Once in a Lifetime Jewels at MIKIMOTO New York

Visit MIKIMOTO Fifth Avenue to view a selection of stunning, one-of-a-kind jewels never before seen in the United States.

Showcasing the pinnacle of superior craftsmanship, technical expertise and innovative sensibility of MIKIMOTO's design team, these pieces feature the world’s most beautiful cultured pearls and radiant diamonds positioned in a complex tapestry of organic shapes.

These wearable works of art, Rose Garden and Flowing Tide, are only in the United States for a very limited period of time.

Please call 212.457.4600 to schedule an appointment.

Info reprinted from the Mikimoto newsletter....

Swarovski Says - Shine Like Your Favorite "Sex and the City" Star

Shine like a star with jewellery and accessories inspired by 'Sex and the City 2

With the release of the second film, the world is going crazy with 'Sex and the City' fever. Fans can’t wait to find out what the girls are doing, which men they’re seeing and – most importantly – what they are wearing!

Swarovski crystals were an important part of the actresses’ outfits. Patrica Field, costume designer for the film, says, “Swarovski is great for me from many levels. I love anything that reflects the light and makes everything sparkle. And so I use Swarovski a lot!”

The four main characters might be very different, but they have one thing in common: a fantastic sense of style! Get the look with Swarovski’s jewellery and accessories inspired by the film….

Fashionista...Blonde Bombshell...Uptown Girl...Professional Chic...which one are you? go to the Swarovski website to discover your inner fashion diva...

The Red Carpet...

"The Red Carpet" - the words alone bring to mind visions of privileged people in glamorous gowns draped in diamonds and jewels...we are mesmerized.

For jewelers these are important events - a celebrity in your jewelry on the right "Red Carpet" can be a catalyst in a jewelers career.

...and for some of us it is just mesmerizing to watch all the beauty going down the carpet...and several trends have come off the red carpet. But who has time to look for coverage of each and every Red Carpet Event?! Certainly not me! So I am going to share my favorite coverage of all things "Red Carpet"... Red Carpet Fashion Awards!

Red Carpet Fashion Awards is on every red carpet - everywhere - right now the coverage is Cannes and when I say coverage, this site COVERS it! With shots of the gown from the haute couture runways next to a shot of a star wearing the same gown.

While the site does a fairly good job of covering jewelry (I only wish they posted the Designer names) with closer views and when possible the name of the Designer.

So - lets take a Red Carpet Fashion Awards look at Cannes 2010:

Fan Bingbing in a gold one-sleeved print gown looks to be an update of traditional embroidered oriental gowns with dragons and waves crashing along the hem. She is showing off large glittering earrings with a wide bracelet combo - this is a standard runway look for the last few seasons.

This is a great example of runway to real person - Elie Saab from the runway and on the lovely Helen Mirren - BTW those are Chopard Diamond Cuffs that Helen added to the look.

...Helen Mirren again - she knows how to show the jewels...again in Elie Saab and Chopard, but I thought that you would be excited to see that there have been several necklaces and neckpieces worn at Cannes 2010!

All photos are from the Red Carpet Fashion Awards site and are used here to entice you to click through and check out the daily posts from the Red Carpet events around the world!

GIA, Law Officers Join Forces to Fight International Jewelry Crime

CARLSBAD, Calif. – May 11, 2010 – Special agents and detectives from international law enforcement agencies gathered at the Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA) Carlsbad campus recently for a two-week crash course in gemology that was specifically requested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Law officers from Brazil, Colombia, Belgium, India, Thailand, the UK and the UAE joined detectives from the New York and Los Angeles police departments and FBI specials agents from New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington, D.C. to get a first-hand look at how gemological information can help them solve crimes.

The group was exposed to a broad range of gemstone topics, including how to use gemological tools (loupes, tweezers, microscopes); the Four Cs of diamonds and what to look for in clarity, cut and color; synthetics, imitations and color treatments; the diamond industry and the Kimberley Process; field identification of colored stones; and how to read GIA grading reports.

Learning about the science and tools of gemstones is a priceless opportunity, according to Patrick Peys, of the Belgium Federal Police, an experienced gem detective and lead investigator of the 2003 Antwerp Diamond Center heist of nearly half a billion dollars in diamonds, cash and other valuables.

