New International Colored Gemstone Exhibition to Partner with JCK Las Vegas 2019 #JWLV

New ICA Exhibition to Open in JCK Las Vegas 2019 The International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) announces that it has signed a multi-year agreement with JCK Las Vegas to have its own exhibition ballroom as part of this important jewelry event when it moves to the Sands Convention Center in 2019. This new global gemstone neighborhood will showcase approximately 80 booths featuring some of the most respected colored gemstone suppliers from around the world. "We are delighted to participate in the JCK Las Vegas Show beginning in 2019.  This important event in the gem and jewelry sector will provide our members a new and unique opportunity to exhibit all in one location in the United States," says Clement Sabbagh, ICA President.  "The ICA colored gemstone marketplace/exhibition will be the destination for retail buyers and jewelry designers to access the largest assortment of colored gemstones worldwide."  "We couldn't be more proud to work with a world-class organization like ICA," says Yancy Weinrich, Senior Vice President of Reed Jewelry Group. The ICA colored gemstone marketplace/exhibition will be conveniently located directly across from the registration area, and retailers will have a preview one day before the opening of JCK Las Vegas. About ICA The International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA), a non-profit organization, is the only worldwide body specifically created to benefit the global colored gemstone industry. ICA was founded in 1984 and is now comprised of over 700 gem industry leaders from mine to market, including miners, gem cutters, suppliers, retailers, trade associations, gemological laboratories, academia, museums, and more, from 47 countries, who are devoted to advancing and promoting the knowledge and appreciation of colored gemstones. For more information regarding ICA, and the ICA Colored Gemstone Marketplace/Exhibition, please contact ICA, 31 W. 47th St., Suite 1103, New York, NY, USA 10036,  T+1-212-620-0900 or  E-mail ICA@Gemstone.org.

Emerald Expositions Jewelry Group Announces the 2019 Launch of “PREMIER” Las Vegas #JWLV

Emerald Expositions Jewelry Group Announces the Launch of “PREMIER” Las Vegas
New Fine Jewelry and Watch Event to Launch at LVCC During Market Week 2019

Emerald Expositions Jewelry Group has just announced the launch of PREMIER, a brand new fine jewelry trade event to take place during Las Vegas Market Week, beginning in 2019. To be co-located with Las Vegas Antique Jewelry and Watch Show and AGTA GemFair™ Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center, May 31-June 4, PREMIER will feature an extensive selection of established fine jewelry manufacturers and brands, emerging designers, and timepieces within a convenient, easy-to-shop venue.

“The launch of PREMIER has been many years in the making,” explains Drew Lawsky, Group Show Director for Emerald Expositions Jewelry Group. “This event will provide a home in Las Vegas to manufacturers and brands who are seeking an alternative environment in which to exhibit during Las Vegas Market Week. Whether an emerging designer, or a multi-generational manufacturing brand, our exhibiting partners will be given the exceptional customer service for which our group is known, and our attendees will be delighted with the ease of accessing three independent yet synergistic shows in one convenient location, just minutes from our sister shows at the Wynn and Encore Las Vegas.”

“Our comprehensive experience in producing COUTURE and COUTUREtime, the JA New York Shows and the U.S. Antique Shows puts us in a unique position to be the stewards for this important addition to Las Vegas Market Week,” noted Gannon Brousseau, Senior Vice President for Emerald Expositions Jewelry Group. “Based on our experience, and the strategic knowledge we’ve garnered through the course of thoroughly researching this launch, we believe PREMIER has a unique value proposition within the market, and we intend to cultivate an experience during Market Week that benefits our entire industry.”

The same team that spearheads the marketing and communications strategies for COUTURE, COUTUREtime, JA New York, and the U.S. Antique Shows will further develop and execute the marketing for PREMIER. By applying proven, successful formulas, understanding and responding to specific nuances of a launch of this magnitude, and working with AGTA decision makers and the U.S. Antique Show community, the group will continue to generate enthusiasm among attending retailers by highlighting the creation of an entirely new Market Week experience. PREMIER will also be given the dedication and expertise of the COUTURE and JA New York operations team, which has developed a solid reputation within the industry for creating a seamless experience for exhibitors.

Press interested in more information about PREMIER should contact Michelle Orman atMichelle@LastWordComm.com or (646) 302-5521. Manufacturers, brands and designers interested in exhibiting should contact Drew Lawsky at (646) 668-3730 or via email atDrew.Lawsky@emeraldexpo.com.
 

About PREMIER:
PREMIER is a fine jewelry trade event launching in Las Vegas in May of 2019. PREMIER will feature an extensive selection of established fine jewelry manufacturers and brands, emerging designers and timepieces within a convenient, easy-to-shop venue, providing an alternative environment in which to exhibit during Las Vegas Market Week.

