michael goldstein ltd. recently published a summer 2002 antique-cut diamond price guide, available by mail or on the internet free of charge to qualified members of the jewelry trade. the guide to antique-cut diamond prices contains current buying and asking prices and market commentary for old mine and european-cut diamonds ranging in size from .

the jewelry judge now offers laser-inscribed color masters, the first available certified laser-inscribed cz grading masters. each stone is carefully graded by a professional and validated using a colorimeter; the color grade is then laser-inscribed into the stone, making them easy to identify and separate should they be dropped or mixed up during use.

nissko jewelry has designed and manufactured a limited-edition medallion to commemorate the bravery of the men and women of the fire department of the city of new york (fdny). nissko is offering the 1.5-in. sterling silver medallion to all members of the fdny free of charge. the medallion features the maltese cross, a symbol of firefighters nationwide, as well as a ladder and fire hydrant.

few have the ability to move and impact an entire industry. most of us function in our own little worlds making incremental changes. we may be a big fish in a small pond or a little fish in a big pond. we work. we innovate to some degree. we hope the world will be a better place for our having been here.

the european commission is investigating whether a deal between de beers and russia violates antitrust rules, the wall street journal recently reported. when the deal was signed earlier this year, a de beers statement said it would be reviewed with the european union. now it appears the eu doesn’t like what it sees.

beginning in 2004, the jck show ~ orlando will move to phoenix, ariz. the 2004 event will be held friday through sunday, feb. 6-8, at the phoenix civic plaza. the change does not affect the 2003 jck show ~ orlando, which will be held feb. 2-4, 2003, at the orange county convention center in orlando, fla.

jewelamerica inc. has acquired all the assets of the baith company, which offers gemstone and diamond jewelry ranging in price from $49 to $499. bracelets are a signature item. baith founder aday akdemir joins jewelamerica as vice president of merchandising and sales. the baith division will be located at jewelamerica’s headquarters at 119 w.

gemworld international inc. has released the fall/winter 2002 issue of the guide, complete with new golden south sea pearl price grids and revised price charts for other pearl categories. in the colored stone categories, price changes and market trends are plotted for more than 20 gem varieties, including blue, pink, and padparadscha sapphires.

jeweler richard white peered through his store window last august at a car across the street. it had been there 45 minutes, and a visiting traveling jewelry salesperson told white he thought the car had followed him to the store. white, an experienced third-generation jeweler and the owner of ed white’s jewelers in cullman, ala.

the international colored gemstones association’s annual conference will be held in jaipur, india, jan. 5-9. a sri lanka gem tour follows the conference, and it’s not too late to sign up.

the german luxury watch brand a. lange & söhne has established a retail network in north america. until now, the brand was available only at cellini jewelers in new york city. watch industry veteran marcia mazzocchi is the new president of lange uhren usa, based in malibu, calif., the company’s first u.

two veterans of the swiss luxury watchmaking industry, henri stern and jacques-louis audemars, have died. stern, former longtime president of patek philippe who developed its u.s. market and international network, died sept. 21 in geneva, switzerland. he was 91. in 1937, the company sent him to new york city to develop u.

first diamonds were said to fund brutal african rebellions. then, terrorists were said to store money in gems. now, canadian law enforcement has linked diamonds to another unsavory group—the underworld. the canadian intelligence service recently wrote that the country’s diamond industry could attract the wrong elements.

intercept investigative agency (iia), a hollywood, fla.-based security firm, recently established a new division to provide transportation, protection, and security services for jewelers and their valuables. the company can provide 24-hour entry-to-exit transportation and merchandise security to jewelry sales reps nationwide.

the gemological institute of america introduced a jewelry finance diploma program at its carlsbad, calif. campus in october. it joins the jewelry business principles diploma program (formally graduate retail management) as part of the curriculum of gia’s recently established school of business—the first school of its kind to teach management skills as they apply specifically to the jewelr…

the international gemological institute (igi) has opened a diamond laboratory in los angeles. marcello bustamante, a graduate gemologist and 15-year igi veteran, has been named managing director of igi los angeles and will oversee day-to-day operations. the 1,625-sq.-ft. laboratory is located at 550 s.