“There is a big difference between being an operational police officer and having knowledge about the product you’re investigating,” Peys said. “That kind of basic information might give you an advantage you otherwise would not have.”

Working with law enforcement officials is a very important aspect of GIA’s mission to protect the public trust, said Donna Baker, president and CEO of GIA. “It is imperative that we continue to work with these detectives and special agents on the front lines of fast-moving gem crimes.”

“The thieves communicate and coordinate across international boundaries – we need to do the same if we want to stop them. Giving law enforcement officials access to our resources and gemological information will help them close the net on those who steal from and take advantage of the public. This is a mission we are proud to share with law officers around the world.”

Law enforcement agencies and GIA have a long history of working together to solve gem-related crimes, said Tom Moses, senior vice president of GIA Laboratory and Research. “Our grading reports and inscriptions are the most effective ways to protect gemstones and information on thousands of them are stored in GIA’s database for future reference,” he said.

The database, started in the 1980s, has proved to be extremely useful for investigators, according to Daniel McCaffrey of the FBI’s New York field office. “It’s so significant to have this relationship with GIA and to have a starting point,” he said. “Literally hundreds and hundreds of stones have been recovered because of it.”

Ivy Cutler, records coordinator for the GIA Laboratory in New York notifies law enforcement officials when GIA identifies stolen gemstones and acts as a liaison during investigations. She was recently honored by the Jewelers Security Alliance for her efforts to recover stolen gems and educate law enforcement agencies about gemology.

“Gems are one of the most concentrated forms of wealth, and diamonds travel very quickly,” Cutler said. “It’s amazing how frequently the stolen diamonds flow back to GIA. The crime community is small, the crooks are very smart and a lot of the trade is unaware of what they are handling.”

The investigators added that meeting their counterparts from other countries was one of the best outcomes of the two-week seminar.

“I’m very involved in diamond investigations and as far as I know, GIA is the only organization that is really doing something to bring law enforcement officers together to educate them and get that network working,” Peys said. “For me, that’s very visionary.”

For more information about GIA visit www.gia.edu.

Photo from: http://guineaoye.wordpress.com/

Exportation of Tanzanite Rough Banned!

I have been catching up on some reading lately and found an extremely interesting article by Marc Choyt on the Fair Trade and Ethically Sourced Jewelry blog.

In "Tanzania Decides To Ban Export of Rough Gemstones" Choyt discusses the new ban on the exportation of Tanzanite Gem Rough to foreign cutting facilities.

We all know that Tanzanite the blue-violet form of Zoisite is indeed the darling of the Jewelry Trade. From a pale hue that has been compared to "Elizabeth Taylor's eyes" to the deep blue - violet that is considered Museum Grade...Tanzanite is (for the most part) the color enhanced version of brilliant form of golden zoisite found in the Merilani Hills of Tanzania.

Gem Variety: Zoisite

Chemical: Calcium Aluminum Silicate Ca₂Al₃(SiO₄)(Si₂O₇)O(OH)

Mohs Hardness Scale 6-6.5

Crystal Structure: Orthorhombic

Pleochroism: Dichroic or Trichroic depending on color

Luster: Vitreous - pearly on cleavage faces

This junior member of the gemstone world was discovered in 1967 (an infant in the sphere of stone) and brought to the world by Tiffany & Co. ...and as the legend goes:

Following a severe lightening storm a Masai Tribesman was walking the fields checking for damage and came across a glittering blue - violet stone that rivaled the intensity of fine Ceylon Sapphire. It is thought that the heat created when lightening touched ground created the incredible change of color from the golden brown zoisite to the deep blue-violet that today is known as Tanzanite, thus leading labs to recreate the process.

...taking into consideration the immensely create publicity of Tiffany & Co this could be a romanticized account. But - however the color change discovery came about - WOW what a color!

When the source proved to be unreliable and mining in the region unstable, Tiffany moved on in it's quest of newer and rarer...and in the 1970's the government took over the mining enterprises in an effort to prove that they could provide a stable reliable source. This was not to be as the Merilani Hills soon became marked by illegal miners digging throughout the region.