PREMIER is owned by Emerald Expositions, a leading operator of business-to-business trade shows in the United States. The company currently operates more than 55 trade shows, as well as numerous other face-to-face events. In 2017, Emerald’s events connected over 500,000 global attendees and exhibitors and occupied more than 6.9 million NSF of exhibition space.

GIA’s Renowned Jewellery Career Fair London - April 23 at Goldsmiths’ Centre

GIA’s Renowned Jewellery Career Fair Comes to London

Recruiters and job seekers can connect on April 23 at Goldsmiths’ Centre

GIA (Gemological Institute of America) brings the gem and jewellery industry’s premier career event, the GIA Jewellery Career Fair, to the Goldsmiths’ Centre in London on April 23, 2018 for the first time in Europe. Since 1991, GIA’s Jewellery Career Fair has offered those interested in starting or furthering a career in the gem and jewellery industry the unique opportunity to hear from leading industry professionals, receive one-on-one career coaching from experienced insiders, and discuss job opportunities with recruiters from companies across the industry who are looking to hire. The event is free and open to the public; anyone interested in attending is encouraged to register before the event at GIA.edu/career-fair-registration-form.

Registration will open for GIA’s London Jewellery Career Fair at 12:30 p.m., the event will kick off at 1:00 p.m. and go until 4:00 p.m. on Monday, April 23. Recruiting and one-on-one career coaching will take place from 2:15 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Michael Wainwright, managing director of Boodles; Nadja Swarovski, member of the executive board of Swarovski; and Mike Asscher, vice president of Royal Asscher, will provide insight during the panel discussion “Job Success in Today’s Market” at the London Jewellery Career Fair on April 23.

Industry leaders Mike Asscher, vice president of renowned diamond house Royal Asscher; Nadja Swarovski, member of the executive board of Swarovski, the world’s leading creator of crystal jewellery; and Michael Wainwright, managing director of Boodles, the family-owned luxury jeweller and jewellery designer group founded in 1798, will open the event with a panel discussion “Job Success in Today’s Market” moderated by Mehdi Saadian, director of GIA’s London school.

Following the panel discussion, attendees will be able to meet one-on-one with industry coaches offering insight and advice on how to make one’s way in any facet of the trade. In addition, recruiters from companies including luxury retailers BVLGARI, KARIA Ltd. and Louis Vuitton will be available, with numerous positions to offer.

“We are thrilled to bring GIA’s Jewellery Career Fair to London. This one-of-a-kind event connects aspiring gem and jewellery professionals, as well as those looking to make a career change, with insight and diverse networking opportunities for success in the industry,” said Kathryn Kimmel, GIA senior vice president and chief marketing officer, and co-founder of the GIA Jewellery Career Fair. “In addition to finding careers, job seekers can find inspiration and learn from the experiences of the accomplished professionals speaking at the event.”

GIA hosted its first Jewellery Career Fair in 1991 in Santa Monica, California, USA. Since then, the event has expanded and linked gem and jewellery companies with future employees at more than 60 events in India, Las Vegas, New York, GIA World Headquarters in Carlsbad and now London. For more information visit GIA.edu/career-fair-london-day-at-a-glance.

About GIA

An independent nonprofit organization, GIA (Gemological Institute of America), established in 1931, is recognized as the world’s foremost authority in gemology. GIA invented the famous 4Cs of Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight and, in 1953, created the International Diamond Grading System™ which is recognized around the world as the standard for diamond quality.

Through research, education, gemological laboratory services and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science and professionalism. Visit GIA.edu. 

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#GIA Winter 2017 Gems & Gemology Explores Cullinan-Like Diamonds, Gem Carvers and Research Developments

Winter 2017 Gems & Gemology Explores Cullinan-Like Diamonds,

Gem Carvers and Research Developments

Includes a full-color wall chart of ruby inclusions

The Winter 2017 issue of Gems & Gemology (G&G), GIA’s (Gemological Institute of America’s) quarterly professional journal, explores the deep geologic origins of the world’s biggest and purest diamonds and what they tell us about the earth; the Dreher family of gem carvers of Idar-Oberstein; the first characterization of Australian Akoya cultured pearls; recent improvements in GIA’s reference standards for trace element analysis; and a comparison of two X-ray microradiography detectors. It also contains a wall chart of inclusions in natural, treated and synthetic ruby. The issue is available in print by subscription and in the GIA Store, and digitally – at no cost – on GIA.edu.