each season signals jewelry’s further advance into the fashion industry. in new york in september, for example, jewelry companies stepped up participation in the seven-day circus of designers, celebrities, and media that is fashion week. just a few years ago, designers relied largely on traditional celebrity houses such as harry winston to accent their runway attire.

an extraordinary collection of rough and faceted fancy-color sapphires from the rock creek, mont., deposit is on display at gia’s carlsbad, calif., campus in the assael grand atrium through february. the sapphires, shown here, are on loan from bob kane of fine gems international, helena, mont. montana’s rock creek deposit is one of the few locations in north america where commercial quantities …

the united states will meet the january deadline to implement the kimberley process, said the state department’s new point man for conflict diamonds, j.d. bindenagel. he also warned that other governments had better act quickly or they will not have access to the world’s largest diamond market. “the u.

there are five basic gem garnet species: grossularite, pyrope, almandite, spessartite, and andradite. it would certainly make life easy for jewelers and gemologists if each garnet grew solely within its own mineralogical boundaries. but they don’t. pyrope, for example, can intermix with spessartite, which can blend in with grossularite.

egl usa is now offering 72-hour turnaround in los angeles for its inscription services. in july egl usa’s los angeles office installed “cold laser” inscription equipment. mark gershburg, director of egl usa, says the cold laser doesn’t penetrate diamond and thus does not cause internal damage. for information, call (347) 242-0442 in new york or (213) 534-2223 in los angeles.

gia president william e. boyajian received the american gem society’s triple zero award in a ceremony during the third annual ags circle of distinction dinner, held in july in new york. the triple zero awards were created to recognize members of the jewelry industry for their accomplishments and contributions in their field of endeavor.

the gemological institute of america (gia) has announced that alice keller, editor of gia’s award-winning journal, gems & gemology, has been promoted to editor-in-chief. keller is only the third person to hold the post since the creation of g&g in the mid-1930s. gia president william e. boyajian noted that richard t.

at last year’s emmy awards, in the wake of sept. 11, many celebrities toned down their outfits to suit the somber mood of the moment. in 2002, however, those same celebs displayed uninhibited glamour and illustrated why, exactly, the stars sparkle. as always, diamonds were a favorite choice for those gracing the red carpet at the 54th annual emmy awards.

to accommodate the increasing demand for on-campus graduate gemologist programs and jewelry design classes, gia thailand has added two classrooms and now occupies one-and-a-half floors in bangkok’s bisco tower. the school is located near the heart of thailand’s central business district, near what’s considered the world center for colored gemstones and jewelry.

the summer issue of gems & gemology includes a three-page foldout that illustrates the grading ranges for natural pink diamonds. the article, “characterization and grading of natural-color pink diamonds,” was written by john king of the new york gia gem trade lab, along with a team of gia researchers.

the second annual people’s choice awards will take place feb. 6-10 at the gem galleria gem art show in tucson, held at the manning house, tucson’s original mayor’s residence. lightning ridge opal and gemcast productions co-sponsor this novel competition. according to elena gutierrez, director of gemcast productions, this is not only the first competition in tucson to award prize money and worki…

beverly hills jeweler irving zimmelman passed away on sept. 23, 2002, after a long struggle with complications related to a stroke. he entered the jewelry business after serving in world war ii, working his way up from “vest-pocket dealer” to the owner of terrell & zimmelman, one of the premier manufacturers on the west coast.

the day before i wrote this editorial, i attended the diamond trading company’s press briefing on its holiday advertising plans (see upfront, page 26). i was impressed with what the team at j. walter thompson, the dtc’s ad agency, had to say. for starters, the dtc team holds the same belief that we at jck do—that just when you think you can’t afford to advertise is the time you most n…

the american watch guild (awg) recently launched the “international watch collectors society” (iwcs) to generate sales of fine watches and after-sale business for jewelers who are awg members. awg is a group of watch retailers and manufacturers committed to ethics in the fine-watch business and high standards for products, service, and salesmanship.

