Bugging Out with some of our Favorite DesignLines...

Bugs have never been so chic thanks to one of fall's hottest accessory trends. 

Nature's creepiest creatures are getting a friendly makeover with a dash of colorful gemstones and sparkling diamonds.

Metamorphosis your look with nature's smallest of critters. 

Spread your wings and fly away with butterfly and dragonfly brooches, rings and pendants. 

Spin a web with an eight-legged friend as an oversized ring; if arachnids aren't your thing just BEE your sweet self with a bee-autiful statement accessory. 

You'll be shouting beetlejuice, beetlejuice, beetlejuice for this bugged out look. 

Some of Spring's finest buggy looks from Arunashi, Le Vian, Michael M, Madstone, IritDesign and Victor Velyan

CIBJO Releases Diamond Special Report

CIBJO releases Diamond Special Report,

looking at ethics of disclosure and impact of social media 

With three weeks to go to the opening of the 2013 CIBJO Congress in Tel Aviv on May 7, 2013, the fourth of the CIBJO commissions' Special Reports has been released. Prepared by the CIBJO Diamond Commission, headed by Udi Sheintal, the report considers the ethical considerations of disclosure in light of recent technological developments, and also the need to use the online social media to better inform jewellery consumers.

The new technology that gave rise to the discussion on disclosure is Sarin's Galaxy™ 1000 scanner, which detects and maps inclusions, regardless of their type, size and location within the rough diamond, including when it is completely frosted. At the meeting of the Diamond Commission at the CIBJO Congress in Tel Aviv, participants will debate whether, if a stone has been scanned, does the seller have an unfair commercial advantage if he or she does not disclose the results to the buyer?

The Special Report notes that much of the discussion in the industry today concerning diamond grading standards and nomenclature is taking place online in the social media. "We, therefore, think it is time to review and discuss the tools and channels of communications we have been using up to now, and the new tools and channels we should be using to reach the downstream markets in the future," writes Mr. Sheintal. 

 

To download a full copy of the report, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

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Three weeks to the opening of the 2013 CIBJO Congress

  

The 2013 CIBJO Congress will take place at the Dan Panorama Convention Centre in Tel Aviv, Israel, from May 7 to May 9, 2013, with pre-congress meetings starting on May 5. More information is available on the dedicated 2013 CIBJO Congress website. 

CIBJO is the international jewellery confederation of national trade organisations. CIBJO's purpose is to encourage harmonisation, promote international cooperation in the jewellery 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 go to the CIBJO website for more information. 

Call for Entries: The 8th Annual Halstead Grant

Call for Entries: The 8th Annual Halstead Grant for Silver Jewelry Designers

Halstead is calling for entries to the 2013 Halstead Grant competition. The Halstead Grant is awarded each summer to a new independent jewelry artist working primarily in silver. The winner receives a prize package including $5,000 cash for their business start-up, $1,000 in jewelry supplies and recognition in the industry.

To be eligible jewelers should have begun an independent silver jewelry line within the last three years. Jewelry can be made using any jewelry making technique such as metalsmithing, casting, metal clay, wire work or beading. Any component materials can be used but the artist’s line should be primarily silver. This competition is open to US citizens with studios in the United States.

Complete application details can be found on The Halstead Grant website www.HalsteadBead.com/grant. Candidates are required to submit a design portfolio, résumé and answers to several business planning questions. Applications may be submitted between April 15 and June 9, 2013.

The grant sponsor, Halstead, is one of North America’s leading distributors of jewelry supplies. The firm is celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. Halstead specializes in wholesale findings, chain, tools and metals for jewelry artists.

LuxeFoil™ To Bring Nanoscale Metals to BaselWorld 2013

Aerospace Supplier of Nanoscale Metals 

Enters Watch and Jewelry Market at 

BASELWORLD 2013 with LuxeFoil™

LuxeFoil™’s materials are so precise and lightweight - 500 times thinner than a human hair - that NASA, the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launch them into space on satellites and missions. LuxeFoil™ will debut these beautiful cutting-edge innovations at BASELWORLD 2013, the world’s largest watch and jewelry show.
Luxel, the parent company, has played an important role as a supplier to companies in the aerospace industry for over 35 years. Their high-quality materials are painstakingly crafted from more than 70 different metals, compounds, and organics. They have the strength to withstand spacecraft launch and extreme pressure differentials while still maintaining their integrity. The result is also something quite beautiful, resulting in the spinoff of their new business unit, LuxeFoil™.

LuxeFoil™’s patent-pending, proprietary fabrication process delivers extremely thin and lightweight metals that can be wrought into limitless design possibilities. Their launch into the luxury timepiece and jewelry market as a materials supplier sets the stage for a new era in product development. Available in over 20 different materials such as the standard gold, silver and silicon as well as boron, zirconium, and vanadium, LuxeFoil™ delivers up a suite of product design enhancements never before seen on the market.

“LuxeFoil™ offers luxury brands a powerful combination of technologically advanced and breathtakingly beautiful materials that differentiate them from the competition and deliver up a competitive advantage, says Travis Ayers, LuxeFoil™ President. “The luxury watch and jewelry market already values precision, rarity and unique items. They also value craftsmanship and reliability. Those are all the things that are the heart of Luxel's corporate culture and have been for 40 years. So it seemed like a natural place to start with LuxeFoil™ and take that into new markets. We look forward to launching the collection to the world’s pinnacle brands at BASELWORLD in a few weeks.”



BASELWORLD Booth Location:
View the LuxeFoil™ Collection at Hall/Stand 2.0/K23

For more information about LuxeFoil™ please visit: 

Website   http://www.luxefoil.com
Facebook Page    https://www.facebook.com/LuxeFoil
Twitter   @luxefoil

Photo Source - Luxefoil Facebook Page