G&G opens with “The Very Deep Origin of the World’s Biggest Diamonds.” GIA research scientist Dr. Evan Smith, Dr. Steven Shirey of the Carnegie Institution for Science and Dr. Wuyi Wang, GIA’s vice president of research and development, co-authored the cover article. Their work expands on research presented in the December 2016 issue of Science magazine, in which Dr. Smith and a team of researchers uncovered how Cullinan-like, nitrogen-poor “CLIPPIR” diamonds contain inclusions that offer insight into the nature and formation of the Earth’s mantle. The G&G article provides more detail on the key features of these diamonds as well as data on additional samples.

On the cover of the Winter 2017 issue of Gems & Gemology is the 812 ct Constellation diamond. Recovered from the Karowe mine in Botswana in November 2015. At the time of publication, it was the sixth-largest gem-quality rough diamond ever recorded. The size, near absence of inclusions, low nitrogen content, shape and surface texture place it in a special variety known as CLIPPIR diamonds, which are reviewed in the lead article in this issue. Photo by Jian Xin (Jae) Liao/GIA.

“Gem Virtuosos: The Drehers and Their Extraordinary Carvings” explores the work of a multigenerational family of gem carvers, the Drehers of Idar-Oberstein, Germany. Robert Weldon, Cathleen Jonathan and Rose Tozer of GIA’s Richard T. Liddicoat Library and Information Center focus on the contemporary craft of Gerd Dreher and his son, Patrick, who create elegant gem carvings from high-quality agate and other rough gem materials.

Research by Dr. Laura Otter and coauthors is presented in “Akoya Cultured Pearl Farming in Eastern Australia.” This is the first gemological characterization of Australian akoya cultured pearls using Raman, photoluminescence, FTIR and UV-Vis spectroscopy.

Additional articles cover new developments in industry techniques: Dr. Jennifer Stone-Sundberg’s “Accurate Reporting of Key Trace Elements in Ruby and Sapphire Using Matrix-Matched Standards” and Dr. Stefanos Karampelas’s “Real-Time Microradiography of Pearls: A Comparison Between Detectors.”

The Winter 2017 issue of G&G also features a wall chart on ruby inclusions, the third in a series of charts on gem inclusions. The same team of specialists that created G&G’s Winter 2016 emerald inclusion chart and the Summer 2017 sapphire inclusion chart, led by GIA’s Nathan Renfro and John Koivula, documents a range of internal features found in natural, treated and synthetic ruby. Laminated versions of all three charts may be purchased at the GIA Store.

This and every issue of G&G since 1934, including full articles, lab notes, photo galleries and exclusive video footage, are available at no cost on GIA’s website at https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology.

Additional research articles are available at http://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research.

Print subscriptions and copies of back issues are available at http://store.gia.edu, or by contacting G&G customer service at +1 760-603-4502.

About GIA

An independent nonprofit organization, GIA (Gemological Institute of America), established in 1931, is recognized as the world’s foremost authority in gemology. GIA invented the famous 4Cs of Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight and, in 1953, created the International Diamond Grading System™ which is recognized around the world as the standard for diamond quality.

Through research, education, gemological laboratory services and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science and professionalism. Visit GIA.edu. 

GIA Offers $2 Million in Scholarships in Spring Cycle #Scholarship #GIA

GIA Offers $2 Million in Scholarships in Spring Cycle

$500,000 bequest to fund Charles and Erna Leutwyler Memorial Scholarship

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Jan. 29, 2018 – GIA (Gemological Institute of America) will begin accepting applications for the Spring scholarship cycle; applications are due by March 31, 2018. Applications are available at gia.edu/scholarships for the Institute’s Gemology and Jewelry Manufacturing Arts programs, courses and lab classes. 2018 is the first year for the Charles and Erna Leutwyler Memorial Scholarship, funded by a bequest of nearly $500,000 to GIA from the estate of alumni couple, Charles and Erna Leutwyler.

Over the course of eight years GIA has awarded more than $8 million in scholarships to more than 1,500 students globally. GIA offers on-campus and distance education (eLearning and lab classes) scholarships that applicants can apply for every calendar year. GIA scholarships, which total $2 million for 2018, align with the Institute’s goal of providing quality education to aspiring and current gem and jewelry trade professionals.

The Charles and Erna Leutwyler Memorial Scholarship, offered for the first time in this scholarship cycle, provides $18,000 toward the completion of an on-campus Graduate Gemologist, Graduate Jeweler or Jewelry Design & Technology program in the U.S. The scholarship is named in honor of Charles and Erna Leutwyler, GIA alumni who owned and operated a jewelry business in Austin, Texas for more than 20 years. 

A profile of the Leutwylers and their dedication to learning and giving can be found on GIA’s website

https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/texas-jewelers-leave-legacy-learning-bestow-nearly-500k-scholarships.