international packaging corporation (interpak), a manufacturer and distributor of packaging materials for the jewelry (and related) industries, has purchased the assets of gem case llc. gem case, founded in 1970, is a manufacturer of covered metal jewelry boxes. interpak manufactures and distributes jewelry boxes, displays, and packaging to jewelry manufacturers, retail jewelers, department sto…

canada has arrived in the diamond industry in a big way—and it’s about to get bigger. its first mine, ekati, accounts for 6% of world production by value. in february comes a second mine, the equally big diavik. snap lake, de beers’ horse in this race, is scheduled to come on stream in 2006. with that, canada’s share of the market could top 15%, making it a serious rival to south africa f…

when maharajah sir bhupindar singh of patiala commissioned a necklace from cartier in 1928, he wanted a stunning showpiece for the famous de beers diamond purchased by his father. the resulting necklace was adorned with nearly 3,000 diamonds totaling 962.25 cts.—including the 234.69-ct. yellow de beers diamond mined in 1888.

gemworld international inc. has developed a comprehensive training program exclusively for guide appraisal software (gas) users. the one-day training is designed to provide the tools necessary to effectively implement gas into daily business practices. richard drucker, publisher of the guide, will host the course in an educational environment that provides users with the opportunity to learn ba…

three swiss watch firms have given a $500,000 grant to significantly expand the watchmaking program of oklahoma state university-okmulgee. the five-year grant, retroactive to january 2002, covers expansion of the program’s facilities, new and additional equipment, scholarships, and faculty training. representatives of audemars piguet, breitling, and the richemont group (whose many watch brands …

aladdin gold creations inc., importer of gold jewelry from italy and other countries, has announced that it is the exclusive distributor for a/c import. the agreement expands the aladdin gold creation line to include fashion diamond jewelry such as earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. aladdin gold creations inc.

the women’s jewelry association (wja) is inviting members and others to a holiday party on dec. 19 at new york’s w hotel, union square at 17th street and park avenue south, from 6 to 8 p.m. for a light supper and cocktails. the cost for members is $95, for nonmembers, $110. wja is asking attendees to bring a wrapped gift for a child.

“this christmas, make a declaration.” so exhorts the diamond trading company’s fall diamond jewelry advertising campaign. building on previous themes, the campaign focuses on three key areas of diamond jewelry marketing: the “past, present, and future” three-stone jewelry campaign; the “statement diamond” campaign; and fancy-shape diamonds.

fashion designers and red-carpet sirens aren’t the only ones who know that showing a little skin is more than a little sexy. in jewelry, the trend translates into the use of negative, or open, space that is integral to the design and the appeal of the piece. more than just simple cutout shapes, negative space is an important element in hot styles like latticework and “floating” gemstones.

irving l. wein, a lifelong chicago businessman and active member of the city’s jewish community, died of cancer on july 12 at his river north home. he was 76. wein grew up in hyde park on chicago’s south side and at age 16 enrolled in the university of chicago. he spent three years in the u.s. army in europe, landing in france shortly after d-day as a member of the 8th armored division.

