of the metal. The company also has a patent pending on a multipiece construction combining contemporary metals with precision-machined 14k gold, for a virtually seamless design. Its latest patent application is for Diamond-Like Carbon, a carbon-based coating with some properties of diamond often used in luxury watches and high-end performance tools because of its tough, protective qualities.

For more information, visit fgoldman.com.

Fura Completes Acquisition of Australian Sapphire Mining Project

Toronto-based Fura Gems, a new gemstone mining and marketing company with emerald, ruby, and sapphire assets in Colombia, Mozambique, and Australia, has announced its successful acquisition of a sapphire mining project in Queensland, Australia.

“We are very pleased to complete the acquisition, which results in Fura becoming the only public gemstone mining and marketing company in the world to hold emerald, ruby, and sapphire mining assets,” said Fura president and chief executive officer Dev Shetty, in a statement.

For more information on the details of this transaction, visit furagems.com.

Tara Pearls Announces Change in Business Strategy

Tara Pearls will eliminating its fashion-forward pearl and diamond jewelry category to focus on its high-end pearls and pearl jewelry.

To facilitate this change, Tara will be selling off its fashion-forward line at highly discounted prices at the upcoming Centurion show and at the AGTA GemFair Tucson, offering retailers the chance to procure the merchandise at below cost.

“We will be focusing our strengths on finding the finest pearls on the planet, including conch, melo, and South Seas, while continuing our classic Japanese akoya line of pearls,” said CEO Sonny Sethi in a statement.

For more information, visit tarapearls.com.

Bonas Announces Colored Stone Tender 2020

International diamond tender house Bonas has announced it will hold a gemstone tender alongside the February Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair in February at the city’s Impact Challenger Center. The tender is said to feature approximately 500 lots of precious colored gemstones, ranging from certified to uncertified, heated and unheated, rubies, sapphires, Paraiba tourmaline, and others.

Full details of the goods will be available toward the end of January, but some of the highlights include a 4.01 ct. cushion Mozambican ruby, no heat, pigeon’s-blood; a 14.33 ct. oval Burmese sapphire, no heat, royal blue; and a 4.02 ct. oval Mozambican ruby, no heat, Global Recycled Standard certification, pigeon’s-blood.

For more information and to register for the event, email bonascolouredgems@bonasgroup.com.

Top, from left: Adam and Marci Staub, new owners of Alisa, and the company’s previous owners, Lisa and Fred Morgan

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