#JWLV COUTURE Design Awards is Highlight of 2017 Jewelry Week Las Vegas #CoutureShow2017 #ThisIsCouture

COUTURE Design Awards is Highlight of 2017 Event
New Venue Elevates the Award’s Gravitas  

Excitement and anticipation permeated the crowd within the Encore Theater as nearly 1,000 designers, editors and retailers from the COUTURE community gathered to celebrate the nominees and winner’s of this year’s COUTURE Design Awards. The change in venue left everyone in awe with the Art Deco decor of the lobby and the magnificent sparkle from the stage.

“Tonight is when we celebrate the incredible artists who labor an entire year to create these works of art, and showcase their hearts and souls within their salons,” COUTURE’s Director, Gannon Brousseau explained from the stage. He then went on to thank this year’s panel of judges, Melissa Geiser from Stanley Korshak, Julie Thom from Von Bargen’s, Daisy Shaw from Vanity Fair, Katerina Perez of Katerina Perez, and designer Yossi Harari, for their time, insight and expertise in selecting the winning designs and finalists.

Furrer Jacot, who won the inaugural Best in Men’s Jewelry Award thanked the designer who has been with him for 30 years saying that he “didn’t want to do another men’s piece - he wanted to do something great.” The winner of the Best in Diamonds Above $20,000, Fernando Jorge, enthused from the stage, "This was my first adventure with diamonds and therefore I feel very very honored to receive this award."

A touching highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Cindy Edelstein Award by Cindy’s daughter, Remy, to designer Stephen Webster. A video tribute showcased the designer’s passionate support of the industry, commitment to ethical sourcing and design practices and philanthropic endeavors. 

Best in Bridal:

Winner: Jade Trau

1st Runner Up: Mark Patterson

2nd Runner Up: Eva Fehren

Best in Colored Gemstones Above $20,000:

Winner: John Hardy

1st Runner Up: Bayco

2nd Runner Up: Sutra

Best in Colored Gemstones Below $20,000:

Winner: Amali

1st Runner Up: Andrea Fohrman

2nd Runner Up: Carol Kauffman

Best in Diamonds Above $20,000:

Winner: Fernando Jorge

1st Runner Up: Anita Ko

2nd Runner Up: Mariani

Best in Diamonds Below $20,000:

Winner: Garavelli

1st Runner Up: Roule & Co.

2nd Runner Up: Qayten

Best in Gold:

Winner: Cadar

1st Runner Up: Luisa Rosas

2nd Runner Up: Elena Votsi 

Best in Haute Couture:

Winner: Pasquale Bruni

1st Runner Up: Kavant & Sharart

2nd Runner Up: Picchiotti

Best in Innovative:

Winner: Nadine Ghosn

1st Runner Up: Marie Mas

2nd Runner Up: Serafino Consoli 

Best in Men’s Jewelry:

Winner: Furrer Jacot

1st Runner Up: Jan Leslie

2nd Runner Up: Pat Flynn

Best in Pearls:

Winner: Yvel

1st Runner Up: Mizuki

2nd Runner Up: Todd Reed

Best in Platinum:

Winner: Heinrich & Denzel

1st Runner Up: Misui

2nd Runner Up: Alishan

Best in Silver:

Winner: Atelier Zobel

1st Runner Up: Emanuela Duca

2nd Runner Up: Aida Bergsen

Best of Debuting at Couture:

Winner: Leyla Abdollahi London

1st Runner Up: Nadine Ghosn

2nd Runner Up: Julien Riad Sharon

People’s Choice

Winner: Mariani

1st Runner Up: Jorg Heinz

2nd Runner Up: King Baby

Registration OPEN - GIA’s New York Jewelry Career Fair - Javits Center on July 24 #GIA #JobFair

GIA - The World’s Foremost Authority in Gemology™

Registration Open for GIA’s New York Jewelry Career Fair

Industry’s largest recruiting event returns to the Javits Center July 24

Recruiters and aspiring job seekers can now register online for GIA’s Jewelry Career Fair taking place in New York on Monday, July 24. The leading gem and jewelry industry recruiting event will feature one-on-one career coaching, hiring opportunities for a variety of careers within the field and a not-to-miss panel discussion with prominent industry personalities. The event is free for job seekers and open to the public; anyone interested in attending is urged to register prior to the event.

Career Fair attendees will have the opportunity to meet with recruiters from companies across the gem and jewelry industry – including Stuller, Jewelry Television (JTV) and CIRCA Inc. – with dozens of companies expected to participate. Employers interested in recruiting at this year’s Career Fair can sign up online using the registration form (https://www.gia.edu/career-fair-registration-form) or by contacting GIA’s Career Services office (+1 760-603-4542; careerservices@gia.edu). 