“feel energy from nature,” says the ad for aveda’s hydrating facial and eye creams. not that we’re in the cosmetics business, but the ingredients in this moisturizer made us sit up and take notice: it uses finely powdered tourmaline. aveda says the tourmaline does not act as a polishing compound. the company’s ad copy calls it a “natural mineral, bringing energy to brighten the skin, improving…

the gemological institute of america’s gem trade lab (gtl) and the american gem trade association’s gem testing center (gtc) have announced progress in identifying bulk-diffusion-treated sapphires coming from chanthaburi, thailand. it now appears that much of this new material can be identified with standard gemological tests.

bulova corp., one of america’s best-known watch firms, has taken another big step toward re-establishing bulova as an international watch brand. it is resuming distribution of its products in europe, ending an 11-year licensing agreement with the eganagoldpfeil group, and has opened european headquarters in fribourg, switzerland.

the 2002 edition of jewelers of america’s annual cost of doing business survey reports that overall jewelry sales remained the same in 2001 compared with 2000 figures. the survey, which is published every fall, categorizes respondents into four groups: independent high end, independent middle range, designer/artist/custom, and chain stores.

he’s called “the father of modern gemology,” but richard t. liddicoat jr., late chairman of the gemological institute of america (gia), deserves another title, too—”the father of retail jewelry professionalism.” liddicoat focused unswervingly on giving jewelers what he called “over-the-counter practicality” through education, innovations, policies, writings, and research he created or ch…

it’s time to get ready for the tucson gem and mineral shows. the big three gem shows—the american gem trade association’s gemfair (feb. 5-10 at the tucson convention center), the g.l.d.a. show (feb. 5-10 at the marriott), and the gjx tent show (feb. 6-11)—draw an enormous crowd of gem buyers.

the american gem society (ags) has created the richard t. liddicoat journalism award to honor journalists who have made exceptional contributions to the understanding of gemology as well as ags’s ideals of ethics, education, and consumer protection. the award is named for the recently deceased president of the gemological institute of america (gia).

england’s largest collection of medieval and renaissance jewelry—collected by one of the founders of de beers—has gone on permanent show in london. old master paintings, 18th-century tapestries, gothic ivories, and other objets d’art also appear. the 19th-century discovery of diamonds in south africa ushered in an exciting and turbulent age, an age of great fortunes and extraordin…

swarovski, the largest manufacturer of full-cut crystal, will donate $15,000 from sales of its peace & freedom pin to the families of freedom scholarship fund, which provides postsecondary scholarship assistance to financially needy dependents of those killed or permanently disabled as a result of the sept.

the american gem society (ags) has announced the promotion of ruth batson to the position of executive director and ceo. batson previously held the position of controller and chief financial officer. batson will manage the society’s daily operations to meet strategic goals and initiatives. she becomes the first woman to head ags since the organization was founded in 1934.

controversy over tanzanite an open letter to the jewelry trade press: “tanzanite is a leading source of income for the al qaeda terrorist network.” “those who buy tanzanite support terrorists.” “the jewelry trade is a big source of income for terrorists.” if you’ve been reading the mainstream press since sept.

general electric top dog “neutron” jack welch met his match in the diamond industry, according to his new autobiography, jack: straight from the gut.recalling the controversy in 1998 when ge first introduced its whitened pegasus (now bellataire) stones with partner lazare kaplan, welch writes: “breaking into fort knox might be easier than getting into [the] centuries-old [diamond] trade.

junghans, the german watchmaker that pioneered atomic (radio-controlled) and solar technology in timepieces, marked its 140th anniversary sept. 24 with production of its 27 millionth atomic timepiece. the millisecond accuracy of the watches and clocks is maintained via radio signals from government atomic clocks, received by miniature antennas built into the timepieces.

in this time of national grief and tragedy, patriotism has become a steadying hand and a healing force for many across the country. americans have rediscovered the symbols of america with an intensity that has not been witnessed in more than half a century.to express support for their country, americans have turned to the country’s most recognizable symbols—from the bald eagle to th…

the american heritage dictionary defines the word normal as “conforming with, adhering to, or constituting a norm, standard, pattern, level, or type; typical.” what the dictionary doesn’t do is identify what that standard is. and in the aftermath of sept. 11, nobody else can, either. certainly it’s not whatever it used to be.