“We are pleased that GIA can honor the Leutwylers, their dedication to learning and their spirit of giving through this memorial scholarship,” said Kathryn Kimmel, GIA senior vice president and chief marketing officer.

Charles and Erna Leutwyler, who were married for 50 years, owned the popular Charles Leutwyler Jewelers in Austin, Texas. Beginning in the March 2018 application period, a perpetual endowed scholarship in their name will be available each year.

GIA scholarships are funded by the GIA Endowment Fund and several private donors, and are available for distance education eLearning courses and for classes at the Institute’s campuses in Bangkok, Carlsbad, Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, New York and Taiwan; and at the education location in Dubai. For more information, call +1(760) 603-4131 or contact us at scholarships@gia.edu.

About GIA

An independent nonprofit organization, GIA (Gemological Institute of America), established in 1931, is recognized as the world’s foremost authority in gemology. GIA invented the famous 4Cs of Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight and, in 1953, created the International Diamond Grading System™ which is recognized around the world as the standard for diamond quality.

Through research, education, gemological laboratory services and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science and professionalism. Visit GIA.edu. 

CIBJO Releases Coral Commission's Special Report

from Press Release

CIBJO releases Coral Commission's Special Report, 

calls for campaign to differentiate between 

precious and non-precious coral 

With fewer than two weeks to go to the opening of the 2017 CIBJO Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 5, 2017, the eighth and the final of the CIBJO commissions' Special Reports for this year has been released. Prepared by Vincenzo Liverino, President of the organization's Coral Commission, the report calls for an educational campaign to differentiate between precious coral varieties, which are harvested in a responsible and sustainable manner, and non-precious varieties, some of which are seeing their numbers dwindle as a result of climate change.

"One of the main concerns of the Coral Commission is to make sure that all precious coral in circulation in the marketplace has been harvested and handled in accordance with the applicable regulatory legislation associated with the protection of wildlife. This is being done for the sake of sustainability, a key doctrinal orientation of the UN charter," Mr. Liverino writes.

Precious corals, which are subject to national regulatory legislation, are harvested in strict observance of responsible practices, and should be perceived as sustainable and responsible products, Mr. Liverino notes. But this is not the way things are sometimes portrayed in the media. "There has been for many years a misunderstanding that precious coral species are the same as those endangered non-precious coral species. It must be stressed that, despite sharing a common name, threatened coral species are not used in the jewelry industry," he adds.

"An educational campaign must be undertaken, to properly explain to the environmentally conscious consumer that the corals that have been used as a biogenic gem material in jewellery for millennia are not the ones that studies have shown to be damaged by climate change, posing a serious challenge to the marine ecosystem in many parts of the planet. It must be underlined that we in the precious coral and jewelry sectors share common global environmental concerns with most of the scientific community," Mr. Liverino writes.

To download a full copy of the CIBJO Coral Commission's special report, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

About CIBJO:  CIBJO is the international jewelry confederation of national trade organizations. CIBJO's purpose is to encourage harmonization, promote international cooperation in the jewelry industry and to consider issues which concern the trade worldwide. CIBJO's chief mission is to protect consumer confidence in the industry. Click here to visit the CIBJO website for more information. 

Green #Diamonds: Natural Radiance at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

from a Calendar posting

GREEN DIAMONDS:

Brilliance of the Gamma Collection

Green Diamonds: Natural Radiance

December 9, 2017 – April 1, 2018

Some of the world's rarest colorful diamonds are stopping in Los Angeles for a limited time. 

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is hosting a special exhibition Green Diamonds: Natural Radiance, which will add eight cases of bright color and shine inside the Museum’s renowned Gem and Mineral Hall. The vibrant diamonds on display as loose gems and mounted jewelry are part of the Gamma Collection, which was amassed over the course of 20 years and is comprised of more than 60 of the rarest and most prestigious natural colored diamonds in the world. 

NHMLA’s Gem and Mineral Vault welcomes a wide variety of alluring diamonds showcasing natural green radiance. The science behind these diamonds is as mesmerizing as they are!

At the center of Natural Radiance at NHMLA will be “The Mantis”, the largest Vivid Yellowish Green diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America, alongside “The Shangri-La”, the finest example of a large vivid green diamond, both of which are mounted in rings. 

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007. 

On View December 9, 2017 through April 1, 2018. 

Green Diamonds: Natural Radiance will be complemented by seasonal offerings in the Museum’s Gem Store and an array of public programs, including “All that Glitters,” an all-day winter celebration of Green Diamonds that includes live cabbing demonstrations, tours of the NHMLA Gem Vault, and hands-on activities for all ages.

Where Diamonds Come From

For additional details visit nhm.org.