GIA’s New York Jewelry Career Fair will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, July 24 at the Javits Center (1E Hall) during the JA New York show. Recruiting and one-on-one career coaching will run from 10:15 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Susan Jacques, president and CEO of GIA, will moderate the opening panel “Job Success in Today’s Market.” The panel of industry veterans and rising stars will include Regina Ciarleglio, director of retail development for Worthy, Inc.; Marion Fasel, founder and editorial director of TheAdventurine.com; Mary Feliciano, a GIA graduate working in quality assurance for Harry Winston, Inc.; Hank Siegel, president and CEO of Hamilton Jewelers; and Elliot Tannenbaum, senior principal for Leo Schachter Diamond Group.

“The accomplished professionals speaking at GIA Jewelry Career Fair in New York personify the diverse opportunities in the gem and jewelry industry,” said Kathryn Kimmel, GIA senior vice president and chief marketing officer, and co-founder of the GIA Jewelry Career Fair. “Career Fair brings together job seekers and recruiters looking to fill positions, and is a unique opportunity to network with successful professionals and hear firsthand about their journeys in this big-hearted, dynamic industry.”

GIA hosted its first Jewelry Career Fair in 1991 in Santa Monica, Calif. Since then, the event has expanded and linked gem and jewelry companies with future employees at more than 60 events in India, Las Vegas, New York and the GIA World Headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif. Following the New York event, the next GIA Jewelry Career Fair will take place in Carlsbad on Friday, Oct. 13.

For more information and updates, visit http://www.gia.edu/career-fair. The event is sponsored by JA New York.

Follow @GIANews #JewelryJobs for updates.

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 in the early 1950s and in 1953, created the International Diamond Grading System™ which, today, is recognized by virtually every professional jeweler in the world.

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 www.GIA.edu. 

#GemTalk Spring 2017 Gems & Gemology Highlights Brilliantly Colored Gemstones and Brazilian Diamonds #GIA

From Press Release

GIA - The World’s Foremost Authority in Gemology™

Vibrant Spring 2017 Gems & Gemology Highlights Brazilian Diamonds and a Variety of Colored Gemstones

Issue reveals copper-bearing liddicoatite and role of silicon in corundum

Colorful gems abound in GIA’s (Gemological Institute of America) quarterly professional journal Gems & Gemology (G&G). The Spring 2017 issue, now available in print and online, is the largest regular issue of G&G in its 83-year history. A diverse range of topics – from Brazilian diamonds and cuprian liddicoatite tourmaline to Japanese jadeite and the role of silicon in gem-quality corundum – are covered within the 144 pages. The first issue of the year also includes the 2016 Dr. Edward J. Gübelin Most Valuable Article Award winners and the annual G&G Challenge quiz.

The lead article, written by authors Darcy Svisero, and GIA’s James Shigley and Robert Weldon, surveys Brazil’s enigmatic diamond deposits. “Brazilian Diamonds: A Historical and Recent Perspective” recounts the history, geology and notable localities of diamond mining in Brazil. In reporting on plans for future diamond production, the article notes that although kimberlite pipes have been discovered in recent years, commercial mining will be a challenge and output remains low for now.

The second article, “Cuprian Liddicoatite Tourmaline,” by GIA researchers Yusuke Katsurada and Ziyin Sun, reports on the copper-bearing material known for its vivid blue, green and violet colors and often referred to as “Paraíba” tourmaline. Although this tourmaline is traditionally classified as elbaite species, chemical analysis identified 13 samples submitted to GIA’s Tokyo laboratory as liddicoatite. Next, an article by John L. Emmett, Yunbin Guan and GIA’s Jennifer Stone-Sundberg and Ziyin Sun discusses the critical role of silicon in the color of gem-quality corundum. The authors demonstrate that silicon’s presence is vital to allowing titanium to pair with iron and create blue color in sapphire.

The fourth article covers the history and characteristics of prized Japanese jadeite, comparing it with jadeite from other sources. Next, Xiayang Lin and Peter Heaney describe the occurrence of iridescence and differential etching in quartz crystals from India’s Jalgaon District. The Spring issue’s sixth and final article is by Ji Zhang, Yujie Gao and Guanghai Shi, investigating the properties of synthetic zincite accidentally produced by industrial kilns in Poland.

G&G’s regular Lab Notes section includes entries on rubellite with strong “pink sleeves” and intense green HPHT synthetic diamond. Gem News International highlights the Tucson gem shows, the world’s premiere colored stone event, including a new source of Ethiopian emerald and ruby and emerald mining updates. The Micro-World column features optical dishes in ametrine, flashes and flames in Ethiopian opal and cat’s-eye imitation pen pearls – as well as a mystery inclusion in topaz.

Additional details about G&G, full articles, more in-depth coverage, hundreds of additional photos, and exclusive video footage are available on GIA’s website at http://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research.

The Spring 2017 cover of Gems & Gemology. 

Cover photo by Robert Weldon; © GIA

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 in the early 1950s and in 1953, created the International Diamond Grading System™ which, today, is recognized by virtually every professional jeweler in the world.

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 www.GIA.edu.