gem-quality diamonds come in a multitude of colors, including some so rare that the phrase “one in a million” would exaggerate their numbers. diamonds in the pink color range are not among the rarest of the rare. they’re more common than, say, blue, purple, or red diamonds, but compared to fancy brown, orangey, and yellow diamonds—the most common fancy diamond colors—they’re b…

from the smallest neighborhood stores to the nation’s largest operations, jewelry retailers are turning to internet auction sites to move goods that otherwise wouldn’t sell, even at discounted prices. they’re finding that they can move such goods quickly and at prices closer to—or even exceeding—their original value.

the october issue of jck provided information on chatelaines—the precursors of the modern-day purse (“before handbags,” p. 138). this month’s heritage features additional photos of some extraordinary chatelaines.

in times of crisis, confusion, or uncertainty—whether political, social, or economic—people search for meaning and connection with others. this fall’s terrorist attacks spurred an outpouring of patriotism and compassion among americans. in the aftermath of the terrible events of sept.

london’s stephen webster, who has established an international brand and created jewelry for high-profile celebrities like madonna, recently tackled a new challenge—scooters.webster, known for his vibrant gemstone jewelry, is one of nine artists—representing areas from fashion to shoe design—to create an accessorized scooter to be auctioned for the benefit of action on a…

you don’t have to worry about overall shape appeal with these wings. papillon gemme (french for “butterfly gem”), diamond cutters and jewelry manufacturers in matane, québec, canada, has developed a butterfly cut for diamonds. for those not fresh out of diamond class, the traditional “wings” of a diamond are described as the girdle outline of the stone from the point (or tip, as seen…

jewelers of america has published results of its most recent cost of doing business survey. highlights of the survey this year include:sales growth across all categories is somewhat disappointing compared with results in the 2000 survey. chain stores fared best, experiencing the largest sales growth—10.

the gemological institute of america’s gem trade laboratory has announced a new grading policy for diamonds that have been processed by high pressure and high temperature (hpht) or have been irradiated artificially.when one of these processes is detected, the report will include an “origin” field in the color section that will state either “hpht annealed” or “artificially irradiated,” and…

appointmentsjohn l. winright has joined robertson display inc. as vice president of sales and marketing. winright has more than 20 years’ experience in the jewelry display industry in both manufacturing and sales and has conducted several jewelry display seminars. robertson display is located in edon, ohio.

the word “rock” is sometimes used to describe an expensive gemstone, but not many real rocks are used in high-quality jewelry. “rocks” (e.g., diamonds) are single minerals; gem rocks are made up of two or more minerals and are usually fashioned into ornaments such as candlesticks or carved animals.

during the past few months, tv financial commentators and business press writers have said the jewelry retail industry would be negatively affected because of the luxury nature of the products. it’s funny, isn’t it, how we seem to accept as gospel whatever we hear on television or read in a respected journal? a 60-second sound bite can make or break a political campaign, an image, or a pe…

entries are now being accepted for the second gold virtuosi competition, sponsored by the vicenza trade fair in conjunction with the world gold council. the competition is open to jewelry designers, craftspeople, students, and individuals involved in the design and manufacture of precious gold jewelry.

the sept. 11 terrorist attacks cast an inevitable shadow on the hong kong jewellery and watch fair, held in mid-september.”whatever we talk about here is much tinier and less important than the terrible events in the usa,” stated fair manager peter sutton at the start of the fair’s press conference, before calling for a moment of silence for victims of the sept.

zale jewelers has jumped on the branding bandwagon. the country’s largest jewelry chain this fall debuted a new “branded” diamond ring—an exclusive four-prong platinum design featuring the zales diamond, an eight-sided stone with 82 facets. the branding idea comes from both the exclusivity of the stone—cut specifically for zales—and the setting, which features the name “…

furrer-jacot ag, the 143-year-old swiss wedding ring manufacturer, announced on oct. 2 that it had acquired the german luxury jewelry brand “feeling,” based in pforzheim, germany. in addition to the brand name, furrer-jacot acquired “all its patents, products, and existing international market activities,” says a company statement.