In April 2005, TanzaniteOne Ltd. publicly announced that they had taken control of the portion of the tanzanite deposit known as "C-Block" (the main deposit is divided into five blocks). Prices for rough material on the open market have increased steadily for the last several years as the company has solidified its control of the market. Making Tanzanite the only colored stone to fall under the control of a single company (much as DeBeers control of diamond).

So now we go back to our original thought - the ban on the exportation of Tanzanite rough.

• Has the Tanzanian government invested in training cutters in their country? It would be criminal to see people learning to cut on such an expensive gem...
• It will be interesting to see how many foreign owned cutting facilities open in Tanzania.
• How will this affect the major cutting facilities in Thailand and Jaipur?

Was it Newton? Every action has an equal and opposite reaction!

Photos: Gem Rough from Gems of East Africa http://www.gemsofeastafrica.com

Hand fabricated ring by Designer Gordon Aatlo http://www.gordonaatlo.com

Jennifer Lopez Dons Bright Jewels

JENNIFER LOPEZ DONS JUDITH BRIGHT JEWELRY “THE BACK-UP PLAN”

NASHVILLE, TENN.—(Apr. 14, 2010)—Jewelry designer Judith Bright announces that her contemporary handcrafted jewelry appears on actress Jennifer Lopez in the film “The Back-up Plan” (CBS Films), due in theaters April 23^rd, 2010. Hand-hammered earrings and stacking cuff bracelets—prominently visible on the superstar in the film’s poster (http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1432587776/tt1212436) and trailer (http://www.theback-upplan.com/)—are indicative of Judith Bright’s signature design style: bold, clean lines, elegant in its simplicity. Judith Bright Jewelry is available for purchase through her online boutique: www.judithbright.com.

The Nashville-based artisan is thrilled to have her jewelry selected for this internationally released film. “I provided several pieces to the film’s costume designers and had no idea what they would end up using,” says Judith Bright. “Imagine the thrill of seeing my earrings and cuffs on “Zoe,” portrayed by the film’s star, Jennifer Lopez! We’re so excited to have the exposure.”

Signature Judith Bright pieces in the film include Paisley earrings, hand-formed and hammered; Ashley earrings, light-weight, hand-hammered, front-facing hoops; India Marquis earrings, India-inspired dangles with turquoise drops; and RockLess Stacking Cuffs, hand-hammered and organic stacking cuffs.

Judith Bright’s current lines, SILVER+ROCKS and GOLD+ROCKS, are fashioned from sterling silver and gold-filled chains and elements that link semi-precious stones in various combinations. Her ROCKLESS line, using only silver and gold metals, features hand-hammered and hand-wrapped chain and wire elements.

In addition to “The Back-up Plan,” Judith Bright’s jewels have appeared in other productions, including the film “The Rebound” (2010 release) with Catherine Zeta-Jones, and television shows, “Gossip Girl,” “Samantha Who?,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” “Better Off Ted” and others.

More info about Judith can be found on her website - OR - follow her blog to stay updated on the shining career of a brilliant artist... http://judithbright.com/blog/?cat=20

Burma Ruby Embargo - Who Really Suffers?

The subject of Burma Ruby came up in a recent conversation on a social site and during a search for information on the subject I came upon this article:

Burma Embargo and the Gem Trade

on noted Gemologist Richard Hughes' site Ruby-Sapphire

Note: On July 28th 2003, US President George W. Bush signed into law the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 (H.R. 2330). This act bans the importation into the United States of any article that isproduced, mined, manufactured, grown or assembled in Burma. The following piece is actually two:

1. Thoughts on the US Embargo Against Burma by Richard W. Hughes
2. How Sanctions Can Work by Brian Leber

In these two articles, Richard Hughes and Brian Leber examine the impact of these sanctions on the US gem trade, along with the entire issue of national sanctions, both pro and con.

These pro & con articles were written following the original Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003.

Hughes has updated it following the enactment of the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE Act of 2008...really interesting read!

On July 29th 2008, US President George W. Bush signed into law the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (Junta's Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act of 2008, which modifies the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 (H.R. 2330). This updated act prohibits "substantial transformation" being used to import Burmese jade or ruby. Despite what has been represented as a "loophole," the concept of substantial transformation is a basic tenet of international law, one that has allowed "Israeli" and "Belgian" diamonds" access to consumer markets, despite the fact that the earth in neither Israel nor Belgium has ever yielded even a single diamond.