a friend of mine once said, “one of the hardest things to be in life is a mensch.” on sept. 11, during the worst terrorist attack in history, the industry lost one of its main mensches, bob speisman, lazare kaplan’s longtime executive vice president. he was on board american airlines flight 77 that terrorists crashed into the pentagon.

basel fair management will “definitely have stricter security controls” at the basel 2002 world watch and jewelry show and at future shows, officials tell jck. concerns about tightening security were sparked by the sept. 11 terrorist attacks on america and the u.s. military response in early october as well as the sept.

the new york offices of silver trust international and the silver information center have been closed, effective oct. 12. the announcement was made in a letter from linda meehan, former sic director. in business for 14 years, sic was responsible for creating promotional and educational programs as well as creating advertising and public relations opportunities, offering editorial and pres…

the atlanta jewelry show, held aug. 18-20, 2001, enjoyed a 9% increase in retail attendance over the august 2000 edition, according to the southern jewelry travelers association (sjta). the show was held at the cobb galleria centre in atlanta, ga. among the show’s highlights was the return of the popular “sjta u” educational series, which offered a number of business-building programs.

“experimentation in design” was the dominant theme among jewelry artisans exhibiting at the präsent and carat and the carat creative sections of the tendence international trade fair, a consumer goods show held aug. 24-28 in frankfurt, germany. why travel to frankfurt for jewelry? “our niche is design,” says stephan kurzawski, director of consumer goods fairs for messe frankfurt.

“what else would you call it?” asks alan bronstein, president of aurora gems in new york. he was one of the lucky international dealers with a winning bid in argyle’s 17th annual fancy pink diamond tender. “everybody likes to have a souvenir,” he says.the argyle pink diamond tender is an invitation-only, silent-bid auction that offers the best of the best diamonds unearthed at the austral…

the mogul emerald—a magnificently carved tablet weighing 217.8 cts.—sold for £1,543,750 (us$2,272,400) at christie’s london auction house on sept. 27, setting a new world’s record for a carved emerald from the mogul dynasty, which ruled india from 1526 to 1857.the rectangular cushion-shaped colombian gem is inscribed with a shiite prayer and dated 1107 a.

something caught the eye of many people during broadcasts of terrorist leader osama bin laden’s oct. 7 remarks against western culture—the clearly visible watch on his right arm. some commentators said it is, ironically, one of the most popular products of america—a timex ironman triathlon.

gemex systems of mequon, wis., is offering $1.5 million in advertising to a select number of retail jewelers who will promote its new guide light performance analysis diamond report. the gemex brilliancescope measures the light performance of a diamond, allowing for a “what you see is what you get” analysis report.

more than 40% of consumers surveyed by mvi marketing ltd., beverly hills, calif., say gift-giving to family, friends, and colleagues this year will have more meaning in light of recent terrorist attacks on america.* study results show that nearly 60% of consumers surveyed are considering a fine-jewelry purchase either for themselves or another this season.

dozens of watch companies are offering support to the relief efforts in the wake of the sept. 11 terrorist attacks on america.as of press time, more than 50 watch brands in the u.s. watch industry had joined in a project called “a time to aid” to raise money for the american red cross’s new york and washington, d.

a de beers spokeswoman confirms that the company is “optimistic” about signing a new contract with russian authorities. the two parties are now in russia negotiating a new contract, likely to run for four years, reports say.while any contract may increase the number of diamonds russian authorities sell domestically, a new contract with russia—the world’s second largest producer of s…

the manufacturing jewelers & suppliers of america (mjsa) recently announced a change in the dates for its annual expo new york trade show. typically held during the first week of march, the 2002 show will take place on march 10-12 at pier 94, the unconvention center.

security and vigilance: until recently, most americans barely gave either a passing thought. but in the months since the september 11 attacks, both have become household words.within the u.s. jewelry trade, however, these have always been of vital interest, and for more than a century, the jewelers’ security alliance has dedicated itself to making the industry safer and more secure.